Meet Richard Bechtel of Car Wrap City in Carrollton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Richard Bechtel.

Richard, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I knew my way around the graphic printing trade and was intrigued by wraps when they came onto the scene. I saw huge potential, but also saw many independent wrappers and sign shops doing it all wrong. It was obvious there was a better way.

Being the market for quality was wide open, I bought myself a wide-format printer I couldn’t fit through the office door, a little installation training under my belt or what they called training at the time, and a vision to make the growing industry better for the consumer. I halted production of signs and banners and decided to open a wraps-only business. Originally named Texoma Wraps, the company was one of the first in the nation to establish itself as a shop dedicated to producing only seamless vehicle wraps.

I was installing about 1-2 wraps per month at first. But as word got out about the quality I produced, business picked up and I could no longer design, print and install the wraps alone. I reached out to a longtime friend and fellow designer to help out with designing wraps. Soon, we were producing 2-3 wraps each week.

Eventually, the two of us couldn’t keep up with the demand. So I began training an installer to help. As time went on, the workload steadily grew. Our installer team grew, we found more graphic designers to help with wrap design, we added printers, production managers, administrators, marketing and social media staff one by one to reach the dream team we have today.

Each person who has been hired to work at Car Wrap City has a unique connection to the heart of this business – each employee fit the need of the company at exactly the right time, even fans of CWC on social media that moved cross-country and across the world to work with us. From Russia, Egypt, Great Britain, Mexico, Brazil, and even Vietnam. They all have different talents and interests, making Car Wrap City a very diverse city, but we all share a common passion for providing quality wraps and a commitment to driving the industry upward.

Another way of doing that was to partner with my friend Justin Pate, to create the Wrap Institute. I always respected Justin’s approach to installing vinyl, for Justin it is always important to not over work the material, but get to understand it and increase your quality tenfold. The Wrap Institute has become the largest neutral wrap training plateform in the world. It’s in 9 languages, and all but 6 countries. Even though I am in the business, I feel it’s better for us to compete in an industry with better installers, making it an apples to apples commitment, benefitting the consumer in the long run.

Has it been a smooth road?
No, Finding the right people whom not only can handle the stress and pressure of what it takes to design or install. It’s not easy by any means, vehicles are a 3D object and design and production are all 2D processes. To wrap the head around that takes special people. On top of that we have to compete with the pricing of all the start up shops where the installer runs his own shop. May or may not have much training but is cutting prices to a point that unexacting customers think a wrap is a wrap. Educating the consumer is a constant struggle. Some learn the hard way. We have a saying, “A good wrap is not cheap, and a cheap wrap is not good!”

So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Car Wrap City story. Tell us more about the business.
We only do wraps, from walls, cars, boats, plans and just about anything that has a hard-smooth surface suitable for wrapping. Our quality sets up apart from most in the industry, we do not cut corners and our staff are all the best at what they do and are paid accordingly, we are certified, insured and treat what we do as if you were coming in for surgery. Professionalism is paramount.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I see wraps not replacing paint, but replacing the options you have over color and turnaround. I think we will see better materials coming from the manufacturers, I see wraps being as common as tinted windows.

Contact Info:

• Address: Car Wrap City Carrollton
  2145 Chenault Drive, STE 106
  Carrollton, TX 75006

  Car Wrap City Sherman
  4805 N FM 1417 (Heritage Parkway)
  Sherman, TX 75092

• Website: www.carwrapcity.com
• Phone: 877-819-7277
• Email: quotes@carwrapcity.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/carwrapcity
• Facebook: facebook.com/carwrapcity

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