TNT Body Shop continues to serve the area
Published 9:47 am Thursday, October 1, 2015
Tim Cliff uses the AkzoNobel Automatchic Vision to determine the paint color of Chevy Silverado being worked on in his shop while one of his employees continues to do prep work on the vehicle. – Kelly Wassenberg/Albert Lea Tribune
HARTLAND — While TNT Body Shop is always busy, it is about to go into its peak season. Owner Tim Cliff said when the farmers get into the fields, he starts seeing more accidents involving deer before winter road conditions bring them even more clientele.
Cliff, along with two other shop workers, are able to bring up to 12 vehicles into their shop and rotate among them throughout the day, as much of their work includes bonding and painting time that requires dry time.
In any given week, Cliff will figure out how many labor hours his crew will be available for and then will schedule work accordingly; however, he refuses to cut corners if it means sacrificing the quality of work they do.
The transformation, Cliff said, is the greatest reward of his work. He takes great pride in having something that was damaged come into the shop and then later leave and no one could tell a repair has ever been done.
This high level of quality is something Cliff has brought to the area since beginning his business in 1993, just two years after graduating from Mankato Technical College. At the time, Cliff had a business partner. Tracy Tweeten then left TNT to pursue another business opportunity in 1999.
TNT Body Shop’s focus since its beginning has been to do precision auto body collision work. The business avoids doing mechanical work unless it’s directly related to a car crash.
Cliff provides estimates for his work and does all the work on site, with the exception of wheel alignments which are sublet out. Paint is even mixed in the shop using an advanced color match system that not only recognizes the colors of a vehicle’s make and model, but the slight variances which are present within that shade. The Automatchic Vision system allows a seamless match in the manufacturer’s color.
Cliff lives in Hartland with his wife, Tammy, and their three children, Lindsey, Katie and Tommy.
His business, TNT Body Shop, is located 13 miles northwest of Albert Lea at 30877 Minnesota Highway 13 in Hartland and can be reached at 507-845-2400.
Cliff recommends drivers slow down and concentrate on the road, but if an accident can’t be avoided he’ll be there to help get customers back on the road as soon as possible.
