October 3, 2025 • 35 mins
Laura Jacobson serves as Co-Vice President of Heppner’s Auto Body & Glass alongside her husband Jesse. With 20+ years of leadership, she’s driven growth, service excellence, and community impact, solidifying Heppner’s reputation as a trusted leader in auto repair.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's CEOs. You should know. I'm Adam West. We're here
with Laura from Hepner's Hepner's Autobody, Right, is that.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
How Heppner's autobody and Glass?
Speaker 1 (00:09):
And Glass of course, tell me a little bit about
the story of Hepner's.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
All right, well, let's see he got.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
All these newspaper clippings.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
I know, I'll go back to the beginning.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Nobody's ever done that before.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Well, I brought some historical advertisements and articles about Heppner's
because we've been around since nineteen fifty six. So next
year we're going to celebrate seventy years. And it was
started by Elmer Hepner. So that's where the name comes from. Elmer.
After World War Two he served in the I believe
(00:42):
he was in the Army, and he earned a purple
Heart and a bronze star, and he came back to
Minnesota to Saint Paul and he started Hepner's. And I'm
sad to say I don't remember Elmer. I know I
met him when I was younger, as my family bought
Heppner's from Elmer in nineteen eighty five. But so yeah,
(01:06):
he had been in Saint Paul since the fifties and
he passed away in about two thousand and one. But
I know my dad, Bill Klatt, who purchased the original
Heppner's shop in the Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul. He
obviously had contact with him back when we got involved,
and so yeah, it's been it's been a long standing
(01:29):
family owned business in Saint Paul and now in the
East metro of Saint Paul for nearly seventy years. Now.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
How many locations are you up to now?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
We have six shops. There's two in Saint Paul, two
in Woodbury, one in inver Grove Heights, and one in Hudson, Wisconsin.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
So what is your actual title?
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Technically, I'm a co vice president along with my husband,
Jesse Jacobson. He joined the company in twenty fourteen. But yeah,
so I say it's family owned and my mom, Linda
Kladd is the owner. I've got my daughter Lizzie who's
nine years old. She works with me too a little bit,
(02:09):
especially in the summer. But so my husband, Jesse and
I kind of run the day to day operations along
with our leadership team. We've got our general manager, Doug
who's been with us over thirty years. We have our
assistant GM, Chad. We've got our director of Marketing, Amy,
and so yeah, so I'm co vice president. I've been
(02:30):
doing it twenty one years now. And yeah, so my mom,
my mom Linda, she's still around in you know, goes
to a couple of the shops each week. She lives
out in Hudson and visits that shop. And then yeah,
so that's I mentioned my dad earlier, My dad Bill,
(02:54):
like I said, he bought the original Hepner's shop in
eighty five and kept the name since it's been around
so long. And he passed away in December twenty eleven.
So he's been gone a long time now. But I
was lucky to have been involved in the business before that,
since two thousand and four. So yeah, that's that's the
(03:15):
family that runs it to this day is us, the
Klatt family, the Jacobsen family.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
I feel like in the last decade for sure, like
it's really kind of you guys have really launched a
little bit more, you know, more shops or I don't know,
I've heard of you in more places. How did you
get that going?
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Yeah, I mean we've really since Amy joined our marketing
made our marketing team. We didn't have a marketing team.
Amy became our director of marketing in twenty fifteen. I
guess the marketing opportunities and things we would try kind
of took off them. We just got much more involved
(03:55):
in online social media marketing and getting making sure we're
on Google and doing the Lately we've been doing the
Google Service ads and those have been doing well. So
just paying attention more, you know, where our name is,
where what is our brand, kind of solidifying that and
(04:16):
then and then doing the stuff that we've always done,
but just maybe kind of diversifying what we're spending our
money on. But we've always kind of stuck to the
tried and true things of you know, advertising locally in
the in the cities we serve. Oh, go ahead.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Do you feel like you had a plan, because I
think that's one thing that frightens a lot of small businesses.
And yes, you should have some somewhat of a plan.
But did you have a real formal plan or you.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Kind of well, hmm, good question. I mean we didn't
have like a business plan. I mean, the business has
been going so many decades that we knew, you know,
the basics of what we do, how we do it.
We have great people that you know, fix the cars
every day, great office staff that are so knowledgeable. But yeah,
(05:05):
I mean the the marketing stuff is always kind of like, well,
should we try this and let's just see how it works.
I mean we did we started doing radio, so it's
been probably ten years since we've done radio ads or
that we've been doing. We still do them, but just
trying things that are new. Maybe it's a risk, but
(05:26):
you know, risk worth taking because then you know people say,
well I heard your ad or I saw your ad.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
You know it's working.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Yeah, I mean we've done billboards in the past, not
something we do frequently, but you try just kind of
surprise people with maybe where they see you, see your
logo and know your website and hopefully think of you
when they need us. That's the thing. It's a different
kind of business.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Well, you kind of always My grandfather was in the
funeral business. I remember interviewing him as a kid. He's like, well,
you always need funeral stuff, you know eventually, and you
always need car stuff just on my way here is like,
oh no, I'm gonna need you know, yeah, you always
need it.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Well, yeah, we've I mean we've we've been there so
long that people, I hope in especially in the East Metro,
know our name when they are in need of collision
repair or glass repair or hail repair. We hope they're
the ones that we're the ones they think of that
they think of. But yeah, it's not something you think
about every day, like, oh, you know, I really want
(06:24):
to give an accident so I can go to Hackner's Exactly.
It's so different than you know, uh some you know,
a luxury thing like it's it's not a place you
want to visit all the time.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
But yeah, what were your biggest challenges starting out in
your position?
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Well, so I joined the business in oh four. I
started at Saint Thomas that year, so I was I'm
from Saint Paul and then went to Saint Thomas for college,
so I was close to home so I could work
for the business. I learned it from one of my aunts.
My dad's older sister was working at the shops at
(07:01):
that time, so she taught me the bookkeeping and the payroll.
And then once she was done and retired from that,
I took over all the shops and then I had
my dad's younger sister, my other aunt from that side
of the family, joined and she came back. Actually we've
had various family members over the years, but she came
(07:23):
back and worked with me and helped me out doing
bookkeeping and accounting for ten years. So I've I've been
so lucky to have family members and just great you
know people, great mentors and people to help me out
over the years. But yeah, I just jumped in and
Dad kind of said, this is what you're gonna do now,
(07:43):
and so I did. Okay, it was exciting because I
always I sometimes went to the shops growing up, not
as much as my daughter comes with me these days,
but so I was familiar with them, but I was
excited to get more involved.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
That's always fun for the kids, right seeing what dad
does and seeing something different.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
And yep, I think so. I mean, it was always
it was always exciting to go into the shops, and
my mom had helped out a little bit when I
was younger and did some of the bookkeeping, but not
at all the locations. So it was it was fun
to get to know all the shops and everybody in them.
