BUILDING A LEGACY

in 2008, I moved from Las Vegas to Texas to change the direction of my family’s life. I started working with a hail damage repair shop as a salesman. I wanted to be great. so, I acted like a fly on the wall in the garage, soaking up everything, in order to better explain the process to my customers. after being with the company for a while, I got comfortable enough to approach some of the techs and asked them to go into detail about what tools they used and how they fixed the hail damage. to my surprise, the techs gave me the cold shoulder. they showed absolutely no desire to share any knowledge, even to a guy who was willing to go out and keep providing them with work. I later learned that not all of the industry was like that. in fact, I have been very fortunate to meet some amazing leaders in the trade, but at the time I was shocked that the techs at the operation where I was planted were not team players. one tech told me that I would never understand the process, that I was at a disadvantage by not growing up around cars. another swore his technique was an ancient secret passed down by his father and his father’s father. classic.

being rejected by the technicians at the shop was a huge blessing. that experience lit a fire under me. i was determined to understand the repair process even better than them. but because I did not come from auto body repair, I knew I had to study twice as hard. so I started reading up on the molecular structure of metal, the history of auto design, and I dove head first into the art of auto paint. little did I know that I would end up finding a new love. day and night I subjected myself to articles and videos. I would even go to other auto repair shops and pretend that I needed a service just to see how other shops operated. I was all in.

I didn’t just want to use my new found knowledge for sales. I wanted to be a tech.

I left the company that I was with and opened my own little shop in Arlington. at first, I still did the selling, and subcontracted the work out to some other techs that I met at an event for dent tools. during the day, while writing up estimates, I would secretly watch the techs as they worked. I would take notice to which tools they were using in different situations. I would watch their technique, like you would your favorite baseball player. and at night, after the techs would leave for the day, I would stay at the shop, and on my car, I would recreate what I watched, with the tech’s tools.

after a few months, I got the confidence to do my first car. for a guy that was self taught, I have to say…well, it wasn’t good. I still crack up at thinking about how humbling it was to attempt my first car. so many mistakes. but my greatest strength was being aware of the mistakes and fixing them.

over the next decade, i would not take off a single day. no vacations. day and night I have fought to be better. I still make it a point to make each car better than the last. I named my business legacy for a reason. I want my children to remember how passionate their father was about creating something and doing everything he could to do it great.

it has been an honor serving you, dfw. god willing, I have many good years ahead of me, getting to know you, and serving you when the time comes for your vehicles.

god bless, dean