“Never stop learning” is the mantra of Justin Clubb at Deery Collision Center in Burlington, IA.
It explains why the 35-year-old collision center manager uses an I-CAR subscription plan to always makes sure his crew gets the right training.
Clubb entered the collision repair industry unexpectedly.
Deery Collision Repair
Location: Burlington, IA
(319) 758-6900
www.deerycollisioncenter.com
Facebook: @deerycollision
Instagram: @deerycollision
Company At A Glance...
Type: Collision Repair
Facility Employees: 11
In Business Since: 2004
Number of Locations: One
Production Space: 8,200 square feet
“I took a job at the local newspaper selling advertising, and the dealership I work for now was one of my accounts,” he said. “I was looking for a better job right after I met my wife, figuring I needed to get a career. The Deery Auto Group had an opening, so I interviewed for it, but didn’t get the job. And then they called me and said---hey, do you want to be a production manager for a body shop? I was a little hesitant because I knew very little about cars at the time. But I took the job and that’s how I entered the industry. I will be celebrating my ninth anniversary here soon, and I couldn’t be happier.”
Learning on the job has never been foreign to him, Clubb said. “Everything I’ve done has been headfirst. Sink or swim. I’m still learning every day because this industry is changing rapidly. It’s not going to slow down for you, so you better continually be up on your training and expand your knowledge base.”
Generalists are a dying breed because now it’s all about specialized training.
“Things like diagnostics and aluminum repair, for example, have dramatically increased the amount of training that’s necessary to be successful,” he said. “I think about the technician of today versus the ones of tomorrow; it’s going to be completely different. The amount of specialized knowledge you will need to work on the future cars---it’s not going to be easy.”
For that reason, Clubb is working with Southeastern Community College in West Burlington, IA, to prepare the next generation of technicians.
Abby Andrews