CrashMaster Collision Centers Award Winning “Green” Finish

By Keith B. Meisner, Sr.

When a vehicle owner brought his 1968 Chevrolet Camaro to CrashMaster Collision Centers for an estimate, we both knew that it was more than your typical car.  And as such, I helped Mr. Lew Balderson by preparing an estimate that would return his car back to the condition it was in before he was hit and that was a show room ready, 1 owner vehicle that anyone would be proud to ride around in.  Though it was not an easy task, as the parts are not readily available and the insurance company estimator would not see this vehicle the same way we do in terms of proper repairs and parts necessary, but he was as confident in me as we were in knowing that it will look the way it did when he drove it off of Colonial Chevrolet’s lot in Norfolk, Virginia back in 1968.

After a long drawn out process of replacing the original insurance estimator with one that understood the proper processes of repair for a CPI (Car of Particular Interest), the insurance company reached an agreement with us and the repairs were underway.  Lew would stop by on a regular basis with his wife in tow to see the progress, though slow at times, he understood that perfection cannot be rushed.  Parts take time when you want Original Equipment and it appeared that everyone had a Camaro with left rear damages, because no one had a quarter panel or wheel opening molding and would not for several more weeks.

Once the parts began to arrive the repairs took on a whole new life.  James Ashwood, one of our repair technicians did the repairs, disassembly, and reassembly of the car after Brian Roach; our painter had prepped and painted each piece individually.  You see, each part was prepped, painted, sanded and polished off of the car to ensure that the care and quality would stand out, not compound in the jambs as you may find on other cars.  It was at that point that I had asked Lew if CrashMaster Collision Centers could sponsor his vehicle in a local car show that would not only demonstrate the quality you can only find at CrashMaster Collision Centers, but the care and quality of this one owner vehicle and the pride one could take in the foresight to keep a part of history as long as he had.

On June 1^st of 2008, Lew’s car was entered into the Smyrna Police Explorers Car Show.  I must say it was no easy task.  The car was flat bed towed, as Lew was a bit nervous to drive it, to our Smyrna location where I meticulously detailed it for nearly two days cleaning and polishing every little nook and cranny.  I used just as much, if not more, elbow grease then anything to ensure that the quality of our Glasurit Waterborne Paint System that is exclusive to the 1^st Eco-Friendly Collision Repair Centers in the state was smooth and shiny.  Shiny enough that you can read a business card in the reflection.

To give a little background; CrashMaster Collision Centers is the first repair facilities to be environmentally friendly in Georgia.  We had made the industry look at conventional repairs in a whole new light and based on our goals and procedures, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) out of Washington, DC revised the Clean Air Standards that all repair facilities across the country would need to adhere to, to ensure a lower environmental impact during the repair process.  We had been dubbed the “Going Green Boys”, “Men in Green”, “the Green Shop”, etc.  Though we wish that just the thought of dealing with an environmentally friendly shop would be enough to bring the masses to our doors, it was our quality and attention to detail that did. 

Richard Sargo and I, Keith Meisner, have been in this industry nearly as long as we could walk and talk.  With our experience in collision repair, mechanical repair, frame repair, insurance claims, and customer service, we provide you with an experience that alone will create advertisement through word of mouth.  Like we say to our customers, “if you can tell it was repaired, then it wasn’t fixed right.  We make it like it never happened”.

That brings me to the day we showcased Mr. Balderson’s prize 1968 Camaro.  As a thank you for giving us the opportunity to repair his vehicle correctly, but also for allowing us to enter it into a fundraiser car show that benefits teens and young adults that are interested in a career in law enforcement, I created a custom sign to display with the car that would provide a little more information on this unique ride.

When Lew and his wife Pat arrived at the show, they were pleasantly shocked at how the car looked and glowed.  Though not many vehicles had arrived by that time, there was a winning feel in the air.  Sal Cosentino, one of our staff from our Kennesaw location, had accompanied the car to the show to display this piece of history to all of the on-lookers that dream someday to own a piece of art like Chevrolet created in 1968.  He, with the utmost care, wiped away any trace of dust or rain that had fallen throughout the day. 

When the show had ended, I received a few pictures to my cell phone as I was on vacation, the first one in two years.  Some were of the competition but the others were of the two First Place trophies that we could proudly give to the owner of this car.  One trophy was for “Best in Show” and the other was for “1^st Place”.  It was such a sense of accomplishment for us to not only work on this vehicle, but for us to show the customer that he received an award winning finish.