Autobody News May 2014 Midwestern Edition

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 di-rector. “The day was jammed-packed,starting with the I-CAR New Tech-

nology 2014 Class taught by I-CARregional manager Ed Mayer, I-CARsenior director of segment develop-ment, and I-CAR instructors Bill

Stage and ScottSchuerman, whowere on-hand topresent the classand network withattendees through-out the day.”

Mayer washappy to be in-

volved in such a well-attended show.“Janet Chaney extended an invitationto us, and we were happy to attend,”Mayer said. “We conducted a 2014Technology Class, and it was standingroom only. Body shop owners and

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, helps

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

See Midwest Trade Show, Page 9

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

See Dave Tritz, 2

New States and Readers Added to this Midwest EditionAutobody News welcomes new readers to our newly expandedMidwest Edition. Autobody News is now distributed to body shopprofessionals in Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, and Kentucky. We alsoemail our newsletter twice a month. For details see p. 3.

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 man-ager for Ford, ac-knowledged thathis company mayhave fallen behindother automakers

in developing a certification or recog-nition program for independent shops.

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

See Ford’s Plan, Page 22

Paul Massie

Janet Chaney

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

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

Insurance Co.The suit accuses

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

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

In addition, “The insurance com-panies (“Insurers”) are 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 tothe 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 safety

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

See Tortious Interference?, Page 14

Tony Passwater

Midwestern Edition

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

Serving Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin andadjacent metro areas. Autobody News is a monthly publication for the autobody industry.Permission to reproduce in any form the material published in Autobody News must beobtained in writing from the publisher. ©2014 Adamantine Media LLC.

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Adhesive Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Audi Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 43BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 30Buske L.L.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Certified Automotive PartsAssociation (CAPA). . . . . . . . . . . 37

Charles Gabus Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Chief Automotive. . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 13Chrysler on Nicholasville . . . . . . . . . 4Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Creative Metal Manufacturing. . . . . 24Dent Tools Direct USA . . . . . . . . . . 16DJS Fabrications, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . 48e-clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Erhard BMW of Bloomfield Hills . . . 35Erhard BMW of Farmington Hills . . 35Ganley Auto Group, Inc . . . . . . . . . 26GlasWeld Systems, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 6GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . 34Graham Auto Mall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Griffin Automotive Group . . . . . . . . 41Honda-Acura Wholesale PartsDealers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21

Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers . 36Jake Sweeney BMW. . . . . . . . . . . . 39Jake Sweeney Chevrolet . . . . . . . . 39

Kia of Des Moines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Kia Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . . . 42Laurel Auto Group of Westmont . . . 33Lexus Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 47Malco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Martech Services Company . . . . . . 18Mazda Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 44Mercedes-Benz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Mitsubishi Wholesale PartsDealers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 25Morrison’s Auto Parts . . . . . . . . . . . 28NACE/CARS Expo & Conference. . 23PPG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2PreFab Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Pro-Spray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Rare Parts, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14SATA Spray Equipment . . . . . . . . . 27Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 38Toyota of Des Moines . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Toyota of Grand Rapids . . . . . . . . . 22Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 40U.S. Body Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Valspar Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Volkswagen Wholesale PartsDealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Inde

xofAdvertisers

ContentsREGIONALAASP-MN Anti-Mandate Bill HitsRoadblock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

CARSTAR Adds St. Louis Shop . . . . . . . . . 6Central Iowa Shop Has Been RepairingVehicles for 50 Years Says the Shop’s Concierge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Collex Collision Adds Waterford, MI,Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Collision Repair Instructor Leaves Generous Legacy for Coldwater, MI, Career Center . . 8

Covington, KY’s Samaritan Car Care Clinic,A Church Group, Provides for NeedyEvery Quarter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Forreston, IL, Shop Worker Gets FreeHome Renovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Garrell Johnson of Decatur, IL, PassesAway at 54 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Golf ball-sized Hailstones Hit Harrisonville,MO, Autos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Indiana Autobody Association and Indiana Shop Owners File Suit to Block TortiousInterference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Indianapolis Heroin Ring Alleged atCity Body Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Jerry’s Auto Body, a Family Shop for40 years in MN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Josh’s Collision Opens in Park Rapids, MN, Shop Stays in the Family . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Madisonville, KY, Shop Fire Claims27-Yr Old Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

MI Collision Repair Student Sierra Lantzis Learning Repair but toward aRacing Career . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Milford, IN, Body Shop Fire ClaimsOwner and Fiance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Missouri Shop Owner and ConsultantFavors Common-Sense Solutionsfor Common Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

MO Shop Owner References Mass Shooting, Apologizes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Nagy’s Collision Specialists Opens“Power Sports” in OH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

New Fenton, MO, Body Shop Approvedby City Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

One-day ‘Future is Now’ Midwest Auto Body Trade Show Gets 400 Attendees, 65Exhibitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Some MN Shops Still have 4-6 WeekEstimated Backlogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Troy Waller Auto Body Joins 1CollisionNetwork in Iowa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Waukesha Shop Wins WI’s Sustainable Process Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Wausau Shop Warns About HittingRefrozen Snowbanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Winter Car Crashes Up 61% inGrand Haven, MI, Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

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

Franklin - Gender Marketing Power isa Trend Already in Evidence . . . . . . . . . 34

Sisk - 2014 VISION Hi-Tech Training andExpo Hosted by ASA-Midwest . . . . . . . 17

Sisk - ABAC Hosts Larry Montanez ofP&L Consulting at March 18 Meeting . . 24

Sisk - Thousands Attend Record-Breaking Northeast™ 2014 Show . . . . . . . . . . . 31

NATIONAL3M Continues Funding Scholarships For2nd Year in Collision Repair forReturning Veterans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

ALLDATA’s VIN Decoder Has BeenEnhanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

American Honda Announces TwoBody Repair Bulletins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Are Aluminum Cars Really Betterfor the Environment? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

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

Attanasio - WaterCar Has Body ShopOwner Swimming in Business . . . . . . . 28

Attorneys for Collision Repairers Respond to State Farm’s Request for Dismissal . . . 18

AudaExplore Enhances MAACO’s Operational Efficiency with Repair Platforms. . . . . . 46

AutoBody-Review.com ImprovesGeo-Targeted SEO, Authority for Shopsby Adding “Articles” to Profiles . . . . . . 42

Boyd Group Opens 3rd Shop inFayetteville, NC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

CCC Updates: Carwise Shop FinderSolution, Contact Center Solution,TRUE Parts Network Suppliers,and Crash Course 2014 Report . . . . . . 39

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

Chief Opens New Specification Center in Malaysia to Provide Customers withBetter, More Timely Specs . . . . . . . . . . 43

CNN Recognizes NABC for Donating200+ Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Collision Industry Foundation AnnouncesNew Trustees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Colorado Springs Duo Develop‘Ding Stinger’ App . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Craftsman Auto Body Opens 11thLocation in Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Fatal Shooting At Colleton, SC,Auto Body Shop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

GCIA’s Members Hosted Two Speakersat March Meeting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

IBIS to be Held in Barcelona on May 19-21 . 30I-CAR News: New Board of Directors,Collision Repair Training for 2015 FordF-150, Industry Support, Limited-Time Promo, and Revamped Steering /Suspension Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Industry Week Fundraiser. . . . . . . . . . . . . 47KS Body Shop Temporarily Closedfor Tax Non-Payment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Limited-Time Promo on 2 New I-CARTraining Bundles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Matrix System 2015 Finishes CalendarContest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

MB Approves Elektron Spot Weldersfor HSS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Missing Class Ring Found 14 Years Laterat Body Shop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

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

Performance Gateway Offers SCRSMembers Free Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Premier Services Donates $2.5K to theCRE Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Reactions to Northeast Show. . . . . . . . . . 27SC Shop Sees Benefits in PromotingMore Females . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

SCRS 2014-2015 Board Elected inApril 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

SEMA Board of Directors CandidatesAnnounced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

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

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

St. Louis Shop Helps Raise Moneyfor Parkway School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

WIN Announces 2014 Conference Brochure, Most Influential Women and Scholarship Winners, Corporate Sponsors, and New Board of Directors Members . . . . . . . . 38

Zip’s Auto Body is Celebrating 30 Yearsin Rochelle, IL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS 3

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MIAll of the shops in these 9 midweststates are eligible to receive ourMidwest edition at no charge. If youknow a shop not getting it, turn themin! Log on to Autobodynews.com fora free bi-monthly newsletter.

Happy Easterfrom ALL of Us at AUTOBODY NEWS!

Now that Spring has finally sprung, we hope all shopssee a return to normalcy in weather and business.

We wish you all a prosperous and successful rest of 2014.

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Garrell D. Johnson, 54, of Decatur,passed away Thursday, March 20,2014 in Decatur Memorial Hospital.Garrell was born December 9, 1959in Decatur, the son of D.E. “Ace”Johnson and Susanne Lane. He wasemployed in auto body repair andloved to work on show cars. He en-joyed music and going to concerts.Garrell was known for his sense ofhumor and loved to make peoplelaugh. He leaves behind his sonShane Johnson, brother DarrellJohnson, and step-brother JerryBaker . He was preceded in death byhis parents and son Shannon John-son. Memorial services to celebrateGarrell’s life were on Saturday,March 29, 2014 at Oak GroveChurch of the Nazarene, 1890 WGarfield Ave, Decatur. Memorialcontributions may be made to thewishes of the family in c/o ShaneJohnson. The family of Garrell D.Johnson was served by the Grace-land/Fairlawn Funeral Home, 2091N. Oakland Ave. Decatur, IL.

