Owners Robert and Carol Grieve purchased the business in 2006, and have grown Nylund’s Collision Center into the most trusted shop to bring your damaged luxury vehicles.  Commonly referred to as the Lexus body shop that Lexus dealers trust to do the right repair, Nylund’s Collision takes great pride in their independent (from insurance company influence) position in the marketplace. The guest experience and ultimate safety are the driving factors.

“If it’s not perfect… it’s not leaving” is more than a tagline to Robert Grieve. At the heart of this position statement is the owner’s absolute conviction that there is only one way to repair a vehicle: the right way.  Automobile manufacturers design, test and approve vehicles not only for luxury and comfort, but for the safety of the driver and passengers.

When choosing a Lexus body shop, consumers must be made aware that in almost every circumstance their insurance company will write their repair estimates to include cheaper aftermarket or third-party parts. This practice is done with only one objective: to save the insurance company money.  The danger comes in the fact that such parts – though they may be “certified” – they are not safety tested, and by definition – are NOT the same as the original Lexus parts for which the vehicle was designed.

Nylund’s Collision Center is Denver’s only 9-time award-winning Lexus body shop that insists upon using only 100% original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) parts on all safety-related and structural elements of your vehicle. If you’re looking for the best Lexus body shop – look no further than Nylund’s.

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It is with great pride, and much gratitude that we say thank you to our many guests in Highlands Ranch, Colorado for voting Nylund’s Collision Center the Best of the Best Body Shop 2015 via the Colorado Community Media.

We absolutely love what we do, and are committed to our ongoing pursuit of excellence in service and delivery of the amazing vehicles we are blessed to work on every day.

Here at Nylund’s… if it isn’t perfect – it isn’t leaving!

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Here at Nylund’s Collision Center, we are all so very grateful for having been awarded Denver’s Best Body Shop for the third year in a row. Of course we are very proud of the fact that Nylund’s is the only collision center that has ever won this award since it’s original inclusion on the Denver A-List in 2011… but for us, it’s about much more than another trophy on the shelf. It is, and always has been, all about the guest experience!

You see, no one really wants to schedule an appointment with a body shop. We’ve checked time and again, and we’ve never made it to the top 10, must-see local attractions. But sometimes bad things (accidents) happen to good people. And when they do… we are here to serve.

The first thing that our guests can expect is a warm, compassionate and always professional greeting. Our staff is the best in the industry at making the guest feel welcome and instantly comfortable with their choice to come to Nylund’s. We would never think of handing you a clipboard to fill out your information. Instead, we offer you a beverage, and begin a conversation. As you relax, we enter all the details that we’ll need to make your auto repair as pain-free as possible.

If you require a rental car while yours is in the shop, we’ll make that call – and in many cases, even have your car delivered to the shop before we’re done chatting. If you need a ride home, we stand ready to deliver you wherever you need to go.

Once your car has entered the repair process, you can rest assured that we are in constant communication with your insurance provider, thereby removing the single largest point of stress from you, our guest. You’ve been through enough with the accident… the last thing you need is to haggle about the cost or quality of parts with the company you’ve paid all your life. We make sure that your best interests, including safety, quality and timeliness of service are all represented.

Here at Nylund’s we make you, our guest, a promise. If it isn’t perfect… it isn’t leaving. And if you think about it – isn’t that really what you want for what is likely your second largest purchase? When you return to pick up your vehicle, you can expect us to surprise you with the attention to detail that we put into every delivery. From the complete clean-up on the inside, to the high-polish buff, to the huge bow on the hood… our goal is to rekindle the love you had for your car on the day that you bought it.

We hope you never get into an accident. But if you do, we want you to know that here at Nylund’s Collision Center, we actively do our best to be a large part of the solution. Your experience matters to us more than anything… which might explain why our guests vote for us year after year to achieve the honor of Denver’s Best Body Shop.

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American Military Family distributes funds to our troops and their families, active duty, reserves and veterans for mortgage, utility and food assistance wherever needed. They help provide air fare transportation to enable veterans to attend funerals of immediate family members, and a wealth of other emergency related assistance.

