With Father’s Day right around the corner, Sun., June 19, Maaco is celebrating the many father/son owners within its network.
Greg Hill, owner of Maaco Sandy, in Sandy, Utah, and his son Kenneth (KJ) have grown their facility working together over the past four years. KJ joined him at the shop two weeks after it was purchased. For both Greg and KJ, this was their first time working together within the industry, working side-by-side learning the business.
“Previous to this, I had never worked with any family members in my career,” said Greg Hill, owner of Maaco Sandy. “While there were times that we both drove each other crazy, our relationship has grown to that of best friends as well as father and son.”
Greg and KJ had the rare opportunity of facing successes and struggles over the years. They both endured the good, the bad, the wins, and the losses together and have been able to grow their business into a successful shop.
“Working with him has been the greatest blessing of owning my own shop,” continued Greg. “We have laughed together and cried together. Through it all, I have watched him grow and become his own person.”
One of their favorite memories of all time was working with a customer who walked in, handed them some cash, showed Greg and KJ his beat-up Oldsmobile, and told them to paint it blue. Greg and KJ asked if he had a specific blue in mind and he replied, “I don’t care, just paint it blue.” They both had fun with this customer and the paint job. It remains one of their favorite memories to this day.
KJ has recently left the shop and now works as an operations coach for Maaco corporate. He is excited to help other owners and share what he’s learned over the last four and a half years working alongside his father. Meanwhile, Greg continues to operate Maaco Sandy, benefitting from the additional insight that KJ provides in this new capacity.
Maaco is a franchised network of locally owned and operated body shops, dedicated to the communities it serves. Visit Maaco.com for more information or to find a shop near you.
