Chase Landers on Growth, Leadership, and the Future of Collision Repair

In this episode of BodyShop Leaders, Daniel Burkholder talks with Chase Landers about what it means to grow up in a body shop, step into leadership, and help move a family-owned collision repair business into the future.

Chase shares stories from his early days around the shop and the path that eventually led him into a larger leadership role at Landers Towing and Collision Centers. He talks candidly about the early grind of helping build a location, wearing multiple hats, and learning through trial, pressure, and experience. He also reflects on what changed as he matured as a leader — from pushing hard and reacting quickly to learning how to work through problems with more clarity, patience, and perspective. 

Daniel and Chase also discuss the realities of growing a multi-location operation: earning trust from longtime employees, creating buy-in around new systems and processes, developing future leaders inside the organization, and maintaining a healthy culture while scaling. Along the way, Chase shares his perspective on the importance of team, responsibility, safe repairs, profitability, and doing what is right for both the customer and the long-term health of the business. 

The conversation also explores where the collision repair industry may be heading next. Chase offers insight into how AI, OEM procedures, repair standards, and insurer relationships could shape the future of body shops over the next several years. It’s a thoughtful discussion for anyone trying to grow a shop, lead a team, and stay ahead in a changing industry. 

This episode is especially valuable for collision shop owners, managers, next-generation leaders, and anyone building a business inside the auto body and collision repair space. 

The BodyShop Leaders Podcast is powered by BodyShop Marketing, the agency helping collision industry leaders grow smarter and lead stronger.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

I think that the shops in the future are going to definitely be looking into OEM certifications because I do believe that vehicles will decide where they're going to go. Maybe not right today, but in the next five years, I would put a lot of money on that. Because the safety and repairability of AI features is going to be a lot different than what it is right now.

SPEAKER_00 0:32

Welcome to Body Shop Leaders, the podcast where we spotlight the people, ideas, and leadership shaping the future of collision repair. I'm Daniel Burkholder, and today I'm joined by Chase Landers, second generation leader at Landers Towing and Collision Centers, a family-owned operation that's grown from a small garage into a multi-MSO across southern Illinois. Chase is someone who understands growth, responsibility, and the weight of carrying a family name while still pushing the business forward. Let's dive in. Chase, welcome to the show. Hi Daniel, how are you, buddy? I'm doing great. So glad to have you here.

SPEAKER_02 1:12

Yes, I appreciate you having me here. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 1:14

Yeah, 100%. Hey, let's just dive right in, Chase. So I want to kind of rewind back to the origin. When you were younger, you grew up inside this business. What are some of your earliest memories of the shop and how did that shape how you lead today?

SPEAKER_02 1:33

Yeah, whenever I first started in the shop, I didn't I shouldn't even say started. I was actually playing basketball around in my dad's pole barn, you know, and he'd be working right next to me, you know, big ball bouncing off of the filler that he just got done working. Basically, I'd kind of have been part of the body shop forever. I mean, started out detailing and continued to to do the processes and continued to do the learn a little bit from the technicians and kind of grow from there.

SPEAKER_00 2:06

Amazing. So you remember playing, yeah, in amongst all the tools and cars.

SPEAKER_02 2:13

Yeah. Yeah, I was probably five years old, I would say, around that time, whenever he was working out of the pole barn. I had a three-point line set up and a basketball goal and all that for me. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:26

Amazing. It was that long ago. Yeah, isn't that something? And over the years, I guess as you were growing up, you just watched the business grow. I imagine you probably eventually moved out of the pole barn into another shop. And do you have any memories around that?

SPEAKER_02 2:41

Yeah, yeah, it turned into Stand the Tire Man. It was a big old tire man statue in the front of the building. And uh it had an oil change bay that I used to go down and play in, and they didn't use it for oil changes at the time. It was actually like all retrofitted for computers, and I I don't even really remember what all they used it for, but I spent a lot of time playing in there. And uh there was one particular time that there was a tread depth gauge, mind you, I was six, seven. I'm not exactly sure sure how old I was, but I broke a tread depth gauge and I I thought I destroyed, you know, I have no idea how much that tool was or nothing, but yeah, I thought for sure I was getting in trouble for that one. And I mean, uh, you know, looking back, not a big deal, but right whenever I was in there, I was yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:31

Yeah, that is quite something. So was there a time as you were growing up, like let's say you got into your teenage years where you were starting to help around the shop. Did you know that that's what you wanted to do, or did you have other aspirations?

