Autobody News May 2014 Southwestern Edition

The Louisiana Collision Industry Asso-ciation (LaCIA) was established in Jan-uary 2014, and is now the first Societyof Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS)affiliate association in the state ofLouisiana.

Though recently formed, theLaCIA has already captured the inter-est of Louisiana collision repairersseeking to change the collision repairindustry for the better and boasts 70members.

“Toward the end of last year wespread the message through a grass-roots word of mouth and email cam-paign that we were thinking of formingan association, and the news spread as

if it had a life of its own,” said LaCIAexecutive director Alysia Hanks, whowas instrumental in organizing the for-mation of the group. “Hundreds of col-lision repairers turned out in December2013, for a meeting to gauge initial in-terest, which was far beyond what wewere expecting. Repairers understoodthe importance of standing together forour future survival. The response hasbeen great to see.”

SCRS played a pivotal role in aid-ing LaCIA in its infancy, offering guid-ance and resources that helped it getup-and-running.

“SCRS leadership was very gener-See LaCIA, Page 18

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 colli-sion 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 22

Paul Massie

Service King Collision Repair Centershas reached an agreement to acquireSterling Collision Centers and its 62stores. This acquisition will bring thetotal number of Service King locationsto more than 170 across 20 states, rein-forcing its position as one of the coun-try’s largest multi-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 Kingand 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 theyhave come to expect from ServiceKing.”

“Today marks the culmination ofmany months of hard work, prepara-tion, and planning,” said Jeff McFad-den, president of Service King. “Wehave positioned ourselves to continue todeliver on the promise of the ServiceKing brand.”

Service King’s acquisition of Ster-ling Collision Centers is expected toclose in the second quarter of 2014. Formore information on Service King, visitwww.serviceking.com.

Service King is one of the largestregional MSOs of collision repair facil-ities in the country, dedicated to offer-ing customers an overall superiorservice experience. Founded more than38 years ago in Dallas, TX, ServiceKing is a leader in the collision repairindustry currently serving customers at111 locations across Texas, Arizona,Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Ne-vada, and Oklahoma.

Service King Acquiring MSO Sterling Collision CtrsLouisiana Collision Industry Association Affiliateswith Society of Collision Repair Specialists

The Indiana Autobody Association(IABA) along with fourteen IndianaCollision Repair Shops filed legal ac-tion against twelve Property and Ca-sualty Insurance Companies and theirsubsidiaries on April 2, 2014.

The suit seeks unspecified financialdamages and names 27 insurers includ-

ing Illinois-basedState Farm, whichhas the largest mar-ket share in the stateat about 25 percent.Others with largemarket share in-clude Ohio-based

Progressive Insurance and locally basedIndiana Farmers Mutual Insurance Co.

The suit accuses the insurers of“engaging in an ongoing, concertedand intentional course of action andconduct with State Farm acting as thespearhead to improperly and illegallycontrol and depress the automobiledamage repair costs.”

In addition, “The insurance com-panies (“Insurers”) are improperly in-truding upon the relationship betweenthe Shops and consumers, and placingthe driving public at harm by theirpractices.”

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 to

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

Tony Passwater

See Tortious Interference?, Page 22

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Absolute Mitsubishi-Hyundai . . . . . 27Accudraft Paint Booths . . . . . . . . . . 14BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 39Certified Automotive PartsAssociation (CAPA). . . . . . . . . . . 21

Chevyland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Chief Automotive. . . . . . . . . . . . 18, 19Classic BMW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Creative Metal Manufacturing. . . . . 22Dallas Dodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48David McDavid Auto Group . . . . . . 11Dent Tools Direct USA . . . . . . . . . . . 4Don Carlton Auto Group. . . . . . . . . 28Finnegan Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge . . . . 2Ford Wholesale Parts DealersTX, OK, LA, NM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Fowler Honda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Freedom Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep-Ram. 23Gillman Acura . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20GlasWeld Systems, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 8GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . 45Honda-Acura Wholesale PartsDealers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-25

Houston Auto Body Association. . . 36Huffines Chrysler-Jeep-DodgeLewisville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Huffines Hyundai Plano . . . . . . . . . 34

Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers . 41Kia Motors Wholesale PartsDealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

LKQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Malco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Martech Services Company . . . . . . 10Mazda Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 45Mercedes-Benz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Mike Calvert Toyota. . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Mitsubishi Wholesale Parts Dealers . 43MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 29North Freeway Hyundai . . . . . . . . . 30PreFab Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Rare Parts, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Ray Huffines Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . 31Reliable Chevrolet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Replica Plastics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38SATA Spray Equipment . . . . . . . . . . 7Scoggin-Dickey Buick . . . . . . . . . . 12South Pointe Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge. . 9Toyota of Fort Worth . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Toyota of Laredo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 42Valspar Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Volkswagen Wholesale PartsDealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Volvo Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 44Young Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Inde

xofAdvertisers

ContentsREGIONALBaton Rouge Body Shop Tech Injured

in Explosion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Body Found Behind TX Shop is that of Teen

Missing Since Feb. 13. No Foul PlaySuspected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Body Found Following Auto Body ShopFire in Austin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Body Shop in McKinney and Allen, TX,Creates Extra Capacity for Hail Repair . 31

Car at TX Body Shop Leads PoliceTo Hit-And-Run Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Ding Guard Offered by Texas Credit Unionto Loan Buyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Gullo Toyota Receives Toyota CertifiedCollision Triple Crown Award forSecond Consecutive Year. . . . . . . . . . . . 7

HABA Holds 4th Annual Body ShopAppreciation Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Houston Auto Body AssociationLuncheon on April 9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Louisiana Collision Industry AssociationAffiliates with Society of CollisionRepair Specialists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

One Stop Shopping a Goal for Austin Body Shop After 60 Years in Business . . . . . . 4

Service King Acquiring MSO SterlingCollision Ctrs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

COLUMNISTSAttanasio - What Ever Happened to

the Return Phone Call? . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Franklin - Gender Marketing Power is

a Trend Already in Evidence . . . . . . . . . 32Sisk - ABAC Hosts Larry Montanez of P&L

Consulting at March 18 Meeting. . . . . . 19Sisk - Arkansas Collision Repair Association

Seeks New Members to Educate for theIndustry’s Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

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

NATIONAL3M Continues Funding Scholarships For

2nd Year in Collision Repair forReturning Veterans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

ALLDATA’s VIN Decoder Has BeenEnhanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

American Honda Announces TwoBody Repair Bulletins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Are Aluminum Cars Really Better for theEnvironment? Study Says ‘Yes’ . . . . . . 41

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

Attanasio - WaterCar Has Body Shop Owner Swimming in Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

AudaExplore Enhances MAACO’s Operational Efficiency with Repair Platforms. . . . . . 43

AutoBody-Review.com ImprovesGeo-Targeted SEO, Authority for Shops

by Adding “Articles” to Profiles . . . . . . 46CCC Updates: Carwise Shop Finder Solution,

Contact Center Solution, TRUE PartsNetwork Suppliers, and Crash Course2014 Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Chaney - Buses of Yellowstone—HowAbout These for Barn Finds? . . . . . . . . 40

Chief Opens New Specification Center inMalaysia to Provide Customers with Better,

