THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 2, 1994 TAG: 9411010100
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LORI A. DENNEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
P ATRICIA AND HOWARD ``Eddie'' Ragland's business is a culmination of 40 years' hard work and eight years of dreaming.
Three months ago, the couple opened the doors to their newly built, custom-ordered auto body shop - called Custom Body Shop Inc. - off Birdneck Road in the Owls Creek Commerce Center.
They spent months with builders and architects to be sure that their garage and surrounding property were constructed exactly as Eddie Ragland specified - right down to the employee lounge and restrooms.
``This is exactly the way my husband wanted it laid out,'' said Patty Ragland, who is the office manager at the shop. ``We'd been going over it for years. We knew exactly what was needed and what would work.''
The main thing the Raglands ``needed'' was help in financing the project. They waited almost three years to get a good interest rate from a local bank.
They also sold land in Knotts Island and used their savings to finance the $250,000-plus venture.
``Banks were so afraid there for a while to loan money to a small business,'' said Patty Ragland. ``I think it's easier if you have been in business a while . . . ''
The Raglands had already owned and operated the business for eight years from a leased building on Virginia Beach Boulevard. However, the building was in disrepair and the equipment out-of-date.
``Good equipment makes a better impression on people,'' admitted Patty Ragland, 45. ``Although the quality of work is still the same.''
The new body shop features a state-of-the-art paint booth, approved by the EPA, six drive-through bays, an office for him, an office and reception area for her, two bathrooms, an employee lounge and one acre of land surrounded with a 6-foot-tall fence.
With two tow trucks, the Raglands get a good portion of their business from accidents. The other portion comes from insurance recommendations or walk-ins.
The body shop, with its five employees, remodels and revitalizes between 25 and 50 vehicles a month. A written guarantee is given for services provided.
Auto body work is the only work Eddie Ragland, 57, has done and known for 40 years.
His father, as well as three brothers, were all in the body shop business in his hometown of Charlottesville.
``It's all I've ever done and I've always wanted to own a shop (like this one),'' he said. ``We've been trying to do this for a good while but never could seem to get it together. Until now.''
His 30-year-old son, Bobby Ragland, and a cousin work in the shop.
Together, the Raglands have six children - five girls and one boy. They've been married four years and have known each other for eight.
When they opened their first shop on Virginia Beach Boulevard, it was much less stressful.
``We took over a shop that was already established,'' Patty Ragland said. ``And it wasn't half as stressful (as building one).''
During the construction process, the Raglands continued to work at their Virginia Beach Boulevard business. Without a break, they moved everything to the new shop and opened for business there.
``We really had no idea what we had to go through to build a place like this,'' she said. ``There were delays. We didn't know the proper procedure for things, like permits, and there were hidden expenses.''
``But he (Eddie) wasn't afraid to take a chance like this,'' she added.
He said, ``With all new equipment . . . it's like moving up from a Volkswagen to a Cadillac.'' If you, or someone you know, makes an interesting living or has a story to tell about their business, give us a call at 490-7211 and brag a little. MEMO: The Custom Body Shop can be reached by calling 422-1966.
ILLUSTRATION: Photos by PETER D. SUNDBERG
Built to their specifications, Patricia and Eddie Ragland's new
Custom Body Shop features a state-of-the-art paint booth, six
drive-through bays, an office for him, an office and reception area
for her, two bathrooms, an employee lounge and one acre of land
surrounded with a 6-foot-tall fence.
Owner Eddie Ragland rests on a newly primed pickup truck while
Bobby Hawes finishes taping off the truck's windows before
painting.
by CNB