Dec. 22, 2022—Frank's Auto Body owner Frank Latin had to wait quite a bit longer than he originally anticipated to open his new 22,500-square-foot facility, but it's better late than never.
According to the News-Herald, Latin first started planning an expansion of his Madison Township, Ohio, shop in 2019. That was after owning the property with expansion in mind since 2010. But due to pandemic-related delays, construction didn't begin until September 2020. The new space is now ready for business, right next door to the old space, which Latin opened 18 years ago. This is the third space in the lifespan of the business, which was established nearby in 1993.
Latin designed the space himself for maximum efficiency. The shop features two downdraft paint booths with a mixing room. The larger space is also designed to accommodate commercial vehicles to expand that part of the business. All these improvements come at a cost, as the cost of construction tops out at $2.8 million, which Latin estimates is $600,000 higher than it would have been had the project been completed in July 2021, due to inflation factors. Latin is now ready to open the doors and get back to business.
“Luckily I had good office staff that could watch the day-to-day production and I could just oversee it from a distance,” Latin said to the News-Herald. “Now, I’ll get back to being in the captain’s chair and guiding the business the rest of the way.”
