Foul Smell in Camry Turns Out to Be Dead Snake

The smell was so bad in the car, a Camry owner in Thief River Falls, MN, wasn't even able to get into the car. To make matters worse, the owner couldn't find any auto repair shops in the area willing to tackle the problem. Finally, the Bodyworks in Baxter, MN, took on the challenge and found a dead three-foot-long boa constrictor wedged in the floor structure underneath the driver's seat.

The smell was so bad in the car, a Camry owner in Thief River Falls, MN, wasn’t even able to get into the car. To make matters worse, the owner couldn’t find any auto repair shops in the area willing to tackle the problem. Finally, the Bodyworks in Baxter, MN, took on the challenge and found a dead three-foot-long boa constrictor wedged in the floor structure underneath the driver’s seat.

Below is the article as it appeared on the Brainerd Dispatch website.

SNAKE IN THE CAR
Don’t read this if you’re squeamish about snakes…or smells…or both

June 29, 2011
By Mike O’Rourke
Associate Editor

Mike Glomski, a marine repair specialist at The Bodyworks Super Collision Center in Baxter, held the body of boa constrictor he found wedged in the floor structure of a 2010 Camry. The carcass produced a foul odor that made extrication particularly challenging.

Imagine a car odor so foul, so vile, that it might have driven the owner to consider junking a virtually new car. That situation was the task that greeted Mike Glomski, a marine repair specialist at The Bodyworks Super Collision Center in Baxter Friday.

The culprit was an escaped boa constrictor that wedged itself into the floor structure underneath the driver’s seat and died. Sidney Osterman, general manager of the Bodyworks, said the smell was so bad the owner couldn’t get in the car. The owner couldn’t find any auto repair personnel in the Thief River Falls area who would touch it. Eventually the owner contacted the Bodyworks.

“We have a reputation for taking anything on here,” Osterman said Tuesday.

To read the entire article on the Brainerd Dispatch website, visit http://brainerddispatch.com/news/2011-06-29/snake-car.

When Your Shop Is Worth Much More Than You Thought

Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.

Case Study: Owner of San Francisco-based Import Service Shop Delighted to Discover Just How Valuable His Business is to Qualified Buyers
I sometimes share case studies of the clients I have been able to assist in my role as an aftermarket business broker and provider of intermediary and advisory services. I do that when I think the story will provide a reader in similar circumstances with new insights or helpful information.
In the case of Cowden Automotive, Inc., I acted in a consulting capacity assisting the owner and his broker in valuing the business, creating a marketing plan, finding a qualified buyer, and arranging financing for the sale.
Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.
Needless to say, delivering that kind of good news to a shop owner is a rewarding experience. Discovering that the sale of his business would result in his retirement nest-egg being substantially larger than he had ever thought was a fitting tribute to someone who had spent his entire working career as a busy automotive service shop owner.

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