March 2017 Midwestern Edition

Midwestern Midwestern Edition E Ed d i t i on Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Michigan Minnesota

Missouri Nebraska North Dakota Ohio South Dakota Wisconsin

35

YEARS

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LKQ Corporation Purchases Pennsylvania Body Shop

by Stacey Phillips

A Muncy, PA, body shop has confirmed that it was purchased by LKQ Corporation, one of North America’s largest aftermarket parts suppliers. Autobody News reached out to Dustin Newman, the body shop manager at Apple Hill Auto & Collision, regarding the deal.

“I think the owner felt he took the business as far as he could himself and wanted to see about getting corporate to be able to further continue growing and getting bigger,” said Newman.

He said the business was sold in February and the logistics are not yet finalized. Autobody News asked LKQ

ASA-MI's Legislative Initiatives: An Interview with Association President Ray Fisher

Quoting Lily Tomlin, who once said, “Somebody should do something about that. Then I realized I am someASA-MI has been one very busy organization for the past couple of years. body,” Fisher added, “If there is any In addition to holding their normal truth to this quote, ASA-MI not only programs, the association spent an exshowed that we are ‘somebody’—we orbitant amount of time repgot legislators to listen and understand that we represent resenting the collision and a respectful industry!” mechanical automotive reFollowing MI’s two-year pair industries in legislative legislative session which battles. ended December 31, 2016, ASA-MI President Ray Fisher took time to talk with Fisher says, “Our industry needs to understand the imAutobody News about the asRay Fisher portance of being involved in sociation’s recent initiatives (file photo) and to offer insights to collilegislation—because most of the time it is to make sure that if there sion repair industry professionals inis or will be a law, that we ensure it terested in getting involved with such matters in the future. meets the objective set forth and is In 2015, ASA-MI’s focus was on done as efficiently as possible. Sometimes, it is done to make sure that updating the state Automotive Repair everyone plays by the same rules!”

See Ray Fisher, Page 4

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

Apple Hill Auto & Collision, located in Muncy, Pennsylvania

about the recent purchase and was told that “At this time, we have no comment regarding this transaction.”

LKQ Corporation provides alternative and specialty parts to repair and accessorize automobiles and other vehicles. The company has operations in North America, Europe and Taiwan and See LKQ Buys PA Shop, Page 12

2017 Southern Automotive Repair Conference to be Held in Biloxi, MS, April 21–22

ent Shops, Training in a Hi-Tech Age, and Innovative Resources.

Conference hosts are the state auto body associations of Alabama (ALARISE), Georgia (GCIA), Louisiana (LACIA), Mississippi (MSCRA), and Tennessee (TCRA). These associations will have tables at the Conference to provide information and help exhibitors and attendees get the most from the Conference.

Attendee Check-In and Registration begins at 11:00 am Friday morning. Friday morning pre-sessions with Assured Performance and Symach will begin prior to registration at 8:00 See SARC 2017, Page 32

Change Service Requested

P.O. BOX 1516, CARLSBAD, CA 92018

The 2017 Southern Automotive Repair Conference (SARC) will be held Friday, April 21st and Saturday, April 22nd at IP Casino, Resort & Spa in Biloxi, MS. According to event organizers, SARC’s purpose is to provide an annual industry forum for collision repair professionals in the Southeast region, where attendees can visit exhibits, receive important updates and information, stay abreast of new vehicle technologies, promote consumer safety, and succeed in the marketplace.

Themes of the event include OEM Perspective, Status of Independ-

VOL. 6 ISSUE 6 MARCH 2017

CIC Panel Discusses Scanning, Need For Following OEM Repair Procedures

by John Yoswick

The value of pre-scanning collisiondamaged vehicles was reiterated a number of times by panelists at the recent Collision Industry Conference (CIC) held this January in Palm Springs, CA. Jake Rodenroth of Collision Diagnostic Services (maker of the asTech remote scanning system), who said his company did just over 6,000 vehicles scans in December, cited an example of a vehicle problem found in a prescan that the shop—and potentially the vehicle owner—would otherwise not have known about. The scan showed one fault code, related to lost communication with the airbag control module, triggering the shop to check the instrument cluster.

“What we found was pretty alarming,” Rodenroth said. “We found this had been a [used] car, and someone had sewn a resistor into the wiring harness

to cheat the airbag light from coming on.”

