Like a colossus astride the Pompano Beach, Fla., repair market, Auto Tech and Body bridges both technical and collision repair with a state-of-the-art facility. As envisioned by owner Jay Ghanem, however, this shop is designed to encompass much more than just customary car upkeep. A high-end lobby denotes taste and culture, technicians are certified to do recall repairs for every manufacturer of vehicles sold in the United States and Canada and the upper floor of the building actually functions as the South Florida Community Center.
"I always had a good eye for art, appearance and image from my mother," he muses. "And it's funny, during construction I had so much criticism, even from architects and interior designers. They always thought an automotive shop should have lots of stainless steel and metal. This doesn't have to be the norm; I just wanted to create a comfortable, warm space for people to walk into. And people usually go with what they feel. If they feel comfortable about the shop or (individual), that's where they'll leave their vehicle." And the community center isn't just altruistic, it's advertising. Citizens attending events must pass through the tastefully appointed two-story foyer, creating a deep impression of competency and class.
"Anyone coming to my shop isn't just a customer, they're a business source," Ghanem observes. But in aiming for the high end of the market, he hit the mid-range market dead center."I built this facility to cater to Lamborghinis, Bugattis and Ferraris, but our target market is the average car," Ghanem reports. "An exotic can take months to repair, especially if it has physical damage. To get parts from Italy can take up to four months, versus doing mechanical service, maintenance or even collision repairs on a Honda or Chevrolet, which will take us only two or three days. But if we had built a facility catering just to Chevys, we wouldn't have been able to adapt to the high end later on."
"We invite instructors to our community center to hold seminars, then we contact local dealerships and repair shops to register their technicians for sessions here instead of sending them to classes elsewhere for training," Ghanem explains. "And the technicians love the hands-on training; usually these seminars are held in some hotel conference room. Usually we have a turnout of 20 to 30 technicians, and when we're done, my technicians are trained almost for free — besides providing the space, we also provide the breakfast and lunch. If we were to send my technicians off all the time, I don't know if we could afford to stay in business."
