Vehicular invention

Body shop office workers in the driver’s seat

By Shannon Wells

The Gresham Outlook, Dec 10, 2008

WOOD VILLAGE — A successful visit to the body shop typically results in a shiny, dent-free car or truck. After stepping into the brand-new lobby office of Brasher’s Auto & Truck Collision Repair, however, a customer would be forgiven for wanting something besides his old car back.

How about an orange 1967 Ford Galaxy sofa? Or perhaps a silver-and-blue Mustang desk? That’s right — sofas, desks, Mustangs, Galaxies — combined. One-and-the-same. Tires and lights included.

The fanciful auto furniture gives new meaning to terms like “salvage,” “couch potato” — and certainly “desk jockey.” In an era of gray corporate cubicles, sitting down to work behind a gleaming classic chassis — with a name-customized license plate, even — seems downright glamorous. Well, at least most of the time.

“I wish I had a whole car to go with it,” receptionist Ashley Hill says from her snazzy, two-toned Mustang.

Her father, Operations Manager Tony Hill, designed and built the auto furniture. Besides envy and a little awe, Hill finds the hybrids he designed and built inspire a level of trust in Brasher’s patrons.

“When customers come in, they seem real confident leaving their cars here,” he says.

That was not always the case. For years, customers were received in a fly-by-night trailer office that exuded all the warmth and comfort of a rattletrap Pinto. Auto insurance representatives were confident in Brasher’s reputation, but reluctant to expose customers to the spartan facility at 23585 N.E. Sandy Blvd.

“We had a great staff, a great facility, but not much work,” Hill says. “Finally (the owners) said, ‘Go ahead, spend some money.’ ”
A revved-up business

A Sacramento, Calif.-based auto auction company, Brasher’s (pronounced like “Brazier’s”) operates as an auction house in five states. The Wood Village operation was the first to expand into a retail auto repair facility that has expanded to include mechanical, as well as body work.

Building a proper office area to accommodate the general public started out simply enough.

“We didn’t want to get real flamboyant,” says Jay Marquess, marketing manager. “Just something accessible for the customers.”

In stepped Hill, a 12-year Brasher’s employee, with an idea he borrowed, literally, from his brother’s closet in Eugene. Piled under a heap of clothes and junk was a green-and-yellow University of Oregon “Ducks” sofa crafted from the rear end of a 1962 Ford Falcon.

“It was a rough version,” he says. “It gave me the idea. I just wanted it. To have something made out of car that’s a couch, I thought that was neat.”

To complement the Ducks sofa, Hill created a counterpart couch to represent U of O rivals, the Oregon State Beavers. A bright orange Ford Galaxy placed opposite the Falcon completed the “Civil War display.”

That led to other things.

“I thought, ‘What could I do with the front of a car?’ ” Hill says.
Driving productivity

As plans developed for a brand-new office structure at the sprawling Brasher’s site, Hill got busy creating five auto-desks from salvaged parts in the shop. Yes, he took custom orders for the desks, which cost around $5,000 each to build.

Production Manager Al Glenn went new school with a 2008 Mustang. Randy Lindsey asked for a Cadillac Fleetwood, and Pat Allen kept things practical with a ’69 Ford pickup truck. Hill’s daughter, Ashley, also got what she asked for — the model, if not the exact color.

“She said, ‘I want a Mustang!’ ” Hill says, mimicking a demanding tone. “She wanted that flat, girlie pink. I wanted a cool, candy color. We got a candy pink. It looks more like a hot-rod versus a girls’ room. She loved it.”

Front-mounted license plates with employees’ names completed the desk customization.

Marquess credits Tony Hill with providing a visual hook to Brasher’s expansion into retail car repair.

“He has a very creative imagination,” Marquess says, noting an outdoor grill Hill designed from a 1972 Cadillac on display in the body shop. “He’s always thinking of these things.”

Brasher’s employees enjoy catching reactions from customers viewing the hot-rod furniture for the first time.

“It definitely catches them off guard,” Hill says. “A lot of them say, ‘I should’ve brought my camera.’ ”

Reporter Shannon O. Wells can be reached at swells@theoutlookonline.com or by calling 503-492-5118.
Things to know

What: Brasher’s Auto & Truck Collision Repair, a full-service body and mechanical repair center with a new office and customized

“vehicular” furniture.

Where: 23585 N.E. Sandy Blvd., Wood Village, across from Wal-Mart.

Call: 503-674-5463

NEWS SOURCE