Repaint Reporter

Repaint Reporter (v78 n1)

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"One man went from making $9 an hour at the Quick Lane oil change center to making a decent middle-class income as an A-level tech," says Josh DeKoeyer, body shop leader at Kistler. The new hire received his on-the-job training with Kistler Ford, increasing his pay as his skill level advanced. "If we can get young people interested in this business," explains Josh, "we can show them that you can make a lot of money without having the high cost of college." "We like to grow talent from within," says Bobby Jorgensen, dealership principal. In part that's because technicians are difficult to find, but it's also because Kistler Ford has a very intentional business philosophy. For example, Jorgensen refers to his company as a "customer experience center," and employs "leaders" as opposed to managers. One lesson that Jorgensen tries to impart on everyone is the value of time. "Even Warren Buffett doesn't have enough money to buy time," he explains. "Once it's spent, you can't get it back." But when the owner of the school presented Jorgensen with an opportunity to expand his production capacity, in some ways, it was an opportunity to buy time—by making the repair process faster for his customers. "Our bottle neck was the paint department," explains DeKoeyer. The new building represented an opportunity EARNING WHILE KISTLER FORD COLLISION Not long ago, the building that houses the Kistler Ford Collision Center in Sylvania, Ohio, was a charter school. Today, the completely remodeled facility has a different purpose, but there is still a great deal of learning going on. Best of all, the "students" are bringing home more than just good grades. LEARNING Not long ago, the building that houses the Kistler Ford Collision Center in Sylvania, Ohio, was a charter school. Today, the completely remodeled facility has a different purpose, but there is still a great deal of learning going on. Best of all, the "students" are bringing home more than just good grades. 20

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