Autobody News May 2014 Southeastern Edition

Attorneys for repair shops that filedsuit against State Farm and more thana dozen other insurers recently re-sponded to the insurer’s request forthe U.S. Middle District of FloridaCourt, Orlando division, to dismisstheir antitrust and steering lawsuit,saying that there is “more than suffi-cient facts asserted to satisfy thepleading requirements.”

The Florida repair shops suedState Farm and dozens of other insur-ers. See this issue and Autobody NewsApril issue for more on the lawsuit, orsearch online at Autobodynews.com.

“Plaintiffs allege that Defendantsimposed maximum price limitations

for automobile parts and services,adopted similar reimbursement poli-cies and practices, and attempted tosteer customers away from shops thatrefused to adhere to Defendants’ pricelimitations. The ‘crucial question,’however, is ‘whether the challengedanticompetitive conduct stem[s] fromindependent decision or from anagreement, tacit or express,’’ StateFarm’s attorneys write in their re-sponse.

“As a general rule, businesses arefree to choose the parties with whomthey will deal, as well as the prices,terms and conditions of that dealing,”

Attorneys for Collision Repairers Respond to StateFarm’s Request for Dismissal of Antitrust Case

See State Farm Requests, Page 19

by John Yoswick

Ford Motor Company representativesat the Collision Industry Conference(CIC) held in Portland, Ore., in Aprilprovided more information not onlyabout the automaker’s 2015 F-150pick-up, but also about the “Ford Na-tional Body Shop Network,” throughwhich Ford hopes to promote bothdealership and independent shops toowners of Ford vehicles needing col-lision repair.

Paul Massie, collision productmarketing manager for Ford, acknowl-edged that his company may have

fallen behind other automakers in de-veloping a certification or recognitionprogram for independent shops. But it

also is clearly thenew F-150, an alu-minum-intensivevehicle expected tohit showrooms inNovember, that isbehind Ford’s pushto increase thenumber of body

shops equipped and trained to work onaluminum. The F-150 has been thebest-selling vehicle in the country for

At CIC, Ford Outlines its Strategy to Help RepairersPrepare for the New F-150

See Ford’s Plan, Page 24

Paul Massie

The Indiana Autobody Association(IABA) along with fourteen IndianaCollision Repair Shops filed legalaction against twelve Property andCasualty Insurance Companies andtheir subsidiaries on April 2, 2014.

The suit seeks unspecified finan-cial damages and names 27 insurersincluding Illinois-based State Farm,which has the largest market share inthe state at about 25 percent. Otherswith large market share include Ohio-based Progressive Insurance and lo-cally based Indiana Farmers Mutual

Insurance Co.The suit accuses

the insurers of “en-gaging in an ongo-ing, concerted andintentional courseof action and con-duct with State

Farm acting as the spearhead to im-properly and illegally control and de-press the automobile damage repaircosts.”

In addition, “The insurance com-panies (“Insurers”) are improperlyintruding upon the relationship be-tween the Shops and consumers, and

placing the driving public at harm bytheir practices.”

As it pertains to DRP shops, thesuit also accuses the insurers of “en-gaging in an ongoing pattern and prac-tice of coercion and implied threats tothe pecuniary health of the individualplaintiff businesses in order to forcecompliance with unreasonable andonerous concessions.”

Tony Passwater, IABA Execu-tive Director, states, “There’s goingto be a battle. For decades the insur-ers have interfered with the collisionrepair professional’s obligation to re-store the vehicle back to pre-acci-dent condition as humanly possible.It has been well documented withthe 1963 Consent Decree. Sincethen, over the last two decades, thepressure to compromise the repairquality and safety has increased withmany insurer mandates and cost con-trols. It must stop, the driving publicdeserves a vehicle that has been re-paired properly and is safe.”

Passwater says, “I am sure thatin the near future, possibly hundredsof shops will stand up and join this

Indiana Autobody Association and Indiana ShopOwners File Suit to Block Tortious Interference

See Tortious Interference?, Page 19

Tony Passwater

California’s InsuranceCommissioner Dave Jonestalks to Autobody News aboutthe State of the Industry andthe future

by Ed Attanasio

California’s Insurance Commissioner David Jones was elected on November 2,2010 with 4.7 million votes. He leads the California Department of Insurance (CDI),the largest consumer protection agency in the state, which regulates the state’s$123 billion insurance industry. We recently sat down with Jones to find out what’she’s achieved in the collision industry and what’s he’s learned since getting elected.

You can read the full article online at Autobodynews.com, by searching DaveJones.

Autobody News endorses Jones for re-election. He has been one of the mosteffective and reliable Insurance Commissioner’s in the country’s largest market.Collision repairers nationwide would do well to support a local candidate like Jones.

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Publisher & Editor: Jeremy HayhurstGeneral Manager: Barbara DaviesOnline Editor: Alicia BasteriContributing Writers: Tom Franklin, Stefan Gesterkamp, John Yoswick, Janet Chaney,Toby Chess, Ed Attanasio, Chasidy SiskAdvertising Sales: Joe Momber, Sean Hartman, Bill Doyle, David Petro (800) 699-8251Sales Assistant: Louise TedescoArt Director: Rodolfo Garcia

Serving Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina,South Carolina and adjacent metro areas, Autobody News is a monthly publication for theauto body industry. Permission to reproduce in any form the material published inAutobody News must be obtained in writing from the publisher. ©2014 Adamantine Media LLC.

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BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 39Cavalier Ford-Lincoln Greenbrier . . 23Certified Automotive PartsAssociation (CAPA). . . . . . . . . . . 47

Chief Automotive. . . . . . . . . . . . 18, 19Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Coggin Deland Honda . . . . . . . . . . 34Creative Metal Manufacturing. . . . . 20Crown Automotive Group . . . . . . . . 17DJS Fabrications, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . 48Don Reid Ford. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Ford Wholesale Parts DealersFL, VA, GA, AL, MS. . . . . . . . . . . 29

Franklin Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

GlasWeld Systems, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 4GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . 43Gray-Daniels Auto Family . . . . . . . . . 5Gus Machado Ford. . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Hendrick BMW/MINI . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Honda-Acura Wholesale PartsDealers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25, 26-27

Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers . 40Innovative Tools & Technology, Inc . . 9Jon Hall Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Kernersville Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers. 35Malco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Martech Services Company . . . . . . . 6Mercedes-Benz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Mercedes-Benz Wholesale PartsDealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

MINI Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 38Mitsubishi Wholesale Parts Dealers . 44MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 31Nalley BMW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Performance Automall . . . . . . . . . . 22Porsche Wholesale Parts Dealers . 42PPG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2PreFab Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Priority Honda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Safety Regulation Strategies . . . . . 36SATA Spray Equipment . . . . . . . . . 13Subaru of Gwinnett . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 33Tameron Hyundai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Toyota of Easley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 45Valspar Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Inde

xofAdvertisers

ContentsREGIONALABRA Expands to Knoxville . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Bennettsville, SC, Shop Fire . . . . . . . . . . . 12Body Shop Fire in Surfside Beach, SC,

Battery Failure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Boyd Group Opens 3rd Shop in

Fayetteville, NC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Carsmetics Charlotte Anniversary . . . . . . 12Collierville ABRA Location Files $1.9M

Loan on Property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Darlington, SC, Body Shop Fire Now

Considered Arson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Fatal Shooting At Colleton, SC,

Auto Body Shop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8GCIA’s Members Hosted Two Speakers

at March Meeting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Hampton Roads Autobody Association’s

Yearly Car Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Ladonia, AL, Body Shop is “Total Loss”

After Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Missing Class Ring Found 14 Years Later

at Body Shop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4SC Shop Sees Benefits in Promoting

More Females . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4SC’s New River Auto Mall’s Grand Opening . 8

COLUMNISTSAttanasio - Automotive Marketing

Company Garners Huge Kudosfor its Website Clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Attanasio - What Ever Happened tothe Return Phone Call? . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Franklin - Gender Marketing Power isa Trend Already in Evidence . . . . . . . . . 20

Sisk - ABAC Hosts Larry Montanez of P&L Consulting at March 18 Meeting. . . . . . 13

Sisk - Arkansas Collision Repair Association Seeks New Members to Educate for theIndustry’s Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Sisk - Thousands Attend Record-Breaking Northeast™ 2014 Show . . . . . . . . . . . 14

NATIONAL3M Continues Funding Scholarships For

2nd Year in Collision Repair for Returning Veterans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

ALLDATA’s VIN Decoder Has BeenEnhanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

American Honda Announces TwoBody Repair Bulletins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Are Aluminum Cars Really Better for theEnvironment? Study Says ‘Yes’ . . . . . . 43

At CIC, Ford Outlines its Strategy to HelpRepairers Prepare for the New F-150 . . . 1

Attanasio - WaterCar Has Body ShopOwner Swimming in Business . . . . . . . 32

Attorneys for Collision Repairers Respondto State Farm’s Request for Dismissal of Antitrust Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

AudaExplore Enhances MAACO’s Operational AutoBody-Review.com Improves

Geo-Targeted SEO, Authority for Shopsby Adding “Articles: to Profiles . . . . . . . 40

CCC Updates: Carwise Shop Finder Solution, Contact Center Solution, TRUE PartsNetwork Suppliers, and Crash Course . 38

Chaney - Buses of Yellowstone—HowAbout These for Barn Finds? . . . . . . . . 30

Chief Opens New Specification Center in Malaysia to Provide Customers withBetter, More Timely Specs . . . . . . . . . . 42

CNN Recognizes NABC for Donating200+ Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Collision Industry Foundation AnnouncesNew Trustees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Colorado Springs Duo Develop‘Ding Stinger’ App . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Craftsman Auto Body Opens 11thLocation in Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

IBIS to be Held in Barcelona on May 19-21 . 30I-CAR News: New Board of Directors,

Collision Repair Training for 2015 FordF-150, Industry Support, Limited-Time Promo, and Revamped Steering /Suspension Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Indiana Autobody Association and Indiana Shop Owners File Suit to Block TortiousInterference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Industry Week Fundraiser. . . . . . . . . . . . . 44KS Body Shop Temporarily Closed for

Tax Non-Payment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Limited-Time Promo on 2 New I-CAR

Training Bundles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Matrix System 2015 Finishes Calendar

Contest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44MB Approves Elektron Spot Welders

for HSS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Missouri Shop Owner and Consultant

Favors Common-Sense Solutionsfor Common Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

NACE/CARS 2014 Website Live, HotelReservations Open for Detroit . . . . . . . 42

One-day ‘Future is Now’ Midwest AutoBody Trade Show Gets 400 Attendees,65 Exhibitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Performance Gateway Offers SCRSMembers Free Software. . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Premier Services Donates $2.5K tothe CRE Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

SCRS 2014-2015 Board Electedin April 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

SEMA Board of Directors CandidatesAnnounced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Service King Acquiring MSO SterlingCollision Ctrs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Sherwin-Williams Supports NASCARGreen Initiative, Applies Low VOCPaint to No. 51. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Society of Collision Repair SpecialistsOpen Board Mtg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Society of Collision Repair SpecialistsRoundtable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

WIN Announces 2014 Conference Brochure, Most Influential Women and Scholarship Winners, Corporate Sponsors, and New Board of Directors Members . . . . . . . . 34

www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS 3

Happy Easterfrom ALL of Us at AUTOBODY NEWS!

Now that Spring has finally sprung, we hopeall shops see a return to normalcy in weather

and business.

We wish you all a prosperous andsuccessful rest of 2014.

Where to?


A man has been arrested for arson inconnection with a fire at a Darling-ton body shop the morning of March17.

Arthur Jeffery Repoley Jr.was arrested for third-degree arsonon Thursday, March 20, by Darling-ton City Police Department for thefire at Joe's Garage on 401 SouthMain Street, according to DarlingtonCity Police public information offi-cer Kimberly Nelson. Repoley wasan employee of the shop. DarlingtonCity Fire crews were able to quicklyput out the fire at the Darlington autobody shop, but the building is likelya total loss, said Fire Chief Pat Ca-vanaugh. At about 10 a.m., the de-partment received a call about a fireat the shop, located on the corner ofSouth Main Street and Avenue A.Chief Cavanaugh originally reportedthat apparently someone doing workinside the building spilled gasolineon an electrical light and lit it off.

The incident was investigatedby the Darlington City Fire Depart-ment, Police Department and SouthCarolina Law Enforcement Divi-sion. As a result of the investigation,Repoley Jr. was arrested on arsoncharges.

Darlington, SC, Body ShopFire Now Considered Arson ABRA Auto Body & Glass an-

nounced the acquisition of KnoxvilleCollision Center in Knoxville, Ten-nessee—its first ABRA repair centerin the city. Terms of the deal were notdisclosed.

Plans to continue expanding inKnoxville and around the state areunderway. ABRA currently has afoothold in the region with repaircenters in Memphis, Nashville, andChattanooga. ABRA’s portfolionow includes a total of 194 collisionrepair centers in 17 states.“Knoxville Collision Center is well-regarded as a leader in the commu-nity for their standard of services,solid relationships, and level of ex-pertise,” said Duane Rouse,ABRA’s president and chief execu-tive officer. “This acquisition is notonly an excellent complement toour Tennessee operations, but it alsoreaffirms our growth strategy whileenhancing ABRA’s brand nameacross the country.”

Rodney Kuhn, co-owner ofKnoxville Collision Center said, “Ihave complete confidence ABRAwill continue the legacy we’ve builtof delivering top-notch customerservice and repair solutions to thecity of Knoxville.”

ABRA Expands to Knoxville

Marathon Collision in the greaterCharleston, SC area, has promotedfemale employees to key positionsacross the company. “When pro-moted, decisions are made based onmerit and skill set, not gender,” saidRobert Sadeghian, general manager.“It just so happens that many ofthese promotions are female.” AtMarathon Collision, the entire frontoffice is female. From the estima-tors to the service writers to the cus-tomer advocates. Marathon’s staff isjust as good at greeting a customeras they are getting underneath a ve-hicle to assess hidden damage.

Marathon works with localtechnical colleges to recruit em-ployees, and high schools wherestudents from “shop” class work asinterns. “Accidents happen on aver-age every seven years and as thepopulation continues to grow, sodoes the collision business. ”

Since the front office has gone100% female, Marathon has seen agreater interest from female job ap-plicants in addition to higher cus-tomer service scores. “It’s themessage AND the messenger,” saidSadeghian. “Females have a Midastouch with customers.”

SC Shop Sees Benefits inPromoting More Females

Surfside Fire and Horry County FireRescue crews responded to a fire atDeFalco's Automotive and Towingin Surfside Beach, SC, the night ofApril 7. Crews responded to theshop at Highway 17 and 6th Avenueat about 10:53 p.m. after a fire alarmat the business was activated, and apolice officer on patrol noticedsmoke, said Surfside Fire ChiefDaniel Cimini.

Firefighters had to cut throughan overhead garage door to get intothe building, and they found a largefire in the center bay.

The fire was contained to theservice bays, but did extensive heatand smoke damage to the bays andthe ceiling. Several vehicles alsosustained smoke and heat damage,Chief Cimini said. The building it-self is intact. About 35 firefightersin total responded and had the firecontained within about 25 minutes,Chief Cimini said. The fire wasunder control within 35 minutes.There was minimal damage and thebusiness was able to open the fol-lowing morning.

The cause of the fire appears tobe a golf cart that shorted out as itsbattery was charging.

Body Shop Fire in SurfsideBeach, SC, Battery Failure

Around 1pm April 3, responding firepersonnel from the Ladonia Volun-teer Fire Department found a “fullyinvolved” fire at Transform MindsAuto Body Shop on Highway 80.

“It was a huge fire, completelyinvolved, a complete loss,” ChiefKane says.

James Lyles, the owner of theshop, says he was using a metal cut-ter when the fire broke out. “Thesparks from the plasma cutter caughtinstantly,” Lyles says. “I tried puttingit out.”

Lyles says after dialing 911, heran outside and was able to flagdown a police office along Highway80.

“It took [the fire department] solong to get here I ran back inside thebuilding to try and put it out myselfand the police officer had to pull meout,” Lyles says.

Chief Kane says he was told ittook his department 10 minutes torespond. Lyles disputes those claimsand took the department muchlonger to respond. Six units re-sponded from the volunteer fire de-partment. Additional units from thePhenix City Fire Department also re-sponded to provide assistance.

Ladonia, AL, Body Shop is"Total Loss" After Fire

Geraldine High School’s senior classof about 65 students walked acrossthe podium to accept their diplomasin Huntsville, AL, including a seniorwho had just lost her class ring.Now, 14 years later, the ring has fi-nally been found. “Underneath oneof the seats in a little pile of gunkwas this little class ring,”saidChecker Auto Body Repair ManagerBill Goebel. He decided to take tosocial media to see if he could findthe ring’s owner. “I made a post onthe Geraldine High School’s page.Within four hours, we had trackeddown the young lady who ownedthis ring and she had lost it 14 yearsago,” said Goebel. The owner soondiscovered the ring belongs to KelliWillingham, now known as KelliMiller. She said the ring holds spe-cial meaning to her beyond that ofjust a normal class ring. “My grand-parents bought the ring for me andmy granddaddy passed away sevenyears ago next Friday. So it’s, yeahit’s really special,” said Miller.

Not only was Miller reunitedwith the ring, but also with her highschool car. It’s something she neverthought she’d see again. “It was agraduation gift,” said Miller.

Missing Class Ring Found14 Years Later at Body Shop


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On April 8, 2014, the Arkansas Colli-sion Repair Association (ACRA) heldtheir monthly meeting in the PulaskiTechnical College Body Shop Depart-ment in Little Rock, AR. Membersgathered to discuss current issues andnetwork with their peers.

Jay Scott, ACRA executive direc-tor, and Larry Golden, former ACRApresident and current ACRA member,took some time to talk about ACRA.

ACRA began in 1986, “... Whena group of independent shop ownerswere looking for a better way to getinformation on the latest technologi-cal changes and the equipment neces-sary to repair the unibody cars comingout,” Golden recalls. “They alsowanted to work together to improvethe image of the collision repair in-dustry and to bring more profession-alism to their image.”

Since its inception, ACRA has pro-gressed quite well. “We have experi-enced times of tremendous growth andother times where interest has faded,but we have always remained focusedon education for our shop owners andvendors,” Golden elaborates.

The ACRA mission is, “To pro-vide education for shop owners andmanagers to help them run more effi-cient and profitable businesses.”ACRA puts a lot of emphasis and con-centration on the importance of con-tinuing education within the industry,so they ensure that each meeting in-cludes an educational segment pre-sented by local vendors or faculty atthe college. Their June 2014 meetingwill feature an I-CAR class as part oftheir efforts to provide valuable edu-cation to ACRA members.

ACRA services the entire state ofArkansas, but Scott notes that it’s chal-lenging to attract shop owners andmanagers from all over the state be-cause Arkansas so large. To partiallyalleviate this dilemma, ACRA attemptsto hold at least one meetingeach year in a different part ofthe state.

Currently, ACRA con-sists of approximately 31members who attend monthlymeetings to gain insight onhow to improve their busi-nesses in an ever-changingmarket. In addition to theircontinual goal of providingeducation, ACRA also strivesto grow the organization with engagedand enthusiastic members.

Like most collision repair indus-try associations, ACRA contends withthe struggle of attracting new mem-bers to rejuvenate and strengthen theirorganization. Golden explains, “Rev-enue is a challenge. We receive annualdues [from members] and donationsfrom vendors, but we need to growour base. We have transitioned from

mailing our monthly newslet-ter to emailing our bulletins tomanage our costs better.”

ACRA holds membermeetings on the second Tues-day of every month (exceptDecember) in the Body ShopDepartment at Pulaski Tech-nical College. Scott andGolden are grateful for theirgreat relationship with thecollege, and ACRA recipro-cates by offering support to

students at the facility, who are invitedto attend their educational meetings.This system also allows the shop own-ers and managers in ACRA to get ac-quainted with the students who willbecome future employees.

