Operational Intelligence is a collision repair podcast built on one simple truth: every body shop does something better than everyone else. Maybe it’s culture. Maybe it’s blueprinting. Maybe it’s customer satisfaction, production flow, or something entirely unique. Whatever that “superpower” is, this show uncovers it — directly from the operators who mastered it.
Hosted by Tom Zoebelein, Operational Intelligence dives deep with one shop owner per episode to explore a single defining element of their business. Not trends. Not buzzwords. Not another round-table about the industry. Instead, Tom breaks down the real decisions, experiments, setbacks, and breakthroughs that helped these shops “crack the code” in their area of excellence — so other owners can learn exactly how to do the same.
Tom brings 15+ years of experience working with hundreds of collision centers across the country, designing solutions, studying their operations, and helping them think differently about technology, efficiency, and growth. With a lifelong passion for cars, an industrial design background, and a career built on solving real problems for real shops, Tom pulls stories out of operators that you won’t hear anywhere else.
This podcast exists for one reason:
To help collision repair owners find better ways of doing things, especially in a time when the industry is changing fast and getting harder to navigate.
If you’re a shop owner who wants to learn directly from other operators — what they tried, what failed, what worked, and how they built systems that last — this is your playbook.
One shop. One solution. How they cracked the code.
This is Operational Intelligence.
Customer Service as a Competitive Advantage - Dan Bernier - Moray Collision
Customer service gets talked about constantly in collision repair, but very few shops actually build operational systems around it.
In Episode 10, Tom sits down with Dan Bernier from Morrie Collision to break down what genuine customer service actually looks like inside a modern collision shop.
Dan shares how his team built consistently high Google review scores in a highly competitive Canadian insurance market where every shop operates under the same DRP-style structure. Without referral steering from insurers, customer experience became the real differentiator.
This conversation covers:
Why customer service starts with owner values
Hiring people who naturally fit your culture
The biggest mistakes CSRs make with customers
How robotic communication destroys trust
Why Google reviews now drive customer decisions
Simple ways to create memorable customer experiences
Why bad news should never be delivered by text
How operational chaos ruins customer satisfaction
There are also strong discussions around shop culture, empathy, scheduling, repair planning, and the connection between operational discipline and customer perception.
If you want practical ideas your front office can apply immediately, this episode is packed with them.
Subscribe for more operational conversations built specifically for collision repair shop owners and operators.
17 Apr 2026
Throughput That Prints Profit - James Huard - Painters Collision Centers
Most shops are busy. Very few are profitable.
In this episode, James Heward breaks down the system behind high-performing collision shops that consistently outproduce their competition without adding chaos.
This isn’t about working harder or chasing more DRPs. It’s about controlling throughput.
James shares the exact framework he’s used across Caliber, Fix Auto, and his own $20M operation to increase revenue, reduce cycle time, and build teams that self-regulate performance.
Inside this episode:
Why throughput, not car count, drives profit
How to categorize every repair (Cat 1 / 2 / 3)
How to control WIP and stop overloading your shop
The daily production system that keeps work moving
Why most shops misunderstand cycle time
How to turn WIP 4x per month
If your shop feels busy but inconsistent, or you’re struggling to scale profit without adding more headaches, this episode will give you a clear operational model to follow.
Listen in and rethink how your shop moves cars, people, and profit.
3 Apr 2026
The KPI Shops Ignore When Car Count Drops - Tom Zoebelein - Hero Group
Most collision shops think low car count means they need more marketing. Tom Zoebelein argues that in many cases, that is the wrong diagnosis.
In Episode 8, Tom flips the conversation from lead generation to close ratio and explains why better sales execution in the front office can drive revenue faster than buying more leads. Using real examples from inside shops, he walks through where repair orders get lost, what estimators and CSRs should be doing differently, and how owners can track the problem by estimator instead of guessing.
