Last year, Frazier bought an Owensboro, Ky., collision repair business, originally founded in 1955 as Owensboro Body Shop, and changed the shop's name to Ohio Valley Collision Center. The business already was profitable and Frazier hopes to achieve further growth by leveraging good will and synergies from his other businesses.
"My dad owned a tire recycling company and I was used to being around trucks and working on them," recalls Frazier. When a truck-building company, Browns Valley Truck Equipment, came up for sale eight years ago, Frazier decided it would be an excellent investment. The company, originally founded 30 years earlier, builds utility trucks, dump trucks, grain trailers and other specialty trucks. The business had always made good money and continues to do so for Frazier.Frazier was particularly impressed by one of the business's three buildings. When the company suffered a roof cave-in caused by heavy snow a few years ago, the Camerons had built a new pre-formed concrete building with ceilings that are more than 20 feet tall — giving Frazier ample room to work on trucks as well as cars. "They built a state-of-the-art shop with radiant heat and skylights," notes Frazier. The extensive drain system was also impressive. "You can wash a car anywhere and have a drain within five feet of you," Frazier says.
Within the first three weeks of taking ownership of the body shop, Frazier had 12 large trucks come in for repair. "People who know me from my other businesses started calling me," he says. "I have a good name in town and people trust me."Frazier likes having more control over paint jobs, which previously were sublet to other businesses. In addition, he is able to use one business to generate work for another. "We're building new showrooms on-site for Truck Xpressions so when people come in for custom paint or a wreck, they can walk through the showroom and if they want to add an accessory, we can do it for them."
The synergies between Frazier's businesses are immediately apparent.
"I have five jobs downstairs that all three of my companies have a part of," Frazier says. He points to the example of a truck from a farm supply company that is having its cab and doors repaired by the body shop and its flatbed repaired by Browns Valley. Truck Xpressions will add a toolbox.
Since taking ownership, Frazier has made a few changes to the body shop, including changing the name and buying into a car rental franchise. Ohio Valley Collision will arrange a car rental for customers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. "If they wreck their car at 1 a.m. on a Sunday, we'll have someone meet them here and give them a car," says Frazier — and if needed, the company has trucks available for rent. "A lot of people can't make a living in a car," notes Frazier.
Helping Frazier with the business transition is body shop manager Brian Lynn, who previously had managed the shop for Nick Cameron. "We sat down and talked and he decided to stay with me," Frazier recalls. The overall number of employees has increased under Frazier. "We've gone to a lot of younger technicians that have an education in collision repair," he says. Some previous employees who stayed with the company had some experience with big trucks — and two of the new technicians hired also had big-truck experience.
Frazier has invested in additional training for his technicians on car lines such as Mercedes, BMW and Lexus with the goal of capturing more luxury car business that previously went out of town. A significant number of Owensboro residents own such vehicles, but must drive an hour away to reach their dealer. "Some people say we're the richest small town around," notes Frazier.
The training on luxury cars also helps raise overall customer perceptions of the shop. "If the average person sees that we're certified to work on Lexus or Porches, they assume we can work on their '95 Chevy," Frazier quips.
Another new direction for the body shop is custom paint. Although the company doesn't expect to do enough of that business to merit a full-time employee, Frazier has made arrangements with specialists to come in as needed to handle that work. "It allows a smaller town to have things larger towns have," notes Frazier.
His "go-getter" approach to the future is apparent.
"I want to be able to offer anything," he says. "We might not have it here, but we have a means of getting it."