Please view the online obitu-ary, send condolences, and sharememories at www.gracelandfair-lawn.com. Obituary written by fam-ily members.

Garrell Johnson of Decatur,IL, Passes Away at 54

Since discovering she had breastcancer just a few months ago, a For-reston, IL, woman who works in abody shop has had to go through alot, but on April 10 she and her fam-ily got a big surprise—a newly ren-ovated home! Kelli and JeremyKappes and their three daughterswere pleasantly shocked when walk-ing into their newly renovated homeafter returning from an “all expensespaid” vacation. Kelli was diagnosedwith cancer in February and hassince had surgery to remove a tumor.Her employer, Gates Auto Body at555 W Meadows Dr #2, Freeport,IL, and Jeremy’s employer, FairwayFord Lincoln in Freeport, worked to-gether to send the family to the Wis-consin Dells and help pay for thematerials for the makeover. The fam-ily is holding a benefit April 26th atChristy’s Bar in Freeport. All of theproceeds will go towards the fam-ily’s unexpected medical expenses.

Forreston, IL, Shop WorkerGets Free Home Renovation

Large hailstones were reported inmany locales on the eastern side ofthe metro area of Blue Springs, Har-risonville and Raytown, MO. Oneweigh station operator said therewere so many hailstones on Inter-state 49, it looked as if Harrisonvillewas covered in snow. Home andauto body repair specialists werebusy during the afternoon andevening hours, assessing damageleft by this storm, which packedhailstones as big as golf balls. Ray-town homeowner Sarah Boyd wascaught in the storm, while hail-storms 1.5 inches in diameter fell onher cars and home. “It soundedpretty horrifying,” Boyd said. “Itwas hitting the glass while we weredriving. It felt like it could break inat any time.”

“There’s kids getting off thebus and they were all runningaround,” Boyd said. Boyd said shewas struck by one of the hailstones,and it left her with a big bruise onher ribs. One auto body repairmanin Raytown said he was workinglate night after getting a half-dozendamaged cars into his garage, anddozens of calls from people needinghelp.

Golf ball-sized Hailstones HitHarrisonville, MO, Autos

Auto repair firm Nagy’s CollisionSpecialists has opened its first pow-ersports facility. Formerly operatedas B&L Motorsports in Wadsworth,Ohio, Nagy's Power Sports will serv-ice and repair motorcycles, ATVs,UTVs, snowmobiles and golf carts.Former B&L owner Bob Gerberich,who has 56 years in the industry, willstay on board to assist with the shop,while Fred Seckel will use his morethan 30 years of powersports indus-try experience to manage the loca-tion.

Nagy’s Collision SpecialistsOpens “Power Sports” in OH

Performance Gateway, a provider ofweb-based platforms aimed at im-proving the insurer-repairer relation-ship, says it will offer its GatewayScorecard, a management and mar-keting tool, to SCRS members at nocost. Gateway CEO Troy Gatessaid, “I am also the owner of sevencollision repair businesses in theWisconsin market and truly appreci-ate SCRS efforts,” Gates said.

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

Performance Gateway OffersSCRS Members Free Software

The current wait time at Yach’s AutoBody in Wausau, WI, is, believe it ornot, only a week to a week and ahalf, but President Henry Yach IIIsays this has been their busiest win-ter yet.

From fender benders to roofscollapsing on cars, Yach’s AutoBody has seen it all this season asthe record breaking cold ushered in awhole new set of auto body prob-lems.

“A lot of vehicles now haveplastic parts and so in the warm tem-peratures they’ll flex, but in the coldthey’ll shatter,” Yach explained.

Yach says they’ve seen an in-crease in the number of peoplebringing in their cars for light dam-age. A trend he attributes to the factpeople were heeding warnings andtraveling at slower speeds.

Another common story Yachsays he’s been hearing from cus-tomers is about those bigger than lifesnowbanks. He says since the snow-banks are so dense from all the melt-ing and re-freezing, when cars hitthem it’s almost like hitting a con-crete wall.

Wausau Shop Warns AboutHitting Refrozen Snowbanks

With the huge number of crashes thiswinter, auto repair shops in MN arestill swamped with weeks long back-logs. Many repair shops are tellingcustomers they will have to wait fourto six weeks before they can evenstart working on their car or truck.Marwan Kawas is a manager atHeppner’s Auto Body, which has sixlocations in the east metro area.“This is my 15th year doing this andthis is the worst winter I’ve seen,”Kawas said. He says business is upabout 30 percent. “Drivers don’tkeep their proper distances whenthey’re on the roads. Sometimes it’sjust inevitable, you know, especiallywith black ice.”

Kawas says people are oftenstunned by the cost of repairs.“Sometimes they think it’s just abumper,” he said. “But when you fac-tor in the price of the part, the paint,the labor, sometimes the little hiddendamage, the broken clips… it addsup. You know, even just a bumper canbe a $1,000-$1,500.” This one ismore actually, because it buckled onthe hood, and there’s probably someinner damage as well, that’s probablya good $3,000–4,000 repair,” Kawassaid, adding “if your vehicle is se-verely damaged, you will likely beable to get help sooner than later. Butif you can still drive your car, expecta long wait. How long? “Weeks out,definitely,” he said. “And you’ll findit’s true across the metro area… weall have the same problem.”

Some MN Shops Still have 4-6 Week Estimated Backlogs

www.autobodynews.comC

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Central Iowa Shop Has Been Repairing Vehiclesfor 50 Years Says the Shop’s ConciergeR. Jones Collision 1 has been repair-ing damaged vehicles in central Iowafor almost 50 years. The business, for-merly R. Jones BodyPros, focuses onrepairs to all models of passenger ve-hicles and employs ten. Jones spokewith The Des Moines Register abouther family’s business.

“We don’t work on large trucks,semis or motorcycles,” said ChristyJones, collision repair concierge anddaughter to co-owner Bob Jones. “Wealso don’t just repair vehicles, but tryto educate customers about the repairprocess, especially since the averagetime between claims is 10 years now,so things have changed.”

We see a fairly even split be-tween males and females, although it’strending more toward females, be-cause they’re making more of thehousehold decisions. We also see a lotof Drake students who are from out ofstate and don’t know where to go. Wecan help make them and their parentsfeel better, to know that they’ll betaken care of.

We have developed a ladies-onlyclass that we offer quarterly. I part-nered with a mechanics shop and aninsurance agent, then we together ed-ucate women about owning a vehicle

and the repair process. We want tomake them feel more comfortableabout walking into a facility, to havesome knowledge behind them so theyaren’t taken advantage of. We see a lotof divorcees, Red Hat Club members,young females out on their own. A lit-tle bit of knowledge will go a longway. Women leave surprised at whatthey’ve learned, such as what theyneed to do and say at the scene of anaccident.

We are busy year-’round, butbusiness will pick up when there’s ahail storm in the summertime, for ex-ample. Winter has been pretty roughon drivers, and we’ve been extremelybusy like most body shops across theMidwest. We also see an uptick in thefall and spring with deer collisions.

I went to school to become ateacher and taught for a year, but de-cided it wasn’t for me. Then I movedto North Carolina to pursue a job inthe NASCAR field. I came back whento help when my mom became ill. Shewas the front office manager. I’vebeen here since 2001 and I’ve neverleft. I plan to purchase the business inthe next year or so. It’s neat to be thesecond generation involved with thebusiness.”

The 1Collision Network has announcethe addition of Troy Waller Auto Body,in Fort Dodge, Iowa, to its network ofindependently-owned collision centersin the Midwest. With the addition ofTroy Waller’s, 1Collision Networknow includes 20 facilities in IL, IA,MI, and WI.

Troy Waller Auto Body is ownedby Troy Waller and has been in busi-ness for over 23 years. Waller stated, “AsMSOs and Networks rapidly gain mar-ket share, I am excited to affiliate with agrowing Network of quality shops thatprovides my business marketing andperformance resources I would be hardpressed to find on my own.”

Network President Jim Kellercommented, “Troy’s business has agreat reputation in Ft Dodge, has strongDRP relationships, and with the additionof his shop, the Network expands to 5locations in Iowa. We are proud to wel-come Troy and his organization as ournewest 1Collision Network Partner.”

Troy Waller Auto Body Joins1Collision Network in Iowa

A large part of a Madisonville, KY,body shop business went up in flameslate the night of March 25. Madis-onville fire crews responded just be-fore 10 p.m. to reports of a large fireat Hawkins Auto Body Shop at 77Bassett Ave., which was showingflames from outside the structure. Ac-cording to the FD report, a 360 sur-vey was performed by an officer whodetermined that the heaviest fire waslocated within the structure near theentry door and was moving into theattic area. A fire crew was directed toforce entry through the door. Anothercrew entered the structure and foundfire in the restroom area located justinside the entry door. As fire extendedinto the attic and vented the roof, allinterior crews were evacuated. Firecrews were able to re-enter the struc-ture with hand lines to extinguish hotspots located in the attic area. An ex-tensive overhaul of the fire area wasperformed to prevent a rekindle. Fireunits determined that the origin of thefire was in the restroom area. Prop-erty owner, Dale Hawkins, reportedthat a trash can was located in thearea were MFD determined the firehad possibly started. The fire remainsunder investigation.