And then yeah, the years just fly by, and now
it's been over twenty years.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
Yeah, so how is how have things changed in those
twenty years.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Well, I mean for my job specifically, how they've changed
were the accounting You know, we never had an accounting
software system. It was all just on paper and my dad,
my dad didn't really use computers, so it was all
pretty old school. So we you know, implemented accounting software
(08:47):
years ago, and that's been so helpful to organize things
the bill paying and doing all the payroll online and
all the HR and benefit stuff online. That makes my
job much easier, more organized. Yeah, I mean, but as
far as the industry, I could, that's changed.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
I mean my dad wouldn't even It would be like
kind of foreign coming in and seeing the cars were fixing,
the types of repairs, what's needed to repair these vehicles.
He would just be like what so I mean and
elmer O, my gosh, it's just totally different. But I
mean it's still the same basics. If you're getting a crash,
you have to take it to a body shop. It's
(09:30):
just much more involved now technologically speaking, with.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
These new vehicles, there's more components, right, all these safety systems.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Yes, I'm sure you've heard of it, the ADOS systems,
So the advanced driver is Advanced Driver Assistance Systems ADAS.
So when you get into wreck and those systems get damaged,
we've got to repair them correctly according to how the
manufacturer wants them to be repaired. Because if you are
(09:59):
out driving and your lane keep system isn't calibrated correctly,
it could throw you off. You could, who knows, you
could if you're if you're the cruise control, the adaptive
cruise control isn't working correctly, that could throw you off.
If the brakes start engaging without you're not you know,
you're not ready for that to happen. Just because something
(10:20):
is just measured just a little bit incorrectly, it can
be you know, it could cause issues in the future
when you're driving the car. So, I mean, we've got
so many vehicles now that they need these calibrations done correctly.
It's a part of the repair now that never it
just wasn't a thing before.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
And it's all individual cars, right, You're not just yanking
a frame maybe like you did years ago.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
It's just yes, such much more involved than just you know,
putting a new bumper on. You've got to calibrate to
make sure those cameras on that bumper, those sensors are
how they were before the accident. So yeah, I mean
it's it's more complicated, It involves more hands touching the car,
more time, and.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Your text probably to go to school basically.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
I mean they're always getting continually trained they do. Yeah,
the continuing education for a technician, for an estimator, for
the managers, for painters. It's just every year they have
to do so many credits, and we make sure they
do it because especially now it's so important with all
this new technology, make sure they're doing it properly.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Yeah, it's speaking to painting. You guys probably have different
environmental stuff that you have to keep up with all
the time.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Yep. So yeah, I mean at our six shops that
you know, they each have paint booth, a couple of
paint booths at some of them are the busier locations
prep stations where they can do the prep work for
the paint jobs. But yeah, I mean we years ago
we've converted all the shops to using water based paint
(11:54):
from PPG. So the waterborne paint is I mean you
can just walk into a shop and know that it's
not the old solvent paint because there's not that smell
as much as there used to be, so it's more
environmentally friendly, better for the employees, for the painters and
the staff and the shop to use those materials the paint.
(12:16):
But yeah, I mean there's obviously you know, you've got
to make sure you're disposing of any hazardous waste correctly
and make sure the shops are or the employees are
using proper safety equipment when they're painting or sanding and
all that. So yeah, there's a lot of safety stuff
(12:36):
that goes into it and making sure you're following all
that necessary stuff osha stuff.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Are there milestones that you're proud of? We're most proud of.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Yeah. So, like I said, so we've been in business
in Saint Paul since nineteen fifty six, so that means
next year we're going to celebrate seventy years. So that's
a huge milestone. I mean, being remaining family owned and
operated locally is really important to us. So hitting seventy
(13:09):
years means a lot to me and my family and
our employees that we're still still operating same way we've
done for decades and we remain we're the only the
largest multi shop organization in the state that's still locally owned,
family operated.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
And that that's a I mean, that's a milestone. That's
a big deal. Over the years, especially in the last
five years or so, a lot of shops that were
locally owned have sold to the big the big conglomerates
that come in and want to buy up shops, and
we just haven't. We're not for sale, even though there's offers,
(13:53):
you know, people inquiring all the time. But it means
a lot to us to stay involved in the business.
I mean, I go to all the shops every week
and and it is it is genuinely family run, and
I like, I'm it makes a big difference in the
quality the service that our customers receive.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
So what would be an example of.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
That, Well, I'm let's see. I think just the the
general attitude and the general attitude and just a friendliness,
the the quality of the interaction you get with our
(14:39):
staff in the office is It's just it's different than
if you go into a corporate run shop. They know
what matters to us, to the ownership, to the leadership
of the company, and and they can pass that along
to in their interactions with the customers. Yeah, it really
(15:00):
makes a difference.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
And nobody really wants to be there, unless maybe if
you have a collector car that's rotting out or something,
and then that's good. But usually it's bad news.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Yeah, I mean, they don't they don't want to walk
into Heppner's shop necessarily. It means they got into a crash,
they hit a deer, there was a hailstorm, their window
got busted out, which has been happening a lot lately.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
Oh no.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
But so we've got to have a smile on our face.
We've got to be knowledgeable, we've got to be efficient.
All that makes a difference. And I mean we a
lot of our work is insurance work. So it's it's,
you know, constantly dealing with insurance adjusters and insurance expectations.
(15:45):
But we don't work for insurance companies, you know, they
don't work for Our employees are Heppner's employees, and they
know how the car needs to be repaired and what
it takes, the hours it takes, the you know, the
options it takes to repair car correctly, and we're going
to charge what we want to charge for that. And
(16:06):
a lot of it is the back and forth between
our shop staff and insurance adjusters. So if we can
make that process easy for the customer where they're not
dealing with insurance.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
They don't even have to see it. Right.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Well, usually we're on a lot of you know, insurance
companies direct repair programs, so we handle it all. So
you come, get us your claim number and we just
take care of it for you.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
That's awesome.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
So yeah, making it as easy as possible for the
customer and making it a good interaction. We've had so
many good reviews the last couple of years because I
and that it means a lot when people go on
Google or Facebook or whatever and really are honest and
genuine in the reviews they give us, because it does
make a difference to the potential customer, and it just
(16:56):
makes the staff feel so valued and like all this stuff,
you know, all the hard work we do every day
is really worth it because it does make a difference
when compared to our competitors.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
I think have there been any learning moments along the way.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Well, yeah, but when my dad passed away in twenty eleven,
that was a big that was a big change. He
had been the leader, you know, the owner for a
long time. And so it was kind of like, all right, well,
how do I step into his shoes and keep it going?
