Hussan Mouhamad, known to everyone as Huss, has been busy carving out his own unique network in Victoria.
uss is a force of nature. He talks and walks 100mph, he’s super hospitable- as I found when I visited a couple of his shops back in the mists of time when interstate travel was the norm and saw that there’s a lot of love in his crew.
The Carllision Group has six branches now. Three of them are wholly owned by Huss. A very recent purchase in Bentleigh, a relatively recent purchase in Werribee (a suburb around 32km out of the CBD) and a BMW approved rural shop in Traralgon. The other three are what he refers to as a ‘branchise’ a kind of ‘bro’ franchise. This is where he has been able to give a leg up to trusted managers who have bought into the branches. These are at Thomastown, Wallan and Coburg. These managers keep the core Carllision founding principles seamlessly cemented says Huss.
Apart from the eye-watering cost of setting up a repair shop these days, what the business partners benefit from is Huss’s great working relationships with a number of insurers. They also get the support of being part of a group and being able to share resources and knowledge.
I sensed that this wasn’t just a team of tradespeople grinding out another work day but rather a family all sharing Huss’s vision for the industry. Carllision prides itself on the level of service and attention to customers at each branch and Huss vows that however large the group grows, it will always be a family business with a family business customer focus.
“We’re big enough to cover Melbourne metro and regional Victoria but small at heart when it comes to things that matter like weekly Friday lunches and regular toolbox meetings where all staff are encouraged to share ideas and potential improvements in process.”
The new branch in Bentleigh will predominantly focus on prestige repairs complimenting the Traralgon site.
Huss credits his success to his amazing and dedicated team: “Without them none of this would be possible,” he says. “By employing only the best people are we able to grow and succeed.
“From humble beginnings even an apprentice panel beater is now a branch owner operator having grown with the company and become a vital part of it.”
Carllision Bodyworks remains committed to further expansion both locally and interstate. The co-operative working relationship with insurers and a great reputation is a good base from which to grow further.