Additionally, ACRA collaboratedwith North Point Nissan, who donatedapproximately $20,000 in damaged newparts over the past few years, allowingPulaski Tech students an opportunity toget more hands-on experience. In turn,this also benefits ACRA members as itensures that these future technicians ac-

quire the necessary skills and experienceto become effective employees.

Because of their dedication to fu-ture technicians, ACRA tries to supporttheir local SkillsUSA competitions.Scott takes pride that one of their stu-

dents from Pulaski Tech placed seventhin refinishing at the SkillsUSA Nation-als several years ago.

In recent years, members ofACRA have participated in Recycled

Rides, a charitable program that worksto refurbish vehicles that are donatedto families in need. Jody Gatchell,who heads their community-focusedcommittee, also contributed his serv-ices to paint a fire truck pink for thecity of Conway, AR, to help generatebreast cancer awareness.

When questioned about the biggestchallenges impacting the industry today,Golden noted, “Changes in technologyand the advanced electronics on vehicleswill continue to present shops with chal-lenges. Staying involved with associa-tions like ACRA will help shops seewhat equipment and training is neces-sary to correctly fix the cars of today.Historically, advancements in technol-ogy—from unibody cars to air bags tohigh-strength steels to drive-by-wiresuspension—have always been the corechallenges for shops that want to pro-


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Arkansas Collision Repair Association Seeks New Members toEducate for the Industry’s Future

with Chasidy Rae SiskSouthwest Associations

Chasidy Rae Sisk is a freelance technical writer from Wilmington, Delaware,who writes on a variety of fields and subjects, and grew up in a family ofNASCAR fans. She can be contacted at [email protected].

ACRA members being instructed on aspects of aluminumwelding

ACRA members and guests touring the newly-openedHarry Robinson Body Shop in Fort Smith, AR

See New Members, Page 24



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A shooting at a Colleton Countyauto body shop on March 14 leftone man dead and another seri-ously injured, officials said. Sev-eral people and multiple weaponswere involved, said Sheriff’s Of-fice spokeswoman Amye Stiven-der.

No shooting-related arrestshave been made, but Edward andJason Russell have been arrestedand charged with obstructing justicein Sheriff R.A. Strickland’s investi-gation, she said.

Sheriff’s deputies responded tothe scene in the 200 block of GodwinStreet where they found a man al-ready dead from his wounds, Stiven-der said.

Another man who was stillalive had gunshot wounds to theface. He was transferred by helicop-ter from Colleton Regional MedicalCenter to the Trauma Unit of theMedical University of South Car-olina, Stivender said.

Colleton County CoronerRichard Harvey identified the de-ceased as Daquawn Lawton, 22, ofSharon Drive. Harvey said Lawtondied of multiple gunshot wounds tothe upper torso.

Fatal Shooting At Colleton,SC, Auto Body Shop

SC’s New River Auto Mall’s Grand Opening

When navigating the inside of theNew River Auto Mall’s auto bodyshop in Okatie, it couldn’t hurt to havea GPS, an employee remarked, ac-cording to Rebecca Lurye, writingfor islandpacket.com.

Marketing manager Jill Jauch wasjoking as she did laps around the VehicleRemanufacturing Center, coordinatingthe shop’s grand opening, but she was notfar off. Housed in a 36,000-square-footformer beer distribution facility on S.C.170 in Okatie, the center has nearly asmany rooms and stations as employees.

Each one boasts state-of-the-arttechnology for collision repairs, paintor other vehicle upkeep that managerGerrit den Dekker hopes will enticedrivers to the new center in Jasper

County, whether they purchased a carfrom the New River Auto Mall or not.

In one plastic tent, vehicles arecleaned and painted before they’resteered into large ovens for baking. Intwo white buildings behind the autobody shop, the used cars the Hardeevilleauto mall acquires on trade-ins are de-tailed, then photographed for its website.

Another space is dedicated to re-pairing cars with aluminum bodies,which can be contaminated by iron oxideparticles if a worker nearby is grindingsteel, causing paint not to adhere properlyto the surface. Confining aluminum-bodyvehicles helps the Vehicle Remanufac-turing center avoid that problem and meetthe standards of luxury manufacturerssuch as Audi, Porsche and Land Rover.

The Vehicle RemanufacturingCenter, which first opened in January,celebrated its grand opening Tuesdaywith live music, catering and remarksfrom local community leaders.

The center has 16 employeesand a plan for the operation to grow,according to den Dekker. He doesn’texpect that to take long.

“People tend to gravitate back towhere they purchased their vehicle,”he said. “Now they’ve got that peaceof mind of knowing it’s all the samefamily.”

The Georgia Collision Industry As-sociation (GCIA) March membermeeting was held at the DoubletreeHotel in Atlanta, GA, on March 20.After a catered dinner, attendees re-ceived valuable information fromthe two speakers. Reid Heiser ofMitchell International began by dis-cussing their RMC Paint and Mate-rial calculator. GCIA executivedirector Howard Batchelor re-counts, “he mentioned that this typeof invoicing can help overcomepaint and material thresholds, and itcan also help you get paid on spe-cial colors that the typical refinishhour times material rates don’t ac-count for.” Bob Winn from Enter-prise Rent-A-Car discussed severalARMs reports that should be re-viewed on a daily basis. In particu-lar, Batchelor notes, “the LOR(Length of Rental) report is veryimportant in tracking your cycletime.” According to Batchelor, themeeting “went very well. I believeattendees found value in the presen-tations. These meetings help shopsbe better prepared to address issuesthat affect their businesses.”

For more information aboutGCIA, visit www.gcia.org.

GCIA’s Members Hosted TwoSpeakers at March Meeting

Sean Bruton, right, works on a car at theunibody frame repair station as the partyswirls around him during the grand openingcelebration March 18, 2014, for the NewRiver Auto Mall Vehicle RemanufacturingCenter along S.C. 170 in Okatie

by Ed Attanasio

The the Iowa Collision Repair Associ-ation (ICRA) held the 2014 MidwestAuto Body Trade Show on March 20,2014, at Prairie Meadows in Altoona,IA. Over 400 collision professionals at-tended the one-day event, which con-sisted of training sessions,informational panel discussions, an I-CAR class on new car technology, and65 exhibitors, including some of thecountry’s top vendors and organiza-tions in the field of collision repair.

“The Future Is Now” was thetheme of the 2014 show, and it surelylived up to its name, according to JanetChaney, ICRA executive director.“The day was jammed-packed, startingwith the I-CAR New Technology 2014Class taught by I-CAR regional man-ager Ed Mayer, I-CAR senior directorof segment development, and I-CARinstructors Bill Stage and Scott Schuer-man, who were on-hand to present theclass and network with attendeesthroughout the day.”

Mayer was happy to be involvedin such a well-attended show. “JanetChaney extended an invitation to us,

and we were happy to attend,” Mayersaid. “We conducted a 2014 Technol-ogy Class, and it was standing roomonly. Body shop owners and techs arevery interested in the newer vehicles,and this class is always popular. Peo-ple who attended this four-hour classearned three I-CAR credits, and I cansafely say it was a huge success. Wealso had a booth at the show so thatpeople could ask us questions about I-CAR and discuss anything they wantedto talk about.” A six-member panel dis-cussion about new technology was alsoa big hit later in the day. “There havebeen so many changes in this industryrecently and all of these great thingsthat are coming around the corner, sowe thought a focus on new technologywould be timely and appropriate,”Chaney said.

“There Is No Free Lunch” was thetheme of the luncheon presentation,featuring keynote speaker Iowa Sena-tor Brad Zaun, who encouragedeveryone in the Iowa collision industryto work together by joining the ICRAand staying involved with their locallegislators. Zaun was followed by theInsurer Mandate Panel Discussion,

which included six panelists represent-ing all segments of the collision indus-try. Janet Chaney was the moderatorand the panel answered questions re-garding the insurer mandate of Part-sTrader.

“This was a spirited discussion,and the overall consensus from thepanel and audience was that PartsTrader is cumbersome and not user-friendly,” Chaney explained. “In addi-tion, PartsTrader does not allow forbusinesses that have built strong work-ing relationships to continue workingtogether as they have, as long as theychoose to participate in this program.”It appears from this discussion that theindustry is paying close attention to allinsurer mandates and realizes that thereis a flurry of activity in the parts pro-curement arena.

Pete Tagliapietra of NuGen ITwrapped up the luncheon by speakingabout “Information Technology andThe Future of Collision Repair.”

Tagliapietra was pleased by the re-sponse he received from the collisionprofessionals in attendance. “Theremust have been 150 people there, andeveryone seemed very interested in

what I was sharing,” Tagliapietra said.“There has been a huge change in theindustry with things like PartsTrader,and one of the biggest is this new bur-den on body shops to do more of theadministrative work associated with aprogram like PartsTrader. But there is aparadigm shift happening as we speak,and it will result in more body shopsbeing able to outsource much of thisadmin work in the future. Technologywill help because it will lead to moreinformation sharing and connectivitybetween the shops, their insurance part-ners, and their vendors as well.” Aero-motive, ALLDATA, and OptimaAutomotive offered educational train-ing sessions on the showroom floor.

Ford Motor Company sent a videoand answered questions about the newaluminum Ford F-150 pickup in a livewebinar. Paul Massie, Ford MotorCompany, Power Train, and Collisionmarketing manager, answered ques-tions for at last 90 minutes. As tradeshow chairman Dick Merron said,“Awesome show, with education, train-ing, cutting-edge equipment—an all-in-one show right here in Iowa. And theadmission was free. What a deal!”


One-day ‘Future is Now’ Midwest Auto Body Trade Show Gets 400 Attendees, 65 Exhibitors

by Ed Attanasio

Dave Tritz is the well–known ownerof Don’s Auto Body in St. Charles, MOand a former president of Alliance ofAutomotive Service Providers of Mis-souri (AASP–MO) from 2006–2008.A second–generation body shop ownerand with his son Adam now workingin the shop, Tritz has a 40–year per-spective on the collision industry andapproaches the business with a com-mon sense approach. His consultingbusiness, Business Forward, helpsbody shops all over the country by ad-vising them on what Tritz calls “thebig three”—sales, operations andprofit. AASP–MO Executive DirectorRon Reiling calls Tritz “one of thebest body shop operators not just inMissouri, but in the country.” ABN re-cently sat down with Tritz to tap intohis huge reservoir of knowledge andexperience in the collision industry inMissouri.

Q: Okay, David—let’s get it out of theway. What are your feelings aboutPartsTrader?

DT: PartsTrader was implemented inSt. Louis market later last year, butprior to that, I was asking around andthe consensus is it hasn’t been a goodthing. In Missouri just like in anystate, we have specific concerns but inthe end we’re all in this business to dogood work and get paid fairly for it.But, one thing the industry has to beaware of is the fact that we’re in fluidmotion here in this industry. This isnot where we stop and then that’s it—we’re constantly changing and we’re awork in progress. One thing that I’mconcerned about are these additionalprocesses that are now required. Someof them come mandated by the insur-ance companies and Parts Traderseems to be one of those types ofthings, and I think there will be moreand more of those coming around, tiedinto DRPS. But, it’s not just about theprocesses; it also has to do with all ofthe other things that are attached tothem. Somebody has to perform thesetasks and in most cases, they will re-quire more administrative staff to getthem done. In Missouri, we’ve defi-nitely seen that the ratio between shopemployees versus front office admin-istrative people has changed, becausenow the shops are requiring more ofthe latter.

Back in the day, you could haveone manager and 4–5 techs, but nowwe’re seeing more of a one–to–oneratio of techs opposed to office peo-ple, to accommodate all of this newpaperwork created by the DRPs. ForMSOs, it’s obviously an economy ofscale situation, but I don’t care ifyou’re talking to a shop that’s doing$600,000 a year versus an MSO thatis doing $7 million a year, the amountand costs of administrative work isgetting everyone’s attention, becauseit’s getting up there.

I can foresee in the future thatprograms like PartsTrader will bleedinto how we get other things likepaint, for example. I can see an insurerthat at some point will try to build re-lationships with paint companies froma direct buy type scenario. Those aresome of the things that are concerns ofmine. Another concern is the shrink-ing profit margins. If you look at thoseacross the board and talk to peoplethat have been in this industry for asignificant amount, they’ll tell you thesame. And I believe that one of themain reasons is this deluge of addedprocedures and all of the things thatcome with it. These guidelines thatcome along with many of these DRPsassure that we’re going to make lessprofit. There’s always going to be a lit-tle push–and–shove between thebuyer and seller, regardless of the in-dustry or the market. Somebody al-ways wants too much and the otherguy is telling him, I don’t want to paythat much. That’s business and itwon’t ever change.

But, I think the real issue as we’regoing forward should be that collisionshop owners are going to have to becontinually improving their busi-nesses and know what their productcosts are and determine what theywant to sell it for In this industry, we

need to be better business peoplewhen it comes to knowing the costand value of our product and charginga fair amount to fix these cars. Some-times you have to say no—I can’t do itat that amount and draw the line. Andthat’s tough when you’re looking forwork to do and stay busy. On top of it,we now have fewer cars to fix. Thereare more total losses now and feweraccidents and these new accidentavoidance features are going to meanthere will be even fewer accidents inthe future.

Q: When your father started in thisbusiness, DRPs were non–existentand you’ve seen them as they’veevolved. Have DRPs helped or hin-dered the collision industry?

DT: When the DRP network systembecame prevalent, there was definitelya large undercurrent of bad feelingsand many shops didn’t like theprocess. A lot of shops in this area es-pecially just didn’t like it and to behonest, I was one of those people, in-cluding my father. It finally got to thepoint where we realized that if we

wanted to be in this business weneeded to participate in the DRP sys-tem and get involved in a few of thesenetworks.

The bottom line is that theseDRPs bring you a steady flow ofwork, depending on who you’re talk-ing to. The most important thing iskeeping it all in balance, betweenDRP and non–DRP work.—and that’sbeen one of the biggest challenges inthis industry. Many body shops havewelcomed numerous DRPs, becauseit brings them business, but now thatwe’ve been in this DRP thing for 20years or so, we’re starting to seethere’s a cost that comes with this. So,we’ve had to re-learn some of thethings we were doing before we couldrely on these DRPs, like going outand meeting people, marketing tothem and branding your shop—thingsthat shops don’t feel they need in aDRP environment. So, in many ways,we’re reverting back to the old waysof doing things, because they work.The downside is that if you get almostall your work from your DRPs, whathappens when you lose a few ofthem?


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Missouri Shop Owner and Consultant Favors Common-Sense Solutions for Common Problems

Dave Tritz (right) was honored as the AASP–MO’s 2010 Outstanding Member of the Year forhis service to the organization and dedicationto the collision industry in Missouri. PresentingTritz with the award is former AASP–MOPresident Greg Bartnett



Q: Based on your experience, wheredo shops tend to drop the ball when itcomes to marketing?

DT: One common mistake shopsmake is they don’t track the source ofeach customer or lead. We spend a lotof time and effort into finding out eachand every customer through the doorhow they found us and what they sawor read that caused them to call us.Was it social media, a neighbor refer-ral, an agent referral, an email blast,newsletter, advertising—or is ourname of their insurance company’slist? What we learn is that usually it’sa combination of several things andrarely just one of them. The key is tokeep your name out there, so thatwhen there’s a dip in business forwhatever reason, you’re prepared.

Q: In some states, there is a still prob-lem with unlicensed body shops oper-ating under the radar and takingmoney away from legitimate opera-tors. Does this exist in Missouri?

DT: The old days of shady operatorsin this area of Missouri at least are a

thing of the past. They’ve gone awayand what’s left are good shops that dogood business. But, there are a ton ofthem and consequently, this is a verycompetitive market. The midnightbody shops can’t survive now, becauseof the technology, specialized equip-ment and training. They couldn’t fixtoday’s cars or simply chose not to,probably because they could no longertie on to an oak tree with a pull alongand fix them that way. It’s better forthe whole industry, because in the pastthese under the radar shops were doingunsatisfactory work, which gives us allbad name.

Q: Body shops all over the country aresetting themselves up to repair carscontaining aluminum. Are you part ofthis movement wither currently or inthe near future?

DT: As far as aluminum goes, I thinkI’m going to wait and see how thisplays out. It is here and more of it iscoming, but at what pace? The newFord F–150 will bring a lot more shopsto the party, but will all of the addedequipment and training pay for itself

over time? We’re interested, of course,but we want to do it in a smart way andnot just rush into it just because the guydown the street is doing it.Q: Do you embrace new technologyas part of your business model?

DT: We’re always trying to improveourselves by continually looking fornew technologies, but there are somany things out there that it’s a littleoverwhelming. So, we have to decidewhat works for us and what doesn’t,because it’s a big universe. Most of myemployees are considerably youngerthan I am and we often have discus-sions about technology and how to useit. For a long time a young woman inour office said we need everyone tohave dual computer monitors to bemore effective and I fought it for atime. Then one day she was out and Isat down and could quickly tell whyshe wanted two monitors. As soon asshe got back from vacation, everyonegot two monitors, because it makesthem more effective and they can do abetter job.

Craftsman Auto Body, a third-gener-ation, family-owned collision re-pairer, announced the opening of its11th location in Virginia. The30,000-square-foot facility, whichhas two repair bays dedicated exclu-sively to Ford F-150 repairs, is lo-cated at 5610 Sandy Lewis Drive, inthe city of Burke. It will serve Fair-fax County, the largest suburbancommunity in Virginia. The com-pany’s 11 facilities and 275 employ-ees repair 2,000 vehicles per month.

Craftsman Auto Body Opens11th Location in Virginia

The center in Fayetteville, NorthCarolina, is located in a new build-ing with one of the largest dealer-ship groups in the market. It will beBoyd Group's third location inFayetteville and 25th in North Car-olina, it is approximately 18,500square feet. Said Tim O’Day,President and COO, “This locationis well situated on a property sharedwith a well-recognized and suc-cessful dealership, which will en-hance our profile to current andprospective customers.”

Boyd Group Opens 3rd Shopin Fayetteville, NC

A fire destroyed Drigger's AutoBody Shop on Cheraw Highway inBennettsville, SC, the afternoon ofApril 2. Bennettsville City Fire ChiefDixon Odom says two mechanicswere welding a car when it caughtfire. Flames covered the entire backof the building when fire crews ar-rived. It took them two hours to getthe fire contained and under control,Odom said. At one point, the fire wasso massive that city police shut downa portion of Cheraw Highway. About55 to 60 firefighters with Ben-nettsville City Clio Rural, WallaceRural, McColl Rural Fire Depart-ments responded to the fire.

Bennettsville, SC, Shop FireOn Tuesday, April 15th CarsmeticsCharlotte held an open house at theirfacility to celebrate the stores 1 yearanniversary.

Many drivers choose not to re-port a light collision accident to theirinsurance company which fitsCarsmetics’ business model well.Since they’re doing customer paylight collision they eliminate highoverhead costs associated with majordiagnostic equipment and heavy ma-chinery and the extra personnel re-quired to manage such equipmentand machinery.

Carsmetics Charlotte Anniversary

The owner of the ABRA Auto Body& Glass at 430 E. Winchester Blvd.in Collierville has filed a $1.9 mil-lion loan on the property. In Sep-tember 430 Winchester ColliervilleTN completed a $2.8 million sale-leaseback on the property. It boughtthe 13,056-square-foot auto servicefacility in a warranty deed from Col-lierville Investments LLP. Col-lierville Investments developed theproperty three years ago after buy-ing the then-vacant land fromABRA Tennessee, an affiliate ofMinneapolis-based ABRA AutoBody & Glass, for $465,000.