Madisonville, KY, Shop FireClaims 27-Yr Old Business

The Kosciusko County Coroner’sOffice has confirmed the identityof the second person who died in aFebruary 13th fatal fire in Mil-ford, IN, at Medina’s Body Repairin the 300 block of Higbee Street,near the intersection with Syra-cuse Street.

Investigators say the fire wasaccidental, and traced the source ofthe fire to faulty wiring for a ceilinglight.

Analu Nunez died from smokeinhalation, according to KosciuskoCounty Coroner Michael Wilson.

Nunez’s fiancé and shop ownerJose Medina, has been confirmedas being the other person who diedin the fire. Medical examiners de-termined that he died from smokeinhalation.

The call originally came inaround 7:22 a.m. when someoneleaving work down the street sawsmoke and flames and called 911.When crews arrived at the scene,they saw heavy smoke coming fromthe front of the body shop. Aftersurveying the scene, crews saw theroof was sagging and the front wallwas pushing out, so they fought thefire from the outside.

Milford, IN, Body Shop FireClaims Owner and Fiance CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Ex-

perts has added a new location in St.Louis, MO, the company announced.

CARSTAR Collision North isowned by John and Cynthia Tim-merman and managed by JeffBarnes. “Speaking with experienceof what a strong brand can do for acompany, we are proud and excited tobe a new member of the CARSTARfamily,” said John Timmerman.

“We look forward to buildingthis into something that can bepassed on for generations to come.”

CARSTAR Adds St. Louis Shop

Scott Schaefer of Schaefer Auto-body Centers of Fenton, MO, wantsto build a new shop at 1290 CentralPark Dr. in O’Fallon. The CityCouncil’s Community DevelopmentCommittee approved the zoningvariance to make it happen. But,O’Fallon Zoning Hearing Officerand attorney, Douglas C. Gruenke,advised against granting the varianceand Development Director TedShekell and City Administrator Wal-ter Denton agreed. The site’s zoningis specific to auto sales.

New Fenton, MO, Body ShopApproved by City Council

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Collision Repair Instructor Leaves GenerousLegacy for Coldwater, MI, Career CenterJoseph Bakle, the first collision repairinstructor at the Branch Area CareersCenter (from 1973-90), left a gener-ous gift after his passing in 2013 to theBranch County Community Founda-tion in the amount of $156,299.77.

Because of that gift, scholar-ships will be available to studentspursuing careers in auto collision.

The BACC Scholarship Fundhoused at the community foundationbegan in 2001 with a goal to “raiseenough money to give a student fromeach BACC program a scholarshipevery year.”

Bakle graduated from MarkTownship High School in Mark Cen-ter, Ohio, in 1946 and was hired onan annual authorization requiringhim to earn his teaching degree.

Bakle first attended Ferris StateUniversity, where he took the Na-tional Occupational Competency testin auto body and scored in the upper25 percent nationally. He then com-pleted his bachelor’s degree in 1983in secondary education with an autobody endorsement from Ferris StateUniversity.

Bakle taught at the BACC for17 years until he retired in 1990—at

which point he began his nine-yearsubstitute teaching career at theBACC.

Throughout that time he alsovolunteered many hours to train andprepare students for the collision re-pair Skills USA competitions andnumerous demonstrations for colli-sion repair students.

In 2012 Bakle contributed tothe BACC Scholarship EndowmentFund, allowing the BACC to providea $500 scholarship to one outstand-ing senior from each of the 14 pro-grams at the center.

That same year, he was in-ducted into the National TechnicalHonorary Society. Additionally,Bakle received several awards ofrecognition for his years of teachingand was involved in various educa-tional clubs.

He served on the ColdwaterZoning Board from 1990-96, volun-teered his time at the CommunityHealth Center of Branch County andin Iron Mountain for Habitat for Hu-manity, Dickinson Memorial Hospi-tal, substance abuse programs andthe Breen and Crystal Lake SeniorCenters.

by Krista Ramsey at Cincinnati.com

Tammy Grigsby of Covington is ec-static to be receiving free auto repairfrom skilled technicians. “This placeis like angels in heaven to me,” shesays.

After losing her job as a pastrychef in 2011, losing everything sheowned in an apartment fire the next yearand losing her unemployment benefitsthis year, Tammy no longer takes thingslike windshield wiper blades or air fil-ters for granted.

“You buy a quart of oil or some-thing for dinner – that’s where I amright now,” she says.

A few yards away from her, in thegarage of Walther Autobody in Coving-ton, a team of men in coveralls or flan-nel shirts and blue jeans is making sureTammy’s money goes toward dinner.

They’re part of the Samaritan CarCare Clinic, a ministry of the MadisonAvenue Christian Church in Coving-ton that four times a year provides freebasic car maintenance for people inneed. As they check the radiator fluid,replenish windshield wiper fluid,change the oil and add air to the tiresof Tammy’s 2004 Ford Taurus—whichshe bought six days before the restau-rant where she worked closed and just

paid off—the men know they’re doingmore than helping Tammy hold ontomoney for a meal. They’re helping herhold onto hope for a job.

“So many of the cars we see are ontheir last leg, but this is all they have todrive—it’s not like if something’swrong, they just hop into their othercar,” says Tom Seeger, a retired Cincin-nati Bell technician. “When the car’sdown, they don’t go to work.”

And at the entry-level jobs mosthold, if they don’t show up for work,they soon don’t have a job.

The car care program startednearly seven years ago after churchmembers noticed that many of the peo-ple—especially women—showing upfor free weekly dinners had seriousproblems with their cars. “From thework we do, we have a good feel for theneeds of the poor, and the biggest chal-lenge for the working poor is trans-portation,” the Rev. ChinnamuthuSimon says.

Simon turned to church memberBruce Kintner, a PNC Bank vicepresident with car maintenance skills,who came up with the idea of the clinicand recruited other volunteers, amongthem an accountant, graphic designer,nursing home orderly and claimsagent.

After they advertised the servicethrough Head Start programs and theWomen’s Crisis Center, six womenshowed up for the first clinic in 2007.

Ever since, as soon as the clinicsare announced, all 16 half-hour ap-pointment slots are filled immediately.Walther Autobody donates use of itsgarage. Ashland Inc. donates Valvolineoil. The Women’s Fund of the GreaterCincinnati Foundation does an annualfundraiser. And last December, En-quirer readers donated funds to pay fora year of the clinics.

About 90 percent of those whobring their cars in are women. Severalhave been living in their vehicles.

Some, like Grigsby, who says sheknows nothing about cars and has noone who can help her, brings her car inevery session. “I go on the Internet if Ihear something wrong with my carand I start freaking out. To get a job, Ihave to keep my car safe,” she says. “Ihave no knowledge of cars, but I’vebeen coming here for three years andthey’ve been teaching me. They justshowed me how to put in transmissionfluid and to check it.”

A basic understanding of theircars can be more than money-savingfor the clients. It could be life-saving.Many of the cars have been so poorly

maintained that they present a roadhazard, Kintner says. He remembers aPontiac Bonneville brought in thatheld 4.5 quarts of oil, but was down toof a quart.

“It’s amazing that the engine did-n’t seize up,” he says. “But it wasgoing to.”

The tires on another woman’s carrequired 35 pounds of air pressure, butwere running on only 15. “Even airtakes money at filling stations, and shetold us, ‘I don’t have the dollar,’ ”Kintner recalls.

While the volunteers don’t domajor repairs like engine overhauls orbrake jobs, they know that they aredoing at the ground level what politi-cians and policymakers talk about allthe time: helping people retain jobs.

“I get the feeling that 15 yearsago, people wrote a check. Now peo-ple want to use their skills to helpsomeone else,” says Greg Patterson, aProcter & Gamble employee and first-time volunteer.

He says the four hours of volun-teering have left him with a better un-derstanding of other people’s needsand a stronger sense of gratitude.

“There are times when I feel myfinances are tight,” he says. “Not evenclose.”

Covington, KY’s Samaritan Car Care Clinic, A Church Group, Provides for Needy Every Quarter

techs are very interested in the newervehicles, and this class is always pop-ular. People who attended this four-hour class earned three I-CAR credits,and I can safely say it was a huge suc-cess. We also had a booth at the showso that people could ask us questionsabout I-CAR and discuss anythingthey wanted to talk about.”

A six-member panel discussionabout new technology was also a big hitlater in the day. “There have been somany changes in this industry recentlyand all of these great things that are com-ing around the corner, so we thought afocus on new technology would betimely and appropriate,” Chaney said.

“There Is No Free Lunch” was thetheme of the luncheon presentation, fea-turing keynote speaker Iowa SenatorBrad Zaun, who encouraged everyonein the Iowa collision industry to worktogether by joining the ICRA and stay-ing involved with their local legislators.

Zaun was followed by the InsurerMandate Panel Discussion, which in-cluded six panelists representing allsegments of the collision industry.

