Berli’s Body & Fine Auto Finishes • Pflugerville

Berli’s Body & Fine Auto Finishes • Pflugerville

Written by Katie Gutierrez Thursday, 01 May 2008

Joe Berli meticulously planned every aspect of Berli’s Fine Auto and Finishes, and many would agree the care he put into his company is evident. Composed of two large buildings on ample lot space, Berli’s is state-of-the-art. With shiny slate gray walls, glass furniture and large geometric windows letting in natural light, the shop’s lobby seems somewhat like a modern hotel.

“It all comes down from the top,” general manager Chad Kiffe said. “You can see how much pride Joe takes in the company and that influences employees’ happiness, which ensures that clients are treated better here than anywhere else.”

Berli founded the company in 1985, more as a hobby than a lofty business endeavor. At the time, he worked in the construction industry and ran Berli’s in a rented one-bay shop. For the next six years, Berli served as estimator, painter, detailer and mechanic, all in one. Then, as his reputation matured, he began quietly expanding the business, eventually leaving the construction industry entirely. In 1998, Berli purchased several acres of land on Grand Avenue Parkway and embarked on the task of building his shop from the ground up — to very high standards.

Today, Berli’s has separate departments for prep (sanding and priming vehicles), paint, body shop, parts and estimating. With 45 employees and more than 100 vehicles in the parking lot on any given day, Berli’s is a far cry from its original one-bay rental.

“As an independent shop, we have to work harder than the dealerships,” Kiffe said. “We don’t have the original customer base that they do.”

To keep his shop ahead of the curve, Berli maintains state-of-the-art equipment, such as the three downdraft booths adjoining the paint department. With air vents on the ceiling pushing paint downward to avoid a cross draft, the booths all but guarantee clean, glossy paint jobs. In addition, Kiffe explained, Berli’s is one of the few shops in town that boasts a Celette bench, the only system that mounts a vehicle precisely to factory specifications, allowing for more accurate evaluation and replacement of major structural parts.

Berli also had his employees in mind when constructing the two-story addition in 2004. Past the vehicle elevator — and the dozen or so finished vehicles kept in safe, second-floor indoor storage — is a small metal spiral staircase leading up to a loft-like lounge, complete with big screen television, leather couches and a functional kitchenette.

“Sometimes we stay here for a while after hours,” Kiffe said with a smile. From the loft, he pointed to the air vents built into the rafters. “See? Joe thought of everything.”

Goals for 2008, Kiffe said, are to expand the volume and diversity of vehicles and continue to improve on the quality that has sealed Berli’s reputation.

“People sometimes think that we work exclusively on luxury vehicles,” Kiffe said. “We want to change that perception. Our quality of work applies to all vehicles.”

Four things you may not know about Berli’s:

• Ninety percent of the shop’s clientele are there for accident-related repairs; 10 percent seek vehicle improvements.
• Berli’s works with all insurance companies. Rates are flat and hourly, varying only by department (i.e. $48 for framing, $99 for mechanics).
• Average length of time a vehicle stays at Berli’s? There is no average; it ranges from three days to six weeks, depending on the amount of damage.
• Prepared for more expansion, owner Joe Berli owns approximately 2 acres of land behind the shop.