About Us

After my Grandfather Michael Kitch returned home from World War II in 1945 he opened up an auto repair shop in the basement of his home located on the Main Street in a small town 35 miles east of Pittsburgh called Slickville. A few years later he moved the business a few doors down from his home into a building that was originally owned by Grabiak Chevrolet which is still located in New Alexandria, PA. His son and my father, James Kitch, graduated high school in 1966 and enlisted in the army where he was deployed to Vietnam. When my dad returned home from Vietnam, he joined his father and worked at Kitch’s Auto Service. My Grandfather and Father ran the garage business together until the time of my Grandfather’s death in 1983. At that time my father took over as sole proprietor of the business.

​

On February 11, 1983, six months before the death of my Grandfather Michael, a small business opened up ¼ mile past the garage on the same Main Street of Slickville. This business was called Slickville Panels and it was run by Robert (Bob) Paouncic. Bob was a wonderful person to deal with and it was so convenient to have his business close by for when we needed certain parts.

​

I was born in 1985 and at a very young age began helping my father in the family business. I worked with him part-time all through my high school and college years. After graduating college with a degree in electrical engineering, I decided to take over the family business and finally let my father retire. In June of 2013, I became the 3rd generation sole proprietor of Kitch’s Auto Service and moved the business again ¾ mile further down the Main Street of Slickville into a building that was formerly the Loyalhanna Township Firehall.

​

After running my garage business for 10 years, Bob Paouncic approached me with the notion of buying his panel business. Bob decided it was time for him to hang it up to start enjoying the good things in life and retire after 41 years in business. Bob offered me the opportunity to purchase his business and move it into the building we purchased in 2013 to house Kitch’s Auto Service. On January 1, 2024, we combined the 2 businesses into one building and I officially became the owner of the old Slickville Panels business and I renamed it:

​

 

Auto Body Panels and Parts Supply

 

By

Bryan Kitch

 

(Owner of Kitch’s Auto Service & Auto Body Panels and Parts Supply)