JOEL KNOTT
I was introduced to PDR in 1995 by my wonderful childhood friends Craig and Adam at the age of 15. Seeing the opportunity that PDR presented, in 1996 my family funded a journey for me to learn about Paintless Dent Repair in the USA. My flight sent me to Hobbs, New Mexico where I was given the opportunity to train with a small Oklahoma based PDR operation, while they were running a hail deal with a couple of techs.
For my 16th birthday, my Uncle and Aunt brought me my first PDR tool set that I still own to this day. Between 96 and 98 I fumbled along with door dings out of my fathers mechanical repair business and by the middle 1998 without being able to get a leg up from any PDR companies, I decided to start my own operation and named it Automotive Hail Repairs Pty Ltd. Now that same company is better know as the global leader Hail.com.
Other than those short weeks in Hobbs, I had so little help in the early years trying to learn the art of PDR that I almost gave up. In fact, a lot of the “help” I was getting was from people in the industry that didn’t want to see me do well and actually pointed me in the wrong direction. Something I see all too often to this day.
In 2000 after going through a large hail storm in my home town of Sydney, Australia the year prior, I decided to throw myself at the mercy of the international hail repair world whilst running a workshop dedicated to door dings in parallel. I have never looked back. Along the way I have met some truly amazing PDR techs both professionally and personally. I have had some wonderful experiences, some interesting experiences, and some experiences I wish I could forget! But throughout it all, I always think back to the early years and how much I could have shortened my learning curve by getting the RIGHT information from the get go. I always swore that one day I would help give back to the industry that gave so much to me.
In 2012 I began formulating the idea of building an online platform where current PDR techs and future PDR techs could get the latest information on what is going on in their industry. I didn’t want to just build a “blog” or a “forum”. I wanted to build a destination to point technicians in the RIGHT direction with the RIGHT information that I mentioned earlier.
The one thing that I have learned from my time in Paintless Dent Repair is that you can not do it alone. I would never be where I am today without the loyal team that I have around me, and some of the wonderful people in this industry that have helped me get here.
I am passionate and positive about the PDR industry and I love helping and teaching new people to become the techs of the future.
What I want is for you, the viewer, is to have a single location to get the RIGHT tools of the industry, from the ones we put in our hands and repair dents, to the information and training needed to get you there.
Being a big believer in the power of the Internet, and the power of a great domain name, I set about securing a name for this website that was intuitive, memorable and a great fit for the idea. As we already used the branding Hail.com for our worldwide hail repair company, and use PdrTraining.com for our PDR training company, it only made sense that if we wanted people to get the tools of the PDR industry, then PdrTools.com was the only name to have.
PdrTools.com has now been born. I would like to call it a “one stop shop” but the reality is, it’s not a shop. It is the destination where you will find the latest PDR tools, equipment and information. Get updates on deals from tools manufacturers and meet PDR industry leaders. You will be able to link through to the best companies that can supply you with everything you need to be an expert in the PDR industry.
I look forward to advancing in the PDR industry with you.
Joel Knott