Steve Cotten always had a feeling he’d be back.
The Phillipsburg native left his hometown after graduating from high school in 2007 to attend North Central Kansas Technical College in Beloit to earn an Associate’s Degree in Automotive Collision Repair. And while he didn’t exactly have a formal plan, he somehow felt the road would lead back home.
“I think that was kind of the end-game goal,” he recalls. “I am pretty family oriented and we had a family farm back here and I always kind of had the hopes to run my own business. I figured if I didn’t run my own business, I’d work for someone else and then farm as well.”
And, initially, he did work for someone else. He took a summer job in a local body shop after his first year away and then upon earning his degree, took a full-time job. A few years later, the owner approached him about the possibility of Cotten buying the body shop. It was May 2017 that the “end-game” goal became reality when he opened Cotten Collision.
“I always wanted to serve the community I grew up in,” he said. “I”ve always been in love with small-town life. The big city is great for seven days, but then I’m ready to come home. Small-town life is just kind of the life I know and the life that I love.”
It’s also a life Cotten takes great pride in.
“Being here allows me to provide a necessary service locally that saves my customers time and money,” he said. “Plus, I’m lucky enough to know my customers on a personal level. It gives you kind of a sense of family while you’re working.”
That personal touch and connection is important to Cotten, and it’s what makes him strive to offer his customers the best service possible. Getting a vehicle back on the road requires not only skill, but a focused desire to do the job right.
“For most people, your vehicle is either the second biggest or your biggest investment,” Cotten said. “You car is not what it used to be because there are so may safety components and computer systems. You want to know that the person who’s working on it knows what he is doing and knows how to fix it properly.”
Cotten has seen what happens when body shops offer less than the best.
“We do see a lot of repairs that have been done improperly,” he said. “In a big city, they figure they’ll never see you again. When I fix a car, I go to a gas station after work, or maybe I go out to eat, or I’m at church, and next to me at a table or a few pews down is my customer. If I do a terrible repair, I should hear about it and I will hear about it. Knowing my customers makes me accountable to them.
“There’s no room for doing anything subpar. And that’s the way it should be. Who wants to go home at the end of the day thinking, ‘I should have done that differently’ ?”
One thing Cotten has no desire to do differently is set down roots elsewhere. Cotten remains certain he and his wife are raising their 4-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter right where their family was meant to be. A small town offers them not only a vibrant, active community, but valuable support as they grow and thrive.
“It really takes more than two parents to raise a family,” he said. “And in Phillipsburg, you can trust anyone – coaches, teachers, doctors, neighbors … and you can know everyone has their best interest at heart. It takes a village – and this is a trustworthy village.”
The future looks bright for his business as well, which has been blessed with work, Cotten said, noting he hopes to add to his two employees.
“I look forward to continuing to provide the same service, while expanding our skillset,” he said. “I would love to hire new employees as our business grows and watch other people enjoy this career as much as I do in this place I love.”
