AUTOINC. ONLINE - Shop Profile

John Opeka remembers the 1930s as difficult years that required hard work and dedication. During that time, Opeka attended night school at Carnegie Tech, now known as Carnegie Mellon University. His days were spent working in a salvage yard and then as a bodyman in Ford and Oldsmobile dealerships. In February 1942, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and became part of World War II.

While serving in the Air Force, he was trained as a navigator. In 1943, Opeka was assigned to the 310th Bomb Group, 381 Squadron and completed 51 missions in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. During this time, he was promoted to squadron navigator and awarded the Airman's Medal with six clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Presidential Unit Citation. Opeka completed his military service and was discharged in November 1945. He returned to work at his previous employer, the Oldsmobile dealership.

A few years later, in 1951, he opened Opeka Auto Repair Co., Inc., in McMurray, Pa. The business began as a small operation performing collision repair from the family's two car garage. He perfected his craft and increased his customer base to the point that more space was needed to continue his profession.

In 1957, Opeka purchased a stretch of land and began preparation to build an auto body shop. It took the next three years to acquire the necessary zoning approvals, prepare the land and build the original 2,700 square foot facility. The new facility enabled him to take his profession to the next level.

Opeka Auto Repair Co., Inc., started shaping up to be an all-around family business. With Lillian Opeka, John's wife, as the bookkeeper, the business began to thrive in the collision repair industry. Along with building a successful business, the Opekas also a had a growing family with three children.

In order to house and maintain the community's school bus fleet, Opeka's expanded in 1963, to 5,000 square feet. At this time, Opeka hired his first mechanic and began performing mechanical repair, as well as collision. According to his son Dale Opeka, "The mechanical side grew out of need from our customers." Along with adding the mechanical repair work, the shop also began conducting state safety inspections.

In the late 80s, the family business was faced with a dilemma; it was outgrowing its current space once again. The obvious decision was to expand. This time the business added 5,000 more square feet. The expansion allowed for better customer service and an increased customer base. With this last expansion, the business has grown 16 times its original size.

Passing the torch
In 1988, John Opeka officially retired from the shop. He passed the torch on to Dale, who as a young man, worked in the shop after school. "I spent every afternoon at the shop from the time I was 14-years-old until I was 21," said Dale. Today, he oversees the day-to-day operations and his mother continues to handle the financial recordkeeping.

Dale is very knowledgeable of the automotive service industry. Aside from being born into the business, he has a Bachelors of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. His education does not stop there. He also received his Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation in 1996, from the Automotive Management Institute (AMI). He is master body certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), and ASE-certified in estimating, and in all areas of ASE mechanical certification except for transmission. Even with all the technical training he has, Dale says, "I prefer to handle the management side of the shop, but I am not afraid to work on cars."

"The biggest advantage of working with family is we are all generally after the same goal, and we have no worries about trust," says Dale. He acknowledges that having family members work in the shop can be confusing to the employees; having too many bosses can create problems. However, the Opekas have continued to prosper over the years. Dale hopes to give his son, Evan, the opportunity to join the business in the future.

Customer service
As in many service industries, customer service is one of the most important aspects of an automotive service business. A shop must provide quality repairs, and also demonstrate its integrity. To achieve this, Dale says, "I try to do things mentioned in Carl Sewell's book, Customers For Life." He treats customers the way they want to be treated, not necessarily the way he would want to be treated.

Opeka's has 14 employees, and averages 85 repair orders a week. The business performs an equal amount of collision and mechanical repairs and strives to completely satisfy customers, no matter what it takes. For example, the shop completed work on a wrecked vehicle in excess of $8,000 worth of collision damage. A few weeks later, the customer returned to the shop and explained that he had bumped the garage and scratched the new paint job. The shop re-painted the area free of charge. Dale said, "We repaired the vehicle because this customer is a good one and will return if other work is ever needed."

Dale makes every effort to keep his technicians on the cutting-edge of technology. "Anything that is available to the shop is available to the techs," says Dale. The business is an I-CAR Gold Class shop and the technicians are ASE-certified. Paul Silfee, a manager at the shop, has also received his AAM, at the encouragement of Dale.

Advertising
Opeka's is located off the beaten path in an affluent area of McMurray. Dale feels lucky for this because it has allowed the business to build a strong customer base. The business relies heavily on word-of-mouth marketing as its main form of advertising. This free form of advertising has generated the best response for the shop.

The business participates in direct repair programs, receives referrals from local dealerships and a advertises in school event programs. "I would rather spend money on satisfying my current customers, than having to sell the shop to new customers," says Dale.

Industry involvement
In the late 1950s, John Opeka was instrumental in organizing the Independent Garage Owners of Pennsylvania (IGOPA) in Washington County, which later became the Automotive Service Association (ASA). He held many positions within the association, including chapter president, chapter secretary and affiliate educational chairman. According to Dale, "This [IGOPA] was an early predecessor to ASA, so I grew up understanding the value of belonging to a strong association."

The younger Opeka continues the commitment and dedication to improving the industry and his business by participating in all areas of ASA. Dale has served as ASA-Pennsylvania vice president from 1994-1996, and is currently the chapter delegate to the affiliate for Chapter Four. In this capacity, he brings the ideas and concerns of chapter members to the attention of the affiliate. In March 1997, Dale was appointed to the ASA national Mechanical Division Operations Committee. When asked why he belongs to ASA, Dale replied, "There has never been a reason not to belong."

Shop Stats

Name: Opeka Auto Repair Co., Inc.
Location: McMurray, Pa.
Employees: 14
What he enjoys most about his job:“No two days are the same. There are always new challenges.” - Dale Opeka, AAM

Born into the Business

Shop Stats