More Timely Specs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44CNN Recognizes NABC for Donating

200+ Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Collision Industry Foundation Announces

New Trustees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Colorado Springs Duo Develop ‘Ding Stinger’

App to Track Minor Dings. . . . . . . . . . . 39IBIS to be Held in Barcelona on May 19-21 . 40I-CAR News: New Board of Directors,

Collision Repair Training for 2015Ford F-150, Industry Support,Limited-Time Promo, and RevampedSteering/Suspension Course . . . . . . . . 34

Industry Week Fundraiser. . . . . . . . . . . . . 45KS Body Shop Temporarily Closed for

Tax Non-Payment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Limited-Time Promo on 2 New I-CAR

Training Bundles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Matrix System 2015 Finishes Calendar

Contest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45MB Approves Elektron Spot Welders

for HSS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Missing Class Ring Found 14 Years

Later at Body Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Missouri Shop Owner and Consultant

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

NACE/CARS 2014 Website Live, HotelReservations Open for Detroit . . . . . . . 44

One-day ‘Future is Now’ Midwest Auto Body Trade Show Gets 400 Attendees, 65Exhibitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Outsourcing Accident Management Saves Time, Money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Premier Services Donates $2.5K tothe CRE Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

SCRS 2014-2015 Board Electedin April 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

SEMA Board of Directors CandidatesAnnounced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Sherwin-Williams Supports NASCARGreen Initiative, Applies Low VOCPaint to No. 51. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Society of Collision Repair SpecialistsRoundtable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

St. Louis Shop Helps Raise Moneyfor Parkway School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

WIN Announces 2014 Conference Brochure, Most Influential Women and Scholarship Winners, Corporate Sponsors, and New Board of Directors Members . . . . . . . . 42

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?


There have been plenty of changes inthe automobile industry since Ellis &Salazar Garage & Body Shop firstopened its doors for auto body repairsin 1953, President Jack Nash toldAustin’s Impactnews.com.

“It used to be a car came in, it wasmade out of heavy metal and you’dpop the metal back out and put a lot ofBondo [auto-body filler] on it and re-paint it and send it down the road. Andnow … it’s just technically advanced,”he said.

New technology in cars rangesfrom computer controls to frame-mounted machines equipped with col-lision repair systems that measurewhere every part is supposed to be in-side a vehicle, he said.

Ellis & Salazar is an Austin-basedautomotive repair business offering autobody repair, mechanical services, colli-sion repair and painting. Its ownersgrew up in Austin’s car business, work-ing for body shops and dealerships.

Nash purchased the companyalong with co-owner Wayne Burklundin 1989 from Chester Salazar. JosephLewright joined the business in 1990and became a co-owner 10 years later.

“We’ve always tried to stay trueto our roots,” Lewright said.

The company now operates fourEllis & Salazar locations, including a

shop in Buda that opened in 2013.Competition from national chains

has increased significantly during thepast several years, Lewright said.

The company has survived, Nash

said, because Ellis & Salazar has re-mained steadfast in its core values forthe past 60 years—performing qualityrepairs, treating customers fairly andtaking care of employees.

“We’re not in the tire business, butif a customer comes in here and wantstires we’ll find the best deal on the tiresand get [them] put on for them becausea lot of times they’d rather not have togo to three locations,” Nash said.

Ellis & Salazar aims to serve as aone-stop shop, Burklund said.

“I have customers that I’veworked on their car back in ’83 thathave followed me and are still doingbusiness with me today,” Burklundsaid.

Nearly half of Ellis & Salazar’sbusiness is repeat business, Lewrightsaid.

“We try to develop a relationshipwith our customers... We want the cus-tomer to be here by choice,” Lewrightsaid.

Ellis & Salazar Garage & BodyShop. 4501 S. Congress Ave., 512-444-5555, www.ellisandsalazar.com,Hours: Mon.–Fri. 7:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

One Stop Shopping a Goal for Austin Body Shop After 60 Years in Business

Joseph Lewright, Ellis & Salazar Garage &Body Shop co-owner, stands with PresidentJack Nash and co-owner Wayne Burklundoutside the company’s location at 4501 S.Congress Ave. Advertise in our

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A man is in stable condition follow-ing a gas can explosion at an autobody shop in North Baton Rouge onMarch 22.

Curt Monte, spokesman forthe Baton Rouge Fire Department,said the man was cutting on a carwith a torch at Stampley’s Auto Bodyon Scenic Highway, near WalnutStreet, shortly before noon when agas can exploded.

Fire investigators say they thinkslag from the victim cutting on thecar struck the can, causing the explo-sion, Monte said. The victim toldfirefighters he tried putting the fireout with a fire extinguisher, but thecan exploded before he could get thefire out, Monte said. The explosiondamaged the car he was working onas well as three other cars in the shop.

Firefighters arrived at about12:02 p.m. and had the fire out aboutfive minutes later, Monte said.

The fire caused about $50,000in damage to the vehicles and thebuilding, Monte said.

The victim suffered second-de-gree burns to his upper body fromthe explosion, but was in stable con-dition when he was transported to anearby hospital.

Baton Rouge Body ShopTech Injured in Explosion

Body Found Behind TX Shop is that of Teen MissingSince Feb. 13. No Foul Play SuspectedThe Smith County Sheriff’s Officeidentified the body discovered inWhitehouse, TX, on March 17. Thebody of a young white male was dis-covered by someone working on afence at Nipper’s Auto Body just northof Whitehouse, south of Toll 49.

Dental records have confirmedthe remains belong to 14-year-oldJacob Hamilton Garrett of White-house. His body was found in awooded area behind the fence of anauto body shop off Highway 110.Jacob went missing on February13th and was reported as a runaway.As of now, no foul play is suspectedin his death, but authorities are stillwaiting for the results of additionaltests.

It’s tragic news to this small EastTexas community. An employee at alocal body shop in Whitehouse, foundJacob’s body in the woods, leaned upagainst a tree. It was only a mile awayfrom his house. For those who knewhim best, it was news, they didn’twant to hear. “As a campus we wereall shocked, of course his family wasshocked as well, it didn’t seem likesomething that was characteristic ofJacob,” said Randi Dunn, Jacob’s for-mer English teacher.

The teenager was reportedmissing by his family on February13 of this year. Officials had re-ceived reports from his school thathe had been texting fellow students,but there were never any confirmedsightings of Garrett. It’s possibleGarrett’s body had been at the loca-tion of his discovery since the day ofhis disappearance, said SheriffSmith.

She said it has been difficult foreveryone since he went missing be-cause there has been “so many unan-swered questions, the lack of Jacobbeing at school, and the lack of an-swers.” Those answers, comingfrom Smith County Sheriff LarrySmith, left many in disbelief. “Evenuntil this morning students werehopeful he was going to reappear,”said Dunn.

Jacob was a seventh grader atWhitehouse Junior High that “lovedhis friends deeply” and “was alsovery giving.” Dunn said he was anexceptional writer, and wanted to bea professional musician some day.She said it’s hard to believe he won’tbe back to her first period classagain, and “he had a lot to offer andhis life was too short.”



