Ames, Iowa--Sam Shaffer, owner of Shaffer's Auto Body, is constantly striving to make his body shop better. "We have implemented more things in the last year then we had in the last five years," Shaffer said. "I think that success in this business will boil down to two things, and that is quality and service. If you produce a quality product that the customers are satisfied with, and you provide good service, then things should take care of themselves.
"I never planned on getting this big; it just evolved," Shaffer said. "I went about two years, and the next thing you know, you are popping at the seams and you need more space, so you add on. Then you get more technicians, and with more technicians, you need more equipment. So you need more space and it all starts over again, and that is the way it has been for the last 20 years." Shaffer said he is from Ames, Iowa, where he graduated from Ames High School. He said he has been working on cars since he was in junior high. He added that his interest in cars took him to Iowa Lakes Community College in Emmetsburg, Iowa, where he graduated from the Auto Collision Repair Program in the fall of 1979.
Shaffer said he came back to Ames, applied for a small-business loan, and rented a building, opening his doors for business on South Duff in September 1979, with just two employees that came down from school with him. In 1981, he said he relocated to East Lincoln Way in a 6,400-square-foot facility.
"Over the last 27 years," he said, "I have added on to the original building seven times, which brings the facility up to 42,000 square feet of space."
Shaffer's Auto Body now has 22 employees, six paint booths, four frame machines, a computerized wheel alignment machine, two fulltime mechanics, and a number of loaner cars to serve nearly 200 customers per month, he said.
Keeping his business on the cutting edge of technology is very important, Shaffer said. "You have to work on solving the problems your business is going to go through," he said.
Prioritizing is critical; first, he said, what are your primary problems? Is it comeback, with people saying their brake lights don't work? So you need to make a list of problems in order of priority, then come up with a solution to each of the problems, he said.
Business is changing, whether it is the way insurance companies are doing business, or the way you are doing business, the expectations of the customers are changing, Shaffer said. New automotive technology creates new problems for a collision shop, and as an owner, you have to come up with a solution to deal with them, he said.
"Our employees are well trained," Shaffer said. "Most of them are graduates of local community colleges. We do a lot of in-house training. We show the employees how we want the units fixed. In the last six months, we have sent them to 37 I-CAR classes. 
"I-CAR is one of the best tools we have to keep up with all the changes on the automobile," he said. "The technology is changing everyday … and we have to stay up with the changes as quickly as we can. We might not see the changes for a year or so, but when that new car comes in, you need to be ready for it.
"Many of the manufacturers are starting to put information on the Internet, and that allows us to get information on repairs like the new hybrid cars," Shaffer said. "We use Alldata systems to try to get technical information for all the different makes and models on how to do things. There has been a tremendous amount of change in the last few years, and there are going to be just as many changes or more in the years coming up."
All paint is mixed in-house, Shaffer said. "One employee will follow each car from start to finish, and everyone paints their own job. That way the technician is responsible for his work from start to the end product.
"We use Sikkens paints and have for 12 years exclusively," he said. "One of the most important stages of collision repair is making sure of the accuracy of color matching. We use computer-controlled paint mixing, and we guarantee a match. To ensure a clean paint finish, we use the latest downdraft paint booth and baking equipment in the industry."
Shaffer said he gets his aftermarket parts from Keystone Automotive, and for OE parts, he uses Gabus Ford, Toyota of Des Moines, and Crescent Chevrolet. He uses those suppliers because of their competitive pricing, and their service is the best he can get, he said.
"With all the automotive engineering changes," Shaffer said, "I also have to deal with the insurance companies and their direct repair programs, and that is putting more stress on the independent collision centers." Shaffer Auto Body is a direct repair facility for most insurance companies and employs a liaison between the insurance companies and the customers, he said.
"I try to inspect each vehicle personally to ensure nothing has been overlooked and that a customer's vehicle has been restored to its original condition as estimated," Shaffer said
Shaffer said he loves what he is doing and takes pride in serving Ames and the nearby communities by donating to community service projects.
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