Nashville-area Maaco hitting all the right notes with ‘a network of relationships’

Originally from New England, following graduation from high school “I loaded up the car and moved to Nashville to go to technical school.” The Nashville Auto/Diesel College was Jameson’s destination. “I’d gotten a post card in the mail” from the institution while still studying auto mechanics at his high school, an enjoyable class with possible prospects as a suitable occupational path.

Yet for some reason the college’s personal pitch to Jameson was geared around promoting its bodywork courses, “and I was like, ‘Say, I like making cars look pretty.’” He thought about it some more and came to the conclusion that “I didn’t want to be busting my knuckles on engines, transmissions and all that.”

Thus began a quest to become the best at collision repair, and joining the team at the Antioch Maaco further convinced Jameson of the value that can be obtained through thorough training.

Along with Maaco’s proven company-wide systems, augmented by Maaco University’s always-up-to-date online curriculum, the shop utilizes instruction from I-CAR while actively pursuing sometimes-hard-to-get edification from suppliers and additional sources. “We talk to other shops in other states, and they have trouble getting jobbers to offer training – they drop the products and go,” Jameson reports, expressing his appreciation for the Nashville area’s educational opportunities.

“Painters will come out here to the shop to introduce new products and procedures,” Jameson says, additionally disseminating the latest in adhesives and other repair techniques. Jobber Dave Martin at the Music City’s regional Sherwin Williams distributorship is particularly adept at spreading the word: “They give you training whenever you ask.”

Diversified revenue stream

An emphasis on instruction is consistently a top priority, beginning with the recruitment process. “I hire the right people who can do the work,” says Jameson. “I go after the educated and certified people, and I pay them accordingly – sometimes better-than-accordingly just to keep them.”

Turnover is low with steady staffing levels; positions are cross-trained whenever possible, and several members of the crew have been onboard for more than a dozen years.

“Like all shops today, finding good technicians is always a challenge. We use our network of local jobbers and their relationships and knowledge of the marketplace to help us find good technicians and good people who may be looking for a change or are ready to leave their existing shop,” says Jameson.

“We look for qualified technicians who are looking for a place to call home, and once I find them I do what I can to make this a place they want to stay and grow,” he elaborates. “I treat all my employees like family, not just an employee.”

Paid time off and vacations are provided, and half of the staff’s health insurance premiums are covered. “There are oftentimes that life situations come up, and I have helped employees financially to get through those situations.” The shop encourages and picks up the tab for continuing education.

Within the immediate marketing sphere are three large corporate-owned, multiple shop competitors doing a lot of DRP repairs.

“What sets us apart is we have a diverse revenue stream,’ Jameson reveals. There are DRP jobs, and self-paying customers, plus Maaco’s Driven Fleet program attracts a considerable amount of commercial accounts in the busy Nashville area.

“With the Maaco national footprint and national fleet partners, that helps us get our foot in the door so that we can service their painting and collision repair needs,” he says.

“When it comes to the retail work, we have many customers that have liability insurance only or a high deductible, so it is advantageous for them to come to us for those repairs. A new paint job can also keep their car looking good when they just can’t afford a new car,” says Jameson.

“I see our business as a three-legged stool -- retail, insurance and fleet,” he continues. “This helps with managing the workflow through the shop as well as the revenue flow. This business model helps to keep the shop in business year-round. If you have too many heavy hits you may wait on parts. And if you have too much paint work it can cause a bottleneck at the paint booth. We strive for an even balance between those three revenue streams, and the Maaco model helps us achieve that.”

Jameson says that one of his shop’s biggest strengths is their versatility and range of services. “We do everything, from affordable all-over paint jobs to collision repair on late model cars to restoration. We can do it all!”

Painting and detailing products are obtained through Maaco-designated suppliers while the shop chooses its own parts-providers. “One advantage of being a part of the Maaco network is that we get much better pricing then we would as an independent shop,” according to Jameson.

“We have good relationships with our vendors. They know what we’re trying to do and they get us the parts as soon as they can. They’ll jump in the car and bring it over to us, and we want to hang on to suppliers like that,” he points out.

“We work well with our venders. We work together side-by-side with them to work out any solutions if any issue does arise,” says Jameson. “Our mutual goal is to satisfy customers and get their cars repaired correctly, safely and back on the road.”

Long-term strength

The Antioch outlet one of the top performing shops in Maaco’s franchise system, having won several awards and recognition over the years; this year Jameson received the coveted Maaco Regional Cup Award for the South/Gulf Region.

Jameson’s shop is a Maaco Diamond Certified location, which means that it meets the chain’s top level of certification with the training and equipment needed to make collision repairs on today’s technologically complex vehicles.

“It was important to me to be Diamond Certified, and we were one of the first in the Maaco system to achieve that. My shop and technicians are also I-CAR Gold Certified, which is also one of the requirements of being Diamond Certified with Maaco,” he says.

“We have invested in the equipment needed to repair today’s cars properly, such as resistant spot welders and scanning tools. Part of the benefit of being Maaco Diamond certified is that we participate in eight DRPs and the Maaco Driven Fleet program, which helps bring additional business into the shop.”

When dealing with customers, “I’m straight-forward and honest. I tell them exactly what they actually need and don’t try to upsell them anything more. My goal is to make a friend and lifetime customer. That is what keeps a business strong in the long term,” Jameson explains.

“Good CSI ratings and KPI numbers meet the requirements of the DRPs that we participate in and maintains a good relationship with those insurance partners. But in the end, it’s all about having satisfied customers who come back and tell their friends and family of the good experience,” he says, citing a 4.9 out of 5 Google approval rating.

“Maaco is a nationally-known household name, so that name recognition and the national advertising they provide definitely helps. Everyone knows the famous line, ‘Uh Oh Better Get Maaco,’ so we benefit from that, as well as the Driven Fleet program that opens doors for us with fleet customers,” Jameson notes. “We also do some digital advertising locally as well. After 23 years, however, our most effective advertising is word of mouth. Our customer base is a lot of repeat customers as well as their friends and families. A good reputation is still the best advertising.”

Housed in a 7,600 sq. ft. metal building with 600 ft of office space included on a one-acre lot, the shop was built in 1992 by the previous owner -- Robert “Scooty” White -- as a Maaco Collision Repair and Auto Painting Center. In the early days they mostly just performed affordable paint jobs and light body work. A few years after Jameson began working there they started doing more collision repairs.

In 1996 Jameson had been hired as a sander just out of technical school. “Over the first few years I proved (to White) that I was capable of doing collision repair. He promoted me to the body shop, and I hit the ground running, enabling the business to take in larger collision jobs and provide quality repairs. I became head technician and worked my way to general manager in 2001.” Jameson purchased the business from White in 2016.

Believing in giving back to the community that supports them, the shop donates to support the local police and fire departments while also sponsoring several local Mustang, British and Classic-car clubs.

A few years ago they had the opportunity to restore a car for the parents of a young woman who was killed in the Columbine shooting. “A Thompson Station Ministry had made a film about the school shooting in Littleton, Colorado, and had the car in Tennessee,” Jameson recounts. “It was a 1988 Acura Legend. We were asked if we could do the restoration on the vehicle before returning it to Littleton. We decided to do the job for free. We donated parts and labor; the technician who did the work, Joey Dickens, donated his labor time, and we restored the car back to original condition before shipping it back to the young lady’s parents.”