Strategy to Be All It Can Be Keeps Vet-Owned Shop Thriving for 75 Years

A lucky break launched Gross and Son Paint and Body, but luck has nothing to do with its 75 years of success in far northwestern Florida. The I-CAR® Gold Class® shop is a market leader in the Pensacola region, offering an exceptionally comprehensive and quality service. If the strategic vision for this business was summed up in a slogan, “Being all that we can be” would be appropriate for this army vet-owned shop. With 14 vehicle-maker certifications and counting, this always-busy shop repairs an average of 250 cars a month. Having recently relocated to its newly built 50,000-square-foot, two-story facility on its sprawling property, Gross and Son is poised for even greater growth.

 Terry Gross, the “son” in Gross and Son, says, “We always say we’re done, and then we’re not. The next building going up will be for aluminum repairs. We’re also looking at doing ADAS calibrations.”

Shop co-owner Eddie Kelly says, “There’s no other body shop in Pensacola that does what we do or that has so many relationships with dealerships. No one else has as many techs. We have 13 body techs and five painters.” Over the past eight years, Gross and Son has branched into auto mechanics, towing, alignments, and other related operations. “It’s given us more control,” Kelly explains. “We’re never at the mercy of an alignment or tire shop, which has let us shave a couple of days off our cycle time.” The shop’s revenue stream also benefits from a stand-alone detailing business, glass replacement, car rentals, and restoration of vintage vehicles.

“We don’t draw all our eggs from one basket,” Gross says. “Business has been real stable with customers coming to us from so many angles.”

Connection to Military Service Personnel

Gross and Son has thousands of social media reviews from satisfied customers, who travel as far as 200 miles for service. The shop has little competition in providing certified repair work on high-end vehicles like Teslas and Maseratis. It also draws business from Corry Field, and co-owners Gross and Kelly say they are proud to take good care of the military personnel stationed at the nearby naval air base.

A photo of Gross taken when he was in Vietnam is on display in the customer lobby “to showcase we’re veteran-owned,” says Kelly. “When I find out a customer is a vet, I’ll point out Terry’s photo, and they always want to hear his story.”

A goal to build on what his father started gave Gross something positive to hang onto while serving as a mortar operator in Vietnam in the early 1970s. His plans had to be put on hold after he was drafted, but they helped prevent dark thoughts from creeping in while he was far away in a hostile environment. “All I could think about was coming home to run the business. I couldn’t wait to get back.” His re-entry into civilian life went more smoothly than for many Vietnam vets. When he returned in 1972, his father stepped aside to let him run the business exactly as he chose. Gross feels his service helped prepare him to lead the business, making him “responsible and ready” to run Gross and Son.

The shop’s military connection is also reflected in its commitment to giving back. The shop has teamed up with programs like National Auto Body Council’s Recycled Rides and Wounded Warrior Project to deliver restored cars to those in need of transportation.

A Dream that Kept Growing

It’d be difficult to come up with a better story than the truth of how Gross Paint and Body got started in 1947. Fittingly, there’s a car in this story, and a stunning stroke of good luck that overnight turned the founder’s daydream of owning a body shop into reality. Employed as a body man making $18 a week at a dealership, Leon Gross won a car at a Pensacola minor league baseball game. “My dad sold it and then bought property to build his own body shop,” Gross says. “At that time, an average man like my dad would never have been able to open a business.”

The elder Gross expanded three years later when Terry was born. He moved his family to a new home where he added a 30-by-50-foot garage for his business, and in the early 1960s, ventured into specialization with Volkswagen repairs. His two sons literally grew up with the family business with the shop in their backyard. Gross recalls, “I liked to pick up parts in scrap piles and work on them. I also enjoyed painting cars.” Leon Gross recognized in Terry an especially strong interest in the family business and he added “and Son” to the business name.

When the elder Gross gave his son full reign upon his return from Vietnam, he was taken aback at how different their visions were for the business. “Dad wanted to keep the business small with just two or three employees,” Gross says. “I wanted to grow it. The first thing I did was buy a bunch of equipment. My dad said, ‘Son, you aren’t going to be able to pay for all this.’ Then three months later, I had bought twice as much equipment. After a few years, my dad realized I was going to make it.”

Gross also bought adjoining properties as they went up for sale. It’s a slow way to physically expand, but time is on the side of a 75-year-old business. Gross estimates he bought around 20 properties to expand Gross and Son’s property to two square blocks.

There is another family in the shop’s story that spurred its growth, modernization, and digital marketing (GrossandSon.net). The Kellys’ history is intertwined with the Grosses’ and rooted in a shared love of hunting, fishing, and collision repair. Co-owner Kelly started as a refinisher in 1993 and is the second generation of his family to work at the shop. His wife, son, and two stepchildren also now work there. When Gross decided to semi-retire in 2008, he entrusted Kelly with day-to-day operations. “I chose him for his work ethic,” Gross says. “I knew he’d run the business the way he painted cars, making sure everything is done right.”

Kelly’s been an advocate for training to stay current with new repair procedures, participation in I-CAR Gold Class recognition, and investment in state-of-the-art equipment. When he started making operational recommendations it was déjà vu for Gross, except he experienced it in his father’s shoes. “I told Terry we had to have this Meridian measuring system and spot welders that each cost $35,000.” Kelly also recommended the installation of a 12,000-square-foot paint facility with four downdraft spray paint booths. The former painter with a natural eye for matching colors “built my dream paint booth but will never paint in it” in his management role.

Kelly also helped accelerate the shop’s use of I-CAR training. “We needed an information source to understand how vehicle repair procedures were changing. I-CAR was that information source.” The shop stepped up its I-CAR training in 2015 to the Gold Class designation in order to qualify as a Honda ProFirst shop. Today, every tech is Platinum and everyone, including office staff, can access I-CAR online classes through the shop’s training subscription.

Gross and Sons Extended Family

Behind the shop’s success is the “extended family” working there – and that includes all 41 employees, not just the members of the Gross and Kelly families. “Credit for where we are today – the best in Pensacola – goes to the people working here,” Kelly says. “They are the glue that holds us together.”

Turnover has always been low, and even signing bonuses and higher wages dangled by larger organizations that moved into the area have not lured away Gross’ loyal workforce. Some employees, including one of Gross’ best techs who retired two years ago, stay their entire career.

The loyalty works two ways. “We treat our workers well,” Kelly says. “In the 1990s, we started a 401K plan with a company match and health benefits when that was unheard of. Employees who start not knowing much will learn the right way to do things and have the opportunity to work their way up.” The shop also invests in its team through ongoing training and education programs, like I-CAR’s, empowering employees to grow their skills and advance their careers.

There’s been opportunities for Gross and Kelly to sell. “We could have had nicer boats and cars,” Gross says, “but what’s that to taking care of our family and long-time friends who work for us?”

Although Gross works more in the background these days on business strategy and financial planning, a passion strong enough to keep him going through his service in Vietnam shows no sign of burning out in his senior years. “There’s still more to do,” he says.