Do-it-yourself business building offers personalized results
Liotus and Winter Auto Body may have changed in its quarter century of existence, but George Liotus hasn’t. He still can’t think of anything he’d rather do and it shows in his direct, high-energy approach to running the business. George’s personal stamp sets his business apart, and more to the point, drives its success.
Some say the collision repair industry has grown more formal, more corporate and more impersonal. If so, George Liotus is a throwback, a reminder of an era when the most successful collision repair facilities were owned by men and women who got down in the trenches every day and used their experience and personal vision to develop their business.
The Pittsburgh, Pa., body shopa, isn’t factory-sized and doesn’t have a space-age facade, but its growth has been impressive. Started 25 years ago in a two-bay garage for an initial investment of $5,000, the business today employs 18 in an 8,500-sq. foot. facility with annual sales totaling $2.7 million.
Liotus and partner Rich Winter have been rolling up their sleeves and getting the work done since 1980, when they left their jobs as technicians at a dealership body shop to start the company. Liotus had been taking side work at night, and a stream of referrals from this venture combined with the good will of dealership customers translated into all the work they could handle—four cars a week.
They stayed busy, though, even if for eight months neither took a paycheck to make sure every penny got put back into the business. By the end of the year they hired their first employee, a painter’s helper, and things were looking up. But when their landlord—noting their increasing customer base—decided to triple their rent to $750 a month, Liotus decided to take fate into his own hands. He bought an out-of-business nursery sitting on 3.5 acres for $75,000. “I didn’t want to worry about where to park cars anymore,” he says. “I even ended up buying the 12 acre lot across the street.”
Situated on a main thoroughfare, the new location proved a magnet for business. The three men worked 16 to 18 hours a day while their backlog continued to increase. This being the early 1980s, body shop management had yet to become a science and credible third-party assistance was less common than today. To cope with the growing complexity of his business, Liotus again turned to his most trusted resource—himself. He read trade magazines and non-industry management books, talked to fellow Automotive Service Association (ASA) members and trusted his instincts. “I didn’t have time to go to meetings or visit shops,” he explains. “But I did the best I could.”
That’s probably an understatement given the overwhelming scope of Liotus’ involvement during this formative period of his business. Besides doing his own recruiting and making his own sales calls on agents and dealerships, he built his own paint booth. With the help of contractor, electrician and tradesmen friends, he designed and built his own structures and additions, even pouring concrete when needed. When it came time to purchase computer technology, he did his own research with the help of his sister, a programmer/analyst for a local hospital.
“By getting involved every step of the way I made sure I got things just right,” he explains. “It suits me because I think out of the box to solve problems. No one’s ever going to accuse me of suffering from tunnel vision.”
The layout of Liotus’ facility reflects his unique approach. Where many owners prefer to house their operation under a single roof, Liotus uses four different buildings: two for sheet metal/heavy collision repair, one for refinishing and one for his front office, the parts department and his detailing operation. “I figure out who is compatible with each other and form my production teams that way,” he says. “Each team has its own building in which it can work undisturbed and that keeps everyone happy.”
Liotus makes sure his techs have plenty of room to work in. “I did things like design in storage rooms for compressors and parts to avoid clutter,” he says. “If people have elbow room they’re much more productive. I don’t like seeing stuff piled up in the middle of the floor.”
Liotus finds that his personal presence in and about the operation has paid him an unlooked for number of dividends and competitive advantages (see sidebar), although the most significant benefit is probably less tangible.
“If I was a real difficult person to get along with and hated what I do, being visible would obviously be a drawback,” he laughs. “But I like to think I come in here every day with a positive personality and in a business this size it rubs off on everyone you come in contact with. They want to deal with you, they don’t dread it, they know you are a good guy.”
Sound simple? Well so does the reason Liotus believes his dynamic energy comes with him every day into the shop. “I’ve wanted to be a collision repairer from the time I started to work,” he explains. “That’s never changed, and I doubt it will. Lots of guys come into the trade and gradually phase themselves out, play golf, travel, have a good time doing whatever. Well, I have a good time doing this, so why stop?”
Given the sustained success of Liotus and Winter Auto Body, it’s a hard to argue with that.
Snapshop
Name and location: Liotus and Winter Body Shop, Pittsburgh
Owners: George Liotus and Rich Winter
Years in business: 24
Size: 8,500 sq. ft.
Volume: About 140 per month
Gross annual sales: $2.7 million
Number of employees: 18 total -- seven body technicians, one painter, two painter helpers, two detailers, one car washer, two estimators, one front office manager, one shop manager and one general manager (owner)
Equipment: Two downdraft spraybooths, two heated prep stations for refinishing, five drive-on computerized estimating systems and computerized management system
