Churchville Auto Body: A Community Staple

by Alana Quartuccio

Sometimes, life just puts you on the right path. That is absolutely the case for Steve Zang, owner of Churchville Auto Body in Churchville, Maryland.

“It’s kind of ironic. I didn’t really choose auto body; auto body chose me,” Zang reflects on his decades-long career. He’s worn many hats along the way, from prepper to painter to shop owner. His decades of experience at dealerships and body shops led him to co-own Collision Works of Glen Burnie, and most recently he purchased Churchville Auto Body, a longstanding business that originally opened in 1988.

“I’ve been in this business my whole life,” he says of his experience, which began while he was in high school. Although it didn’t directly set him on a path to a collision repair career, his grandfather was a mechanic, his father was mechanically-inclined and worked on cars outside of his job as a police officer.  Zang also spent time working around a body shop that his friend’s family owned. “I was washing cars for a dealership when the manager of the body shop asked me if I was interested in working in it. I said yes, as it paid a little more money. I was in college at the time when an opportunity to be a painter was presented. At the time, I was a painter’s helper, but I took the opportunity and it worked out.” 

Zang painted cars for over 20 years before coming to Collision Works of Glen Burnie, where he eventually was able to purchase 50 percent of the business.

“I had an opportunity to buy ownership in the shop in Glen Burnie. As time went by, I bought one of the partners out. Now, I am partnered with one other person in that business. I had also been looking to buy a shop closer to home in the Harford County area. The opportunity to purchase Churchville Auto Body came along last fall, and it’s been great ever since!”

The shop is very community oriented, something that Zang appreciates about the business and continues to encourage and grow that aspect. “It’s all about the community. The shop has been here a long time. Right across the street is a landmark ice cream shop, so people always point out that our shop is just across the way from the Arctic Circle. People in the area just tend to want to come to the local body shop. What we try to instill in people is that we are here for the community. We’ll take care of them. It’s a small shop and we take pride in our work.”

Zang enjoys the opportunity to get to know and serve people well. The shop has served generations of customers over the years.

“It’s definitely a family community and it’s really special. Customers come in, and they want to sit in the office and tell you their life story; that’s rewarding for me,” he relays.

“Zang’s own family members are involved with the business as well, adding to the family affair atmosphere. These days, his father, Bill, helps out at the shop. His mother, Rene, helps out in the office and all three of his sons –  Ethan, Brendan and Caydan – are involved with the shop. “My oldest graduated college and now works at the shop. My other son attends college and works here in the summer and my youngest is in technical high school studying auto body.”

Zang acknowledges that today’s advanced vehicles bring added challenges for shops and consumers. Shops need to have conversations with their customers whether it’s addressing concerns about filing an insurance claim, paying out of pocket or explaining things like ADAS components.

“Some customers are afraid to file a claim because they don’t want their insurance premiums to rise,” he notes “Some have the means to pay out of pocket. There’s a lot of technology in today’s vehicles that you have to explain to the customer. When you associate the price to some of these things, it can definitely be overwhelming and shocking to them. Some may question if it’s necessary. You have to explain to them the safety factor to the driver and passengers.”

Finding good technicians is also a challenge most shops face, but Zang believes shops have to think outside the box. He was fortunate to inherit great staff members when he took over Churchville Auto Body, and he’s since added additional employees. He also encourages young people to come on board.

Churchville Auto Body is currently I-CAR Gold. Zang plans to pursue OEM certifications in the not too far off future.

He believes being a member of WMABA is important not only for the opportunity to network, but to have a voice. “The only way you can get change in the industry is through legislation. In my opinion, Maryland is behind the times when it comes to that. I’m on board with any little part I can play in helping other shops, including my own. I’ve been to WMABA meetings and many shop owners from Virginia acknowledge that Maryland is kind of like the ‘Wild, wild West’ when it comes to collision legislation. We don’t have a lot of legislation like other states do to protect the customer, or even the shop.”

As he reflects on his experience in the industry and looks ahead to a bright future full of expansion, quality and advocacy, Zang remains grateful to his career in auto body which he finds satisfying in many ways.

“When I was a painter, having my name on that final product was rewarding. Now as an owner, it’s rewarding to run a business and provide for 40 other families giving them a job to come to every day. It wasn’t like I ever had a passion to work on cars; it just kind of found me and I went with it. It’s been fortunate for me as it’s given me the ability to own two shops, and helping customers and seeing them happy is a rewarding experience. It’s really one of the biggest joys I have as an owner. ”

Want more? Check out the July 2026 issue of Hammer & Dolly!