SPEAKER_02 3:46

I never really saw myself in the body shop. I I didn't really know what I was gonna do. I actually went to school. I was actually going through ROTC, ended up having a knee injury during that process, and then came back. You know, I had I had been, like I said, you know, I'd been detailing, I'd worked in the body shop, I, you know, repaired a few vehicles, painted a little bit. I didn't do a whole lot of it, but I I knew the process, you know, I did a lot of prep work. And I would say after that happened to me in school, I came back and started doing the estimating front office stuff. And from there, that was about the time the dad said that he wanted to look into opening in Mount Vernon, which is our bigger shop now. Uh, and I was like, yeah, let's do it, you know, let's see where it goes, run with it. And we did. The first five years were pretty rough. Just me and another guy for a while in there. And it was actually Eric Beard, who is our painter now in Salem, and he helped me a ton, you know, did a lot for us, has done a lot for us, been with us for a long time, obviously. And, you know, grew to a couple more guys. We eventually hired a detailer, added a body man, added a technician, but in between that time, I'm running from the front office to the back, you know, kind of getting filthy in the back, coming up to the front, writing sheets, going back to the back. And uh I did that for probably the first three to five years, and it was rough, man. I mean, I did not want any part of it. I actually kind of hated the body shop at that point in time. You know, fast forward, I was 25 to 27, picked up a book. It was Rich Dad, Poor Dad, which is probably one of the more common ones that you know anybody reads as far as like entrepreneurial stuff goes. And I said, man, you know, the body shops are really there's really potential here. I kind of thought through that with myself and and then eventually, you know, said that I want to try to continue to make this a thing. We did move into a bigger shop there in Mount Vernon because we had more production going, we had a lot more vehicles, a lot more customers coming in, more technicians. And uh now fast forward a little bit more. I'm overseeing those two locations, Salem and Mount Vernon, and now we're continuing to grow that. We've had a great team all along, though, and I think that was really the most important part. You know, we had uh guys in place that had already been with us for a few years that were really an important part of us growing and becoming the shops that we are today.

SPEAKER_00 6:21

That's amazing. I love that story. Chase, I have another question that I'd like to ask you about. So there's a big difference of being a part of a family business and leading it. When did you realize that like this responsibility is on me now? Like, I want to really move this thing forward. And I think you alluded to that a little bit, but if you could just maybe lean into that and tell us a little more about that.

SPEAKER_02 6:44

Well, again, it's the team aspect, right? If we didn't have a great team to continue to push and help lead everyone, it wouldn't have worked. Whenever you start thinking about, you know, all the people involved, families, and then start adding in their kids and their spouses, it becomes a really big picture of how important, you know, the entire thing is. And every day that we make decisions, you know, we change lives, and it really puts it into perspective whenever you're trying to make the right decision moving forward and what's going to be best for not only the organization, but the people, and how we can make sure that they're taken care of in the long run.

SPEAKER_00 7:27

I like how you bring out that aspect of it's it's a team effort. And that kind of leads me right to another question that I was thinking about is how did you earn buy-in from longtime employees when you moved into that leadership role, especially maybe those that had known your dad first and you were just like the young guy on the scenes, how did you work at earning that trust and respect?

SPEAKER_02 7:53

Yeah, I mean, I think anybody that has ever grown up in the body shop to help run their family business, their organization, can understand that it it was not a process where you just get put into place. Right. You have to work with the ones that mentored you and eventually show them enough chaos and crazy ideas and things that work, and and I shouldn't even say show them, you know, work with them, help have them help you, and in return you help them, you know, to kind of see that you know there are processes that are different. One just one thing in particular, Corey Thorson's been with us forever. He's the GM of our entire organization, he's great at what he does. Um, he used to have a pad of paper that he kept the schedule on. He was the the Salem GM for a little while before we expanded and you know grew into what we are, but he had a pen and paper to keep the schedule. Well, nobody could ever read what was on the schedule, and it was a big fight. I mean, it was like so. As soon as it switched, you know, I kind of moved into the Salem spot and started working with him a little bit more. It was very tough. We wanted to go to a Google schedule so that way everybody could see it, everybody can actually have a hand in it to schedule work and mark in hours and what's coming in and all that. And he was like, I'm not getting rid of it, not getting rid of my schedule book. I write everything in here, and so just one one tiny portion of the entire thing that you know that is part of growing with the company and with the business and and the guys that you work with. And I love them all. I mean, we're all like a big family now, you know, but I mean, there for a little bit, it was a lot of pushback, and I think they would agree with me. I mean, we talk about it often, honestly. So it's just kind of unique and interesting on how that all plays out.

