IN 1988, Kevin and Nikki Slattery opened Cranbourne Bodyworks – a small shop on an unsealed road.
It was initially a business that would buy and sell cars but as people kept coming back the little shop grew.
Now, Cranbourne Bodyworks is one of the region’s most trusted mechanics and employs 14 qualified tradespeople.
Its reputation for excellence has seen it named the winner of the 2015 Casey-Cardinia Business award in the Trades category.
“I’m very excited about this,” Kevin said, accepting the award.
“It wasn’t expected, but hoped.
“You can’t have a great business without great staff.
“Thanks to my wife for putting up with me.”
Office manager Nikki said the business’s strong focus on service has kept customers returning for the past 27 years.
“It’s all about service. We understand that it’s a real inconvenience for people to have their cars off the road,” she said.
“We offer courtesy cars but we also work to get our customers’ cars back to them as soon as possible.”
Kevin and Nikki regularly send their employees to workshops and training sessions to ensure they are kept up to date with the knowledge and skills required to succeed in such a rapidly evolving industry.
“Cars are always developing so we work hard to ensure that the staff are always up to date,” Nikki said.
The business is also a certified Peugeot recommended repairer but Nikki said the expertise of staff covers a wide range vehicles.
“Anything from prestige to the tradie ute,” she said.
“There are certain types of parts that should never be repaired and others have repair procedures that must be upheld.”
Cranbourne Bodyworks is also preparing to roll out an apprenticeship program which will give local students the best possible start in a diverse and prosperous industry.
It’s all part of a people-focused approach that has brought the business incredible success and popularity.
“We really owe this to our customers and staff.
“Cranbourne has just boomed and we have got some incredibly loyal customers.”