Janet Chaney was the moderator andthe panel answered questions regard-ing the insurer mandate of PartsTrader.

“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 strongworking relationships to continueworking together as they have, as longas they choose to participate in thisprogram.” It appears from this discus-

sion that the industry is paying closeattention to all insurer mandates andrealizes that there is a flurry of activ-ity in the parts procurement 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 inwhat 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.”

Aeromotive, ALLDATA, andOptima Automotive offered educa-tional training sessions on the show-room 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 trade show chairman DickMerron said, “Awesome show, witheducation, training, cutting-edge equip-ment—an all-in-one show right here inIowa. And the admission was free.What a deal!”


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Continued from Cover

Midwest Trade Show

Iowa Senator Brad Zaun encouraging ICRAmembership and staying involved withlegislators at the 2014 Midwest Auto BodyTrade Show.

Ford Motor Company Power Train and CollisionMarketing Technical Operations ManagerRobert King presenting


Marshall Auto Body in Waukesha,WI, has received the 2014 Wiscon-sin Sustainable Process of the Yearaward by the Wisconsin SustainableBusiness Council. Their businessmodel is centered on customer valueand eliminating or minimizing asmuch waste activity and material aspossible. These changes have meantless waste to recycle, lower energyconsumption, lower material usageand the ability to get the bulk of theirelectrical power from a large 72kWsolar panel array.

Eight years ago, the companyimplemented a lean manufacturingsystem that helps them to find andeliminate waste, surface problems,and even increase utilization andthroughput. Along with their work ineliminating waste, the companymonitors their energy usage andmakes that available online throughtheir e-gauge. Marshall has part-nered with H&H Group Holdings(another Green Maters Participant)to install solar panels at their facil-ity. Their monitoring system allowsthem to plan for and minimize peakdemand for energy consumption.Marshall Auto Body hopes to be car-bon neutral by 2016.

Waukesha Shop Wins WI’sSustainable Process Award

The City of Ste. Genevieve’s Board ofAldermen meeting took an unex-pected turn March 13 when GeorgeWehner, whose special-use permit ap-plication for an auto body and repairshop and auto sales business at was upfor consideration issued what couldbe taken as a threat to city officials.

“You guys need to rememberwhat [Charles Lee] ‘Cookie’ Thorn-ton [did] to Kirkwood City Hall,”Wehner said. In 2008, Thorntongunned down several city officials atKirkwood City Hall before being shotand killed.

After the meeting, Police ChiefEric Bennett said Wehner’s commentwas noted. He said the department hasbeen on alert since the 2008 Kirk-wood shooting for any situations thathave the potential to escalate and veerinto dangerous territory.

In a telephone message left Sat-urday, March 15, on a voice recorderat the Ste. Genevieve Herald office,Wehner apologized for the Thorntoncomment. “I was under a lot of stressat the time, and in no way did I meanit as a threat,” Wehner said.

City officials said that Wehnerhad not (yet) issued an apology to thecity at press time.

MO Shop Owner ReferencesMass Shooting, Apologizes

Winter Car Crashes Up 61% in Grand Haven, MI, AreaWinter car crashes were up an average61 percent in Northwest Ottawa Countycompared to last season, according todata analysis by the Grand Haven Trib-une.

It was one of the best winters everat Fritz Auto Body in Grand Haven,with a 30 percent increase in business,co-owner Dave Fritz said.

But it wasn’t just the snow thatled to dents and dings—the cold leftmany car owners cracking up.

“What we encountered this year,with the temperature being so muchcolder and the new cars having ure-thane bumpers, people would hit thesnow banks and the bumpers wouldcrack,” Fritz said. “We definitely sawan increase in the amount of claims onbumpers because of the cold.”

While new bumpers are de-signed to flex, bitter cold tempera-tures make them brittle and prone tocracks.

Fritz praised local road crews forkeeping the streets in good condition

despite the barrage of blizzards, but henoted the high snow banks led tomany crashes due to poor visibilitywhen people were pulling out of park-ing lots or driveways.

“We had a lot of human error be-cause the conditions we had were ex-ceedingly more difficult than theyhave been in the past,” he said. “Itwasn’t just the inexperienced drivers.A lot of experienced drivers got intoaccidents, too.”

Deeper snow also caused moredamage when people went off theroad, according to Fritz. Damages var-ied from $300 to $10,000.

Fritz noticed pricier damages oc-curred when people probably shouldn’thave been on the roads.

“The whiteout days, those are thedays that create the high-ticket acci-dents,” Fritz said. “When there’s awarning to get off the road, there’s areason for that. Most of the cars thatwere out in a blizzard have substan-tially higher damage numbers.”

A federal grand jury has indicted fourIndianapolis men for allegedly oper-ating a heroin distribution ring out ofan inner-city auto body shop, prose-cutors said April 10.

The indictment containedcharges of conspiracy to distribute acontrolled substance against Fran-cisco Javier Perez-Garcia, 36;Mario Vasquez, 26; Agustin Mar-tinez-Acosta, 46; and Jeronimo La-gunes, 27. Perez-Garcia and Vasquezalso were charged with conspiracy todistribute methamphetamine, prose-cutors said.

The ring sold heroin from Perez-Garcia’s body shop in the Brightwoodneighborhood on the near northeastside of Indianapolis, prosecutors said.Customers would phone the bodyshop to order heroin and Perez-Garcia,Vasquez and Martinez-Acosta wouldsell it to them, they said. Prosecutorssaid they believe the heroin originatedin Mexico, California and Houston.During a traffic stop of Lagunes’ carMarch 23 on Interstate 70 west of In-

dianapolis, Brownsburg police foundmore than a kilogram of heroin in aGucci purse in the rear of the vehicle,prosecutors said. The heroin with astreet value of about $100,000 hadbeen destined for the ring to distributeon the east side of Indianapolis.

“Heroin has become the scourgeof our community in the past severalyears,” U.S. Attorney Joe Hogsettsaid. “Few substances are more lethalright now. Heroin has no socio-eco-nomic or racial boundary and impactsevery corner of our state.”

The Drug Enforcement Adminis-tration increased heroin seizures morethan threefold between 2008 and2013, said Dennis Wichern, assistantspecial agent in charge for Indiana.

The defendants face mandatoryminimum sentence of 10 years to lifeif convicted, prosecutors said. All fourmen are in federal custody.

A message seeking comment wasleft for an attorney for Lagunes. Courtrecords did not list attorneys for theother three men.

Indianapolis Heroin Ring Alleged at City Body Shop

Collex Collision Experts has openeda new location in Waterford, MI, giv-ing the company 16 total repair facil-ities—13 in Michigan and three inFlorida.

“We are extremely excited tohave had consistent growth over thelast 39 years and be able to providehigh quality auto body repair to alarger market,” said Nick Booras,vice president of sales and marketing

for Collex Collision Experts. “Thiswould not be possible without thegreat team members we have in placetoday. Creating opportunity withincommunities we serve has been para-mount since the beginning and theability to serve another communitycontinues to humble us as an organi-zation.”

Collex Collision Adds Waterford, MI, Location




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body 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 is

getting 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, weneed 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 the

point where we realized that if wewanted 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, because itbrings 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 out andmeeting people, marketing to themand branding your shop—things thatshops don’t feel they need in a DRPenvironment. So, in many ways, we’rereverting back to the old ways ofdoing things, because they work. Thedownside is that if you get almost allyour work from your DRPs, what hap-pens when you lose a few of them?

Q: Based on your experience, where

do shops tend to drop the ball when itcomes to marketing?

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

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

DT: The old days of shady operatorsin this area of Missouri at least are athing of the past. They’ve gone awayand what’s left are good shops that dogood business. But, there are a ton of



Dave Tritz

The Alliance of Automotive ServiceProviders of Minnesota’s (AASP-MN)legislative proposal which would haveprohibited insurers from specifying or re-quiring that a repair shop utilize “specificvendors, distributors, manufacturers,suppliers, business platforms or internalprocesses in order to carryout vehicle re-pairs for an insured or claimant” was notgiven a hearing in either the House orSenate Commerce Committee duringMinnesota’s 2014 Legislative Session.

The bill, which also would haveprohibited insurers from steering in-sureds to particular shops for estimates,did not advance due to a combinationof strong insurance industry oppositionand the constraints of an abbreviatedlegislative session with tight commit-tee deadlines.

Insurance companies character-ized the bill as eliminating direct re-pair programs and waged an all-outcampaign to kill it. In fact, many shopswere contacted directly by insurancecompany representatives who report-edly attempted to instill fear of losingbusiness, put pressure on the Associa-tion to change course and divide therepair industry.

AASP-MN Executive Director,Judell Anderson, said, “The Associ-ation’s concern is that insurers are tak-ing a more and more active role intrying to dictate repair shop businesspractices in the context of these pro-grams. Too often, insurer mandatesadversely affect the efficiency andprofitability of the repair shop, whiledoing nothing to ensure the safe andproper repair of the vehicle or to en-hance the repair experience of the cus-tomer. The legislation is intended tobring about a more balanced approachand restore shop owners’ control overtheir own business relationships andpractices.”

