Morrow Collision Center
📍 Lincoln, Nebraska
When Dan and Julie Morrow started their company in their early twenties, they never imagined the growth and success that would come throughout the past 18 years.
Please introduce your business and tell us your story:
I started Morrow Collision Center in 2002, and about nine months later, my brother joined. We had a small shop with an old, used crossdraft paint booth, and we kept getting busier and busier every year. We did more work there than we ever thought we could. Then, about eight years ago, we started planning for a second location. When we started busting at the seams three years later, we were finally at a point that we could take that leap. Our second location opened in February 2020.
What GFS equipment did you purchase?
Our new location is five times the size of the original location, which gives us more room to put in more equipment. We purchased an Ultra XL Paint Booth, Ultra XD Paint Booth, Ultra XD Paint Mix Room, a dual-bay Ultra XD CTOF with SpaceSaver heater, and a REVO Rapid MC2.
“The GFS equipment has allowed my painter to paint numerous cars at once. We use REVO Systems on every job — not only for the speed, but also to cure and lock down the body filler and primer so there’s less shrinkage of the overall finish and cures. The integrated drying systems in our booths (AdvanceCure) allow our waterborne paint to dry a lot faster.”
When we really get busy, I am excited to see what we can push through with the new shop.
How did you decide on GFS equipment?
I asked our local paint jobber for recommendations, as I thought they’d be a good resource to tell us what equipment works with their products. They said, ‘You gotta call Jim (LeFever) from Auto Refinish Solutions; he’s great.’ Jim came out to our shop right away and was there for every step of the design process — from the architect to the general contractor, he was always there to make sure everything went in right.
What is your plan for the future of your business?
We have always done excellent, quality work with excellent, quality service, and that’s not going to change — but we want to be able to do it faster. We live in a world where people want things instantly now. And we want to see that happen.
I also want my employees to make as much money — as easily and as fast — as they can. Having all the right equipment at their fingertips is key. We have more equipment with fewer employees and all brand-new equipment. We take care of the few employees that we have, and we let the equipment do the work.
The new equipment will also help attract technicians. When young people come in and see the place, it will show that this is not a dying industry. A lot of body shops make people think that it’s a dying industry. You walk into our shop and you can see it’s the future. It’s exciting.
