When Frank Catalanotto founded Auto Glass Plus in 1995, he operated the then-mobile-only business himself out of his own house. Now, the new AGSC Registered Member Company has four technicians and a brick-and-mortar location.
Catalanotto says the industry has changed a lot in the last 30 years, and being an AGSC registered member helps Auto Glass Plus keep up with the times. He does most of his business with body shops and dealerships, which now often want their auto glass partners to have some kind of certification. Auto Glass Plus recently obtained its Ford certification, Catalanotto says, and the manufacturer strongly recommended becoming an AGSC registered member, too.
Catalanotto says cash and insurance customers rely much more on reviews and certifications than they did 30 years ago. Being an AGSC registered member helps show customers that they do quality work.
“Even though we know we’re doing things the right way, being AGSC members shows customers our installations are safe and gives them peace of mind,” he says.
Following the Automotive Glass Replacement Safety Standard™ (AGRSS) gives Catalanotto his own peace of mind.
“We’re responsible for people’s safety,” he says. “If we do our job incorrectly and somebody gets hurt in a car we worked on, then that will be on my conscience for the rest of my life.”
Catalanotto looks forward to explaining the standard’s importance to customers. Even though most of his work comes from dealerships, he still gets individual customers questioning why he charges more than someone else. Now, he can explain Auto Glass Plus’ commitment to safety and that doing things the right way isn’t always cheap.
“If your life isn’t worth an extra $100, then maybe you should save that money and go somewhere else,” he says.