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Four members of the Society of Colli-sion Specialists (SCRS) 2014-2015Board of Directors were re-elected tothe SCRS Executive Committee onApril 8, 2014, during the SCRS annualmeeting 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’s Col-lision Center in Omaha, NE, Ron Re-ichen of Precision Body & Paint inBeaverton, OR, Brett Bailey of A&BBody Shop Inc. in Kansas City, MO,and Dusty Womble of Roger BeasleyCollision Center and Roger BeasleyAuto Glass in Austin, TX.

“We are excited the membershiphas recognized the efforts of our lead-ership team,” stated SCRS executivedirector Aaron Schulenburg. “The re-sults of this election really instill asense of confidence that we are serv-ing our members in the appropriatemanner, and that this strong and di-verse group of thoughtful and articu-late collision repair representatives is

well suited for their positions.”SCRS bylaws allow elected

board members to hold executive po-sitions for a maximum of two, one-year terms, and each member of theSCRS Executive Committee was eli-gible to maintain their current posi-tion.

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 his finaleligible year as chairman, and the re-mainder of his term will be appointedto a replacement candidate by the in-coming chairman in 2015.

In 2013, nationaldirector Jim Sowlewas appointed to theremainder of immedi-ate past chairmanAaron Clark’s term.“This past year hasbeen such an enor-mous, eye-openingexperience for meinto how engaged thisboard is on the issuesof national impor-tance to the industry,”

shared Sowle. “Like many of ourmembers, I attentively followed theassociation’s activity, and worked tobe involved as frequently as I could;but it wasn’t until I joined the boardthat I really could appreciate howmuch work this group does quietly inthe background to make our industry,and our members’ businesses, moresuccessful. For anyone who has a de-sire to be a part of something bigger

that makes a difference outside of yourown four walls, this is where it hap-pens.”

Nominations committee chair-man and second-generation SCRS na-tional director Dusty Wombleencourage those with similar interestin leadership positions to become en-gaged now. “Almost everyone sittingaround this table was involved inSCRS activity long before running forthe board of directors,” he shared.“This group is fortunate to have regu-lar interest from new volunteers, andthe position requires a great deal ofcommitment and involvement. At-tending the quarterly meetings and in-teracting with the board andmembership is one of the best ways tomake sure that future potential candi-dates have the time, energy, and sup-port 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 aboutSCRS, 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.)

www.autobodynews.comCHECK IT OUT!



For the second year in a row and thethird time overall, Gullo Toyota of Con-roe, TX, received the 2013 Toyota Cer-tified Collision Triple Crown Award,formerly known as the Toyota CollisionCenter of the Year. Gullo Toyota washonored at a formal awards dinner andceremony on March 27, 2014.

Michael Cortez, Gullo ToyotaCollision Center manager, is proud ofhis team’s accomplishment. “It is veryprestigious, and having won it twoyears in a row is validation that we arecontinuing to provide our customerswith the very best collision repairs pos-sible. We are extremely proud of theGullo Toyota Collision Center team!”

The Toyota Triple Crown Awardis based on customer satisfaction,

growth, benchmark achievements, andindividual certifications of managers,estimators, and technicians over a 12-month period. Gullo Toyota came outahead of more than 170 other ToyotaCertified Collision Centers to win the2013 award. Cortez notes, “Having ourorganization again receive the 2013Toyota Certified Collision TripleCrown Award reaffirms the attentionand expertise we devote to every re-pair.”

Nationally, over 170 Toyota Cer-tified Collision Centers competed forthe award. Travis Rice, Gulf StatesToyota collision operations manager,notes, “We are very proud of the colli-sion team at Gullo Toyota and their on-going dedication to Toyota owners’satisfaction, not only by the quality ofrepair, but throughout the entire cus-tomer experience.”

Gullo Toyota Collision Centeremployees enjoyed the awards cere-mony immensely. Cortez shares, “Wehad many of the top managers andpresidents from both Toyota and Sher-win Williams attend, as well as ourfamilies. We laughed and celebratedthe accomplishment together. It wasvery memorable.”

Gullo Toyota, a family-ownedbusiness, was founded in 1970 and has

been located in Conroe since 1992when owner Tony Gullo developed a16,000 square-foot collision repair fa-cility that has 17 employees with anaverage tenure of over seven years.The shop participates in four DRPswith AllState, State Farm, Safeco, andMercury insurance companies.

Gullo Toyota is well-known intheir community for their charitablespirit. The Gullo family has createdGullo Christmas for Kids, a charitythat supports over 60 underprivilegedfamilies who may not be able to enjoythe holiday season otherwise. Alongwith supporting numerous schools

with Earning by Learning, marqueesand scoreboards for their athleticevents, Gullo has created more than 40scholarships to aid these local highschool seniors in their future educa-tional endeavors.

When asked about what makesGullo different from other shops,Cortez proudly explains, “We havemany long-term employees, whichhelps us stay consistent in the qualityof our repairs and our customer serv-ice. We consider ourselves to be asmall-town shop that truly followsour motto ‘we treat you like fam-ily’.”

Gullo Toyota Receives Toyota Certified Collision Triple Crown Award for Second Consecutive Year

Gullo Toyota Receives Toyota Triple CrownAward for the third time!

Gullo Toyota employees enjoy award ceremony honoring their victory


At the Oklahoma Public Fleet Man-agement Association (OPFMA)2014 Meeting in Oklahoma City,OK, on April 3, 2014, Kathi Croze,CEI Group Inc. (CEI) national salesmanager for the government fleetmarket, provided case studies show-ing government fleets across thecountry that have saved time andmoney by outsourcing their acci-dent management activities.

“Two of the primary reasonsgovernment fleets use CEI for colli-sion repair services are that their re-pair cycle time is greatly reduced,and the data we collect and return tothem is in an easily-manageable for-mat," said Ms. Croze. "We canbreak down their repair costs andaccident information so they knowthe who, what, when, where, andhow much of each accident, by de-partment. That information is verypowerful to them and helps makethem look good in the eyes of theirmanagement.”

Outsourcing Accident Man-agement Saves Time, Money

A man who hit and killed a formerUniversity of Texas track athlete onNorth MoPac in early March turnedhimself in a week after the crash.

According to court documents,Joseph Cantu, 34, admitted to au-thorities that he was the driver whostruck Philip Wood, 23, around 2a.m. on March 2. Witnesses saidWood was walking across the free-way when he was struck. Eventhough Cantu didn’t stop when thecrash happened, parts of his vehiclewere discovered at the scene. Detec-tives were able to trace a ChevroletMalibu back to him when hedropped it off to be repaired atAustin Body Works. The car piecesleft at the scene matched the missingpieces of the Malibu at the auto bodyshop. Austin police said Cantuturned himself in on March 10.Cantu is charged with failure to stopand render aid.

Car at TX Body Shop LeadsPolice To Hit-And-Run Driver

The Houston Auto Body Association(HABA) held its second lunchtimemeeting on Wednesday, April 9,2014, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.at the Texas Land and Cattle at 8015Farm-to-Market 1960 Road, WestHouston, TX. The cost of lunch wasnot included. As always, memberand non-member shops were wel-come. For more information aboutHABA, visit www.habaonline.org.

