What do you do when times get tough? For Frank’s Accurate Body Shop, that answer comes easy— help others.
Assured Performance recently had the opportunity to connect with Frank Rinaudo, owner and operator of Frank’s Accurate Body Shop in Slidell, Louisiana, just outside of New Orleans. We wanted to find out two things: First, how has his business risen above the fluctuations of the last few months and, second, how has his belief in helping others benefited his community?
About Frank’s Accurate Body Shop:
For many people in the collision care industry, cars are a passion from an early age. Even when Frank was young, he knew he loved everything related to cars. That passion turned into a hobby when he was a teenager and he began repairing cars in his parent’s garage. It made sense to turn that passion into a career and he spent many years working as a body and paint technician. In 1990, he and his wife, Sandy Rinaudo, bought their shop and it has grown and thrived ever since. On an average month they process approximately 70 cars and have 15 full time employees. Since COVID-19 made its mark, business has slowed to half of its normal rate— but that hasn’t stopped Frank and his wife from doing everything they can to help their community and demonstrate great customer care. These techniques have allowed their business to stay ahead of the curve.
The Steps They Have Taken Since COVID-19 & How They Give Back:
Frank’s personal philosophy is to “always strive for perfection and settle for excellence”. This quest for excellence is evident in every repair performed at his shop and was a motivator for Frank’s Accurate Body Shop to attain Assured Performance certification, along with being a certified by Fiat Chrysler, Nissan, INFINITI, Repair Capable Ford and Repair Capable Aluminum. Frank’s body shop is also Tesla Factory Trained & Approved. The difference between his shop and others, he believes, is their culture and process. They keep their staff lean and each member of the team is actively involved in making sure every repair meets the same high standards.
When the pandemic stuck, Frank began to see the need his community had for someone to help. He stepped up to buy hundreds of dollars in gift cards from local restaurants, including The Salad Station, The Wine Market, Speckled T’s, Counter Culture, and Southside Cafe. He wanted to help restaurant owners and donated the gift cards to the radio station, The Lake 94.7.
Meanwhile, Frank says, “We are currently running at about 50% of our normal volume of work but holding strong. While we had already been using photo estimating, we are now promoting it and making use of Docusign— so all forms can be signed electronically. Before each repair we sanitize and disinfect each car’s interior with leather and plastic safe disinfectant and we repeat this process, along with cleaning the outside of each vehicle, after we complete service.”
One highlight for Frank came last year, when his shop participated in “Recycled Rides”. He explains, “At a Business Council meeting, a man named Mike Anderson challenged us to recycle one vehicle for a deserving member of the community. I was proud to participate. Just before Thanksgiving (2019) we were able to locate all required parts and complete paperwork on a vehicle for a single mother with 4 children. She held down 2 jobs, just to support her family. Her car’s transmission had gone out and was not repairable.”
The gifting of the vehicle is something he will never forget, “She was so grateful and overwhelmed by the moment that she broke down in tears. About a week later, she stopped by with all 4 of her children so they could thank us as well.”
In addition to COVID-19 gift card giveaways and NABC’s Recycled Rides, Frank’s shop has hosted F.R.E.E. (First Responder Emergency Extrication) and aided Habitat for Humanity… all while being a destination body shop.
Connect with Frank’s Accurate Body Shop on Facebook or Instagram.
Or, visit them on the web: https://franksabs.com