Chuck Olsen of AirPro Diagnostics, another remote scanning service provider, said pre- and post-scanning removes liability issues for collision repairers and insurers.

“I know the condition of the vehicle when it came in, and I know the condition of the vehicle when it went out, Chuck Olsen so [as the shop] it’s not going to be my fault,” Olsen said.

CIC attendee Gary Wano, an Oklahoma shop owner, posed a realworld analogy for a question often discussed in the industry: Does an insurer owe for a scan if the scan reveals nothing wrong? Wano said a few weeks ago, his son came home from school See CIC Panel, Page 30

Presorted Standard US Postage PAID San Bernardino, CA Permit #2244

2 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

REGIONAL

AASP-MN’s 15th Annual Race for Automotive

Education Supports Scholarship Fund. . . . 16

AASP-MN’s Automotive Scholarships Up

For Grabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

ASA St. Louis Hosts Automotive Career Panel . . 6 ASA-MI's Legislative Initiatives: An Interview

with Association President Ray Fisher. . . . . 1

Attanasio - Supporting Orphans is Not Just a

Cause, But a Way of Life for Lefler Collision

Open Mind, Have No Fear and Dive in . . . . 46

Yoswick - Retro News: Industry History

Includes Concern About Refinish Materials

Calculation, “Underwritten” Estimates. . . . 54 NATIONAL

AAPEX Announces 2017 Dates. . . . . . . . . . . 63

AMi Launches New Online Courses . . . . . . . 67

Autologic Diagnostics Joins ASA as

Corporate Member . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

CARSTAR North America Announces

Middlecott Sketchbattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

CCC Donates $4M+ in Software

House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

ChemSpec USA Launches New Website . . . . 62

BASF Presents Winners of 2017 Detroit

Chicagoland CARSTAR Donates to Fisher Early Registration Open for 16th Annual

Expanded Leadership Team for 2017 . . . . 68

Subscriptions to CREF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Chess - Kool Tools 2016 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

CREF Golf Fundraiser in Chicago . . . . . . . . 6

Chief Offers Chassis Liner Frame Rack in

in Fargo, ND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

CREF Announces Application for Ultimate

Announces Honda ProFirst™ Certification. . 8

CREF Spring Career Fair Has Sprung . . . . . . 66

Jerry’s ABRA Auto Body & Glass of Mankato

®

Custom Packages for Heavy-Duty Repairs . 62

Collision Education Makeover Grants . . . . 63

Laura Larson Shows Off Autobody News

Driven Brands Charitable Foundation Raises

Melvindale Autobody Shop Likely a

Ford Vehicle Owners Can Easily Upgrade

at her ICRA booth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Total Loss After Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Mike Anderson Presents Workshop to

ASA-OH Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Phillips - North Dakota Collision Manager

Explains How Processes From Bodyshop

Revolution Helped with Better Cycle Time

and Ensured a Better Product . . . . . . . . . . 22

Phillips - Taking New Approach to Leadership at KS Body Shop Turned out to Be “Best

Decision Ever Made” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

more than $650,000 in 2016 . . . . . . . . . . 66

2010–2016 Vehicles with Connectivity

Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

I-CAR’s Josh McFarlin Named to ATMC

Board of Directors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Martin Senour Introduces Rustproof M/D™ . . 71

Members-Only Registration Opens: “Be

Extraordinary” WIN 2017 Educational

Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

New Global Warranty Program for

Architectural Powder Coatings . . . . . . . . . 59

Sherwin-Williams Hosts EcoLean Level 1

Next Step Program Offers Young

St. Cloud, MN, Body Shop Tackles Collision

OEM Diagnostic Scanning Positions

Two O’Reilly Auto Parts Stores Robbed;

PPG Announces Key Advances in

WI Native Discovers Passion for Collision

SCRS Releases Part 2 of 2016 OEM

Workshop in MI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Repair Head-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Suspect Arrested . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Repair, Now He Needs a Job. . . . . . . . . . . 18

COLUMNISTS

Attanasio - Do 3 Things Right With Your Shop

Marketing, Stick to Them and Thrive . . . . . 42

Phillips - NADA Kicks Off 100th Anniversary at National Convention and Expo in

“The Big Easy” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Phillips - Successful Female Shop Owner in OR Encourages Shops to Keep an

Professionals Scholarships. . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Quick Reference Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Color Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Collision Repair Technology Summit . . . . . 60

SEMA Scholarship Applications Due March 1. . 68

Snap-on Adds MODIS Edge to Diagnostic

Calculator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

UBM Teams up With AMI, NATEF, TST to Deliver NACE Automechanika

Scholarships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

UpdatePromise Unveils New Electronic

Laura Larson, Board Member for ICRA, showing off Autobody News at the Midwest Auto Body Trade Show. Story next issue. The Midwest Auto Body Trade Show is the largest and most comprehensive collision trade show in the Midwest. Auto body shop owners, auto body technicians, industry vendors, and collision repair leaders flock to this highly regarded February event.

