Aces of Trades: Childhood passion turns into career for Buckeye Collision's Brian Reed
Brian Reed had a fascination with cars as long as he can remember, so it wasn’t hard to imagine what he’d turn into a life-long career.
“As I grew I became more fascinated with automobiles," recalled Reed. "I started working with my father when I was just a kid. I would walk to the shop after school just to watch the guys work on automobiles.”
“At the age of 13,” he continued, “I started working for my father after school and during the summer months. I started by sweeping the floors, taking out the trash, cleaning the restroom and washing automobiles. So you can say I started at the very bottom!”
“As I got older, the more fascinated I became with cars,” Reed added. “I couldn’t get enough knowledge. I wanted to learn what made them work and to know every inch about them. When I graduated from Harding in 1982, I went to work full-time. Buckeye Collision was my home away from home.”
Today Reed owns Buckeye Collision Service, Inc.
“I lived and breathed cars,” he noted. “I was doing what I loved. It became my addiction. My friends used to say, ‘Hey, if you’re looking for Brian, you can find him at the shop!’”
Now 57, Reed was born in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. His parents moved there from Mt. Vernon, Ohio, while his father served in the Army.
“We moved to Marion from Fredericktown, Ohio, in 1974,” he said. “My father went to work managing the body shop at the local Chevrolet dealership here in Marion. In 1975 he came up with the idea of taking a few of his employees from the dealership and they (Dave Walters and Charlie Gilliam) started Buckeye Collision Service. The first location was in downtown Marion. Two years later it moved to 287 Lincoln Ave.”
Fast forward.
“When the computer age came about my father wanted nothing to do with it" Reed said. "I explained to him, ‘If we’re to grow, we need to stay up with the technology.’ He was content to stay the way we were, but I wanted us to grow.”
“I purchased and took over operation of Buckeye Collision Service as of July 2003 after working for Pops since I was 13-years-old. In 2017 I purchased the property located at 1770 Harding Highway since Buckeye had outgrown the location on Lincoln.”
Ray and Janet Baldwin have been long-time customers.
“I’ve been a customer for over 40 years,” Ray said. “I wouldn’t trust any other body shop. Brian is like a son to me and Jan.”
“My dad was the backbone of Buckeye,” Reed responded. “I learned so much from Pops (my father) and I’m grateful for the endless hours we spent together.”
Buckeye Collision Service, Inc. is located at 1770 Harding Hwy. in Marion. For more information, call 740-387-2160 or log on buckeyecollision.us.
Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs — whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at news@marionstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Aces: Buckeye Collision's Brian Reed is addicted to automobiles
