Advanced Collision Repair unveils new home
Starkville native Russell Winston has been in the business of fixing cars since 1995. From washing cars to sweeping floors, he soon became a manager at a Ford dealership while in college. His love for helping individuals eventually led him to open his own business.
“I just fell into it,” Winston said.
After starting the business 11 years ago, Advanced Collision Repair continued to grow. So much so, Winston has slowly been expanding through adding and renting space.
Seeing the old Kia automotive dealership building on Highway 12, He knew he could take what wasn't completed and build a well-oiled machine.
“We've already got enough cars to sustain what we've done, but we are just all over the place,” Winston said. “It's going to allow us to become more efficient.”
Buying the building two years ago, Winston tapped Couvillion Build and Design and T & M Steel Erectors Inc., to tackle the project. Together, these businesses, Winston and his wife made plans on how to take the area and transform it.
“How do we merge those things together to make it look like it was all here at one time?,” Winston said.
Winston would go on to build an access point for the new location, which the building previously did not have. After a year and a half, the building finally began to take shape.
His reasoning for the Highway 12 location is to help provide better visibility. He also looked at the rate of growth Starkville is experiencing, and knew more businesses and people will grow out toward this new location.
“I knew it was a safe location, we are not really jumping out on a limb and hoping people will start heading this way in 10 years,” Winston said.
Throughout the process, Winston said there were never any major hurdles, but juggling his day-to-day workload and meeting deadlines added stress to the project.
Winston said other than needing the space, he wanted to create a new business-professional aesthetic to provide more comfort for his customers. He said the last thing he wanted was to have his customers come to a dilapidated shop because it would leave them with a bad first impression.
“We always try to be very professional in what we do and we want the building to reflect that immediately,” Winston said. “If you come in and say ‘wow, they take pride in their building,' they'll take pride in my car.”
For Winston, building and repairing cars is one of his favorite things about the business, but he ultimately loves being able to provde a comfortable atmosphere.
“There is a lot of joy in taking a car that's damaged and looking back at the end of the day and saying ‘It was like this and now it looks like this,'” Winston said. “But there is also a lot of joy in taking the customer that is upset and really not happy with their car when they bring it in and putting that joy back in there.”
Even though the building is new, the space will not add too much of what the shop already handles. Instead, the space will allow for estimators, and other managers to have more space to do their jobs in a more efficient manor. In the main section of the building there is a waiting area with couches and chairs, a receptionist desk and offices for estimators.
On the second floor, there is a conference room and Winston's office. The conference room will host employee meetings and visiting insurance companies.
In the other side of the office, connected to the garage, is a parts room where the offices of the parts manager and shop foreman. In this part of the building, the windows are frosted so customers won't see parts lying around.
The new shop will have 32 bay doors, giving Winston's business a little more room to grow.
When asked what type of car part describes who Winston is, he laughed and answered the exhaust because he usually has to deal with problems or looking at the end process. After taking a second to think, he said he can't name a specific part. He said there is not a part more significant than another because without all of the pieces, the car ultimately would not work.
“I couldn't have done any of what I've done without great employees,” Winston said.
Winston said seeing the finishing touches being placed on the final product is a complete relief, especially after the long haul of hurdles and deadlines.
“This will solve the problem I've been having for six or seven years, of ‘what is the end result of it?'” Winston said. “I'm able to achieve the end result of what I wanted the business to look like the first day I started.”