We are starting the year off with a company making big changes!  Dawson’s Collision Repair in Pikeville, NC is now Mitchell’s Auto Body in a nod to the founder.  Caroline chatted with Neta Edwards, who owns the shop with her husband Joey and just so happens to be Caroline’s sister-in-law!

Read more to learn about their name-change thought process and implementation.

Mitchell’s Auto Body

Caroline: I am so excited to feature Mitchell’s Body Shop as our first Client Spotlight of 2022! I’ll tell everyone that we are family, so we don’t have to act like strangers! Tell me what services you provide.

Neta: Thank you!  We are honored to be your featured spotlight for the month of January.  We specialize in auto body collision repair on all makes and models.  We also provide windshield replacements, paintless dent removal and auto body painting.  We are a 24-hour towing service in Wayne, Lenoir, Nash, Johnston, Greene, Pitt and all surrounding counties of Eastern NC.

Caroline: How did you get into the auto body business?

Neta: Joey has been in the auto body repair business for 22 years.  First as a technician, and then in 2011, Joey and I started our business focusing on Paintless Dent Removal.  We always knew we wanted to expand to provide full-service auto body collision repair.  So, in January 2020 we finally took the leap and took ownership of Dawson’s Collision Repair and fulfilled our dreams of expansion. The technicians at the shop produce repairs equal to our standards and it was a beautiful fit. 

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Caroline: We were so excited when you did that!  It was a long time coming!  Tell me about the rebranding process.  Did you know from the beginning that you wanted to change the name, or did the idea evolve?

Neta: We took our time getting settled in and were not in a rush to change the name. (And Covid happened!) We knew the logo and website needed updating, so we started throwing around some ideas to change the name too.

You see, we are the 3rd owners of this shop. It was started almost 30 years ago by Andy and Eloise Mitchell and was called Mitchell’s Body Shop. When Mr. Mitchell passed away, Gene and Kim Dawson purchased the business and renamed it Dawson’s Collision and Glass. Even though it has been that for almost 15 years, people still came in almost weekly asking if it we were Mitchell’s Body Shop. And that’s when it hit us, let’s take it back to where it all started and honor the Mitchell’s and change the name to Mitchell’s Auto Body.  What better way to pay homage to the one who started it all?

Caroline: I love that so much!  Ok, let’s talk nuts & bolts.  When you knew that was the name, then what did you do?  

Neta: My great friend Rachel Bridgers works for the SBTDC at ECU and referred us to Igeo Creative to help us create a new logo, new website and bring everything up to date with our online appearance and communications. We came to them with an idea but needed lots of guidance.  Is it a good idea?  How do we communicate it?  How will it look?  Kitty with Igeo Creative have been amazing to work with and we are inspired by their ideas and energy! 

Caroline: It has been so fun having multiple logos to use for promotional products, so let’s talk about that a bit!  Your employees wear branded shirts, right?  Do they enjoy having those?  

Neta: Yes, our technicians love the soft jersey tshirts for daily wear.  It’s a clean uniform look without the uniform.  They also love the hats.  Our Estimators and shop manager love the polo shirts for a slightly more professional look.  And pens!  Lots of pens!  Almost every customer walks out with one.

Caroline: And I promise I won’t spill the beans, but let’s talk about your brand launch gifts!  I know we had a couple of production delays, but I’m so glad everything turned out beautifully!  I also love that you made personal deliveries! Tell me about your visits to drop off the gifts.  What was your goal and how did you choose the products? 

Neta: We work directly with all the insurance companies in Goldsboro and Pikeville. We wanted to 1) give them a “thank you” gift for working so well with us and 2) let them know about our new look and new name but assure them that it’s still just “us”.

I didn’t know what I wanted, and I knew you could help me!  What you put together is amazing!  I boxed up useful office items along with some treats to create thoughtful packages.  We hand delivered each one. Now, they see our new name and logo daily and can’t forget!  They are subconsciously thinking about us all the time now!

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Caroline: What are you looking forward to the most as we begin 2022?  Professionally and/or personally.

Neta: We are looking forward to starting a fresh new year with a fresh new look!  Our website is so much easier to navigate, our road signage is much easier to see and our look is reflective of our high-quality repairs we provide.

Caroline: Thank you so much for allowing us to shine the spotlight on you!!

Neta: Y’all are so wonderful to work with!  This was fun!

Ok everyone, Mitchell’s Auto Body accepts all insurance claims and can repair absolutely any make and model (even Tesla!).  If you are in Eastern NC and need body work done on your car, then you must take it to Neta & Joey.  Not only will your car be returned in great shape, but it will be spotless and even sanitized.

Many people think they have to take their vehicle to the dealership where they purchased it to get it repaired but that is not true.  Their technicians are ICAR Gold certified which means they have to take classes every year to stay up to date on auto body repair.

For more information on the Mitchell’s Auto Body:

• Website: https://www.mitchellsautobodync.com/

• Call: 919-734-0369

• Visit: 1296 Highway 581 North, Pikeville NC. Just one mile outside of the Goldsboro city limits.