Collierville ABRA LocationFiles $1.9M Loan on Property

The Hampton Roads Autobody As-sociations 3rd Annual Car Show isrevving up April 26th at KhediveShrine Center in Chesapeake, VA.This event is free to the public andall proceeds benefit the WoundedWarrior Project. Bring your imports,muscle cars, vintage, trucks andtunerz. Registration is only $20. Thisevent will benefit and honor trueAmerican heros and sponsors areneeded. Represent your business onsite with trophies, banners, displays,announcements and more.

Hampton Roads AutobodyAssociation’s Yearly Car Show

The Auto Body Association of Con-necticut (ABAC) quarterly meetingwas held on March 18, 2014, at theCountry House Restaurant in NewHaven, CT. Encouragingly, the meet-ing was well-attended with a packedhouse of ABAC members, shop own-ers, and managers gathered for an ed-ucational evening.

After calling the meeting to order,ABAC president Tony Ferraiolo ex-

pressed gratitude tothe sponsors whomade the eveningpossible, which in-cluded the AlbertKemperle Organi-zation, RichardChevrolet, Bishop’sAuto Parts, and En-

vironmental Risk Services. CreditingDave Fogarty for the recent ConsumerAlert Bulletin that was distributed to at-tendees and will be provided in theABAC newsletter, Ferraiolo reinforced

the importance of using the bulletin toaid and educate consumers.

The first presenter at the meetingwas Rob Rainwater, general manager

at Bishop’s UsedAuto Parts, whodiscussed the ex-clusive ABAC dis-count that allowsABAC membersto receive 10 per-cent off all in-voices at the time

of delivery. Rainwater also detailedthe other benefits of purchasing partsfrom his company, a member of thePremium Recycled Parts Network, in-cluding reduced cycle time, no sup-plements, rental car services, quoteguarantees, and no-hassle return pol-icy. Bishop’s Used Auto Parts also of-fers a 24-hour turnaround on theirre-manufactured products.

Ferraiolo next provided updateson some current ABAC projects, dis-

cussing initiatives on the Hartford,CT, lawsuit, the Progressive lawsuit,and the LKQ wheel recall, before in-troducing the evening’s main speakerLarry Montanez, education and train-ing advisor for P&L Consultants.

Montanez’s presentation coveredthe following topics: Materials, Mate-rial Sciences, and the Future; Non-In-cluded Forgettable Procedures alongwith Advanced Estimating Proce-dures; Estimating Case Studies; and

How to ProveWhy It Is What ItIs. He delved intothe differences be-tween standard,high-strength, andultra-high-strengthsteels, as well asthe necessary pre-

cautions when working with steel andAdvanced Compatibility Engineering(ACE) Crash Management.

Speaking on “Understanding In-

dustry Training,” Montanez identifiedvo-tech schools as where a collision re-pair education begins, while third-partytraining programs provide ongoingtraining. Specific information can beacquired through OEM training, andthe OEM Welding Certification can beseen as “the ultimate test of skill.”

Because of time constraints andthe tremendous amount of useful in-formation that had been prepared,Montanez was unable to conclude hispresentation, but ABAC has invitedhim to resume the remaining portionof this vital information at their nextmeetingon Tuesday, May 20, 2014.

For more information aboutABAC, visit www.abaconn.com.


ABAC Hosts Larry Montanez of P&L Consulting at March 18 Meeting

Rob Rainwater

Larry MontanezTony Ferraiolo

with Chasidy Rae SiskNortheast News


Follow us on Twitter:@autobodynews

Accept no Substitutes!

The 37th annual Northeast Automo-tive Services Show presented by theAlliance of Automotive ServiceProviders of New Jersey (AASP/NJ)was held at the Meadowlands Exposi-tion Center in Secaucus, NJ, March21–23, 2014. Filled with useful andinformative seminars, demonstrationson the showroom floor, and over 100exhibitors from all segments of the in-dustry, the 2014 show was well-at-tended and successful!

PartsTrader Panel DiscussionThe seminars kicked off with “Part-sTrader Comes to the Northeast:NOW WHAT,” a panel discussion thatincluded Barry Dorn of the Washing-ton Metropolitan Auto Body Associa-tion (WMABA); Ed Kizenberger ofthe Long Island Auto Body Repair-men's Association (LIABRA); TomElder of Auto Body Distributing;Mitch Portnoi, Esq. of Post, Polak,Goodsell, MacNeill, and Strauchler,PA (PPGMS); and Joshua S. Bauchnerof Ansell, Grimm, and Aaron, PC.

After AASP/NJ president JeffMcDowell welcomed attendees andKizenberger read the “Anti-TrustStatement,” Dorn began the discus-sion by noting that PartsTrader hasbeen in effect in his market for ap-proximately two months and has had asignificant impact on shops and ven-dors, especially on the administrative

aspect of their work. He explained thatafter writing the estimate, the shopsubmits a list of needed parts to theirvendors and waits for the estimate,which should be received within anhour. The response may involve or-dering four parts from four differentvendors, and it’s causing quite a bit ofconfusion since shops cannot order all

of the parts from their normal vendors.Because many local vendors

signed up for PartsTrader, Dorn has-n’t experienced frequent delays orproblems with returns. When an at-tendee asked if the shop must acceptthe least expensive bid—implying thatthe insurer only implemented the pro-gram to exert more control over therepair process—Dorn deflected thedebate regarding the program’s meritby explaining that the shop choosesthe aftermarket part based on qualityand SLA time.

Noting that he hasn’t heard of asingle shop that thinks PartsTrader is agood thing, Kizenberger pointed outthat the problem with any parts pro-curement system is its mandated use,indicating that State Farm shouldallow PartsTrader to stand on its owntwo feet, rather than requiring SelectService shops to use it and extortingparts vendors with the threat of losingbusiness if they don’t sign up for theprogram.

One attendee pointed out thatthough the mandate is currently spe-cific only to Select Service shops,State Farm has only begun withintheir network because that’s wherethey can exert the most coercion andinfluence, and he believes the trendwill expand to other carriers in thenear future. Those attendees withshops where PartsTrader has been im-plemented disagreed with the StateFarm claim that it improves effi-ciency, estimating that the administra-tive duties associated with theprogram take twice as much time asbefore. Shop owners also object tobeing unable to use the same vendorsthey’ve developed relationships withover many years.

Additionally, Elder mentionedthat he has heard complaints from sev-eral non-DRP shops that have experi-enced delays from vendors that are toobusy dealing with PartsTrader to serv-ice their normal customers. Though noshops have come forward claimingthat PartsTrader is good for their busi-ness, the State Farm free trial periodlures shops and vendors in, and thisbehavior of using the system becomesstandard practice. A shop owner fromMississippi proudly announced that he

withdrew from the State Farm DRPbecause he owes it to his customers touse the best available parts.

The group proceeded to discussways to alleviate the mandated use ofthe PartsTrader program, such as in-junctive relief and other legislative ac-tions. Attendees expressed particularconcern with the fact that the 1963

Consent Decree is not being enforced.The overall consensus was that thecollision repair industry needs to showhow the mandated use of PartsTrader

impacts consumer safety to get thefederal government involved, andBauchner noted that “we have to starta fire to get the government’s atten-tion,” suggesting that the best methodfor doing so is to get consumer groupsinvolved.

Because DRPs are voluntary, themain response to those objecting to

mandated parts procurementis to remove themselves fromthe program. This led to aconversation about whetherthe lack of work resultingfrom leaving the DRP provessteering and how this is con-nected to anti-competitionlaws. The group discussed theinflux of MSOs and what thatmeans for independent shopsas well, but, as the seminar

concluded, the most prevalent attitudeamong attendees seemed to be “thelonger you stay on this program, the


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Barry Dorn of WMABA explains howPartsTrader has impacted his business

LIABRA’s Ed Kizenberger responds to questions about pos-sible litigation of PartsTrader

See Record-Breaking, Page 16


faster you’re going to kill your fu-ture.”

Ford 2015 F-150 Collision RepairSupport Plan DemonstrationsOver the course of the weekend, Fordheld several demonstrations and meet-ings regarding their 2015 F-150 Colli-sion Repair Support Plan. The demofocused on the ease of repairability forthe new design, which is intended tobe tougher, smarter, and more capablewith its military-grade aluminumbody and high-strength steel frame.The aluminum body reduces thetruck’s weight by up to 700 pounds,which, in conjunction with increasingthe use of high-strength steel by 77percent, creates a lighter but strongervehicle. The demonstration also

served to highlight the new class-ex-clusive technology that has been usedand the gains in fuel economy throughthe introduction of smaller displace-ment engines.

Ford representatives also dis-cussed the manufacturer’s supportplan, which includes an enhancedworkshop manual, instruction sheets,training courses, and a list of the spe-cific tools and equipment necessary torepair the new F-150. Aluminum issimilar to steel and will require mostof the same tools, but Ford recom-mends a second set of tools and equip-ment that can be dedicated toaluminum repairs to avoid steel con-tamination. The Ford representativesemphasized that repairing these vehi-cles will be different, but not more dif-ficult. They also lauded the variety ofrepairability options that will savemany vehicles from being declaredtotal losses.

Throughout the designingprocess, Ford has been working withseveral insurers to ensure they arebeing trained on the proper repairtechniques and that they have the cor-

rect cost information to keep repaircosts down and standards high. In ad-dition to developing instructionsheets, Ford ias developed an onlinetraining course and is also collaborat-ing with I-CAR to offer trainingcourses specific to repairing these alu-minum F-150s. Ford plans to attendtrade shows throughout the country—including the Collision Industry Con-ference (CIC) in April 2014,International Autobody Congress andExposition (NACE) in July 2014, andthe Specialty Equipment Market As-sociation (SEMA) Show in November2014—to disseminate this informationthroughout the industry.

Tactically Lean: Connecting the DotsBetween High-Minded Concepts andReal-World ResultsLee V. Rush, manager of businessconsulting services for Sherwin-Williams, presented “Tactically Lean:

Connecting the Dots BetweenHigh-Minded Concepts andReal-World Results,” a semi-nar intended to alter the waythe industry views the term‘lean.’ Rush’s approach wasdeveloped with collision re-pairers for collision repairers,and one of the mysteries ofthe lean concept is thatthough many shops attempt togo lean, few succeed. While

the industry has explored this idea fordecades, not much has changed in theindustry because there is frequently adisconnect between the architects oflean programs and the shop floor.Rush stressed that “lean is a way ofthinking about how you operate!”

Though Rush did not explorespecific strategies in depth, he ex-plained that lean is a set of concepts,principles, and tools used to create themost value for customers while con-suming the fewest overall resources,and it is effective for any business thatsupplies a product or service. The leanstrategy is all about changing theprocess to consistently deliver theright results.

To make the lean concept workfor them, shops must standardize theirwork and stabilize their process, but ashop can’t just flip a switch and golean—they have to be strategic aboutimplementing the process. “It’s a jour-ney,” Rush explains. “By connectingthe dots, we improve operational per-formance through the use of lean toolswith the longer term goal of becominga lean shop.”

Because shop owners are alreadyrunning successful businesses, there isa stigma about how the lean conceptis viewed, so it’s imperative to changethe way you think to reach the desiredoutcome of increased productivity and

profitability. Rush insists there are twokillers of the lean process: inaccuraterepair orders and not having the cor-rect parts.

The process begins with a 100percent accurate repair order in the be-ginning stages of the repair as this willreduce the amount of supplementsneeded and the overall repair time. Hebelieves this is best achieved by dedi-cating one specific employee and areato the damage analysis piece of the re-

pair, and completing this process in itsentirety upfront allows for shortercycle times. Shops are already disas-sembling the vehicles, but doing it atthe beginning of the process, ratherthan over the course of several days,allows for an accurate repair order thefirst time around.

The other process that shopsshould implement is checking all partsfor correctness to ensure you’re readyfor the repair, and Rush recommendsmirror matching to ensure you havethe right parts and to allow you to dis-cover problems in advance. In closing,he encouraged attendees to standard-ize their processes by finding the onebest way to perform a task and makingthat the standard upon which to im-prove.

Business Continuation Planning:Inside Buying or Selling a BusinessMitchell Portnoi, Esq. and Douglas J.Sherman, Esq., from PPGMS pre-sented “Business Continuation Plan-ning: Inside Buying or Selling aBusiness.” Portnoi, a litigation attor-ney, gets involved when there areproblems with a contract or agree-ment, but because litigation is such a


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Douglas Sherman and Mitch Portnoi share some advice onbuying and selling businesses

John Niechowiadowicz talks about “UnleashingYour Secret Power” by tracking the 5 mostimportant KPIs

Continued from Page 14

Record-Breaking

See Record-Breaking, Page 18


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huge expense for small businesses,business owners want to avoid poten-tial litigation (“an ounce of preventionis worth a pound of cure”), and this iswhere Sherman, a specialist in trans-actions, comes in. Even the best con-tracts can result in parties disagreeingon key terms, so using a transactionattorney is imperative, according toPortnoi.

Sherman works with those buy-ing and selling businesses, and he pro-vided advice on the process. The mostimportant step is to get your team to-gether at the very beginning, includ-ing your attorney and your accountantas you need to know how much thebusiness is worth. Begin by having anattorney draft a letter of intent to ne-gotiate the key business terms of thedeal (this letter is non-binding so ei-ther party can still walk away at thispoint if they are not satisfied). Forfamily transfers, each individualshould hire separate attorneys to avoida conflict of interest and to ensure thatboth sides are adequately representedand protected.

Portnoi and Sherman also dis-cussed the benefits of buying the busi-ness under a company name to protectthe owner’s personal assets and inter-ests; establishing a company thatowns the assets shields the businessowner from liability so that if they aresued, their other assets cannot be lost.Sherman recommends a Limited Lia-bility Company (LLC) to avoid dou-ble taxation, though a transfer tax doesapply. If the business and land areboth being purchased, each should beplaced in separate LLCs to provide thebest protection from liability issues.

After acquiring the letter of in-tent, the next step is to obtain a signedcontract. There are two ways to sell abusiness: an asset purchase agreementor a stock transfer. Sherman recom-mends the former as it includes the ac-quisition of clients, permits/licenses,

and equipment as well as the businessname and brand because you’re buy-ing the business in its entirety. Oncethe business is transferred, the assetpurchase agreement provides a firmseparation between the buyer andseller.

In contrast, with a stock transfer,the buyer takes on the business as is,and though it sounds easier, it’s not thebest idea from a liability standpointbecause the buyer is now stepping intothe seller’s shoes and assuming any is-sues that may arise. Regardless of theroute you choose, Sherman stressesthe importance of including indemni-ties and other provisions in the con-tract to ensure that the buyer continuesto run the business in the same manneras prior to the sale, which will con-tribute to a smooth transition.

The contract should also includeconfidentiality provisions, a non-com-petition clause, and a due diligenceperiod to allow the buyer at least onemonth to ensure that they are gettingwhat they expect. Be sure to researchthe business and property to be certainthat you are not acquiring any liens,and, if there are any environmental is-sues, make sure the seller handlesthose problems before you assume re-sponsibility for the business; theseconditions can also be included inyour contract.

Unleashing Your Secret Power:Key Performance IndicatorsJohn Niechowiadowicz of QLC, Inc.and Jerry McNee of Ultimate Colli-sion in Edison, NJ, presented “Un-leashing Your Secret Power.” For shopowners interested in improving theirbusinesses, the powerful informationat their disposal that’s not being fullyused is key performance indicators(KPIs), which allow shops to tracktheir performance and compare it toindustry benchmarks.

Niechwiadowicz believes thattracking your KPIs is the first step toidentifying the biggest areas of oppor-tunity and creating action plans to im-prove your business. In addition to

improving your negotiating position,tracking KPIs is motivational for youand your employees! The best way toimprove something is to measure it,while not tracking your KPIs can limityour success; Niechwiadowicz insists“you owe it to yourself, your team,your families, and the industry to trackyour KPIs and be as successful as youcan be!”

Niechwiadowicz advised atten-dees to review how each KPI is calcu-lated, where the information can beobtained, and what the top performersachieve. Next, you must transformthat KPI from a number into an oper-ational action plan and, most impor-tantly, get motivated to improve yourbusiness by tracking and acting onyour KPIs. He focused on the top fiveKPIs that should be tracked:

● Average repair order (RO): Youcan impact your average RO by tak-ing estimating classes and using avail-able information, but the best way isto ensure an accurate, complete RO byperforming a complete tear-down andwriting a thorough blueprint at the be-ginning of the repair process.● Total sales: Improve total sales bytracking them accurately and setting

goals to ensure your employees un-derstand the importance of sales.● Labor efficiency: Track labor effi-ciency as it is beneficial for everyonewhen efficiency increases.● Total gross profit: Of course, it’sdifficult to improve your businesswithout discussing your bottom line,and focusing on the following cate-gories will aid in impacting your totalgross profit: labor, parts, paint andmaterials, and sublet. Monitoringthese factors will help you maintainfocus on the significant and beneficialimpact it can have on your entireteam’s lives.● Touch time: Improve touch time byeliminating inefficiencies in the repairprocess and focusing on anything thatcauses repairs to start and stop. Im-proving touch time will positively im-pact sales, profitability, productivity,customer satisfaction, your workingenvironment, and even the personallives of your employees and yourself!

Niechwiadowicz concluded with thereminder that “the first step toward im-provement is to track your numbers.”

Learn more about the AASP/NJ2014 Northeast Automotive ServicesShow at www.aaspnjnortheast.com.



Record-Breaking

Performance Gateway, a provider ofweb-based platforms aimed at im-proving the insurer-repairer relation-ship, says it will offer its GatewayScorecard, a management and mar-keting tool, to SCRS members at nocost. Gateway CEO Troy Gates

said, “I am also the owner of sevencollision repair businesses in theWisconsin market and truly appreci-ate SCRS efforts,” Gates said.

For more information, visit thePerformance Gateway website atwww.performancegateway.com.

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they claim. “Section 1 of the ShermanAct does not preclude a party fromunilaterally determining the partieswith whom it will deal and the termson which it will transact business. …At the pleading stage, ‘formulaicrecitations of a conspiracy claim’ areinsufficient, and ‘a conclusory allega-tion of agreement at some unidenti-fied point does not supply factsadequate to show illegality.’ … TheComplaint fails utterly to meet thestandards set by the Supreme Courtand the Eleventh Circuit for pleadingconspiracy.”

In response, the repair shops’ at-torneys argue that the claims in theircomplaint are valid.

“Defendant State Farm’s motionrests primarily upon the incorrect as-sertion the complaint fails to set forthsufficient facts to satisfy the pleadingrequirements,” attorneys write. “Re-peatedly and throughout the motion,defendant State Farm misrepresentsboth the contents of the complaint andquite often the holdings of authorityto which it cites. When the correct

legal standards are applied, a straight-forward reading of the complaint es-tablishes there is more than sufficientfacts asserted to satisfy the pleadingrequirements.

“Defendant State Farm’s numer-ous misrepresentation of fact and lawdo not alter this. The motion to dis-miss is without any merit, legal or fac-tual. The plaintiffs respectfully submitit should denied in its entirety,” attor-neys claim.

The repair shops’ attorneys alsoresponded to Geico’s request for dis-missal, writing, “[Ge]ico’s motionrests primarily upon the incorrect as-sertion that the complaint fails to setforth sufficient facts to satisfy thepleading requirements. Repeatedlyand throughout the motion, DefendantGeico misrepresents both the contentsof the complaint as well as citations toauthority, holdings of the cited courtsand the procedural posture of thosecases. When the correct legal stan-dards are applied, a straightforwardreading of the complaint establishesthere is more than sufficient facts as-serted to satisfy the pleading require-ments.”

The judge has not issued any de-cisions at press time.


