Page 16 - Australian Paint & Panel Magazine May-June 2019

16
News • In Focus
PAINT&PANEL MAY / JUNE 2019
WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
'slow burn' investment and that i would put a business ahead of the curve when increasingly complex ve hicles from most brands will need to be sent to 'approved' repairers.
Good dealer and OEM relationships came high on the list of pre-requisites. So too did a continuous training regime and corporate governance, compliance and global standards compliance in ad- dition to all the other obvious aspects such as shop appearance, equipment and customer experience.
Recruiting the right people into the industry is a perennial problem that is becoming more severe each year. Kate Presnell, manager at Gary Presnell Bodyworks, has a background in hu- man resources. Presnell outlined Gov- ernment statistics on skill shortages, never a pleasant read for our industry. The group discussed connecting and engaging with schools and offering work experience. Simon Leven from Leven Smash Repairs, a forward think- ing country repairer with two loca- tions in NSW, shared his strategies on engaging with the community to en-
Whatanamazing
opportunity for all of us to embrace the brighter outlook on the collision repair industry, networking and sharing.”
courage youngsters to consider a ca- reer in collision repair.
As well as sharing some success stories of other repairers such as Gino’s Panel and Paint in WA, Presnell also imparted recruit- ment advice. She gave tips on requests or wording to put in a job advertisement to help weed out time wasters and streamline the recruitment process. She also suggested some pointers for the interviewing process.
We were hoping to have our business transformation couple from East Coast Paint and Panel there along with Ben Fewtrell from Max my Profit, but unfortu- nately they couldn't make it. So we did the next best thing and showed a video which you can watch below. In the video Fewtrell
shares his observations derived from the repair businesses he coaches of what the industry does
well and doesn't do as well. We also hooked up with Cara Lewis from East Coast Paint and Panel to hear what coach- ing has done for the business so far.
Last, but by no means least, Veronica Jory and Chris Beatty from Smash Repair Solutions told the group about their incred- ible journey from selling their house to buy their first shop to running five shops in three states just four years on. Jory and Be- atty described the ups and downs of their journey, where they had made mistakes and what they had learned along the way. Jory talked about the strong culture they have built into the business including en- suring an inclusive working environment and how they built the right team. It is an inspiring story showcasing an impressive drive to succeed.
A number of 'Next Genners' hotfooted it to a nearby alehouse to continue net- working over a beverage and once again new connections were formed for repair- ers to exchange information and help each other in their businesses.
We'll let Kate Presnell sign us out with her comment: "What an amazing oppor- tunity for all of us in the Next Generation to embrace the brighter outlook on the col- lision repair industry, networking and sharing. I loved it."
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CLOCKWISE FROM BELOW: Veronica Jory and Chris Beatty, SRS; Steve O’Brien iBodyshop; Cheyne Oxford; Kate Presnell; Jason Trewin, I-CAR; Steve Lozenkovski