The Saitta Trudeau paint and body shop is set to hold its grand opening of the new facility this weekend.
On Saturday from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saitta Trudeau will introduce its new 5,200-square-foot building filled with top of the line equipment to return customers’ automobiles in need of work to their former glory.
“On the 20th we’re going to hold a grand opening to introduce the people to the new business,” Tom Saitta said.
Those who attend the festivities will be able to get a firsthand look at what the shop has to offer.
“We’ll be giving a tour of the facility,” Saitta said. “We put in a lot of state-of-the-art equipment that I don’t think exists in Pahrump right now.”
Included in the shop is a downdraft paint booth, an N4 pull system and a laser majoring system that can measure a car throughout a repair to get it back to exact factory specifications, and a spot welder.
The body shop is located in the building that was formerly the Kawasaki dealership near the Home Depot on Highway 160. Many residents applauded the dealership for cleaning up what was once an eyesore to the community.
Saitta said that the body shop compares to anything one could find over the hump, as they have the ability to conduct repairs as well as any shop nearby.
“Even if you were in Las Vegas you’d be hard pressed to find a shop that has all the equipment that we have,” he said. “A lot of that is because we just built it so we went out and the latest of what’s available at this time.”
All makes and models are able to be serviced at the dealership, not just the brands that the Saitta Trudeau dealership sells.
The shop held a hiring event in April to fill the open positions the new shop created, and Saitta hired a handful of people to staff the new business.
“We are starting with five people at the shop and we will expand as business dictates,” he said.
Refreshments will be provided by Jennie Wright, who residents might recognize from her gourmet hot dog stand located off of the 160, near Draft Picks.
“We’re going to pay her to feed whoever shows up to the event,” Saitta said. “We’ll have sodas and hot dogs for them.”
So far response from the public has been positive, as residents are ready to utilize the new equipment to repair their vehicles.
“We have heard from a lot of people since we’ve been preparing to open that they’ve been waiting for us to open to use our shop,” Saitta said. “A lot of people are excited to have a shop like this in Pahrump.”
Even though the shop is about to hold its grand opening, Saitta said that future plans are already in place to grow the shop as business takes off.
“We hope to expand in the future, and that will be determined by the amount of business that we’re able to do,” he said. “Right now were are a 5,200-square-foot facility and we would hope to sometime in the next few years to double that.”
Saitta welcomes everyone to come down and see all the services the shop has to offer, as he is excited to begin introducing the shop to residents.
“It’s an opportunity to come down and see the state-of-the-art equipment and to know why it’s better or why they would want to choose us if they do have a need for a body shop.”