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Business Pulse
No. 1 Collision Owner:
Rob Walker Rob Walker, owner of the No. 1 Collision auto-body repair and paint shop near the intersection of Hannegan and East Bakerview roads, wants to change the way people think of auto body shops. “The current image of auto body repair and work is greasy and old,” Walker says. “It doesn’t have to be that way. We use very high-end technology and our shop reflects that newness. We have the most advanced equipment in North America.” Walker recently attended an auto body convention in Las Vegas, Nev. He was pleased to see that No. 1 Collision had comparable equipment to the industry’s cutting-edge machines being displayed there. Walker is especially proud of the Car-O-Liner, a machine that pulls bent car and truck frames back into shape after a collision. The Car-O-Liner is computerized and No. 1 Collision is the only auto-body shop north of Seattle that uses the machine. The work done by the Car-O-Liner pulls the bent frame into the same shape it was when it left the auto factory where it was assembled. “We also have a paint booth that bakes the paint onto a vehicle at 160 degrees; it duplicates the factory paint job,” Walker remarks. “Our spot welder is also like ones that auto factories use. The closest shop with one of those is in California.” Walker guarantees that auto-insurance companies will authorize his shop for people whose vehicle has been in a collision. “We will match all insurance hourly rates,” he states. “Also, if you don’t have rental-car coverage in your insurance policy, we will loan you a car for five days. We will even come to your house, drop off the loaner and pick up your car for collision work.” Besides the shop in Bellingham, there are two No.1 Collision shops in Vancouver, B.C., that are owned Rob’s father, Gary Walker. Those shops work only on BMWs and are a separate entity from the shop in Bellingham. “That company has been in business for 32 years,” Rob Walker notes. “I wanted to expand, get out of the Canadian market and into the U.S. market.” The Canadian shops have been doing very well financially, combing for $5 million in sales in 2000. Walker anticipates $2.5 million in sales during his first year in Bellingham. He chose the location near the corner of Hannegan and East Bakerview roads because he knew Bellingham would eventually grow into that area. He has been watching the corner location for three or four years. “This corner has great curb appeal and it’s convenient to Interstate 5,” Walker remarks. Walker insists that No. 1 Collision employees are at the highest level an auto-body worker can be. “We want to hire the highest-trained and most knowledgeable people in the industry,” he states. “We will also give workers more training.” Walker plans on having 12 employees at the Bellingham shop by the end of 2002. Another goal is to open two more auto body shops, one in Mount Vernon and one in the Bellevue area, within two years. Like the shop in Bellingham, they will specialize in late-model cars (1992 or newer) and will do paint jobs as well as collision repair work. Walker has been in the auto industry for 15 years. He worked in collision repair for 10 years, worked one year at an Audi shop as service manager and was general manager at a BMW dealership for four years. — Patricia Rathbun |
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