Crash Champions to Expand California Footprint with Acquisition of the Legendary Mike's Auto Body

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Jun 21, 2022, 10:05 ET

The addition of Mike's Auto Body and its 17 locations will strengthen Crash Champions' presence in Northern California and bring the Company's total locations across the state to 51

This acquisition brings Crash Champions' total U.S. locations to ~220 across 20 states and the District of Columbia

CHICAGO, June 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Crash Champions (or the "Company"), one of the nation's fastest-growing independent collision repair companies, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Mike's Auto Body, a leading family-owned collision repair multi-shop operator (“MSO”) in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Slated to close in early August 2022, all 17 Mike's Auto Body locations will operate under the Crash Champions name and banner, bringing the Company's total number of shops in California to 51. This is a major industry development that not only adds another leading name in California into the Crash Champions platform, but rounds out the Company's footprint in the Golden State.

Having first opened its doors in 1972, Mike's Auto Body has become a well-known and trusted leader in the San Francisco Bay Area for providing high quality collision repairs and outstanding customer service. Founded by Mike Rose, the business offers a full suite of modern collision repair services at its 17 state-of-the-art locations, spanning Napa to Fremont. For a complete list of Mike’s Auto Body locations, click here.

"For nearly 50 years, Mike's Auto Body has been a model of excellence for our industry," said Matt Ebert, founder and CEO of Crash Champions. "When you look at our incredible growth over the last three years, there's a common theme with every M&A transaction we've completed: true partnership with great operators. Every deal we have done has been rooted in identifying the right partners who share our operational ethos, and never has this been truer than with Mike's Auto Body. The Rose family has built a phenomenal business with a stellar reputation and robust footprint that fits well with our platform in California. I'm thrilled to welcome the Rose family and their team to Crash Champions, and I look forward to our future together."

Following the transaction, Mike Rose, Brennan Rose, and Ragen Rose-Ortland will become equity holders in the Company.

“After five decades of building this business into the respected leader it is today, I could not be prouder to partner with Matt Ebert and Crash Champions to begin a new chapter,” said Founder Mike Rose. “This is a tremendous day in our history, and we are all very excited to take this next step.”

Ragen Rose-Ortland, CFO of Mike’s Auto Body, added: “Matt and his team have demonstrated a clear commitment to their customers, employees, and the neighborhoods where they live and work, which was important to us with our choice of national MSOs. As we join together with Crash Champions, we know we’re in great hands.”

“Since our founding, we have been doing business the right way and putting the people we serve first,” said Brennan Rose, CEO of Mike’s Auto Body. “This approach has led to our success, and in Crash Champions, we know we have found a partner who shares this mission and philosophy—ensuring that our values are maintained moving forward. This is a monumental day for the Mike’s Auto Body family, and I look forward to what the future holds under the Crash Champions banner.”

Crash Champions first entered the California market in early 2020 with the acquisition of Pacific Elite, a 23-location operation in Southern California. This was followed by the acquisition of Fountain Valley Bodyworks, an Orange County-based operator of two of the highest-performing collision repair shops in the country, in October 2020. Through a handful of successful transactions that followed, Crash Champions then entered the Northern California market with the addition of five locations in the San Francisco Bay Area from 2021-2022. With the addition of Mike's Auto Body, the Company now operates 51 high-performing shops throughout the state. This impressive expansion further solidifies Crash Champion's position as one of the largest collision repair companies (by location) in California.

"California has been a major focus for us, as evident by our many transactions in the market over the last few years," added Mr. Ebert. "With the addition of Mike's Auto Body—and the experienced team behind their success—our platform now includes powerful assets and capabilities in the center of Northern California. Combined with our strong presence throughout the greater Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego regions, we are now one of the top players in almost every major market of the state. This is yet another key milestone in our incredible growth story, and we're just getting started."

For more information about Crash Champions, visit our website and watch our video here. For those collision repair companies interested in selling their business, the Company has made it easy. Please visit crashchampions.com/sell-your-shop to learn more.

About Crash Champions

Crash Champions is a leading independent collision repair company operating more than 200 state-of-the-art centers across 20 states—including: California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin—and Washington, DC. Founded in 1999 as a single shop outside Chicago by industry veteran and entrepreneur Matt Ebert, today Crash Champions is one of the fastest growing and largest founder-led and operated collision repair MSOs in America. For more information, visit www.crashchampions.com.