"When school is in session, regardless of whether students are bringing their cars home to work on or having it done here, accidents occur," Pitzenberger said. "You can always tell the difference when school is in session."

In addition to the student business, Pitzenberger said he has many customers coming from smaller towns surrounding Maryville.

"Maryville is really kind of a hub for the surrounding communities," he said.  "We probably get as much business from the surrounding communities as we do from Maryville. Business coming from west of here is really strong, stretching all the way to Rockport, which is over 40 miles away."

Pitzenberger said he has operated out of the same location since he opened in 1985; however, he has doubled the size of his shop, increased employees, and added services. 

 
He now operates out of a 10,000-square-foot facility with eight technicians, and two office workers, including his wife, Linda Pitzenberger, he said.

Customers are offered more than traditional collision repair work at Pitzenberger's. For one, it is not uncommon to see a line of motorcycles waiting to be worked on. Pitzenberger said his brother, Kirby Auffert, performs most of that work, which ranges from fixing wrecked bikes and alignments to custom paint jobs.

"Fixing bikes is not as profitable as regular body work, but there is hardly a day that goes by in the summer that we don't work on a bike," he said.  This work fills the summer lull when the students return home, he added.

Adding other services such as spray-on bedliners, truck accessories, and paintless dent repair has also helped keep the shop busy throughout the year, Pitzenberger said.

"We do everything," he said. "We paint lawn furniture, tractors, and refrigerators. "We do these things because we know that they are going to bring us their cars next time. Doing odds-and-ends work is not always our favorite job, but we have to be accommodating; that is the main thing."

 Pitzenberger said he also accommodates his customers with the Hertz rental cars he keeps on hand, along with shuttle service for customers who need to be picked up or dropped off.

In all, he said he works on about 25 cars each week -- a number that has increased since he started pursuing more DRP work.

"It has definitely increased our business," Pitzenberger said, adding that he maintains a good relationship with his adjusters and works to make the process easy for both parties.

Being located in a rural community also brings some work that city-based body shops may not see much of, Pitzenberger said.

"There is hardly a day that goes by when somebody doesn't hit a deer," he said. "That has really become a big part of the business that used to be fairly seasonal--now, it is year-round."

Work generated from deer hits are good jobs, he said, because they typically require a lot of sheetmetal replacement with little structural damage.

Pitzenberger said his rural location also brings a lot of farm work, including body work on tractors.

Even though Pitzenberger's is located almost two hours out of Kansas City, he said he does not have many problems getting parts. Through the Kansas City Parts Connection and Van Chevrolet, he said he receives OEM parts every day.

For aftermarket parts, he said he turns to KC Auto Panel, and Keystone. Autobody Color provides his Akzo Nobel Sikkens paint, and Autobody Equipment Solutions has provided his latest upgrades including two new paint booths, air compressors, and hard air lines through the shop, he said. 

Pitzenberger said the business' growth has surpassed his expectations and has really taken on a life of its own.