BY ANN PARK

Stegen’s Auto Body has been serving Ogden and North Ogden for over 50 years, fixing cars damaged in accidents.

They have a unique historic building, tucked away behind Ben Lomond Lanes. They’ve been there for decades, and the city has grown up around them.

The business was founded by Jim Stegen, who got his start working in maintenance for another company. They paid for him to go to school and helped provide him with tools. In return, he took over fixing anything that needed it.

Jim did a lot of work on cars before opening his own shop. He wanted to have control over the way the work was done. It was important to him to do a good job, one that would last and not cause problems later for the car owner.

Jim got married, worked out of his garage repairing all sorts of things, and began saving for his own building. In 1969, he bought his first shop and was there for ten years until he bought his current building. Wanting to find a great place to raise his family, he bought a home in North Ogden about the same time.

Shane is Jim’s son and learned from his father about repair work. Shane has been doing auto repair his entire life and is one of the best in the business. He works in the shop as a painter, and he loves to be able to recreate something beautiful for the customers. Shane’s son, Nick, is the third generation in the business. He and his wife, Kassy, run the office at Stegen’s. Nick is the eyes and ears of the shop and he makes sure everything is under control and that every vehicle leaves in perfect condition. Kassy handles the insurance and customer interactions. She has a background in dental assisting and wasn’t raised around cars, so she says she’s learned a lot from working with the family. “Everything I know about cars, I’ve learned from them.”

The Stegen family enjoys working together as a team. Jim began the business with a firm commitment to doing good quality work and paying attention to detail. That lasting commitment still sets them apart to this day. Jim’s legacy is built into the company; it is seen in their pride and in the quality of their work. They put their focus on the customer who owns the car, not on the insurance company. “We fix cars for people, not insurance companies,” Shane said.

The Stegen family loves working together. “The best thing about working with your family is being able to spend more time with them,” Shane said.

“We’re a lot closer,” Kassy says. “We have more opportunities to communicate and to keep close tabs on what’s going on with our family members. And because we’re a family business, we want our customers to feel like family too. We want them to be able to come to us for help any time they need work done.”

The Stegen family is still going strong, and they’re looking forward to the next 50 years!