No small accolade to be named
2007 small-business person of the year

What does it take to be named Small-Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)? A lot of hard work, dedication and the ability to have your paperwork prepared, precise and prompt.

Gene Cortes and his wife of 33 years, Anna, are the quintessential portrait of the American dream. Hard-working immigrants who put family first, but who also invested thousands of hours of sweat equity and plenty of determination to grow their small repair shop into a showplace that just happens to be a multimillion dollar Nanuet business, Clarkstown International Collision (CIC).

Today, the couple sit in adjoining offices, tastefully decorated and nothing like you’d expect to find in an auto-body repair shop. In fact, the entire operation is top shelf, and so is the work Cortes puts into each vehicle his company services. “I have been very lucky to have a good relationship with many companies,” says Cuban-born Cortes. CIC is the preferred body shop for more than 20 dealerships, including the next-door Mercedes-Benz dealer, so their offices reflect the kind of quality upscale customers expect. They also have a GEICO auto express center on-site and Enterprise Rent-A-Car has an office in their building. Sagma Auto Glass is also in-house: one-stop shopping to keep customers satisfied and coming back.

Cortes was briefly introduced to the collision business by his brother-in-law, but made a career change and became an insurance adjuster, first for Allstate, then for Travelers. “Being an appraiser eventually was a tremendous asset getting back into the business of collision and repair work,” said Cortes. People would ask around: ‘Is Gene an honest guy?’ That was the most important thing to them. And hearing positive feedback about me helped open many doors.”

The couple bought their first building in 1992, but after obtaining a mortgage, they had exactly $100 left to open a business checking account and $300 in cash to put into materials. “From there, we just struggled,” said Anna, who is the company’s vice president. “We put a lot of sweat equity into our first building.” Sweat equity included enlisting their three now-grown daughters, who helped paint walls, sweep up and pitch in wherever their parents felt their young teens could handle it.

Then, their first big break came. United Water started using CIC to service its trucks. Then, they landed another account. The Cortes family was slowly growing a niche. “That proved to be a big help to us. Company drivers would use us, and they would see the quality of our work,” said Gene. “More often than not, they would return to us with their personal vehicles when they needed service or body work. And so, little by little, our business grew.”

When Cortes was ready for a bigger, more sophisticated operation, he turned to his banker, Frank Armstrong, at Hudson Valley Bank in New City. “It was thanks to Frank we got in touch with Patrick McKrell of the New York Business Development Corp. (NYBDC).” McKrell assigned vice president John King to walk the Cortes’ through the Small Business Administration loan process.

“I would tell anyone thinking of going to the SBA for a loan they need to have their paperwork in order,” said Anna Cortes. “And you can be sure there is a lot of it. Nobody is going to lend you money – in our case it was $1.5 million – without being able to provide all the documentation they need to show you can repay the loan and that you have collateral to back it up.”

Cortes said it took approximately one year from the time their banker put them in touch with NYBDC till they closed on their loan, which gave them the ability to refinance their 11 per cent mortgage down to an 8 percent loan over 20 years.

Cortes and his wife are hands-on with their business, even when they are not physically in the office. Since they have recently become grandparents, the couple likes to visit their new granddaughter in Florida. But it doesn’t stop them from keeping track of daily operations. “I invested in a software system that allows us to monitor every location in the building on a 24/7 basis, and we have access on every computer station in the building,” said Gene Cortes. “Our employees know this, it is no secret. We see every e-mail that goes through and is received, and we can watch our operations any time of the day or night. It is a comfort for us to know we can leave the building but still be on top of the business.”

The couple’s now-grown daughters have moved to new careers, but they are still working in the family business. Melly Bonita handles public relations; Annette Cortes is an actress who helps her parents put their commercials together; and Stephanie Cortes is in charge of graphic design/photography.

For Cuban-born Cortes and Columbian-born Anna, the American dream has seen fruition. Three children and a new granddaughter add to the flavor.

Now, along with the many recognitions they’ve received from local organizations, they can add Small-Business Person of the Year to their list of accomplishments.