About Randy's Body Shop
Entrepreneurship is a family affair for the Wiersma family of Paducah, Kentucky. It all began in January 1982 when the family patriarch, Randy Wiersma, opened the doors to Randy's Body Shop, Inc. The shop was located at 1225 Broadway and began with a full time staff of three working in conjunction with two co-op students from a local trade school. Randy's wife, Dianne Wiersma, worked full time at the shop as the Office Manager, and Randy jokes that his young sons, Brad and Kyle, were also there as "part-time helpers" with their primary role being to disrupt production.
One could say that Randy's desire to own and operate his own body shop began out of necessity. Randy quickly learned the trade due to his talent and frequent ability to wreck his own vehicles. Success followed as a result of Randy's no-nonsense, common sense approach to business management. When asked what advice Randy would offer aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start their own businesses, Randy answered simply, "That's easy. Watch your cost. Never spend more than you take in. Always leave funds available to invest into your business. Ultimately remember that the focus should always be on the customer. Customer satisfaction should always be your top priority."
Randy moved his operations to 1008 Kentucky Avenue in 1991. At that time Randy operated with 6,100 square feet of space and a staff of eight. The shop has grown significantly since that time. Randy's Body Shop has grown into a multimillion dollar operation that operates in 11,100 square feet of space with a total of 21 employees.
Randy's passion for vehicle repair is in the genes. Randy's sons, Brad and Kyle, enthusiastically took over the operations of Randy's Body Shop in fall 2008. They continue to operate the business with their father's no-nonsense management approach remaining ever mindful of their duties to ensure that excellent customer service is always a top priority. Their participation in a number of programs illustrate their commitment to excellence and continued improvement.
One such program is DuPont's "20-Group". The 20-group philosophy is built on the idea of small groups of non-competing collision repair shops working together to network and learn best practices for their businesses. Great care is taken up front to ensure that competitive lines are not crossed between the members. As a result, they feel free to talk openly, sharing successes and failures, and dollars and sense. Members must be voted into this exclusive club by their peers based on their proven successes within the industry. Fewer than 200 body shops out of the nation's 50,000 will be granted the opportunity to take part in this program. By taking part in this program, Brad and Kyle are learning valuable lessons to ensure that they continue the legacy set forth by their father.
The staff at Randy's Body Shop has never forgotten their civic obligations to their community. Each year Randy's works with the Special Olympics of Kentucky’s Big Brown Truck Pull on Paducah's Riverfront. This event has raised over $80,000.00 dollars in just the two years it has been held. Randy's participation in this event is in honor of their son David. Funds raised by this event are donated to Special Olympics to provide year-round physical fitness opportunities for individuals in our region with special needs.
As Randy's Body Shop continues to grow, they aim to offer even more value to their customers through the addition of value added services. The shop has begun offering routine clinics beginning with a Women's Car Clinic in November 2010. This will be followed by a Young Driver's and Parents Clinic that will be offered in cooperation with area insurance providers developed to educate young drivers about the importance of proper vehicle maintenance. Randy's Body Shop is also working to gain certification for child seat installations. Once the certification process is complete, Randy's Body Shop will be the first and only private organization in Paducah certified to offer car seat installations.
Randy's Body Shop operates with one goal in mind: to be the customer's shop for life. Through these new and innovative programs coupled with the Wiersma's dedication for total customer service, they are proving that they are much more than a "you wreck it, we fix it" shop. They truly are your shop for life.
