PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

My Life in Collision Repair

by JERRY MCNEE

Instead of my usual President’s Message this month, New Jersey Automotive had an idea to do something a little different and asked me to do a Q&A about my life in and out of the industry. Doing this made me look back at the early days, my start in business, the highs, the lows and the lessons learned. It wasn’t always an easy journey, but it’s been a rewarding one.

New Jersey Automotive: When and how did you first start out in this industry?

JM: I went to Piscataway Vo-Tech. In ninth grade, you bounce around the different trades for six months. I was put in the welding class, but all my friends were in the auto body class, so I switched over there to hang out with them.

NJA: You obviously found a love for it, since it became your life’s work.

JM: As a young kid, there are a couple of things you dream about: Being successful, having money, owning a beautiful house and having a beautiful wife, a nice family, nice cars, boats, motorcycles…At least those were what my dreams and aspirations were. It was fitting when I got to the body shop end of it. It tickled my fancy, so to speak. I could get my own car and make it look beautiful. I could customize it and always have it in tip-top shape.

NJA: When did you decide to go into business for yourself?

JM: I graduated in 1981, but I had been working in body shops since 1978. One of my early jobs was at a Datsun dealership that had a shop. I sanded the steel wheels. They used to call me “Wheels” at the place. I also removed bumpers back when they were really bumpers. I had a few jobs after that.

In the beginning of 1988, I decided that I was going to go into business for myself. I was working for a shop, and it was really a dungeon – an armpit! It was three bays, there were parts everywhere and everything had an inch of dust on it. No lights, no equipment, no tooling. Over time, the owner fired two of the other guys and basically made me take over for them. I was offered the grandeur of being partners with him and opening up a new facility. He said we’d break ground in 30 to 60 days. That turned out to be two and a half years later. I realized that having a partner like that really wasn’t going to pan out. I figured if I could do what I did in that place with what I had, then I could do it anywhere.

NJA: Who from the industry has helped you the most along the way?

JM: As I was secluded in my four walls, I didn’t get involved or pay attention to anything. I just did what I did. I didn’t look to anybody back then because I didn’t have the time. I was working 7:30am to 7:30pm five days a week and 7:30am to 4pm on Saturdays. It wasn’t until 2001 or 2002 that I realized I was in trouble. I had to figure some things out, so I got a management system. Around 2003 or 2004, I had more work than I knew what to do with. I sat down with my accountant, and he said to me, ‘I don’t know, Jer. You’re so busy that you lost $80,000 last year.’ I was really shocked; that was when the anvil fell on my head. I realized that I’d be out of business and broke unless I started to get involved with others in the industry to learn as much as I could. I got more active in AASP/NJ and went to any seminar I could get myself into. There were so many people who helped me along the way. Around 2010, I got involved with performance groups. That was certainly an eye-opener. Now I was looking at KPIs and people like Mike Anderson and other shops from around the country. I looked at other shops that were successful and said, ‘I want to be like them!’ Then, I started to change my process.

NJA: Moving away from the industry for a minute, what are some things you and your family enjoy away from all of this body shop craziness?

JM: We enjoy spending time with our other family members as much as we can. I’m also into gardening; I grow all my stuff from seedlings. I love barbecuing, cooking, eating and socializing with friends. My wife, Mary, and I go hiking and mountain biking. Our family is growing all the time; there are nieces and nephews having kids now. We have three boys: Tyler is 29, Anthony is 26 and Ryan is 21. Tyler and Anthony actually work for me. Tyler graduated with a degree in finance and accounting at the top level of his school. God knows how he did it – my wife and I look at each other and go, ‘That’s not our kid!’ He’s getting married in June.

Anthony did two years at college and played sports. He used to tell me, ‘I’m not coming to work for you! You’re just going to give me money.’ I’d say, ‘You’ve got me all

wrong, fella! There are no free handouts here; I don’t care who you are!’ He’s been here roughly six years now. Ryan is playing lacrosse in school. He’s a junior now, and he’s going for finance and accounting as well. He currently has an internship in Newark.

I love motocross, although I’m getting a little too old for it! I’ve broken a lot of things in the last 20 years. At some point, you’ve got to ask, ‘Is the pain and suffering really worth it?’ I still have my bikes, but that might be short-lived!

NJA: At the end of the day, what keeps you in this line of work?

JM: That’s a great question. I think no matter what business you’re in, you’re always going to second-guess yourself. Is the grass always greener someplace else? I had quite a few choices that I could have followed, but I ended up sticking with auto body. Having a nice facility, educating the customer, following the repair procedures and turning out a superior product are what motivate me. At the end of the day, we fix cars the best as humanly possible, and we love the fact that the customers come in and thank the entire team for what we’ve done. It’s an awesome feeling.

NJA

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