Innovative Marketing Panel
Craig Camacho, Pat O’Neil, Curtis Nixon and Carl Garcia Moderated by Mike LeVasseur
The current economic environment requires thinking outside of the box when marketing
your business. This panel contains some of the cutting edge marketing minds in the
industry who are successfully growing their business through innovative marketing
solutions as well as constantly measuring results.
Craig Camacho,
Marketing Director
Keenan Auto Body, Inc.
After college Craig worked for Buten Paints, a local paint store competing with
MAB and Sherman Williams. Throughout his sales career he held positions such as
salesman, F&I manager and sales manager at a few different dealerships. In 1996,
he opened Glenolden Auto Sales, his own pre-owned car dealership. In 1998 he transitioned
to Collision Specialties the on-site body shop and phased out his car sales involvement.
Since joining Keenan in June of 2002, he has become their Marketing Director and
has implemented many different marketing initiatives and strategies that have helped
make Keenan what it is today. Throughout his tenure, he has been a member of two
different BNI networking groups, five different chambers of commerce, hold a PA
appraiser’s license and ICAR certifications and am a CIC Gold Pin sponsor.
Craig resides in Chester County, PA with his wife Donna, daughter Cara, son Cameron
and my step-son Michael. They share their home and lives with Maddy their Jack Russell
Terror and Trevor their Yellow Lab Mix.
Pat O’Neil
Co-Founder
911 Collision Centers, Inc.
Patrick O’Neill is co-founder of 911 Collision Centers & Auto
Glass headquartered in Tucson AZ. Founded in August 1998 and now with 7 locations,
911 Collision Centers & Auto Glass is the past recipient of the National Auto
Body Councils Pride Award for their broad commitment to community service. They
have also received such notable accolades as AAA’s Top Shop award for service and
repair excellence. They were runner- up in the Better Business Bureau’s International
Ethics in Business award. O’Neill, as COO, has guided the company from a start-up
to annual sales in excess of $14,000,000 and attributes much of the company’s phenomenal
growth to an effective marketing plan to consumers and insurers. The company expanded
into Las Vegas, NV in March of 2006 and opened its second location in June 2007.
911 Collision Centers & Auto Glass plans to continue its expansion throughout
the southwestern United States.
Curtis Nixon
Owner of Fix El Monte and Co-Founder of Fix NexGen
Curtis Nixon is a 3rd generation collision repairer and has been in the industry
for 22 years. He started taking the trash out in the shop and is presently the owner
of Fix Auto El Monte and co-founder of Fix NexGen. Fix NexGen is an auto body management
firm and Curtis currently oversees and assists in managing the day to day operations
of 4 independent collision repair facilities that do overall gross sales of over
$10 million with 75 employees. Curt is very active in the collision industry and
is the past president of the San Gabriel CAA Chapter. He also is in the Nation Auto
Body Council member and has participates in Recycled Rides. He is ICAR Platinum
Certified. His facility, Fix Auto El Monte got the LA county WRAP award for recycling.
Carl Garcia
Co-Owner
Carl’s Collision Center
Carl Garcia considers himself to have been in the business forever. By the time
he was born, his immigrant father owned a very successful auto body shop with his
cousin. As two young men who came to America with a dream to better themselves,
they worked hard in the industry and saved their money to open a shop.
After college Carl’s father let him go to work for him full time after a few fights
of him telling Carl to do something else. Carl did work in the shop part-time during
the summer, but his father felt there was no future in the industry. He told Carl
that if he was going to work for him full time, he would have to start at the bottom
and work his way up. After all it was not just his business, he was partners with
his cousin, who also had kids and they wanted no part of the business. So Carl would
sand, mask and buff during the day. When night would come he would punch out and
head to the office and find ways to make money with his pen. They had a very good
business going on, but their customers were getting old and they were starting to
lose their customer base so he would come in on Saturdays and build up his own customer
base.
His father sold off his half of the business to his cousin and opened Carl’s Collision
Center, Inc. in 1994. Over the years Carl has put sweat into the company for ownership.
Today he is an equal partner with his dad and they are both business men. Nothing
makes him more proud than the fact that they have moved forward together.
Mike LeVasseur
Executive Vice President, C.O.O.
Keenan Auto Body, Inc.
Mike LeVasseur entered the collision industry in 1976 when his high school Consumer
Economics teacher got him a job at his father’s Auto Body Supply store. The irony
of Consumer Economics and Auto Body colliding would change his life forever.
He enrolled in Thaddeus Stevens State School of Technology and continued to work
in a small auto body shop, hoping to learn more of this industry. However, working
for a Korean immigrant who spoke little English proved to be one of the best, and
at times challenging, experiences in his early career. He assumed the role of translator
and teacher of all things American to a teenager, and in return he taught Mike that
hard work, pride of ownership, and most importantly family is the key to a successful
life. To this day, they still trade industry tips that are not lost in translation.
In 1980, Mike joined Rafferty Pontiac, GMC, Subaru and spent the next 13 years as
a technician and body shop manager. In 1993, he met Don Keenan at a CCC seminar.
Shortly thereafter, he opened the first expansion shop of Keenan Auto Body, Inc.
“Keenan Auto Body West”. In 2001 Mike was promoted to partner, and assumed the role
of Executive Vice President, C.O.O. They currently operate 8 facilities, encompassing
two states, with sales exceeding $17 million and growing.
|
