Offering collision repair in addition to mechanical repair and snowplow sales services, Shannon’s Auto Body’s two locations in Brainerd, MN, stay busy all the time. In July, they added a new, modern and upgraded location. At the same time, they switched to Axalta for their paint and accessories. The business has been using Spies Hecker Permahyd Hi-TEC for more than a year and couldn’t be more pleased with the results.
It’s an exciting time for owner Shannon Christian and his 40- plus employees. He built his “dream shop” and needs to fill it with techs, estimators and support employees. “We have 43 people here now, but by the time we are fully staffed, we’ll have more than 50 people working for us,” Christian said. “We’ve come a long way from working out of a single-stall garage in 1996. This new 40,000-square-foot facility shows how far we’ve come.”
Shannon’s Auto Body
Brainerd, MN
218-829-6764
shannonsautobody.com
Facebook: @shannonsautobody/info/
Instagram: @shannons_auto_body
Company At A Glance...
Type: Collision Repair
Facility Employees: 43
In Business Since: 1996
Number of Locations: Two
Combined Production Space: 57,000 square feet
It’s an exciting time for owner Shannon Christian and his 40- plus employees. He built his “dream shop” and needs to fill it with techs, estimators and support employees. “We have 43 people here now, but by the time we are fully staffed, we’ll have more than 50 people working for us,” Christian said. “We’ve come a long way from working out of a single-stall garage in 1996. This new 40,000-square-foot facility shows how far we’ve come.”
With windows everywhere, customers can see their vehicles getting repaired if they desire.
“We are all about full transparency,” he said. “Customers get to see us blueprinting and painting, with our paint booth in the middle of the shop floor. We made sure to install huge windows, so that they can see it all---calibrations, repair planning and paint application---it’s an educational tool for us. We’re running the paint production on a track system, with all taping and prepping happening outside the booth. It has been a big change and a real plus for our overall production.”
“We are all about full transparency,” he said. “Customers get to see us blueprinting and painting, with our paint booth in the middle of the shop floor. We made sure to install huge windows, so that they can see it all---calibrations, repair planning and paint application---it’s an educational tool for us. We’re running the paint production on a track system, with all taping and prepping happening outside the booth. It has been a big change and a real plus for our overall production.”
Christian received his initial education about the collision repair industry when he attended a local trade school, and hit the ground running.
“I was working for a shop while still attending school,” he said. “A car dealership hired me and I did everything I could to learn as much as possible. Four years later, I decided to start my own shop, so I took a leap and put everything on the line. We started with 2,000 square feet and expanded three times. Work was spread out between three buildings with a combined 17,000 square feet of workspace.
“The location wasn’t great; we were out of town without any drive-by traffic---we were known as a ‘destination’ location. We kept the facility for mechanical repairs and snowplow sales and repairs. We also plan to use that space to expand our marine and RV repairs.”
Today, Shannon’s Auto Body is serving second-generation customers and developing a healthy mix of consumer and car dealership business.
Abby Andrews