Continued from Cover

State Farm Requests

action, to allow our Industry to re-pair the vehicles properly for thesafety of the consumer. It is unfortu-nate that the driving public are bom-barded daily with billions of dollarsof advertising the insurers are spend-ing to convince them that they are a“good neighbor”, or “on their side”,but once this action begins to unfold,the real nature of what has been hap-pening will certainly be revealed.”

“John Eaves Jr., lead counselfor the actions across the country, isfollowing a very organized andstrategic plan to maximize the effectof the lawsuit for the industry, Someof the top tobacco litigators in thecountry are now included as legalcounsel for many states. Former at-torney generals are counsel formany members. The fight is begin-ning to shift to a more even playingfield.”

When insurers don’t cover thefull cost of repairs, “it’s such a diffi-cult thing to pass on to a customer,”said Kevin Wells, who operatesQuality Collision Inc. in Blooming-

ton and is a plaintiff in the suit.Wells said he often just eats the costthe insurance company won’t pay.

“I’m taking it in the shorts byabout $6 an hour for every job I do,”Wells said.

The lawsuit takes aim at StateFarm, which uses its dominant andinfluential position among other in-surers in “spearheading efforts tocontrol and artificially depress dam-age repair costs,” the suit alleges.

State Farm spokeswoman MissyDundov denied the allegations butdeclined to elaborate, according tothe AP.

“This suit has no merit and in noway accurately describes the busi-ness relationship State Farm haswith thousands of body shops acrossthe country,” she said.

A spokeswoman for IndianaFarmers said the company had notreceived notice it had been named ina suit.

A search of complaints againstState Farm filed with the IndianaDepartment of Insurance did not re-veal any filed by body shops, saiddepartment spokeswoman Alexan-dra Peck.


Tortious Interference?

See Tortious Interference?, Page 22

Gender marketing; it sounds like itwould be prejudicial and maybe evenillegal. But in many collision repairshops the marketing is already heav-ily gender-oriented. A shop that fo-cuses on race cars, muscle cars, classiccars and sponsoring events aroundthese interests are already marketingto a mostly male audience. Add to thatemphasis, all-male estimators, andyou have a shop that has a definitemale gender focus. Considering thatas many as half of the collision repairscoming into the shop are brought in byfemale customers, adding a femalefocus to marketing would hardly beprejudicial.

One huge, affluent segmentwields more spending clout than anyother: Baby-Boomer women born be-tween 1946 and 1964, represent a por-tion of the buying public no marketercan afford to ignore. With successfulcareers, investments made during the“boom” years, and inheritances fromparents or husbands, reports indicatethey are more financially empoweredthan any previous generation ofwomen. MassMutual Financial Groupreports that senior women age 50 andolder control a net worth of $19 tril-lion and own more than three-fourthsof the nation’s financial wealth. 2.5million of them have combined assetsof $4.2 trillion. More than 1.3 millionwomen professionals and executivesearn in excess of $100,000 annually.43% of Americans with more than$500,000 in assets are female. Can ashop afford not to market to theseladies?

For shops that focus on luxuryautomobiles, a marketing emphasis onmature women can pay off. Pam

Danziger, president of Unity Market-ing, says the mature luxury consumerplaces the highest priority in makingmemories and experiences. Theydon’t buy things to have more things;they want the experience to go alongwith it. Luxury consumers expect su-perior quality and are extremely dis-cerning. The 55 to 75 year-old femalehas seen her role change from home-maker to purchaser of security, con-venience and luxury items. Once thecollege bills are out of the way andchildren launch their own households,the discretionary spending power of50-plus women soars. They spend 2.5times what the average person spends.Women are the primary buyers forcomputers, cars, banking, financialservices and a lot of other big-ticketcategories. The shop that emphasizessecurity and convenience as part ofthe repair will be more likely to cap-ture the attention of this customer seg-ment.

Shops that focus heavily on In-ternet marketing should be aware thataffluent working women with familyincomes of $75,000 or more are grow-ing in number, and 94.3 percent accessthe Internet during an average month.“Ten Marketing Trends to Watch,” anarticle by Kim T. Gordon on Entre-preneur.com, stated that about half ofthese women are now consideredheavy users of the Internet, whileheavy use of radio, television, news-papers and direct mail has declinedwithin this group. A female focus onInternet and social media sites couldwell pay off.

Although it is generally assumedthat a focus on sports is a male-ori-ented activity, 47.2% of major league

soccer fans are women as are 46.5%of MLB fans, 43.2% of NFL fans,37% of NBA fans, and 40.8% of fansat NHL games. Women also purchase46% of official NFL merchandise.Women are also involved in motor-sports. Surprisingly in a motorsportssurvey, 74% of male respondents and62% of female respondents agreedthat “women racers bring fans out tothe games.” Additionally, 40% of fe-male respondents and 21% of male re-spondents stated that they would be“more” or “much more” likely to fol-low motorsport races if more femaleswere involved. Shops that sponsor ortie marketing into motorsports shouldadd a female focus.

Women also rely more on word-of-mouth and sharing of experienceswith friends than men do. A couple ofshops I’m familiar with have broughtin a woman to help with marketing.These new female marketers promptlyjoined some women’s networking

groups and sought out opportunities tospeak to women’s groups on accidentavoidance and long-lasting quality re-pairs. Another shop added a female es-timator and found her closing rate tobe one of the best. She kept photos ofher children and pets on her desk andhad small toys for kids that accompa-nied a parent whose car she was esti-mating.

When calling women customersabout customer satisfaction, the bigquestion shouldn’t be “were you sat-isfied with your repair,” but ratherwould she come back for cosmeticwork or a self-pay repair if her insur-ance company had originally referredher? Few women would be willing torisk a loss of face with friends if shejust recommended a shop that pro-vided an average or mediocre repair.To get a referral from one of today’smore discriminating females, a shophas to provide an exceptional serviceexperience!


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Body shops say State Farm con-ducts surveys of the going labor rateshops charge in a given area. Thedata and methodology are not dis-closed, shops complain. “Shops aresimply required to blindly acceptState Farm’s pronouncements re-garding these matters.”

The insurer attempts to prohibitshops from discussing the labor ratesthey provide as part of the surveys,“asserting any discussion may con-stitute illegal price fixing.”

Shops that complain the laborrate is inadequate are often told theyare the only body shop in the area tosay so and that they don’t conform tothe “market rate.”

In fact, “State Farm knew mul-tiple shops had attempted to raisetheir labor rates and advised StateFarm of such,” the suit alleges.

The shops allege insurers havefailed to abide by industry standardsfor auto repairs and repair-estimat-ing databases. At the same time,many insurers pressure shops to re-duce costs by using recycled parts.

But used parts like doors can requirehours of additional labor to be madeto fit properly and to be recondi-tioned.

Ultimately, shops are required toeither make “less than quality” repairsor suffer a financial loss. Taking short-cuts raises the specter of safety issues,but once a vehicle is repaired, it’s noteasy to spot problems such as im-proper welds that might be hidden byseam sealer.

Neither scenario is palatable tomany body shops.

“There are a lot of them thathave hung it up and said, ‘That’s it. Ican’t take it anymore,’” Passwatersaid.

“The guys can’t make it. It’s notthat they are bad businesspeople,”said Scott Blake, of Blake’s CarstarCollision Center in LaPorte andpresident of the IABA.

Some shops have survived costpressures by adding services such asapplying sprayed-on bed liners forpickup trucks. Some shops have pur-chased others through a rollup strat-egy intended to improve efficiencies.

Passwater said the state oncehad about 2,000 shops; there are now800 to 1,000.

The 34-page suit alleges insur-ers have violated the federal Sher-man Act, both in price-fixing andthrough boycotting tactics.

They contend the boycotting ef-forts include insurers telling policy-holders that a certain shop will bemore expensive and that choosing italso means they’ll be responsible foradditional rental-car charges.

Another tactic, body shops al-lege, is to tell consumers the workwon’t be guaranteed by using a shopthat doesn’t conform to a repair pro-gram agreement. That’s misleading,however, because insurers require allshops to stand behind their work for aperiod of time.

The collision shops seek un-specified compensatory damages forunder-payments as well as damagefor lost business opportunities.

They also seek an injunction thatwould require insurers to modify theirpractices.


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Tortious Interference?ALLDATA LLC has enhanced itscore products, ALLDATA RepairS3000 and ALLDATA CollisionS3500 with a VIN Decoder. SaidALLDATA President, Jeff Lagges,“Anything we can do to help techni-cians save time and move vehiclesthrough faster will help shops in-crease revenue. So many of us atALLDATA have worked in the baysturning wrenches, so we understandwhat can make a positive differenceto a shop on a daily basis.” Enteringthe VIN into the system will auto-matically pull up the year, make,model and engine for the specific ve-hicle being worked on. This can helpsave time and frustration and helpensure the technician is working onthe correct vehicle-engine combina-tion. Further enhancements to ALL-DATA Repair S3000 and ALLDATACollision S3500 include easier scrollbar navigation and greater controlwhen displaying saved articles.These enhancements are in responseto direct feedback ALLDATA re-ceived from its customers. “Whilewe never stop researching and de-veloping new products, we are al-ways very aware of the product thatput us on the map,” said Lagges.

ALLDATA’s VIN Decoder HasBeen Enhanced



by Chasidy Rae Sisk

2014 is the third year that I have at-tended the annual Northeast™ Auto-motive Services Show presented bythe Alliance of Automotive ServiceProviders of New Jersey (AASP/NJ),and though each year has offeredmany new and exciting things, the2014 show was definitely somethingspecial and unique. AASP-NJ obvi-

ously put a lot of time and work intoplanning the event, and their effortsreally paid off! In addition to offeringnew seminars, AASP-NJ planned afull schedule of events, activities, andeven celebrity appearances in 2014.

For starters, 2014 marked thefirst Annual Northeast/National GlassCorvette Association (NGCA) CarShow, which consisted of nearly 20classic cars from several decadesbeing displayed in the back corner ofthe expo floor.

Throughout the weekend, JavierSoto set up shop in a booth as he cre-ated a custom airbrush design, givingattendees an opportunity to witnessthis master painter at work on his craft.

Meanwhile, VRSim hosted a Vir-tual Spray Paint Tournament that al-lowed attendees to compete for anHDTV.

Exhibitors were recognized at theAASP-NJ Exhibitor AppreciationParty on Friday evening, completewith an appearance from comedianGary DeLena.

On Saturday morning, the BASFbooth generated a lot of attention byhaving Chip Foose of Overhaulin’sign autographs and take photos withfans who lined the aisles for a chanceto meet this industry icon.

Later that afternoon, Ron Anan-ian, aka the Car Doctor, broadcast hisnationally-syndicated radio talk showlive from the expo floor.

The 6th Annual Northeast FamilyDay on Sunday featured indoor carni-

val games along with free popcorn andice cream for the kids to enjoy.

While my experience indicatesthat Northeast 2014 far exceeded pre-vious years, I was curious to see howmy experience compared to that of thecollision repair professionals in atten-dance. Fortunately, several attendeesgraciously shared their opinions aboutthe show.

Tony Lombardozzi, president ofthe Coalition for Collision Repair Ex-cellence (CCRE), noted that in com-parison to the 2013 show, Northeast2014 had greater attendance and soldall exposition booths. “Vendors wereenthused with the fact that there weremany ‘real buyers’ walking the showfloor. One vendor commented to methat he would rather be in New Jerseythan at NACE.”

Lombardozzi felt that most of theseminars were good, and he notes thatLarry Montanez drew the largestcrowd, as usual. He also noticed thatmany shop owners attended attorneyJohn Eaves Jr’s presentation, and itseems like Eaves is generating quite abit of interest in his class-action law-suit. Lombardozzi said that he has,“Been attending this show for over 30years, and this year was at the top ofthe list with a few others. It was agreat show, and I can’t wait until nextyear’s show comes around.”

Tony Ferraiolo, president of theAuto Body Association of Connecti-cut (ABAC), had a similar opinion: “Ithought the Northeast show was awe-some…the best so far that I have at-tended. The place was abuzz withequipment and information, alu-minum repair being at the forefront. Itwas very well-presented and organ-ized. Everyone I spoke with enjoyedthe show. Great job to New Jersey andNew York!”

Although he didn’t participate inany seminars at Northeast 2014, Fer-raiolo particularly enjoyed the Lead-


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Northeast™ 2014 Automotive ServicesShow Reactions from Attendees

See Northeast Reactions, Page 28

Corvettes set up in Expo Center for car show

Northeast 2014 expo shows an increase in at-tendance

more than three decades; Ford soldmore than 700,000 F-150 pick-ups lastyear alone.

“The goal is to have enough ca-pacity to be able to handle the F-150,”Massie said. “We know that roughly80 percent of our customers are goingto independent body shops. Less than50 percent of our dealerships evenhave a body shops. Of those that havebody shops, probably about 800 arereally in really in the collision busi-ness. We realize we cannot have amainstream repair process (for the F-150) if we were to direct all our cus-tomers only to our dealers.”

Massie reiterated that Ford will notbe limiting sale of replacement parts forthe new F-150 only to network shops.

“You can’t mainstream some-thing if you’re restricting the partssales,” he said.

Network requirementsBut to qualify for the network and list-ing on Ford’s shop locator, Massiesaid, an independent shop must benominated by a Ford dealer. Ford deal-

ers without a body shop will likelynominate the shop(s) to which it referscollision repair work, Massie said, andother shops may be nominated by thedealer from which they buy wholesaleparts. Although the automaker is plac-ing few limits on the number of shopsa dealer may nominate nor the distancefrom a dealer an independent shopmust be to participate, Massie ac-knowledged getting the right numberof shops in the right locations is the“tricky” or “touchy piece of the wholeidea of recognizing independents.”

“It’s really difficult for us to bringin independent body shops but say wedon’t want you within 5 or 10 or 50miles of a dealership,” Massie said.“This is more about being consumer-centric.”

Massie said as the program growsover time, there may be issues the au-tomaker needs to address in some mar-kets if, for example, a dealer is resistingbringing enough independent shopsinto the program. But Massie said thosewho sell the vehicle know it’s not intheir best interest to tell a customer theywill have to wait long or go far to get itfixed.

“To the top of the house at FordMotor Company, they recognize that

we need to have independents in-volved,” Massie said.

The initial requirements to join arefocused on more general repair, Massiesaid, but to remain in the program in2015, a shop must be “aluminum capa-ble,” including having an area sepa-rated off (by curtains or walls) foraluminum work. A specific self-pierc-ing rivet gun is currently required(though Ford representatives said asecond brand may soon be approved)but otherwise the required equipmentlist allows for multiple brands or mod-els as long as they meet the requiredspecifications. The list includes an alu-minum MIG welding system, a set ofhand and power tools dedicated to alu-minum work, and aluminum dent anddust extraction systems.

One online Ford training courseand two specific I-CAR trainingcourses and welding certification arerequired. Shops are only required tohave one technician trained, Massiesaid, but the goal is to train anyone re-pairing the F-150.

In addition to about 800 Forddealership shops, the automaker wantsto add about 750 independent shopsthis year and each of the next twoyears for a total of about 3,000 shops

in the program by the end of 2016.The program is being adminis-

tered by Assured Performance, whichsaid the $2,950 annual fee can enablequalifying shops to participate inChrysler and Nissan’s shop certifica-tion programs as well. There is an an-nual audit process to ensure a shop inthe program still qualifies.

Massie said independent shopswith a Ford dealer sponsor can getmore information about the programby calling (949) 221-0010 or visitingwww.fordcertifiedshop.com.

Is Ford planning for more use ofaluminum in its vehicles that will helpimprove the return on investment for ashop becoming aluminum-capable?

“Ford doesn’t speak about futurevehicle programs, but you can seewhere the fuel economy has to be by2025, so I think it’s fair to assume therewill be more in the future,” Massie said.

Repairability addressedFord representatives at CIC continuedthe automaker’s efforts to ensure deal-ers, collision repairers and insurersthat F-150 design engineers kept re-pairability in mind when developingthe vehicle.


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Ford’s Plan

See Ford’s Plan, Page 28

vide high-quality, safe repairs to theircustomers.”

Scott believes that recent changesin some insurers’ DRP requirementsalso pose a challenge for collision re-pair facilities. In particular, he beganmonitoring PartsTrader about five yearsago when it became effective in NewZealand and continues to keep an eyeon the issues it presents. The programhas proven itself to be yet another chal-lenge to contend with, and because itwas recently implemented in Arkansas,ACRA is exploring various options fordealing with PartsTrader.

To Golden, “PartsTrader is anotherchange in our industry. Moving for-ward, there will be more vendors in thefuture that work to develop software tocompete with PartsTrader and to look atnew ways to control parts. In the past,we have seen manufacturers try to getinto the recycled business and manyother attempts at change to the parts sideof the business. Some have helped theindustry, and some have fallen by thewayside. The parts business is evolvingas it always has, and each business willhave to decide for itself what fits in with

its business model and what does not.”Although rarely involved with leg-

islation directly, ACRA closely moni-tors the bills introduced at the ArkansasGeneral Assembly every other year.Scott clarifies, “Few of these bills im-pact our industry, though some affectdealerships. Our attorney explores theselaws and their effects on our memberswhen necessary, and those meetings areusually pretty well-attended. We alsolook at some national legislation tomake sure our members are kept in-formed. For example, when 6H was in-stituted, we convinced the ArkansasDepartment of Environmental Qualityto hold classes to educate our memberson the new requirements.”

ACRA has not taken an officialstance on the Parts Act, but Golden notes,“In most conversations where parts arediscussed, we talk about the need forhigh-uality parts that perform the way thevehicle was designed to perform. Today’scars are very complex, and the systemswithin the car are designed to work to-gether to ensure safety. Parts used in therepair process must ensure those systemscontinue to work together as designed.”

For more information aboutACRA, visit www.arkansascollision-repair.com.


New Members



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Larry Coan, Ford’s damageabil-ity product concern engineer, said thenew F-150’s high-strength steel framewill be sectionable.

“You’ll have the very front stub,the front third, and the rear third avail-able sections for service,” Coan said.“But we will also offer separatelyserviceable front lower control armmounting brackets. So if those aredamaged, they can be replaced sepa-rately from the frame.”

The inner and outer rocker panelsare sectionable (although the outerrocker on the crewcab model cannotbe sectioned). The mounting tab forthe B-pillar stops short of the roof,eliminating the need to remove or cutaccess in the roof. Two repair meth-ods —welding, or a rivet-bond proce-dure—are acceptable for floorpansectioning, Coan said. And every sheetmetal replacement part for the vehiclewill include an instruction sheet.

“It will detail all the procedures toR&R that part, or where to section thatpart, for parts that are sectionable,”Coan said. “It will detail the rivet pat-

terns, the glue, all the steps you need todo in order to service that part.”

Several repairers at CIC ex-pressed concern that Ford is not limit-

ing structural pullson the vehicle assome Europeanautomakers do onaluminum-inten-sive vehicles.

“Is there a fearthat if we make apull on that body

structure it will break the bondingagent on the other side of the car,”Dusty Womble of Roger Beasley Col-lision Center in Austin, Texas, asked.

Kye Yeung of European Motor CarWorks in Santa Ana, Calif., expressedsimilar concerns, noting that insurersmay presume shops can make structuralpulls on other aluminum vehicles.

“Is it because your aluminum ve-hicle is mounted on a steel frame,”Yeung asked.

“It is a big benefit to have thissteel frame underneath the truck,” TomGreen, Ford body and chassis com-modity manager, responded. “We’refinding with pulling that we’ll actuallytear or rip out the rivets before thebonding comes loose. So (pulling is al-

lowed) most likely because we havemore mechanical fasteners. But I re-ally can’t speak for the other OEMs.All we know is we’re able to pull it.We’ve tested it out and we know it’snot compromised.”