Sponsored by ICRA, the Midwest Auto Body Trade Show is open to the public.

Publisher & Editor: Jeremy Hayhurst General Manager: Barbara Davies Online Editor and Copywriter: Deana Cacus Contributing Writers: Tom Franklin, John Yoswick, Janet Chaney, Toby Chess, David Brown, Rich Evans, Ed Attanasio, Chasidy Sisk, David Luehr, Stacey Phillips, Victoria Antonelli Advertising Sales: Joe Momber, Sean Hartman, Bill Doyle, Norman Morano (800) 699-8251 Office Manager: Louise Tedesco Sales Assistant: Jessica Day Content/Social Media Specialist: Cass Heckel Art Director: Rodolfo Garcia Graphic Designer: Michelle Lucas

Index of Advertisers

Grand Opening of New Maaco Store

®

Signatures Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Aerosol Refinish Solutions, LLC . . . 33 Aircat Pneumatic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Audi Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 62 Axalta Coating Systems . . . . . . . . . . 5 Blue Springs Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 67 Bob Hook Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 CarcoonAmerica Airflow Systems . 44 Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA). . . . . . . . . . . 35 Charles Gabus Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 ChemSpec USA, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Chief Automotive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Classic Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Courtesy Subaru. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Diamond Standard Parts, LLC . . . . 27 DJS Fabrications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Dominion Sure Seal, Ltd. . . . . . . . . 16 Eco Repair Systems of North America, LLC . . . . . . . . . . 31 ECS Automotive Concepts . . . . . . . 22 Equalizer Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . 29 Erhard BMW of Bloomfield Hills . . . 45 Erhard BMW of Farmington Hills . . 45 Ganley Westside Hyundai . . . . . . . 46 Ganley Westside Subaru . . . . . . . . 53 GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . 69 GYS Welding USA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Herkules Equipment Corporation. . 10 Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36-37 Hyundai Motor America . . . . . . . . . 23 Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers. . 56 Infiniti of Naperville . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Insta Finish Car Care . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Jack Phelan Chrysler-Dodge-JeepRam of Countryside . . . . . . . . . . 19 Jake Sweeney Chevrolet . . . . . . . . 34 Kelly BMW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Serving Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and adjacent 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 be obtained in writing from the publisher. ©2017 Adamantine Media LLC.

Midwest

Contents

Autobody News Box 1516, Carlsbad, CA 92018; (800) 699-8251 (760) 603-3229 Fax www.autobodynews.com / news@autobodynews.com

Kia of Des Moines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Kia Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . . . 65 Killer Tools & Equipment. . . . . . . . . 43 Laurel Auto Group of Westmont . . . 61 Livonia Chrysler-Jeep . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Lusid Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Luther Bloomington Acura-Subaru. 54 Luther Hopkins Honda . . . . . . . . . . 30 Malco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Maplewood Toyota-Scion . . . . . . . . 38 Matrix Automotive Finishes. . . . . . . 11 Mazda Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 66 MINI Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 66 Mitsubishi Wholesale Parts Dealers . 68 MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 39 Morrison’s Auto Parts . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Nissan/Infiniti Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 O’Reilly Auto Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 PPG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Prima Welds, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Reliable Automotive Equipment . . . 12 Richfield-Bloomington Honda . . . . 26 Russ Darrow Automotive Group. . . 32 SATA Dan-Am Company . . . . . . . . 25 Spanesi Americas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 71 The Sharpe Collection of Automobiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Toyota of Des Moines . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Toyota of Grand Rapids . . . . . . . . . 42 Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 60 Valspar Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 VanDevere Kia-GM . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 West Bend Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Wizards Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Yellow Jacket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Zimmer Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram . 72

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 3

Continued from Cover

Ray Fisher

Licensing laws and seeking aftermarket parts to be certified as part of House Bill 4344. The Governor unfortunately vetoed that bill because “he had a short window of time to get answers, and beyond the opposition making their case, there was a great deal of propaganda flowing to him.

