D&V Autobody Inc. Recognized for Continued Dedication, Involvement and Growth
by Alana Quartuccio
WMABA continued their commitment to recognizing one of their very own member shops for their hard work and longstanding commitment to the association when they gave the 2023 Most Improved Member Award to D&V Autobody Inc. of Sterling, VA during the Southeast Collision Conference this past May.
During the award ceremony, WMABA Executive Director Jordan Hendler and WMABA President Kris Burton highlighted the many great qualities D&V exemplifies. Hendler commended this family-owned-and-operated business for their growing dedication as an active member of the association that often has as many as eight shop employees regularly attending WMABA events. Burton championed the shop for their dedication to taking the certification route and commitment to growing their team.
“It’s an overwhelming feeling of pride,” expresses Kevin Maharaj, D&V co-owner, about the recognition and how proud he is of the entire team. “We value training greatly, so I feel that our commitment to training and our overall development has led us to this point. It’s a great feeling of validation.”
The Maharaj family has grown the business substantially over the past four decades. What started out as a side business in a home garage is now a thriving operation in two locations – D&V Autobody Inc. on Overland Drive and D&V Autobody Masters located on Trade West Drive. It all began with Kevin’s parents, Dave and Vena, who lend their initials to D&V Auto Body’s company name
“My dad was working a standard body shop job but when he finished there, he’d come home and do work on the side in a separate garage next to our home,” Kevin explains. “It caught on in such a way that it led him to realize he didn’t have to work for anyone and could do it on his own. So, in 1986, he and my mom started D&V Autobody out of a small 3,000-square-foot building. We wound up expanding that building about four times until 2007 when we moved to a commercial property. Ten years after that, we opened a second location.”
Kevin and his brother Ron grew up in the business, and today, both brothers and their sister, Jenna Hardin, are all involved with the D&V operation. Kevin runs the D&V Autobody Masters location, while Ron runs the Overland Drive shop. Although their sister didn’t necessarily grow up in collision repair, she wound up joining the team to bring her financial expertise into it and leads that aspect of the business. “It’s a godsend to fill that role with our sister, someone who is not only qualified but motivated to help the family business,” he says.
According to Kevin, his parents’ influence has kept the entire family going in this business through good times and bad. “We gained their motivation to keep rolling through tough times, including a couple recessions and COVID. Our drive combined with our passion to stay trained and focused on the industry’s newest, latest and greatest has evolved – not just through the family members but the entire team. Our management truly gets it and runs with it, and that mentality permeates through the entire company.”
The Maharaj family has an enthusiasm for cars that elevates their threshold for what they believe top-quality work should be: nothing less than perfection.
“We are huge car enthusiasts. Since the early days when my brother and I were playing around on the shop floor, we’d go along to car shows and events. You name it, we were in the automotive circles, and that bleeds into our work day to day. Our passion shows there.” Along with offering nothing less than an excellent customer service experience with constant communication, the team strives to provide high quality standards. “Our shop believes that the vehicle must look absolutely like the way it left the factory originally. Nothing less. It’s as simple as that.”
That quality workmanship has built their reputation around other car enthusiasts because they take such great care to go above and beyond to “buff little scuffs and scratches, or touching up little rock chips.” Because D&V Auto Body treats every car the same, no matter the customer, both average vehicle drivers and avid car fanatics alike are ultimately “blown away” by the amazing detail. “We’ve been impressing car enthusiasts with our quality and customer service for decades, so it’s inevitable that non-car enthusiasts can see and feel the passion and love. That’s why we feel we’ve been successful – because our passion bleeds through. You can see it and feel it.”
Their involvement with WMABA has been a great resource for networking, and they truly appreciate being part of the association.
“It’s a great relationship. We’ve met a lot of key contacts through WMABA. Rubbing elbows with shop owners, managers or technicians and getting insight from different people is key.”
Kevin enjoys interacting with those who have different backgrounds and, therefore, different perspectives. “I don’t have the experience that a lot of my peers have in working at different facilities. Most people have had a combination of experiences from different work places. My brother and I have not had that, so it’s refreshing to go to [WMABA] training events or the golf outing and share war stories, talking about things that work and don’t work to expand our horizons through others’ experiences.”
Want more? Check out the August 2024 issue of Hammer & Dolly!