Massie agreed that shops nor in-surers should not presume that one au-tomaker’s guidelines apply to anotherautomaker’s vehicles.

“We all do things a little bit differ-ently,” Massie said. “Follow the proce-dures you are given and you should beokay.”

Ford will have a cut-away of thenew F-150 andmore informationavailable for colli-sion repairers atboth NACE in Julyin Detroit, and atSEMA in LasVegas in Novem-ber.

John Yoswick, a freelance writerbased in Portland, Oregon, who has beenwriting about the automotive industrysince 1988, is also the editor of theweekly CRASH Network (for a free 4-week trial subscription, visit www.Crash-Network.com). He can be contacted byemail at [email protected].


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Ford’s Plan

Larry Coan

Kye Yeung

The Society of Collision Repair Spe-cialists (SCRS) (www.scrs.com)hosted the Repairer Roundtable meet-ing on April 9, 2014, in Portland, OR,to create a forum for collision repairprofessionals with conversationalagendas that promote healthy dialogsurrounding important issues. Seecover story.

Dave Gruskos of RAE Inc.began by focusing on the growinguse of alternative materials and re-pair designs found in today’s mod-ern fleet, and how those designchanges influence the way repairprofessionals need to approach colli-sion repair.

“Dave is an excellent resource toexpose our members and guests to thecurrent technology boom we are see-ing, and to underscore the require-ments associated with preparation asthese advanced high-production mod-els enter our repair businesses. Thereis a great deal of commitment and in-vestment involved in the pursuit ofcapability; and understanding what is,and will be, expected of repairers willhelp in the development of individu-alized strategy to serve the market,”said SCRS executive director AaronSchulenburg.

Society of Collision RepairSpecialists Roundtable

ership Forum on Friday afternoon. “Itwas good to see the other associationsin agreement on a lot of the industry’sissues. The questions presented weregood, and the format of associationsasking questions was a great change.Overall, time well spent, and I lookforward to next year, especially theNortheast Leadership meeting.”

Gene Lopez of I-CAR also saw alot of value in the Leadership Forumand its new roundtable format. “Iliked the associations proposing ques-tions as compared to delivering theannual state of the association.”

Additionally, Lopez found the twoFord events very beneficial, both theseminar centered around shop certifi-cation and the demo on the expo floorthat discussed the new F-150 alu-minum-intensive design. Like Lombar-dozzi, Lopez also noticed an increase infoot traffic at the expo over 2013.

AASP-NJ executive directorCharles Bryant confirmed the increasein attendance at the exposition: “Thiswas the first time in a long time that the

aisles of the show were crowded for theentire time the show was open.”

Regarding the seminars held atNortheast 2014, Bryant states, “In myopinion, the Leader’s Meeting is boththe most interesting and the most use-ful of all events that take place at theshow. By bringing leaders of the in-dustry together from all around theCountry to discuss the issues and sharewhat is going on in other areas of thecountry, everyone wins. Quite often, ashop owner will learn how anothershop owner has already successfullydealt with a problem and is willing tohelp the other shop that is faced withthe issue at the present time.”

Bryant agrees that the 2014 showwas superior to events of the past be-cause, “For the first time, I have notheard a single complaint or negative re-mark. In fact, I continuously got com-pliments on how pleased everyone waswith the show. Obviously, based on thepositive feedback, this year’s show wasmuch better than last year’s show.”

All in all, Northeast 2014 was anexciting show with events and activi-ties for all to enjoy. I can’t wait for the2015 show! Visit www.aaspnjnorth-east.com and visit http://aaspnj.org.


Northeast Reactions

The Alliance of Automotive ServiceProviders of New Jersey (AASP/NJ)and the Society of Collision RepairSpecialists (SCRS) co-sponsored theannual East Coast Resolution Forumand Leadership Meeting at the North-east Automotive Services Show in Se-caucus, NJ, on March 21, 2014. Unlikeprevious years when associations sim-ply presented their current news andevents to the audience, the 2014 meet-ing was set up in a roundtable formatto allow for more discussion amongstthe approximately 60 participants.

Jeff McDowell, president ofAASP/NJ, started the meeting by wel-coming everyone, and Aaron Schulen-burg, executive director of SCRS,explained the new format of the meet-ing as part of their goal to “inspiregood conversation amongst partici-pants.” Event moderator Ed Kizen-berger, executive director of NewYork State Auto Collision Technician(NYSACT) and the Long Island Auto

Body Repairmen's Association(LIABRA), led the group in the Pledgeof the Allegiance before reading anAnti-Trust Statement.

Tony Ferraiolo, president of theAuto Body Association of Connecticut(ABAC) started the discussion by pos-ing the question of whether OEMtraining is more valuable than I-CARGold Class status and whether I-CARcertification should be a part of themanufacturers’ required training. Thediscussion navigated a variety of per-spectives with common thoughts thatI-CAR fills some of the void beyondOEM training, and that there can bevalue to I-CAR’s Gold Class designa-tion, especially if I-CAR were recep-tive to addressing redundancies insome of the requirements.

Ferraiolo pointed out that somemanufacturers require I-CAR courseseven though shops and techniciansmay already have the training, and, be-cause training is expensive and diffi-

cult to obtain, he feels that it should bea business decision each shop ownermakes on his own as the I-CAR train-ing that is required often has no impacton a shop’s day-to-day business. Hesuggests that shops should be able topick and choose what is needed fortheir facilities instead of having the re-quired courses dictated to them. Theissue presents itself more specificallywhen certain OEMs require that theGold Class designation be achieved tobe recognized on their programs.

Also noting that some of the re-quired courses are redundant for expe-rienced technicians, Ferraiolo objectsto what feels like a lack of options, andhe feels that shops need to havechoices about where they acquiretraining. Several attendees mentionedthat more options may be available inthe near future, though more informa-tion was not explicitly elaborated onabout this possibility.

Gene Lopez of I-CAR interjected

that some courses may be redundant totenured employees, but he noted thatI-CAR has answered this complaint insome cases with an equivalency test tomeasure core competency, adding “wehave a form of tribal learning in thisindustry where people learn from otherpeople, and that’s a good thing untilthe information being passed along isincorrect.”

As an example illustrating thetopic of discourse, Kizenbergerbrought up how everyone is being con-fronted by the new aluminum Ford F-150, but though the aluminum designhas been in progress for quite sometime, it was only recently announcedto the collision repair industry. Kizen-berger believes that body shops wouldbe better prepared to work on the newaluminum body if the announcementhad been made earlier to allow themtime to acquire the necessary trainingand equipment. A Ford representative


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East Coast Resolution Forum & Leadership Meeting at Northeast™ 2014



See Resolution Forum, Page 33

North Star Body and Trailer Repair inBillings, Montana, has a wonderfulstory to tell. Don Mueller and hisbrothers, T.J and John run this thirdgeneration business where the doorsopened in 1928. The shop was at onetime called North Star Body andBlacksmith Shop.

In 2008, Don, T.J. and John,along with a few other ardent collec-tors started the, “Buses of YellowstonePreservation Trust”. This began forDon Mueller 25 years ago when help-ing a friend restore a 1936 Yellow-stone Park Bus. In 2000 they restoreda 1938 Yellowstone Park Bus (whichtook two years) then another historicYellowstone Bus came through theirdoor, and another and even a GlacierPark Bus. And the rest, we may say, isYellowstone history; the Buses of Yel-lowstone Preservation Trust was born.A group of interested, passionate busowners made the commitment to buildthis American legacy.

The enthusiasm is infectiouswhen you hear Don Mueller talk aboutthe Trust and the buses they have. This

group lovingly maintains an importantpart of American history. Muellersmiles through the phone when hetalks about, ‘a great barn find.’ A busthey found that had been in a barn inBozeman, Montana for 45 years, busNumber 401, a 1937 Yellowstone ParkBus . Bus Number 401 went throughthe Trust Preservation and is now backon the roads, taking eager visitors onday trips to the Beartooth Mountainsor even longer trips back through Yel-lowstone Park. When Bus Number401 rolled through the Park entrancelast year, it was the first time it enteredYellowstone Park since 1960s.

The Buses of Yellowstone Preser-vation Trust have rented a building inRed Lodge, Montana, where severalbuses are stored. Mueller states quiteclearly, “These buses are Preserva-tions, not Restorations.”

“ We clean them up, do mainte-nance, tune-up’s, brake jobs, changebelts and hoses and wires, clean cool-ing systems; whatever it takes to keepthem running.”

The 5 buses in Red Lodge are op-erable and shown off in parades andevents throughout the year. During thesummer months the Trust takes day

trips, with a picnic lunch, up theBeartooth Highway as a fund raiser forthe organization. The Buses of Yellow-stone Preservation Trust is a 501©3non-profit organization and does dependon contributions to exist and keep thosebuses on the road back to our history.

You can help keep these Yellow-stone Buses on the road by sending a

tax deductible donation to this greatAmerican legacy. Learn more at theirwebsite, www.boypt.org.

Contact:Buses of Yellowstone PreservationTrustP.O. Box 1522Red Lodge, Montana 59068


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IBIS, the International Bodyshop In-dustry Symposium, is once againbringing together the greatest globalminds to share their knowledge andexpertise. IBIS 2014 takes place atthe luxurious Hotel Arts, Barcelona19–21 May 2014. With the supportof our partners—3M, AkzoNobel,Audatex, Automechanika, Axalta,EMM, Enterprise, Innovation, Quin-dell and Thatcham Research. Con-firmed speakers include: Dr. ThomasAubel, Sean Carey, and MichaelMacaluso.

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Premier Services has donated $2,500to the Collision Repair EducationFoundation to assist the charitableorganization’s efforts to support highschool and college collision schoolprograms, instructors and studentsnationwide.

“Premiere Services is pleasedto support the initiatives of the Col-lision Repair Education Foundationas they assist the industry’s future,”said Joyce Kasmer, Premier Servicesexecutive director of sales and mar-keting.

Premier Services Donates$2.5K to the CRE Foundation

Bus 401 in its barn condition

Bus 401 after restoration


Dave March, owner of Fountain Val-ley Bodyworks in Fountain Valley, CA,owns a busy body shop that repairsroughly 500 cars every month. Whenhe isn’t wrestling with insurance com-panies and making sure every carleaves his shop in pristine condition,March is a dreamer and an inventor. Heenjoys thinking outside of the ordinary.His brainchild is called the WaterCar, ahydro-friendly, amphibious vehicle thatcan be used to drag water skiers and tu-bers at more than 40 miles per hour.

Inspired by the Amphicar of the1960s, March started working on theWaterCar more than 15 years ago as apersonal challenge to build the world’sfastest amphibious vehicle. He had noplans to ever offer it to the public,March explained, but as he began re-fining his creation, he saw a need anda market for the WaterCar.

“We’ve designed several modelsover the years with the goal to make itbetter every time,” March said. “Ourfirst version of the WaterCar was apurpose-built vehicle, to be very faston both land and water. But, when theWaterCar established the amphibiousspeed record with our Python model,our attention turned to reliability, andwe began designing a vehicle to offerto the public.”

After numerous successes and fail-ures, 27 patents, and literally thousandsof labor hours, March’s dream has beenachieved. It’s called the Panther—andthe very first WaterCar to be offered tothe public. March and his all-star teamconsisting of top automotive designersand technicians have tweaked the Wa-terCar’s design, and, by using state-of-the-art equipment at Fountain Valley

Bodyworks, they’ve come up with theultimate vehicle for both land and sea.

Is the WaterCar more automobileor more boat? Legally, amphibious ve-hicles need to be registered both as acar and as a boat in the U.S. and dis-play both license plate and hull num-bers. “In some states, the Departmentof Transportation is still a little con-

fused about the concept, but more andmore they’re embracing the WaterCar,”March said. “Arizona, California, andNevada have been a little tough in get-ting on board, but we’re confident thatthey will eventually embrace the idea.We’re getting them approved, but, insome cases, we have to jump throughhoops to get it done.”

During its development years,March was continuously approachedby people around the world whowanted to purchase a WaterCar, but hewasn’t ready to put them on the marketfor a wide range of reasons. “While wewere flattered that people wanted theWaterCar, we just felt it wasn’t ready,”March said. “It was difficult to say nofor all those years, but we figuredhey—let’s not rush it. In 2013, we re-alized that the WaterCar was ready forthe public, and pretty much right awaythe orders started coming in.”

March received a ton of publicitywhen he drove his WaterCar all the wayfrom his shop in Fountain Valley toCatalina Island in January 2014. Thestory, “Amphibious water car dives intoland and sea market,” made page one ofthe Chicago Tribune and created a buzzworldwide. “We made the 30-mile tripat around 40 miles per hour, and weused about 10 gallons of fuel one-way.Typically, a boat will get around fourmiles per gallon, so the WaterCar isn’tjust fast, it’s also green and very eco-

nomical. When we pulled into that har-bor, the people were shocked and sur-prised when we drove up!”

Celebrities and billionaires areshowing interest in the WaterCar, butanyone with $140,000 lying aroundcan buy one, March said. “Wealthyfolks are always looking for the newesttoy, and the WaterCar definitely fits thebill. These famous people make ussign non-disclosure agreements, so Ican’t tell you any names. But I can tellyou that one individual who is await-ing delivery of his WaterCar is thefounder of a very well-known techcompany.” (And his last name isn’tZuckerberg, Ellision, or Wozniak!)“The attention this vehicle has re-ceived is pretty amazing, to say theleast.”

The hottest markets for the Wa-terCar are currently in Florida andDubai, March said. “Millionaires with200-foot yachts want to have a Water-Car so they can taxi around and then

hit the streets. With all of those littleislands, the WaterCar is perfect forDubai, as well as in the Florida Keys.”

March is now selling WaterCarkits and believes that body shops wouldbe ideal to assemble them. Since he hasa backlog of orders and can’t makethem fast enough, this might be the besttime to jump into a sideline business byputting together WaterCar kits.

“The kits cost around $75,000, sothere’s plenty of room there for profit,”


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WaterCar Has Body Shop Owner Swimming in Business

with Ed AttanasioWestern News

Ed Attanasio is an automotive journalist based inSan Francisco, California. He can be reached [email protected].

March, owner of Fountain Valley Bodyworksin Fountain Valley, CA, wants to sign up otherbody shops all over the country to assembleWaterCar kits as a new, exciting source ofadditional revenue.

People can fish, duck hunt, water ski, or evenparasail behind the WaterCar

Celebrities all over the world want a WaterCar,but March can’t divulge their names for legalreasons

shared that the manufacturer has an-swers coming about the process to dealwith aluminum and about how to getcertified through Ford.

Calming the group in an unchar-acteristic manner, Tony Lombardozzi,president of Coalition for CollisionRepair Excellence (CCRE), pointedout that “this industry will adapt toFord and their aluminum vehicles inthe same way we have dealt with everyother crisis that has created a panicwithin the industry. Most shops havealways been able to do what’s neces-sary to live up to the challenge.”

Michael Bradshaw of K&M Col-lision in Hickory, NC, expressed hisadamant belief that shops should notallow insurers to dictate the repairprocess. His shop sends a Notice ofDeficiency to insurers who do not paythe full bill, and he guesses that the billgets paid 80–85 percent of the time.For those who don’t pay him, he usesan Assignment of Proceeds to pursuethe remainder of the bill in court.

Larry Montanez of P&L Consult-ants discussed his personal experi-

ences with similar results as Brad-shaw’s process, but he warned that,from his experience, these shops didn’treally win money in their first case(s)because of fees, although it benefitedthem in future cases. He also sharedthat the use of an Assignment of Pro-ceeds led to various investigations, soit’s imperative to do a superb job ofkeeping records if a shop opts to gothis route.

Next, the question arose ofwhether these practices are becomingthe new normal, or if that is likely inthe future. Some felt it is definitelypossible with independent shops asmore and more people are looking intoalternate options for getting properlycompensated. Lombardozzi added,“those shops who use the assignmentto litigate short pays will force insurersto rethink their policy on that practice.The more shops that win in court, themore it will begin to change insurers’behavior.”

One attendee recounted how aConnecticut shop owner informed thejudge that pursuing litigation for shortpays is how he always does it, helpinghis shop prevail in the lawsuit by es-tablishing a standard for his businesspractices. This anecdote reinforced the

belief that consistency in dealing withthese issues is imperative if things aregoing to change. Charles Bryant, ex-ecutive director of AASP/NJ, notedthat shops have always buckled in thepast, but they cannot afford to do thatanymore: “it’s time to stand up!”

Connecticut attorney John Pareseemphasized the importance of em-powering attorneys with necessary in-formation, explaining that though theshops are often right legally, they arefacing an opponent that’s smart andwell-funded. “Ultimately, you’re onthe right side; you just need to articu-late it well in court.” Another shopowner mentioned that it’s difficult forshops to change overnight, and themajority of shops do what they need tosurvive because they don’t really care,or don’t know where to start, while thequality shops are trying to do the rightthing for the consumer and also to getpaid fairly.

After a short break, Kizenbergerintroduced the question of whether theindustry should institute a grading sys-tem for shops and, if so, who would dothe grading. Lombardozzi believesthere is a better way to solve this prob-lem than through legislation: “let the


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March explained. “We’d like to getbody shops from different regions ofthe country involved, especially thosethat are close to lakes or the ocean, forexample,” March said. “They alreadyhave all of the equipment needed to as-semble the kits and paint them, etc. Ifyou can assemble a Volkswagen, youcan do this. You have to install themotor and transmission, do the uphol-stery, and paint it. A body shop can dothe job in three to four weeks, and ifthey really want to fast track it, theycan do it in a week. It might be a goodadditional source of revenue for them,and they will definitely get some at-tention for these WaterCars.”

We asked March what the futurelooks like for the WaterCar and hesaid, “I think it’s definitely bright.Once people start seeing them moreand more, they’ll want them. The nextbig thing we’d love to do with the Wa-terCar is take a trip down the EnglishChannel by Big Ben and then all theway to the Eiffel Tower. I’m prettysure that would get some attentionfrom the people at the Guinness Bookof Records!”

To learn more about the Water-Car, visit http://watercar.fountainval-leybodyworks.com.


Resolution Forum


The Women’s Industry Network (WIN)has several announcements leading upto the 2014 WIN Education Conferenceat Paradise Point Resort and Spa in SanDiego, CA, May 5–7, 2014.

Electronic Conference BrochureTo help reduce their carbon footprint,WIN created an electronic version ofthe conference brochure, which youcan download at http://thewomensin-dustrynetwork.ning.com/page/2014-conference.

Most Influential Women WinnersOn March 24, 2014, WIN announcedthe 2014 Most Influential Women(MIW) Award recipients:■ Frederica Carter, President of F.Carter Events, LLC (former Communi-cations Manager at AkzoNobel)■ Jordan Hendler, Executive Director,Washington Metropolitan AutobodyAssociation■ Leanne Jefferies, Director, CollisionPrograms, AIA CanadaThe award is given annually to womenin the collision repair industry who ex-emplify qualities of business and civicleadership, vision, and commitment toexcellence.

“I was impressed with the energy,accomplishment, and commitment ofall the nominees who spanned a broadrange of responsibilities,” said RussellLong of Change Innovations, the lead-ership development and executivecoaching firm engaged to evaluate thenominees.

Established in 1999 by AkzoNo-bel, WIN acquired stewardship of theMIW program in 2013.The inauguralMIW Gala Dinner and Award Cere-

mony will be heldin conjunction withthe 2014 WIN Edu-cational Confer-ence.

“It was our priv-ilege to bring thisprogram innovationto the industry andnurture it for 14

years,” said Doug Holmberg, directorof vehicle refinishes for AkzoNobelAutomotive & Aerospace CoatingsNorth America, who will speaking atthe 2014 MIW Gala Dinner and AwardCeremony.

