With refinishing and restoration as a nucleus, Tom Snellback operates four businesses under one roof—all of them successful.
An aversion to paint fumes and body filler dust made a not-so insignificant contribution to Tom Snellback’s multi-faceted success in the auto industry.
It was 1974 and Snellback had dropped out of high school to work for a body shop in Highland Park, Ill. He stayed at the shop long enough to get a good grounding in all aspects of the collision repair trade. That included the good, the bad and the ugly, and among the latter were the aforementioned fumes and dust, which were more prevalent back in those days prior to strict environmental regulations.
So, in late ’76, to get away from these annoying appurtenances of body repair, he went into the car detailing business. Charging $50 per car, he soon had all the business he could handle. But while his new trade solved one problem—no more exposure to paint and unpleasant odors—it created another: each vehicle required eight to 10 hours of hard labor, which worked out to a less-than-princely sum of $5 per hour. “It became clear to me early in the game that detailing was not going to be lucrative,” says Snellback. To supplement his income, he started to offer painting as another service to his customers.
It wasn’t long before he decided that putting up with some annoyances to the respiratory system were preferable to living on the edge of poverty. So, with a $1,000 loan, he took the plunge into the body shop business. In 1979, he rented half of a 6,000-sq.-ft. building in Highland Park. He had four employees. Two years later, he took over the other half.
By 1983, he had begun doing restorations and needed more space. He found a 6,500-sq.-ft. building in North Chicago—his present location. He bought that two-acre property and operated both locations for the next three years—“almost driving myself crazy.” He finally moved out of the Highland Park shop and built a 7,500-sq.-ft. addition to the North Chicago facility. “My new mortgage was less than the rent I was paying in Highland Park for a much smaller space,” he says. “So economically, it was a great move.”
In the mid 1990s, he added another 5,400 sq. ft. and a second level with 17,000 sq. ft. of storage space. All told, The Last Detail (TLD) today occupies 42,000 sq. ft. of space while renting out four
3,000-sq.-ft. units, including one to Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
Over its 25-year history, TLD has evolved into four businesses under one roof, all of which Snellback heads up as president and CEO. Besides the body shop operation, there is a car sales area; a “galleria” that offers accessories, posters and sculptures of classic and luxury cars; and a storage facility. The latter houses Ferraris, Aston Martins, Mercedes and other high-end cars owned by TLD customers.
TLD’s reputation for meticulous care and authenticity extends to every aspect of its services. “We perform everything from detailing, collision repair and show-quality refinishing to frame-off restoration,” says Snellback.TLD regularly sells, services and restores classic luxury cars. The TLD Web site (www.thelastdetail.com) currently lists 33 high-end vehicles for sale.
Anyone looking to trade or sell a high-end vehicle can get an evaluation from Snellback or someone on his staff. They consult with the owner, giving him or her the true market value of the car.
Still, refinishing and restoration form the heart of the shop’s business. Snellback explains that he and his technicians learned to do meticulous repairs gradually. “First we evolved into minor repairs,” he says. “Then we took on bigger projects, like Mercedes and Porches. Today, our approach to vehicle repair and restoration is, I think, unique. We’ll do whatever it takes to preserve the car’s originality whenever possible, allowing it to retain maximum value.”
Because of his approach to auto body repair and refinishing, Snellback has had some frustrating dealings with insurers. “The smallest refinishing job takes us a minimum of three days,” he says.
TLD’s reputation for quality work has earned the shop certification as the Midwest’s factory-authorized repairer for Aston-Martin. “In fact,” says Snellback, “one of our technicians just got back from training at the Aston-Martin plant in England.” He adds that he is hoping for similar certification from Ferrari soon.
SNAPSHOP
Name: The Last Detail
Location: North Chicago, Ill.
Owner: Tom Snellback
Size: Two acres, 42,000 sq. ft., including 25,000-sq.-ft. shop and showroom and 17,000 sq. ft. of storage on second floor. Four 3,000-sq.-ft. rental units are part of the property.
Volume: 60 jobs per month
Revenue: $1.8 million/year