He understood the mission, but he also wanted to balance ‘free market.’ We supported the Secretary of State’s efforts when the bill was reintroduced in the fall, and I am happy today that without the language on the Aftermarket Parts, the bill passed and was signed into law by the Governor, Public Act 430 of 2016,” according to Fisher.

Still, Fisher feels that Public Act 430 was a big accomplishment, stating “The law had not really been updated since 1974, and we all know how much vehicles have changed since then. One of the challenges that the collision industry has had when dealing with writing a fair estimate was the ability to define when something was structural, for example, which requires an additional license and skill level. The ongoing debate was ‘when is something just sheet metal and when is something considered structural?’ In Michigan, a technician performing unibody and structural repair or frame work, must have a license in that category demonstrating additional skill sets and certification. Though information providers have done a good job of helping to identify, we made it very clear in the law by stating ‘if the vehicle has a unitized body, the parts identified by the motor vehicle manufacturer as structural components’—this language takes away all ‘grayness’ and defines when something is frame or structural repair.”

Fisher continues, “We still feel that non-OEM suppliers have a responsibility to the repair facility and, more importantly, the consumer to provide a third-party nationally recognized certification when it comes to parts. The parts we had listed within the law, which contrary to the propaganda that circulated and was given to the Governor’s office, never had ANY mechanical parts within the list. We feel that currently, or in the very near future, this list of parts will have an even larger role in safety going forward and especially with autonomous vehicles.”

In fact, ASA-MI had legislation addressing torts and liability on autonomous vehicles added to Public Act 251 of 2013. Fisher explains, “I added the same protection to automotive repair facilities that basically states ‘if a LICENSED automotive repair facility and a LICENSED mechanic here in the State of Michigan repairs a vehicle in accordance to the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations, they too would be protected from liability.’

Though not an issue just yet, the one thing we have learned is that it is much cheaper to make it a non-issue for the future by being proactive.”

In response to the question of whether autonomous vehicles will have a negative impact on the collision repair industry as a result of being involved in fewer accidents, Fisher believes, “Autonomous vehicles are still going to crash. We still have wildlife that autonomy won’t be able to stop. I believe that what will happen is that we will see less ‘total losses’ and more ‘repairable’ vehicles.

We must understand that we are taking away the human processing element which often causes decision making delays or inconsistencies. As autonomy is phased in, we will still have ‘co-pilots’ in charge for quite some time. I know that many states are wrestling with what the driver can or cannot do in an autonomous vehicle, and at current, the belief is not much different from today; it is just that they will be back-up to the computer.”

In addition to these endeavors, ASA-MI has also been working on several other bills. “We also got involved in Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device installation requirements. Up until 2016, anyone could install them and they were not included in the licensing requirement as an automotive repair facility.” Fisher elaborates, “We were occasionally getting reports that wrong wires were spliced into causing problems and extra costs to consumers, or having false accusations by customers occur, etc., so after surveying the automotive repair industry, we supported the Secretary of State’s office in requiring installers to also be licensed.

It became law under Public Act 033 of 2016. The other two bills, which were companion bills, acted on a law dating back to 1933 which required sales tax to be collected on core charges – even when they were returned for credit or exchanged on the spot. I am happy to say that Public Act 515 and 516 of 2016

4 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

will now treat core charges like bottle returns in Michigan, meaning that they will be billed on a separate line and not taxed. Upon returning the part, the consumer will receive a full refund of the core charge – there is no tax – this was HUGE for us to accomplish!”

Despite the hard work that all of this legislative activity necessitated, Fisher believes the fruits of his labor was well worthwhile as the association continues to work on the issues that they were unable to progress during the 2015-16 legislative cycle. Addressing other industry professionals who may be interested in pursuing similar legislative actions in their states, Fisher states, “The best piece of advice that I can give is to be involved when someone is drafting a law in the first place. With good data, information, and professional opinions, you are more apt to get ‘good legislation’ or demonstrate to the legislators that legislation may not be needed. I look back to when I was working with our local DEQ liaison who also served on the National EPA committee many years ago and how our relationship along with great discussions curbed some unnecessary legislation because we could educate and share ideas. For

example, we prevented some spray guns that were in use from being ‘sunset’, because we maintained the dialogue.”

