These Dealers are Climbing the Ranks of the AGRR Industry
By Travis Rains
This is part of a series highlighting some of North America’s fastest growing retailers. These companies have been chosen for their high rate of growth rather than the size of the company. Are you the owner of a fast-growing company? Contact Ellen Rogers at erogers@glass.com to share your company’s information. Financial information is subject to verification.
The Thompson Way
Kelly Thompson, the owner of Thompson Auto Glass Corp., attributes her company’s success over the past year to her team. The company has two locations—Windham, N.H. and Brockton, Mass. Its 2020 AGRR revenue was $1.2 million, its 2021 revenue $3.4 million and its 2022 revenue $5.4 million. That translates to two-year growth of 360% and after just four years in business.
It’s all about the team for Thompson, who believes she has the best in the business. Thompson says the company’s tremendous growth couldn’t be accomplished without the input and efforts of her staff.
“I pick the best of the best,” she says. “Everyone on the team brings their individual talents and having everyone together at the table makes us the best team in the business. I take the time to acknowledge and appreciate all the hard work and dedication every day.”
Additionally, Thompson Auto Glass plans to expand into additional neighboring states, where a confident Thompson says the business “will dominate as well.”
Success Means Smart Hires and Quality Customer Service
Owner Josh Bradley believes it’s the level of service at Clear Choice Auto Glass that has made the biggest financial impact in the past few years. Be it on the phone or shop floor, Bradley says courtesy makes all the difference because word-of-mouth is the best way to advertise. When customers are impressed with service, they’re likely to not just return in the future but also recommend the shop to their friends, family and coworkers.
“We’re in the service industry, and if you’re providing a service to someone—any service—it’s all about the level you provide,” Bradley says. “You’re going to grow or lose business by how good or bad customers’ experiences are with you. We emphasize that to our new hires and in our day-to-day operations.”
Clear Choice Auto Glass has two locations, 10 employees and has been in business for 12 years. The company’s 2020 AGRR revenue was $700,000, its 2021 AGRR revenue $1.1 million and its 2022 revenue $1.4 million. That’s a two-year growth rate of 88%.
Clear Choice also performs advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) recalibrations in-house, with Bradley noting he was perhaps the first in his area to offer such a service. That’s made a big difference for the business since 2018, he says.
Right Service at the Right Price
Kevin Wheatley of C-Clear Auto Glass in White River Junction, Vt., attributes his company’s recent growth to “excellent service at a fair price,” as well as to advertising campaigns. Wheatley started C-Clear nine years ago in an effort to better serve his area in the auto glass arena.
C-Clear currently has two locations in the White River area and two employees, but has experienced two-year revenue growth at 69% following nine total years in business. In 2020 and 2021, the company’s AGRR revenue came to $300,000 before rising to $500,000 in 2022.
“We pride ourselves in providing personalized services for all of our customers,” the company’s website states. “The person you call is the person you deal with—owner Kevin Wheatley. He worked as the store manager at Windshield World for more than 20 years before deciding to open C-Clear Auto Glass in October of 2013.”
Expansions Make a Difference
Jerry Alley owns Decker Glass in Casper, Wyo. The company has five locations and 52 employees.
In business for 51 years, Decker Glass continues to experience significant growth on an annual basis. In 2020, the company raked in $6.9 million in AGRR revenue, with that figure increasing to $7.8 million in 2021 before reaching $9.8 million in 2022.
Alley says his business’s continued success was recently helped along by an expansion into neighboring states and the opening of a new store in Wyoming.
One Year in the Books for Auto Glass Now
Auto Glass Now in Charlotte, N.C., a brand of Driven Brands, entered the U.S. glass business less than a year ago in January 2022. It has since grown to more than 220 brick and mortar locations and more than 700 mobile units by way of 10 acquisitions and a growing pipeline of green field openings.
In one year of business, Auto Glass Now has grown substantially and now employs more than 1,500 employees.
“Auto Glass Now is rooted in the legacy of local experts delivering personalized service and is now focused on creating a ‘wow experience’ by making auto glass servicing increasingly fast, friendly and convenient,” said Nick Ouimet, president of Auto Glass Now.
Driven Brands will migrate its locations under Auto Glass Now throughout 2023, with effort set to include refreshed brand collateral online, in advertising, and in new and remodeled facilities. That refresh will also apply to mobile service vans, which are being refitted with the industry’s latest tools and equipment.
‘Continuous Growth’ on the Horizon
AmeriPro Auto Glass in Jacksonville, Fla., and its 22 employees have a lot to boast about. The company has a customer base of more than 50,000 people. And, it recently was voted “Best in Florida” in a statewide survey of various industries.
“Our unique dealership program accounts for close to 40% of our overall revenue. It is a specially constructed program that we developed in 2018 and funneled a significant amount of our resources to,” says owner Michael Franklin. “We now have dealership partners, most of which have partnered with us for four-plus years.”
AmeriPro saw $5.2 million in AGRR revenue in 2020, $5.9 million in 2021 and $6.9 million in 2022. The company, which has been operating for 13 years, experienced two-year growth at 34%. Franklin says brand awareness and trademarking the company’s name and slogan, “Florida’s Favorite Auto Glass Company,” played a big part in a “steady stream” of business and company recognition.
“Almost every vehicle that we write up through our dealer-partner program is a newer model and requires recalibration after we replace the windshield. Approximately 68% of the vehicles we work on now are requiring calibration services,” Franklin says, noting increases in traffic with the end of COVID-19.
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