ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a Minneapolis-based company, is
celebrating 20 years as a national leader in the damaged vehicle
repair industry. In June of 1984, Rollie Benjamin, ABRA's President
and CEO, opened ABRA's first repair center in Fridley, MN, in
an upscale, commercial development. Quickly recognized as "not
your average repair center", this new approach to the collision
repair industry earned the support of both vehicle owners and
their insurance companies. This near instant validation of the
business format created capacity issues that led to the opening
of a second repair center only eight months later, and established
the model for further expansion of the ABRA Auto Body & Glass
system.
Tim Adelmann, ABRA's Executive Vice President of Client Services,
joined the company in 1985 as General Manager of the second repair
center, and became a partner in ABRA. Things moved quickly thereafter,
and in 1987 ABRA launched a franchise program to promote accelerated
growth. After two decades, ABRA now operates 68 corporate repair
centers and 21 franchised centers in ten states and six major
markets.
As ABRA continued its growth, it did not lose sight of its more
valuable asset: its team members. According to Benjamin, "At
ABRA, our initiatives generally focus around three areas of the
business: staffing, technology and repair center excellence. I
believe having the best people is absolutely Number One."
Adelmann added to Benjamin's statement, "When the day is
done, ABRA isn't about paint booths or buildings or frame equipment.
Over the years our commitment to our team members has not only
remained the same - but actually become stronger. We want ABRA
to be the 'employer of choice' in the collision repair industry."
"I'm proud to say that our 20-year success story is directly
attributable to the dedication and hard work of our team of professionals,"
Benjamin continued. "We are moving forward with the best
team in the industry, and look forward to continued success in
the next two decades."
ABRA Auto Body & Glass is a national damaged vehicle repair
company specializing in collision repair, paintless dent removal,
and auto glass repair and replacement. Started with one repair
center in 1984, they have grown to eighty-nine facilities in ten
states. Their plans for accelerated national growth over the next
several years include acquiring existing facilities and building
new locations.
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