Jerod Guerin, CEO, has been recognized as "10 Best CEOs of 2023" by IE Magazine for his work growing Quality Collision Group into a national best-in-class OEM-certified collision repair organization.
Having served as a top executive for a major collision repair company, Jerod Guerin was an astute observer with an inside view of the collision repair business. He noticed a rising demand for a higher-tier collision repair operator as more and more business owners sought a better-quality alternative to the conventional multi-location collision repair business model. As new vehicle technology emerged, Guerin also witnessed a shift in customers’ needs and expectations for state-of-the-art, streamlined repair service and the difficulty most businesses faced in adapting to these demands. Determined to better meet the needs of both customers and collision repair shop owners, Guerin set out to transform the conventional model into a new business model with the founding of Quality Collision Group in 2020. As CEO, Guerin’s aim to elevate the collision repair industry by creating a model inspired by original equipment manufacturer standards has proven to be a successful strategy. To date, QCG has expanded to 46 locations across five states and is still growing.
This commitment to quality, such as abiding strictly by OEM standards in every one of QCG’s OEM-certified repair centers, is just the beginning. Guerin points to QCG’s mission statement: “Quality Collision Group exists to deliver best-in-class repairs and an exceptional customer experience while providing a world-class teammate culture. ” As CEO, Guerin is confident that by nurturing a healthy company culture, QCG will continue to attract and retain a customer-centric workforce through its strong support for both employees and individual repair centers. Just how does this support, trust, and relationship-building benefit business? Guerin offers this insight:
“QCG is continuously evaluating opportunities to expand our infrastructure to better support our centers and improve the business. For our shops, that means increased assistance and additional resources to help them facilitate more efficient, high-quality repairs. Our operations and development departments help provide critical resources that these shops never had before. In addition to infrastructure improvements, we have strong, meaningful relationships with all major automotive manufacturers, which is the core of our business.”
Under Guerin’s leadership, this emphasis on relationships and the people at the center of every partnership is an integral part of QCG’s success. This idea is echoed in the online recruitment of new employees:
“Be your true, authentic self. This is what QCG’s culture is all about. There are so many different opportunities that celebrate individuality and focus on personal development. We invest in our people and understand that to succeed truly, we must be customer-centric.”
And understanding what culminates in a positive customer experience is core to QCG’s mission. Because of his experience in the industry, Guerin views the business through the lens of several perspectives, including the customer’s point of view. He understands that when a customer brings their vehicle to a collision repair shop, they are entrusting that shop to care for one of their most prized possessions — their personal vehicle. And with that trust comes great responsibility. And trust, from both a personal and business standpoint, is often based on shared values.
Under Guerin’s leadership, QCG has defined its values (dedication, results, integrity, vision, and excellence) using statements that fall under the acronym DRIVE. Among these values is a commitment to integrity and quality:
“We earn the trust of our customers by backing our word with our work. We never compromise any aspect of the repair experience. Period.”
In Guerin’s view, it is principles such as these that “inspire our teams across the country to redefine the traditional auto body repair experience and build a network of repair centers that will reshape an industry.”
How has QCG reshaped the industry? Guerin explains that in the first few years of operation, one of QCG’s primary objectives was leveraging collective spending in key areas to improve buying power for the company. “[QCG] has had tremendous success negotiating with key vendors that will serve us well as we pull the economics of those deals into all future acquisitions.” And as QCG has grown to become an industry leader, additional meaningful partnerships have emerged. Because of QCG’s trustworthy reputation, seamless operations, and growing footprint, auto insurance companies soon found that working with QCG and its many shops across the country made it easy to become a preferred vendor. And if recent acquisitions are any indicator, QCG maintains healthy, steady growth.
Built on the alignment of a solid mission, vision, and values, QCG has emerged as a trusted leader in the industry by delivering top-quality repairs for customers from distinguished shop owners under the umbrella of a single national operator of OEM-certified collision repair centers. In describing this success, QCG’s CEO shifts the focus back to the valuable people who work for the company:
“As a rising, prominent player in this industry, this growth will mean tremendous opportunities for our teammates, which will be exciting to witness.”
It seems that for QCG, shared values translate to a shared win.
This article was originally posted on IE-mag.com.
About Quality Collision Group
Quality Collision Group is a growing collection of best-in-class OEM-certified collision repair centers. The organization was founded in 2020 with a desire to create a new MSO model that prioritizes quality and OEM compliance and certifications while delivering best-in-class repairs and exceptional customer experiences. For more information and to inquire about partnering with Quality Collision Group, visit qualitycollisiongroup.com.