SPEAKER_00 9:50

That is a great perspective to look at it as it's a process, and and I admire what you have done, Chase. You've obviously gotten your guys to buy in and to your vision of the business. You've done a great job. It kind of leads me to another question as well that I'd like to talk a little bit about culture. Like you mentioned, you guys are like a family now. Uh, it sounds like it wasn't always that way. There were some struggles, but that's understandable as you're growing and as you're scaling. So, as you've gone from one shop to multiple locations, and I know you're adding locations, and that's awesome to see. What did you learn about growing, scaling, but not losing that culture?

SPEAKER_02 10:32

So, one time it was put that I was like a rocket ship, and it was hard for everyone to understand what I was thinking sometimes. And I think that you know, as we grew together as a company, we integrated a lot of processes and we built a front-end staff that was pretty exceptional, I feel like. And we together we made the processes, the workflow, integrating new software and just stuff that you know that a business nowadays almost has to have to continue to thrive on. Um, I think that people started to see it. I've I feel like not only were people uh kind of like, okay, yeah, we're getting new stuff now. This is cool, you know, just being able to understand OEM position statements and OEM procedures and start understanding why we needed a pre-scan and post-scan and do just everything. I mean, people see that, and I feel like that's part of the cultural buy-in, right? Everyone working together to make it happen to and to do it the right way so that it's safe, reliable. We know that what we did was right whenever it left the building, and as a team, that means a lot to everyone in there, not just the people putting it in place.

SPEAKER_00 11:47

Amazing. I'd like to take us to another story, Chase. And I don't know what you're gonna share with us here on this one, but can you tell us about a moment where this growth tested you, where maybe something broke, went sideways, or you were just had to rethink how you lead? Are we talking recently?

SPEAKER_02 12:07

Because there's a lot of things that's happened in the last five years. I mean you can pick any you like. I mean, man, we're going with the flow, and you know, there's processes that we've had to break and retrain and redo every other year just for the simple fact that the industry's changing, and if if we don't make changes and continue to break it and continue to rebuild it to so um it is not only profitable, but also a benefit to the organization in the long run. And also, you know, another thing that you got to think about is quality and safety of repairs leaving the building, because sometimes, especially recently, we've had issues where we would do a lot of things that pre-impost scans, for instance. Um, a major DRP that we've you know recently had to part ways with is no longer paying for pre-impost scans. That's a problem for profit margins. Those add up. You know, we're talking a few hundred thousand dollars a year that we probably pay for those processes, and that's a real problem for the industry. And I think that I'm gonna go off subject here because I think this is relevant. Let's do it. Okay. So there is, I'm gonna make a prediction that in the next three to five years, AI is going to be integrated in the majority of vehicles that we drive on the road, 28 and newer, right? Um, so another thing that comes with that is procedures, policies, and actually how we repair those vehicles the correct way. That means that what we're going to have to have is a system of AI integration with OEM procedures that will talk through the shop, that will help the shop to understand the best way to repair that vehicle. And I think what's going to come with that also is a demand for the industry to adapt to that and be flexible with that, not only through estimatics, but also through repairability practices and what is reasonable to be paid for and what not to be paid for. And so we're gearing up for that. And I think that the shops in the future are going to uh definitely be looking into OEM certifications because I do believe that vehicles will decide where they're gonna go. Maybe not right today, but in the next five years, I would put a lot of money on that because the safety and repairability of AI features is going to be a lot different than what it is right now. Sensors and radars are used, yes, cameras are used, yes, but then you've got to talk to AI and you've got to figure out how to make sure that that's back on track. So there's a lot going on that it's pretty exciting. Those are the things that I think is going to significantly help the industry as opposed to what we're currently facing right now. You know, there's a lot of fighting. I shouldn't even say fighting, there is a lot of back and forth between insurance companies and the body shop whenever it comes to how to repair a vehicle and what should be paid for and what shouldn't be paid for. And I do think that the integration of AI is going to make that obsolete. I mean, what I foresee happening is there's going to be, well, my AI said this, and well, yeah, but the industry AI says this, or you know, my AI says this. So that's the next phase. And then you have policies, right? You have government enforced policies that will take care of that as well. There's actually two things happening right now. It's the Safe Repair Act and the Repair Act itself. And I think that is the next step forward into what will help introduce those policies and make it standard. I I'm not going to dive into those. Very interesting. I've read into those policies and I know that they are two very different opinions. So I'll let the listeners check that out for themselves. But I do think that those are going to have a lot to do with the AI integration and what's going to happen in the future.