(17:32):
Because it was successful, it was he had so he
bought the original shop in eighty five, but then he
opened five other shops in the years that followed and
they were you know, they were doing well, they had
great staff. So it was like, Okay, we don't need
to go in and change everything. I don't. I want
to keep these shops that we have, make the make
(17:53):
sure they're profitable and successful. And so it was kind
of like, all right, let's get the you know, base
line of where are we at. Know the numbers. I
remember people saying that to me, just know your numbers.
Make sure you're you know, are you making money, are
you losing money? And if you're losing at a certain shop,
what are you doing that could be you know, what
could be changed. So yeah, the I mean the just
(18:16):
the turning point of of that, and then the years
that have followed, it's it's like, you know, how do
we how do we grow? But do it mindfully, don't
go overboard, don't jump at every chance there is to
buy a new shop, because that's you know, it's a
lot of money and the risk of growing too quickly.
(18:39):
I don't I don't want to do that. So yeah,
just be mindful about what you're doing. And then have
you know, having my husband joined in twenty fourteen, that
was that was really great because he was he could
focus more on the operation side of things. Work with
our general manager. You're an assistant GM to make sure
(19:03):
the processes at each shop were, you know, going along
how they're supposed to, so that the the there is
the profit for the profitability there because yeah, I mean
there's just there's You got to make sure the manager
at each shop's got knows the numbers and knows what's
expected of them each month and then passes that along
(19:26):
to to is or her staff. And so yeah, I
think getting a hold of the numbers and then and
really making sure we're just we're organized at the shop
level and the you know, accounting level has really been
a big deal all these last you know, the last
ten or fifteen.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Years having a spouse involved, is what did that do
to the dynamic? You're talking about work all the time
we go home or.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Well, yeah, it's hard. We try not to talk about
it in the evenings because you don't want to go
to bed thinking about the stressful stuff, you know, the
stuff that, oh we gotta what do we have to
do tomorrow? Or you know, what are we going to
do about this? So in the evenings it's lately especially,
just try not to talk about it that much. It's
just save that for the workday. We don't really see
(20:13):
each other that often during the workday because having six locations,
we're always out and about. But you know, we have
a weekly meeting where the leadership team where we always
get together and just get the updates from everybody, so
that that is nice. But yeah, I mean it's I
know some people they say I could never work with
(20:35):
my husband or work with my wife, but maybe if
you're sitting, you know, shoulder to shoulder and a desk
called that would be hard. I wouldn't. I don't know
if I would if that would be the same. But
the fact that we're on the go and there's just
so much the schedule is so varied every week. It's
not the same thing every week. You know, we get
to do fun things and nice. So yeah, it works
(20:57):
out very well.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
What's your leadership style like?
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Would you say, hmm, I was thinking about this, Uh,
I mean, I I think I'm I think people would
say I'm pretty kind and lenient and forgiving, maybe sometimes
too much, but I I always think about how my
dad was. It was kind of he always gave second chances,
sometimes third chances. So but I think people know what
(21:26):
what I expect of them, and then I think that
we do a good job of our leadership putting those expectations,
you know, to the managers and then and then to
the staff, so it trickles down, I think from from
my husband and me. But yeah, I mean I think
(21:46):
I try to stay focused and organized and then and
then that can keep me, you know, getting my work
done at each shop each week. But I still like
to have fun and talk to everybody and just get
involved in people's day to day lives and check in about,
you know, how their families are doing, how their pets
(22:07):
are doing. We love dogs. We love dogs at Heppner's
there's shop dogs, And I mean I just try to
keep it, you know, just friendly and relaxed and know that,
I mean, the service we're providing is really important. We
love we have so many happy customers, so people, I mean,
it's just genuinely a fun industry even with all the changes,
(22:33):
we have a good time. That's great.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
So I've been trying to think of a way to
ask this because my perception anyway, as the industry has
been dominated by men throughout the years, how has that
played out? Have you seen any unique challenges in.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
Your well back in the day going around the shops,
it was different in the what was what kind of
calendars might be. We're posted out toolboxes and in the
paint shop mixing rooms, So that's changed maybe what's on
display on the walls a little bit because they knew
(23:10):
that if my mom and I were around, that probably
isn't so appropriate. Especially now that my daughter's around too.
That mentality has changed, not just at Heppener's, but I
think in the industry as a whole. But yeah, I
mean it's been obviously that you know, car guys, they
love the technicians and painters we have they love so
(23:34):
many of them are into cars outside of work. They
grew up learning from their dads or their grandpa's in
the garage, and so yeah, I mean it's been male dominated,
and that's I mean, it's the guys I've met at
over the years that have been with us so long
(23:56):
or even you know, something come and go and they
go to the competitors and then a lot of them
come back, which is great. But they're wonderful. They're they're
so dedicated, they're so talented. They're really nice guys. They're
funny and and they have fun. But yeah, I mean
(24:17):
it's changed. I'm sure they were a little wary of
a twenty hold, twenty six year old or whatever I
was taking over. And yeah, they have to they watch
their mouths around me still sometimes, but uh.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
You've heard a lot of them.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
Yeah, it's fun, it's but yeah, I mean it. We've
had such wonderful female employees over the years too that
it's it's so it's great to see young women getting
into the trade, go to technical school and have an
interest in cars. I mean, it's there aren't that many,
(25:00):
but we've had a few great ones over the years
that want to get in the industry. And yeah, we're
lucky to have several women that they they love cars too.
They their husbands love cars or they you know, they
grew up too just like the guys. And yeah, i
mean they're you know, women have kind of a different
(25:21):
way of they run, you know, an office well, or
they just the organization and the the attention to detail
sometimes really is a good thing, especially in the office,
you know, with estimators and things like that. So I
think they see I think all these men hopefully see
the value and the women that have been involved in
Hepner's now for so many years.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
We're talking to Laura Jacobs and co Jacobs and co
vice president of Heppner's out of Body and Glass, and
you guys areut in the community. I've seen you doing
charitable things. What are some examples of things that you've done,
because I've seen you on the news.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Yeah, we've so One great thing we've done at all
of our locations now the last ten years or so
is we've secured donated vehicles that have been damaged and
we've repaired them at our locations, don't you know, donated
(26:18):
the or had parts donated by local vendors. We donated
our our time to repair them, and then we've donated
these repaired vehicles to local veterans, people that you know
live in the Twin Cities that are in need of
a reliable vehicle. So we've done this recycled rides program
for many years now. It's really special to see to
(26:43):
see these veterans and their families receive this you know,
great repaired, really nice vehicle in so many cases that
and it's going to get them to work to school.
