SHOP STATS: Collision Care Xpress Location: Pompano Beach, Fla. (Two locations: Dixie Highway, McNab) Operator: Robert and Christina Molina Average Monthly Car Count: 80 Staff Size: 22 (McNab) 3 (Dixie Highway) Shop Size: 15,500 square-feet (McNab) 5,000 (Dixie Highway) Annual Revenue: $2.5 million to $3 million (estimated)
1. Laying Out the Shop Floor
Robert Molina, co-owner of Collision Care Xpress, a two-location collision repair business based out of Pompano Beach, Fla., opened his first shop in 2009. It currently serves as the space where overflow work and quick repair jobs are done. His second location on McNab opened in 2016 and serves at the business’ headquarters.
Molina worked with PPG and gathered ideas from other consultants like FilterWorks, to maximize the 15,500-square-foot space.
Each department, from paint to vehicle blueprinting, is separated. This separation helps Molina and his team know where a vehicle is at in the repair process. The shop has 30 working bays, three frame machines, and an aluminum room.
2. Maximizing Paint
The shop has three spray booths. According to Molina, the paint department takes up approximately 35 percent of the shop’s space and the blueprinting department takes up about 30 percent.
Molina notes that the paint department has advanced cameras that helps painters with color matching.
3. Putting it All On Display
Molino notes that they have a wall dedicated to displaying all the shop’s certifications. He has his front desk team point them out to incoming customers. Collision Care Xpress is currently working on getting Honda, Acura and Tesla certified.
4. Communicating Transparency
Aside from displaying the shop’s certifications, Molina enjoys showcasing his shop and their attention to cleanliness. He often gives tours of the facility to customers. He says they really enjoy his transparency and they like the fact that they can see the equipment they have in the shop and who is working on their vehicles. Molina notes that the shop gets a lot of customer referrals and repeat customers due to their marketing efforts. Repeat customers and referrals make up 30 percent of the overall customers the shop services.
5. Team Communication and Appreciation
Communication among Molina and his team is the biggest part of the shop, Molina notes. They have walkie-talkies and a hub where all dispatchers and vehicle information folders are located. Additionally, his team relies on emails to stay in contact with each other.
To show their appreciation of their team, Robert and Christina Molina provide employee incentives like buying the team lunch. They also have an employee of the month program, the person chosen gets a cash bonus.
