Caledonia native keeps auto-body shop local
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – National chains buying out local businesses has become a common trend over the past few years.
In Columbus, at least two established auto-body shops are under new ownership.
Caledonia Native and auto-body shop owner Keegan Hays decided to change that narrative.
“The corporate buy outs came to Mississippi and bought out a lot of my independent companies that I was selling paint to. So basically, it kind of took sales away from my business, so I decided to end my paint career and open a body shop,” said Hays.
Hays has been in the automotive paint business for more than 20 years.
Last August, he opened HPS Body Shop in the former MGM Paint & Body building.
“I was blessed with the business he already had available there, which allowed me to start growing. And then also with my relationships, (we) we’re growing the business,” said Hays.
That growth led him to expand his business in a new building just two doors down on Highway 50.
Hays cut the ribbon to celebrate the milestone on Thursday alongside his wife and other community supporters.
He believes in keeping business local.
“I think the importance of keeping business local is for the local guy to be able to support the community, to be able to give back. Whether it’s me or any local guy in town, (they) take more pride in work trying to make sure that their customers are happy in the end,” said Hays.
More space and advanced equipment were added in the new shop to help repair the cars.
With the new equipment, Hays said he hopes to be competition to the corporate shops.
When the business moved, Hays also gave it a new name to pay homage to his Irish roots.
HPS Body Shop is now Full Tilt Collision.
“Full Tilt Collision is basically an Irish slang word. My background is majority Irish. And (Full Tilt) means at maximum speed, at maximum effort all in, all the time and that’s our quality of standard here,” said Hays.
Full Tilt can now paint up to eight cars a day in comparison to only being able to do two or three in the old building.