“My recommendation to anyone thinking about legislation is to realize these tasks are marathons and not sprints,” Fisher continues. “If you do not have the patience or ability to run in marathon mode, legislation is not for you. The other key ingredient is the ability to gather information, data and other factual medium that supports your cause. In addition, switch roles and figure out why would someone be opposed, who would be opposed, and what influence they might have? From there, what would be your rebuttal? Lastly, it takes money, commitment, time, and more money to make it all work. Regardless of how something ‘should be’, a lobbyist can be your best investment as they help open the right doors for the right combination for your cause.”

Regarding ASA-MI’s plans for the next legislative session, Fisher states, “Well, time and money will tell - the latter being more of a challenge.

We did very well on some huge issues, and we left a couple on the table that See Ray Fisher, Page 10

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www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 5

ASA St. Louis Hosts Automotive Career Panel

The St. Louis Chapter of the Automotive Service Association will be hosting a networking and panel dis-

cussion event at Forest Park Community College on April 11th from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM. The event is being held in order to introduce students seeking a career in the automotive service industry to local

independent shop owners and managers. This is a great opportunity for students, parents and educators to make a connection with potential employers, learn more about the industry, and get their questions answered.

The panel discussion will consist of shop owners, service advisors, technicians, and other industry professionals.

This event will allow attendees to explore different career opportunities in the automotive service industry.

Students will connect with top local shops and are encouraged to bring multiple resume copies for distribution.

Attendance is free to educators, students and parents; however, the ASA requests that interested parties register by April 4th.

If you have questions or need further information, please contact Doug Jacquot at (314) 423-3876 or the ASA-Midwest office at (816) 781-5801.

Register here: http://member. asa-midwest.org/events/details/asast-louis-career-panel-and-dinner-674

Sherwin-Williams’ EcoLean Level 1 Workshop in MI

Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes has announced that the next EcoLean™ Level 1 workshop will be held March 21-22, 2017 at the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton in Detroit, MI. The exclusive EcoLean Level 1 workshops from Sherwin-Williams are offered to collision repair center owners and managers as well as dealer fixed operations managers from across the United States and Canada. They are designed to educate attendees about how to maximize profitability by improving production and eliminating waste throughout their facilities.

“We aim to give our EcoLean workshop attendees an extensive and comprehensive look at how they can build a lean culture in their shop from the ground up,” said Greg Eisenhardt, Manager of Sales Force Effectiveness, SherwinWilliams Automotive Finishes.

According to the company, the EcoLean curriculum was developed specifically with collision repair shop operators in mind. “We continue to sell out our EcoLean workshops, as owners and managers are feeling more and more industry pressure every day. Their necessity

to perform in both the front office and on the production floor continues to be a challenge. Those who take our training and deliberately implement the teachings have proven to be incredibly successful within their markets,” Eisenhardt said.

The EcoLean Level 1 workshop curriculum includes: • An overview of lean production and its practical application in collision repair • Approaches to making a collision facility more efficient and effective

• How to build a lean culture from the ground up

To register online for the upcoming Detroit EcoLean Level 1 workshop, go to http://www.sherwin-automotive .com/ecolean1. For more information on EcoLean, call 800-798-8572.

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6 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Early Registration Open for CREF Golf Fundraiser

Registration for the 16th Annual Collision Repair Education Foundation Golf Fundraiser and the LORD Fusor sponsored Helicopter Golf Ball Drop are now open. Organizers anticipate the Golf Fundraiser selling out during the spring, so early registration is encouraged. The event supports the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) in their mission to provide support for collision repair programs at high schools, colleges, and technical schools across North America.

The fundraiser will be held near the CREF headquarters, at Harborside International Golf Course in Chicago on Monday, July 24, 2017, just as many convene in Chicago for NACE Automechanika 2017.

Brandon Eckenrode, Collision Repair Education Foundation Director of Development, said, “As our golf fundraiser is coming to our hometown this year, we plan for an incredible event that will help us raise additional funds to support collision school programs. We anticipate that we will be sold out within a matter of a few short months, so please register early.”

The fundraiser’s online registration page also offers golf balls

for the LORD Fusor sponsored Helicopter Golf Ball Drop. Each golf ball costs $10, and participants in the golf ball drop are not required to attend the fundraiser or purchase a ticket. If all 1,200 golf balls are purchased, on the day of the event, a helicopter will drop the numbered golf balls over a hole on the golf course. The sponsor of the numbered ball that lands closest to, or inside of, the hole will win $6,000.

