Los Angeles, CA – March 18, 2026 – Focus Advisors, the leading M&A firm in collision repair with deep expertise across the auto aftermarket, announced it was the exclusive advisor to Marina Auto Body in the sale of its collision repair operations to Chilton Auto Body.
Founded in 1977 and acquired by Tom Williamson in 1999, Marina Auto Body grew into a three-location operation across some of Greater Los Angeles' most desirable markets — Marina Del Rey, Inglewood, and Huntington Beach — with 50 employees and Toyota and Lexus certifications. The transaction included two full-service collision repair facilities and one satellite intake center.
The transaction reflects the perpetual interest in well-run, well-established collision repair operations in the Southern California market. Marina Auto Body's long-standing relationships with local dealerships and insurers positioned the business as an attractive acquisition target in one of the country's most competitive collision repair markets.
"Tom built a solid, high-performing operation over decades in a very competitive Southern California market," said Chris Lane, President of Focus Advisors. "He is well-known throughout SoCal by other owners and the industry broadly as a leader with integrity and a genuine concern for everyone around him. Operators who continually invest in their people and reputation in addition to their operations and facilities continue to attract serious buyers. Our job was to help Tom achieve value for what he's built over the last 25 years and find the right fit for his people and legacy, and we feel we were able to accomplish both."
"Acquiring Marina Auto Body is an important step for Chilton as we continue to grow our presence in the region," said Paul Gange, CEO of Chilton Auto Body. "Tom built a business with a solid foundation — strong customer relationships and an excellent team. It's exactly the base we need to build a larger footprint throughout the Los Angeles area."
"Selling a business is hard. No matter how much success you've had growing yours you have very little experience when it comes to exiting it," said Tom Williamson, Owner of Marina Auto Body. "You need a professional firm like Focus Advisors who can help you navigate the big decisions and all the details. Without Chris and Raul I'm not sure I could have achieved this outcome. I'm confident the shops and the team are in great hands with Chilton."
Marina Auto Body is the first acquisition made by Chilton since its sale to private equity firm Trive Capital in early 2025. Chilton now operates 4 locations in the Los Angeles area and 25 locations across California.
About Focus Advisors
Focus Advisors is one of the automotive service industry's leading M&A advisory firms, partnering with high-performance independent shops and MSOs with $10M to $100M in annual revenue to achieve maximum value through strategic growth and exits. The Focus Advisors team has advised on more than 120 automotive M&A transactions, including the sale of some of the largest MSOs and franchisors in the collision repair industry. For more information visit focusadvisors.com.
About Chilton Auto Body
Headquartered in San Carlos, California, Chilton Auto Body is a leading U.S. auto body collision repair platform operating 20 shop locations across California. Chilton offers its valued customers a range of collision repair services, including paint and refinish, aluminum welding, bumper repair and calibration, light cosmetic, structural damage repair, and paintless dent, in addition to select ancillary services such as hail damage repair. Chilton's origins date back to 1969 when the Chilton family opened the Company's first repair shop in San Mateo, California. For more information, visit chiltonautobody.com.
Banking Services and Securities offered through Independent Investment Bankers Corp, a broker-dealer, member FINRA, SIPC. Focus Advisors Automotive M&A is not affiliated with Independent Investment Bankers Corp.
