Continuing Journey

• Published in: Automotive Body Repair News 2011-12, Vol.50 (12), p.24
• Main Author: Sramcik, Tim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Automotive repair services; Awards & honors; Corporate profiles; Employees; Social networks; Software; Success factors
• ISSN: 2166-0751; 2166-2533

[Jim Guthrie]'s repair career actually dates back three decades ago when he was attending dental school, where fixing molars didn't seem nearly as appealing as repairing cars. Guthrie's parents gave him an ultimatum - focus on school or get out. The choice was an easy one. Guthrie got an apartment and on January 3, 1982, signed the lease on a 1,500-square-foot shop. Several locations and some years later, he now runs an ever-expanding 50,000-square-foot business that generates more than $11 million annually. "You try your best setup. You take the car to the racetrack. See what it does, then fix it again and keep making changes. If you do something to make the car worse, take another direction," says Guthrie. "I've applied that logic to a business and 29 years later, here we are." Guthrie said he ultimately sold the software to Mitchell where it is now marketed as "RepairCenter." Guthrie refers to the product as Car Crafters' "gift to the industry." When he retuned to Car Crafters he did so with a far better grasp of the industry, and his shop now repairs 126 vehicles a week. That's an incredible accomplishment considering the shop's location. Guthrie notes that he's essentially on an island in the desert. Albuquerque is so isolated that it's impossible to have parts delivered the same day. All of the repair parts have to be sent overnight and typically take one to two days to arrive, which puts incredible pressure on the shop to avoid supplements. Writing nearperfect estimates is a must.