Editorial Note: Since the publishing of this article, MITCHO Collision Repair has been acquired by Classic Collision.
Shop: MITCHO Collision Repair Indian Harbour Owners: Dave and DJ Mitchell Location: Indian Harbour Beach, Fla. Staff Size: 6 Shop Size: 18,000 square feet overall with the body shop taking up 12,000 square feet Number of Lifts: 2 Average Monthly Car Count: 45 ARO: $2,650 Annual Revenue: $1.5 million
Beat the Heat
Located just south of Cape Canaveral, MITCHCO Collision Repair Indian Harbour is a near complete renovation of an existing auto body shop. Manager Greg Jones says the shop was purchased by its new owners in late 2019, with its grand opening September 1.
“Pretty much everything is new,” says Jones, who notes the shop has a new roof, its slab was poured higher to prevent flooding, and it’s spray-foam insulated, meaning the whole facility is air-conditioned.
Being able to beat the heat, Jones says, “really entices that highest level of technician.”
Bright and Airy
The lobby at MITCHCO Indian Harbour is a shared space for customers and employees. Jones sits behind reception, while the shop’s estimator sits beside him.
“I’m not a manager who likes to be tucked away in an office,” he says.
The space is bright and airy with plenty of windows, Jones says, subverting expectations.
“[This is] not the cold, dark, dirty place that a lot of people think about when they’re going to a body repair shop,” he says.
Expansive and Wide Open
Jones says the shop floor’s “expansive and wide-open space” is kitted out with the most current collision repair shop equipment. There are high voltage drops for the brand-new welding machines in-between bays, an array of 3M tools, and the frame machine is an in-ground Car-O-Liner model, which frees up that bay when it’s not in use. The shop is split between two buildings, one for body work and one for paint, and both spaces have dustless fanning systems.
Friendly and Clean
With its comfortable workspace and leading-edge technology, Jones says the new shop is set-up to succeed.
“How new, how clean, how friendly an environment [we have] … I think that’s what sets us apart,” he says.
And with its location on a barrier island, should it live up to Jones’s expectations, MITCHCO Indian Harbour should become an island fixture.
“It really is a tight community,” he says, “and people want to keep their business on this side of the bridge.”
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