Houston Auto Body Associa-tion Luncheon on April 9

The Houston Auto Body Association(HABA) 4th Annual Body ShopOwners and Managers AppreciationEvent on Wednesday, May 21, 2014,at the Cadillac Bar and Grill inHouston, TX. Save the date to joinfor a night of food, fun, and fellow-ship. To learn more about HABA,visit www.habaonline.org.

HABA Holds 4th Annual BodyShop Appreciation Event

Ding Guard Offered by Texas Credit Union to Loan BuyersDing Guard, an automobile service con-tract provider, and First CommunityCredit Union announced that memberswill now have access to a value-add serv-ice through Ding Guard, a leading prod-uct in automotive cosmetic reconditioning.

The partnership provides a non-in-terest income product offering as part ofthe loan package for prospective mem-bers. Clients can protect their purchasefrom the first day of car ownership withDing Guard’s restorative service plan.

Ding Guard is an automobile ap-pearance service plan that uses PaintlessDent Repair (PDR) to restore auto bodyexterior damage to its original factorycondition without conventional methodslike sanding, painting or panel replace-ment. These cosmetic repairs help retainthe vehicle’s value without additionalout-of-pocket cost to the consumer.

Cost savings is also realized throughfaster repair times than traditional bodyshop cosmetic treatments, as well asleased vehicle turn-in costs. A limited life-time warranty accompanies all repairs.

“We’re proud to partner with FirstCommunity Credit Union to offer theDing Guard service plan because it’s an-other way we bring quality and conven-ience to loan applicants,” said DougBeaty, executive vice president of na-tional sales at Ding Guard. “This provenrepair method can benefit a great numberof consumers, and it provides anothersource of non-interest income financialinstitutions. The service plan provides apractical solution as dents and dings hap-pen throughout the life of the vehicle.”

Ding Guard covers hail damage,dents and dings up to 3.25 inches x 2inches and all repairs are performed by acertified technician.

“Member service is first and fore-most in our role as a local credit unionand Ding Guard gives our loan applicantsan option they know is reliable, backedby the global leader in automotive cos-metic reconditioning,” said T.J. Tijerina,senior vice president of branch operationsat First Community Credit Union. “It’speace of mind, put into action.”

Austin Police Department said itdoesn’t believe foul play was a fac-tor in a deadly fire in SouthwestAustin at a repair shop that went upin flames, but it’s still under investi-gation. Once firefighters were ableto tame the early morning blaze onApril 7, they found a body inside theburning building. The body wasfound inside a three-car garage at theNippon Motorworks, though offi-cials say the body was not inside acar. There was only one car insidethe garage, where officials think thefire started. The shop near Monter-rey Oaks Boulevard is now the siteof a joint investigation between theAustin Police and Fire departments.Fire crews fought the blaze at theauto repair shop that started around3:45 a.m. on the westbound serviceRoad of U.S. Highway 290. Whencrews arrived, they found heavy firecoming out of Nippon Motorworks.The business advertises that it serv-ices Toyota and Nissan cars. The firespread to cars there, as well as toQSI Truck Sales next door. The firecaused some power lines to fall, soan Austin Energy crew worked toshore up that problem. Texas GasService also responded.

Body Found Following AutoBody Shop Fire in Austin

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 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


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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 outeach and every customer through thedoor how they found us and what theysaw or read that caused them to callus. Was it social media, a neighbor re-ferral, 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 athing of the past. They’ve gone awayand what’s left are good shops that do

good business. But, there are a ton ofthem and consequently, this is a verycompetitive market. The midnightbody shops can’t survive now, be-cause of the technology, specializedequipment and training. They could-n’t fix today’s cars or simply chosenot to, probably because they could nolonger tie on to an oak tree with a pullalong and fix them that way. It’s bet-ter for the whole industry, because inthe past these under the radar shopswere doing unsatisfactory work,which gives us all bad name.

Q: Body shops all over the countryare setting themselves up to repaircars containing aluminum. Are youpart of this movement wither cur-rently or in the 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 itselfover time? We’re interested, of course,but we want to do it in a smart way andnot just rush into it just because theguy down 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 de-cide what works for us and whatdoesn’t, because it’s a big universe.Most of my employees are consider-ably younger than I am and we oftenhave discussions about technologyand how to use it. For a long time ayoung woman in our office said weneed everyone to have dual com-puter monitors to be more effectiveand I fought it for a time. Then oneday she was out and I sat down andcould quickly tell why she wantedtwo monitors. As soon as she gotback from vacation, everyone gottwo monitors, because it makes themmore effective and they can do a bet-ter job.


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Accept no Substitutes!

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 Newsbulletin covers welding and sec-tioning guideline revisions thatapply to all models. This is in re-sponse to industry requests for moreinformation about the proper repairof Honda 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 Bulletins

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 professionalsattended the one-day event, whichconsisted of training sessions, infor-mational panel discussions, an I-CARclass on new car technology, and 65exhibitors, 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 toJanet Chaney, ICRA executive direc-tor. “The day was jammed-packed,starting with the I-CAR New Technol-ogy 2014 Class taught by I-CAR re-gional manager Ed Mayer, I-CARsenior director of segment develop-ment, and I-CAR instructors Bill Stageand Scott Schuerman, who were on-hand to present the class and networkwith attendees throughout the day.”

Mayer was happy to be involved insuch 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” wasthe theme of the luncheon presenta-tion, featuring keynote speaker IowaSenator Brad Zaun, who encouragedeveryone in the Iowa collision indus-try to work together by joining theICRA and staying involved with theirlocal legislators. Zaun was followedby the Insurer Mandate Panel Discus-

sion, which included six panelists rep-resenting all segments of the collisionindustry. Janet Chaney was the mod-erator and the panel answered ques-tions regarding the insurer mandate ofPartsTrader.

“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

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


Thousands Attend Record-Breaking Northeast™ 2014 Show

with Chasidy Rae SiskNortheast News

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].

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 20


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, ACRAattempts to hold at least onemeeting each year in a differ-ent part of the 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 damagednew parts over the past few years, al-lowing Pulaski Tech students an op-portunity to get more hands-onexperience. In turn, this also benefitsACRA members as it ensures that

these future technicians acquire thenecessary skills and experience to be-come effective employees.

Because of their dedication to fu-ture technicians, ACRA tries to support

their 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 RecycledRides, 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 core


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

with Chasidy Rae SiskSouthwest Associations


ACRA members being instructed on aspects of aluminumwelding

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


challenges for shops that want to pro-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 an-other change in our industry. Movingforward, there will be more vendors inthe future that work to develop soft-ware to compete with PartsTrader andto look at new ways to control parts.In the past, we have seen manufactur-ers try to get into the recycled busi-ness and many other attempts atchange to the parts side of the busi-ness. Some have helped the industry,and some have fallen by the wayside.The parts business is evolving as it al-ways has, and each business will haveto decide for itself what fits in with itsbusiness 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 Goldennotes, “In most conversations whereparts are discussed, we talk about theneed for high-uality parts that performthe way the vehicle was designed toperform. Today’s cars are very com-plex, and the systems within the car aredesigned to work together to ensuresafety. Parts used in the repair processmust ensure those systems continue towork together as designed.”