“As we approach the final stagesof planning for the first MIW AwardCeremony under WIN’s care, we areexcited to carry on this important tradi-tion begun by AkzoNobel,” said Mar-garet Knell, chair of the MIWCommittee and director of corporateadministration at I-CAR.

Scholarship WinnersOn March 27, 2014, WIN announcedthe 2014 WIN scholarship winners:

■ College Student Tuition and Con-ference Scholarship: Stephanie Baker,who will attend WyoTech in Blairsville,PA, and Suzanna Hernandez, who willattend Southeast Community College inLincoln, NE. They will each receive$1,000 to continue their post-secondaryeducation in collision repair, a one-yearWIN membership, registration fee and

travel expenses toattend the 2014WIN EducationalConference, and theopportunity to bementored by win-ners of the 2014MIW awards.■ High School Tu-ition Scholarship:

Danielle Caballero from Converse, TX,Megann Holbrook from North Severn,MD, and Shelby Woods from Moberly,MO. They will each receive $1,000 tocontinue their post-secondary educa-tion in collision repair and a one-yearWIN membership.

The WIN scholarships are madepossible by WIN sponsors, specialevents including the annual ScholarshipWalk, and sales of the “There’s A PlaceFor You” recruiting poster.

“We believe that we have an obli-gation to support young women whochoose to enter our industry,” said Bev-erly Rook, co-chair of the ScholarshipCommittee.

“I am honored to be recognized byWIN, and I am even more honored tobe a member of this amazing organiza-tion,” said scholarship recipientMegann Holbrook.

Corporate SponsorsOn April 1, 2014, WIN announced the2014 WIN corporate sponsors.

Gold Sponsor ($10,000):■ AkzoNobel Coatings Inc.

Silver Sponsors ($5,000):■ National Institute for AutomotiveService Excellence (ASE)■ The 3M Company■ Axalta Coating Systems■ BASF Corporation■ Enterprise Rent-A-Car Company■ PPG Industries Inc.■ State Farm Insurance■ Valspar Corporation

Bronze Sponsors ($2,500):■ ABRA Auto Body & Glass■ Allstate Insurance Company■ AudaExplore, a Solera Company■ The Certified Automotive Parts As-sociation■ Car-Part.com■ CARSTAR■ CCC Information Services Inc.■ FinishMaster Inc.■ Fix Auto USA

■ GEICO■ Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc.■ MetLife Auto & Home■ Mitchell International■ Safelite Solutions■ Sherwin-Williams Automotive Fin-ishes■ Sterling Autobody

“The importance of WIN’s missionto our industry is reaffirmed by the tremen-dous support we have received from oursponsors,” said Susanna Gotsch, chair ofthe Sponsorship Committee. “These spon-sorships played a key role in our ability to

expand our scholar-ship program in2014, and extendour reach throughprograms such asthe “There’s A PlaceFor You” recruitingposter distributed toover 1,100 technicalschools and colleges

by the Collision Repair Education Foun-dation. We are extremely grateful for oursponsors’ support.”

New Board of Directors MembersOn April 9, 2014, WIN announced thatfive new members were selected toserve on the WIN Board of Directors:

■ Jaclyn Byers, Estimatics Team Man-ager, State Farm Insurance Co.■ Jessica Rob, Communications Man-ager / Online Web Communications,Akzo Nobel■ Marie Peevy, Owner, AutomotiveTraining Coordinators, LLC.■ Nina Pedraza-Zinna, Director ofField Operations, SCA Appraisal■ Trish Gould, Controller / Human Re-sources, Keenan Auto Body

The WIN Board consists of vari-ous industry segments including colli-sion repair shops, jobbers, suppliers,consultants, information providers,and insurance companies. Board mem-bers may serve up to two three-yearterms.

“WIN is honored to have such out-standing individuals who are willing toshare their time and talents on ourBoard of Directors,” said DeniseCaspersen, chair of the Board Devel-opment Committee.

New board members will be intro-duced and officially welcomed byseated directors and WIN members-at-large at the 2014 WIN EducationalConference.

To learn more about WIN, visithttp://thewomensindustrynetwork.ning.com.


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I ran into someone at the 2013 SEMAShow who apologized profusely fornot calling me back.

“I was meaning to call you back,”he said. “I know you left a message.”

“The one from 2012 or the onefrom 2013?” I inquired as nicely as Icould.

Why don’t people call each otherback anymore? What is the psychol-ogy behind not returning phone calls?Do you have a group of friends orbusiness associates in your life whowill NEVER call you back, no matterwhat? The sad fact is that most of usdo.

Not returning phone calls has be-come an integral part of our societyand a trademark of our times. Andwith all of the technology out theremaking it easier to connect (likesmartphones, email, and text messag-ing), people have more ways than everto not get back to you. So, the ques-tion is simple—is the telephone nolonger the best way to connect withpeople and if so, what is the preferredmethod?

In an attempt to analyze this phe-nomenon, I have spoken with a widerange of people about the subject, in-cluding body shop owners, insuranceagents, parts managers, and generalmanagers of large MSOs.

Most people tell me that theanonymous nature of a phone call orphone message makes it very easy todisregard. Their attitude is that if thecaller wants to contact me that badly,they’ll call back or text me or emailme. Others believe that they’re al-ready on the phone way too much as itis, so that’s why they only return thosecalls that seem pressing and/or impor-tant.

“I spend an inordinate amount oftime on the telephone, and I just don’thave the bandwidth to call everyoneback,” one body shop’s marketingmanager said. “Email is the best wayto contact me, followed by texting—but phoning is a distant third.”

“I get way too many sales calls,”a body shop owner claimed. “Thatmakes me leery about returning anyphone calls because I don’t want to sitthrough a sales pitch. I’m alwaysdoing five things at once, so if some-

thing needs to get cut, it’s probablygoing to be your phone call.”

For others, it’s all about the qual-ity (and brevity) of the phone call.“Some people are engaging and theyknow how to talk on the phone,” oneinsurance agent said. “Others get toochatty and for those people email isbetter. I don’t feel a need to respondimmediately to an email, so it’s lessstressful than a phone call.”

While most people won’t rush toreturn a phone call, there are still afew “old school” types out there whowill go out of their way to return aphone call, even if they’re busy or onthe road. In my opinion, those peoplestand out because they’re the excep-tion rather than the norm. I am oftensurprised by who returns calls becausesome of them are big names, yet theyalways make the time to reach out tome.

In his book The Art of the Deal,originally published in 1987, DonaldTrump discusses his theory surround-ing the telephone and how it can beused as a tool. First off, Trump claimsthat he returns every phone call he re-ceives because he realizes that eachone represents an opportunity to makea deal. He talks to salesmen, officemanagers, and janitors because theycan give him information he can pos-sibly use to get any advantage in thefuture. In addition, Trump limits all ofhis phone calls to three minutes andactually uses an egg timer to do thejob. That way he controls chattycallers and keeps everyone on point.

I always ask salespeople about thesubject of return phone calls becauseit’s their job to communicate withtheir customers, and most of themmake multiple calls on a daily basis.When it comes to business, peoplehave an entirely different theory aboutreturning phone calls. If a salesmancalls them, for instance, they will al-most never call them back.

“It’s their job to get a hold of me,”one collision center manager saidwhen referring to salespeople. “Ifthey’re selling something, they hadbetter adapt to my schedule and figureout the best way to contact me. If I’mnot interested in your products orservices, I’m not going to call you

back because I don’t have time to callyou and tell you no thanks. Not callingyou back is my way of telling you ex-actly that. Some call it the ‘HollywoodBrush-off,’ but I call it reality.”

In an article called “Don’t CallMe, I Won’t Call You” that PamelaPaul wrote for The New York Times in2011, she announced the demise ofnot just the return phone call, but thephone itself. “I don’t think it’s justme,” Paul wrote. “Sure, teenagersgave up the phone call eons ago. In thelast five years, full-fledged adultshave seemingly given up the tele-phone—land line, mobile, voice mail,and all. According to Nielsen Media,even on cell phones, voice spendinghas been trending downward, withtext spending expected to surpass itwithin three years.”

Paul interviewed an interior de-signer who made some interestingpoints about phone calls and their di-minishing role in today’s society. “I lit-

erally never use the phone,” JonathanAdler told Paul. “I’ve learned not topress ‘ignore’ on my cell phone be-cause then people know that you’rethere. I remember when I was growingup the rule was, ‘Don’t call anyoneafter 10:00 P.M.,’” Adler said. “Nowthe rule is, ‘Don’t call anyone. Ever.’”

I have come to the conclusion thatyou should not take it personally ifsomeone does not return your phonecalls. It doesn’t necessarily mean theydon’t want to speak with you. And ifyou work on your phone skills and be-come more pleasurable to speak with,you’ll find that more of your friendswill call you back.

I wish that I could have done amore thorough study of this subject,but most of the people who I called tointerview never got back to me.Everyone interviewed for this pieceasked to remain anonymous because,sadly, they don’t want anyone callingthem either.


What Ever Happened to the Return Phone Call?

with Ed Attanasio

Social Media for Shops



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bad shops weed themselves out. Allowthe free market to dictate what we willdo.” Schulenburg contributed his fearthat in relation to state licensing pro-grams, such a system of regulating li-censed shops will become a simplemeans of revenue for the state, ratherthan doing what it’s intended to do toregulate non-licensed businesses.

Further commentary referencedthe uphill battle in helping the legisla-tors and consumers understand thevarying levels of repair businesses, es-pecially when the insurance industrytrivializes the level of investment andacumen necessary to work on today’svehicles.

One attendee referenced a senti-ment from Frank O’Brien, vice presi-dent of state governmental relationswith the Property Casualty InsurersAssociation of America, regarding thepending legislation in Rhode Islandthat addresses shop grading; his com-ment was that “the legislation wouldessentially charge more for the ClassA shop with all the ‘fancy’ gear, eventhough the Class B shop could do the

job just as well for less money. Itwould be like requiring people to pay$10 more for a sirloin at one butchershop based on how the shop looks.”

When Kizenberger questionedwhether the industry should do some-thing to put them on a level with I-CAR Platinum recipients in light of thenew vehicles being released that mustbe repaired in a certain way, Lombar-dozzi argued that it’s impossible toreach a level playing field because allcars differ, and, furthermore, manu-facturer recommendations only matterso much because the vehicle owner isthe only one with the right to make de-cisions about the repair. Instead, he feltthat the group should be asking whatneeds to be done to change the indus-try for the better, indicating that the in-dustry itself needs to “address theproblems we have and realize that as-sociations have a place in this indus-try, but they can only go so far—it’s upto the repair people in the industry todetermine what we need, to look at theindustry, and come up with solutionsto our problems. We have to investtime, money, and effort, but we cansolve this industry’s problems!”

Peter Abdelmaseh of SuperareAdvertising and Marketing Agency,

Inc. in Belmont, MA, believes the in-dustry is “putting too much pressureon associations to solve these prob-lems” when the associations should befocused on bringing information to theindustry. Instead, he suggests that apossible solution may be found bylooking at the body of law and ques-tioning why each law pertaining to thecollision repair industry exists.

As an association leader, Kizen-berger feels that his duty is to act in thebest interest of the consumer which, inturn, allows him to better represent theentire industry. Still, he believes eachstate should have a representative whounderstands that state’s laws becauselegislative awareness is vital. Further-more, he points out that most peopledon’t even read their insurance policy,so it’s necessary to raise the level ofawareness and create understanding ofwhat consumers should know.

Referencing the recently-defeatedMaryland Parts Bill, Barry Dorn of theWashington Metropolitan Auto BodyAssociation (WMABA) asked if thereis any advantage to introducing well-crafted legislation. Discussion sur-rounding the merits of legislativeinitiatives bounced back and forth.Lombardozzi interjected with the re-

minder specific to that piece of legis-lation that no one can dictate the use ofaftermarket parts because the shop as-sumes liability for the repair, and, sim-ilarly, insurance companies cannotforce shops to use specific vendors un-less the shop allows it.

Schulenburg noted that con-sumers need laws to protect them fromtheir insurance policies, and Lombar-dozzi agreed that the collision repairindustry is fighting the consumers’ bat-tle, which is difficult because the shopis not a named insured on the policyand the insurance industry is much bet-ter-funded. Bradshaw agreed that it’simperative to focus on the consumersafety issue because, until then, com-plaints fall on deaf ears with legisla-tors.

Another conversation ensuedabout the fact that recalls on aftermar-ket parts aren’t as closely monitored asOEM recalls, creating a safety issuewhen shops are unable to locate vehi-cles that have been fitted with recalledaftermarket parts. Ferraiolo circledback to the importance of educatingconsumers so they can fight their ownbattles, mentioning the current ABACcampaign to educate consumers.


Resolution Forum


Carwise Shop Finder SolutionCCC Information Services launchedthe Carwise Shop Finder solution(www.carwise.com), a free benefit tousers of CCC ONE, on March 19,2014. Carwise is a consumer-facingwebsite that enables CCC ONE usersto share repair status details with theircustomers. The new Shop Finderfunctionality allows shops to create aprofile and share customer reviews,giving shoppers the information theyneed to find and select a collision re-pair partner. The Shop Finder func-tionality is integrated within CCCONE so shops can manage and main-tain their profiles from within their fa-miliar application.

“We see the Carwise Shop Findersolution as a great tool to showcaseour shop and our offerings, and to pro-vide us with another channel to con-nect with more potential customers,”said Karen Hansen, secretary treas-urer of Hansen’s Auto Body & Paint.

Configuring a compelling shopprofile only takes a few minutes.Shops can upload pictures of the re-pair facility, highlight services thatmight set them apart, share the shophistory, and indicate the type of pay-ment accepted. Shops that use CCCONE Update Plus Status or Up-datePlus CSI can share customer re-views directly within their Carwiseprofile. Validated reviews and com-ments are presented in an unbiasedmanner ensuring others see what ac-tual customers are saying about theshop.

“CCC is focused on helping ourcustomers be successful, and the Car-wise Shop Finder solution will giveshops a new channel to market theirservices to active shoppers,” saidJoseph Allen, CCC general manager.

Contact Center SolutionOn April 15, 2014, CCC announcedCCC ONE Contact Center solution,creating a single, central location fordesignated staff or call centers to viewincoming assignments, contact cus-tomers, schedule jobs, and dispatchwork quickly and easily.

“Visibility across our locationshas been a challenge for us, but wedon’t have the need or the resources fora call center,” said Lance Bartczak,general manager of Kniesel’s CollisionCenters. “The seamless integration be-tween the CCC ONE platform and

Contact Center allows for a simplifieduser experience that results in instantcallbacks, an increased positive cus-tomer experience, reduced cycle times,happier insurance partners, and in-creased profitability. To say it’s a win-win is an understatement.”

“CCC ONE Contact Center wasdeveloped to serve MSOs looking togain more control of their incomingopportunities. Integration, central vis-ibility, and the ability to quickly andeasily balance work were the key cri-teria shops said they needed, and that’sexactly what we’re delivering in CCCONE Contact Center,” said JosephAllen, CCC general manager.

TRUE Parts Network SuppliersOn April 17, 2014, CCC announcedthat four additional parts suppliersjoined the CCC TRUE Parts Network:Brandywine Economy Parts, CarroPacific Inc., ECO Automotive Dis-tributors, and PAM's Auto Parts, Inc.

Once fully implemented, the newsuppliers will be able to display theirinventories, provide real-time quoteprice quotes, and sell their availableparts through the CCC ONE platform,making it quick and easy for CCC re-pair shop customers to buy parts andreceive electronic invoices.

“We’re thrilled all of these greatsuppliers have signed on to join theCCC TRUE Parts Network and bringtheir parts inventories directly to colli-sion repairers who look to purchaseparts every day,” said David Boden,CCC vice president. “Since launchingthe CCC TRUE Parts Network, we'veseen early adopters of the solution sig-nificantly reduce return rates on orders,which is a great benefit to our partici-pating suppliers and the collision re-pairers that rely on them for parts.”

Participation in the CCC TRUEParts Network is open to all parts sup-pliers. Visit www.ccc-true.com formore information.

Integrated parts quoting, pro-curement, and invoicing are availablenow, free of charge, to CCC ONE Re-pair Workflow customers. No setup isrequired.

Crash Course 2014 ReportThe CCC Crash Course 2014 reportnow includes an infographic and alive webinar series. Crash Course, anin-depth report that focuses on the fac-tors driving auto collision repair and

total loss costs, is compiled using re-search and information from a widerange of sources and an aggregated setof data from the CCC data warehouse,which includes approximately 140million claims worth of information.

“The auto physical damage in-dustry continues to move quickly asweather patterns, regulatory factors,advancements in technology, and con-sumer preferences for products andservices evolve and converge,” saidSusanna Gotsch, lead analyst forCCC. “This year’s report looks atthese factors individually and togetherto help provide perspective on theoverarching impact they are, and willcontinue to have, on our industry.We’re excited to extend the informa-tion reported on in Crash Course toother formats, which we hope will pro-vide a more comprehensive view ofthe broader marketplace for collisionrepairers, insurance carriers, parts sup-pliers, and other industry participants.”

To download a copy of the CrashCourse 2014 report and infographic orto register for a webinar, visit:ccc.cccis.com/crashcourse.


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CCC Updates: Carwise Shop Finder Solution, Contact Center Solution,TRUE Parts Network Suppliers, and Crash Course

On Tuesday, April 8, 2014, the So-ciety of Collision Repair Specialists(SCRS) (www.scrs.com) held atwo-hour open board meeting inPortland, OR, that included updatesfrom SCRS staff, committees, andaffiliate associations outlining cur-rent and future work initiatives.

SCRS Education Committeemember Gary Wano provided a re-port on information gathered fromthe BMW National Aftersales Con-ference including BMW plans rela-tive to the Certified Collision RepairCenter program, insurer relation-ships, and insight into repairabilityof the carbon fiber chassis, alu-minum frame rails, and thermo plas-tic outer panels on the upcoming i3and i8 electric vehicles.

Toby Chess and committeechairman Kye Yeung presentedabout new products that can helpcollision repairers produce great re-pairs on modern cars.

Barbara Crest, executive direc-tor of the Northwest AutomotiveTrades Association and JanetChaney, executive officer of theOregon Collision Repair Special-ists, gave updates on the Oregon-based affiliations’ activities.

Society of Collision RepairSpecialists Open Board Mtg.

For many years, body shop owners ingeneral weren’t enamored with the ideaof hiring a company to design and de-velop their websites, thinking that theycost too much and would not bringenough new customers to their shops.But now most of those naysayers anddoubters realize that a good, easy-to-read website that has intuitive naviga-tion and is leveraged for searchabilityis a necessity, rather than a luxury.

And that’s why companies suchas Autoshop Solutions, an automotivewebsite design and Internet marketingcompany based in Apex, NC, areflourishing. Autoshop Solutions’ web-sites have been named to the highly-respected “Top 10 Automotive RepairWebsites” list by AutoInc., the officialpublication of ASA, (www.autoinc.org/top10.htm) for the last sevenyears, including four wins in the 2013list.

“We are honored once again tohave four of our clients’ websites

recognized for being some of thebest in the country,” said DannySanchez, CEO and founder of Au-toshop Solutions. “We congratulateAtlantic Motorcar Center, Kinney’sAutomotive, Valley Automotive, andMike’s KARS for inclusion on Au-toInc.’s list of ‘Top 10 AutomotiveRepair Websites’.”

Autoshop Solutions has beenbuilding website designs for the auto-motive industry for more than nineyears and has won numerous awards,but winning never gets old, accordingto their vice president of operationsMargaret Klemmer.

“Website design trends and Inter-net marketing are constantly chang-ing,” she said. “We’re encouraged bythe fact that our websites consistentlyplace in the ‘Top 10 Automotive Re-pair Websites’ across the country be-cause we always work hard to makesure our customers get websites thattruly work for them. These awards

validate our ability to evolve and in-novate our product for the benefit ourour clients.”

