Operating at the same address for more than 45 years, Broadway Auto Body Rebuilders, Inc., is a Chicago-area institution. It’s also an example of how a personable approach can help a business face down potentially devastating challenges.
In the half decade they’ve owned and operated Broadway Auto Body Rebuilders, Inc., the Cellini family—Tom, Sr., Barbara and Tom, Jr.—have seen their fair share of adversity. There is the illness Tom, Sr. has been fighting for six years, a debilitating, neurological disease that has severely limited his involvement in the business. Given his decades-long role as Broadway’s founder and driving force, it was a potentially devastating blow.
And there’s the case of the low voltage problems that mysteriously plagued the shop in 2002. Power fluctuations burned out equipment, ignited shop fires and resisted accurate diagnosis from utility company experts, grinding production to a standstill. By the time the source of the power drain had been located, the damage had been done.
“We had to shut down with 72 in-process vehicles on the property,” Barbara recalls. “The ruined equipment and lost business proved so costly we put on hold our plans for a second facility.”
Catastrophic events for sure, yet Broadway Auto Body Rebuilders has survived and last year totaled $2 million in sales. Ask Barbara—who handles the books for the shop—how the business weathered the storms, and words like “humanistic” and “holistic” surface. “Customers crave the human touch more than ever,” the licensed homeopath says. “We address that need to an extent others might not.”
The philosophy may sound a bit “touchy-feely,” but there’s little question it permeates the shop’s culture, evident when one walks through its front doors. A warm, comfortable ambience with soft cushions and earthy tones contrasts with the high-tech sheen and doctor’s office veneer favored by so many modern shops. Complete with magazines and toys, it looks like it could be someone’s living room. “Many shops go with a cold look,” says Barbara. “We’re trying for something a little more nurturing, reinforced by the fact that anyone coming in is greeted properly and attended to immediately.”
Tom Cellini, Jr. (nicknamed Tiger) handles daily operations for Broadway, and is quick to elaborate on how the “human touch” translates to business. “We show respect for the customer in as many different ways as we can, starting with the highest quality workmanship,” he says.
“We don’t make them jump through hoops and we do little extras they don’t expect—offering hot coffee and cookies on a cold day, paying attention to their children, keeping them constantly apprised of their car’s status, cleaning their car thoroughly before it’s returned.”
A no-nonsense, bottom line guy, Tiger wastes little time describing how this personal approach translates into tangible benefits, including a high percentage of return business. “Chicago’s a big city, but we stand out because we’re positioned as an extension of our customers’ family,” he says. “They trust us. Our relationships with vendors and the insurance industry come from the same place. We treat them with dignity and, as a result, they prefer to work with us.”
For an illustration of the importance of this loyalty, one need not go further than how customers rallied around the shop during the Decembers of service disruptions caused by its electrical problems. “If we didn’t really know our customers,” Barbara says, “and if our reputation hadn’t been solidly in place for 35 years, they would have left and never come back.”
It’s one thing to embrace the concept of customer care among a tight-knit family, but how do you get it to stick throughout the organization? Well, there’s the obvious—if the staff is treated well and surrounded by the practice, they’re likely to respond—but there’s more to it than that.
For one thing, Tiger looks for specific characteristics in job applicants. “Lots of technicians have experience and skills, but that’s no guarantee they’ll fit in,” he notes. “Intangible things are important, too: their attitude toward customer service, their openness to new ideas, their confidence level when they understand they’ll be expected to take the initiative to satisfy the vehicle owner.”
To empower its technicians and painters to do just that, they are organized into teams of varying skill levels, united under the supervision of an experienced leader. Cellini likes this framework because of its inherent flexibility, but admits it works only if individuals can multi-task and are willing to help each other. “If a customer’s vehicle needs attention, they have to jump on it without arguing over whose job it is,” he explains. “When everybody focuses as one on customer needs, everything else falls into place.”
Broadway Auto Body Rebuilders wouldn’t have it any other way. “In an age where people are feeling more skeptical of claims of good service, we want to be able to extend a warm hand and prove we’re different,” Barbara asserts.
SNAPSHOP
Name: Broadway Auto Body Rebuilders
Location: South Chicago Heights, Ill.
Owners: The Cellinis—Tom, Barbara and Tom, Jr. (Tiger)
Years in Business: 45 +
Size: 25,000 sq. ft.
Volume: About 115 per month
Gross Annual Sales: $2 million