Nylund’s Collision Center has been honored with numerous awards including the Patriot Award offered by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, and twice awarded Best Body Shop (2011 and 2012) by the Denver A-List competition.

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During the A-List competition, The Grieves decided to thank their supporters by giving a cash donation in their name to the ACTS Resource Center, Dolls for Daughters, Children’s Hospital, June’s Fund and American Military Family charitable organizations. These organizations were chosen because they are local to the Denver metro area, and each one has close ties to Nylund’s owners.

Supporters of each of the five listed charities were given the opportunity to direct a bonus amount of money by visiting the Nylund’s Facebook page and voting for their favorite charity. So many people got involved that the Grieves decided to award bonus funds to the top three charities. American Military Family, Dolls for Daughters and ACTS Resource Center received the most votes, and therefore will receive increased donations.

Nylund’s Collision Center has been a conduit of support for these, and several other charitable organizations since the Grieves became the owners in 2006. “Giving back to those who serve our children, our country and those who cannot take care of themselves is one of our core values”, says Carol Grieve. And the staff, friends and customers of Nylund’s all participate in one way or another.

The Grieves wish to express their sincere thanks to all those who not only voted them Best Body Shop 2012, but to all of the volunteers that support the critical work provided by each nonprofit organization.

For more information on Nylund’s Collision Center, or to be considered for future charitable contributions, please contact Robert Grieve at 303-761-9219

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“We are so thankful to all of our loyal customers, employees, friends and family for the personal outpouring of support for the work we are doing”, says owner Robert Grieve. And that support was overwhelming with more than twice the number of votes than the second-place contestant, and three times the number of positive, personal comments from Nylund’s customers.

“This award simply validates what we feel in our hearts”, says co-owner Carol Grieve. “Each of our customers have names, and we know every one of them. They represent so much more than a transaction to us they are family.” And a tight-knit family at that. Nylund’s clients regularly share their customer experience with the entire state by calling in to and “Fan Braggin’” on the nationally syndicated Experience Pros Radio Show, well known for featuring nothing but the best in small business.

Nylund’s Collision Center specializes in high-end, luxury vehicles including Lexus, BMW, Mercedes and Audi but they happily work on all makes and models. They advocate on behalf of the customer with every insurance company, and never cut corners when it comes to providing the highest quality service and repair of every car that comes to them. Serving the entire metro Denver area for more than 30 years, they are located at 1033 W. Dartmouth Ave., Englewood, CO 80110.

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“We are constantly looking for creative ways to reach out and support worthy organizations,” says Robert Grieve. “And this year, we are combining two campaigns for maximum impact.”

Nylund’s Collision Center is currently defending their first place rank as Best Body Shop in the Denver A-List Competition. As a way of thanking their loyal customers and supporters for voting for them on the A-List, the Grieves have announced that they will give a donation for every vote received. And to spread the benefit, they have selected five area charities to support.

Denver based A.C.T.S. Resource Center provides food, shelter, life skills and clothing for 10,000+ homeless people every month. Brighton area American Military Family supports all members of the United States military and their families through financial assistance, recognition and emotional support during times of need. Dolls for Daughters gives away thousands of brand new toys during the holidays for girls and boys in Denver and Colorado Springs. June’s Fund is a group of volunteers dedicated to supporting clinical research for more than 1,000 patients at the University of Colorado Cancer Center. And Children’s Hospital of Colorado provides specially trained pediatric experts who see, treat and heal more children than any hospital in a seven-state region.

“We cannot thank the Grieves and Nylund’s Collision Center enough,” says Dolls for Daughters founder Jessica Bachus. When we found out that our work was selected to receive a donation as a thank you for every vote Nylund’s received on the A-List, we immediately sent out the word to those who lovingly support our mission for children.”

June’s Fund volunteer Arlene Madine said, “Every time I think Nylund’s cannot possibly do more to support the research we do… they raise the bar and blow us away again.” Madine first met the Grieves when she brought her 2001 Mazda 626 to Nylund’s to be prepared for sale – all proceeds going to support June’s Fund. Nylund’s and their vendors provided full body work, paint and repair at no charge in an effort to support the cause.