Each year, AutoInc.'s judges re-view hundreds of websites fromaround the country to come up with the‘Top 10 Automotive Repair Websites’list. These websites are evaluated bythree independent judges based on thefollowing criteria: First impression/vi-sual design, objective/ purpose, inno-vation, credibility, navigation, calls toaction, consumer friendliness, techni-cal elements, and social media in-volvement.

Sanchez and his company havedominated the ‘Top 10 AutomotiveRepair Websites’ list since 2007 andhave captured 20 of the 60 availablespots over those years. He and his 12-member team have been designingwebsites and performing search en-gine optimization (SEO) for a widerange of automotive repair companies(both mechanical and collision), partsvendors and transmission shops, auto-motive glass companies, and perform-ance shops, according to Sanchez.

“I personally started designingwebsites for automotive companies al-most two decades ago, and then in1999 I opened the doors here at Au-toshop Solutions,” Sanchez said. “Irecognized a definite need, becausewe saw that these companies weredoing excellent work, but they didn’tknow how to create a presence online.Our first few clients were mechanicalrepair shops, and we realized ratherquickly that we could help them a lotby creating websites that are easy-to-use and optimized for search. One vic-tory led to another, and pretty soon wewere busy because repair shops needour help and we know what theyneed.”

Early adopters have a distinct ad-vantage online, but those companiesthat are jumping in now can makequick inroads if they decide to step upand feature a top-notch site. “A sim-ple site with three or four pages usedto be enough, but no more,” Sanchezexplained. “Five years ago, you coulddominate your market because yourcompetition either had a weak site ormaybe even no website at all. Butnow almost every shop out there is

trying to get those top rankings, andthe competition online is intense.Those shops that dragged their feetare scrambling, but everyone is in thegame now.”

Sanchez said the old days of hir-ing your cousin or brother-in-law todo your website are long gone for sev-eral reasons. “The sites out there nowcontain 10-15 pages that are full offresh content and more bells and whis-tles than ever before, so hiring a friendor relative that designs template-typeweb sites part-time on the weekendswon’t make it anymore. Consumersare much more knowledgeable and ifthey see an amateurish-looking site,they know what they’re looking at.For many customers, your website isthe first thing they’ll see—before theyvisit your shop or even call, in manycases—so making a good impressionwith your website is much more cru-cial now.”

Many shops launch websites andthen forget about them, which is amistake, Sanchez said. “I call it the‘check the box’ syndrome. Shops fig-ure hey—we did a whole new websitefive to six years ago, so let’s just leaveit alone. The only problem is thingsare changing all the time, so if you’renot adding new content and refreshingyour site, you can be left behind. Onething we’ve done for many of ourclients recently is softening up theirapproach and making the contentmore instructional, because we knowthat 60 percent of the people handlingthese repairs are women. Also, Googlevalues fresh, original content morenow, which means that blogs are morepopular than ever.”

Gail Bixler is the business de-velopment manager for Mike’sKARS, a mechanical repair shop inGettysburg, PA. Capturing an awardfor its website (www.MikesKARS.com) was obviously a thrill for theshop, but the work isn’t done quiteyet, Bixler said. “We’re still in theprocess of refining our site, and Iimagine that will never end,” she said.“We will be making revisions on anongoing basis because we realize thatwe need to continually make it better.It’s not rocket science, but you need to


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AutoBody-Review.com Improves Geo-Targeted SEO,Authority for Shops by Adding “Articles: to ProfilesAutoBody-Review.com announces therelease of a new feature to their cus-tomer shop profiles with the release of“Articles” in all body shop profiles inadvance of upcoming Google algo-rithm changes.

The Search Engine giant hashinted at some upcoming changes to itsalgorithm in their latest “WebmasterHelp” video. Google’s Head of Web-spam, Matt Cutts, said they are work-ing on some changes that will helpGoogle better determine when a site isan authority on a topic such as autobody repair.

Google continues to improvesearch results to allow for more accu-rate local rankings in the Hummingbirdupdate, combined with upcoming al-gorithm changes that will determinewhich sites are more of an actual au-thority on a subject. AutoBody- Re-view.com has responded early with theaddition of “Articles” to our customersshop profiles. Each client will receiveone keyword-rich article written by ourin house SEO writers that is targeted toeach body shop’s local geography, andis included in each shop profile in aunique “articles” tab. From there, thebody shops can continue adding theirown articles as they see fit.

“The geo-targeted long tail key-word is crucial to ranking a localservice business such as a body shoponline, and now we have increasedour ability to rank our customers on alocal level through our nationallyranked website,” said Director ofMarketing, Tom Zoebelein.

“Our duty to our clients as a na-tionally recognized website is to getthem found in a local search, by cus-tomers in their local area. After monthsof keyword research from our own webtraffic, we discovered that we can lever-age our ranking power, and our SEOexpertise to assist our shops on a locallevel with the addition of our new arti-cles feature,” said CEO Curtis Nixon.

AutoBody-Review.com’s newarticles feature will function muchlike a mini-blog on each auto bodyshop profile. While most auto bodyshops lack the knowledge or the staffto properly blog for their shop on alocal level, AutoBody-Review.comhas simplified this task for them.

Four members of the Society of Col-lision Specialists (SCRS) 2014-2015Board of Directors were re-elected tothe SCRS Executive Committee onApril 8, 2014, during the SCRS an-nual meeting in Portland, OR.

Six candidates ran for four posi-tions, including four incumbents andtwo new individuals who were pro-posed by the SCRS NominationsCommittee. All incumbents were re-elected by members, so there were nochanges to the SCRS Executive Com-mittee.

The re-elected board membersare Andy Dingman of Dingman’sCollision Center in Omaha, NE, RonReichen of Precision Body & Paintin Beaverton, OR, Brett Bailey ofA&B Body Shop Inc. in Kansas City,MO, and Dusty Womble of RogerBeasley Collision Center and RogerBeasley Auto Glass in Austin, TX.

“We are excited the membershiphas recognized the efforts of ourleadership team,” stated SCRS exec-utive director Aaron Schulenburg.“The results of this election really in-still a sense of confidence that we areserving our members in the appropri-ate manner, and that this strong anddiverse group of thoughtful and ar-ticulate collision repair representa-

tives is well suited for their posi-tions.”

SCRS bylaws allow elected boardmembers to hold executive positionsfor a maximum of two, one-year terms,and each member of the SCRS Execu-tive Committee was eligible to main-tain their current position.

SCRS chairman Ron Reichencommented, “I’ve accomplished agreat deal in my career, but nothingquite compares to the work that wetackle at SCRS. I am fortunate to besurrounded by brilliant and hard-working individuals who have dedi-cated themselves to rolling up theirsleeves and going to work for the in-dustry we all love. It is an honor tocarry forward with that work, and to

receive such support and confidencefrom our members.”

Though elected to a new three-year term, Reichen is serving hisfinal eligible year as chairman, andthe remainder of his term will be ap-pointed to a replacement candidateby the incoming chairman in 2015.

In 2013, nationaldirector Jim Sowlewas appointed to theremainder of imme-diate past chairmanAaron Clark’s term.“This past year hasbeen such an enor-mous, eye-openingexperience for meinto how engagedthis board is on theissues of national im-portance to the in-

dustry,” shared Sowle. “Like many ofour members, I attentively followedthe association’s activity, and workedto be involved as frequently as Icould; but it wasn’t until I joined theboard that I really could appreciatehow much work this group does qui-etly in the background to make ourindustry, and our members’ busi-nesses, more successful. For anyonewho has a desire to be a part of some-

thing bigger that makes a differenceoutside of your own four walls, thisis where it happens.”

Nominations committee chair-man and second-generation SCRSnational director Dusty Womble en-courage those with similar interest inleadership positions to become en-gaged now. “Almost everyone sittingaround this table was involved inSCRS activity long before runningfor the board of directors,” he shared.“This group is fortunate to have reg-ular interest from new volunteers,and the position requires a great dealof commitment and involvement. At-tending the quarterly meetings andinteracting with the board and mem-bership is one of the best ways tomake sure that future potential can-didates have the time, energy, andsupport at home necessary for boardmembers to be successful in theirterm. I’m honored to be able to con-tinue on in my service, and look for-ward to the opportunity to work withand welcome new individuals withsimilar passion for improvement.”

For more information about SCRS,visit www.scrs.com.

SCRS 2014-2015 Board Elected in April 2014

The 2014-2015 SCRS Board of Directors (left to right): CJ Vermaak,Domenic Brusco, Jim Sowle, Dusty Womble, Aaron Clark, BruceHalcro, Luis Alonso, Ron Reichen, Brett Bailey, Kye Yeung, RodesBrown, Andy Dingman, and Paul Val (Photo provided by JoelGausten, TGP, Inc.)

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American Honda is pleased to an-nounce two new Body Repair Newsbulletins. The first covers the 2015Honda Fit model including newmodel body technology, body repairinformation, welding information,air bag systems, and more. BodyRepair News summarizes new bodyand vehicle technology that may af-fect collision and other body re-pairs. It is not intended to replacethe detailed information containedin the body repair and service man-uals. Rather, it simply helps colli-sion repair industry personnelunderstand why using the factoryservice information is so importantto make safe and complete repairs. The second Body Repair News bul-letin covers welding and sectioningguideline revisions that apply to allmodels. This is in response to in-dustry requests for more informa-tion about the proper repair ofHonda and Acura vehicles as theamount of high strength steel con-tinues to increase in our vehicles.

Body Repair News coveringthese and other topics can be ac-cessed at: https://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/pubs/web/ABN51267.pdf and ABN51152.PDF

American Honda AnnouncesTwo Body Repair BulletinsEver had a customer claim your re-

pair technician dented or dinged hisvehicle while fixing the originalproblem. The customer wants thedent/ding fixed for free—though itlikely had been there for some time.

Tired of dealing with such falseclaims, the owner of a ColoradoSprings body shop and his brother-in-law came up with a high-tech solution:an app.

James Bishop, 42, and JakeDurfee, 30, invented The DingStinger app as an easy way to let autobody repair and mechanic shops scancar or truck vehicle identification

numbers, take photos of hail andother body damage, write estimatesand share the information with cus-tomers and other auto repair compa-nies. So if a customer comes backwith a false claim - or takes it to an-other shop—the app can divulge thetruth.

Bishop says such false claimshappen a lot, and that’s why he andDurfee came up with the idea. But theapp also has saved Bishop’s companythe time it took to fill out paperworkfor orders and estimates.

“We are literally four timesfaster,” he said. “Since we did thisapp, we have tracked where it hassaved us 15 hours a week.”

The app works on any Applemobile device and can be down-loaded and used for a limited time forfree. After that, the app costs $30 amonth to use, or $299 a year. So far,it’s been downloaded more than2,000 times in all 50 states and fivecountries, Bishop said. It has beenpurchased 226 times since it becameavailable in July.

Durfee, a manager and repair-man at Bishop’s repair shop, “TheDing Guy,” said he helped developthe app after the two men realized theflaws in their check-in procedures,

such as transposed VIN numbers andtriplicate paperwork. He said theycreated the app so it can be sharedwith repair and other auto serviceshops within the city and elsewhere.

Bishop started working in theauto body repair business in 1991when he was 19. After attending tradeschool in Bentonville, Ark., he re-turned to the Springs in 1992 andopened his first shop. In 2006, hestarted “The Ding Guy” at 3001 EastPlatte Ave.

Durfee started working withBishop the same year Bishop openedhis shop, and Durfee’s older brother,Matthew, coded the application.

When asked why someoneshould buy “The Ding Stinger” appinstead of just having employees takephotos of damaged vehicles, Bishopsays, “Because the app organizeseverything into an information pack-age that can be attached to any otherprogram, sent to customers, and itsaves time.”

Colorado Springs Duo Develop ‘Ding Stinger’ App

James Bishop, left, and Jake Durfee, co-owners of The Ding Guy, have developedan application that helps auto repair shopseliminate paper work and cut the timeneeded to create repair estimates.(Credit: The Gazette, Christian Murdock)



put in the necessary time and pay at-tention to things like social media,SEO, and the overall look and feel ofthe site.”

Josh Fuller, co-owner ofFuller’s of Auburn in Auburn, MA,contracted Autoshop Solutions to de-sign a website for his company(www.fullerautomotive.com) in 2012.It wasn’t an easy task because Fullerhas six businesses all under one um-brella: towing, mechanical repair, col-lision repair, an express oil changeservice, a car rental fleet, and a usedcar sales company. But, by building a

site that is easy-to-use and incorpo-rates SEO, Fuller is pleased by the re-sults and delighted about the positivereviews that he’s received from hiscustomers.

“We started our first websiteback in 2006, but the technology is sodifferent now, and there is so muchmore competition fighting for toprankings these days,” Fuller said.“We’re constantly looking for the bestsolutions out there, and the people atAutoshop Solutions knew exactlywhat we were looking for becausethey know our industry inside-and-out.”

For more information about Au-toshop Solutions, visit:www.autoshopsolutions.com


Kudos from Websites

Wrapping up the meeting, Bryantnoted that he has seen a recent increasein steering by insurers refusing to in-spect vehicles in a timely manner if theyaren’t taken to a DRP shop, or by refus-ing to respond to an independent shop’ssupplement forms. The general consen-

sus amongst the group was that thisissue has been occurring in other statesas well. Bryant believes these types ofissues should be addressed when theyfirst occur because “it’s up to us tochange the problems that are out there!”


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Sherwin-Williams, the “Official Trans-portation Finishes of NASCAR” spon-sor, is honored to support the secondannual NASCAR Race To Green ini-tiative (http://green.nascar.com/race-to-green), March 29–April 27, 2014.

Sherwin-Williams is also supportingNASCAR green efforts through edu-cation initiatives, promoting aware-ness of low volatile organic compound(VOC) paints—like Sherwin-WilliamsAutomotive Finishes AWX Perform-ance Plus waterborne refinish system,which meets the strictest VOC limitsin North America—and initial appli-cation for select teams in the industry.

Roush Fenway Racing uses AWXPerformance Plus on each of its sixrace cars.

The No. 51 Turner Scott Motor-sports Chevrolet driven by Justin Al-gaier ran a special Sherwin Williamspaint scheme in Darlington, SC, and

was also painted using AWX Perform-ance Plus.

“Sherwin Williams and NASCARshould be applauded for educatingNASCAR fans and the marketplacemore generally about the value and avail-

ability of low-VOC paints. VOCsare commonly used in paints andcan cause cancer and neurologicaland reproductive harm. Once ap-plied, VOCs evaporate into the airfor months afterwards. By using itsmarket and cultural influence to ed-ucate fans and other businessesabout the availability of low-VOCpaints and its ease of use, NASCARand Sherwin-Williams are helpingto move the marketplace towards aless toxic environment,” said Allen

Hershkowitz, Ph.D., senior scientist forthe Natural Resources Defense Council(NRDC).

“More than a dozen NASCARteams currently use Sherwin-WilliamsAutomotive Finishes, and we aim to helpteams cross the finish line and ensure thattheir cars and their sponsors always lookgood circling the track,” said BobbyMoody, director of motorsports for Sher-win-Williams Automotive Finishes. “Wealso want to assure them of our commit-ment to use the most environmentally-responsible coating products in the worldand plan to expand application and edu-cational awareness of the lower VOCpaint to more race teams.”

Sherwin-Williams Supports NASCAR Green Initiative,Applies Low VOC Paint to No. 51

The new website is now live for theInternational Autobody Congress &Exposition (NACE) and the Congressof Automotive Repair and Service

(CARS) (www.NACEexpo.com orwww.CARSevent.com) at the CoboCenter in Detroit, MI, July 30–August2, 2014. In addition, hotel reservationscan be made through the Travel sec-tion of the NACE/CARS website.

The 32nd annual NACE/CARS,sponsored by Automotive Service As-sociation (ASA), will feature numer-ous opportunities for technicaltraining, business education, demon-strations, networking, and technologyshowcases for stakeholders, owners,managers, and technicians in the col-lision and service repair industries.Along with NACE/CARS 2014, a se-ries of automotive repair industry

events and co-located meetings willtake place July 28–August 2, 2014.

Dan Risley, ASA president andexecutive director, stated, “With so

many new things happeningaround this long-standing con-ference and expo, it was impor-tant to roll out a new website.The event has so many positivechanges in training, education,and displays, and they are now

accurately reflected by this site.”Highlights of the new site in-

clude a modern look, easy navigation,quick response, and a parallel mobilesite. Updates on the show can befound on the home page and via socialmedia channels.

The official hotel partner forNACE/CARS 2014 and IndustryWeek is Travel Planners. The bestrates have been negotiated at nine ho-tels in the downtown area, and TravelPlanners will manage those hotelblocks. There are other groups pro-moting hotel reservations during theweek, but they are not affiliated withNACE/CARS.

NACE/CARS 2014 Website Live, Hotel ReservationsOpen for Detroit

Chief Opens New Specification Center in Malaysia toProvide Customers with Better, More Timely SpecsChief Automotive Technologies (www.chiefautomotive.com) opened a newtraining and specification center inKuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with greateraccess to measure vehicles built in theAsia-Pacific region earlier in their lifecycles. The facility will provide a homebase for Chief staff to use when devel-oping collision repair specifications, aswell as a new location for Chief Uni-versity training classes.

Chief develops spec data for ve-hicles, giving technicians a single re-source for accurate repair information.At the Malaysian spec center, Chiefpersonnel will measure vehicles withthe frames anchored and the suspen-sions unloaded to provide technicianswith real-world data.

“Many vehicle manufacturers op-erate out of Malaysia, so this center’slocation gives us improved access to

their products for measuring,” says LeeDaugherty, Chief global data productmanager. “It will also facilitate travelto India and other strategic locations inAsia, where we can remotely measureadditional vehicles. Chief travelingmeasuring teams have operated inMalaysia over the last several years,and now they have the benefit of work-ing in a shop outfitted specifically fortheir needs.”

The Malaysian facility is equippedwith a Chief impulse-E/VHT frame rackand a four-post vehicle lift. Using theChief LaserLock live mapping system,technicians will measure new vehicle di-mensions and enter the information intothe Chief spec database.

Chief specs include comprehen-sive frame and upper body measure-ments for thousands of cars and trucksfrom the 1970s through today. Theyinclude under-body frame measure-ments, under-hood measurements, andbody openings, so repair technicianscan compare a collision-damaged ve-hicle to OEM specifications. Detailsabout targets, attachments, and an-choring points are also listed.

Chief’s sales and support staff willalso serve regional customers from theMalaysian training and spec center.

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Are Aluminum Cars Really Better for the Environment? Study Says ‘Yes’One of the best way to make vehiclesmore energy-efficient is to make themlighter. Aluminum is often used to dothat because it can be as strong orstronger than steel, but weighs a lotless. Initially, aluminum was mostlyfound in high-end models, like theAudi A8, but recently more of it hasstarted to pop up in mass-market mod-els, like the 2015 Ford F150 truck thatwill be mostly made of aluminum, re-ducing weight by 700 pounds com-pared to the previous model.

So, are aluminum cars really bet-ter for the environment? Many peopleare still skeptical. But Oak Ridge Na-tional Labs has looked into the matterand seems to confirm that they are.

Oak Ridge National Labs basi-cally compared the whole life cycle ofthree different versions of the samevehicle: a normal, baseline vehicle; alightweight, steel vehicle; and an alu-minum-intensive vehicle. Their find-ings are that aluminum is absolutelyworth it, with an energy break-evendistance for their test vehicle of just12,000 miles. That’s an energy pay-back of just one year for the averageperson, and after that all energy sav-ings are 100 percent net gains over atraditional, steel-based vehicle.