Their kids are always so excited when there's been kids involved,
and so doing that recycled program has been wonderful. We'll
keep that going in the years to come. We always
(27:05):
have been involved with local schools and you know, sports
teams sponsoring. I mean, I couldn't even name all the
sports teams over the years that we've sponsored. It's just
it's hard to say no, there's so many. But I
mean when you're in so many different cities, you know,
we like, we like to get our name out there,
obviously for marketing purposes, but it's good to support the
(27:26):
teams because I mean, I I didn't played athletics growing up,
and it's important, you know, to be able to for
these teams to have the funds they need for things
for you know, uniforms and field rentals and travel expenses.
So we like to help out the schools. I mean,
we always donate every year to organizations that you know
(27:46):
are meaningful to my family and me. But yeah, I mean,
giving backs a big thing, so we will we continue
to do that. We've done that a long time. We're
involved in the different chambers of commerce and the cities
we're in, and just get involved in the local business
community too, and networking with new businesses is really important
(28:09):
to us. And just yeah, I mean trying to give
back and be a part, really be a part of
the communities we serve. It means a lot.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Where do you see Heppener's In five to ten years.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
The industry has changed so much that you know, we've
had to diversify and say what else could we offer?
I mean, obviously we, like I said in the beginning,
we do glass where Heppner's Auto body and glass, So
we started that several years ago now having a glass department.
But we'll try to continue to grow that. But the
(28:45):
reality is that these new cars can drive themselves and
try to avoid crashes, and that means less work to
go around, which makes the marketing and the customer experience
more important than ever. So getting you know, there's still
a lot of vehicles that don't have this technology to
(29:07):
keep them on the crashes, and we still have winter
and we you know, we still have hailstorms, but just
the I mean the marketing, that quality connection, the community engagement,
brand awareness. That's could be more important than ever because
there's just with fewer accidents to go around, fewer cars
to fix, there'll be you know, our competitors were gonna
(29:31):
be it'll be more competitive.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
Do you do you see that as really being the
case moving forward? You, I mean, some day it'll be here,
But in the next five to ten years, I'm curious.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
I think, I mean, what Tesla's doing with the full
self drive mode and more more manufacturers will be doing that.
And then in some of these well not in our climate,
but in some cities they've got way MOA cars picking
people up, dropping them off with no drivers. Yeah, and
they'll you know, they're doing as much as they can
to not have those cars involved in crash, right reliability
(30:02):
reasons and all that. So I think it's going to
change a lot. But that's why, I mean, we're getting
more involved in fixing these these advanced systems and doing
that in house, you know, so that trying to find
other revenue streams besides just collision repair. We've got to diversify.
(30:22):
So yeah, I mean, praying for winter is a big
thing at our business and our family because the last
couple of winters have been very mild, which means less
work for bottom shops.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
So I don't know what advice would you have for
somebody starting a business. You talked about watch your numbers
before again, is that the most important thing? Well?
Speaker 2 (30:47):
Doing I mean getting involved in a business that interests
you obviously makes a big difference. You want to be
there every day? Yeah, passion probably right? Yeah, and learn
more about it. Learn, you know, go to go to classes,
go to conferences, and just meet people involved in the
industry and learn from them, because I've learned a lot
(31:07):
from people the last twenty years involved in the industry,
not just competitors, but vendors and insurance agents and just
I mean get just network with people and then, yeah,
watch your numbers. Know if you're making a profit, because
I mean, how long can you go on with with
(31:29):
losing money? Right and then figuring out, okay, well what
do we need to change and making those changes. Don't
let them linger for too long.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
What would you say about risk, like you talked about
you know, other shops.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
I think we're pretty risk averse. I don't like having
debt and so buying a new shop would mean, you know,
owing somebody some of the money, right, you don't, So
you you have to be very sure that you're taking
over a location that can stay BI and that you
(32:01):
think would make sense. But yeah, we haven't added a
body shop since you know, two thousand and eight when
we open the Hudson location. But for good reason, we've
looked at various ones around the metro. We've tried to
focus on just staying in the East Metro because we
have to be realistic about how far do we want
to drive around every day or every week? What can
(32:25):
we handle? We do so much still, just internally, I
mean I just I do the payroll every other week.
I'd pay all the bills. And the more shops you add,
the more people you add, it can be more complicated
and harder to manage. So know your limitations in closing.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
Are you looking to hire people constantly? Is their turnover?
Speaker 2 (32:45):
No, I wouldn't say constantly at all. We've been lucky.
We have such good employees. We have around ninety employees.
We have so many long time employees. We have a
couple guys that have been there since the eighties, since
I was just a little kid. Wow, and they've stuck
around and they're so loyal and so wonderful that no,
(33:06):
we I mean, turnover has not been an issue, especially
I think because these competitors are coming in and people
maybe go over and try try to work somewhere else
and see if the grass is greener. But it's not
always greener. And you know, for the most part, people
we welcome them back, and you know, we understand people
(33:30):
want to maybe try try something else. But yeah, we've
been lucky to retain so many great people that that
that turnover hasn't been an issue.
Speaker 1 (33:40):
Okay, I've got an issue with my car. What's the
best way to get a hold of you?
Speaker 2 (33:44):
All right, So you can find us at Heppner's Autobody
dot com. We've got six metro locations. We've got a
mobile glass department, so we can come to you and
fix your windshield or you're busted out window, whatever it
may be glass related. But yeah, so check out our website,
Happener's Autobody dot com. Stop into one of our shops.
(34:07):
You can get an estimate anytime. Unless you've got a
hail damaged vehicle. Those estimates take a little longer. So
give our shops a head up, heads up if you're
coming in for a hal estimate. But yeah, you can
just stop in want to one of the shops, we'd
be happy to help. Otherwise, tell your insurance company you're
taking it to Happeners that that's a way to do
(34:28):
it too, right.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
You can go wherever you want in Minnesota.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
You have the choice of what collision repair shop you
will get your vehicle repair debt. You don't have to
go where the insurance company is steering you to go to.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Kind of they're sneaky the way they are just sneaky. Yep.
Speaker 2 (34:46):
They oftentimes know that maybe one of our competitors will
charge them less money for repairs. That doesn't mean that
you're going to get just there's a lot of issues
with that. But you have the te vice in Minnesota
to go to whatever body shop you want.