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


ous with their time when we were inthe preliminary steps of establishingourselves,” added Hanks. “This wasnew territory for us and we were hun-gry for information. They shared a lotthat helped in our formation-examplesof by-laws, sample documents, and ofcourse, the experience of SCRS’ boardand network of other affiliates. It al-lowed us to model ourselves after thebest, and get started in the right direc-tion. SCRS provides an important na-tional perspective for our members andthey’ll be a group we proudly workclosely with as we continue to growand evolve.”

Conversely the LaCIA will un-doubtedly prove to be another greatasset to the SCRS family.

“The growth, focus, and determi-nation we have seen from LaCIA reallydemonstrate the appetite that repairershave to be connected to organizationsthat reflect their voice on issues of im-portance to their businesses. It alsostands as a great example of the valuein making a connection and network-ing with knowledgeable professionalswho have a history of experience in theassociation realm,” stated Schulen-burg.

For more information aboutLaCIA, visit www.la-cia.com. Formore information about SCRS, visit:http://scrs.com

Continued from Cover

LaCIA

Geraldine High School’s senior classof about 65 students walked across thepodium to accept their diplomas inHuntsville, AL, including a seniorwho had just lost her class ring. Now,14 years later, the ring has finally beenfound. “Underneath one of the seats ina little pile of gunk was this little classring,”said Checker Auto Body RepairManager Bill Goebel. He decided totake to social media to see if he couldfind the ring’s owner. “I made a post

on the Geraldine High School’s page.Within four hours, we had trackeddown the young lady who owned thisring and she had lost it 14 years ago,”said Goebel. The owner soon discov-ered the ring belongs to Kelli Willing-ham, now known as Kelli Miller.

Not only was Miller reunited withthe ring, but also with her high schoolcar. It’s something she never thoughtshe’d see again. “It was a graduationgift,” said Miller.

Missing Class Ring Found 14 Years Later at Body Shop

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




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 andequipment that can be dedicated toaluminum repairs to avoid steel con-tamination. The Ford representativesemphasized that repairing these vehi-cles will be different, but not moredifficult. They also lauded the varietyof repairability 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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Continued from Page 14

Record-Breaking

See Record-Breaking, Page 30


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

“The goal is to have enough capac-ity to be able to handle the F-150,”Massie said. “We know that roughly 80percent of our customers are going to in-dependent body shops. Less than 50 per-cent of our dealerships even have a bodyshops. Of those that have body shops,probably about 800 are really in really inthe collision business. We realize wecannot have a mainstream repair process(for the F-150) if we were to direct allour customers 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 somethingif you’re restricting the parts sales,” hesaid.

Network requirementsBut to qualify for the network and listingon Ford’s shop locator, Massie said, anindependent shop must be nominated bya Ford dealer. Ford dealers without abody shop will likely nominate the

shop(s) to which it refers collision repairwork, Massie said, and other shops maybe nominated by the dealer from whichthey buy wholesale parts. Although theautomaker is placing few limits on thenumber of shops a dealer may nominatenor the distance from a dealer an inde-pendent shop must be to participate,Massie acknowledged getting the rightnumber of shops in the right locations isthe “tricky” or “touchy piece of the wholeidea of recognizing independents.”

“It’s really difficult for us to bring inindependent body shops but say we don’twant you within 5 or 10 or 50 miles of adealership,” Massie said. “This is moreabout 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 shops intothe program. But Massie said those whosell the vehicle know it’s not in their bestinterest to tell a customer they will haveto wait long or go far to get it fixed.

“To the top of the house at FordMotor Company, they recognize that weneed to have independents involved,”Massie said.

The initial requirements to join arefocused on more general repair, Massie

said, but to remain in the program in2015, a shop must be “aluminum capa-ble,” including having an area separatedoff (by curtains or walls) for aluminumwork. A specific self-piercing rivet gunis currently required (though Ford rep-resentatives said a second brand maysoon be approved) but otherwise the re-quired equipment list allows for multi-ple brands or models as long as theymeet the required specifications. Thelist includes an aluminum MIG weld-ing system, a set of hand and powertools dedicated to aluminum work, andaluminum dent and dust extraction sys-tems.

One online Ford training courseand two specific I-CAR training coursesand welding certification are required.Shops are only required to have onetechnician trained, Massie said, but thegoal is to train anyone repairing the F-150.

In addition to about 800 Ford deal-ership shops, the automaker wants toadd about 750 independent shops thisyear and each of the next two years fora total of about 3,000 shops in the pro-gram by the end of 2016.

The program is being administeredby Assured Performance, which saidthe $2,950 annual fee can enable qual-

ifying shops to participate in Chryslerand Nissan’s shop certification pro-grams as well. There is an annual auditprocess to ensure a shop in the programstill 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 dealers,collision repairers and insurers that F-150 design engineers kept repairabilityin mind when developing the vehicle.

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,


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Ford’s Plan

See Ford’s Plan, Page 26

the pecuniary health of the individualplaintiff businesses in order to forcecompliance with unreasonable andonerous concessions.”

Tony Passwater, IABA Execu-tive Director, states, “There’s going tobe a battle. For decades the insurershave interfered with the collision re-pair professional’s obligation to re-store the vehicle back to pre-accidentcondition as humanly possible. It hasbeen well documented with the 1963Consent Decree. Since then, over thelast two decades, the pressure to com-promise the repair quality and safetyhas increased with many insurer man-dates and cost controls. It must stop,the driving public deserves a vehiclethat has been repaired properly and issafe.”

Passwater says, “I am sure that inthe near future, possibly hundreds ofshops will stand up and join this ac-tion, to allow our Industry to repair thevehicles properly for the safety of theconsumer. It is unfortunate that thedriving public are bombarded dailywith billions of dollars of advertising

the insurers are spending to convincethem that they are a “good neighbor”,or “on their side”, but once this actionbegins to unfold, the real nature ofwhat has been happening will cer-tainly be revealed.”

“John Eaves Jr., lead counsel forthe actions across the country, is fol-lowing a very organized and strategicplan to maximize the effect of the law-suit for the industry, Some of the toptobacco litigators in the country arenow included as legal counsel formany states. Former attorney generalsare counsel for many members. Thefight is beginning to shift to a moreeven playing field.”

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 operates Qual-ity Collision Inc. in Bloomington andis a plaintiff in the suit. Wells said heoften just eats the cost the insurancecompany 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 and in-fluential position among other insur-


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the front third, and the rear third avail-able sections for service,” Coan said.“But we will also offer separately serv-iceable front lower control arm mount-ing brackets. So if those are damaged,they can be replaced separately fromthe frame.”

The inner and outer rocker panelsare sectionable (although the outerrocker on the crewcab model cannot besectioned). The mounting tab for the B-pillar stops short of the roof, eliminat-

ing the need toremove or cut ac-cess in the roof.Two repair meth-ods —welding, or arivet-bond proce-dure—are accept-able for floorpansectioning, Coan

said. And every sheet metal replace-ment part for the vehicle will include aninstruction 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 pulls on the vehicle assome European automakers do on alu-minum-intensive vehicles.

