Columbia, Mo.--"Educate when you can, seek education when you need to," said Justin Perry, owner of Collision Center of Columbia, as he outlined the benefits of the team concept implemented at his 19,000-square-foot collision repair facility.

Boonville, Mo.--Do you know how profitable you were last month? What were your profit margins on parts and labor? Do you know the history of your customer's vehicles?  "You don't know what you don't know," said James Copeland, owner of two Midwest Autoworx shops -- one in Boonville, previously known as Copeland's Auto Service, and another in Versailles.

Kansas City, Mo. -- "The day you stop growing is the day somebody else is going to take you over," said Dan Sommerhauser, who started working for Autobody Color (ABC) in 1962 as a delivery driver at the original store in St. Joseph.  Sommerhauser, now president of ABC, is a testament to his word. In 1969, he became the company's first outside paint salesman, 10 years later he and his wife, Linda, purchased half of the company, and in 1982, they took over full ownership.