Middle Management Strengthens Family Business
Not everyone can grow their own middle management team, but that's exactly how Roger Bonfe, owner of Bonfe's Auto Service & Body Repair in St. Paul, Minn., acquired his. Bonfe's two sons, Tony and Tom, are general managers at the 45-year-old facility and are involved in the complete operation of the business. Production managers make up the third tier of the management team. Production managers oversee the work in process of three main departments of the business -- collision, mechanical and detail services. Production managers see to it that the work is done properly, is out on time and that parts are available.
Tom, a general manager who heads the mechanical side of the business, says a strong point of using a middle management setup is that the general managers are authorized to make business decisions if the owner is away.
"The best part is that we [general managers] have final say when Roger isn't here, so problems can be resolved," said Tom, who sees only positive effects of the middle management setup. "It's hard to give a negative, because if there's something negative, we change it. If there's a problem, we resolve it!"
Generally, employees first turn to a production manager with questions or problems, and if needed, general managers and the owner become involved. From Roger's point of view, he couldn't ask for a better arrangement. Now "semi-retired," Roger says he feels completely comfortable leaving the shop and knows it's in good hands while he's away.
Roger's confidence in his sons is supported by their education and experience. Both Tony and Tom "grew up" working at the shop and are college graduates.
"We were fortunate -- our sons are college graduates and took business marketing, management, computer and entrepreneur classes in college," said Roger. But if you can't "grow" your own management team, he's is a strong believer in education. Roger serves on the national board of EXCEL 2000, Automotive Service Association Management Institute's (ASAMI) resource development effort. He is also on the state board for mechanical and body shops and a state legislature committee. Roger said multilevel management allows him more time away from the shop for both industry-related and family commitments.
In addition to a need for quality entry-level technicians in the industry, Roger said there is also a need for manager training. To develop middle managers -- who must possess people skills, communication skills and diagnostic skills -- Roger suggests ASAMI and vo-tech classes, and training and educating from within.
The shop has 26 employees and the multilevel management approach is a success due in part to an emphasis on good communication. The owner, general managers and production managers meet monthly to discuss the business at hand, including any policy changes or recent issues. With a weekly average of 50 mechanical repairs, 30 collision repairs and five detail projects, the management team works together to keep the operation running smoothly.
"It's a complicated business," said Roger. "To make it work, it takes communication, getting along and doing what's expected of you."
Tony is the general manager of the collision segment of the business, which is the toughest to manage due to the amount of insurance work it requires, Roger said. However, technician management is very similar for both the mechanical and collision segments, according to Tom -- both are dealing with very qualified people who are underappreciated, so they work hard to make their techs feel good.
"To be a technician today requires computer skills and the ability to diagnose hidden problems. Nearly every component has a computer today and today's techs must constantly study books and manuals," said Tom.
When it comes to dealing with customers, Tom sees a big difference in the way each general manager must handle situations. "On the mechanical side, we're asking for money out of the customer's pocket. Dealing with the customer's own money can be a very emotional issue," said Tom, who "never" pressures customers to have repairs done. "The body shop customer is concerned about doing the repair perfectly, and then sending the bill to the insurance company."
Six computer systems are used to meet the needs of both the collision and mechanical sides of the business. The collision repair area uses two different electronic estimating programs and a shop management program. The mechanical area uses a CD-ROM-based estimating and repair information system and a shop management program.
Other equipment used daily at the shop includes computerized alignment equipment, an oscilloscope, a downdraft spraybooth and prep stations, MIG welders, drive-on frame racks and computerized paint mixing.
An Emphasis On Family
Roger's father started the business in 1952 and Roger worked there as a teenager driving customers around and helping out in the shop. Twenty years later, when he took over the business, he started a family tradition. Tony and Tom started working at the shop in grade school and continued to work there through high school and college. They literally learned the business from the bottom up, sweeping the floors when they were children."I love working with my sons. They amaze me," said Roger. "They take advice from me and then analyze the problem on their own. They come up with new ideas and implement them." Roger said he and his sons have never had a major disagreement about anything and he enjoyed the same kind of relationship with his own father.
Roger said he encouraged his sons to "learn it all" and says learning the industry and how to run a business is a continuing process. "Day by day we learn a little bit more -- how to handle people, how to run the business -- that's why we're involved in the Automotive Service Association (ASA) seminars and conventions," said Roger.
Jackie Bonfe, Roger's wife, also contributes to the business by working at home on bookkeeping duties, which Roger brings home each day. And Tony's wife, Mary, is getting into the business, too, working on accounts payable (while staying home with their two kids).
Roger describes the family business as being a different challenge every day. "It is not an eight-hour work day -- it is a 24-hours-each-day, 365-days-a-year, lifetime commitment," says Roger. "The bottom line is to treat your customers right, treat your family right -- that's what it's all about."
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AutoInc. Magazine ®, Vol. XLIV No. 9, September 1996