Franchise developer hopes to keep parade going

An ambitious Gulf Coast entrepreneur sees good days ahead in an unlikely source: a business that does minor paint and dent repair work on vehicles.

Indeed, Sean Sander, franchise developer for Colors on Parade for Manatee County through Collier County, seeks one more franchisee for his network, which would bring the total to four. Sander adds that he believes there's enough opportunity in the area to have up to 10 franchisees.

Colors on Parade calls itself a body shop on wheels. The Conway, S.C.-based company, ranked a top franchise by Entrepreneur magazine multiple times, focuses on doing work traditional brick and mortar body shops deem too small. The franchisees, people like Sander and his team, take a repair van to clients, which range from lone car owners to large auto dealerships.

“We've been able to grow all the way through the recession,” Sander tells Coffee Talk. “People are starting to see the value of used cars.”

Sander says business is up 33% in 2012 over 2011. Commercial clients include AutoNation and some Germaine dealerships in Naples and Sarasota. But retail work, repairing one vehicle at a time, is where the growth is, says Sander, who worked in industrial painting before he bought a Colors on Parade franchise in 1999. That area has made up 30% of Sander's revenues in 2012, up from 3% in 2006.

Video: Amanda Heisey