SPEAKER_00 16:11

Very fascinating. I I appreciate you sharing your perspective of what you see coming down the line. And I obviously haven't spent the amount of time that you have researching and thinking about it, but I can definitely see your point, and I think you're probably very accurate. So it'll be interesting to see how that all plays out. And like you said, it's exciting. Obviously, things are going to have to change, but we're used to things changing. Like you said, you're breaking processes and changing them on a monthly, maybe yearly basis where you see processes that need to change, and as your organization grows and as you guys evolve into better, yeah, more sophisticated. I have another question around leadership that I think plays right into this.

unknown 16:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 16:57

How would you describe your leadership style today? And how is it different than maybe when you were younger?

SPEAKER_02 17:05

Again, I think that any person that grew up as a young guy in the body shop and became somebody that is in a leadership position later on had two different ideas of what it should look like, right? Right. Whenever I was younger, I was also dumber, you know, I didn't know the things that I know today. Right. So that would lead me to make decisions and you know take action in a way that I wouldn't now. You know, it doesn't always have to be two guys yelling at each other in the middle of the shop floor. I mean, that was common whenever we were trying to get something done or figured out, and now it is more, you know, how can we work together to solve this problem? You know, I know you're mad and I'm frustrated. Like, let's figure it out. Let's put pen to paper or AI bots to whatever, you know, like let's just get it done. And that's kind of what's happened, I think.

SPEAKER_00 17:59

Did I hear you write that a lot of experience has helped to teach you this, has helped you to gain wisdom around that how to lead.

SPEAKER_02 18:08

Yeah, yeah. Uh I mean it I spent a lot of time after after really diving into books and audiobooks and just and some of them were self-help, you know, but the the majority of stuff that I listen to now is more to just maintain. And I think that every time you get a process of learning um and understanding a lot of how other people work too, it is a lot easier for you to self-reflect and understand what the next action should be. And my dad's quoted this a long time. You know, if you're really mad, like really, really mad, wait 24 hours. And that's probably the best piece of advice that I've had so far, regardless of what books I've read. So um great wisdom, man. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 18:56

It is absolutely it works great. It works great, 100%. I couldn't agree more with you on that as a guy grows, and I know you've spent time, like you said, with books, audio of trying to help yourself grow and move forward and become a better leader, which is outstanding. Chase, you've mentioned your team at least a couple times, and you speak highly of your team that you couldn't have got where you are without that team, and that's so true. Is there anything that you're doing intentionally to develop these leaders inside of your organization as you grow?

SPEAKER_02 19:33

You mean like future future talent, basically through the ranks?

SPEAKER_00 19:39

Exactly. Like if you see some talent inside of somebody, is there anything you're doing to help kind of move that person forward? Or I know you mentioned like I think one of your GM over the whole organization started out at one. Like, how do you nurture that growth in these guys?

SPEAKER_02 19:56

Man, it is crazy. It happens almost daily. You know, you start talking to guys and you see it, you see their work ethic, what's in their minds, they talk to you, the way they talk to you, you you understand over time, you know, that feel like you kind of develop it that this guy needs to do this in this position. And I think that you guide them to that and you kind of give them the two-year window or a picture of what that can look like. And and again, it's a whole entire group of guys, right, that are that are kind of implementing this at the same time. And we talk about it every day, every m every morning almost we have a meeting of you know what's going on, what's the plan, where you know, where are we heading? This guy did this, this guy wants to do this, blah, blah, blah, right? And and females too. I keep saying guys, but we got a ton of females that operate at the same level. So um, but I mean it's definitely something that happens, and I think it happens organically. There's really no there's no plan, it just does it, you know, and it's fun, it's cool to see. It's amazing, and it's cool to see people succeed later, too.

