By Tom Williams
In this day of the MSO, how do local collision shops fight back? It goes without saying that virtually all of the successful shops with one or two locations rely on their reputations and standings in their communities.
Such is the case with Fortune Collision, a Lexington, Ky.,-based collision giant, by non-MSO standards. Fortune Collision started in 1953 as part of a local new car dealership. Fortune is still a dealership body shop, but now operates as a subsidiary to that same dealership, with six locations in the Central Kentucky area know as “Bluegrass.”
By the early ’60s, the dealership had outgrown its downtown location and moved to their current location at the intersection of East New Circle Road and Winchester Road (US 60) in 1965. Over the ensuing years, they experienced record growth and eventually changed their identity and name to Fortune Collision.
Fortune Collision was formed in 1966 and now operates as a part of a corporation that includes two new car dealerships, a truck dealership, a glass company, a printing and marketing company (offering, among other services, vehicle wraps), a dent-removal franchise, and the six collision centers, located in Lexington, Frankfort, Nicholasville, Georgetown, and Winchester.
All six stores are state-of-the-art collision centers offering collision repairs for all makes and models of cars and trucks. They also offer a lifetime warranty on repairs, paint-free dent removal, windshield and glass replacement, AC services, mechanical services, alignments, and detail services.
Fortune Commercial Collision in Lexington is a full service collision shop servicing fleets, large trucks, heavy equipment, etc. Larry Poynter, the manager for the commercial shop, has been with Fortune Collision since 1972.
Fortune’s flagship center is housed under one roof with 60,000 square feet of shop space. All of their locations are De-Beer certified paint shops. In Lexington, the shop houses three downdraft paint booths, two Chief frame machines, a Hunter alignment system, a tire balancer (Fortune does all their alignments and balancing in-house), two above ground lifts for mechanical repairs, plus the latest in welders and AC equipment.
Fortune Collision has a strong relationship with most insurance companies and is a certified Geico Shop with a full time Geico Rep on site. They have been with Geico for about 18 years. While they embrace most DRP programs, they found that PartsTrader did not fit their particular business model.
The Lexington operation turns approximately 325 units per month with 41 employees. Of those employees, nine are office personnel with seven of them being estimators. They also have one production manager, two people in parts, one frame tech, five painters, 16 body techs, with mechanics and detail personnel filling out the roster.
In a company the size of Fortune Collision, you would think turnover would be a major problem. They have over 80 employees, with half of them in Lexington. Each store has its own manager who answers to David Wilson, director, and Fred Sizemore, manager. Sizemore doesn’t like the title “general manager,” but that is what his job is all about.
Sizemore has been in the automotive business for more than 27 years, spending most of his time in fixed-ops management. He has a very up-beat outlook on the business. When asked about possible problem areas for the collision industry, he said he prefers to look at them as opportunities; adding that the onset of electric cars and more aluminum technology will require more specialization.
I asked him why Fortune Collision continues to grow and set records.
“My biggest success is not only happy customers,” Sizemore said, “it is happy employees. Happy employees are appreciated, they’re challenged, they’re given an opportunity to grow.”
Sizemore sees himself as a servant leader and feels that if an employee is not advancing in his career, then he has failed that employee. He believes it is the company’s goal to help all employees achieve their dreams by making the resources needed to succeed available to them. To that end, training is an important part of their business. Almost all of the shop people are I-CAR-certified. They hold training in-house and are encouraged to attend off-site training.
Sizemore doesn’t worry about someone trying to get his job. He is more concerned with employees who don’t have the drive to advance their careers. Technicians are encouraged to move up from production to management. According to Sizemore, all of this filters down to the customers.
Turnover is very low. Just a handful of employees have been here less than three years. There are at least eight with over ten years.
“The main focus in this organization is people,” Sizemore said.
There is a feeling of family throughout the company. Feedback and communication with management is encouraged. Every Wednesday, they hold a Bible study from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., with 12 to 15 people attending regularly. And it doesn’t hurt that the company offers a full benefit package.
When they do have an opening, one of the biggest problems is finding people with the necessary skills and drive to fill the void. They have teamed up with local vocational and trade schools with co-op programs for students.
Staying ahead of the competition is always a problem in any business. At Fortune Collision, they want all of their people to stay engaged with the customers through good customer service.
“The reason we’ve been a trusted business since 1953? [Because] customer Service is our top priority” said Sizemore.
Fortune Collision is very involved with the communities in which they have shops. They are a major sponsor of Reforest the Bluegrass, which for over 18 years has been a regional cooperative between local businesses, civic groups, and citizens to replant native trees in the region.
They are also involved with charities, to feed and supply the needy, plus local school athletics and programs, including a strong tie to the University of Kentucky. Other ways they stay ahead of the competition includes advertising (a number of U of K coaches have been spokesmen) and social media.
A final perspective on Fortune Collision’s business model from Fred Sizemore: “There comes a point when your success as a human being and as a company is not entirely related upon the numbers and money.” •
