Shop: Gold Coast Auto Body President & Co-Owner: Dominic Martino Vice President and Co-Owner: Mario Martino Location: Chicago, Ill. Staff Size: 35 Shop Size: 50,000 square feet Monthly Car Count: 200
1. Maintain the Cutting Edge
Dominic Martino, president and co-owner of Gold Coast Auto Body, prides himself on having a state-of-the-art collision repair facility.
“We are certified to work on Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Subaru, and Honda Profirst,” says Martino.
“Additionally, we are constantly working on new models and hardly ever work on a car that is older than five years,” he says.
Because of that, Martino says his shop stays on the cutting edge of collision repair equipment since he needs to constantly purchase new OEM-required tools.
2. Make Family and Friends out of Customers
“What truly sets us apart from our competitors is what we offer our customers when they are in the shop,” Martino says.
He says he teaches his front end staff to greet every customer when they come in and to treat them as if they were family or friends.
Additionally, Gold Coast offers its customers small gifts and services, setting itself apart in the industry.
“After their car is fixed, we give them a package with a Gold Coast-branded LED flashlight, chamois cloth, and a notepad,” says Martino. “We also wash every car that comes through our shop.”
3. The Language of the Logo
Martino says the shop’s logo is designed in a very intentional way.
“The golden swoosh represents the sun and the blue swoosh represents Chicago’s proximity to Lake Michigan,” he says. “We designed the logo to be a circle as a representation of the restoration process that we walk the cars through.”
Gold Coast puts this logo on anything they can: “We are proud of it, it’s our identity, our brand, our Superman ‘S’ on our chest,” says Martino.
4. Commitment to Continuous Growth
“Due to the continuous changing of collision repair technology, we remain committed to the training and education of all of our employees,” says Martino.
That commitment allows Gold Coast staff to remain on the cutting edge of the industry, constantly learning better and newer ways to repair vehicles.
“But, above all of this,” says Martino, “we are committed to constantly improving to provide the best possible service to our customers.”
