Rod’s Custom

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Rod Walker started out as a machinist working out of a 1,000-square-foot shop in his back yard. As his reputation grew, more and more customers were calling on him to machine special parts for their motor cycles. One day a customer asked him why he didn’t just build the bikes since he was making a lot of the custom parts. That is when Rod’s Customs really took off, and he started building custom bikes.

In 1975, he took his talent to the next level and started building street rods and doing custom paint work. It wasn’t long before Rod Walker had earned a reputation for putting out high-quality work, and his loyal customers turned to him for collision repair as well. In 1976, he moved to a 4,000-square-foot shop on Putnam Drive in Huntsville.

As his collision repair business flourished, he found he was building fewer custom rods. His business and reputation continued to grow, and after just 11 years, Rod’s Custom Collision Repair had experienced the kind of growth of which many shops only dream. In 1982, he moved to the present location at 4402 University Drive. Rod Walker retired in 1997, but couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. So he went back to his roots and opened Big Boys’ Toys, building street rods again. Rod finally retired for good in February 2011.

Today, the family-owned local business is owned by Tony Walker. Tony grew up in the business and started by doing custom paint work on Harleys while in high school. He came to work at the shop full time in 1986, right out of high school. When his dad retired for the first time, 11 years later, Tony took the reins. The name changed from Rod’s Customs to Rod’’s Custom Collision Repair Center, and they haven’t looked back.

We have all heard that “location, location, location” is a key to success. University Drive is Huntsville’s artery to the world. All but a handful of the local new car dealerships are located on University Drive, not to mention shopping malls, big box stores, restaurants, and hotels. And it doesn’t hurt that they are located right across the street from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

But being in the right spot is just part of the formula for a successful shop. Quality people who take pride in producing quality work is the real key to success. Of their 31 employees, 25 percent of them have been with Rod’s for over 20 years. The average employee has 10 to 12 years with Rod’s.

When asked about his formula for keeping good people, Tony said, “I think just treating them like adults. I don’t yell or scream. If there is a problem, we can work it out like adults.”

His pastor once offered a special prayer for business owners, saying business owners should be a blessing to their employees as well as their customers.

“You do want to be a blessing to your employees,” Tony said. He tries to treat everybody fairly and like family.

Speaking of family, Tony’s uncle has been with the shop for 33 years. Tony’s wife also works with him at Rod’s Custom. Their son, a freshman at UAH, works full time and plans to stay in the family business after earning a degree in accounting. They have two other children, a daughter who is an accounting major at the University of Montevallo, and an 11-year-old still at home.

Rod’s Custom is a member of the Assured Performance Network. In this time of bad press for the insurance industry, brought on by controversial programs and allegations of steering, Rod’s has maintained an excellent relationship with insurerodscustomsign_webrs. They are a preferred shop for several of the major insurance companies.

Education is an important part of the modern shop. The techs at Rod’s are I-CAR trained, ASE certified, and take part in MVP Program seminars. They have also received Chief unibody and frame training. Rod’s has been certified by most of the manufacturers but hasn’t jumped onto the aluminum band wagon just yet. They are working towards that goal and plan to be ready by the end of next year.

Rod’s Custom Collision Repair Center is a full-service collision shop. With an average output of over 100 cars per month, this “custom” shop is no longer in the street rod or restoration business. Nor do they have large fleet accounts, although they do have a contract with UAH for all of their vehicles. They are also the exclusive repair shop for a major luxury import dealer in town.

Besides collision, they have a detail shop, a windshield and glass shop, an expert fiberglass repair shop, and an upholstery shop. The upholstery shop has been a big part of their business for 29 years and has recently started doing home furnishings.

Also housed inside the 24,000-square-foot shop (not including storage in the 10,000-square-foot former Big Boys’ Toys) you will find a Pro Spot welding system, a mig welder, a computerized unibody and frame measuring system by Velocity, two UniCure downdraft climate-controlled paint booths, and three Chief EZ Liner frame machines. Rod’s has also been an exclusive PPG Paint shop for over 15 years. They are woking with PPG, utilizing their Lean for Collision system and principles.

With a reputation for quality work comes a reputation for honesty and integrity. When times are tough, it can be tempting to give in to a customer’s request to “help out” with the deductible. The feeling at Rod’s is that if a shop is willing to cheat the insurance companies, they will cheat the customer as well, most likely with shoddy repair work and parts. They may not be the lowest bidder on a repair, but they strive to make sure every bid is on point, and their goal is a 95 percent first time appraisal.

As for the future, Tony sees more competition coming from MSOs and chains. Also, the growing technology will effect the future for the smaller independent shops. He also sees the insurance industry becoming even more demanding.

Tony Walker’s long term plans are to have at least a couple more Rod’s Custom shops in the Huntsville/North Alabama area.  •