Meet Kyle Sexton: lover of animals, travel, and collision repair work. Sexton, the meticulous disassembly manager at South of the Square Collision Center in Medina, Ohio, offers some insight into his career.
“I’ve always taken my work really personally…. When I go home, it’s hard for me to just shut it off,” Sexton says.
Sexton originally came to South of the Square as a detailer. Quickly, his managers noticed his attention to detail and motivation to continuously and consistently do his job right the first time. Because of his learned skills in the shop’s programs, certifications, and estimation process, Sexton quickly worked his way up to the position of disassembly technician. Now, after 11 years with the shop, he is their disassembly manager and backup production manager.
“Kyle’s a standout,” Susan Stickland, co-owner of South of the Square Collision Center, says. “He definitely goes above and beyond trying to make sure that every estimate he writes is the first and only one….He’s very knowledgeable and it shows in his work, and I can tell he takes a lot of pride in it.”
Sexton is very particular in his work and his estimation process, making sure he gets it right the first time to help eliminate comebacks, angry customers, and rework. He also remarks that he wants the shop to excel in the industry, and knows he plays a big role in that. He always wants the shop to succeed, and in turn, he grows his skills as well.
His drive and enthusiasm is a motivator for the entire estimating staff. Kyle has worked with industry leaders to develop a meticulous disassembly process that is consistent and well thought out. Stickland says that his handle on aspects of this industry, outside of his own position, is impressive. Sexton is dedicated to finding new profit center opportunities for the company, in an effort to keep business growing.
“Kyle is a little bit shy,” Stickland says of Sexton’s personality and his growth. “We [recently] had to lay some people off, so he had to jump into more of a face-to-face kind of role, and he has grown so much from when he started writing estimates and interacting with people. He has opened up so much. It’s great to see.”
As a result, through April, sales dollars were up more than 6 percent and gross margin dollars were up more than 8 percent, compared to the same period in 2019.
Sexton loves his position at South of the Square Collision Center, but as a young man in the industry, he looks forward to the future.
“For how much I enjoy estimating, I would like to run my own shop at some point,” he says.
