Putting Customers First: Jeff’s Body Shop Strives for Quality Repairs 

by Alana Quartuccio

For close to 50 years, Jeff Titus has maintained a solid auto body repair business by making sure to always put the customer first. 

That’s been the foundation for Jeff’s Body Shop (Annapolis, MD) since day one. Shop manager Ted Cavey has been with the operation since 1983 when Titus renamed his shop Jeff’s Body Shop. Titus initially opened a shop in 1976 as part of the Maaco franchise, then branched out in 1979 to open a body shop at a Buick dealership which led to the establishment of the shop that would bear his name for decades to come.

“Jeff always told his employees: ‘I want you to treat your customers and repair their vehicles the same way you would if they were your mom, daughter or grandmother.’ He wanted cars fixed safely and properly and for people to be treated a certain way. It’s all about 100 percent customer satisfaction and doing the repair properly.” 

Starting out as a painter’s helper, Cavey quickly moved into the office when the old shop manager left and Titus asked if he was interested in learning estimating. Experienced in body work, painting and “just about everything” from schooling and working in the business, Cavey grew into the shop manager role he still holds today – 39 years later! 

“When I started, we didn’t have computers. We wrote estimates by hand,” he recalls. 

Longevity is the norm at Jeff’s Body Shop. “We have 20 employees, and over half of them have been here for more than 25 years. They started in their upper teens as helpers, and now most of them are technicians or painters,” explains Cavey.

The team includes A-technicians, B-technicians and CSRs, and Cavey’s wife Jane serves as the bookkeeper. 

Titus still comes in every day, according to Cavey. “He doesn’t work, but he comes in, has his coffee and gives us a hard time,” he jokes. 

Customer satisfaction and quality work drove many cars to their doors, but business also grew rapidly as the shop provided repairs for many Annapolis-based car dealerships. They started out doing work for two to three dealerships, building up to four by 2010. Soon after, Jeff’s Body Shop began investing in OEM certification. Today, the shop has 10 OEM certifications and performs repairs for nine dealerships. “We pretty much do work for every dealership in Annapolis that does not have its own body shop,” Cavey confirms. 

Like most body shops today, Jeff’s Body Shop frequently encounters issues when dealing with insurance companies. “It’s a constant battle with insurance companies and adjusters to fix a car properly,” he says of the problem which has grown substantially since the pandemic when insurers began to lay people off. 

“We get the customer involved with every repair. We let them know upfront that it’s like medical care; they are likely to have a deductible and a copay because there are things that insurance companies don’t want to pay for and the car has to be fixed properly. We will not cut corners. If the insurance company won’t pay for it, the customer will have to pay the difference, and they all pretty much understand that.” 

Ever-evolving technology is another challenge. “Cars can’t be repaired like we did when I first started in the business.” The team consistently keeps up with industry training and is I-CAR Gold Class. “The requirement is six I-CAR classes, but we do on average about 10 per year.”

Always looking for new ways to grow, the shop joined WMABA recently as a way to interact with other shop owners and learn new things. 

“We don’t know everything. There are things changing every day that we need to learn about. I believe that joining the association and talking with other shops who may be doing things differently could lead us to do some things differently. We are always looking for new ideas to be more efficient. Constant improvement is key from the front office to the detail department.”

Cavey also recognizes the educational opportunities WMABA puts forth and plans to take part in those offerings as well. “It may make our job easier,” he says of what he plans to take away from the experience. 

Ultimately, Cavey sees collision repair as a rewarding career. Referring to the company’s slogan, “We Meet by Accident,” people come into the shop while dealing with the ordeal of just having their vehicle damaged. Making customers happy and returning them to safely repaired cars is what it’s all about. “Seeing their face when they see the final product, and they smile and thank us with a good customer service review” is quite satisfying. 

Titus has always taught his team to deliver “quality dependable repairs and customer service following nothing less than OEM guidelines – not insurance company guidelines. We are strict about that. We follow the OEM’s process. We blueprint it, scan pre-and post repair no matter what,” insists Cavey.

Want more? Check out the August 2025 issue of Hammer & Dolly!