Staunton Chamber of Commerce

By Lynn and Nancy Neuhaus

Staunton Auto Body is one of the newer businesses in Staunton. It is a well-kept business at 1103 E. Henry on Old Route 66. It is co-owned by Terry Meyer, who has 40 years of experience in auto repair and a young man named Matt Griffis, an Air Force combat veteran that served in Balad AB, Iraq.

In the military he worked on survival equipment, a very technical job where personnel needed his equipment to perform when it was needed. He feels it helped him get to where he is today. When Griffis finished his military stint and was looking for a job, his father-in-law made an offer to him to come work in the auto body repair business. Soon his talents progressed and he moved his family from Arkansas to Illinois to be near his wife’s family. He found work in nearby auto repair shops and also in Edwardsville, where he specialized in painting. He could paint up to three cars a day.

When the auto body repair shop in Staunton became “For Sale”, Matt jumped on the opportunity to own his own business. Griffis said that he feels like Staunton chose him to come here and start a business. Most of his customers are from Staunton and the surrounding area. He put a lot of work into his website (stauntonautobody.com) to promote his business. Griffis said that currently, space is his biggest hurdle. He has plans to increase the size of his building in the future. His business performs restorations along with collision repairs. He currently has a 1994 Lotus in his shop. In the future, he plans to add a frame rack for more extensive repairs. In the coming months his wife, Kimberly, who is an accountant, will be joining him in the business. Griffis is a people person who likes to help people and fix problems. Staunton Auto Body is open Monday thru Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.