Based on the input of its mem-bers, AASP-MN will continue to workon this issue. The proposal will un-dergo review through the Association’sCommittee process and then furtherdiscussions will be held with the insur-ance industry. AASP-MN will be readyto hit the ground running when the2015 Legislative Session begins.

them 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 moreshops to the party, but will all of theadded equipment and training pay foritself over time? We’re interested, ofcourse, but we want to do it in a smartway and not just rush into it just be-cause the guy down the street is doingit.

Q: Do you embrace new technologyas part of your business model?

DT: We’re always trying to improveourselves by continually looking fornew technologies, but there are somany things out there that it’s a littleoverwhelming. So, we have to decidewhat works for us and what doesn’t,because it’s a big universe. Most ofmy employees are considerablyyounger than I am and we often havediscussions about technology and howto use it. For a long time a youngwoman in our office said we needeveryone to have dual computer mon-itors to be more effective and I foughtit for a time. Then one day she was outand I sat down and could quickly tellwhy she wanted two monitors. Assoon as she got back from vacation,everyone got two monitors, because itmakes them more effective and theycan do a better job.


AASP-MN Anti-Mandate Bill Hits Roadblock

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MI Collision Repair Student Sierra Lantz is Learning Repair but toward a Racing CareerWhat started with racing her go kartsand snowmobiles has turned into a fulltime dream come true for SierraLantz, a student in the Auto CollisionRepair program at the Tech Center.The recent class project: her own 1989Mustang which she’ll race at the Kala-mazoo Speedway for the summer sea-son.

“I want to go as far as I can,” saidLantz about her future. “I like Indi carsbut I will race anything.”

Sierra’s upgrade to full sized carsbegan with racing a four cylinderHonda Civic for a year and a half at theBerlin Raceway. “We run a tightbudget so we race what we can,” shesaid. Sierra is excited to be switchingcars, and raceways this year. “I likeFords and have always wanted a Mus-tang. Now I have one.”

“No one else in my family actuallyraces,” said Sierra, who completelyowns her passion for speeding throughfinish lines. She explained that her father

had been workingwith her to fix upcars and other ve-hicles for years, butracing was heridea.

Sierra wasappreciative thatthe Tech Centerhas helped hercontinue to learnabout cars. Notonly was it funto bring her owncar into class to

work on, but the facilities at the TechCenter made the final touches to thecar much easier, she said.

Now her Mustang, referred to ashe or she, depending on Sierra’smood, is a stunning black, pink andsilver. Not many high school studentscan boast having a vehicle similar totheir dream car before graduation.Sierra is close, admitting “Someday Iwant an all pink Mustang with blackracing stripes.”

The Tech Center provides reallife experiences in 24 different pro-grams, helping students explore ca-

reers, define career paths and realizetheir true passions. Along the way,they develop skills they can use in col-lege courses and when starting theircareers.

Sierra Lantz is excited to race hernew Mustang this summer (cr. Chris-tine Vanermeer)Sierra Lantz is excitedto race her new Mustang this summer(cr. Christine Vanermeer)

“The Auto Collision class givesgood fundamentals,” said Ken Vander-warf, a career specialist at KCTC. “Ithelps students determine if they wantto continue into an auto-related career.”

Sierra’s ambition goes far. “Weonly have one or two girls in class, andSierra can outdo most of the boys,”said Vanderwarf.

Sierra Lantz has had a racing passion for years

KCTC Sierra Lantz is planning some excitingracing for her Mustang this summer

Sierra Lantz withAuto Collision

program instructorCharles Heinz

(Credit: ChristineVanermeer)

has 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 repairthe vehicles properly for the safety ofthe consumer. It is unfortunate that thedriving public are bombarded dailywith billions of dollars of advertisingthe 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. The

fight 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-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 against


Tortious Interference?


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

ALLDATA’s VIN Decoder HasBeen Enhanced


Josh’s Collision, formerly Mike’s Truckand Auto Body repair on the western sideof Park Rapids, MN, on Highway 34west, has come a long way for a buildingthat has essentially stayed within thesame family, writes Nick Longworth atParkrapidsenterprise.com

Owner Josh Kruchowski was atone point a worker for two-and-a-halfyears at the building when it was Mike’s,only to branch off on his own for thesame amount of time. But then the op-portunity came to come back, this timeas the boss.

“I bought the shop from my uncleand cousin. I originally was a worker forthem for two-and-a-half years, but andthen split ways to start my own shop. Iused to be located out near Ken’s Lockand Key, three miles south on highway71. I was renting that location and wasthere for three years, but was gettingmore work and needed more room,”said Josh Kruchowski.

“I was looking for a building whenI ran into my cousin Dan at Subway, ac-tually. We got to talking, I talked to hisdad and we came to an agreement and Ibought it. They were going to sell and Iwas offered first dibs,” Kruchowski said.

As more work began to come,Josh’s Collision was in need of morespace to handle more customers.

“I knew the building and that itwas newly put up in 2007. It had a lotof good features such as an air com-pressor, hoist, in-floor heat, 16-foothigh ceilings for getting semis inside,and a few other things. But the biggestthing why I moved out of Ken’s wasthat I needed the room. I was grow-ing,” Kruchowski said.

At an early age, Josh’s family andown interest sparked a desire to be inthe auto body repair business.

“My Uncle Mike was the one whofirst got me into the business, but I real-ized at the beginning that it might besomething I want to do as a career. I wentto a two-year program at NorthlandTechnical College in Thief River Falls.Then I ended up getting a job right out ofschool and working two-and-a-half yearsat the Chrysler dealership in Thief RiverFalls, but the family business brought meback to Park Rapids,” Kruchowski said.

Now running his own shop, Josh’sCollision offers a wide range of serv-ices for nearly everything this side of aLamborghini.

“I offer frame straightening, color-matching painting, glass replacement,upholstery, aluminum and steel weld-ing, custom airbrushing, and acces-sories. My wife’s stepdad is a mechanicso if I have any mechanical issues that

I can’t figure out I can send it over tohim. I did the woodwork for a 1932Oldsmobile, I’ve restored little redwagons; there isn’t much that I haven’tdone,” Kruchowski said.

“If you name it, I can either fix itor find someone that can. I alwaysfound it really neat how you can takesomething that is completely smashedup and make it look almost brand newagain. That always fascinated me.”

Realizing there are a number ofauto body shops within reach fromPark Rapids, Kruchowski tries to offera great value in the services he canprovide to his customers.

“I’m very particular on what I doeven after I get done with a vehicle.People are always very happy to seetheir vehicle back to the way it lookedprior to an accident. It’s very rewardingto me to see the end product once it’sall done,” Kruchowski said.

“When you do a really great joband everything looks perfect, it’s morerewarding than money in the pocket.I’ve still got bills, but it feels good. Itreat a customer how I would like tobe treated walking through the door sothere is a lot of reward in what I do.It’s very rewarding to me to see theend product once it’s all done.” Josh’sCollision can be reached at 237-5660.

Josh’s Collision Opens in Park Rapids, MN, Shop Stays in the Family

State 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’spronouncements regarding these mat-ters.”

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

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

In fact, “State Farm knew 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 standards

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

Neither scenario is palatable tomany body shops.

“There are a lot of them 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.

Continued from Page 14



Jerry Schoenecker and his wife,Mary started Jerry’s Auto Body in OakPark Heights in April of 1974. The cal-endar from the first month of businessstill hangs on the wall. Although Jerry

Sr. passed away, the shop has re-mained family-owned, and brothersJerry, Joe and John still work there, aswell as Jerry Jr.’s stepson MikeDeCorse. The shop has about 10 full-time employees, and Jerry Jr. says halfhave been with the shop 30 years ormore. “We’re fixing people’s grand-kids’ cars now,” Jerry Jr. said. Jerrysaid the shop keeps customers becausestaff focuses on service. “We alwaystry to do a little extra,” he said. “Ser-vice, service, service is our deal.”

Jerry’s Auto Body, a FamilyShop for 40 years in MN

From left, family members Mike DeCorse,John Schoenecker, Joe Schoenecker andJerry Schoenecker Jr. outside family-ownedJerry’s Auto Body in Oak Park Heights.(Gazette staff photo by Jonathan Young)

The Automotive Service Associationof the Midwest (ASA-Midwest)hosted the 22nd annual VISION Hi-Tech Training and Expo at the Over-land Park Convention Center andadjoining Sheraton Hotel in OverlandPark, KS, March 6–9, 2014.

The 2014 VISION Hi-TechTraining and Expo exceeded atten-dance expectations with over 3,000 in-dustry professionals from 37 statesand five Canadian provinces and asold-out exhibit floor. Combined, at-

tendees received 17,300 hours oftraining. This was all in accordancewith the ASA-Midwest goal for theevent, “To provide management andtechnical training to the independentautomotive service industry at an af-fordable cost through the support ofsponsors and exhibitors,” explainsSheri Hamilton, executive director ofASA-Midwest.

Exhibitors recognize the value ofparticipating in the expo. CertifiedTransmission describes the event as

being the “best value—betterthan many, if not all, showsthat we attend and exhibit in.”SP2 believes the ASA-Mid-west VISION Hi-Tech Train-ing and Expo is “a greatopportunity for instructors,technicians, owners, vendors,and guests to interact in an at-mosphere of sharing. I willrecommend this conferenceto everyone.” VISION is “one

of CustomerLink’s favorite shows. It’sso well-organized that it’s a pleasureto coordinate, and it’s so well attended

that my sales reps like going to it. It’sbig enough to be worthwhile, yetsmall enough to really enjoy it. Weusually get a lot of leads from theshow, but, mostly, we love it just to in-teract with ASA personnel, as well asour own customers. It’s a great show!”

