We continue our virtual judging which will all be wrapped up by the end of the week with all the 2021 Bodyshop Award winners selected.
As mentioned with sadness previously we aren’t able to have our usual night of nights for the second year running but we are planning an even better virtual awards than last year which and we’ll be publishing more details about the November event in the coming weeks.
Just to finish up on the Victorian shops we didn’t mention Euroimage Automotive, Graham Bodyworks and Super Gloss Accident Repair Centre last week.
Euroimage Automotive was a new one to us and we were really impressed by the ambition and business savvy of Francis Gu. An accountant by trade who has built up an impressively successful accountancy network which ‘runs itself’ he has now turned his attention to the collision repair industry that he grew up in and bought this large shop which repairs between 50 and 70 cars per week. With more and more multi-site groups emerging in the market, we could have another contender once Gu properly gets his feet under the table.
Graham Bodyworks is no stranger to the Paint & Panel awards. Repairing cars on a small floorplan is increasingly tricky, but Glenn Chesser and his team make it look easy and are always refining and improving the shop and it’s systems. They take on Tesla recently too and are really enjoying working on these cars which are very popular in Melbourne.
I was delighted to see the smiling face of Alexia Fragadakis of Super Gloss Accident Repair Centre - who won a Women in Collision Award in 2019 - and to meet her husband, the guitar playing Chris. They have a shop with stunning kerb appeal and moderns customer facilities. It’s an older workshop but well equipped.
Queensland
We had some great entrants from the Sunshine state.
Scott Stahlhut from Eagle Smash Repairs in Brisbane just keeps on improving an already incredibly well organised and well equipped shop. Not only has he added a light tunnel for both inspecting accident damage and quality control but it looks like he will be expanding the business footprint.
Coastal Collision is another example of a boutique shop that makes the most of every square centimetre and keeps everything super clean and well organised. Owner Wayne Tidman has become a Tesla approved repairer and is dedicated to ensuring his team stay ahead of the technology curve. He has also employed the services of a business coach to encourage and support him to work on the business and spend less time working in the business.
Megan and Dan Leishman at Gold Coast Collision Centre make me feel so lazy. This couple never stops. A fairly serious leak occurred and while they were at repairing it they just revamped the whole workshop. They are totally swamped with work and they have also recently acquired the Tesla seal of approval.
Pickering Smash Repairs is a large shop that has been substantially upgraded over the last couple of year. A jaw droppingly amazing reception (ginormous), new prep bays and booths - Rob Elborne has really raised his game. He’s enjoying a better workflow and higher production output too.
Talking of HUGE YSR have a workshop we thought could accommodate a jumbo jet. Joseph and Elaine Teng only set the business up in February and have a wheel alignment machine and mechanical bay, trying to keep as much as they can in house. I’d love to see what their Fitbit says when they clock off in the afternoon
We’ll cover the rest of the Queensland shops and those in WA and SA next week. In the meantime thanks again to our fantastic sponsors who make these awards possible.
