Maurice & Son Auto Body LOCATION: Waterville, Maine OWNER: Mike Bard SIZE: 12,500 square feet STAFF: 13 AVERAGE MONTHLY CAR COUNT: 75 ANNUAL REVENUE: $2.15 million
1. LAVISH LOBBY
The three-year old facility’s customer waiting area features multiple elements that tend to catch a customers’ eye. Beyond the big-screen TV, there are $3,000 worth of granite countertops in the receptionists’ area. Most of the front counter area features the decorative stone work.
“As far as longevity, you’re not going to get anything more durable than granite,” notes Bard, who purchased the countertops from a vendor that did work at his home.
2. EXPANSIVE PARKING LOT
Bard’s body shop now sits on 8.6 acres, with one full acre dedicated to both the building and associated pavement. That leaves the facility with countless parking spots, and ample pavement that wraps around the building. The rear parking lot, which is nearly one-third of an acre, is especially helpful, because it provides plenty of room for both customer vehicles and those owned by employees.
The pavement also melts snow relatively quickly Bard says, meaning “you don’t have to worry about slips and falls.”
3. THE HEAT IS ON
During the Maine facility’s construction in late 2017, Bard paid a plumbing crew to lay down a grid of pipes that would be utilized to continuously disperse water and thus heat the shop’s flooring. The crew finished the heating system in roughly three days.
Bard says investing in such a heating system pays.
“Cars come in all winter and they’re full of ice,” he notes. “We wash them all down, but you still have ice and stuff built up underneath the car that take a bit of time to melt off. So, having the floors heated really helps melt things fairly quickly.”
4. PRIZED PARTS ROOM
Maurice & Son Auto Body’s nearly 1,200-square-foot parts room was set up with an eye on efficiency. The room’s shelves feature white boards that note which shelves contain particular parts, and parts are tagged by RO, the associated customer’s name, and the make of the vehicle involved.
Located at the far end of the front of the building, the parts area also has a door dedicated to quick deliveries.
“When the parts people come in, they have their own door to come in from the outside,” Bard explains, “and when they’re bringing parts in, they just walk through a second door to get right to the office to drop off their invoice. Then, they’re out of here.”