More than 80 management andtechnical training sessions were heldthroughout the four-day event, in ad-

dition to several live-broadcast train-ing sessions and panel discussions.Supplementing traditional classroom

training, VISION also heldlive, hands-on training ses-sions to further develop skillsand knowledge for techni-cians.

The 2014 VISION Educa-tor Think Tank featured a fullday of training and networkingfor automotive educators, andit concluded with an hour-longpanel discussion on the impor-tant issues impacting modern

educators. This panel discussion wasbroadcast live through iATN and can beviewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXt1LBS6E94.

The repair professionals in atten-dance were particularly impressedwith the plethora of information pro-vided in the various seminars that theycan incorporate into their daily opera-


2014 VISION Hi-Tech Training and Expo Hosted by ASA-Midwest

with Chasidy Rae SiskMidwest Associations

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

V3 Exhibit Hall

VISION HiTech attendees listen attentively to useful infor-mational seminars

See 2014 VISION, Page 18

Attorneys for repair shops that filed suitagainst State Farm and more than adozen other insurers recently respondedto the insurer’s request for the U.S.Middle District of Florida Court, Or-lando division, to dismiss their antitrustand steering lawsuit, saying that thereis “more than sufficient facts assertedto satisfy the pleading requirements.”

The Florida repair shops suedState Farm and dozens of other insur-ers. See See this issue and AutobodyNews April issue for more on the law-suit, or search online at Autobo-dynews.com.

“Plaintiffs allege that Defendantsimposed maximum price limitations forautomobile parts and services, adoptedsimilar reimbursement policies andpractices, and attempted to steer cus-tomers away from shops that refused toadhere to Defendants’ price limitations.The ‘crucial question,’ however, is‘whether the challenged anticompeti-tive conduct stem[s] from independentdecision or from an agreement, tacit orexpress,’’ State Farm’s attorneys writein 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 insuffi-cient, 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 authority towhich it cites. When the correct legalstandards are applied, a straightforward

reading of the complaint establishesthere is more than sufficient facts as-serted to satisfy the pleading require-ments.

“Defendant State Farm’s numer-ous misrepresentation of fact and lawdo not alter this. The motion to dismissis without any merit, legal or factual.The plaintiffs respectfully submit itshould denied in its entirety,” attorneysclaim.

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 deci-sions at press time.


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

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

The 34-page suit alleges insurershave violated the federal ShermanAct, both in price-fixing and throughboycotting tactics.

They contend the boycotting ef-forts include insurers telling policy-holders that a certain shop will be moreexpensive and that choosing it alsomeans they’ll be responsible for addi-tional rental-car charges.

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

The collision shops seek unspec-ified compensatory damages forunder-payments as well as damage forlost business opportunities.

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



tions to improve their businesses.Steve Landry of Precision Auto inGunnison, CO, noted “as a first-timeattendee, I was very impressed withthe level of technical training as wellas management training—I will bebringing my technicians next year!”

Kurt Born of Schrock RepairInc. in Goodfield, IL, lauds the eventas “excellent [with] high-quality train-ing… people don’t travel from allover the country for nothing! This issome of the best training that there is.You must attend to be able to compre-hend!”

“Bringing our team to VISION isone of the best investments we canmake to improve our shop! The qual-ity of trainers and networking oppor-tunities with others in the industrycannot be topped! It’s just the BEST!”raved Diane Larson of Larson’s Serv-ice, Inc. in Peabody, MA, whileKevin Thomas of Kevin’s Car Carein Barnhart, MO, looks “forward tothis event each year with high expec-tations, and, every year, my expecta-

tions are exceeded. The training, thehospitality, the camaraderie, the en-tertainment, and the socializing are allfantastic. I can’t wait for next year!”

The 23rd annual VISION Hi-Tech Training and Expo is scheduledfor March 5–8, 2014, at the OverlandPark Convention Center.

VISION strives to educate repairprofessionals to keep them currentwith the most relevant training needsof today and the future, and, thoughASA-Midwest hosts the event, Hamil-ton stresses,

“VISION is not an event solelyfor the members of ASA or ASA-Mid-west. The event is designed for the in-dependent service professional toreceive some of the industry’s topmanagement and technical trainingavailable, as well as provide network-ing and mentoring opportunities togrow their business.”


2014 VISION

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But it also is clearly the new F-150, analuminum-intensive vehicle expected tohit showrooms in November, that is be-hind Ford’s push to increase the num-ber of body shops equipped and trainedto work on aluminum. The F-150 hasbeen the best-selling vehicle in thecountry for more than three decades;Ford sold more than 700,000 F-150pick-ups last year alone.

“The goal is to have enough ca-pacity to be able to handle the F-150,”Massie said. “We know that roughly 80percent of our customers are going toindependent body shops. Less than 50percent of our dealerships even have abody shops. Of those that have bodyshops, probably about 800 are really inreally in the collision business. We re-alize we cannot have a mainstream re-pair process (for the F-150) if we wereto direct all our customers only to ourdealers.”

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 list-ing on Ford’s shop locator, Massie said,an independent shop must be nomi-nated by a Ford dealer. Ford dealerswithout a body shop will likely nomi-nate the shop(s) to which it refers colli-sion repair work, Massie said, and othershops may be nominated by the dealerfrom which they buy wholesale parts.Although the automaker is placing fewlimits on the number of shops a dealermay nominate nor the distance from adealer an independent shop must be toparticipate, Massie acknowledged get-ting the right number of shops in theright locations is the “tricky” or “touchypiece of the whole idea of recognizingindependents.”

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

Massie said as the program growsover time, there may be issues the au-tomaker needs to address in some mar-kets if, for example, a dealer is resistingbringing enough independent shopsinto the program. But Massie said thosewho sell the vehicle know it’s not in

their best interest to tell a customer theywill have to wait long or go far to get itfixed.

“To the top of the house at FordMotor Company, they recognize thatwe need to have independents in-volved,” Massie said.

The initial requirements to join arefocused on more general repair, Massiesaid, but to remain in the program in2015, a shop must be “aluminum capa-ble,” including having an area 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 trainingcourses and welding certification are re-quired. Shops are only required to haveone technician trained, Massie said, butthe goal is to train anyone repairing theF-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 get moreinformation about the program by call-ing (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 continued


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Ford’s Plan

See Ford’s Plan, Page 26

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

by Ed Attanasio

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

You can read the full article online at Autobodynews.com, by searching Dave Jones.Autobody News endorses Jones for re-election. He has been one of the most ef-

fective and reliable Insurance Commissioner’s in the country’s largest market. Collisionrepairers nationwide would do well to support a local candidate like Jones.

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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.


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

Rob Rainwater

Larry MontanezTony Ferraiolo

with Chasidy Rae SiskNortheast News




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

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

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

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

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

Fatal Shooting At Colleton,SC, Auto Body Shop

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

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

GCIA’s Members Hosted TwoSpeakers at March Meeting

the automaker’s efforts to ensure deal-ers, collision repairers and insurers thatF-150 design engineers kept repairabil-ity in mind when developing the vehi-cle.

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

“You’ll have the very front stub,the front third, and the rear third avail-able sections for service,” Coan said.“But we will also offer 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 (al-though the outerrocker on the crew-cab model cannotbe sectioned). Themounting tab forthe B-pillar stopsshort of the roof,eliminating the

need to remove or cut access in theroof. Two repair methods—welding, or

a rivet-bond procedure—are acceptablefor floorpan sectioning, Coan said. Andevery sheet metal replacement part forthe vehicle will include an instructionsheet.

“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 lim-iting structural pulls on the vehicle assome European automakers do onaluminum-intensive vehicles.

“Is there a fear that if we make apull on that body structure it will breakthe bonding agent on the other side ofthe car,” Dusty Womble of RogerBeasley Collision Center in Austin,Texas, asked.

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

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

“It is a big benefit to have this steelframe underneath the truck,” Tom

Green, Ford body and chassis commod-ity manager, responded. “We’re findingwith pulling that we’ll actually tear or

rip out the rivetsbefore the bondingcomes loose. So(pulling is allowed)most likely becausewe have more me-chanical fasteners.But I really can’tspeak for the other

OEMs. All we know is we’re able topull it. We’ve tested it out and we knowit’s not compromised.”

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

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

Ford will have a cut-away of thenew F-150 and more information avail-able for collision repairers at bothNACE in July in Detroit, and at SEMAin Las Vegas in November.

John Yoswick is a freelance writerbased in Portland, Oregon. Contact byemail at [email protected].

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Ford’s Plan

Larry Coan

Kye Yeung

Having been born and raised Rochelle,and after 15 years of experience in theauto body repair business, Rick “Zip”Zimmerman decided to venture out onhis own. In 1984, Zip rented what wasknown as the old Grennan Meatsbuilding on IL Route 251 on the southside of Rochelle. This building housedsix stalls for his repairs at the time.Two years later, Zip purchased thebuilding and after much renovationand several upgrades throughout theyears, his business has grown from asix-stall repair facility to a 21-stall re-

pair facility complete with state of theart equipment.

