The backstory
Kalinowski was born and raised in Illinois, 10 minutes from his family's auto body shop. By the time he got to high school, a new vocational technical center had opened with a track for automotive techs. It was an instant attraction. So Kalinowski studied there and went into the family business after graduation in 1981. Then, in 2000, his father bought a shop in Florida, and the family moved there for a time. Ed eventually took over the reins of the Florida business from his father.
"By 2014, we'd done well in Florida, but my father wanted to come back to Indiana to see his grandchildren, so we ended up selling the Florida collision shop," Kalinowski says.
Once in Indiana, they found an auto body shop for sale with an excellent reputation for outstanding work, Phil's Collision Center.
"Phil's had a reputation for quality, so we took it over," Kalinowski says. "Today, we're ranking No. 1 in Google reviews, as we have a great team with a high level of dedication, and nobody can touch us. In our area here at Phil's, we're known for high-quality work and outstanding customer service. I'm proud of the way it took off for us."
Today, with 45+ years in the business under his belt, Kalinowski knows how much promise a young tech can bring to a business. He learned it firsthand as a young tech himself, fresh out of vocational-technical school, and also by watching his own son's trajectory in the auto body business.
"Eddie, my son, has been at the shop since he was 5 years old, sweeping floors, and he took a liking to it," Kalinowski says. "He's just 28 years old, and he'll take over eventually."
Then, Kalinowski, who's eyeing retirement by 2028, adds, "I told him I'll always be there to help and guide him."
The challenge
Every collision repair shop owner, whether or not they have a son waiting in the wings, knows they need fresh blood to learn the ropes and keep the business moving forward. But, as Kalinowski knows too well, attracting Gen Z workers can be difficult.
"They are hard to find," he admits. "And I've found it hard just getting them in the door. Then, for the ones who do come in, it's difficult finding [young techs] who really want to work and are willing to learn."
So, when Kalinowski eventually had two promising Gen Z candidates walk through his doors, he was ready to help them learn, grow, and exceed even his own expectations.
The solution
The same vocational center that trained Kalinowski back in high school is a resource for him today.
"I asked the teacher to send the best of the best, and I interviewed several applicants (Waylon and Brendan among them), and they started building their careers here," Kalinowski says.
He also has excellent technicians in the shop with I-CAR training, and those seasoned, veteran team members provide hands-on training for his young techs.
"The combined experience between my team is over 150 years, and they're dedicated, each and every one," Kalinowski says.
His techs also follow factory recommendations in their body work, and that's another valuable practice they pass down to trainees.
"We go by manufacturers' recommendations [in our repairs] and we follow their repair methods," Kalinowski notes. The result? The highest quality — the kind Kalinowski makes sure that Phil's Collision Center delivers.
Gen Z-aged Brendan and Waylon are also enrolled in I-CAR training courses, which they began in October 2025.
"I make sure they reach their goals, and I give them incentives. They reach out to the experienced techs when they have questions — and my techs want these questions. Our young guys are guided the whole way through," Kalinowski says.
In addition, he offers all his employees health insurance that includes dental and vision. And he allows techs to bring in their personal cars and work on them at Phil's, as well as getting their parts at cost. Older crew members like this perk very much for their family cars.
Waylon and Brendan are big fans of this perk, Kalinowski notes.
"I offer the shop to them every Sunday and they work on their own vehicles. That's a great perk to these kids, and I have full trust with them [while they're in the shop]," Kalinowski says.
Naturally, pay and economic prosperity are also powerful incentives for his employees. As Kalinowski reports, "We have a huge payroll, great accounts, and a great relationship with insurance companies."
The quality of equipment at Phil's is another excellent incentive for techs young and old.
"I've spent a lot of money on our equipment, which is all top of the line," Kalinowski says. "We have a [Chief] Meridian frame measuring system, for example, with a complete line of Pro Spot welders."
On Phil's Collision Center's two-acre property, Kalinowski is also creating a new addition specifically for his painters — again, with all top-of-the-line equipment.
The aftermath
Brendan and Waylon arrive faithfully for work each day at 7:30 a.m. "Then, they rotate weekends. We're a six-day-a-week shop, and the business is here to support it," Kalinowski says. That business, which sits just one mile from the Illinois border, is bolstered by an estimated 80,000 vehicles traveling east and west past it each day.
Circling back around to his commitment to tech training, Kalinowski says it's ongoing throughout a tech's career. "All the money I make I invest back into my employees."
The takeaway
At the end of the day, Kalinowski himself is extremely dedicated to the collision repair industry, and he models this to his techs, young and old.
"I've had my life in the industry, and it has been phenomenally good to me," he says. "I've made a lot of money being a shop owner, and this was my reward for the dedication I've put into it."
It's a privilege, he says, to get to work on people's cars, which are oftentimes their second biggest investment next to their homes. And once the team at Phil's Collision Center is finished with a repair, word gets out, and that reflects on the shop and those who work there.
"Somebody will come into the shop and say, 'You did my uncle's car, and now I'm here,'" Kalinowski says.
The career path at Phil's Collision Center is as apparent as a big red stop sign. And that makes young techs inclined to walk through the door.