Family commitment is the glue that holds Wisconsin shops together

To say Dreher Collision Center – with locations in Appleton and Brownsville, Wis. – is family-owned would grossly underestimate the impact of family on the business. This family comprises nearly 50 percent of its employee base, which is currently at nine.

Bill and Colleen, shop co-owners who split time between both locations, have three sons and a daughter. Each of the children "loves the business," according to their mother, Colleen Dreher. In fact, the sons, in particular, are a primary reason why the owner parents decided to open the Appleton shop. Daughter Kristen, while always available to help out, graduated from University of Milwaukee and now works as a financial advisor at US Bank in Fond du Lac, Wis.

All sons have completed high school, and all went on to college before returning to their roots. The oldest, Chad, a graduate of Clemson University, is managing the Brownsville shop. The middle son, Easton, graduated from Northern Michigan University in 2005. Eleven days later, he opened up an outdoor adventure store in The Dells but is now working his way into the business through a new venture. Youngest son, Derek, who left Oshkosh University early to help the business, now manages the Appleton store.

"All of our sons are good with the work environment and business relations. They all went for their business degrees. In Derek's case, we pulled him out of college a year and a half after he started because he approached us and said he'd love to be part of the Appleton venture," Colleen says.

In fact, Derek gave Colleen a special birthday card that noted, "Thanks, Mom, for giving me this (Appleton) opportunity. I won't let you down."

Dreher Collision Center, which has been in business since 1979, only recently opened its shop in Appleton in February 2007.

"In the small town of Brownsville, we could not keep three sons busy with enough business. Even as Brownsville grew, we wanted to expand our horizons," she explains, sharing how Appleton came into play.

"Small" would accurately describe the staff size as well – seven employees (four in Appleton and three in Brownsville) not including Bill and Colleen. Yet the collision center at Brownsville alone does nearly $1 million in sales a year. Not bad for a city of approximately 400 residents.

Efforts to market the shops are important since the Drehers say running a repair business in rural Wisconsin poses some significant challenges. Despite steady gross revenues over the years, currently, the workflow has slowed down for the shops, a situation that happens periodically in Wisconsin. Colleen said business is seasonal and it's difficult to keep employees busy when it slows down.

"When winter rolls around with all the snow and deer hits, we get busier. When spring comes around, and we don't have the work, sometimes we have to let employees go by nature of the business," she says.

The Brownsville location is across from a cow pasture on the corner of two rural highways. Despite its tiny dot on the greater Wisconsin landscape, there's been little need for advertising in Brownsville, although Appleton is another story. There it was crucial for the family to get its name out via newspaper, radio and other mediums, she said.

Beyond basic advertising, the Drehers also embraces a promotion offered at both shops, which involves donating a 2 percent rebate to the local schools. If a customer brings a car in with a coupon, a $5000 repair would result in $100 being given to the school of that customer's choice.

Along community lines, the Drehers have found a way to reach an Asian population that resides in the Appleton area. "We have a translator available for the Vietnamese-descent Hmongs who visit our shop," Colleen says.

Special features and equipment at the shops contributing to their steady success include their pickup and delivery service, computerized estimating capabilities with drive-through estimating bays, a four-wheel computer alignment system, spot welder equipment, paintless dent removal services, full-service glass center and lifetime written warranties. Loaner cars also are available to all customers – one at each location, as well as rental car availability and a towing service.

Perks at Dreher Collision Center, according to employee Dennis Blaine at the Brownsville location, include "great Christmas parties" where the staff goes out to eat and stays overnight at a local hotel; the clean working environment – "you could eat off the floor;" pleasant environment; technology, including that of the new spot welder; paint capabilities; and multiple training opportunities.

As for future plans, the middle son, Easton, the adventure shop owner, may be taking winters off from the shop to help his family with plans to build a concierge service in Fond du Lac. The concept would involve locals bringing their vehicles to that office. Dreher would write the estimate and repair the vehicle. Customers would benefit by being able be to drop off and pick their vehicles up in Fond du Lac without having to drive to Brownsville or Appleton.

"This has been my life for 30 years," Colleen says. "This has been such a satisfying venture for us. I don't know that I would've accomplished as much as I have through owning and managing this business. Working with your spouse can be difficult at times, but we've learned that to make it work, we have to work together."

"Whether big or small anyone can be successful if you put your mind to it," says Colleen, describing the shop's philosophy.