MAACO Auto Painting

Owner: Randy Dawson

Address: 3672 W. Sunset Ave.,

Springdale

Phone: 872-1111

Hours: 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday-Friday;

9 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday

Start-Up Date: July 6

Although MAACO Auto Painting will work on automobile collision repairs upon request, its specialty is recreational or “fun painting.” MAACO, a franchise company, is the only national provider of this type of service.

“Over 90 percent of our paint jobs are recreational. There is actually quite a demand for this type of service,” says Randy Dawson, who owns and operates the new business in Springdale.

This “fun painting” service is for people who want to dress up or alter the appearance of their vehicles for whimsical reasons. MAACO serves but doesn’t cater to those automobile owners who need repair work done because of a collision, or other such accidents. The average turnaround for a paint job is anywhere from two to three days.

Dawson says his prices are low compared to those of other shops.

“Most body shops range from $1,200 to $1,800 and up. Our jobs start at $189,” Dawson says. Also, Dawson says, MAACO is the only auto painting business in the country that can boast a national warranty for repairs.

The initial financing for this venture came from Arkansas Capital Corp., and the Bank of Arkansas helped get the business off the ground in Northwest Arkansas. The property space is 14,000-SF, which was previously inhabited by Twin City Produce.

MAACO is a 26-year-old franchise with 550 stores. The Springdale location is the only MAACO store in Arkansas. Dawson says his store, which employs about 10 people, expects to paint 40 to 50 cars per week or about 2,000 annually.