“Is there a fear that if we make a pullon that body structure it will break thebonding agent on the other side of thecar,” Dusty Womble of Roger BeasleyCollision Center in Austin, Texas,asked.

Kye Yeung of European MotorCar Works in Santa Ana, Calif., ex-pressed similar concerns, noting that in-surers may presume shops can makestructural pulls on other aluminum ve-hicles.

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

“It is a big benefit to have this steelframe 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 reallycan’t speak for the other OEMs. All we

know is we’re able to pull it. We’vetested it out and we know it’s not com-promised.”

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 be

okay.”Ford will have a

cut-away of thenew F-150 andmore informationavailable for colli-sion repairers atboth NACE in Julyin Detroit, and at

SEMA in Las Vegas in November.

John Yoswick is a freelance writerbased in Portland, Oregon, who hasbeen writing about the automotive in-dustry since 1988, is also the editor ofthe weekly CRASH Network (for a free4-week trial subscription, visit:www.CrashNetwork.com). Contact byemail at [email protected].


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ers in “spearheading efforts to controland artificially depress damage repaircosts,” the suit alleges.

State Farm spokeswoman MissyDundov denied the allegations but de-clined to elaborate, according to the AP.

“This suit has no merit and in noway accurately describes the businessrelationship State Farm has with thou-sands of body shops across the coun-try,” she said.

A spokeswoman for Indiana Farm-ers said the company had not receivednotice it had been named in a suit.

A search of complaints againstState Farm filed with the Indiana De-partment of Insurance did not revealany filed by body shops, said depart-ment spokeswoman Alexandra Peck.

Body shops say State Farm con-ducts surveys of the going labor rateshops charge in a given area. The dataand methodology are not disclosed,shops complain. “Shops are simply re-quired to blindly accept State Farm’s pro-nouncements regarding these matters.”

The insurer attempts to prohibit

shops from discussing the labor ratesthey provide as part of the surveys,“asserting any discussion may consti-tute illegal price fixing.”

Shops that complain the labor rate isinadequate are often told they are the onlybody shop in the area to say so and thatthey don’t conform to the “market rate.”

In fact, “State Farm knew multi-ple shops had attempted to raise theirlabor rates and advised State Farm ofsuch,” the suit alleges.

The shops allege insurers havefailed to abide by industry standardsfor auto repairs and repair-estimatingdatabases. At the same time, many in-surers pressure shops to reduce costsby using recycled parts. But used partslike doors can require hours of addi-tional labor to be made to fit properlyand to be reconditioned.

Ultimately, shops are required to ei-ther make “less than quality” repairs orsuffer a financial loss. Taking shortcutsraises the specter of safety issues, butonce a vehicle is repaired, it’s not easyto spot problems such as improper weldsthat might be hidden by seam sealer.

Neither scenario is palatable tomany body shops.




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


Ford’s Plan




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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 limitationsfor 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 an agree-ment, tacit or express,’’ State Farm’s at-torneys write in their response.

“As a general rule, businesses arefree to choose the parties with whom

they will deal, as well as the prices,terms and conditions of that dealing,”they claim. “Section 1 of the ShermanAct does not preclude a party from uni-laterally determining the parties withwhom it will deal and the terms onwhich it will transact business. … Atthe pleading stage, ‘formulaic recita-tions of a conspiracy claim’ are insuf-ficient, and ‘a conclusory allegation ofagreement at some unidentified pointdoes not supply facts adequate to showillegality.’ … The Complaint fails ut-terly to meet the standards set by theSupreme Court and the Eleventh Cir-cuit for pleading conspiracy.”

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 correctlegal 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 also re-sponded to Geico’s request for dis-missal, writing, “[Ge]ico’s motion restsprimarily upon the incorrect assertionthat the complaint fails to set forth suf-ficient facts to satisfy the pleading re-quirements. Repeatedly and throughoutthe motion, Defendant Geico misrepre-sents both the contents of the complaintas well as citations to authority, hold-ings of the cited courts and the proce-dural posture of those cases. When thecorrect legal standards are applied, astraightforward reading of the com-plaint establishes there is more than suf-ficient facts asserted to satisfy thepleading requirements.”

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

Attorneys for Collision Repairers Respond to State Farm’s Request for Dismissal

Professional Auto Body and Frame,serving Glenwood Springs, Rifle,and Grand Junction, CO, is now partof the Chrysler Collision Repair Fa-cility Network. The network ensuresChrysler that its customers can finda repair facility that can repair vehi-cles to manufacturer’s standards, in-cluding fit, finish, durability andsafety.

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Dave March, owner of Fountain Val-ley Bodyworks in Fountain Valley,CA, owns a busy body shop that re-pairs roughly 500 cars every month.When he isn’t wrestling with insur-ance companies and making sureevery car leaves his shop in pristinecondition, March is a dreamer and aninventor. He enjoys thinking outsideof the ordinary. His brainchild iscalled the WaterCar, a hydro-friendly,amphibious vehicle that can be usedto drag water skiers and tubers atmore 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 theworld’s fastest amphibious vehicle.He had no plans to ever offer it to thepublic, March explained, but as hebegan refining his creation, he saw aneed and a 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 offer

to the public.”After numerous successes and

failures, 27 patents, and literally thou-sands of labor hours, March’s dreamhas been achieved. It’s called the Pan-ther—and the very first WaterCar tobe offered to the public. March andhis all-star team consisting of top au-tomotive designers and technicianshave tweaked the WaterCar’s design,

and, by using state-of-the-art equip-ment at Fountain Valley Bodyworks,they’ve come up with the ultimate ve-hicle for both land and sea.

Is the WaterCar more automobileor more boat? Legally, amphibiousvehicles need to be registered both asa car 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 Water-Car,” March said. “Arizona, Califor-nia, and Nevada have been a littletough in getting on board, but we’reconfident that they will eventuallyembrace the idea. We’re getting themapproved, but, in some cases, we haveto jump through hoops 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 mar-ket for a wide range of reasons.“While we were flattered that peoplewanted the WaterCar, we just felt itwasn’t ready,” March said. “It wasdifficult to say no for all those years,but we figured hey—let’s not rush it.In 2013, we realized that the Water-Car was ready for the public, andpretty much right away the ordersstarted coming in.”

March received a ton of public-ity when he drove his WaterCar all theway from his shop in Fountain Valleyto Catalina Island in January 2014.The story, “Amphibious water cardives into land and sea market,” madepage one of the Chicago Tribune andcreated a buzz worldwide. “We madethe 30-mile trip at around 40 miles perhour, and we used about 10 gallons of

fuel one-way. Typically, a boat willget around four miles per gallon, sothe WaterCar isn’t just fast, it’s alsogreen and very economical. When wepulled into that harbor, the peoplewere shocked and surprised when wedrove up!”

Celebrities and billionaires areshowing interest in the WaterCar, butanyone with $140,000 lying aroundcan buy one, March said. “Wealthyfolks are always looking for thenewest toy, and the WaterCar defi-nitely fits the bill. These famous peo-ple make us sign non-disclosureagreements, so I can’t tell you anynames. But I can tell you that one in-dividual who is awaiting delivery ofhis WaterCar is the founder of a verywell-known tech company.” (And hislast name isn’t Zuckerberg, Ellision,or Wozniak!) “The attention this ve-hicle has received is pretty amazing,to say the least.”

