CARLSBAD, Calif., October 30, 2018 (Newswire.com) - NOTE: This June SPS profile was originally published in print in June 2018 and online in May 2018.
Star Body Works Collision Centers is a four-shop MSO located in Oregon that offers collision services for everything except restoration, in addition to running a 24-hour towing company.
Rapid Tac reduces the likelihood of a mistake, which means we don't have to pay to replace something that we may have messed up without it. It's so easy to use too—you just spray the product out of the bottle, so no training was required.
Tyler Reinhardt, Body Shop Manager for Star Body Works
Company-wide, Star Body Works repairs an average of 300 vehicles monthly, and a significant amount of its refinish work includes stickers, decals, and graphics. According to Tyler Reinhardt, body shop manager for Star Body Works’ Grants Pass location, the job is made much easier with Rapid Tac’s Cleaner and Application Fluid.
“I’ve used Rapid Tac for as long as I can remember,” Reinhardt said. “It makes the job easier for one person to do it right. When you add graphics without using the application fluid, it’s stuck as soon as you apply it, but spraying Rapid Tac on the back of the sticker allows it to cling without fully setting, giving us time to adjust and reset it so that it’s in the perfect position. Then, I just squeegee the area to remove any fluid, and the sticker sets. Aligning larger graphics used to be a two-man job, but with Rapid Tac, I can do it myself, plus it reduces the risk of wrinkles, bubbles or other distortions. Rapid Tac is like miracle juice for putting on stickers!”
Besides saving money on labor costs, Star Body Works has seen the financial benefits of Rapid Tac in the increased accuracy of its applications.
“Rapid Tac reduces the likelihood of a mistake, which means we don’t have to pay to replace something that we may have messed up without it. It’s so easy to use too—you just spray the product out of the bottle, so no training was required,” Reinhardt said.
Because Rapid Tac is so reliable and easy to use, Reinhardt has never had the need to utilize the company’s customer service department. However, he recently ran into the owner of Rapid Tac, with whom he held a conversation about how the product works for the shop.
“His genuine interest speaks volumes,” Reinhardt said. “The product just makes the process so much easier by tenfold. Our employees feel the same way I do. Rapid Tac’s Cleaner and Application Fluid is the only product of its kind, and it really helps us avoid some sticky situations.”
Star Body Works Collision Center was founded in 1948 in its original Medford location. After changing hands a couple of times, it was purchased by Arthur Lamensdorf, who has since bequeathed the business to his sons and current owners, Mark and Art Jr. Under the Lamensdorfs’ ownership, the company has expanded to add three new shops in Ashland, Grants Pass, and Rogue River as well as its 24-hour towing company. They are currently building a new location in Medford, set to open later this year, in order to expand their 18,000-square-foot shop to a 30,000-square-foot facility.
The shop is also environmentally conscious, spraying with PPG Envirobase waterborne paints and conserving as much energy as possible. It also disposes of its waste through Safety Clean.
Star Body Works Collision Centers is I-CAR Gold certified, and each location has obtained a variety of OEM certifications.
“We are all fully equipped with everything needed to do the job at hand,” Reinhardt said. “There is nothing we need to turn away because we aren’t equipped for it.”
Reinhardt feels that it’s important to be properly equipped these days because of constant enhancements in technology.
“Everything is getting smarter,” he said. “We are outsmarted by our cars every day and see mind-blowing stuff like On Star integrations, preliminary diagnostics scans, crash mitigation and so much more. So much technology is being put in place, and this industry is becoming so electronic and computerized that almost every vehicle has to be plugged into some kind of scanning system.
“With all the technological advancements, it’s becoming more and more complex and more expensive to repair vehicles. Vehicles are engineered to give in upon impact and parts are made to crumble, so it’s becoming more about replacement than repairs these days, and I see that trend continuing into the future.”
The number one thing that makes Star Body Works stand out, according to Reinhardt, is that the shops are “100 percent community- involved. Our owners put a lot of emphasis on doing right in the community, and there aren’t many businesses like that. This is the first place I’ve ever worked that doesn’t spend their marketing budget on ads. Instead, they use it to focus on bettering the community we live in.”
Star Body Works Collision Centers allows the local police agencies to train their narcotics dogs in the shops’ impound lots, and are very supportive of the Boys and Girls Club. In addition to participating in Toys for Tots annually, the Lamensdorfs took over the Rogue Valley Toy Run with Mark Daley at Thunderstruck last year. The shops have also donated three vehicles to NABC’s Recycled Rides since 2016.
Reinhardt stressed, “We want our community to have a good impression of our shops, and we want Star Body Works to be a good name they know they can trust for the repairs they need.”
Rapid Tac
Company Contact: Jeff Bailey
(541) 474-1113
jeff@rapidtac.com
rapidtac.com
Star Body Works Collision Center
Location: Grants Pass, OR
(541) 479-1191
starcollisioncenters.com
Company At A Glance...
Type: MSO
Facility Employees: 50
In Business Since: 1948
Number of Locations: Four, plus towing company
DRP Programs: 14 Medford, 6 Grants Pass, 10 Talent, 4 Rogue River
Combined Production Space: 30,500 square feet
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Source: Autobody News
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