Most people say there’s so much in the collision repair industry that’s broken. There’s the issue of insurance companies demanding to use after-market parts to reduce repair costs without considering how it would affect the consumer’s safety. There are also concerns about the low enrollment rates at vo-tech schools causing a shortage of technicians coming in.
Unfortunately, the collision repair business has become a crappy business to work in. And as a result, the customer experience also suffers.
This is what Tom Bemiller observed as he got into the industry. Then he remembered a quote saying happy employees make happy customers. He thought if there was a way to create a better environment for the people working at the shops and improve the experience of fixing cars, then that will translate to a better experience for the customers.
Join Matt DiFrancesco and Tom Bemiller, Founder, and CEO of The Aureus Group, as they talk about why Tom thinks that the industry severely lacks leadership, what the five core values of his company are, and why he wants to be a catalyst for change in the industry.
Tom talks about:
(02:20) How he started his career in the collision industry
(08:17) What “repairing the repair process” means
(11:10) One of the biggest problems in the collision industry
(11:39) The importance of investing in personal development
(14:47) The culture you need to create to become the best company to work for
(18:14) The number one complaint they get from customers
(20:11) The Aureus Group’s five core values
(25:10) What it means to love what you do
(30:27) The challenges of being a leader
(31:33) Tom’s goals for the future
Connect with Tom Bemiller
Website: www.theaureusgroup.com
Email: tbemiller@theaureusgroup.com
(610) 256-1956
Connect With Matt DiFrancesco:
(814)201-5855
LinkedIn: Matt DiFrancesco
LinkedIn: High Lift Financial
Facebook: High Lift Financial
About Our Guest:
Tom Bemiller doesn’t consider himself a car guy. He’s not particularly passionate about cars, he’s never fixed cars, and in fact, he doesn’t even own a car – he drives a rental.
He got into the auto repair industry by accident. At 14, he went looking for a summer job that is near his house and the only one that was willing to hire him was a body shop. He started sweeping floors until eventually, he realized that it was a pretty decent place to work in. He ended up spending a couple more summers and Christmas breaks working for that body shop.
After he graduated from college, he decided to work in the body shop again just until he could figure out what he wanted to do next in his life. While there, he got involved in a car accident. That’s when the body shop owner asked him to take the car to all their competitors to see what the experience was like.
The project exposed him to the side of the industry he’s never seen before. He just couldn’t believe how terrible the places and the service would be. This sparked his passion to fix things that need to be fixed in the industry.
Today, Tom Bemiller is the Founder and CEO of The Aureus Group, which serves as the management company for auto body shops located in Chester, Montgomery, and Delaware Counties in Pennsylvania.