Oak Ridge Labs found that thealuminum vehicle has a mass that’s

about 25 percent lower than the base-line vehicle, which makes a pretty bigdifference on overall life cycle CO2emissions (17 percent).

Aluminum also corrodes lessthan steel, so total useful life for vehi-cles could be lengthened, or at leastmoney spent on maintenance andbody work reduced. Another greatthing about aluminum—and carbonfiber, which is also another great ma-terial to reduce weight without losingstrength—is that it allows electric carsto have much longer range than if theywere made out of steel.

So, it looks like there is solid ev-idence backing aluminum as a mate-rial of the future in the transportationsector. Over time, as costs are re-duced, carbon fiber could join it tohelp further reduce weight and saveenergy.

Read the full story at:http://www.treehugger.com/cars/make-sense-make-vehicles-aluminum-how-long-energy-payback.html.

2015 Ford F-150

AudaExplore Enhances MAACO’s OperationalEfficiency with Repair PlatformsAudaExplore™, a leading data-drivensolution provider to insurance carriers,repairers, dealerships and fleet own-ers, today announced that it has signedan agreement to provide its Driver Ex-perience and Repair Platforms toMAACO® Collision Repair & AutoPainting.

Customized specifically forMAACO’s franchisee owners, Auda-Explore’s Driver Experience and Re-pair Platforms are designed to deliverunique customer moments and in-crease shop productivity through:● Empowering customers via mobiledevices to gain visibility into the en-tire paint and repair process;● Improving productivity and gener-ating accurate estimates faster; and● Easily managing all aspects of therepair and paint workflow—fromtracking sales and cycle time to man-aging employee productivity and partsefficiency.

“We are excited about our part-nership with AudaExplore, their state-of-the-art technology will help ourfranchisees streamline operations andenhance the overall customer experi-ence,” said Jose Costa, President,MAACO. “As North America’sBodyshop for more than four decades,

we are committed to leading the in-dustry with new technology, qualityproducts and providing the best serv-ice to our customers.”

MAACO currently operates 450auto painting and collision repairshops in the United States andCanada. With AudaExplore’s DriverExperience and Repair Platforms,MAACO shops are equipped withsignificantly more actionable andreal-time operational data, resultingin positive gains in shop efficiencyfor franchisees, and a more satisfyingpaint and repair experience for theircustomers.

“The collision repair market ishighly competitive, so the quality ofdata—whether it’s an estimate or em-ployee productivity rate—plays anadvantageous role,” said GordonHenderson, VP of Collision RepairSolutions, AudaExplore. “By offer-ing improved visibility into its shopsoperation and delivering applicationsthat create a differentiated customerexperience, AudaExplore’s solutionsenable the company to adapt andgrow efficiently. We look forward tobuilding out our partnership withMAACO and help the companyachieve its expansion goals.”

3M Continues Funding Scholarships For 2nd Yearin Collision Repair for Returning Veterans“Hire Our Heroes” program, 3M™ isfunding special scholarship opportu-nities for veterans that want to begina collision repair career by attendinga collision repair community collegeor college. The scholarship awardswill pay for tuition and requiredbooks/tools for veterans enrolling inschool collision repair programs inthe summer/fall 2014, therefore eas-ing the financial burden of education.This is the second year for the pro-gram.

Interested veterans can apply forthe scholarship opportunities by vis-iting the Collision Repair EducationFoundation’s web site: www.Colli-sionEducationFoundation.org, under“Students” and “Hire Our He-roes.”.The deadline for the applica-tion is September 30, 2014. As partof the application, a veteran wouldsubmit information for the collisionschool he/she would like to attendand if a veteran is not aware of whatschools offer collision training,he/she can contact the EducationFoundation directly for a list of avail-able schools.

Clark Plucinski, Executive Di-rector of the Collision Repair Educa-tion Foundation said, “The Collision

Repair Education Foundation is onceagain proud and honored to partnerwith 3M and the Hire Our Heroesprogram to offer this grant. This is agreat industry with many opportuni-ties for returning veterans, and thisgrant is a great first-step for veteransto get the collision education neededto become successful members of thecollision industry.”

“We are excited to be able tocontinue the 3M Hire Our Heroesprogram in 2014 and expand it toprovide more resources to our re-turning veterans who want to pursueeducation, training and careers in thecollision repair industry,” said DaleRoss, U.S, Marketing OperationsManager, 3M Automotive Aftermar-ket Division.

The winners of the scholarshipwill be selected by members of theCollision Repair Education Founda-tion’s Board of Trustees SelectionCommittee and notified by mail andphone in November 2014. For moreinformation, please contact us [email protected] or888.722.3787, Ext. 283.



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The Collision Repair EducationFoundation 13th annual golffundraiser will be on Thursday, July31, 2014, at the Northville Hills GolfClub in Detroit, MI, in conjunctionwith Industry Week meetings likethe Collision Industry Conference(CIC), the annual Inter-IndustryConference on Auto Collision Re-pair (I-CAR), the International Au-tobody Congress and Exposition(NACE), and the Congress of Auto-motive Repair and Service (CARS).

Funds raised assist the Colli-sion Repair Education Foundation inproviding support to collision repairstudents and school collision pro-grams.

The registration fee is $275 perplayer, which includes golf, lunch,dinner, contest holes, and more.

In addition, you can sponsor thehelicopter ball drop to win up to$7,000. You do not need to be pres-ent at the event to participate in thehelicopter ball drop.

To learn more, visit http://colli-sioneducationfoundation.org/2014-collision-education-foundation-golf-tournament.

For questions, email BrandonEckenrode or call him at 1-847-463-5244.

Industry Week Fundraiser

On April 16, 2014, I-CAR announcedtwo new, limited-time training bundlepromotions from the Intro to CollisionRepair Series that are specifically tai-lored to employee career paths in theinsurance and collision repair seg-ments.

“Providing staff with founda-tional knowledge on the repairprocess can have a positive impact oneveryone involved—from the cus-tomer, to the repairer or insurer, to thebusiness,” stated Elise Quadrozzi, I-CAR director of insurance segmentdevelopment.

The Intro to Collision RepairSeries includes an overview of vehi-cle parts and terminology, readingdamage reports, and repair and refin-ishing processes.

Training bundles are $273 eachfor a limited time and comprised ofthe eight most commonly-takencourses by the insurance and colli-sion repair segments, including apopular courses at no cost.

Each on-demand course takesapproximately one hour to completeand has no expiration date.

To learn more, visit www.i-car.com/html_pages/training/intro_to_collision_repair.shtml.

Limited-Time Promo on 2New I-CAR Training Bundles

A Haysville, KS, auto body shopwas temporarily closed by the statefor not paying state sales taxes.Kansas Department of Revenue civiltax enforcement agents and Sedg-wick County sheriff’s deputiesseized the business assets of Show-room Auto Motive, located in the7400 block of South Broadway inHaysville.

The Kansas Department ofRevenue said the business owed$5,976 in state sales taxes from Feb-ruary to September of 2013.

Officers seized all known bankaccounts, on-site cash, business in-ventory and personal property be-longing to business owners SamuelA. Valdez and Samuel J. Valdez.The Kansas Department of Revenuesays it has reached a repaymentagreement with the business. Assetsseized by the department have beenreleased back to the business.

The revenue department said itmade multiple attempts to collect thetaxes owed before exercising a taxwarrant. According to the RevenueDepartment, warrants such as thisare served when all other collectionattempts have been tried and ex-hausted.

KS Body Shop TemporarilyClosed for Tax Non-Payment

Matrix System Automotive Finishesis now accepting entries for its 2015Award Winning Finishes CalendarContest: Showcasing Color BeyondImagination. Each year, the calen-dar features exceptional finishes de-signed by restoration, custom, andbody shop painters nationwide.

The competition is open toprojects painted exclusively withMatrix System products. Entries canbe, but are not exclusive to, streetrods, custom cars and trucks, mo-torcycles, and other passenger vehi-cles such as semi-trucks, boats, andplanes. Entries are judged on finishquality, technical difficulty, designoriginality, and artistic merit.

Winners will receive a featured spotin the calendar, the opportunity to appearin various Matrix System promotionalmaterials, a Matrix System jacket, and apermanent home in the Photo Gallerysection of the website. In addition, thefirst place winner will receive $1,000 inproducts. All entries must be postmarkedby August 15, 2014.

Download the entry form athttp://matrixsystem.com/docs/news/2015%20Award%20Winning%20Finishes%20Calendar%20Entry%20Form.pdf.

Matrix System 2015 FinishesCalendar Contest

The Specialty Equipment MarketAssociation (SEMA) Board of Di-rector candidates were announced onMarch 20, 2014 (one open seat avail-able per category):Manufacturers Category● Tim Martin, COO of K&N Engi-neering Inc.● Rick Trudo, President and CEO ofSCT Performance, LLC● Steve Wolcott, President and CEOof ProMedia LLCDistributor Retailer Category● Greg Adler, CEO of Transameri-can Auto Parts● Larry Pacey, President and CEO ofNational Performance Warehouse

Voting will take place onlineMay 14 through June 10, 2014, and isopen to current SEMA member com-panies. Votes must be cast by eachcompany’s primary contact. Detailswith ballots and links will be sent tothe member company’s designatedprimary contact in May 2014. Win-ners will be announced in June 2014,and formally inducted into the SEMABoard of Directors at the SEMA In-stallation Banquet in July 2014.

For more information, contactJudi Ritchie at 1-909-978-6671 [email protected].

SEMA Board of DirectorsCandidates Announced

On February 10, 2014, the CollisionIndustry Foundation (CIF) electedthree new Board of Trustees mem-bers: Casey Steffen of Saint-GobainAbrasives, Nick Notte of SterlingCollision Centers, and David Hen-derson of AudaExplore/Autowatch.The new trustees participated in theannual planning meeting in Chicago,IL, on March 12, 2014.

“I’m excited to be part of theCIF Board of Trustees, said Notte. “Istrongly believe that it is the respon-sibility of every person who makes aliving in our collision industry togive back to those in need. The CIFis a wonderful vehicle by which todo that.”

Steffen stated, “I feel privilegedto have the opportunity to become apart of CIF. I am excited to workwith my fellow board members inaccomplishing the foundation’s vi-sion of providing emergency relieffor collision repair professionals.”

For more information aboutCIF or to donate, visit www.colli-sionindustryfoundation.org.

Collision Industry FoundationAnnounces New Trustees



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The Inter-Industry Conference on AutoCollision Repair (I-CAR) announcedseveral milestone accomplishmentsmade possible through its ongoingcommitment to supporting the colli-sion repair industry.

New Board of DirectorsThe 2014 I-CAR International Boardof Directors and Executive Committeewas announced following the I-CARstrategic planning session and annualmembership meeting in San Diego,CA, in March 2014.

The Board of Directors is com-prised of representatives from each ofthe following six industry segments:collision repair; insurance; OEM vehi-cle manufacturers; equipment, tools,and supplies; education, training, andresearch; and related industry services.

The I-CAR executive committeeincludes: Bob Keith of CARSTAR aschair; Joe Laurentin, Esurance, vicechair; Chris Evan, State Farm InsuranceCo., treasurer; Mark Woirol, Tech-Cor,secretary; James Roach, member-at-large; Eugene Scambray, Copart, mem-ber-at-large; and William Brower,

Liberty Mutual Insurance Company,immediate past chair.

The remaining Directors include:Mark Algie of 3M; William DeGrocco,GEICO Insurance; David Henderson,AudaExplore; Todd Chizmar, Chrysler;John Donley, IAnet; Robert Hills, Uni-versal Technical Institute (UTI); Christo-pher Northup, Professional Parts Group,Education Foundation Representative;Richard Perry, Chief Automotive Tech-nologies for Equipment & Tool Institute;Roy Schnepper, Butler’s Collision Inc.for Automotive Service Association;James Spears, USAA; Randy Stabler,Pride Collision Centers Inc.; Dale Tripp,General Motors Company; Ron Vin-cenzi, Oakland Auto Body; and DustyWomble, Roger Beasley Collision Cen-ters for Society of Collision Repair Spe-cialists.

Bob Keith stated, “I am truly hon-ored to have been elected chairman ofthe Board of I-CAR. The time that Ihave spent on the Executive Commit-tee has shown me that I-CAR leader-ship and staff are all committed toproviding the highest quality training,certifications and resources to all seg-

ments of the collision inter-industry.The 2014 Board of Directors is atremendous group of professionalswho will supply strategic guidance tostaff and keep them connected to the‘heartbeat’ of all industry segments.”

Collision Repair Training Program for2015 Ford F-150In a groundbreaking collaboration, I-CAR collision repair training expertsworked alongside Ford Motor Com-pany engineers during the 2015 Ford F-150 design and development process.

Two years of development culmi-nates in a new six-credit hour 2015Ford F-150 Structural Repair course(FOR06) that covers all aluminum top-ics and dives deep into vehicle-specificrepair information. The instructor-ledcourse uses discussion, education, anddecision-making exercises to helptechnicians repair the 2015 Ford F-150. Industry training for FOR06opens June 1, 2014.

“This is a game-changer in theway the collision repair industry ap-proaches training; to be fully-preparedwith the knowledge, skills, and solu-tions needed before the vehicle de-buts,” said John Van Alstyne, CEO andpresident of I-CAR. “Traditionally, re-pair solutions are not developed untilafter a vehicle is publicly launched,leaving a gap in repair readiness. I-CAR commends Ford for its proactiveapproach, working together with I-CAR to develop a repair solution thataddresses complete, safe, and qualityrepairs for the new F-150, and doingso before the vehicle enters produc-tion.”

Added Jason Bartanen, I-CAR di-rector of industry and technical rela-tions, “For a revolutionary vehicle likethe 2015 Ford F-150, material-specifictraining that highlights the uniqueprocesses associated with aluminumrepair is critical for the front-line pro-fessionals faced with safely repairingthese vehicles. I-CAR’s proven trackrecord of aluminum repair technicalexpertise and training development so-lidified Ford’s interest in an early part-nership to formulate a vehicle-specifictraining program for the F-150.”

Supporting and Giving Back to the In-dustryIn 2013, I-CAR committed to set aside$1 for every I-CAR class attended bystudents in 2014, which enabled I-

CAR to donate $170,000 to the Colli-sion Repair Education Foundation.

In March 2014, I-CAR taught itsten millionth student credit hour overits 35-year legacy.

John Van Alstyne, I-CAR CEOand president, explained, “Our ten mil-lionth credit hour represents the hardwork and dedication that collision re-pair professionals put into their workevery day. Through ongoing, role-rel-evant training, our vision is that everyperson in the collision repair industryhas the knowledge, education, and so-lutions required to perform completeand safe repairs—for the ultimate ben-efit of the consumer.”

Van Alstyne said, “The evolutionand impact of I-CAR over the last 35years is exciting and impressive,” hecontinued, “And as vehicle technologycontinues to evolve, you can count onI-CAR to do the same, expanding ourrelevance and the value we deliver tothe collision repair industry.”

Revamped Steering and SuspensionCourseOn April 7, 2014, I-CAR announcedthat the popular Steering and Suspen-sion Damage Analysis (DAM06)course has been completely revamped.DAM06 now includes up-to-date in-formation on damage analysis proce-dures for the range of steering andsuspension systems and parts featuredin vehicles being repaired today and aseries of interactive classroom activi-ties designed to engage students andenrich their learning experience.

Josh McFarlin, I-CAR director ofcurriculum and product development,explained, “This course provides anunderstanding of steering and suspen-sion repair considerations that can helpeliminate the chance of compromisingthe vehicle’s integrity during the repairand reduce comebacks,” he continued,“Content included in this course isbeneficial to repairers, business own-ers, and ultimately consumers.”

DAM06 includes a detailedoverview of steering and suspensionsystems and parts; an analysis of issuessuch as caster, camber, and toe; rideheight difference and additional in-spection methods; and how to usealignment angle readings. Studentswill participle in multiple activitiesthroughout the course, including an in-teractive activity where they will de-

I-CAR News: New Board of Directors, Collision Repair Training for 2015 Ford F-150, IndustrySupport, Limited-Time Promo, and Revamped Steering/Suspension Course


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Service King Collision Repair Centershas reached an agreement to acquire Ster-ling Collision Centers and its 62 stores.This acquisition will bring the total num-ber of Service King locations to morethan 170 across 20 states, reinforcing itsposition as one of the country’s largestmulti-shop operators (MSOs).

Sterling Collision Centers wasfounded in 1997 with the goal of re-defining the collision repair experience.Purchased by Allstate in 2001, the com-pany quickly grew to 1,200 employeeswith more than 60 collision repair facil-ities across 16 states. Sterling CollisionCenters is the largest of the so-calledtied shops’ chains.

Service King is a leader in the col-lision repair industry, having offeredcustomers a superior service experiencefor more than 38 years. After being es-tablished as an industry leader in Texas,Service King began expanding its foot-print in 2012 to include Arizona, Ten-nessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Nevada,and Oklahoma. This acquisition of Ster-ling Collision Centers marks a keymilestone for Service King and its morethan 2,600 teammates while undoubt-edly changing the MSO landscape.

“This venture of two well-estab-lished and reputable brands will resultin many opportunities for Service King

and our ever-growing team. We wel-come our new teammates to the ServiceKing family and are excited about whatthe future holds for us all,” said ChrisAbraham, CEO of Service King. “Weare honored and appreciative of the pro-found opportunity this acquisition cre-ates for the collision repair industry. Wewill continue to provide all of our cus-tomers and business partners with theconsistent level of service that they havecome to expect from Service King.”

“Today marks the culmination ofmany months of hard work, preparation,and planning,” said Jeff McFadden, pres-ident of Service King. “We have posi-tioned ourselves to continue to deliver onthe promise of the Service King brand.”

Service King’s acquisition ofSterling Collision Centers is expectedto close in the second quarter of 2014.For more information on Service King,visit www.serviceking.com.

Service King is one of the largest re-gional MSOs of collision repair facilitiesin the country, dedicated to offering cus-tomers an overall superior service expe-rience. Founded more than 38 years agoin Dallas, TX, Service King is a leader inthe collision repair industry currentlyserving customers at 111 locations acrossTexas, Arizona, Tennessee, Arkansas,Mississippi, Nevada, and Oklahoma.

termine alignment angles.This instructor-led, live, three-

credit hour course meets training re-quirements for estimators and autophysical damage appraisers in the I-CAR Professional Development Pro-gram (PDP).

Limited-Time Promotion on I-CAR Introto Collision Repair Series TrainingBundlesOn April 16, 2014, I-CAR announcedtwo all-new, limited-time trainingbundle promotions from the Intro toCollision Repair Series. The exclusivetraining bundles are specifically tai-lored to employee career paths in theinsurance and collision repair seg-ments, including entry-level claimsadjusters, call center staff, front officesupport, and career and technicalschool students.

“Providing staff with foundationalknowledge on the repair process canhave a positive impact on everyone in-volved—from the customer, to the re-pairer or insurer, to the business,”stated Elise Quadrozzi, I-CAR director

of Segment Development – Insurance.The Intro to Collision Repair Se-

ries includes an overview of vehicleparts and terminology, reading dam-age reports, and repair and refinishingprocesses.

Quadrozzi explained, “Whenyour entire staff is trained, they canwork together more productively,which can directly impact KPIs andCSI scores.”

Both training bundles are com-prised of eight of the most commonly-taken courses by the insurance andcollision repair segments, includingone of I-CAR’s most popular coursesat no cost. Training bundles are $273each for a limited time.

Each online course takes approx-imately one hour to complete, is avail-able on-demand, and has no expirationdate once the bundle has been pur-chased.

Visit www.i-car.com to learnmore.


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Service King Acquiring MSO Sterling Collision Ctrs Continued from Page 45

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Autobody News May 2014 Southeastern Edition

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