Charitable giving is as much a part of the culture at Nylund’s Collision Center as the meticulous attention to detail that won them the Best Body Shop award in 2011. “Bringing people and businesses together is what the Grieves do better than anyone I know,” says Eric Reamer, host of the nationally syndicated Experience Pros Radio Show (AM 560 KLZ weekdays 10-Noon) and member of the Board of Directors of Dolls for Daughters. “I enthusiastically encourage our listeners to vote for Nylund’s Collision Center on the Denver A-List, and by doing so, support so many wonderful charities.”

To participate in raising funds for the five mentioned charities, voting for Nylund’s can be done here. Nylund’s Collision Center will donate regardless of their rank in the A-List contest. Every vote matters, and adds to the overall donation provided by the Grieves.

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Samantha Waller Discusses the Culture of Customer Service at Nylund’s Collision Center

Nylund’s Collision Center in Englewood, Colorado has a reputation for being the best auto body shop* in the Denver metropolitan area. They are known for their relentless pursuit of perfection when it comes to the final delivery of every car that comes through their doors. We sat down with Samantha Waller, one of Nylund’s multifunctional employees (the staff don’t have titles) to discover what sets this shop apart from so many of the 700 or so body shops across the front range.

UIYB: What is your job description?
SW: I am one of the many whose job description is almost as difficult to define as a title. I started out in more of an administrative role; answering phones, filing, connecting customers to an estimator and helping out the owners Rob and Carol Grieve. Today, I do a lot of running around, filling in wherever needed. I order parts, check them in and organize them so that each person working on a given project knows right where to find them. I’m often involved in shuttling parts between departments and I even handle some of the estimating process, too. I interface with the customers quite a bit these days, and I just delivered a job that I handled from start to finish, which is something new. In short, I guess I’m doing a little of everything.

UIYB: That’s quite a lot of hats to wear. How long have you worked at Nylund’s?
SW: Just eighteen months. That’s one of the things I really enjoy about my job. There’s always something new to learn, and lots of opportunities to gain skills across the different departments. Many of us on staff cross-train to become more valuable to the overall customer experience. We work together as a team, which really helps create accountability and adds to the comfort of the customers who bring their cars to us.

UIYB: You mention the customers – or the customer experience – a lot. That seems unusual in an industry where the cars are typically the focus of attention.
SW: At Nylund’s, we are constantly reminded that we are not in the car repair business… we are in the people business, and car repair is just what brings us together. Our customers are considered guests, and often they become more like family as they return for our services again or refer us to their friends and family. One of the things we’re most proud of is our high level of communication throughout the customer experience. We contact them at every step of the repair, letting them know how things are going, and what they can realistically expect the process to be like. We go to bat every day for them with the insurance companies, whose main goal is to reduce costs – while ours is to do the job right. Our customers can relax, knowing that we are taking care of every detail until the day their car is returned to them as good as new.

UIYB: With such a concierge service toward the customer, Nylund’s must charge premium prices for a car repair.
SW: Actually, we are no more expensive than anyone else in the car repair business. The insurance companies set the prices for what everyone in our industry makes on a repair job. Truth be known, we probably make less than most, because we won’t cut corners on the quality of parts or the finished quality of the repair. If the insurance companies won’t pay for the right part to replace a damaged original part, Nylund’s will either negotiate pricing with the supplier, or we will pay the difference – all of which comes out of the same amount paid to every body shop. If your high-end luxury vehicle requires an original part in order for the repair to be safe… we order the original part, even if it means we end up paying the difference. We do not cut corners when it comes to safety or quality.

UIYB: Sounds like a pretty great place to work. What, if anything, would you improve?
SW: It’s the best place to work. Rob and Carol treat all of the staff with respect, and the rest of the team all work pretty well together. If I could add one thing to the work we do, it would be the return of our custom paint department. I personally had a lot of fun helping paint a custom motorcycle that went on to win several awards and be featured in a trade magazine. It’s a very specialized niche, and so too the people who can create art in the custom pair world are few and far between… but I loved that part of my job when we were offering it about a year ago.

