Coates Collision and Hot Rod Shop is celebrating its one-year anniversary this month.

Owner Lin Coates has 15 years of experience as a body shop manager for car dealerships, then owned and operated his own body shop and sold it. After working for a stint in Pagosa Springs, he decided he wanted to be closer to home and again opened his own shop.

He has four employees now, and the shop had far more growth during its first year than he expected. He currently has a three-year backlog on custom hotrod projects. Collision jobs are much quicker, he noted, and this is a busy time of year for fender benders.

"Being back here again is wonderful," he said of his County Road 516 location, where he first owned his original business.

He and his employees focus on doing work correctly for their customers and fixing a mistake if they make it.

"We try to get it done right," he said.

This fall, he attended the SEMA show, the largest automotive trade show in North America, in Las Vegas. SEMA stands for Specialty Equipment Market Association. He tries to attend every year to keep up with market trends, but it also fills his desire to see some really cool cars and trucks, as well.

Coates Collision is located at 6115 CR 516, and the shop can be reached at 884-5089. Pictures of the shop's work can be seen at www.coatescollision.com or on the shop's Facebook page.