Now in his 30th year of business,Zip’s employs the most up-to-datedowndraft baking paint booth by ABSSystems, AKZO Nobel Sikkens com-puterized paint mixing system for themost accurate paint match in the busi-ness, ABS Systems Prep Station,Binks Crossdraft Paint Booth, twoBrewco 360 Frame Machines to han-dle the repairs on any unibody or fullframe vehicles and the Brewco 1000Measuring System.

Zip’s Auto Body is Celebrating 30 Years in Rochelle, IL

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

Craftsman Auto Body Opens11th Location in Virginia

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

Boyd Group Opens 3rd Shopin Fayetteville, NC

Marathon Collision in the greaterCharleston, SC, area, has promotedfemale employees to key positionsacross the company. “When pro-moted, decisions are made based onmerit and skill set, not gender,” saidRobert Sadeghian, general manager.“It just so happens that many of thesepromotions are female.” At MarathonCollision, the entire front office is fe-male. From the estimators to the serv-ice writers to the customer advocates.Marathon’s staff is just as good atgreeting a customer as they are get-ting underneath a vehicle to assesshidden damage.

Marathon works with local tech-nical colleges to recruit employees,and high schools where students from“shop” class work as interns. “Acci-dents happen on average every sevenyears and as the population continuesto grow, so does the collision busi-ness. ”

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

SC Shop Sees Benefits in Promoting More Females

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

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

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

For starters, 2014 marked thefirst Annual Northeast/National Glass

Corvette Association (NGCA) CarShow, which consisted of nearly 20classic cars from several decadesbeing displayed in the back corner ofthe expo floor.

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

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

Exhibitors were recognized at theAASP-NJ Exhibitor Appreciation Partyon Friday evening, complete with anappearance from comedian Gary De-Lena.

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

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

The 6th Annual Northeast Fam-ily Day on Sunday featured indoorcarnival games along with free pop-corn and ice cream for the kids toenjoy.

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

Tony Lombardozzi, president ofthe Coalition for Collision Repair Ex-cellence (CCRE), noted that in com-parison to the 2013 show, Northeast2014 had greater attendance and soldall exposition booths. “Vendors wereenthused with the fact that there were

many ‘real buyers’ walking the showfloor. One vendor commented to methat he would rather be in New Jerseythan at NACE.”

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

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


Northeast™ 2014 Automotive Services Show Reactions from Attendees

Corvettes set up in Expo Center for car show

Northeast 2014 expo shows an increase in at-tendance

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

Inspired by the Amphicar of the1960s, March started working on theWaterCar more than 15 years ago as apersonal challenge to build the world’sfastest amphibious vehicle. He had noplans to ever offer it to the public,March explained, but as he began re-fining his creation, he saw a need and amarket 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 a pur-pose-built vehicle, to be very fast onboth land and water. But, when the Wa-terCar established the amphibiousspeed record with our Python model,our attention turned to reliability, andwe began designing a vehicle to offerto the public.”

After numerous successes andfailures, 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 to beoffered to the public. March and his all-star team consisting of top automotivedesigners and technicians havetweaked the WaterCar’s design, and, byusing state-of-the-art equipment at

Fountain Valley Bodyworks, they’vecome up with the ultimate vehicle forboth land and sea.

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

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

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

March received a ton of publicitywhen he drove his WaterCar all theway from his shop in Fountain Valleyto Catalina Island in January 2014. Thestory, “Amphibious water car divesinto land and sea market,” made pageone of the Chicago Tribune and createda buzz worldwide. “We made the 30-mile trip at around 40 miles per hour,and we used about 10 gallons of fuelone-way. Typically, a boat will getaround four miles per gallon, so the

WaterCar isn’t just fast, it’s also greenand very economical. When we pulledinto that harbor, the people wereshocked and surprised when we droveup!”

Celebrities and billionaires areshowing interest in the WaterCar, butanyone with $140,000 lying aroundcan buy one, March said. “Wealthyfolks are always looking for the newesttoy, and the WaterCar definitely fits thebill. These famous people make us signnon-disclosure agreements, so I can’ttell you any names. But I can tell youthat one individual who is awaiting de-livery of his WaterCar is the founder ofa very well-known tech company.”(And his last name isn’t Zuckerberg,Ellision, or Wozniak!) “The attentionthis vehicle has received is prettyamazing, to say the least.”

The hottest markets for the Water-Car are currently in Florida and Dubai,March said. “Millionaires with 200-foot yachts want to have a WaterCar so

they can taxi around and then hit thestreets. With all of those little islands,

the WaterCar is perfect for Dubai, aswell as in the Florida Keys.”

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


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WaterCar Has Body Shop Owner Swimming in Business

with Ed AttanasioWestern News

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

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

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

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

See Watercar, Page 44

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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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Buses of Yellowstone—How About These for Barn Finds?

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

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-Trust

Statement,” 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 administrativeaspect of their work. He explained that

after 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 allof the parts from their normal vendors.

Because many local vendorssigned 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 out

that 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 to


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Barry Dorn of WMABA explains howPartsTrader has impacted his business


being unable to use the same vendorsthey’ve developed relationships withover many years.

Additionally, Elder mentionedthat he has heard complaints fromseveral non-DRP shops that have ex-perienced delays from vendors thatare too busy dealing with PartsTraderto service their normal customers.Though no shops have come forwardclaiming that PartsTrader is good fortheir business, the State Farm freetrial period lures shops and vendors

in, and this behavior of using the sys-tem becomes standard practice. Ashop owner from Mississippi proudlyannounced that he withdrew from theState Farm DRP because he owes it tohis customers to use the best availableparts.

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 1963Consent Decree is not being enforced.The overall consensus was that thecollision repair industry needs to showhow the mandated use of PartsTraderimpacts 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 tomandated parts procurement is to re-move themselves from the program.This led to a conversation aboutwhether the lack of work resultingfrom leaving the DRP proves steeringand how this is connected to anti-com-petition laws. The group discussed theinflux of MSOs and what that meansfor independent shops as well, but, asthe seminar concluded, the mostprevalent attitude among attendeesseemed to be “the longer you stay onthis program, the faster you’re goingto kill your future.”

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 in-creasing the use of high-strength steel by 77 percent,creates a lighter but strongervehicle. The demonstrationalso served to highlight thenew class-exclusive technol-ogy that has been used andthe gains in fuel economythrough the introduction ofsmaller displacement engines.Ford representatives also

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

Throughout the designingprocess, Ford has been working withseveral insurers to ensure they arebeing trained on the proper repairtechniques and that they have the cor-rect cost information to keep repaircosts down and standards high. In ad-dition to developing instructionsheets, Ford ias developed an onlinetraining course and is also collaborat-

ing with I-CAR to offer trainingcourses specific to repairing these alu-minum F-150s. Ford plans to attendtrade shows throughout the country—including the Collision Industry Con-ference (CIC) in April 2014,International Autobody Congress andExposition (NACE) in July 2014, andthe Specialty Equipment Market As-sociation (SEMA) Show in November2014—to disseminate this informationthroughout the industry.

Tactically Lean: Connecting the DotsBetween High-Minded Concepts andReal-World ResultsLee V. Rush, manager of businessconsulting services for Sherwin-Williams, presented “Tactically Lean:Connecting the Dots Between High-Minded Concepts and Real-World Re-sults,” a seminar intended to alter theway the industry views the term‘lean.’ Rush’s approach was devel-oped with collision repairers for colli-sion repairers, and one of themysteries of the lean concept is thatthough many shops attempt to go lean,few succeed. While the industry hasexplored this idea for decades, notmuch has changed in the industry be-cause there is frequently a disconnectbetween the architects of lean pro-grams and the shop floor. Rushstressed that “lean is a way of think-ing 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 that

supplies a product or service.The lean strategy is all aboutchanging the process to con-sistently deliver the right re-sults.To make the lean concept

work for them, shops muststandardize their work andstabilize their process, but ashop can’t just flip a switchand go lean—they have to bestrategic about implementing

the process. “It’s a journey,” Rush ex-plains. “By connecting the dots, weimprove operational performancethrough the use of lean tools with thelonger term goal of becoming a leanshop.”

Because shop owners are alreadyrunning successful businesses, there isa stigma about how the lean conceptis viewed, so it’s imperative to change

the way you think to reach the desiredoutcome of increased productivity andprofitability. 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 shorter

cycle 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 ahuge 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-

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

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

See Record-Breaking, Page 35

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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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

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.

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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 that

owns the assets shields the businessowner from liability so that if they aresued, their other assets cannot be lost.Sherman recommends a Limited Lia-bility Company (LLC) to avoid dou-ble taxation, though a transfer tax doesapply. If the business and land areboth being purchased, each should beplaced in separate LLCs to provide thebest protection from liability issues.

After acquiring the letter of in-tent, the next step is to obtain a signedcontract. There are two ways to sell abusiness: an asset purchase agreementor a stock transfer. Sherman recom-mends the former as it includes the ac-quisition of clients, permits/licenses,and equipment as well as the businessname and brand because you’re buy-ing the business in its entirety. Oncethe business is transferred, the assetpurchase agreement provides a firmseparation between the buyer andseller.

