Broad perspective brings success to Florida shop

Jan. 1, 2020
We've all heard how important it is to be able to see the forest, not just the trees — although in the case of the collision repair business, a more apt analogy might be to see the shop, not the dent pullers. But, maintaining the right perspect

By keeping his eyes on the big picture, shop owner Tom Prescott keeps his shop on the competitive edge

We've all heard how important it is to be able to see the forest, not just the trees — although in the case of the collision repair business, a more apt analogy might be to see the shop, not the dent pullers. But, maintaining the right perspective can be challenging sometimes, especially for owners with just a single location.

One shop owner who does a good job of keeping his eye on the big picture is Tom Prescott, who started his business — The Body Werks — in Holly Hill, Fla., just outside of Daytona, in 1982.

"One of my stronger traits is being able to look at the business from the outside in," he says. "Some people just look at what's there today — how to fix a car and get it out the door. But I like to look at the business as a customer, or from Mercedes' perspective, and to think about what they see coming in and going out our door. I also like to watch market trends to see how different things will affect the industry."

Sometimes being an outsider can provide perspective on an area — and that perspective may have fueled The Body Werks' initial success. Prescott moved to Florida from Vermont, where he originally got into collision repair because he couldn't afford to have anyone else fix his Corvette. That helped launch a career in Corvette repair, and for several years, Prescott operated a shop in Vermont that specialized in Corvette bodywork.

When Prescott investigated the Daytona area market, however, he found that it already had Corvette-focused body shops so he chose another route: European luxury cars — a strategy that drove the spelling of the word "Werks" in the company name.

Before long, The Body Werks was approached by a Volvo dealer to join several shops handling its collision work. Over the years, the Volvo dealer has sent more and more business Prescott's way — and through word-of-mouth, he has garnered similar deals with BMW and Mercedes dealers. Today, those dealers generate about 50 percent of The Body Werks' business.

The Body Werks moved several times in its early years — each time to a larger facility to accommodate increased business. In 1985, the company moved to its current location — a 4,600-sq.-ft. facility built to the company's specifications. There, Prescott was able to use his big picture thinking to boost the bottom line.

"We can produce $325 per square foot, and the benchmark was $120 to $130 back then," Prescott says.

Prescott attributes that achievement to a lot of things, including keeping an eye on waste and looking at new ways of gaining business. Prescott's involvement with a "20 group" of shop owners from around the country also helped provide perspective. "It gave me the insight to hone in on certain areas," he says.

But what may have helped Prescott most in obtaining a broad perspective on the collision repair business was his involvement, beginning in the 1990s, with several industry committees. Prescott was vice president of collision repair for the Automotive Service Association (ASA) of Florida, and in the late 1990s, he was on the ASA National Operations Committee.

Prescott's volunteer work consumed as much time as a full-time job, but the time commitment didn't bother him.

"The more I delved into it and the more I gave, the more I was getting back without even knowing it," he says. "I got an education beyond my dreams in everything from shop management to actual hands-on skills. It was a gradual learning process through listening to people who were part of the association or information providers, manufacturers and insurance companies. I was able to see how the other half operates and to take that information and put it back into the shop."

Understanding insurance companies has helped Prescott choose DRPs that he's comfortable with — although they generate less than 10 percent of his business. "You don't want to load up with too much insurance work, because what happens if the plug is pulled on one?" he asks.

Also in the 1990s, Pres-cott got heavily involved with I-CAR, sending technicians for training and becoming an I-CAR Gold shop — and in the early 2000s, he attended numer-ous Automotive Management Institute (AMI) seminars. Even after receiving AMI certification, Prescott says, "I was getting quite a bit out of the seminars, so I just kept going."

When a local community college was built, Prescott was on its advisory board — and he saw many ways the collision repair curriculum could be improved. Ultimately, that led him to a new but related career in teaching. "When the opportunity came up, I jumped at it to go in and teach," he says.

Prescott has been teaching for four years now and finds that it, too, has broadened his perspective.

"It's opened my eyes to the importance of getting more education for my technicians and keeping them on top of new market trends," he says. "I drum into my students' heads about being able to adapt to the computer because everything you need is on that computer. Some older technicians think the computer is taboo. But you can't afford not to be able to look up information online for repairs."

Since Prescott started spending so much time away from the shop beginning in the 1990s, he turned over everyday management of his shop to his manager Tim Manders eight years ago. Manders will ultimately have an option to buy into the shop. But, Prescott's ability to see the big picture enables him to oversee the business without constant involvement.

"I'm there every day in the afternoon," he says. "It gives me time to go over the books, deal with customers and correct problems."

Prescott has received several important honors over the years. In 2000, he received the Phoenix award from the national ASA, and in 2001, he received the Paragon award from the ASA of Florida. Both awards are designed to honor individuals who display a pattern of excellence and high standards.

About the Author

Joan Engebretson

Engebretson is a former editor-in-chief of America's Network. She has covered the communications industry since 1993. In 2002, she won a national gold award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for her columns. Previously, Engebretson was the editor of Telecom Investor, a supplement toAmerica's Network.

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