Prince’s Colfax Auto Body becomes Morgen’s Auto Body

By LeAnn R. Ralph

COLFAX — After being in the Prince family for nearly 40 years, Prince’s Colfax Auto Body has now become Morgen’s Auto Body of Colfax.

Karie Larson and Mike Morgen officially purchased the business on October 31 from Amanda and Eli Prince.

 Joe Prince, Eli’s father, started the business in 1975.

Prior to purchasing the Colfax business, Mike Morgen worked at Mike’s Auto Body in Glenwood City.

“I have been doing this for 22 years. I am certified ASA and I-Car and all of that. I saw this was for sale, and I thought I should give it a shot,” Mike Morgen said.

Morgen’s Auto Body offers collision repair and painting.

Mike Morgen also is certified in airbags and air conditioning.

And as was the policy of Prince’s Colfax Auto Body, Morgen’s Auto Body will send work that is not collision repair or painting to the other shops in town, such as Mike’s Auto Repair and Cedar Country Cooperative.

“We mainly do collision work and painting. We don’t do things like tires. I don’t see it would be any benefit to the community since Mike’s and Cenex offer tires,” Morgen said.

“We have someone to do windshields, too. Rock chips. Things like that. Just give me a day’s notice. He comes through Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays. He’s done glass for me for a long time. At Mike’s (in Glenwood City) too,” he said.

“I started doing this on semis in Eau Claire. Indianhead Truck Body. That and Mike’s (in Glenwood City) are the only two jobs I’ve ever had. Ten years in one place. Ten years in the other. I’ve helped out other people here and there so that I had two or three jobs at once,” Morgen said.

Going green

Morgen says he is seriously considering converting the body shop to using waterborne car paint.

“It goes on so much easier, and the color matches so well … the paint dries by airflow rather than heat. You use big fans to dry the paint. You can stand there and watch it dry,” he said.

“Where you stop on the panel (to blend the paint), you can’t even feel (the seam) with your hand, it goes on that smooth … I’m kind of a nature guy. If I can help out my fish and ducks and pheasants in any way, I’m all for that,” Morgen said.

“The paint on the car, it’s the clear that makes it shine. The base is flat. And the base, that’s what holds the color, and it holds the most VOCs (volatile organic compounds). GM.  Ford. Honda. Chrysler. They are putting all their efforts into waterborne color. In the Great Lakes region, it could be next year that we have to switch, and then you will have to do it. But it could be in ten years, too. But what is it going to cost ten years from now?” Morgen said.

In fact, Morgen is so serious about converting to waterborne paint that he planned to talk to a paint representative the first week of December.

Friends and family

“I can’t get over how nice everyone in Colfax has been. I was concerned about not being from Colfax. Eli (Prince) pointed out that he was not from Colfax and his dad (who started Colfax Auto Body) was not from Colfax,” Morgen said.

“Everybody in the community has been so nice … we would like to meet more people. Everybody is welcome to come in and just say ‘hi.’ We would really like to be part of the community and community activities,” Karie Larson said.

Mike Morgen has lived in Menomonie since 1996 and is originally from Hastings, Minnesota. He moved to Wisconsin in 1991.

“Everybody, the neighbors, just everybody have been so nice … we’ve gotten a lot of help from family too. We’re very family-oriented people … His parents have been very helpful. I call (Mike’s dad) ‘the maintenance man.’ He thinks of this as his home away from home,” Larson said.

Karie and Mike have four children between them, ranging in age from 9 to 19.

“Our two boys are good friends. They are teenagers now. I was kind of nervous about it, but they are really getting involved here,” Karie said. “It’s neat to watch them. Twenty years from now, it will be them, if they want to.”

“Yes, if they want to. I would never tell them they had to,” Morgen said.

Larson works full-time nights at Andersen Windows in Menomonie and then spends her days, at least Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, at Morgen Auto Body.

Mike Morgen says he is willing to communicate with the insurance companies and provide estimates, fill out forms, and send pictures of the damage.

“Anything I can do to help speed it up, I feel it’s our job. Customers can just call the insurance agent, and I’ll send the pictures and an estimate,” he said.

Morgen’s Auto Body is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

On weekends, Mike Morgen is available by cell phone. Nate’s Towing of Colfax will still do the towing.

“If Nate is not around, there are other people I can get to do towing. I’ve got other connections. I’m not in the market to have a tow truck,” he said.

“If anybody needs anything, just give the cell phone number a call,” Morgen said.

The telephone number at Morgen’s Auto Body is the same telephone number as Prince’s Colfax Auto Body — (715) 962-3559.

Mike Morgen can be reached on his cell phone at (715) 309-8998.