SHOP STATS: K&M Collision
Location: Hickory, North Carolina
Owner/Operator: Kevin & Meredith Bradshaw
Average Monthly Car Count: 80
Staff Size: 28 Shop Size: 34-35,000 square feet
Average Repair Order: $12,000
Annual Revenue: $11.5 million
If the big sign out front and the numerous drive-in service bays didn’t give it away and you managed to walk into the customer lounge of K & M Collision none the wiser, you might be forgiven thinking you were in the clubhouse of a private golf course or lobby of a swanky resort. With stone and wood surfaces and a fireplace with a nearby coffee bar, the K & M lobby helps make a pleasant experience out of the otherwise unpleasant experience of being in a collision. The shop’s clientele expect nothing less, explains Director of Fixed Operations Kyle Bradshaw.
“The biggest thing for us is we really wanted to mimic the dealership feel that customers get when they go to a dealership,” says Bradshaw, whose family owns the shop. “So you know, with us specializing in luxury vehicles, we want our customers to experience the same thing that they would experience at a Porsche dealer or a Bentley dealer or things like that.”
Always Expanding
While the business was established in 1991, the current building dates to 2016 and has undergone significant alterations since then. It opened with just over 20,000 square feet and after a recent expansion is now nearly 35,000 square feet. The expansions have helped to not only process more vehicles but also improve efficiency and upgrade technology. The shop previously sublet out its alignments and calibrations but those are now in house, along with basic mechanical repairs such as mounting and balancing tires.
“Things like that, that we can just do in house and to basically speed the process up and not have to rely on anybody else for anything,” says Bradshaw.
The shop holds more than 20 certifications, from the aforementioned high-end makers as well as some of the most popular brands on the road today. That represents a significant investment in equipment and training but is by design. The shop maintains close relationships with dealers and OEMs as a symbol of quality for its repairs, says Bradshaw.
An Executed Vision
Bradshaw says that his parents, owners Kevin & Meredith Bradshaw, designed every aspect of the building for the customer experience. That experience, he says, is an extension of the priority the shop places on the customer, making sure they’re taken care of from the time they enter the shop to the time they receive “100% reimbursement” on their repair.
“Everything that we do, that's really our focus and the focal point there is to provide an excellent service for the customer and an excellent experience,” Bradshaw says.
