Denny Gardner could probably repair a car blindfolded.
He's been working on cars since he was a teenager, so it was only natural for him to own a paint and body repair shop as an adult.
In fact, he owns two.
The 50-year-old is the owner of Riverfront Collision Center on Sand Bar Ferry Road and Riverfront Collision Center West on Evans to Locks Road. He opened his first shop in 1999. He has 12 employees at his downtown facility and 23 at his Evans shop, which he opened in 2006. Both shops handle collision repairs, light mechanical jobs, detailing and towing.
"We do everything in-house. Nothing leaves," Mr. Gardner said.
Most people recognize the shop from its advertising jingle: "Your car, your choice! Make the right choice. Riverfront Collision Center." One of his friends wrote the jingle, Mr. Gardner said. (Listen to the jingle)
"All the kids know it because it's on Cartoon Network," said his wife, Kyle Gardner.
Longtime employee Frank Adams III said that a few weeks ago, he and another employee were at a stoplight at Telfair and 13th streets in a Riverfront Collision Center tow truck. He said people crossing the street started singing the company's song.
"I started laughing. Everybody sings that song. That's everywhere I go. People see me and they start singing that song," Mr. Adams said.
It's a family affair at the repair shops. Mr. Gardner's mother, Flo Gardner, has worked with him since the beginning and is the bookkeeper at the Sand Bar Ferry Road shop. His wife, Kyle, is the office manager in Evans. This summer, his 15-year-old son, Cole, is working there.
With more than 25 years of experience, Mr. Gardner holds some of the highest certifications in the industry.
"My background is technical. Even still, I'm a certified technician. I keep my certifications up," he said.
Mr. Gardner doesn't think of himself as "the business owner."
"On paper it says that I'm a business owner, but what does that mean? I work here just like everybody else. It's a team. One guy is not going to make it happen," he said.
"You take a day like today and those guys are back there fixing cars. If you take one of the painters out of the equation, not as many cars get painted. If you take me out, the same amount of cars would be fixed. So who's the most important? It's certainly not me. It takes everybody in this organization to make it happen.
"Business owner just means that I'm responsible for the funding."
Despite his humble view of ownership, Randy Griffin, the president of CSRA Business Lending, said Mr. Gardner brings a lot to the table. His years of experience were a big plus, he said.
"He's definitely done a terrific job with Riverfront. It's always amazed me that he could be successful at that location downtown, because it's not exactly on the beaten path. That tells you something about him, his service and his quality -- and the connection he has with his customers," Mr. Griffin said. "When he bought it, it certainly wasn't doing the numbers that it does now."
Mr. Gardner stays on top of technology, Mr. Griffin said.
"When you go in their facility, they have every bell and whistle to fix cars. There's others in town that do just as good of a job ... but Denny -- I think a lot of what makes Denny's place is Denny," he said.
Mr. Gardner looks like a "big defensive tackle," Mr. Griffin said. "But when you talk to him for two minutes, you'll understand that he's one of the most likeable, nice guys." Mr. Gardner often fires up the grill to cook lunch for his staff, Mr Griffin added.
Mr. Adams, a technician, was one of Mr. Gardner's first employees.
"It's been great. He's a nice fellow to work for. A good, Christian fellow. He looks out for his help, so that tells a lot about him," Mr. Adams said.
He said that Mr. Gardner provides a good working facility and supplies, health insurance and paid vacations, unlike some shops.
"If you have any problems with your vehicles, he makes sure you have good transportation so you can get back and forth to the job. He's got an open heart. I don't think you can work for a better person," he said.
Starting out
Mr. Gardner, the second oldest of five siblings, grew up in Augusta. When he was about 4 years old, his family moved from Maryland to Augusta because his father, Denny Gardner Sr., was stationed at Fort Gordon.
Back then, military families didn't move around as much as they do today, he said. After retiring from the military, his father took a job at the Medical College of Georgia. Mr. Gardner's father died in 1993.
Throughout his childhood, Mr. Gardner played sports for the recreation department and county leagues.
"I was a Boy Scout. That was the biggest thing. We camped out in the woods. A lot of fun. It teaches you a lot of things," he said.
His mother said his love for cars started as a teenager.
"He's always liked cars. He's just good at what he does. He can look at a car and immediately tell you what he can do to it, if it's been in an accident," she said.
Mr. Gardner said that he painted his first car in his parents' backyard. It was his own car, a 1967 Ford Galaxy. The over spray from the black paint landed in the neighbor's pool next door.
