Family addition

Family history

Max and Mike Helms learned their trade working with their father, Max Helms Sr., in the automobile collision-repair business. Max Sr.'s experience dates to 1938. The brothers opened their own shop in 1970. Max Jr.'s son, Matt Helms, joined the field in 1988.

Max Sr. sold his business, H&H Body Shop, 13 years ago, but still works in his son's facility.

In 1990, a renovation at the shop's 29th Street location brought in computers and a link to insurance companies. Five years later, they expanded and added state-of-the-art paint booths. The latest expansion doubled the shop's floor space.

The year was 1938 and Max Helms Sr. landed a job at a local body shop. His very fist day, while working on a '38 Chevy automobile with a brother-in-law, the fuzzy headliner somehow caught fire. Out of desperation, the brother-in-law grabbed a bucket and tossed its contents inside the vehicle.

"He thought it was water, but it was gas. It burned that brand new car up." the 78-year-old Helms said.

An inauspicious beginning for a man who would spend the next six decades of his life in the autobody repair business and spawn Helms Brothers Body Shop. In fact, the elder repair specialist still gets his hands dirty working at the Columbus facility, which is owned by his two sons, Max Jr. and Mike. The shop recently expanded to 20,000 square feet at a cost of $750,000.

Launching on little

While Dad ran his own shop until 1987, the Helms siblings got their start in 1970, operating on a shoe-string budget. The would buy wrecked cars from a local Pontiac dealership, fix them and resell the vehicles out of their first location on Meritas Drive in Bibb City. It was an old oil storage building, nothing like the relatively clean and roomy accommodations the company's 15 employees now enjoy.

The brothers moved to their current 400 29th St. location in 1976. Every five years they have either expanded or added equipment. Along the way, they bought out other body shops in town, either for their equipment or simply to eliminate some of their competetion.

Family teachings

In 1988, a third-generation Helms entered the picture when Max Jr.'s son, Matt, 30, began sweeping floors, washing cars, and preparing vehicles for painting. Now he estimates damages to vehicles driven or towed into the shop.

Working with his grandfather has given Matt an opportunity to learn the history of the family and the business. The advice from his grandfather, father, and uncle is both predictable and practical.

"The customer is always right and you have to learn how to control your temper." said Matt. "But you have to be honest with them. Sometimes you don't tell them what they want to hear, but that's just what you've got to do."

Into high-tech

Through the years, the basic mission at Helms Brothers hsa remained the same - to repair vehicles that have been in fender-bending accidents, head-on collisions or dinged by shopping carts.

At any time of the day, vehicles can be found in various stages of disarray as they are repaired and put back together, piece by piece.

Wedling equipment is typically a necessity.

So is a knowledge of computers and the insurance industry. Max Jr., who handles administrative work in the front office, pulls assignments from major insurers via the Internet each morning. He then contacts customers to schedule repair work.

"Whenever we first got into this business, it was just the old-timey garage atmosphere. If you were mechanically inclined, you could repair it." said the 54-year-old who sports a small ponytail and wire-rimmed glasses. "Now technology has thrown us into the computer age where your cars are equipped with some of the most expensive computers around. We have to know these computers and the electronics. We have to have schematics - like house plans - to measure and repair your car by."

Image is everything

The Helms brothers are fully aware that the image of automobile repair shops has taken a beating through the years. Television news programs that show workers using a hammer to inflict damage on a vehicle so they can increase the insurance claim don't help. Even their friends ask if those things happen.

"You try to present a better image than that." said Mike, 50, who runs the floor of the body shop. "I'm sure it goes on, but most shops are pretty straight. The insurance companies keep them that way with audits of work performed."

Sound of music?

Those in the body repair business have their share of intricacies, admits Max Jr. A thunder-storm moving in from the west brings a smile to their faces. It can contain metal-damaging hail or downpours that can slicken the road. The bottom line is that wet roads and hurried motorists are a profitable combination for those tasked with making bent fenders look like new.

"If we hear tires squealing, our ears perk up." said Max Jr. Though, don't get the idea they want to see anyone hurt. "We don't get to fix the cars that are a total loss and cause serious injuries."

Accidents have not been as much of a problem in recent years, with a drought keeping the cities roadways dry. That, along with better traffic planning in the city, have cut into the number of claims flowing inot Helms Brothers Body Shop, said Max Jr.

However, that dilemma hasn't hurt profits at the company, which does about $2 million in gross sales each year. Things are going so well that the shop hopes to hire 8 to 10 more employees down the road.

"Our market share is slowly but surely getting smaller, but our gross is continuing to climb." he said. "What makes our gross climb is the cost of repairs is climbing because the prices of the vehicles are getting higher."

Business like a marriage

Profits aside, the Helms family appears to enjoy working together. But it's not easy and they don't socialize a lot away from the workplace. Challenges include managing egos and tempers, and making certain each person knows his specific role. Their commercial survival depends on it, with a smooth-running shop necessary to fostering a solid reputation. A good reputation can make or break a business.

Mike compares the relationship with his brother Max to a marriage. There are disagreements, but the bond is one in which they almost know what each other is thinking before a word is spoken.

"You've got to give a little bit and you've got to take a little bit." he said. "And sometimes things are not going to go your way. But you just back off and let it happen. You can't really force a lot of issues if you're going to make it work."