ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 11, 1996 TAG: 9604110087
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANNETTE GILLESPIE SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
Taking over West Salem Body Shop Inc. in 1991 was a dream come true for Flavio Mikulicic and Wayne Mills.
Literally.
"One night I had a dream that Wayne and I opened an auto body shop. The next morning, I called him up and told him my idea," said Mikulicic.
The men had previously worked together at a car dealership but left in search of other jobs. In 1991, Mikulicic was job hunting and Mills was in a sales position he didn't enjoy.
Mills laughed, recalling Mikulicic's call that changed his life.
"He called me from out of the blue. I thought he was nuts," Mills said.
Within two months of the conversation, the men purchased West Salem Body Shop Inc. from founder Joe Terry. Mikulicic said he had heard that Terry, who established the shop in 1961, was interested in retiring.
Mikulicic and Mills said the business had a good reputation, and they were ready to improve it. While they agreed that owning a business is challenging, they said they were fairly confident about their new venture.
"Before you decide to do something like this, you realize it's a big risk. You could fail. ... The first year we barely made it, but sometimes you just got to reach out on that limb," Mills said.
A good business partner makes the decision an easier one, Mikulicic said.
"Mills] has been around for a long time. I've been around for a long time. So between the two of us, we had a lot of experience going into it," Mikulicic said. "Looking back, I think it was the best move we ever made."
Mills estimated that business has quadrupled since they took over. The storefront along the street is deceiving. It gives no indication to passers-by of the huge interior that is temporarily home to cars in need of make-overs.
"I've got a stack of cards from customers on my desk with nothing but praise for the work our employees have done for them. We take the time to send out courtesy cards, and we get a pretty good response rate. Most of our new business comes from referrals from other customers," Mills said.
Mills and Mikulicic declined to talk about their specific strategies for staying competitive with other businesses, but said it all points to "the basics."
"We want to always focus on our customers and quality," Mikulicic said.
Mills said that is an instinctive formula for success. "I don't think you can teach that to anybody, but we treat the customers right. The customers come first."
Although business is booming, Mikulicic and Mills said they decided about 18 months ago that they would not open a second shop.
"We came really close to doing it. The legal work was ready, but something kept telling us no. I think it would have been a lot of pressure on both of us, and we know now that we made the right decision," Mills said.
Meanwhile, the men are remodeling the inside of the business. The storefront along West Main Street will remain unchanged because it has been declared part of the historic district, Mills said proudly.
"We're just in this business to make a living. Both of us wanted to retire here, and we can't do that unless we keep it running," Mills said.
Their plans for the future are simple, Mills said. "Just to keep doing what we're doing, keep a good name, and take care of our customers."
West Salem Body
Shop Inc.
10 West Main St.
389-9321
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: CINDY PINKSTON/Staff. Wayne Mills (left) and Flavioby CNBMikulicic keep business steady at their West Salem Body Shop, where
they've been partners since 1991.