Speaker 1 (35:03):
Awesome, Laura Jacobsen, co vice president Heppner's out of Body
and Glass. Thanks for stopping by.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
Thank you, Adam, this was fun. Thanks for listening. What
did I miss
It's CEOs. You should know. I'm Adam West. We're here
with Laura from Hepner's Hepner's Autobody, Right, is that.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
How Heppner's autobody and Glass?
Speaker 1 (00:09):
And Glass of course, tell me a little bit about
the story of Hepner's.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
All right, well, let's see he got.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
All these newspaper clippings.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
I know, I'll go back to the beginning.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Nobody's ever done that before.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Well, I brought some historical advertisements and articles about Heppner's
because we've been around since nineteen fifty six. So next
year we're going to celebrate seventy years. And it was
started by Elmer Hepner. So that's where the name comes from. Elmer.
After World War Two he served in the I believe
(00:42):
he was in the Army, and he earned a purple
Heart and a bronze star, and he came back to
Minnesota to Saint Paul and he started Hepner's. And I'm
sad to say I don't remember Elmer. I know I
met him when I was younger, as my family bought
Heppner's from Elmer in nineteen eighty five. But so yeah,
(01:06):
he had been in Saint Paul since the fifties and
he passed away in about two thousand and one. But
I know my dad, Bill Klatt, who purchased the original
Heppner's shop in the Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul. He
obviously had contact with him back when we got involved,
and so yeah, it's been it's been a long standing
(01:29):
family owned business in Saint Paul and now in the
East metro of Saint Paul for nearly seventy years. Now.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
How many locations are you up to now?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
We have six shops. There's two in Saint Paul, two
in Woodbury, one in inver Grove Heights, and one in Hudson, Wisconsin.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
So what is your actual title?
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Technically, I'm a co vice president along with my husband,
Jesse Jacobson. He joined the company in twenty fourteen. But yeah,
so I say it's family owned and my mom, Linda
Kladd is the owner. I've got my daughter Lizzie who's
nine years old. She works with me too a little bit,
(02:09):
especially in the summer. But so my husband, Jesse and
I kind of run the day to day operations along
with our leadership team. We've got our general manager, Doug
who's been with us over thirty years. We have our
assistant GM, Chad. We've got our director of Marketing, Amy,
and so yeah, so I'm co vice president. I've been
(02:30):
doing it twenty one years now. And yeah, so my mom,
my mom Linda, she's still around in you know, goes
to a couple of the shops each week. She lives
out in Hudson and visits that shop. And then yeah,
so that's I mentioned my dad earlier, My dad Bill,
(02:54):
like I said, he bought the original Hepner's shop in
eighty five and kept the name since it's been around
so long. And he passed away in December twenty eleven.
So he's been gone a long time now. But I
was lucky to have been involved in the business before that,
since two thousand and four. So yeah, that's that's the
(03:15):
family that runs it to this day is us, the
Klatt family, the Jacobsen family.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
I feel like in the last decade for sure, like
it's really kind of you guys have really launched a
little bit more, you know, more shops or I don't know,
I've heard of you in more places. How did you
get that going?
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Yeah, I mean we've really since Amy joined our marketing
made our marketing team. We didn't have a marketing team.
Amy became our director of marketing in twenty fifteen. I
guess the marketing opportunities and things we would try kind
of took off them. We just got much more involved
(03:55):
in online social media marketing and getting making sure we're
on Google and doing the Lately we've been doing the
Google Service ads and those have been doing well. So
just paying attention more, you know, where our name is,
where what is our brand, kind of solidifying that and
(04:16):
then and then doing the stuff that we've always done,
but just maybe kind of diversifying what we're spending our
money on. But we've always kind of stuck to the
tried and true things of you know, advertising locally in
the in the cities we serve. Oh, go ahead.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Do you feel like you had a plan, because I
think that's one thing that frightens a lot of small businesses.
And yes, you should have some somewhat of a plan.
But did you have a real formal plan or you.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Kind of well, hmm, good question. I mean we didn't
have like a business plan. I mean, the business has
been going so many decades that we knew, you know,
the basics of what we do, how we do it.
We have great people that you know, fix the cars
every day, great office staff that are so knowledgeable. But yeah,
(05:05):
I mean the the marketing stuff is always kind of like, well,
should we try this and let's just see how it works.
I mean we did we started doing radio, so it's
been probably ten years since we've done radio ads or
that we've been doing. We still do them, but just
trying things that are new. Maybe it's a risk, but
(05:26):
you know, risk worth taking because then you know people say,
well I heard your ad or I saw your ad.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
You know it's working.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Yeah, I mean we've done billboards in the past, not
something we do frequently, but you try just kind of
surprise people with maybe where they see you, see your
logo and know your website and hopefully think of you
when they need us. That's the thing. It's a different
kind of business.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Well, you kind of always My grandfather was in the
funeral business. I remember interviewing him as a kid. He's like, well,
you always need funeral stuff, you know eventually, and you
always need car stuff just on my way here is like,
oh no, I'm gonna need you know, yeah, you always
need it.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Well, yeah, we've I mean we've we've been there so
long that people, I hope in especially in the East Metro,
know our name when they are in need of collision
repair or glass repair or hail repair. We hope they're
the ones that we're the ones they think of that
they think of. But yeah, it's not something you think
about every day, like, oh, you know, I really want
(06:24):
to give an accident so I can go to Hackner's Exactly.
It's so different than you know, uh some you know,
a luxury thing like it's it's not a place you
want to visit all the time.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
But yeah, what were your biggest challenges starting out in
your position?
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Well, so I joined the business in oh four. I
started at Saint Thomas that year, so I was I'm
from Saint Paul and then went to Saint Thomas for college,
so I was close to home so I could work
for the business. I learned it from one of my aunts.
My dad's older sister was working at the shops at
(07:01):
that time, so she taught me the bookkeeping and the payroll.
And then once she was done and retired from that,
I took over all the shops and then I had
my dad's younger sister, my other aunt from that side
of the family, joined and she came back. Actually we've
had various family members over the years, but she came
(07:23):
back and worked with me and helped me out doing
bookkeeping and accounting for ten years. So I've I've been
so lucky to have family members and just great you
know people, great mentors and people to help me out
over the years. But yeah, I just jumped in and
Dad kind of said, this is what you're gonna do now,
(07:43):
and so I did. Okay, it was exciting because I
always I sometimes went to the shops growing up, not
as much as my daughter comes with me these days,
but so I was familiar with them, but I was
excited to get more involved.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
That's always fun for the kids, right seeing what dad
does and seeing something different.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
And yep, I think so. I mean, it was always
it was always exciting to go into the shops, and
my mom had helped out a little bit when I
was younger and did some of the bookkeeping, but not
at all the locations. So it was it was fun
to get to know all the shops and everybody in them.
