Started in 1962 by Russ Johnson and Bert Purwin, a WWII POW, when West River Drive was just a two lane road. Formally a 5700 square foot structural steel manufacturing building. Through the years adjacent land, houses and buildings were purchased. In 1980 2400 Sq Ft of office space was added. Then in 1993 3500 sq ft of production, parts storage and spray booth area was added. Now the body shop is the anchor building of our 1.8 acre multi building campus.
8 years after opening Russ decided to retire and Bert’s wife Phyllis took over as President and Bookkeeper. Right from the start, Bert’s sons Tony and Jim were here sweeping floors and cleaning before getting into body work. In 2000, Tony, Jim and Nick took over the daily operations with Phyllis still staying on as the bookkeeper. Bert worked until he died in 2008 at 87 years old.
Through the years we have welcomed changes in the industry to name a few; mixing our own paint colors, clear coat paint, uni-body frames, MIG welding, spot welding and most recently becoming OEM certified with an emphasis on aluminum repair.
In 2018 Tony retired allowing Jim’s son, Jon, to take the position of production supervisor.
