Welcome to our story,
I really appreciate you exploring the website. They asked me to write the “about us” part of the website and I really didn’t know where to begin.
Mike thinks it was about 1979 when his brother decided to go stock car racing at the local short track (Meridian Speedway). He didn’t really have any money to paint a race car and Mike really liked learning new skills. So, with some coaching from the local paint store and a 39.00 paint gun Mike worked his mad skills. The car came out beautifully and everybody that saw it commented on the nice paint. Well needless to say, Mike had found a new hobby.
Hobby it was. Painting everything he could lay his hands on. Most jobs he did were for free. Mike was using his garage at home and it was connected to the house. His wife wasn’t too thrilled with the newfound hobby as the house smelled like paint most of the time.
So they set out to buy a house with a detached shop. Mike continued his craft for about 2 years and found he had more work than he knew what to do with. Mike needed to hire a body man to help with the projects he had coming through the door. Hiring somebody to work in your home hobby shop was not easy to do and the neighborhood wasn’t going to take it lying down.
So with some coaxing of his wife they moved to a shop on Chinden Blvd. Mike found Himself in the Auto Body Collision trade. That was 1982 and they never looked back.
In 1995 Mike moved to our current location and expanded once again. He continued with his current staff at the time and added a manager as the business continued to grow. In 1997 he added an additional body technician, and that is where I come in. I came to work for Mike with Autobody
experience from another local shop, as well as some mechanical skills from vocational school in Phoenix Arizona and working on race cars with my stepdad at, you guessed it, Meridian Speedway.
As Mike and I continued our stories Mike continued to build his business. He added a state-of-the-art Nova Verta paint booth to offer a baked finish, and a far better paint job than his old booth. He also added to the building and purchased a Car O Liner frame rack and computerized measuring system along the way. Mike and I continued our journey together for 23 years. Along the way we had lots of laughter, and some occasional tears together. We also stayed up on the latest trends, equipment and training in the industry. Mike was and continues to be a great mentor for me.
In 2020 Mike decided to retire and I purchased the business from him. He still comes in to give us a hard time now and then. If I look at what I think sets us apart from the other shops in the area, it has to be that we have chosen to stay relatively small. As a result, I feel like we can service your needs better. My employees have all been in this industry a long time, and they all share the feeling of quality that I do. We recognize this process is painful. One day your car is fine and the next it’s wrecked. So, we try to take the pain away the best we can. We will repair your car to pre loss condition and hopefully beyond your expectations. We will make sure the color matches. We will deal with insurance companies to the best of our ability on your behalf. We will keep you posted on the progress of your vehicle as it develops. As our story grows, we will continue to invest in state-of-the-art equipment and training to do the job as well or better than anybody, and always strive to do the best we can for you, our customers. We will also continue Mike’s vision to be great at everything we do.
In closing, if you lasted this long, we are your one stop shop for all your collision needs. We work with all Insurance companies. Please don’t allow them to tell you where to take your vehicle (unless it’s us, of course). You do the research and take it where you want. You will be happier in the long run. If you need some advice, pick up the phone and call us.
– Montie Potter