And then yeah, the years just fly by, and now
it's been over twenty years.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
Yeah, so how is how have things changed in those
twenty years.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Well, I mean for my job specifically, how they've changed
were the accounting You know, we never had an accounting
software system. It was all just on paper and my dad,
my dad didn't really use computers, so it was all
pretty old school. So we you know, implemented accounting software
(08:47):
years ago, and that's been so helpful to organize things
the bill paying and doing all the payroll online and
all the HR and benefit stuff online. That makes my
job much easier, more organized. Yeah, I mean, but as
far as the industry, I could, that's changed.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
I mean my dad wouldn't even It would be like
kind of foreign coming in and seeing the cars were fixing,
the types of repairs, what's needed to repair these vehicles.
He would just be like what so I mean and
elmer O, my gosh, it's just totally different. But I
mean it's still the same basics. If you're getting a crash,
you have to take it to a body shop. It's
(09:30):
just much more involved now technologically speaking, with.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
These new vehicles, there's more components, right, all these safety systems.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Yes, I'm sure you've heard of it, the ADOS systems,
So the advanced driver is Advanced Driver Assistance Systems ADAS.
So when you get into wreck and those systems get damaged,
we've got to repair them correctly according to how the
manufacturer wants them to be repaired. Because if you are
(09:59):
out driving and your lane keep system isn't calibrated correctly,
it could throw you off. You could, who knows, you
could if you're if you're the cruise control, the adaptive
cruise control isn't working correctly, that could throw you off.
If the brakes start engaging without you're not you know,
you're not ready for that to happen. Just because something
(10:20):
is just measured just a little bit incorrectly, it can
be you know, it could cause issues in the future
when you're driving the car. So, I mean, we've got
so many vehicles now that they need these calibrations done correctly.
It's a part of the repair now that never it
just wasn't a thing before.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
And it's all individual cars, right, You're not just yanking
a frame maybe like you did years ago.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
It's just yes, such much more involved than just you know,
putting a new bumper on. You've got to calibrate to
make sure those cameras on that bumper, those sensors are
how they were before the accident. So yeah, I mean
it's it's more complicated, It involves more hands touching the car,
more time, and.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Your text probably to go to school basically.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
I mean they're always getting continually trained they do. Yeah,
the continuing education for a technician, for an estimator, for
the managers, for painters. It's just every year they have
to do so many credits, and we make sure they
do it because especially now it's so important with all
this new technology, make sure they're doing it properly.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Yeah, it's speaking to painting. You guys probably have different
environmental stuff that you have to keep up with all
the time.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Yep. So yeah, I mean at our six shops that
you know, they each have paint booth, a couple of
paint booths at some of them are the busier locations
prep stations where they can do the prep work for
the paint jobs. But yeah, I mean we years ago
we've converted all the shops to using water based paint
(11:54):
from PPG. So the waterborne paint is I mean you
can just walk into a shop and know that it's
not the old solvent paint because there's not that smell
as much as there used to be, so it's more
environmentally friendly, better for the employees, for the painters and
the staff and the shop to use those materials the paint.
(12:16):
But yeah, I mean there's obviously you know, you've got
to make sure you're disposing of any hazardous waste correctly
and make sure the shops are or the employees are
using proper safety equipment when they're painting or sanding and
all that. So yeah, there's a lot of safety stuff
(12:36):
that goes into it and making sure you're following all
that necessary stuff osha stuff.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Are there milestones that you're proud of? We're most proud of.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Yeah. So, like I said, so we've been in business
in Saint Paul since nineteen fifty six, so that means
next year we're going to celebrate seventy years. So that's
a huge milestone. I mean, being remaining family owned and
operated locally is really important to us. So hitting seventy
(13:09):
years means a lot to me and my family and
our employees that we're still still operating same way we've
done for decades and we remain we're the only the
largest multi shop organization in the state that's still locally owned,
family operated.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
And that that's a I mean, that's a milestone. That's
a big deal. Over the years, especially in the last
five years or so, a lot of shops that were
locally owned have sold to the big the big conglomerates
that come in and want to buy up shops, and
we just haven't. We're not for sale, even though there's offers,
(13:53):
you know, people inquiring all the time. But it means
a lot to us to stay involved in the business.
I mean, I go to all the shops every week
and and it is it is genuinely family run, and
I like, I'm it makes a big difference in the
quality the service that our customers receive.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
So what would be an example of.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
That, Well, I'm let's see. I think just the the
general attitude and the general attitude and just a friendliness,
the the quality of the interaction you get with our
(14:39):
staff in the office is It's just it's different than
if you go into a corporate run shop. They know
what matters to us, to the ownership, to the leadership
of the company, and and they can pass that along
to in their interactions with the customers. Yeah, it really
(15:00):
makes a difference.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
And nobody really wants to be there, unless maybe if
you have a collector car that's rotting out or something,
and then that's good. But usually it's bad news.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Yeah, I mean, they don't they don't want to walk
into Heppner's shop necessarily. It means they got into a crash,
they hit a deer, there was a hailstorm, their window
got busted out, which has been happening a lot lately.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
Oh no.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
But so we've got to have a smile on our face.
We've got to be knowledgeable, we've got to be efficient.
All that makes a difference. And I mean we a
lot of our work is insurance work. So it's it's,
you know, constantly dealing with insurance adjusters and insurance expectations.
(15:45):
But we don't work for insurance companies, you know, they
don't work for Our employees are Heppner's employees, and they
know how the car needs to be repaired and what
it takes, the hours it takes, the you know, the
options it takes to repair car correctly, and we're going
to charge what we want to charge for that. And
(16:06):
a lot of it is the back and forth between
our shop staff and insurance adjusters. So if we can
make that process easy for the customer where they're not
dealing with insurance.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
They don't even have to see it. Right.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Well, usually we're on a lot of you know, insurance
companies direct repair programs, so we handle it all. So
you come, get us your claim number and we just
take care of it for you.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
That's awesome.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
So yeah, making it as easy as possible for the
customer and making it a good interaction. We've had so
many good reviews the last couple of years because I
and that it means a lot when people go on
Google or Facebook or whatever and really are honest and
genuine in the reviews they give us, because it does
make a difference to the potential customer, and it just
(16:56):
makes the staff feel so valued and like all this stuff,
you know, all the hard work we do every day
is really worth it because it does make a difference
when compared to our competitors.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
I think have there been any learning moments along the way.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Well, yeah, but when my dad passed away in twenty eleven,
that was a big that was a big change. He
had been the leader, you know, the owner for a
long time. And so it was kind of like, all right, well,
how do I step into his shoes and keep it going?