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 thenhit 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 shopswould be ideal to assemble them.Since he has a backlog of orders and


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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

See Watercar, Page 46


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 the

best 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 shop

owners 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 toimproving 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 five


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KPIs 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 ROby performing a complete tear-downand writing a thorough blueprint at thebeginning of the repair process.● Total sales: Improve total sales bytracking them accurately and settinggoals 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 total

gross 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.”

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“There are a lot of them that havehung it up and said, ‘That’s it. I can’ttake it anymore,’” Passwater said.

“The guys can’t make it. It’s notthat they are bad businesspeople,” saidScott Blake, of Blake’s Carstar Colli-sion Center in LaPorte and presidentof 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 strategyintended to improve efficiencies.

Passwater said the state once hadabout 2,000 shops; there are now 800to 1,000.

The 34-page suit alleges insurershave violated the federal Sherman Act,

both in price-fixing and through boy-cotting 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 allege,is to tell consumers the work won’t beguaranteed by using a shop that doesn’tconform to a repair program agree-ment. That’s misleading, however, be-cause insurers require all shops to standbehind their work for a period of time.

The collision shops seek unspeci-fied compensatory damages for under-payments as well as damage for lostbusiness opportunities.

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



Linear Automotive is a certified AutoPaint & Body Shop for Hail DamageRepair in McKinney, Allen, Plano,Frisco, Denton, The Colony, and LittleElm, TX. Due to an overwhelming re-sponse to recent hailstorms, the shop ispreparing to better serve customers.

Recent hailstorms unleashed con-

siderable of damage on automobiles inthe McKinney, Allen, Plano, Frisco,Denton, The Colony, and Little Elmareas around North Texas. The phoneswere ringing all day long at Linear Au-tomotive with people wanting appoint-ments for hail damage repairs in thebody shop.

Management seized the opportu-nity by leasing additional space atnearby facilities in order to streamlinethe hail damage removal and body re-pair process as well as offer faster autoglass and windshield repair and re-placement.

Paintless dent repair is also avail-

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Body Shop in McKinney and Allen, TX, Creates Extra Capacity for Hail Damage Repair by Leasing Additional Shop Space

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!


During National Volunteer Week inApril 2014, CNN recognized a “little-known industry group” whose mem-bers have donated over 200 vehiclesworth over $3 million in 2013 to mili-tary veterans, homeless families, sin-gle parents, and others struggling toget back on the road to a stable life.The network went on to acknowledgethe kind of work NABC’ RecycledRides has accomplished.

CNN Recognizes NABC forDonating 200+ Vehicles

Mercedes-Benz has approved the Elek-tron® MULTISPOT® MI-100control Tresistance spot welder with C-pliers(model MTC-6000) for use in per-forming approved spot welding onhigh-strength steels like Boron, USI-BOR, TRIP, TWIP and XIP. All ap-proved workshop equipment is listedin Mercedes-Benz’s updated GSP On-line Technics Information System(GOTIS).

MB Approves Elektron SpotWelders for HSS

Gender Marketing Power is a Trend Already in Evidence

On Creative Marketingwith Thomas Franklin

Tom Franklin has been a sales and marketing consultant for fifty years. He has writtennumerous books and provides marketing solutions and services for many businesses.He can be reached at (323) 871-6862 or at [email protected]. See Tom’s columns at www.autobodynews.com under Columnists > Franklin

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The Inter-Industry Conference onAuto Collision Repair (I-CAR) an-nounced several milestone accom-plishments made possible through itsongoing commitment to supportingthe collision repair industry.

New Board of DirectorsThe 2014 I-CAR International Boardof Directors and Executive Commit-tee was announced following the I-CAR strategic planning session andannual membership meeting in SanDiego, CA, in March 2014.

The Board of Directors is com-prised of representatives from each ofthe following six industry segments:collision repair; insurance; OEM ve-hicle manufacturers; equipment,tools, and supplies; education, train-ing, and research; and related indus-try services.

The I-CAR executive committeeincludes: Bob Keith of CARSTAR aschair; Joe Laurentin, Esurance, vicechair; Chris Evan, State Farm Insur-ance Co., treasurer; Mark Woirol,Tech-Cor, secretary; James Roach,member-at-large; Eugene Scambray,

Copart, member-at-large; and WilliamBrower, Liberty Mutual InsuranceCompany, immediate past chair.

The remaining Directors include:Mark Algie of 3M; William De-Grocco, GEICO Insurance; DavidHenderson, AudaExplore; Todd Chiz-mar, Chrysler; John Donley, IAnet;Robert Hills, Universal Technical In-stitute (UTI); Christopher Northup,Professional Parts Group, EducationFoundation Representative; RichardPerry, Chief Automotive Technolo-gies for Equipment & Tool Institute;Roy Schnepper, Butler’s CollisionInc. for Automotive Service Associa-tion; James Spears, USAA; RandyStabler, Pride Collision Centers Inc.;Dale Tripp, General Motors Com-pany; Ron Vincenzi, Oakland AutoBody; and Dusty Womble, RogerBeasley Collision Centers for Societyof Collision Repair Specialists.

Bob Keith stated, “I am trulyhonored to have been elected chair-man of the Board of I-CAR. The timethat I have spent on the ExecutiveCommittee has shown me that I-CARleadership and staff are all committed

to providing the highest quality train-ing, certifications and resources to allsegments of the collision inter-indus-try. 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 FordF-150 design and developmentprocess.

Two years of development cul-minates in a new six-credit hour 2015Ford F-150 Structural Repair course(FOR06) that covers all aluminumtopics and dives deep into vehicle-specific repair information. The in-structor-led course uses discussion,education, and decision-making exer-cises to help technicians repair the2015 Ford F-150. Industry trainingfor FOR06 opens June 1, 2014.

“This is a game-changer in the

way the collision repair industry ap-proaches training; to be fully-pre-pared with the knowledge, skills, andsolutions needed before the vehicledebuts,” said John Van Alstyne, CEOand president of I-CAR. “Tradition-ally, repair solutions are not devel-oped until after a vehicle is publiclylaunched, leaving a gap in repairreadiness. I-CAR commends Ford forits proactive approach, working to-gether with I-CAR to develop a repairsolution that addresses complete, safe,and quality repairs for the new F-150,and doing so before the vehicle entersproduction.”

Added Jason Bartanen, I-CARdirector of industry and technical re-lations, “For a revolutionary vehiclelike the 2015 Ford F-150, material-specific training that highlights theunique processes associated with alu-minum repair is critical for the front-line professionals faced with safelyrepairing these vehicles. I-CAR’sproven track record of aluminum re-pair technical expertise and trainingdevelopment solidified Ford’s interestin an early partnership to formulate a

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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Supporting and Giving Back to the In-dustryIn 2013, I-CAR committed to setaside $1 for every I-CAR class at-tended by students in 2014, which en-abled I-CAR to donate $170,000 tothe Collision Repair Education Foun-dation.