In this episode:
Why low car count exposes weak close ratio
The difference between a marketing problem and a sales problem
Where shops lose jobs during first contact and estimate handoff
Why “we close almost everything” is usually not true
How follow-up discipline changes monthly revenue
What owners should track before spending more on ads
This episode is built for shop owners and operators who want a more practical answer than “just market harder.”
If this episode hits home, share it with your estimator, CSR, or front-office manager and subscribe for more operator-focused conversations.
5 Mar 2026
Commercial Truck Estimating That Actually Gets Paid - Dean Hancock - Hero Group
Most truck shops are missing required operations and leaving real money on the table.
In Episode 7, Dean Hancock explains how to build commercial truck estimates that actually get approved and protect your margins.
Dean owned and sold a heavy-duty shop and now works with Hero Group. In this conversation, he breaks down the structural mistakes most estimators make and how to fix them.
What You’ll Learn:
Why heavy-duty estimating is different from auto
OEM-required operations truck shops often miss
How to reduce pushback from fleets and insurers
The 4-question negotiation framework
Why line-iteming beats big shop supply charges
How to use cycle time reporting to win more work
The real risk behind skipping seat belt inspections
Why ADAS compliance is becoming critical in trucks
If you’re serious about expanding into commercial truck repair or tightening your estimating process, this episode is required listening.
7 Feb 2026
OEM Procedures Can’t Be Optional: How to Write the Law - Peyton Bell
nsurance denials aren’t just an estimating problem. They are a safety problem and a consumer problem. And according to Peyton Bell (Bell Auto Body, Oklahoma), the only scalable fix is state legislation that stops carriers from denying payment for documented OEM repair procedures and parts.
In Episode 6, Peyton breaks down why the popular advice to “just bill the customer” collapses in real life. Most customers cannot float thousands of dollars up front while they fight for reimbursement, and many will choose a faster, cheaper path even when it risks unsafe repairs. That leaves the shop holding the liability, the customer holding the confusion, and the insurer holding the leverage.
Peyton then teaches a practical “master class” on getting laws changed: how to identify and contact your local senator, how to earn meetings, how to explain the issue in plain language, and how to build enough constituent pressure to get a bill sponsored. He also shares how to draft a framework for a bill, then let legislative counsel tighten it into formal language.
If you want to stop losing one claim at a time and start changing the rules in your state, this is your roadmap.
24 Jan 2026
Building a Technician Pipeline from Scratch - Ted Culbertson - Top Gun Auto Body
X Games athlete turned high production collision shop owner is not a normal career path, but that is exactly what Ted Culbertson did at Top Gun Auto Body in Helena, Montana. And he brought a leadership philosophy most shops are missing: trust built through transparency.
In this episode, Ted shares how he attracts younger employees, why he interviews people with little or no experience, and how he brings them in through blueprinting and hands-on exposure to the work. We also unpack the daily and weekly routines he uses to keep expectations clear, reduce drama, and build a culture where accountability feels normal, not forced.
If you are trying to grow your team, develop younger talent, and create a shop environment people want to stay in, this conversation will give you practical ideas you can put to work right away.
9 Jan 2026
Beating Consolidators in a Small Town - John Brown - Red Rock Collision
Coming off a lighter 2025, most shop owners are heading into 2026 thinking about one thing: car count.
In this episode of Operational Intelligence, I sit down with John Brown of Red Rock Collision in Cottonwood, Arizona—the only independent shop left in his market, surrounded by consolidators and DRP-fed competition. And here’s the hook: with the cards stacked against him, John isn’t just staying alive—he’s still growing and building a new, larger shop.
We break down the real playbook for how an independent wins when insurers try to steer customers away before the shop even gets a shot.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How John combats insurance steering with a simple “right to choose” message that actually works
The front-office approach that wins the job before the insurance company can redirect it
Why writing a quick estimate and “following up later” is where independents lose
How John sells against big chains without going negative
The contract and scheduling strategy he uses to lock in commitment and reduce lost jobs
If you’re trying to stand out, protect your volume, and grow in a market that’s been bought out around you—this episode is for you.
