American Dream comes true thanks to banker... and SBA loan
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A big part of the success of All Magic Paint & Body
is Ellie Adri's hands-on attitude. |
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Photos by Jim Dorsey |
Anyone who has questioned whether it is possible to achieve the American Dream has only to spend a few moments talking with Ellie Adri of All Magic Paint and Auto Body in Norco to obtain the answer—a resounding "Yes!"
Ellie's story and the success of his business could make him a poster boy for an SBA (Small Business Administration) advertising campaign. But the heart of Ellie's accolades reaches deeper than his appreciation for the SBA program which ultimately financed a move bigger than he dreamed possible. At the center of Ellie's success is a banker who educated him, mentored him and worked by his side to make his dream a reality. Partnering with an experienced banker has made a tremendous difference in Ellie's business; it could do the same for yours.
Ellie Adri was raised in Galilee, Israel, in a kibbutz. At age 23, after serving in the Israeli armed forces, Ellie and a friend decided to travel the world. A long and convoluted journey found Ellie in Sherman Oaks, short on funds and working in his uncle's auto paint and body shop to earn the money to complete his travels and ultimately return home. It took two years. But as it turns out, his trip took an entirely different direction. Ellie would not return to Israel. Instead, he would purchase an auto body shop in Norco and create a home and a life in the Inland Empire.
Business was adequate in the new body shop on Hamner Avenue, but adequate would not support a family. Ellie would work days in the shop, building business with local residents of Norco. Some, he remembers "had problems with my accented English," but others began to spread the word that his work was excellent, his prices fair and his ethics impeccable. Ellie had a way of making customers feel like honored guests, almost like family.
In the evening, Ellie would return to Sherman Oaks, where his wife worked in a daycare center, to help defray expenses, and he managed an apartment building in exchange for free rent. Business was growing and life was looking good.
Enter a new shopping center development with a well known anchor tenant, Target. If this sounds like a good thing to you, it would only be because you have foresight not available to Ellie at that time. To prepare for Target's entry, Hamner Avenue would be widened. The street in front of Ellie's shop was torn up, customers could not figure out the complicated temporary access to his shop, and his budding business dried up almost overnight. He had to let his staff go, except for family, and forgo any salary to pay monthly expenses. He kept cutting month after month; his thought was "I will not give up what I have just begun to build." He knew that if he could hold out financially, the increase in traffic generated by the Target store would work to his advantage.
While he waited for the rare customer who would negotiate the access road to reach his shop, he sat outside the repair bays and had a lot of time to think. What he thought about was a piece of property that was directly across the street from his shop. It was larger than his current property, would have excellent visibility from the new road and would allow him to accept more than double the number of cars for repair than his current shop. He occupied his time by doodling on napkins and pieces of paper, designing and redesigning every aspect of the shop he would build on that piece of land if it were his. His dream became his passion.
Ellie was able to hold out for the nine months that it took for the new road to be completed. And the traffic attracted by Target turned out to be a boon for business. He began to pull out of the hole and at times, he even had to turn business away because the shop would not hold additional cars. At those times he would think, again, about his dream and pull out his drawings for another look. Profits from the business and some family money were combined to make an offer on the property he had watched for so long. Ellie's bid was accepted and the seller took back a note that allowed Ellie to buy out his business partner.
Call it fate or good fortune - Ellie calls it "the Lord's work" - when one day he struck up a conversation with a new customer to the shop. They shared similar backgrounds and their conversation covered a lot of ground that day. Ellie talked about his new property and shared one of the sketches he had come up for its development. His companion was a banker who specialized in lending to small businesses and had helped several small business owners expand their franchises. He asked Ellie if he was really serious about wanting to achieve his dream. Ellie answered that he was, of course, but that he didn't have the funds available to do anything about it. A new relationship was forged that day. He had met a friend who would become his mentor and his banker. The banker explained how the SBA program could help Ellie and what the requirements would be. Some of the process seemed daunting for Ellie, but with good advice and a great deal of moral support from his banker, projections were completed and a business plan was developed that put Ellie's dream into perspective. Ellie will never forget the day his banking partner showed him a simple formula for making decisions about new projects. "It was like the light went on. It brought everything into focus and I have shared this with many other small business owners who are on the fence about expanding."
Ellie's SBA loan was submitted and approved and construction of his new shop was completed. His banking partner mentored him through the entire process. The new All Magic Paint and Auto Body bears no resemblance to the building they started out in. But it does bear a striking resemblance to the first drawing Ellie sketched out on one of those first napkins.
How did the American Dream play out? Ellie's old shop had 3.5 bays. His new one has 15. His old shop could accommodate 15 cars at a time; his new shop averages 85 cars on any given day. Most importantly, revenue in his new shop quadrupled in the first month and has grown consistently ever since.
It wasn't simple, but "It was do able," Ellie shares. "And when you look at where we are today, we must credit a great deal of our success to the bank and the SBA program. Would I have reached this point without my bank and my banker? Probably — eventually. But I can tell you this for certain; if it weren't for a financial professional who became a friend and a valued business mentor, my success would still be a dream to be realized somewhere down the line. It would not be paying my bills, supporting the families of 30 employees and paving the way for continued growth today. My banker was the sole reason I am where I am today and not years from now. Not only did he believe in me, but he was willing to give me his time and expertise to show me how to get where I wanted to be."
Ellie once told his family and staff about his dream. "They laughed." It was inconceivable. And what's next? Ellie discussed the details of an expanded plan that is already underway. Is his banker a part of that plan? Without a doubt! He shared something else that carries the point of this article with a dramatic flair. "If I never drew another dime out of this body shop, it wouldn't matter. The investments and other business opportunities that have been made possible by the success of the shop could sustain me and my family and allow me to retire today." Is this the American Dream? At 38 years old, Ellie has no doubt that it is.
Success sometimes has a price. Personal service often falls off as business increases. This isn't likely to happen at All Magic. Ellie attributes much of the success of the business to an incredible team of professionals, many of whom have been with him from eight to 10 years. They are all completely focused on excellence and the customer experience. One person could not achieve this alone, it could never happen without each of the people who work with Ellie every day or without the unique approach they take to customer satisfaction.
For example, Ellie doesn't sit in an office insulated from complaints or customer problems by a locked door. He sits right out in the lobby waiting area where he personally makes sure that every customer is being treated in a manner that will make them a customer for life. Consequently, All Magic Auto has had no sustainable customer complaints in 10 years and rates highest on State Farm's customer satisfaction index. Sitting right out in front also pays off in other ways; it makes him readily available for the hugs and back slapping of customers who have become friends, and the occasional delivery of a gift from a satisfied customer. If you can't remember the last time you had an accident, took your car in for repairs and then sent the body shop a "Thank You" gift, you'll want to keep All Magic's number for future reference.
All Magic Paint and Auto Body is a member of the Corona Chamber of Commerce. Ellie lives in South Corona with his wife, Smadi, and children Adam and Talie
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