Kristi Festa and Shawn Marasco happened to be working at the same car dealership for about 6 years and like many co-workers, struck up a friendship. Kristi developed her skills as an estimator there and Shawn as an autobody tech. Outside the collision repair business, Shawn always enjoyed doing custom work and restoration. In 2009 he began to set up a more serious shop for his hobby at home. In 2010 Shawn and Kristi had an opportunity to open a shop after the owner of the shop they were working for decided to close his doors. With Shawn’s combination tech knowledge and Kristi’s extensive management knowledge, it was a perfect fit.
Taking the leap of faith, they opened Rockstars and Custom Cars, a business with a catchy name that they felt would draw the clientele they were looking for, not so much from the small town residents of Orange City, Florida, but especially through the internet and Facebook in particular. And it’s working…a number of their clients are not even in Florida!
But everyone knows that cash flow in the Resto/Custom industry is spotty at best. So to keep things humming and complete the trifecta, they also created Star Auto Body at the same location. The collision repair business fills the gaps and created a formula that should raise some eyebrows: they currently run a business that is debt-free! Try that in today’s economy!
In addition to marketing, their formula for success also includes cross-training. Shawn taught Kristi how to sand and prep a car, while Kristi spent time with Shawn in the office, going over numbers and the realities of business.
At any given moment they will generally have about an even mix of all 3 markets, 3-4 cars in each. Shawn will tackle just about anything involved in the entire process, even mechanical. He draws the line at engine rebuilds and upholstery though. That work is passed off to subcontractors. When asked what his favorite Restoration vehicle was, Shawn said, “I like coupes, preferably from the 1930′s, 40′s and 50′s”. Much of his work is sold out of the country and so he rarely gets to see it up close and personal after it’s delivered.
In today’s world, some of you have heard of a new social concept – the rise of the mini-celebrity, due to the internet and all it offers. Shawn is such a personality. Just Google his name and you will see. Shawn was the first to chop the top off a new 2005 Chevy Colorado pick-up, convert it to a low-rider and send it down the road to award-winning status.
Shawn’s work has appeared in many magazines, both hard copy and online, incuding Mini-Truckin’ Magazine, Street Trucks and Hot Rides. If you want to see some of his work, check out his page on the Muscle Car Network. In addition to being self-taught, Shawn has also attended many of the PPG Custom classes.
Think Shawn gets all the publicity? In an article on women in the Autobody business, Kristi was featured in Fender Bender Magazine, March 2012. And already their business has received notoriety. RS & CC was voted “Best Custom Body Shop 2011″ by Orlando Weekly and locally, Star Auto Body was voted “Best Body Shop in Orange City 2011″.
When it comes to paint work, Shawn prefers Iwata guns, LVLP for basecoat and Conventional for clear. And the paint of choice (like you didn’t know) – PPG of course. Upon customer request, they will use House of Kolor as well, but 90% of what they buy comes from ours truly, Ben’s Paint Supply. Kristi speaks highly of our Deland store and especially values the service provided by Carey Somerville at the counter and Troy Martin, who calls on them regularly. Most custom and restoration work is done in PPG’s DBC basecoat/clearcoat system. Their in-house Shopline mixing system completes what they need for collision repair. The clearcoats of choice are Shopline JC630 on the collision side and Value-Pro P390-4000 for Custom and Restoration.
Obvious evidence reveals that the ”Custom Cars” part of their name is directly related to what they do. But the “Rockstars” portion isn’t far off either. Shawn is also a musician and has been involved in several local bands, including a blues band. You can check out the Facebook page of his current group, Eleven29, where Shawn plays lead guitar. In his “spare” time he writes music and lyrics too! Not to be outdone, Kristi is also learning to play acoustic guitar.
So what does the future hold for this partnership? In the next decade they hope to grow their business, hire more employees and spend more time on the marketing end of things. Ben’s and PPG plan to be right there with them!
Enjoy the shop photos and some of their work pictured below:
