Business

Boyd opens new body shop on Spartanburg Highway

Body shop manager Mark Gerick and Les Boyd pose at new Boyd Collision Center, which has space for adjusters to work.

By Bill Moss, Published: April 1, 2013

Maybe they'll call it the Cadillac of body shops.

Boyd Chevrolet opens a new Collision Center today that boasts a one-stop shop for repair of wrecked vehicles.
The new body shop on Spartanburg Highway quadruples its current space at Five Points, to 24,000 square feet. The company has leased the old Rexall electronics building for the new shop. It's at 1380 Spartanburg Highway at Brooklyn Avenue, next to Hunter Nissan. The shop is across the road and a few blocks west of Boyd Chevrolet's new dealership, which is under construction.
"We've got a lot of new equipment to help satisfy the insurance companies," said L.C. "Les" Boyd III, the third generation car man who now manages the dealership.
One tool is a computerized system that measures vehicle frames for damage. Another is a Pro Spot welder that uses a computer and factory specs to duplicate the original factory welding when repairs are made.
"We're the only franchise dealer in the county that has a body shop," Boyd said.
The body shop currently employs four body men, a combination worker, a prepper and a painter, said shop manager Mark Gerick. Once the new shop is in full operation he expects to add employees. The dealership is installing a new paint booth and new frame machine.
Convenience is a selling point, Boyd said. The shop includes small offices that insurance adjusters will use. They can meet customers at the shop, examine the damage, review the body shop's quote and potentially settle up on the spot, he said. Roughly 80 percent of the current shop's work is insurance covered.
Cooper Construction has started laying block on the new showroom, Boyd said, and the work is on schedule for opening this fall.