MEET THE NEW OWNERS

WHERE WE STARTED

Steve Proia, owner and founder of Authentic Auto Body & Collision LLC, started his auto body career at Minuteman Career and Technical High School located in Lexington. Years following, he had gone on to gain an extensive amount of experience at every angle of the trade - from working on the floor as a technician and painter to then becoming an appraiser in the office who was also responsible to manage the technicians on the floor.

As Steve became more experienced and knowledgeable about the industry, he quickly came to realize that most body shop owners shared a commonality- they placed a higher value and level of concern on dollar figures as opposed to customer safety and quality repairs. Knowing what he did, everything seemed to go against what he felt to be right.

This was a pivotal moment for Steve as he saw opportunity for change. He felt he could create a business that could not only be sustainable, but also profitable without pushing inferior parts and materials nor cutting corners on safety items. Wanting to see people treated the right way, from customers to employees, this became the primary drive and motivation behind Steve taking the leap to start a business of his own.

In 2016, Steve and his wife, Gabrielle, found out they would be expecting their first child, Vincent. At the time, both had well paying, salary jobs that offered a standard 40 hour work and quality benefits. Some may argue that it would be foolish, perhaps even ludicrous, for both to walk away from such security and willingly choose to start a business from the group up at the same time their newborn was expected. However, they agreed it was a once in a life time opportunity and took a leap of faith, combined their savings, and quite literally risked it all. Their son, Vincent, was born in November 2016 and they opened the doors to Authentic Auto Body shortly after.

What started in 2016 as a team effort between Steve and Gabrielle, running the day-to-day operations among the two of them to get the business off the ground, has now become a highly efficient multi-faceted functioning operation comprised of multiple employees. Since 2016, Authentic Auto Body has tripled in size, is comprised of 12 full time employees and has 3 sister companies. As if that wasn't enough chaos for the couple to handle, they went on to have 2 more children, Alessia in 2017 and Arianna in 2019. Steve now runs the operations of the business while Gabrielle has begun to pursue a career in real estate and takes care of their 3 children.

Over the years, Steve has thoughtfully curated a team of hand selected individuals who are arguably some of the best in the area. Each person takes great pride in their craftsmanship and expertise they bring to the table, collectively bring more than 100 years of experience and above all have the desire to take care of people and see others be treated the right way. At Authentic Auto Body, it's not just about repairing cars - it's about repairing cars with purpose.