Participants can register online through the Education Foundation’s website. Registration for the fundraiser includes 18 holes of golf, cart rental, beverages and snacks on the course, lunch, dinner, promotional items, and opportunities to participate in contests throughout the day. http://collisioneducationfoun dation.org/2017-collision-education -foundation-golf-tournament/ Those interested in sponsoring the fundraising event should contact Eckenrode at Brandon.Eckenrode @ed-foundation.org or (847)4635244.

www.autobodynews.com CHECK IT OUT!

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 7

Jerry’s ABRA Auto Body & Glass of Mankato, MN, Achieves Honda ProFirst™ Certification

Jerry’s ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a locally owned and operated franchise in Mankato, Minnesota, recently announced that it is now a ProFirst Certified shop.

The certification provides Jerry’s ABRA direct access to all factory service and repair information for both Honda and Acura vehicles, crucial to ensuring the correct repairs are made on today’s highly sophisticated cars. It further provides confidence to Honda and Acura vehicle owners that the proper tools, equipment, and training are in place for the repair center to perform high quality auto body repairs.

The ProFirst Certification program requires shops achieve Gold Class® status, the highest level of training afforded by the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR®), the recognized industry leader for collision repair training. Or the shop must achieve VQ or Medallion status, the two highest recognition levels with VeriFacts, an independent third-party firm and an industry leader for independent verification of proper repairs and procedures within body shops. Shops must also complete sev-

eral Honda / Acura specific training classes.

“Our entire staff is proud to have earned ProFirst Certification,” said Geralynn Kottschade, chief financial officer at Jerry’s ABRA. “We look forward to continuing to perform high quality collision repairs on Honda and Acura vehicles, as well as many other makes and models.”

“The ProFirst Certified program is not for everyone,” said Gary Ledoux, ProFirst program administrator for American Honda. “Of the thousands of collision shops across the country, many will apply, but only a handful will become ProFirst Certified.”

ProFirst certification requires Jerry’s ABRA have the proper tools and equipment required by American Honda in order to make accurate and quality repairs, maintain a customer satisfaction system, and have a clean and customer-centric facility.

Annual inspections are made by a third party on behalf of American Honda to ensure compliance with the program.

For more information, visit www .abraauto.com.

8 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

AASP-MN’s Automotive Scholarships Up For Grabs Thanks to another successful fundraising drive within the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Minnesota (AASP-MN) membership, the association will be awarding scholarships to select students enrolled in post-secondary automotive (mechanical or collision) programs. Scholarship awards will be $1,000 per student and can be applied towards tuition or tool purchases.

Recipients must be entering the second year of a two-year NATEFcertified automotive program in the fall of 2017. Applications will be reviewed by a committee of industry representatives, with consideration given to scholastic achievement, education and career goals, financial need and written recommendations.

Applications must be postmarked no later than March 31, 2017.

Applications can be downloaded from the association’s website, www .aaspmn.org, or submitted online at www.automotivescholarships.com/ AASP-MN. Online submissions give students the opportunity to compete for several different awards, including those offered by the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium Scholarship Committee and over 40 other

automotive aftermarket organizations and companies. Specific requirements for each organization’s awards can be found at www.automotivescholarships .com.

The Education Fund was established in 2002 to provide financial resources to support automotive students, enhance automotive programs and raise awareness of career opportunities in the independent automotive service industry. Since that time, over $190,000 has been distributed directly to students enrolled in automotive programs through the association’s scholarship program and Skills USA competition. Last year, AASP-MN’s efforts to attract a future workforce expanded significantly with the creation of Minnesota Careers in Automotive Repair and Service (MNCARS), a statewide initiative to encourage high school students to pursue an education and career in the automotive service and collision repair industry.

For more information, visit www .carcareers.org.

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 9

BASF Presents Winners of 2017 Detroit Middlecott Sketchbattle Casey Swanseger, designer at a Detroit automotive original equipment manufacturer, and Ian Bass, student at the College for Creative Studies, won the 2017 Middlecott Sketch Experiment presented by BASF. For the first

contestants battle for the championship.

A record number of 17 contestants competed under pressure in front of an audience in a timed, three-round boxing themed setting.

“Sketchbattle is an incredible event that brings emerging industry designers together to showcase their talent in creating novel exterior and interior concepts in a fun and competitive arena,” said Paul Czornij, Head of Design for BASF’s Color Excellence Group and Sketchbattle judge. “This is the future of automotive styling potential.”

