“I'm a die-and-breed in this industry.”
Ed Kalinowski
Owner
About
A 45-year shop, run by a family that's still on the floor.
Phil's was already a Schererville institution. The Kalinowski family bought it in 2014 and kept it that way.
Ed Kalinowski grew up ten minutes from his family's auto body shop in Illinois. He went to a vocational-tech program in high school, went into the family business straight after graduation in 1981, and never looked back.
In 2000, the family bought a shop in Florida and moved south. By 2014, with the business thriving, Ed's father wanted to come home to see his grandchildren. They sold the Florida shop and acquired a small Schererville body shop with an outsized local reputation: Phil's.
A decade in, the shop ranks #1 in local Google reviews. The team has 150+ combined years on the floor. Ed plans to hand the keys to his son, Eddie Jr., by 2028 — and to keep showing up to help.
Timeline
Forty-five years, in five stops.
- 1981
Ed graduates from a vocational-tech program in Illinois and starts in the family's auto body shop.
- 2000
Family business moves to Florida; Ed eventually takes the reins.
- 2014
Family relocates back to Indiana to be near grandchildren. They acquire Phil's Collision Center in Schererville.
- Today
Ranked #1 in local Google reviews. Combined team experience over 150 years. State Farm DRP partner.
- 2028
Succession plan: Eddie Jr. takes over.
What we believe
Four things we don't compromise on.
Family first
Customers, staff, suppliers — we treat the people in this building like family. It's not a slogan; it's why people come back.
Right the first time
We follow manufacturer repair procedures. We don't cut corners for the insurance company or the schedule.
Tell you the truth
Whatever the timeline is, that's what we tell you. When it changes, we tell you that too.
Invest in the next generation
I-CAR training for young techs. The shop on Sundays for personal projects. Parts at cost. The trade only continues if we teach it.
The team
All 34 storiesTwo voices from the shop.
“I do it with a lot of respect.”
Ivan
Staff
“We nail that so they're happy.”
Ward Brown
Staff
As featured
FenderBender Magazine
The November 2025 issue of FenderBender ran a case study on how Phil's recruits and mentors the next generation of collision techs — including an I-CAR training partnership with the same vocational school Ed attended decades ago.
Read the article on Issuu