St. LOUIS — Dent Wizard International has appointed Ben Ashby as project manager for the company’s growing wheel remanufacturing business.

In this newly-created role, Ashby will provide ongoing operational support and technical training for Dent Wizard’s wheel repair centers in St. Louis, Phoenix and New England. Ashby will work from Dent Wizard’s St. Louis headquarters, and report to Steve Carpenter, Dent Wizard’s director of operations.

Dent Wizard’s three wheel repair centers provide local, overnight services for the region’s auto dealerships, body shops and tire and wheel retailers, who otherwise are replacing alloy wheels with costly new wheels, or sending wheels out of town for service. The wheel repair centers’ route trucks make scheduled stops at auto repair operations in the region, or may be scheduled as needed through the dispatch service. Upon delivery to the Dent Wizard shop, a team of trained technicians goes to work to complete the repairs in the evening hours. In about 24 hours the wheels are delivered, repaired to factory specifications.

The wheel repair centers’ capabilities include refinishing, straightening, crack welding, powder coat finishing, CNC lathing, wheel polishing and custom coloring, a style trend that has grown in popularity in recent years. Various finishes of black, white and colors keyed to match a vehicle’s body paint are leading this trend. All repairs are done by Dent Wizard-trained technicians, and come with a lifetime workmanship guarantee.

Prior to joining Dent Wizard, Ashby worked for more than 10 years at B Auto Parts in the St. Louis area, where he managed all aspects of the business’s high-volume wheel refinishing shop.

“Dent Wizard has invested significant resources in equipment, facilities and trucks to launch our newest Wheel Repair Centers in St. Louis and New England,” Carpenter said. “But it requires smart, hard-working people to make it all work. Ben’s background and technical knowledge will be a tremendous asset to our new enterprise and our customers.”

“About 60% of new cars today have alloy wheels, and that number is expected to increase, so the industry will continue to see more alloy wheel repairs,” said Mike Black, Dent Wizard’s chief operating officer. “Ben has been on the front lines through this evolution in our industry, so we’re confident he will help Dent Wizard address this growing need for our customers.”