"My last year in high school, I went to technical school right behind Josey High School," he said.
He studied paint and body work in the one-year program. He got a job as a paint and body apprentice the day he graduated in 1979.
He worked as a technician until 1992, when he went into management at a local Ford dealership, Mr. Gardner said. Four years later, he took a job running the body shop at a Chevrolet dealership in Savannah, Ga. He commuted for three years, coming home on weekends.
"We thought we wanted to move there, but I wanted to get back to Augusta. I was looking for a way to get back, and a downtown shop was for sale," he said.
In 1999, Mr. Gardner bought the shop, then Crooks Paint and Body on Sand Bar Ferry Road, acquiring funding through the Small Business Administration. He renovated the shop, added equipment and reopened in three months.
"We brought it up to a modern facility," he said.
Mr. Gardner said that when he was in Savannah he took continuing education courses through the University of Georgia that were designed for people who wanted to be business owners.
The biggest challenge of starting his own business "was walking off a job that paid well. To go from a great big salary to zero," he said.
But he felt the odds were in his favor.
"You can always go back to work for somebody," he said.
He started with a handful of employees who had worked for the previous owner. His mother was secretary, and he had only a body technician, a body helper, a painter and a detailer for several months.
"For the first year, I drove the wrecker, so there would be some nights there would be little or no sleep. You'd be on wrecker call. I'd come in the next morning without any sleep, and I'd kind of catch sleep where I could," he said.
Business started picking up, and the staff grew. Mr. Gardner opened his second location in September 2006, after a year of constructing the building. He started the shop with a partner, a childhood friend who thought Evans was a good place to open a business.
"I agreed with him. We felt like the timing was right. The demographics were already there," Mr. Gardner said.
He bought his friend's share of the business in 2008.
Luther Kirby, one of Mr. Gardner's closest friends, attributes his success to plain hard work. Even when he was employed by others, Mr. Gardner worked 60 to 70 hours a week, Mr. Kirby said.
"He never knew what a 40-hour week was. That's what propelled him into his own business, and that's why he's done so well," Mr. Kirby said.
More than repairing cars
Mr. Gardner said that he can't imagine doing anything else for a living.
"I've been doing it so long, it actually becomes a part of you. What else would I do?" Mr. Gardner said. "The biggest part is helping people. When you have a car wreck, that's pretty dramatic.
"Or fix up someone's first car for them. The look on their face, it's rewarding. Like any other business, it has its trying times, no doubt about it. I enjoy the whole process. There's not one part of it that I dislike."
On his typical day, he goes to the gym at 5:30 a.m. to work out, returns home to get dressed and starts his work day at 8 a.m.
"I believe in being proactive, not reactive, so I have an agenda that I try to stick to. Things pop up, problems occur and you have to take care of them, but for the most part my days are scheduled," he said.
He visits both shops daily and walks through them to inspect vehicles and supervise repairs. All technical problems are turned over to him so that he can find a solution.
He's grateful to work alongside his wife.
"Trust is a big part when it comes to the money end of any business. Who better can you trust than your wife?" Mr. Gardner said.
The couple met at a Christmas party in Augusta 20 years ago and have been married for 16 years. Their friends often ask what it's like to work together, Mrs. Gardner said.
"He's a great guy, great father and great husband. I couldn't ask for any better. We actually work well together," she said.
"First rule of business -- don't ever hire anyone that you can't fire," her husband said jokingly.
Mrs. Gardner said that she wasn't scared when her husband wanted to open his own business.
"I was behind him 100 percent. I knew it was going to work if he knew it was going to work," she said.
Mr. Gardner said one key to his success has been staying current with auto-repair technology..
"All of it is computerized. We have laser measuring systems for frames and computerized four-wheel alignments," he said.
In the old days, technicians put chains on a car and simply used their judgement to pull and adjust the frame. Now, a laser is placed underneath the car and reads targets placed on the vehicle. It tells where the frame is out of line and how much it should be adjusted.
"We can pull it right where it needs to go. It's pretty high-tech stuff. It's changed so much since I've been doing this.
"A car nowadays has greater computer capabilities and technology than Apollo 11," Mr. Gardner said.
Technicians have also changed, he said.
"There's so many classes, schools, workshops and certifications that you need now. Technicians out there now are very computer-oriented. Super smart. They have a computer in their pocket. I get a kick out of them, these new guys," he said.