In contrast, with a stock transfer,the buyer takes on the business as is,and though it sounds easier, it’s not thebest idea from a liability standpointbecause the buyer is now stepping intothe seller’s shoes and assuming any is-sues that may arise. Regardless of theroute you choose, Sherman stresses

the importance of including indemni-ties and other provisions in the con-tract to ensure that the buyer continuesto run the business in the same manneras prior to the sale, which will con-tribute to a smooth transition.

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

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

their 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 fiveKPIs that should be tracked:

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Record-Breaking

See Record-Breaking, Page 45

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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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].

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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Read about the latest news and an-nouncements from CCC InformationServices.

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

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

Configuring a compelling shopprofile only takes a few minutes.Shops can upload pictures of the repairfacility, highlight services that mightset them apart, share the shop history,and indicate the type of payment ac-cepted. Shops that use CCC ONE Up-date Plus Status or UpdatePlus CSIcan share customer reviews directlywithin their Carwise profile. Validatedreviews and comments are presentedin an unbiased manner ensuring otherssee what actual customers are sayingabout 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.

“Visibility across our locationshas been a challenge for us, but wedon’t have the need or the resourcesfor a call center,” said Lance Bartczak,general manager of Kniesel’s Colli-sion Centers. “The seamless integra-tion between the CCC ONE platformand Contact Center allows for a sim-plified user experience that results ininstant callbacks, an increased posi-tive customer experience, reducedcycle times, happier insurance part-ners, and increased profitability. Tosay it’s a win-win is an understate-ment.”

“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, andthat’s exactly what we’re delivering inCCC ONE Contact Center,” saidJoseph Allen, CCC general manager.

TRUE Parts Network SuppliersOn April 17, 2014, CCC announcedthat four additional parts suppliers

joined the CCC TRUE Parts Network:Brandywine Economy Parts, CarroPacific Inc., ECO Automotive Dis-tributors, and PAM’s Auto Parts, Inc.

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

“We’re thrilled all of these greatsuppliers have signed on to join theCCC TRUE Parts Network and bringtheir parts inventories directly to col-lision 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 or-ders, which is a great benefit to ourparticipating suppliers and the colli-sion repairers that rely on them forparts.”

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

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

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

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

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

Bob Keith stated, “I am truly hon-ored to have been elected chairman ofthe Board of I-CAR. The time that Ihave spent on the Executive Commit-tee has shown me that I-CAR leader-ship and staff are all committed toproviding the highest quality training,certifications and resources to all seg-ments of the collision inter-industry.The 2014 Board of Directors is atremendous group of professionalswho will supply strategic guidance to

staff and keep them connected to the‘heartbeat’ of all industry segments.”

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

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

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

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

Supporting and Giving Back to the In-dustryIn 2013, I-CAR committed to set aside$1 for every I-CAR class attended bystudents in 2014, which enabled I-CAR to donate $170,000 to the Colli-sion Repair Education Foundation.

In March 2014, I-CAR taught itsten millionth student credit hour over

its 35-year legacy.John Van Alstyne, I-CAR CEO

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

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

Revamped Steering and SuspensionCourseOn April 7, 2014, I-CAR announcedthat the popular Steering and Suspen-sion Damage Analysis (DAM06)course has been completely revamped.DAM06 now includes up-to-date in-

formation on damage analysis proce-dures for the range of steering and sus-pension systems and parts featured invehicles being repaired today and a se-ries of interactive classroom activitiesdesigned to engage students and enrichtheir learning experience.

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

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


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

Limited-Time Promotion on I-CAR Introto Collision Repair Series Training Bun-dlesOn 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 repair seg-ments, including entry-level claimsadjusters, call center staff, front officesupport, and career and technicalschool students.

“Providing staff with founda-tional knowledge on the repair processcan have a positive impact on every-one involved—from the customer, tothe repairer or insurer, to the business,”stated Elise Quadrozzi, I-CAR direc-tor of Segment Development – Insur-ance.

The Intro to Collision Repair Se-ries includes an overview of vehicleparts and terminology, reading damage

reports, and repair and refinishingprocesses.

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

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

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

Visit www.i-car.com to learn more.


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Crash Course 2014 ReportThe CCC Crash Course 2014 reportnow includes an infographic and alive webinar series. Crash Course, anin-depth report that focuses on thefactors driving auto collision repairand total loss costs, is compiled usingresearch and information from a widerange of sources and an aggregatedset of data from the CCC data ware-house, which includes approximately140 million claims worth of informa-tion.

“The auto physical damage in-dustry continues to move quicklyas weather patterns, regulatory fac-tors, advancements in technology,and consumer preferences for prod-ucts and services evolve and con-verge,” said Susanna Gotsch, leadanalyst for CCC. “This year’s re-port looks at these factors individu-ally and together to help provideperspective on the overarching im-pact they are, and will continue tohave, on our industry. We’re ex-cited to extend the information re-ported on in Crash Course to otherformats, which we hope will pro-vide a more comprehensive view ofthe broader marketplace for colli-sion repairers, insurance carriers,parts suppliers, and other industryparticipants.”

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


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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

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

The Search Engine giant hashinted at some upcoming changes toits algorithm in their latest “Webmas-ter Help” video. Google’s Head ofWebspam, Matt Cutts, said they areworking on some changes that willhelp Google better determine when asite is an authority on a topic such asauto 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 aunique “articles” tab. From there, thebody shops can continue adding theirown articles as they see fit.

“The geo-targeted long tail key-word is crucial to ranking a local serv-ice business such as a body shoponline, and now we have increased ourability to rank our customers on a locallevel through our nationally rankedwebsite,” said Director of Marketing,Tom Zoebelein.

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

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




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Are Aluminum Cars Really Better for the Environment? 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.

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

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

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

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

tives is well suited for their posi-tions.”

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

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

receive such support and confidencefrom our members.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

SCRS 2014-2015 Board Elected in April 2014

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

“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 dothe job in three to four weeks, and ifthey really want to fast track it, they

can 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 he said,“I think it’s definitely bright. Oncepeople start seeing them more andmore, they’ll want them. The next bigthing we’d love to do with the Water-Car is take a trip down the EnglishChannel by Big Ben and then all theway to the Eiffel Tower. I’m pretty surethat would get some attention from thepeople at the Guinness Book ofRecords!”

To learn more about the WaterCar,visit http://watercar.fountainvalley-bodyworks.com.


Watercar

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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


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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

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)

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



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 totalgross profit: labor, parts, paint andmaterials, and sublet. Monitoringthese factors will help you maintainfocus on the significant and beneficialimpact it can have on your entireteam’s lives.● Touch time: Improve touch time byeliminating inefficiencies in the repairprocess and focusing on anything thatcauses repairs to start and stop. Im-

proving touch time will positively im-pact sales, profitability, productivity,customer satisfaction, your workingenvironment, and even the personallives of your employees and yourself!

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

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


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

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

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

“This venture of two well-estab-lished and reputable brands will resultin many opportunities for Service 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 they havecome to expect from Service King.”

“Today marks the culmination ofmany months of hard work, preparation,and planning,” said Jeff McFadden,president of Service King. “We havepositioned ourselves to continue to de-liver on the promise of the Service Kingbrand.”

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 offeringcustomers an overall superior serviceexperience. Founded more than 38 yearsago in Dallas, TX, Service King is aleader in the collision repair industrycurrently serving customers at 111 loca-tions across Texas, Arizona, Tennessee,Arkansas, Mississippi, Nevada, andOklahoma.

Service King Acquiring MSO Sterling Collision Ctrs

AudaExplore Enhances MAACO’s OperationalEfficiency with Repair PlatformsAudaExplore™, a leading data-drivensolution provider to insurance carriers,repairers, dealerships and fleet owners,announced that it has signed an agree-ment to provide its Driver Experienceand Repair Platforms to MAACO®

Collision Repair & Auto Painting.Customized specifically for

MAACO’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 with sig-nificantly more actionable and real-time operational data, resulting inpositive gains in shop efficiency forfranchisees, and a more satisfyingpaint and repair experience for theircustomers.

“The collision repair market ishighly competitive, so the quality ofdata—whether it’s an estimate oremployee productivity rate—playsan advantageous role,” said GordonHenderson, VP of Collision RepairSolutions, AudaExplore. “By offer-ing improved visibility into its shopsoperation and delivering applica-tions that create a differentiated cus-tomer experience, AudaExplore’ssolutions enable the company toadapt and grow efficiently. We lookforward to building out our partner-ship with MAACO and help thecompany achieve its expansiongoals.”

3M Continues Funding Scholarships For 2ndYear in 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 part ofthe application, a veteran would sub-mit information for the collisionschool he/she would like to attend andif a veteran is not aware of whatschools offer collision training, he/shecan contact the Education Foundationdirectly for a list of available schools.

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

Industry Week Fundraiser

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

KS Body Shop TemporarilyClosed for Tax Non-Payment

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

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

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

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

Matrix System 2015 FinishesCalendar Contest

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

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

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

SEMA Board of DirectorsCandidates Announced

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

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

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

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

Collision Industry FoundationAnnounces New Trustees



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Autobody News May 2014 Midwestern Edition

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