Gary Watson I was the General Manager for Pride Auto Body, one of the largest independently owned body shops in CA. For the 5 years that I worked there I had the highest C.S.I. rating in the company. We were the only shop in the S.C.V. to make it into Auto Club's top 50 best shops in California. I was the youngest person to ever manage a location at 26 years old. I saw a need for a custom paint shop that was as professional as a high-end collision repair shop. I was sick of going into a custom shop that was dirty and had a shed with some filters that they called a spraybooth. I wanted to create something that would give the customer a feel that he or she was involved in the process. I view custom paint as a tattoo for your car or an extension of who you are. It's my job to consult with the customer, get a feel for what they are trying to achieve and make it a reality. A lot of practice. Sprayable chrome is an emerging technology. Materials are constantly improving. I try to stay on the leading edge of that technology by taking on challenging projects. I do pieces all the time that other vendors say can't be done. I want to innovate, not imitate.
CnC is a family business. If I'm not working on your project then my old man is. Talk about experience -- he started painting when he was 12. Like I said it's in our blood. Nathan, my four year old, airbrushes with watercolors. The next generation already has an airbrush in hand.
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Custom paint is very rewarding. I love the feeling I get from a job well done. Anything worth doing will be hard and time consuming. I love to take something that is stock or plain and give it a personal touch. When I was 2 years old I had a custom painted tricycle, when it's in your blood it's hard to leave anything plain, stock or like the other guy. The biggest thing next to my kid saying "You painted that daddy" is the look on a customer's face when they see their car, bike, truck or whatever after I'm done with it.