(17:32):
Because it was successful, it was he had so he
bought the original shop in eighty five, but then he
opened five other shops in the years that followed and
they were you know, they were doing well, they had
great staff. So it was like, Okay, we don't need
to go in and change everything. I don't. I want
to keep these shops that we have, make the make
(17:53):
sure they're profitable and successful. And so it was kind
of like, all right, let's get the you know, base
line of where are we at. Know the numbers. I
remember people saying that to me, just know your numbers.
Make sure you're you know, are you making money, are
you losing money? And if you're losing at a certain shop,
what are you doing that could be you know, what
could be changed. So yeah, the I mean the just
(18:16):
the turning point of of that, and then the years
that have followed, it's it's like, you know, how do
we how do we grow? But do it mindfully, don't
go overboard, don't jump at every chance there is to
buy a new shop, because that's you know, it's a
lot of money and the risk of growing too quickly.
(18:39):
I don't I don't want to do that. So yeah,
just be mindful about what you're doing. And then have
you know, having my husband joined in twenty fourteen, that
was that was really great because he was he could
focus more on the operation side of things. Work with
our general manager. You're an assistant GM to make sure
(19:03):
the processes at each shop were, you know, going along
how they're supposed to, so that the the there is
the profit for the profitability there because yeah, I mean
there's just there's You got to make sure the manager
at each shop's got knows the numbers and knows what's
expected of them each month and then passes that along
(19:26):
to to is or her staff. And so yeah, I
think getting a hold of the numbers and then and
really making sure we're just we're organized at the shop
level and the you know, accounting level has really been
a big deal all these last you know, the last
ten or fifteen.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Years having a spouse involved, is what did that do
to the dynamic? You're talking about work all the time
we go home or.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Well, yeah, it's hard. We try not to talk about
it in the evenings because you don't want to go
to bed thinking about the stressful stuff, you know, the
stuff that, oh we gotta what do we have to
do tomorrow? Or you know, what are we going to
do about this? So in the evenings it's lately especially,
just try not to talk about it that much. It's
just save that for the workday. We don't really see
(20:13):
each other that often during the workday because having six locations,
we're always out and about. But you know, we have
a weekly meeting where the leadership team where we always
get together and just get the updates from everybody, so
that that is nice. But yeah, I mean it's I
know some people they say I could never work with
(20:35):
my husband or work with my wife, but maybe if
you're sitting, you know, shoulder to shoulder and a desk
called that would be hard. I wouldn't. I don't know
if I would if that would be the same. But
the fact that we're on the go and there's just
so much the schedule is so varied every week. It's
not the same thing every week. You know, we get
to do fun things and nice. So yeah, it works
(20:57):
out very well.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
What's your leadership style like?
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Would you say, hmm, I was thinking about this, Uh,
I mean, I I think I'm I think people would
say I'm pretty kind and lenient and forgiving, maybe sometimes
too much, but I I always think about how my
dad was. It was kind of he always gave second chances,
sometimes third chances. So but I think people know what
(21:26):
what I expect of them, and then I think that
we do a good job of our leadership putting those expectations,
you know, to the managers and then and then to
the staff, so it trickles down, I think from from
my husband and me. But yeah, I mean I think
(21:46):
I try to stay focused and organized and then and
then that can keep me, you know, getting my work
done at each shop each week. But I still like
to have fun and talk to everybody and just get
involved in people's day to day lives and check in about,
you know, how their families are doing, how their pets
(22:07):
are doing. We love dogs. We love dogs at Heppner's
there's shop dogs, And I mean I just try to
keep it, you know, just friendly and relaxed and know that,
I mean, the service we're providing is really important. We
love we have so many happy customers, so people, I mean,
it's just genuinely a fun industry even with all the changes,
(22:33):
we have a good time. That's great.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
So I've been trying to think of a way to
ask this because my perception anyway, as the industry has
been dominated by men throughout the years, how has that
played out? Have you seen any unique challenges in.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
Your well back in the day going around the shops,
it was different in the what was what kind of
calendars might be. We're posted out toolboxes and in the
paint shop mixing rooms, So that's changed maybe what's on
display on the walls a little bit because they knew
(23:10):
that if my mom and I were around, that probably
isn't so appropriate. Especially now that my daughter's around too.
That mentality has changed, not just at Heppener's, but I
think in the industry as a whole. But yeah, I
mean it's been obviously that you know, car guys, they
love the technicians and painters we have they love so
(23:34):
many of them are into cars outside of work. They
grew up learning from their dads or their grandpa's in
the garage, and so yeah, I mean it's been male dominated,
and that's I mean, it's the guys I've met at
over the years that have been with us so long
(23:56):
or even you know, something come and go and they
go to the competitors and then a lot of them
come back, which is great. But they're wonderful. They're they're
so dedicated, they're so talented. They're really nice guys. They're
funny and and they have fun. But yeah, I mean
(24:17):
it's changed. I'm sure they were a little wary of
a twenty hold, twenty six year old or whatever I
was taking over. And yeah, they have to they watch
their mouths around me still sometimes, but uh.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
You've heard a lot of them.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
Yeah, it's fun, it's but yeah, I mean it. We've
had such wonderful female employees over the years too that
it's it's so it's great to see young women getting
into the trade, go to technical school and have an
interest in cars. I mean, it's there aren't that many,
(25:00):
but we've had a few great ones over the years
that want to get in the industry. And yeah, we're
lucky to have several women that they they love cars too.
They their husbands love cars or they you know, they
grew up too just like the guys. And yeah, i
mean they're you know, women have kind of a different
(25:21):
way of they run, you know, an office well, or
they just the organization and the the attention to detail
sometimes really is a good thing, especially in the office,
you know, with estimators and things like that. So I
think they see I think all these men hopefully see
the value and the women that have been involved in
Hepner's now for so many years.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
We're talking to Laura Jacobs and co Jacobs and co
vice president of Heppner's out of Body and Glass, and
you guys areut in the community. I've seen you doing
charitable things. What are some examples of things that you've done,
because I've seen you on the news.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Yeah, we've so One great thing we've done at all
of our locations now the last ten years or so
is we've secured donated vehicles that have been damaged and
we've repaired them at our locations, don't you know, donated
(26:18):
the or had parts donated by local vendors. We donated
our our time to repair them, and then we've donated
these repaired vehicles to local veterans, people that you know
live in the Twin Cities that are in need of
a reliable vehicle. So we've done this recycled rides program
for many years now. It's really special to see to
(26:43):
see these veterans and their families receive this you know,
great repaired, really nice vehicle in so many cases that
and it's going to get them to work to school.