He said the Augusta area needs to offer better training at its technical schools. He said that he's had to "import help because there's not a labor pool here."
His technicians repair cars according to manufacturer's recommendations.
"We don't just take it upon ourselves to fix a car the way we think it needs to be fixed. That's the way this business is now. The days of people fixing a car however they want to fix it doesn't exist anymore," he said.
Bench press, no stress
Mr. Kirby's nickname for Mr. Gardner is Dinky. The two met at a health spa in the early 1980s. Mr. Gardner, who is 6-4, weighed about 300 pounds when he was in training as a weightlifter.
"He was the largest guy that worked out with us," Mr. Kirby said. "He seemed to tower over everybody. Instead of calling him Tiny, we called him Dinky."
Mr. Gardner started competing in power-lifting competitions in his early 20s. While a member of Augusta's Elite Power Lifting Team, he won a state championship. His career ended in 1997 when he suffered a knee injury during a meet. He ruptured a tendon while performing a lift.
"I almost went into shock. It took a long time before it got well," he said.
He became interested in competing when he met a group of locals, including Mr. Kirby, who traveled for power-lifting competitions. Mr. Gardner competed in the bench, squat and dead lift competitions.
"It was a great group of guys. Life-changing. All of us in that group ranked in the top 100 in the country," he said.
His best official squat was 765 pounds; bench press was 540 pounds; and dead lift was 730 pounds. Now, he takes it easy during workouts.
"That no pain, no gain thing, I don't do that any more. No pain -- good. I just try to stay in shape now," he said.
In his spare time, Mr. Gardner restores old cars and trucks at his home. He's working on a 1964 Chevrolet pickup now.
His wife said he also enjoys fishing at the pond at their home, riding four wheelers and working on projects around the house.
"He's pretty handy like that. He just loves to work," Mr. Kirby said.
Mr. Gardner said that his faith has become increasingly important to him.
"None of us know what tomorrow brings. One of the things that sustains me is my faith in God. Even when this thing first started, that's what I was counting on. It certainly wasn't my ability to be able to do anything outside of what God's will was for me," he said.
The Gardners attend New Hope Worship Center.
"I drive a golf cart, pick up people and carry them to the front door," he said.
He looks forward to many more years of repairing cars. His Evans site has reached only 60 percent capacity of what it can accommodate.
"This store has doubled in volume since we've opened. We look for this store to really grow," he said.
Reach LaTina Emerson at (706) 823-3227 or latina.emerson@augustachronicle.com.
DENNY GARDNER
TITLE: Owner and president of Riverfront Collision Center and Riverfront Collision Center West
BORN: Nov. 21, 1959, in Glen Burnie, Md.
FAMILY: Wife, Kyle; and children Cole, Chandler and Campbell
CIVIC/EXTRACURRICULAR: New Hope Worship Center
HOBBIES: Weightlifting, restoring old cars and trucks, home remodeling projects, yard work
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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That is the WORST advertising jingle I've ever heard--grating in fact.
That is such a sweet story , about someone that was such a JERK in high school. Glad to hear he became such a nice person.
Denny Gardner is a gentleman and has ALWAYS treated me well. He has proven himself over and over again to be a business owner with integrity, and has fixed problems with my cars even after I paid for an earlier repair, just because it was the right thing to do. You would not get that kind of commitment at the dealerships or big shops. He just fixed my 16 year old son's first truck and he is happy as he can be with it. Denny had to do a lot of extra work on the paint job and never charged us more, because he knew it was his first auto. I will always take my repairs to Denny, and will always refer him business.
I don't think the jingle is so bad. You refer to a marketing concept called "Annoyance Marketing", like the "Five for Five" Subway commercial or the "Checkers building turning into a chicken" commercial. Now those are annoying. Most, but not all, of the high school jerks from my high school evolved into humans over the years. They had further to go so it just took longer.
Great Article!! I've known Denny since those "Boy Scouts" days and you couldn't ask for a more respectable guy.
Keep up the good work and best wishes to Denny and his family.
I don't know him, but I'd bet that Denny and the fellow that opened Cushman's P&B learned what they did from the guys at Kendrick Paint & Body! That place was/is the busiest shop in Augusta, and the reason is that they learned to treat people the right way, with kindness and understanding. If Denny is half the man that the Kendrick brothers are, he'll do great in business.
That jingle is HORRIBLE!