SPEAKER_00 21:04

Right. I'm sure you can probably think of situations where you maybe had a guy come on as a wash detailer, whatever, and he slowly worked his way up the ranks. That's amazing. Oh, yeah. And like you said, yeah, a lot of this is just organic, it's part of your culture of helping people succeed, helping them move forward. Amazing. And it's a lot of fun too. I can believe I can believe that. What uh uh advice would you have for let's say a growing shop, maybe some ambitious young man that would like to grow his shop, maybe add some locations. What advice would you give him, or is there anything that you learned the hard way that you would tell him?

SPEAKER_02 21:46

I would say be choosy about your uh contracts that you sign. That would be probably one of the bigger ones to be very choosy because sometimes you're sitting in a position, especially it also depends on what your what you're Your perspective is to the people you know that come to your shop, the customers, the clientele. Do they know that you're a reputable shop? Do they know that they can trust you with their vehicle? Sometimes you don't have to always have some of those contracts.

SPEAKER_00 22:19

And there's are you meaning like contracts with insurance companies?

SPEAKER_02 22:23

Yeah. Okay. Yeah, there are some, and they change, man. I mean, that's the the honest the honest truth is they could change how they, and I'm talking anybody, can change how they do something six months from now. And it can be a total shit show of a deal for you, you know, if you're if you're not ready for it. So so I think like having a good relationship with, you know, some insurance companies and DRPs is relevant and it is strong as long as they're focused on the safety of the customer and quality of the vehicle or repair at the end of the day. That's going to be key.

SPEAKER_00 23:01

That's interesting. I don't know that I was expecting you to say that, but that's great to hear that advice is to be choosy who you sign a contract with as far as the insurance work that you do. And it sounds like, if I remember correctly, you mentioned a little bit ago that you actually dropped one of your contracts in not in the too long ago because you guys obviously, I don't know, didn't align anymore. Yep.

SPEAKER_02 23:29

Yep. And again, that goes back to that things can change within a six-month time frame. Right. You know, we were with them for 25 years, and people that are listening are gonna speculate on exactly who I'm talking about. So it's you know, I mean, I'm not gonna say it, but you know, it's it's tough, man. And hopefully, you know, it's the right decision for the organization and for our repairs. It's going to probably hurt a little bit as far as you know, volume and throughput, but I think that in the long run, and I'm talking five years, whenever policies are in place, the industry changes for the better, and it's going to take industry leaders that are gonna actually make the right choices. Right. Because there can be two ways that this goes. This can be AI driven by insurance companies or OEMs. And again, I think there's going to be AI battles here. I really do. As crazy as it sounds, it is going to happen. My AI says this and blah blah blah, right? But I mean, what in what inevitably is going to come out of this is AI adoption to OEM procedures and writing thorough repair estimates and repair bills. It's going to happen. As long as the industry does uh goes the direction that it needs to, it will happen.

SPEAKER_00 24:46

Very interesting. I have one last question for you, Chase. When you hear the phrase body shop leader, what does that mean to you?

SPEAKER_02 24:57

Oh man, I wrote something down on this, and I can't remember what I wrote down. You're good. I would say a body shop leader is going to be anyone focused on improving the industry for the better, and safer quality repairs are at the very front of the spear for their organization. Gross profit, you know, profits matter because you can't continue to grow and you can't continue to be an industry leader if you don't have that. So it is relevant, right? But at the same time, everybody has to understand that in order for the collision repair industry to be relevant and make sense, it has to be backed by safe and quality repairs and OEM repair standards. And that's the only right way to do it.

SPEAKER_00 25:48

Agreed. Now that's uh some great advice for any body shop leader is safe and proper repairs. And obviously, you have to make a profit to remain a leader, but obviously safe repairs are at the forefront of that. Well, Chase, this has been a great conversation. I appreciate you taking the time to come on the show and share with us. Yeah, no problem. I appreciate you having me, man. 100%. Your story is a reminder that leadership isn't about titles, it's about responsibility, it's about people and it's about the long game. So, to everyone listening, if today's episode resonated with you, share it with someone who's stepping into leadership or growing a shop of their own. This is Body Shop Leaders, powered by Body Shop Marketing, helping collision shops grow smarter, stronger, and more future ready. We'll see you on the next episode.