By Heather Johnson-MPCC
NORTH PLATTE, Neb.-Call it fate.
Call it coincidence.
Whatever the reason, Brad and Tim O’Keefe never intended to spend their lives immersed in the world of auto body.
They didn’t have to. The profession chose them.
The father and son duo have been the driving forces behind Southside Body and Paint in Valentine for almost 40 years.
“I kind of fell into auto body because I didn’t know what else to do,” Tim said. “Our high school guidance counselor never spent much time telling students about career options, and back then, I wasn’t looking too far ahead.”
Once high school was over and adulthood was looming ahead of him, he had to choose something.
“I heard about the auto body program at North Platte Community College when some recruiters came to town,” Tim said. “I thought that might be something I could do. I had a good friend who had graduated from the program, so I was somewhat familiar with it, but I didn’t have any background in auto body. I wasn’t a gearhead like a lot of my classmates were.”
Tim, who had spent his entire life in Valentine up to that point, decided to give NPCC a try. He packed his bags and headed south.
“We had a classroom, but hardly ever used it,” he said of the auto body program at NPCC. “Everything was hands-on, and that’s the way it should be. I’ve always felt that was the strong point of the program.”
Tim graduated from NPCC in 1977 then returned to Valentine and worked for Kuhl’s Auto Service for three and a half years.
“Eventually, I got the bug to start my own business,” Tim said. “It’s just the American Dream I guess – to be your own boss.”
In 1981, he set up shop in a two-car, 816-square-foot garage next to his house.
“It was hard,” Tim said. “I was the new kid on the block. Plus, it was a small town and everyone knew I had quit my old job. We didn’t show a profit at all for a while, and I was a little worried about whether we could make it work.”
But, work it did. The business wasn’t high volume or high dollar in the early days, but Tim and his crew kept busy with an average of three big jobs per week.
“I had someone working for me most of the time,” Tim said. “Usually there was a part-time employee in the office and two full-time people in the shop with me. Our advertising was primarily word-of-mouth, which I’ve always felt is the best method. It’s effective in our rural area. It also helps that the people of the Sandhills are pretty loyal.”
By 1984, his business had grown to the point that he needed to expand. Tim moved it to its current location at 405 S. Airport Rd. and subsequently added on in 1996.
It was also in the ’90s that Brad began working for Tim – cleaning cars and prepping parts. Like his father, Brad hadn’t thought too far beyond high school.
“I was just having fun and playing sports, then graduation came, and I had to figure out what to do,” Brad said. “My dad told me I should get out of town for a while. I hadn’t really planned on auto body, but it was something familiar to me, and NPCC offered a one-year program that was affordable.”
Brad finished a year in NPCC’s auto body program then opted for a second. He graduated from the college in 2000.
“Then, I decided to get a degree in business administration,” Brad said. “I was one semester in when an opportunity came up to start an automotive paint supply store in North Platte. So, I did that from 2001-2010, and for a time, also worked nights at an auto body shop in Sutherland.”
Ten years ago, he made the decision to move back to Valentine.
“I really didn’t envision myself returning, but for me it was about raising my kids in a small town. I have three daughters, so that was the driving factor. Also, my dad’s health wasn’t doing well. He was to the point where he was ready to sell his shop or close it.”
Brad purchased the shop from Tim in 2011. By that time, the building was paid off and overhead was low. A large customer base had already been established.
“I walked into a really good situation,” Brad said.
The business has continued to grow under his leadership. It now serves about a 60-mile radius. Increased demand led to the need for more space, which led to another addition in 2019. The facility is now 8,400-square-feet.
The biggest changes since Tim’s retirement, however, have come from the auto body industry, itself.
“Nothing is simple anymore,” Brad said. “We switched from solvent-based coatings to waterborne paint, which is what the factories use, to meet federal regulations. That changed everything and required us to purchase a new paint booth. Aluminum repair is another example of additional equipment and training required. Technology has also advanced. Something that should be a simple bumper job is not a simple bumper job because of the electronics involved.”
A full-time office manager is now a necessity to keep up with the increased workload caused by insurance companies.
“A lot of insurance companies have gotten rid of their field adjusters, so basically they’re trying to have us do that job for them,” Brad said. “We end up uploading all the photos, files, etc. through a portal, and the insurance companies have people on the other end reviewing the materials and sending them back for revisions. We spend a lot of time just writing estimates. It’s way more demanding and time-consuming than in the past.”
Finding enough help for the shop is also a challenge – and one that the O’Keefes are hoping their alma mater can help them rectify.
“The demand is there, but the employees aren’t,” Brad said. “I could really use at least one more technician to keep up with the workload. I’m hoping more students consider going into auto body. They can make a good living with it for a minimal investment.”
It’s why he has stuck with it for so many years. That, and he likes the variety.
“I like the challenges that come with auto body,” Brad said. “There’s something new and different every day. The procedures are basically the same, but body styles change, and the way vehicles are put together is constantly evolving – you really have to stay on top of things.”
Tim agreed, but at the same time, he’s relieved that he no longer has to stay on top of the evolution. His appreciation for a career in auto body revolves around something simpler – the loyalty of his customers, the memories and friendships made and the feeling of achievement from a job well done.
“It’s been rewarding,” Tim said. “Anytime you can take something that’s broken and fix it, or, from the business aspect, start with nothing and turn it into something that grows and becomes successful - there’s a sense of accomplishment in that.”