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

John Van Alstyne, I-CAR CEOand president, explained, “Our tenmillionth credit hour represents thehard work and dedication that colli-sion repair professionals put intotheir work every day. Through ongo-ing, role-relevant training, our visionis that every person in the collisionrepair industry has the knowledge,education, and solutions required toperform complete and safe repairs—for the ultimate benefit of the con-sumer.”

Van Alstyne said, “The evolutionand impact of I-CAR over the last 35years is exciting and impressive,” hecontinued, “And as vehicle technol-ogy continues to evolve, you can

count on I-CAR to do the same, ex-panding our relevance and the valuewe deliver to the collision repair in-dustry.”

Revamped Steering and SuspensionCourseOn April 7, 2014, I-CAR announcedthat the popular Steering and Suspen-sion Damage Analysis (DAM06)course has been completely re-vamped. DAM06 now includes up-to-date information on damageanalysis procedures for the range ofsteering and suspension systems andparts featured in vehicles being re-paired today and a series of interac-tive classroom activities designed toengage students and enrich theirlearning experience.

Josh McFarlin, I-CAR directorof curriculum and product develop-ment, explained, “This course pro-vides an understanding of steeringand suspension repair considerationsthat can help eliminate the chance ofcompromising the vehicle’s integrityduring the repair and reduce come-backs,” he continued, “Content in-cluded in this course is beneficial torepairers, business owners, and ulti-mately consumers.”

DAM06 includes a detailedoverview of steering and suspensionsystems and parts; an analysis of is-sues such as caster, camber, and toe;ride height difference and additionalinspection methods; and how to usealignment angle readings. Studentswill participle in multiple activitiesthroughout the course, including aninteractive activity where they willdetermine 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-CARIntro to Collision Repair Series Train-ing BundlesOn April 16, 2014, I-CAR announcedtwo all-new, limited-time trainingbundle promotions from the Intro toCollision Repair Series. The exclu-sive training bundles are specificallytailored to employee career paths inthe insurance and collision repairsegments, including entry-levelclaims adjusters, call center staff,front office support, and career andtechnical school students.

“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 Segment Develop-ment – Insurance.

The Intro to Collision Repair Se-ries includes an overview of vehicleparts and terminology, reading dam-age reports, and repair and refinish-ing processes.

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 com-monly-taken courses by the insuranceand collision repair segments, in-cluding one of I-CAR’s most popularcourses at no cost. Training bundlesare $273 each for a limited time.

Each online course takes ap-proximately one hour to complete, isavailable on-demand, and has no ex-piration date once the bundle hasbeen purchased.

Visit www.i-car.com to learnmore.


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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.


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Texas’ Premiere

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What Ever Happened to the Return Phone Call?

with Ed Attanasio

Social Media for Shops

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


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Carwise Shop Finder SolutionCCC Information Services launched theCarwise Shop Finder solution(www.carwise.com), a free benefit tousers of CCC ONE, on March 19, 2014.Carwise is a consumer-facing websitethat enables CCC ONE users to sharerepair status details with their cus-tomers. The new Shop Finder function-ality allows shops to create a profile andshare customer reviews, giving shop-pers the information they need to findand select a collision repair partner. TheShop Finder functionality is integratedwithin CCC ONE so shops can manageand maintain their profiles from withintheir familiar application.

“We see the Carwise Shop Findersolution as a great tool to showcase ourshop and our offerings, and to provideus with another channel to connect withmore potential customers,” said KarenHansen, secretary treasurer of Hansen’sAuto Body & Paint.

Configuring a compelling shopprofile only takes a few minutes. Shopscan upload pictures of the repair facility,highlight services that might set themapart, share the shop history, and indi-

cate the type of payment accepted.Shops that use CCC ONE Update PlusStatus or UpdatePlus CSI can share cus-tomer reviews directly within their Car-wise profile. Validated reviews andcomments are presented in an unbiasedmanner ensuring others see what actualcustomers are saying about the shop.

“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. “Visibilityacross our locations has been a chal-lenge for us, but we don’t have the needor the resources for a call center,” saidLance Bartczak, general manager ofKniesel’s Collision Centers. “The seam-less integration between the CCC ONE

platform and Contact Center allows fora simplified user experience that resultsin instant callbacks, an increased posi-tive customer experience, reduced cycletimes, happier insurance partners, andincreased 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, Carro Pa-cific Inc., ECO Automotive Distribu-tors, and PAM’s Auto Parts, Inc.

Once fully implemented, the newsuppliers will be able to display their in-ventories, provide real-time quote pricequotes, and sell their available parts

through the CCC ONE platform, mak-ing it quick and easy for CCC repairshop customers to buy parts and receiveelectronic 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.

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“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 for CCC.“This year’s report looks at these fac-tors individually and together to helpprovide perspective on the overarch-ing impact they are, and will continueto have, on our industry. We’re excitedto extend the information reported onin Crash Course to other formats,which we hope will provide a morecomprehensive view of the broadermarketplace for collision repairers, in-surance carriers, parts suppliers, andother industry participants.”

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Ever 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 to Track Minor Dings

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)



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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with Janet ChaneyAssociations Update Janet Chaney has been a long-time contributor to Autobody News. She’s

a former shop owner and now owns and operates Cave Creek BusinessDevelopment in Stevensville, Montana. Janet supports many auto bodyassociations can be reached at [email protected]

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.

IBIS to be Held in Barcelonaon May 19-21

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


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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

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.



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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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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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.”


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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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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


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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 Enginegiant has hinted at some upcomingchanges to its algorithm in their latest“Webmaster Help” video. Google'sHead of Webspam, Matt Cutts, saidthey are working on some changes thatwill help Google better determinewhen a site is an authority on a topicsuch as auto body repair.

Google continues to improvesearch results to allow for more accu-rate local rankings in the Humming-bird update, combined with upcomingalgorithm 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 a

unique “articles” tab. From there, thebody shops can continue adding theirown articles as they see fit. “The geo-targeted long tail keyword is crucial toranking a local service business suchas a body shop online, and now wehave increased our ability to rank ourcustomers on a local level through ournationally ranked website,” said Di-rector of Marketing, Tom Zoebelein.“Our duty to our clients as a nationallyrecognized website is to get themfound in a local search, by customersin their local area. After months of key-word research from our own web traf-fic, we discovered that we can leverageour ranking power, and our SEO ex-pertise to assist our shops on a locallevel with the addition of our new arti-cles feature,” said CEO Curtis Nixon.

AutoBody-Review.com's new ar-ticles feature will function much likea mini-blog on each auto body shopprofile. While most auto body shopslack the knowledge or the staff toproperly blog for their shop on a locallevel, AutoBody-Review.com hassimplified this task for them.

can’t make them fast enough, thismight be the best time to jump into asideline business by putting togetherWaterCar kits.

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

the 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 theWaterCar is take a trip down the Eng-lish Channel by Big Ben and then allthe way to the Eiffel Tower. I’m prettysure that would get some attentionfrom the people at the Guinness Bookof Records!” To learn more about theWaterCar, visit http://watercar.foun-tainvalleybodyworks.com.


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If you’re a Parkway Alumni you canhelp raise money for current studentsby getting your car repaired at Schae-fer Autobody in St. Louis, MO.

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Documents

Autobody News May 2014 Southwestern Edition