UIYB: Anything else you’d like to add?
SW: Just this: No one likes being in a car accident, or having your car damaged in one way or another. But accidents happen, and sometimes damage just happens. When it does, I know that there’s only one place I would ever tell my friends or family to go to. Nylund’s Collision Center really is the best… not because I say so – but because hundreds and hundreds of our customers say so. I’ve seen cars worth more than houses leave our shop better looking than when they rolled off the assembly line. And I’ve seen Honda Civics that look like showroom quality leave our building. Cars come to us in every possible damaged condition… but they always leave the same: better than new.

And there you have it… our interview with Samantha Waller. Pride runs deep at Nylund’s, and perhaps it’s a little easier to see why, after hearing her share the values and convictions of the culture of customer service there.

*Nylund’s Collision Center was awarded the Best Body Shop in the 2011 Denver Channel 7 A-List competition. Customer votes were collected over the course of several months, and tallied, awarding the best of the best with recognition and certification.

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In the automotive repair business, the costs associated with end-user service are typically low on the list of priorities. Margins are very small, and there is a constant struggle between the amount of money that the insurance companies are willing to pay, and the cost of materials and labor that are required to repair the damaged vehicle.

In an effort to maximize profits, most body shops and insurance adjusters work on a “flag rate” scale. Flag rate can best be understood as a flat rate that is assigned to any given particular job on a repair. A percentage of those hours will be assigned to the prep department, the paint department. And so it goes across every department that handles the repair, until all flag hours have been spent (paid) by the insurance company.

The FLAW in the System

The problem with a flag rate system of payment is that in most cases, repair shops try to rush the work in order to leverage the flat rate. If a job calls for 10 flag hours, and 3 of them are dedicated to the paint process, three hours are paid whether it takes two hours or five. The shop is motivated to push work out the door in less time than the number of hours actually flagged, thereby increasing profits. The more money shaved off the flag rate of assigned hours, the more money goes to the bottom line. In-and-of itself, this is not necessarily a bad thing. However; the playing field of automotive repair is not level.

It is common in the auto body industry that rather than repairing existing parts, they are replaced. And more often than not, they are replaced with the lowest-priced, and often third-party parts that may or may not fit as well as the original parts. Shops can effectively cut corners, saving time and money on the repair side, maximizing their profits on a flag-rate system. This benefits the repair shop in the short term… but ultimately, it is the customer and their experience that bear the burden of a system flawed by built-in greed. We went in search of a body shop that was willing to buck the trend, and instead, put the customer experience above their bottom line. Does such a shop exist? Indeed it does!

Nylund’s Collision Center, Englewood, CO

Robert Grieve, owner of Nylund’s Collision Center is well-known in the Denver metro area for his absolute insistence on his, “if it’s not perfect, it’s not leaving” way of doing business. His staff are paid hourly, instead of on a flag-rate system, ensuring that they take the time necessary to perform each and every repair to the highest standard possible. Customers of Nylund’s often comment that upon delivery, their once-mangled vehicles look nicer than the day they drove them off the showroom floor.

The decision made by Grieve to avoid a flag-rate system of payment absolutely costs him more in the end, and so one might assume that he just passes those expenses on to his customers. That, however is not the case. The insurance industry actually sets the rates within which all body shops must comply, and Nylund’s is no different. Grieve absorbs the extra expense, committed to his conviction that if he takes exceptional care of his customers… they will respond with loyalty to his service. And if the hundreds of customer reviews that propelled Nylund’s Collision Center to the Best Body Shop in Denver on Denver’s Channel 7 A-List are any indication – he’s right.

“There’s a right way to do business”, says Grieve. “Our customers are the very heartbeat of our business. When they bring their cars to us, they bring more than just a vehicle. They bring their trust. We hold that in the very highest regard, and will honor it every time by delivering a customer experience that is second to none.” Every car that comes through Nylund’s Collision Center receives the highest quality service and then is delivered to the customer after receiving a complete detailing and adorned with a large ribbon bow.

Nylund’s Collision Center has been awarded the American Patriot Award for their pro-military hiring policy. They have been featured many times on the “Fan-Braggin’™ Friday” segment of the nationally syndicated Experience Pros Radio Show, a customer-driven program featuring nothing but the best in business. Nylund’s is located at 1033 W. Dartmouth Ave., Englewood, CO 80110 and may be contacted at 303-761-9219.

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