[ast1590]

We have had both a service business and body shop for over 35 years and it has worked for us. Some of the keys for us have been, it is all under one roof, we have built up relationships with insurance companies that has taken years to establish, the service department and body shop feed off one another in terms of repeat customers. Each dept. is managed differently, the techs have a different mindset. Massachusetts has one of the lowest collision repair labor rates in the country (as dictated by ins. cos.). It seems that survival is dependent upon high volume and good cycle times. Small body shops will struggle in Mass. as Direct Repair Programs (DRP) gain popularity.