Springfield Business Journal_2019-02-25

PROGRESS 2019 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL • 34 Dodson-Williams Auto Body has been doing business in Springfield since 1961. Founded by John Dodson and Harold Williams, the company changed hands a few times before Keith Neal, who started as an employee in 1982, purchased the company in 1991. Under Neal’s stewardship the company has grown exponentially, adding a second body shop in 2014, a mechanical shop in 2018, and 20 employees in the last four years. Since 2014 the company has more than doubled gross sales. Technology has changed the auto industry in numerous ways since Dodson-Williams opened but in recent years it’s become what general manager of Dodson’s down- town shop David Heideman refers to as a “technology tsunami” because the industry is changing in big ways and at such a rapid pace. “It’s gone from vague industry stan- dards to following every original equip- ment manufacturer’s (OEM) procedures.” This means investing in subscriptions to each OEM’s standards and hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment. Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) also present a relatively new challenge for the industry. Each camera, sonar/radar sensor, or blind spot monitor must be calibrated properly anytime a car is being repaired. In 2015, less than five percent of the cars Dodson-Williams worked on had ADAS. Now it’s closer to 30 percent. And that number will only climb as industry standards and government regulations push automakers to include ADAS in every make and model. The techs at Dodson-Williams extensively research the specific system for every car they touch. “These cars will be going 80 miles an hour down the highway after we fix them. If they don’t function properly someone could get hurt,” says Heideman. “We take that very seriously.” Neal and Heideman also stress that there is no corner cutting at Dodson-Williams. “It’s crucial for customers to find a shop that is OEM certified with well-trained employees that follow proper procedures,” says Neal. David adds, “We want to fix things the way the manufacturer wants us to fix them.” Heideman also mentions that the automo- tive industry as a whole is leaning toward consolidation with shops becoming part of larger corporate multi-shop opera- tions (MSO), some of which encompass more than one thousand shops. Neal and Heideman both believe not being part of a giant MSO conglomerate gives them an edge. “As a locally owned, family business, we’re providing our customers a personalized experience,” says Heideman. Neal’s daughters Amanda Heideman and Amy Sell co-manage Dodson-Williams South. Son-in-law David Heideman is general manager of the downtown shop. Son-in-law Tyler Sell works as a Refinish Tech. Neal says both daughters grew up around the shop and wanted to be a part of it but he required them to get a college degree before they could start full time. Local Family- Owned Collision Center Th rives in Tech nology Tsu nami Dodson-Williams Auto Body • 502 W Walnut St Springfield, MO 65806 • dodson-williams.com • (417) 869-7317 “As a locally owned, family business, we’re providing our customers a personalized experience.” — David Heideman L-R: David Heideman, Amanda Heideman, Keith Neal, Amy Sell, Tyler Sell ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT