Buffalo's Carubba Collision sees Syracuse as “tremendous growth market”

CICERO - Carubba Collision Corp., an auto-collision repair shop, had been planning an expansion "for a couple years" beyond its current locations in Western New York.

So says Yves Pierre-Louis, manager of the company's newest shop at 7313 Northern Boulevard near the corner of East Taft Road in the town of Cicero.

The new 14,000-square-foot location, which is Carubba's first in Central New York, opened for operation on April 27, says Pierre-Louis.

"We just feel that Syracuse is a tremendous growth market for us, and we feel that it's just underserved for what we do," he adds.

Carubba also recently expanded into the Jamestown area of Chautauqua County, he adds.

Pierre-Louis spoke with CNYBJ on April 28. He had been working in the body-shop business at Carubba Collision in Buffalo for eight years and plans to relocate, he says.

Joseph (Joe) Carubba, company president and CEO, announced the new location's opening in a news release issued April 22.

Carubba is the company's sole owner, according to Pierre-Louis.

In the news release, Carubba called the CNY expansion a "very exciting opportunity" for the company.

"It is our desire to bring that same high level of quality auto body service to the Central New York region that our customers have enjoyed for so many years in Western New York," Carubba added in the news release.

The company's expansion could continue in the region, says Pierre-Louis.

"If we're fortunate enough, we'd like to open up another three to four locations in the Central New York area," he added, noting any future locations may or may not be added in the immediate Syracuse area.

The property

Carubba Collision Future Shop, LLC bought the three-acre parcel from T&K Realty LLC of Rome in a deal that closed in early January, says Pierre-Louis.

Realtor Jay Newman of Hastings Cohn Real Estate in Buffalo helped the company find the property, he adds.

The company also had help from local realtors in the Syracuse area, but Pierre-Louis declined to identify them.

Besides the Carubba Collision location, the Cicero property also includes buildings that house Birnie Bus Service, Inc. and Safelite, a windshield repair and replacement company.

Unique Development Companies, Inc. of Syracuse handled the renovation work on its building, says Pierre-Louis.

Crews finished their work in about 60 days.

Lake Architectural of Marcellus handled the design work on the renovation project.

"The initial investment in our new [Cicero] location is over $2 million," Carubba said in the news release.

Pierre-Louis declined to disclose details about how the company financed the property purchase and the renovation work involved.

Operations

The Cicero location currently employs 21 people, not including Pierre-Louis. The employee count is expected to rise to between 30 and 40 employees by the fall, he says.

Carubba Collision employs a total of about 160 people between its eight locations, according to Randy Pinkowski, assistant to the president at Carubba, who joined Pierre-Louis for the interview with CNYBJ.

Pierre-Louis declined to disclose any revenue information for Carubba Collision, saying only, "We've been growing."

The new Cicero facility will also include a location of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, a partnership that is characteristic of all Carubba locations, according to its website.

Carubba also works with several insurance companies to handle customer claims.

"There's no agreement per se," says Pierre-Louis. "We just partner with our insurance companies in what's called a direct-repair program, and they certify us to be able to handle their guests. Certain protocols are involved in terms of how they want their guests handled and we turn around and follow those protocols."