Their kids are always so excited when there's been kids involved,
and so doing that recycled program has been wonderful. We'll
keep that going in the years to come. We always
(27:05):
have been involved with local schools and you know, sports
teams sponsoring. I mean, I couldn't even name all the
sports teams over the years that we've sponsored. It's just
it's hard to say no, there's so many. But I
mean when you're in so many different cities, you know,
we like, we like to get our name out there,
obviously for marketing purposes, but it's good to support the
(27:26):
teams because I mean, I I didn't played athletics growing up,
and it's important, you know, to be able to for
these teams to have the funds they need for things
for you know, uniforms and field rentals and travel expenses.
So we like to help out the schools. I mean,
we always donate every year to organizations that you know
(27:46):
are meaningful to my family and me. But yeah, I mean,
giving backs a big thing, so we will we continue
to do that. We've done that a long time. We're
involved in the different chambers of commerce and the cities
we're in, and just get involved in the local business
community too, and networking with new businesses is really important
(28:09):
to us. And just yeah, I mean trying to give
back and be a part, really be a part of
the communities we serve. It means a lot.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Where do you see Heppener's In five to ten years.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
The industry has changed so much that you know, we've
had to diversify and say what else could we offer?
I mean, obviously we, like I said in the beginning,
we do glass where Heppner's Auto body and glass, So
we started that several years ago now having a glass department.
But we'll try to continue to grow that. But the
(28:45):
reality is that these new cars can drive themselves and
try to avoid crashes, and that means less work to
go around, which makes the marketing and the customer experience
more important than ever. So getting you know, there's still
a lot of vehicles that don't have this technology to
(29:07):
keep them on the crashes, and we still have winter
and we you know, we still have hailstorms, but just
the I mean the marketing, that quality connection, the community engagement,
brand awareness. That's could be more important than ever because
there's just with fewer accidents to go around, fewer cars
to fix, there'll be you know, our competitors were gonna
(29:31):
be it'll be more competitive.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
Do you do you see that as really being the
case moving forward? You, I mean, some day it'll be here,
But in the next five to ten years, I'm curious.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
I think, I mean, what Tesla's doing with the full
self drive mode and more more manufacturers will be doing that.
And then in some of these well not in our climate,
but in some cities they've got way MOA cars picking
people up, dropping them off with no drivers. Yeah, and
they'll you know, they're doing as much as they can
to not have those cars involved in crash, right reliability
(30:02):
reasons and all that. So I think it's going to
change a lot. But that's why, I mean, we're getting
more involved in fixing these these advanced systems and doing
that in house, you know, so that trying to find
other revenue streams besides just collision repair. We've got to diversify.
(30:22):
So yeah, I mean, praying for winter is a big
thing at our business and our family because the last
couple of winters have been very mild, which means less
work for bottom shops.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
So I don't know what advice would you have for
somebody starting a business. You talked about watch your numbers
before again, is that the most important thing? Well?
Speaker 2 (30:47):
Doing I mean getting involved in a business that interests
you obviously makes a big difference. You want to be
there every day? Yeah, passion probably right? Yeah, and learn
more about it. Learn, you know, go to go to classes,
go to conferences, and just meet people involved in the
industry and learn from them, because I've learned a lot
(31:07):
from people the last twenty years involved in the industry,
not just competitors, but vendors and insurance agents and just
I mean get just network with people and then, yeah,
watch your numbers. Know if you're making a profit, because
I mean, how long can you go on with with
(31:29):
losing money? Right and then figuring out, okay, well what
do we need to change and making those changes. Don't
let them linger for too long.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
What would you say about risk, like you talked about
you know, other shops.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
I think we're pretty risk averse. I don't like having
debt and so buying a new shop would mean, you know,
owing somebody some of the money, right, you don't, So
you you have to be very sure that you're taking
over a location that can stay BI and that you
(32:01):
think would make sense. But yeah, we haven't added a
body shop since you know, two thousand and eight when
we open the Hudson location. But for good reason, we've
looked at various ones around the metro. We've tried to
focus on just staying in the East Metro because we
have to be realistic about how far do we want
to drive around every day or every week? What can
(32:25):
we handle? We do so much still, just internally, I
mean I just I do the payroll every other week.
I'd pay all the bills. And the more shops you add,
the more people you add, it can be more complicated
and harder to manage. So know your limitations in closing.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
Are you looking to hire people constantly? Is their turnover?
Speaker 2 (32:45):
No, I wouldn't say constantly at all. We've been lucky.
We have such good employees. We have around ninety employees.
We have so many long time employees. We have a
couple guys that have been there since the eighties, since
I was just a little kid. Wow, and they've stuck
around and they're so loyal and so wonderful that no,
(33:06):
we I mean, turnover has not been an issue, especially
I think because these competitors are coming in and people
maybe go over and try try to work somewhere else
and see if the grass is greener. But it's not
always greener. And you know, for the most part, people
we welcome them back, and you know, we understand people
(33:30):
want to maybe try try something else. But yeah, we've
been lucky to retain so many great people that that
that turnover hasn't been an issue.
Speaker 1 (33:40):
Okay, I've got an issue with my car. What's the
best way to get a hold of you?
Speaker 2 (33:44):
All right, So you can find us at Heppner's Autobody
dot com. We've got six metro locations. We've got a
mobile glass department, so we can come to you and
fix your windshield or you're busted out window, whatever it
may be glass related. But yeah, so check out our website,
Happener's Autobody dot com. Stop into one of our shops.
(34:07):
You can get an estimate anytime. Unless you've got a
hail damaged vehicle. Those estimates take a little longer. So
give our shops a head up, heads up if you're
coming in for a hal estimate. But yeah, you can
just stop in want to one of the shops, we'd
be happy to help. Otherwise, tell your insurance company you're
taking it to Happeners that that's a way to do
(34:28):
it too, right.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
You can go wherever you want in Minnesota.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
You have the choice of what collision repair shop you
will get your vehicle repair debt. You don't have to
go where the insurance company is steering you to go to.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Kind of they're sneaky the way they are just sneaky. Yep.
Speaker 2 (34:46):
They oftentimes know that maybe one of our competitors will
charge them less money for repairs. That doesn't mean that
you're going to get just there's a lot of issues
with that. But you have the te vice in Minnesota
to go to whatever body shop you want.
Speaker 1 (35:03):
Awesome, Laura Jacobsen, co vice president Heppner's out of Body
and Glass. Thanks for stopping by.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
Thank you, Adam, this was fun. Thanks for listening. What
did I miss
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