In fact, Julie Waymire, formerly Julie Dempsey, says the business is in her blood. She's the daughter of Jack Dempsey, one of the original owners of Granite City Glass, who in 1955 started that company with business partner, the late Don Adams. Eight years later in 1963, Granite City Glass expanded to include collision repair, and Dempsey Adams Auto Body was born.
In the early 2000s, Rob and Julie officially entered the picture, after spending the early part of their careers in IT and the financial field, respectively. In 2005, the two, as principals of the corporation, Demway LLC, bought the 20-bay auto body repair business now known as Dempsey-Adams CARSTAR and Glass Company in Granite City, an industrial city best known for its steel mills. Because the business was already established, there was no significant financial investment on behalf of Rob and Julie."Rob and I saw a great opportunity ahead of us. We're all working together in a second-generation family-owned business. My dad and his late business partner had done a phenomenal job establishing relationships in the community, it was a smart move on our part to become owners and continue the business," Julie says.
Rob, general manager of Dempsey-Adams CARSTAR, brought with him management experience from a copper company, where he served as IT manager of the company's network. When he joined the collision repair shop, he achieved ASE certification, along with one of the shop's 12 employees, and has taken some I-CAR classes, as well as CARSTAR training. Additionally, the production employees are all I-CAR Gold certified.As for Julie, although she readily admits she's had no formal car training and, therefore, is "not the one to actually repair your car," she brings a strong business background to the company, after spending a stint in the financial services industry.
While the husband-and-wife is considered owners, Julie's parents, Jack and Donna, work at the shop as an estimator and customer service rep, respectively.
"I hate to call them employees, because we all work together. We help each other make decisions," Julie says. "My father never pushed this business on me. He allowed me to make my own decisions as far as my career choices and I ended up here. That may be what happens down the road with our [three-month-old son, Ethan]."In the meantime, the couple stays focused on the competition, which surrounds Dempsey Adams CARSTAR. Basically all the shops in town are the same size, and the area is riddled with shops. In fact, one competitor is attached to their parking lot. And there are another five shops within a three-block radius.
"To keep up with competition we try to offer innovative services, like our Web site tracking," says Rob. "We have an outstanding reputation, and that's in part due to employees having the experience and us also not having any turnover of employees since we joined the business. We go out of our way to take care of the customer — if they need a ride home or maybe they need to come in late or come on a Saturday for pick-up, we accommodate them."
It's worth noting that everything at Dempsey-Adams CARSTAR is computerized, including estimating systems, frame alignment and computerized paint matching. So it would make sense that the shop would have a strong online presence. The Web site, www.dempsey-adamsCARSTAR.com, allows current customers to track their repairs. Although such a system is not unique to the industry at large, Rob confirms that such a site is a huge benefit to their customers as "no one else in town" and very few in the greater St. Louis area offer such a feature.
"For the customers who have used our Web site, it has really helped them to understand what's involved in repairing their car," Rob says. "In other words, they may come in and think it's going to cost $50 to paint the panels. When we write an estimate for $300 or $400, this shows them the steps in terms of grinding off the old paint, filling it in, then grinding and sanding it. It gives them a better understanding of why it may take up to three days versus one-day, in and out."
Additionally he and Julie note that such a service cuts down on the number of calls the shop has to return, which frees employees to be more productive.
Although the Web site feature is still relatively new, Rob says customers have given a lot of positive feedback. Some customers have even gone as far as mentioning it to their insurance agents.
Getting that feedback, in fact, is a common part of the Dempsey-Adams business model. When customers have work done, in addition to Web-related feedback, they have the option of filling out a customer service card, which is sent out along with a lifetime local warranty and five-year nationwide warranty.
Currently, Dempsey-Adams has secured a 95-percent customer satisfaction rating, but the shop is "always working to improve," adds Julie.
But customers are not the only people of concern to the Waymires. The two ensure that if employees want additional training, it's a done deal. The shop pays for I-CAR training and offers online training through CARSTAR.
As far as updating the business, Rob says the company goes to "great lengths" to stay on top of the latest in repair equipment, purchasing as needs arise. Staying current with equipment is vital for maintaining direct repair program relationships, which account for 50 percent of the shop's business. "They definitely contribute to the bottom line," says Rob.
On top of the DRPs, Dempsey-Adams is the only shop to have an agreement with the local branch of Enterprise to handle its fleet.
"Right now we're looking to basically grow the location we have to its capacity. We're happy to maintain what we have and grow it."
