State of Play in the Collision Industry July 2022

David Roberts, Managing Director of Focus Advisors (focusadvisors.com), comments on the many acquisitions and openings in the first half of 2022.  Originally a co-founder of Caliber Collision, Roberts has led multiple MSO and paint distribution transactions including last year’s sale of Quanz Auto Body to Crash Champions.  He can be contacted at [email protected], 510-444-1173. State of … Read more

Step Up or Step Back: Thoughts on Dealer Body Shops

Collision repair has often been called the ugly stepchild of a dealer organization. Some dealers, though, have made collision repair the stars of their organizations. Among the largest dealers, some have focused on providing large scale, fully equipped and staffed operations, able to offer insurance companies pricing and performance equal to many regional MSOs and … Read more

Industry Leaders Weigh in on Today’s Big Topics

Recently, the Investment Banking Team at Focus Advisors sat down with some key industry leaders and posed a number of provocative questions about pressing issues. Over the course of many hours, these deeply experienced entrepreneurs shared their own thoughts, opinions and principles on which they are growing their businesses. Below we share brief comments from each of them.

Breathless: A Review of Collision Repair Acquisitions in 2021

Consolidation in 2020

With 2021 now in the rearview mirror, the industry is catching its breath after a year of sprinting that saw extraordinary acquisition activity.

Quanz Auto Body acquired by Crash Champions

Focus Advisors is pleased to recognize another great client, Quanz Advanced Auto Body. This our sixth client who has found a great partner in 2021. Congratulations to Adam and his whole team.

Straight Talk about Selling Your Body Shops

The time for straight talk about selling is long overdue for many owners.  No matter how much people want to avoid the specifics of leaving the business, selling their shops and maximizing the value of their business and real estate, continuing to put off that discussion isn’t being fair to your family, your employees and … Read more

Planning Ahead by Looking Back

Article by David Roberts featured in FenderBender’s October 2021 issue Remember Labor Day 2016 – five years ago? The recession was in the rear-view mirror. Business was thriving. Miles driven were increasing. New car sales were breaking records. State Farm had more than 18% market share. Paint loans were readily available for growing shops. Exit … Read more

Observations on Collision Works’ Sale to Gerber

Gerber’s recent acquisition of Collision Works (CW) is the largest acquisition of an independent MSO in the last three years. Combined with the acquisition of John Harris Body Shops in South Carolina, we estimate Gerber has added nearly 10% to its overall revenues with these two large acquisitions. These two acquisitions by Gerber reflects the … Read more