Vista, Calif.-When Owner Terry Flynn took over Kenny's Kar Klinic in Vista in 1980, she said she realized it wouldn't be an easy task running a busy collision repair shop. But by building strong relationships with insurance companies and establishing a solid reputation within the surrounding community, Flynn said she has been able to thrive for almost 30 years.
"When I came into this business, it was very difficult, especially being a woman," she said. "It was called survival in the early years, but I was fortunate enough to hire some wonderful people." Kenny's operates out of an 8,500-square-foot facility with 12 bays. The shop has three buildings on its lot, including a front office, a body shop, and a paint department.
The shop employs 11 people; a general manager, an assistant manager, Ryan, who is Terry's grandson; a parts manager, a painter, a painter's helper, a detailer, and five body techs, Flynn said.
"My grandson Ryan started working here was he was 15," she said. "And now he works in the front office doing estimates and handling customers part-time while going to college. It's great to have him here. We treat all of our employees like family."
The shop, one of the oldest in the area, was established in 1948, Flynn said. It was a mechanical and glass repair shop for several years before becoming a collision repair facility in the late '60s, she said.
One of the people Flynn said she trusts to run her shop efficiently is Manager Marty Kuper; a former shop owner who has worked at Kenny's for seven years and has 25 years of experience in the collision repair industry.
"One of the main reasons we're consistently busy is our knowledge," Kuper said. "We know how to do the things that are important in this business, like calculating accurate estimates, anticipating problems, selling jobs, dealing with customers, and doing accurate repairs."
Kuper said he prides himself on the fact that Kenny's has a low comeback rate and meets its deadlines 98 percent of the time.
"We've learned to prioritize," he said. "You have to be able to shift from one job and concentrate on another one if it's more pressing. Cycle times are important, and the insurance companies stay on top of them. We have a good record with our direct repair shops."
Kenny's uses a wide range of computer tools to assist the shop in estimating repairs, processing orders, and turning jobs around, Kuper said.
Attentive customer service and quality control are two of the main reasons for the shop's profitability, Flynn said.
"We should never forget that the customers are the ones who pay our salaries," she said. "They're the reason we're here every day. We want people to know that they'll always get great customer service here and that we'll stand behind our work."
Kuper said he continually stresses customer service to his entire crew. "This is not just a job to us," he said. "I treat every customer that comes in here as an individual. It's always a different situation and you have to approach each one differently."
Flynn said community involvement is a very important way to show your customers that you care about more than just making a buck.
"I belong to Soroptimist International of Vista, a women's service organization that helps women and children," she said. "We also support the local schools. Vista is a small town, and we feel a responsibility to actively participate in making it a great place."
Dominic Vira has been the parts manager and quality control inspector at Kenny's for the past five years, and his role as the Q.C. guy has proven to be invaluable, Flynn said.
"Dominic goes over every job carefully once it's completed," she said. "Nothing gets out of here until he has inspected it inside and out. He has a checklist that he goes through and he confirms that all the repairs have been performed properly. It's an important job and he does it well."
Kenny's should be around for a long time because Flynn said she has no intentions of retiring. "I don't want to retire because I love what I'm doing," she said. "I have friends who have retired, and they tell me, 'Don't do it.'"