Chris Jones and his wife Mallory, owners of Precision Collision Center, realized last year that expanding their business into Platte City would provide customers in the area a closer option for getting their vehicles serviced.
Chris has been in the business since he was 10 years old when he worked at his father’s auto mechanic repair shop in Atchison, Kan. He worked his way up throughout the years in the collision world, starting out as a porter cleaning the shop to working as a technician, to management and finally, ownership.
In 2003, he purchased a piece of land in Pleasant Valley and built his own shop, Precision Collision Center. Seven years later he purchased his second location in Gladstone.
When KCI Collision in Platte City went up for sale, the Jones family decided to expand their business for a third time. They opened Precision Collision in Platte City in December 2019. They wanted to take over the business and keep it small and local for residents to avoid a large corporate takeover.
“We wanted to expand Precision Collision Center to another area in the Northland so we could increase the area in which our customers could have a closer option to take their vehicles to for a safe, quality repair from a small local business,” Mallory said. “Chris has always been involved in the industry in some sense and ever since I have known him he has wanted to keep expanding in communities that need a quality repair shop that has the customers’ rights in the forefront of the business philosophy.’
Ideally, they want to continue growing right along with the Platte City area. The city had always been on Chris’ radar as a business center because he believes it’s a great community.
Precision Collision Center has carried on the services that KCI Collision, which had been in business 10 years, provided including accident-related repairs, hail damage, paintless dent repair and windshield replacement. They also have a 24/7 tow service for the surrounding areas. All of KCI Collision Center’s employees were retained and one has been added.
“In the short six months that Chris took over he is already making upgrades to the building such as a brand-new paint booth installation, switching over to a high-quality, water-based paint product and upgrading tools and equipment needed for the technicians to make a safe, quality repair, as well as providing all up-to-date training needed to perform any and all types of repairs to all types of vehicles. We liked that Platte City still has that ‘smaller’ Northland, suburb feel, where the people care about the small businesses and their community,” Mallory said.
The business stays busy all year long but they see more customers during deer season, hail season and winter months when road conditions are challenging.
Chris has seen a wide spectrum of changes over the years in how vehicles operate and incorporate more and more new materials and new technologies.
“One drastic change is that vehicles are becoming like a computer on wheels,” Chris said. “It is very important for our technicians to stay trained and certified to keep up with the never-ending changes that come with these ever-changing vehicles.
“We require and pay for our technicians and staff to keep up on training and certifications throughout the year so they can properly repair our customers’ vehicles safely and with quality always in mind as well.”
They believe in repairing their customers’ vehicles like they were their own.
“Chris often asks the question to ensure safe quality repairs, ‘Would you feel 100 percent confident to put your wife and kids in this vehicle after the repairs are made,’” Mallory said. “The answer must be yes before we allow the vehicle to go home with the customer. We do not short-cut our repairs to save a buck or to please the corporate side of some of the insurance companies. We fight for our customers and their consumer rights to a complete, quality, safe repair that they deserve.”
Since it can be dangerous for the customer if someone is not trained and certified to do car repairs Chris warns people that if someone unqualified is saving you a lot of money or using improper parts it’s a good indication that they are not performing proper repairs.
He and his staff see numerous prior damages that have been covered up that could cause serious injury or damages should that customer get into another similar accident where those cover-up repairs were made.
“It is a very disturbing thing to see that other shops are doing these types of repairs and taking advantage of customers, who just don’t know,” Chris said. “The customer is not at fault in these situations by any means; you should be able to trust in the ‘professionals.’ I just hate seeing it.”
With 42 employees in their three businesses, the Jones believe they are all family and said without great employees who are as dedicated as theirs Precision Collision would not exist.
The business is I-CAR Gold Class Certified which lets customers know the business has completed a very rigorous training program with their technicians, estimating staff, paint team all the way down to the detailer who cleans and quality controls every vehicle after repairs are performed.
Approximately 20 percent of collision repair shops currently complete the rigorous training requirements needed to meet the I-CAR Gold Class standard.
“If you go to a shop without this training, more than likely, you are not getting a proper repair,” Mallory said. “Not every repair is the same and vehicles are evolving way too quickly to not be trained and certified. As vehicles incorporate more and more new technologies, current training has become increasingly important for proper repairs. I-CAR Gold Class shops are trained to know how to make the right decisions for a safe repair, how to find hidden damage others may not see and the latest repair procedures and technologies.”
The business is also a ProFirst Collision Repair Facility for Hondas and Acuras. With increasing fuel efficiency and decreasing CO2 emissions while meeting collision safety targets has demanded lighter and stronger car bodies and new tools, equipment and technology to properly repair them, coupled with the increasing application of on-board safety and collision avoidance technology collision repair is no longer a simple job.
“The collision repair industry and repair technology are evolving with increasing speed and intensity,” Chris said. “Today, it takes a highly-qualified collision shop to properly repair a Honda or Acura automobile – one with training, skill, the proper tools and equipment and the latest repair information. It also takes commitment to stay on top of and make certain we are following all procedures set forth by the Honda Corporation, as well as I-CAR. Along with Honda, we are OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) certified by Ford, Chevy, Chrysler, Dodge, FIAT, RAM, Jeep, Kia, Nissan, GM, Hyundai, and Assured Performance Certified as well.”
Precision Collision repairs all makes and models of cars and light duty trucks and they also work with all insurance companies. They offer free estimates.
It’s important for the business to offer state-of-the-art equipment for diagnosis and repair with vehicles continuing to become more technologically advanced.
Almost every new vehicle has several sensors that need to be fixed and re-set in order for them to work properly again. Most people will not know there is a problem unless the vehicle is plugged in with the proper scanning equipment that is current and up to date.
“This is a huge issue in this industry right now,” Chris said. “You could have your vehicle returned to you not even aware that the steering sensor is off, or the lane change sensor isn’t working, or if your airbags are operating correctly. You not only have to have the proper equipment and knowledge; you must use it. Whether you choose Precision Collision or another shop, always ask for this to be done.”
As marketing director for the business Mallory enjoys working closely with Chris and feels like they work well together.
“It’s fun to bounce ideas off each other on how to get the word out to the public about our business,” Mallory said. “I have my bachelor’s degree in graphic design, so my favorite part of the job is getting to create and design all of our marketing pieces, such as rack cards, flyers, mailers, online posts, etc. Though, I never thought I would be working for the collision repair industry with my degree, to be honest.”
Chris’ philosophy when it comes to the business is that it is his duty to educate and be completely transparent up front with customers on the entire process while providing quality service and safe-quality repairs and reducing the stress and worry of customers.
When it comes to the saying ‘the customer is always right’ he said in his case this is not true because collision repair work is a complete specialty job that should be left up to him and his trained staff and customers should not have to worry about anything once their vehicle is in his hands.
The Jones have only resided in Platte City for a short time but they like the small town feel and trust. They want to give back to the community and become involved in things locally such as school, Boy Scouts and local Chamber events.
Mallory said Chris worked very hard to keep the business open during the ongoing pandemic. His main priority was keeping his employees and their families provided for and a weekly check coming in for them. She said they were fortunate to be considered an essential business but they still had to make some changes in order to remain open.
“We are a part of the community and someone you can trust to be here for you,” Chris said. “We strive for ‘raving customers.’ We are proud to have been chosen as the first-place Best of the Northland and we love receiving and seeing continual five-star reviews from our amazing customers. This is what we thrive on and why we are growing. Without our awesome customers, and of course, our hard-working staff, we are nothing.”