Brady’s Auto Body began serving Clark County in 1984 under the name Mill Plain Auto Body. In 2002, the shop was sold to Brady and Tana Lander and renamed Brady’s Auto Body. The local, family owned and operated business is a full-service collision repair facility that specializes in body and paint work.
In the 20 years that Mill Plain Auto Body was in operation, a loyal customer base was established. When the Lander family purchased the business, there were 10 longstanding team members, and today, there are now 24 employees. Since 2002, sales have grown more than 350%, and they have successfully adapted to the rapid changes that have happened in the automotive industry.
Four years ago, the shop changed to a team-centered production concept that allows for multiple technicians to work together to complete a task. This model has served them well, allowing them to move staff around to complete repairs with no delays, even in the event that there were team members absent.
Things took an interesting – and difficult – turn when the pandemic made its way to Clark County. Even though the business was considered essential, and they were allowed to stay open, their business slowed significantly – simply because people were working more from home and auto body services were not in high demand. Brady Lander shared that in April of 2020, they felt the sharpest impacts of the coronavirus shutdowns, when business fell 70% in the second quarter. The rebound has been slow coming, but they were able to keep all team members employed and their quality customer service never wavered.
“Our industry has seen a huge increase in business over the last several months, so currently the biggest challenge we are facing is getting parts from our suppliers due to the supply chain shortage,” Brady said. “We are trying to order parts at least three weeks in advance to make sure we can make the repair process as efficient as possible.”
Looking ahead, Brady’s Auto Body is excited to celebrate its 20-year anniversary in January.
“We are looking forward to celebrating such a milestone as a business and are thankful to the customers, business partners and our staff for helping us reach this achievement,” Brady said.
Brady’s Auto Body is located at 7615 NE 119th Place, in Vancouver.