24 Dec 2025
Close Ratio Tracking - Shane Orlando - Orlando Autobody
Most shops run sales on gut feel. Shane Orlando runs it on a system.
In this episode of Operational Intelligence, Shane Orlando from Orlando Auto Body breaks down how he tracks closing ratios, why it matters to production and profitability, and how any shop can implement a straightforward workflow to monitor leads, estimates, follow-up, and sold jobs—so the business isn’t relying on assumptions.
If you want more sold jobs, more predictable scheduling, and fewer surprises in car count, this conversation gives you a practical model to start using immediately.
29 Nov 2025
High Performance Culture - Brian Davies -Bodyworks Plus
Episode 2 — How BodyWorks Plus Built a Culture That Runs Itself (with Brian Davies)
Operational Intelligence
What if your shop’s culture was so strong that the team held itself accountable — without you constantly checking, reminding, or chasing people down?
That’s the focus in this episode.
In Episode 2 of Operational Intelligence, I sit down with Brian Davies, owner of BodyWorks Plus in Charlotte — one of the few shops in the country where the culture is so tight, so intentional, and so team-driven that you can feel it the moment you walk through the door.
I’ve been inside more than a hundred shops over the past 15 years, and Brian’s stands out for one simple reason: his people don’t just follow the systems — they create them.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
The unique origin story behind BodyWorks Plus
How Brian used coaching, manufacturing principles, and leadership training to shape the environment
The daily accountability meeting that keeps everyone aligned
The surprising ritual the team invented themselves — and why it instantly shows who’s engaged
Why Brian shares all the numbers openly with the team
How cross-training and repair-planning meetings prevent mistakes and department friction
What Brian does to develop “mini-operators” who could run future locations
The real definition of culture — and how any owner can start building it
And here’s the part that might surprise you:
The strongest elements of Brian’s culture didn’t come from him —
they came from his technicians and managers.
This episode is not about theory, slogans, or feel-good leadership talk.
It’s a how-to lesson in building a shop where people take ownership, look out for each other, and want to win together.
If you’ve ever wondered how great shops create accountability, train their teams, and eliminate chaos — this episode will show you exactly how it’s done.
Welcome to Episode 2 of Operational Intelligence — featuring Brian Davies of BodyWorks Plus.
www.herogroup.ai (www.herogroup.ai)
29 Nov 2025
Do we need another Collision Repair Podcast? The "Why" behind this one- Tom Zoebelein
Episode 1 — Why This Podcast Exists (And Why the Industry Needs It)
Operational Intelligence
What if every collision shop owner could peek behind the curtain of the best operators in the country — and steal the one thing they do better than everyone else?
That’s the reason this podcast exists.
In the debut episode of Operational Intelligence, I explain why I decided the industry needed a show like this. Not another podcast about news, not another discussion about what insurers are doing, and not another broad conversation about “the state of the industry.” We already have those.
This podcast fills a different gap.
For more than 15 years, I’ve been inside over a hundred collision shops. And in every single one, there was one standout thing — one system, one habit, one cultural trait, one operational move — that separated the best from the rest.
Those moments usually happened off-camera, behind the shop, during sales calls or casual conversations.
And they were often the most useful, practical insights any shop owner could ask for.
So in this episode, you’ll hear:
Why showcasing individual operators (not experts or theorists) is the key to real learning
How focusing on one thing each shop does exceptionally well makes every episode a takeaway-driven lesson
The gap I see across the industry — and why no existing podcast is filling it
What Operational Intelligence will cover (and what it deliberately won’t)
How this series will help owners run smarter, smoother, and more profitable shops
Why these aren’t interviews — they’re how-to conversations with real operators solving real problems
If you’ve ever wished you could borrow someone else’s systems, shortcuts, culture ideas, or operational playbooks… this podcast is designed to give you exactly that, one shop at a time.
Welcome to Episode 1 of Operational Intelligence — the “why” behind the show.
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