{"id":326219,"date":"2020-07-10T06:00:22","date_gmt":"2020-07-09T20:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=326219"},"modified":"2020-07-10T06:00:22","modified_gmt":"2020-07-09T20:00:22","slug":"pikasso-pioneers-glass-coat-technology-on-saipan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/pikasso-pioneers-glass-coat-technology-on-saipan\/","title":{"rendered":"Pikasso pioneers glass coat technology on Saipan"},"content":{"rendered":"
Pikasso manager Julia Yasuda with her pet Maltese Gucci. (Contributed Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Julia Yasuda didn\u2019t expect to be managing an auto shop at the tender age of 21. But then her father unexpectedly passed away a little over a year ago, and now she runs Pikasso, an auto shop that specializes in glass coat technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cPikasso was established in May 2016 by my father, Masanari Yasuda. Pikasso was handed down to me by my father a few months before he passed away,\u201d she told Saipan Tribune.<\/p>\n

Julia started working with her father in September 2018 and was his right hand at all times. \u201cMy father took me under his wing and allowed me to learn the ropes of running Pikasso. While my father had always intended on having a family business, we never expected his sudden passing. It took us all by surprise. Out of his seven children, I am the third youngest. And yet he entrusted me with his business,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

And although it isn\u2019t exactly her passion, Julia said that managing Pikasso gives her fulfillment that she\u2019s continuing her father\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n

What sets Pikasso apart from other auto shops on island is its use of glass coat technology on its repainting work. \u201cLike many other places, we do headlight cleaning, paint jobs, and undercoating, but what truly sets us apart is our glass coat technology. We are the only auto shop on island that is able to do this type of service,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Most places can only offer undercoating, but Pikasso\u2019s glass coating enables its customers to protect the body and paint of their vehicles. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe in quality over quantity, hence why Pikasso carries its products from Japan. Glass coating is a solvent that combines the paint of the car and clear coat. The nano chemical polishes the car before the glass coat is applied. Once the glass coat is added, your car is protected from any sun damage and will also reflect like a mirror. No wax needed!\u201d said Julia.<\/p>\n

Just a few of Pikasso\u2019s glass coat results. (Contributed Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Like all other businesses, Pikasso wasn\u2019t spared from the economic turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic. \u201cDue to the pandemic, our sales have decreased. I\u2019ve had to reduce our store hours and was on the verge of closing the shop,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Aside from the coronavirus, one of the biggest challenges Pikasso experienced the past couple of years is the renewal of the auto shop\u2019s staff that are under the CNMI-Only Transitional Worker program.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve faced many difficulties throughout the years, all of which have been quite challenging, but I must say that the renewal for CW-1 was a tough process and very costly,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Julia said most of Pikasso\u2019s employees are CW workers and are highly qualified, do a phenomenal job, and always exceed her expectations. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the workers have here at Pikasso is technique and skill, which is very important to me because I want our customers to be satisfied with the results of their vehicles. This helps us in earning their trust. It\u2019s difficult to find the same quality of worker that my employees have and Pikasso is very lucky to have them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

At the moment, Pikasso has a promotion for new vehicles that starts at $100 off of glass coating and $60 off for undercoating.<\/p>\n

She might be new in running an auto shop, but Julia is already looking at expanding Pikasso\u2019s services, especially after the COVID-19 crisis passes. \u201cWe plan to expand and upgrade our production facilities. I envision a sleek, clean, modern look for our shop that gives off an inviting aura when customers come in. I also intend on enhancing our value-added services in the near future. Many customers have made inquiries on whether we do tinting or bedliner paint services. Therefore, I am currently doing my research to obtain the best quality for our clients.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pikasso is located at the foot of the hill going up to the Northern Marianas College (right side). They\u2019re open 8am-3pm, Monday to Friday. For any inquiries or quotations, do not hesitate to give them a call at 234-3358.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Julia Yasuda didn\u2019t expect to be managing an auto shop at the tender age of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":326204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[70],"class_list":["post-326219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-technology-2-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=326219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326219\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/326204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=326219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=326219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=326219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}