By Tom Williams
Santa Claus, Ind., is situated about half-way between Louisville, Ky., to the east and Evansville, Ind., to the west and about halfway between Jasper, Ind., and Owensboro, Ky., to the north and south respectively. With a population of around 2,000, just one grocery store, one hotel, and the nation’s first theme park, you might wonder how a body shop could thrive.
Being the only game in town might be one way to make it, but that wasn’t good enough for James Wagner and his crew at JAW’S Collision Center. This modern 5,000+-square-foot shop, located 1.1 miles from the main parking lot for Holiday World and just down the road from Lake Rudolph, has built a reputation for quality work and that reputation continues today.
Owner James Wagner opened JAW’S in January 2007 after working for eight years honing his craft. He comes from a family of mechanics, and he’s the only “black sheep” body man.
Wagner became interested in bodywork as a teenager. His frst restoration was a 1979 Chevy C-10 when he was just 14. After high school, he went to work for M&K, Inc., and then moved on to Stern-berg Chrysler in Jasper for a number of years, where he was their primary painter. At age 26, Wagner decided it was time to be his own boss and built JAW’S Collision. Having worked in two successful body shops, he had a feel for what worked and what didn’t work. He built the five-bay shop for efficiency and convenience. Wagner put in his own filtration system throughout the shop, installed radiant foor heat, and designed and built his own 20-foot-by-40-foot cross-draft paint booth.
In addition to the extra-large paint booth, they have an 18-foot, 360-degree frame rack, with 20-ton towers to accommodate just about everything from a small car to the large commercial vehicles. This is a DuPont Repair Shop and they use DuPont paints exclusively with a DuPont mixing room.
When he first opened, he relied on commercial business. Local trucking companies and agricultural equipment dealers were among his biggest customers because his shop was the only shop around with a paint booth large enough for semis and tractors. Word got out and his reputation grew. It didn’t take long for JAW’S to start getting jobs from as far away as Evansville and Owensboro on a regular basis. They even have one customer who has sent several vehicles to Santa Claus from Florida.
Today, JAW’S still enjoys a good commercial business. In addition to tractors and big rigs, they do most of the maintenance vehicles for the area’s mining companies and have a very good relationship with the state and local governments.
As its name suggests, Santa Claus, Ind., is in the Christmas spirit 24/7, 365 days a year. The decorations include the numerous Santa Claus statues around town. And JAW’S has a big stake in their upkeep. Currently, the shop has two of the iconic statues in the shop for a little R&R.
But insurance business comprises about 80 percent of their business now. They are a direct repair shop for most insurance companies and maintain a close relation-ship with adjusters all over Southern Indiana and Northern Kentucky.
Fall and winter are the “slow seasons” in Santa Claus, but Wagner’s business stays pretty steady. While tourists and summer residents account for a nice piece of his business, the deer and inevitable snow and ice help keep the shop busy the other half of the year.
In spite of cutting his teeth on restorations, Wagner takes in a very limited number of restorations today. He says restorations are fun, but they take too much time and it is hard to turn a profit. However, he does have plans to restore an International Scout for his wife.
The shop used to shy away from mechanical work, taking in the occasional job for good customers. But all of that has changed. They converted the restoration side of the shop into a full service mechanical shop. This now accounts for about two-dozen mechanical jobs per week. They also added additional space in the back for parts and supplies.
JAW’S has six full-time employees, including Wagner. They are I-CAR-certified. He does most of the painting and all of the bookkeeping. He shares estimating duties with his longtime friend and mentor Gary Mundy. Mundy was his first boss at M&K and has been here over ten years. With additional crew, they are able to put out an average of five cars a week just in the body shop side.
Along with his strong relationships with insurance companies, Wagner has had meetings with Ford and other manufacturers to keep abreast of new techniques and certifications.
They also have three wreckers including two roll-backs that are used almost exclusively for the shop, but they do assist the local police and sheriffs’ departments from time to time.
Wagner is also a regular at insurance auctions, where he will pick up a couple of wrecks to be rebuilt and sold, as long as there is not any frame damage.
Community involvement and family are important to Wagner. He and his company have actively supported the local high school teams with fund raisers and sponsorships. When we talked last month, they were building a custom golf cart for the Spencer County CASA Benefit Auction held this month.
At the young age of 38 years, this native son has accomplished quite a bit. When he first built the shop, he lived in a small house adjacent to the property and drove a company truck. Living close to work had its benefits, but he soon learned that “customers” would drop in at all hours of the day and even on weekends for a quick estimate or advice.
He needed more time with his family, so he and his wife bought a house away from the shop, and parked the company truck. When asked how he came up with the name JAW’S in a town where almost everything is named for Santa Claus, Rudolph, etc., Wagner said, “That’s simple. I’m James Allen Wagner and my wife is Susan.”
Like a lot of young business owners, James Wagner puts his heart and soul into his business. But when it is time to relax, he likes to take weekend road trips with his wife and two children in their 40-foot motor home. •
