FENN — When Mike Hauger and Casey Zechmann first met, they were happily surprised to find they had a lot in common.
Those common interests led to a partnership that has manifested itself into the business “Main Street Auto Body,” and continues to grow.
The duo opened their business this year, utilizing Hauger’s home and farm shop. That will change this spring when they build a new 10,000-square-foot shop that will include a state-of-the-art paint bay. This will be located in Fenn on property that is owned by Hauger.
“We think this will be the perfect location to serve all our communities,” they agreed, as it will be centrally located just off U.S. Highway 95.
Hauger grew up in Grangeville and said he has enjoyed fixing vehicles his whole life.
“I really enjoy the challenge and satisfaction of fixing vehicles and making them look new again,” he said, and he has worked in the field professionally for about eight years as owner of Lucky Star Auto Sales on Grangeville’s Main Street.
He and Zechmann discovered they both enjoy aviation, as well as automobiles, and put their heads together to plan a full-service line of body repair. In addition to repairing automobiles, this includes RVs, semitrucks, farm equipment and boats.
“Sometimes it can be a long wait to get estimates and repairs, but we want to help alleviate that wait,” Hauger said. Zechmann added they work with all insurance companies.
Hauger’s livelihood is the farm his family lives on, where he lives with wife, Kristin, and they have raised two daughters and still have a son in middle school. Kristin is a teacher at Cornerstone Christian Learning Center.
“I like to keep busy though, and one of my passions is classic car restoration, so this is a fun challenge,” he said.
Zechmann and his wife, Lori, and family moved to Grangeville from Nampa about five years ago. She owns Stars Dance Academy and is the cheer coach at Grangeville High School.
He had grown up working in his father’s body shop and by 16 was doing some repair jobs and painting on his own. Following high school, he opened his own shop within his father’s business.
“Then I decided to take a different course, and spent 12 years in law enforcement,” he said. However, he never fully removed himself from auto body work.
He previously worked three years at Gortsema Motors. When the opportunity arose to partner with Hauger, he was ready to step out in that direction.
“We offer work with integrity and honesty,” Zechmann said. “It’s not just about making a buck. We want to do a good job and offer the best service to our customers.”
The computerized paint system they use scans a vehicle or paint chip and digitally matches the exact shade of paint, so paint jobs match exactly and can come out flawless.
“We have a lot of experience tied up between the two of us, plus the employees here,” Hauger added.
The shop in Fenn will allow for expansion room, as necessary, and plenty of parking and storage. In the future, Zechmann would also like to offer some do-it-yourself classes for the public.
In the meantime, those who have auto body needs can stop at Lucky Star Auto Sales in Grangeville. They will work on photographing damage and completing a computerized estimate.
