It was a love for Chester and its people that prompted Geisen to open shop in the small southern Illinois town.  In 1997, he said, he was able to persuade his then employer, Andy Batchelor, to open a fourth collision repair facility there.

Armed with experience from another of Batchelor's large production repair facilities in Alton, Geisen said he began managing the Chester shop in 1997, which he eventually purchased in 2004.  During those initial years, he said he came to discover the distinct difference between big-city and small-town customers.

"People tend to hang on to their cars longer here," Geisen said, adding that there's a sense of pride in vehicle ownership.  In bigger cities, he added, people tend to go through cars more often and don't take care of them as well.

"You have to take extra care when working on their car," he said.  "If you say you're going to do something, you better.  One bad thing said about you can destroy you in a small town."

Illustrating his point, Geisen described a recent job in which he promised a motorist that he would touch up a nonaccident-related scratch on a door at no additional charge.  On delivery, he said, the first thing the customer did was walk past the repair and look at the spot where the scratch once was.

"You have to treat people honestly and sell yourself to them," Geisen said of Chester motorists.  "Once they believe in you, you can't do anything wrong.  When you're honest with people you don't have to think about what you told them before.

Honesty, coupled with keeping customers and insurance companies informed, is a recipe for continued success, Geisen said.  "If you do that, you'll excel in the business."

Another big part of the shop's success is accomplished by giving back to the community that it relies on, Geisen said.

Among other things, he sits on the board of directors for the Chester Chamber of Commerce and recently donated labor and materials to customize a Chester patrol car, a new Dodge Charger with a custom paint job and decals, he said.  The crew at Total Eclipse in nearby Red Bud did the lettering and pinstriping, he said, adding that he's a big supporter of the police department and its K9 unit, which  sniffs out meth labs often found in the surrounding rural areas.

After working in a high-volume production shop for nearly a quarter century, Geisen said he welcomed the 20-car-a-week pace of his facility.  Although the shop's volume isn't as large as some, the management system, technology, and products used are one in the same, he said.

Geisen, a graduate of the Automotive Management Institute (AMI), said he is constantly trying to improve himself and the business.  Part of this involves attending the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Missouri (AASP-MO) Excel Conference in the Lake of the Ozarks each fall, a place where he said he took many of his AMI courses.  He said he also finds value in being a member of the Automotive Service Association.

The shop holds an I-CAR Gold status as well as an ASE Blue Seal of Excellence for collision repair, which included training in everything from structural repair, to sheetmetal, to electrical repair and paint, he said.  Those certifications enable the shop to participate in several DRP programs, he added.

Another great source of technical training is through vendors and paint manufacturer, Spies Hecker, Geisen said.

Prior to switching paint lines from PPG to DuPont's Spies Hecker last November, Geisen said he attended many PPG courses.  "PPG had a great MVP program with a lot of technical info and management classes," he said.  "So it was real hard for me to switch."

The persistence of a sales representative from Automotive Technology Inc. (ATI) in Fenton, Mo., paid off, as he persuaded Geisen and his painters, Chris Sallman and Tony Geisen (Dan's son), to make the switch.

After sending his painters to training at Spies Hecker's training facility in Plymouth, Mich., Geisen said they were impressed the most with the speed and color-matching capability of the paint.  "If you have a color match problem you lose time on a job.  "You can spray double wet coat of clear," he said, adding that this saves about 20 minutes a job.

  
When it comes to choosing vendors, service is a big thing, Geisen said, because of his location about 85 miles southeast of Saint Louis.  "Service is a big thing," he said.  "I don't mind paying more money if the service is there."

For OE parts, Geisen said he relies on the Lou Fusz network of dealers, the Auffenberg group, Weir Chevrolet in Red Bud, and Chester Chrysler Center.  He said he and his four technicians prefer to use OE parts, which happens more frequently now because many OE dealers match aftermarket prices on bumper facias and headlamps.

When buying aftermarket parts, he said he looks for CAPA-certified parts, adding that that label now means more because of increased quality. Most aftermarket and salvage parts are purchased through B Auto Parts and LKQ Metro, he added.

The parts and materials used on the job matter to Geisen because he puts a lifetime warranty on all his work.  He said he continues to uphold reputation of Andy's Auto Body with customers and his DRP insurance partners.

Looking down the road, Geisen said, "If I do anything, I will expand with another shop.  Perrysville is a town of interest to me."