2017 Sketchbattle “Sketchmaster”, Casey Swanseger, with his championship belt.

Credit: Ingo Rautenberg Fotographie

time, winners were selected in both a professional and amateur category, with Swanseger winning the professional, and Bass taking the amateur category.

Introduced in 2012, the experiment is Detroit’s first-ever “Fight Club of Design,” an underground automotive industry event developed to identify emerging design talent. The event coincides with the North American International Auto Show and is an automotive sketching competition where

Hundreds attended the 2017 Sketchbattle as 17 artists compete in a boxing-themed automotive sketching competition at the Garden Theater in Detroit. Credit: BradZieglar.com

Other judges included: Doyle Letson, Chief Designer, Ford Global Interiors; Marc Mainville, General Motors Design Manager; and Camilo Pardo,

Two O’Reilly Auto Parts Stores Robbed; Suspect Arrested

by KAKE News

A string of robberies at an auto parts chain in Wichita, KS took a new twist on February 6, when two of them were robbed within minutes

of each other. But this time, police have arrested a suspect.

Police say the first call came around 9:15 p.m. at O’Reilly Auto Parts near Pawnee and Hillside.

Two men entered, one showing a gun. They escaped with an unknown amount of cash.

While detectives searched for evidence there, a second O’Reilly store was robbed about ten minutes later at Lincoln and Oliver, about three miles away. The description was similar: two men, one with a gun, escaping with money. But after the second holdup, police

found a man matching a description of a suspect. That man was arrested, while a second suspect remains at large.

This makes five holdups at O’Reilly stores across Wichita in ten nights. The string actually began at Lincoln and Oliver January 28, followed by robberies at 47th and South Broadway on January 30 and Central and West on February 4.

In all five cases, the stores were robbed at night. Police say the first three holdups also involved two armed men stealing money. No one has been injured in any of the robberies.

We thank KAKE news for reprint permission.

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10 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

designer of the 2006 Ford GT and world-renowned designer.

2017 Sketchbattle amateur winner, Ian Bass, discussing his drawing with judges. Credit: BradZieglar.com

“It was pretty cool to win. I really wasn’t expecting it,” said Swanseger.

“I tried to tune everything out while I was sketching. The event has an artsy feel.”

During the final round of the competition, contestants were asked to incorporate a compelling color concept into their drawings.

“This year, we asked the participants to think along similar lines as BASF to see color as part of the overall vehicle design,” said Czornij. “The final results were very inspirational.”

More than $6,000 was raised for Project Beautiful – Inside and Out. Project Beautiful is a Michigan-based non-profit that builds confidence and hope, especially for women in shelters, to rebuild their lives.

Continued from Page 4

Ray Fisher

we want to complete - we’ll just have to wait and see what the industry thinks is important... I just hope they can now recognize what it takes and what it achieves to be involved proactively.

A staff member of ASA-MI since 2004, Ray Fisher has served as the association’s President since 2010.

Fisher’s prior 20+ year tenure in the industry included managing at dealerships and serving as a volunteer for ICAR in various roles locally as well as serving on a national advisory committee. Additionally, Fisher held various positions on the board of the West MI Body Shop Association. Fisher has been recognized numerous times throughout his career for his devotion to improving the automotive repair industry, and most recently, ASA honored his legislative endeavors in 2016.

For more information about the association’s current initiatives, visit their website www.asamichigan.com.

www.autobodynews.com C

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 11

Continued from Cover

LKQ Buys PA Shop

offers customers a broad range of replacement systems, components, equipment and parts to repair and accessorize automobiles, trucks, and recreational and performance vehicles.

Newman said the new name of the shop will be Apple Hill Auto & Collision division of A&A. A&A is an auto parts store owned by LKQ. Apple Hill has a history of working with LKQ in the past, using the company’s collision parts as well as consumables such as sandpaper and plastics.

The small family-owned company was established in 1997 by Aaron Salvatori. The original garage was located outside of Muncy, Pennsylvania, on the top of a hill where the owner’s grandfather sold apples from his farm. He named his business Apple Hill 4x4 and specialized in mechanical repair and spray-on bedliners. In 2010, the company opened a collision repair facility in Muncy and Newman became the body shop manager. As the shop grew and needed more space, the decision was made to move to a new building near the mechanical shop.

In addition to collision repair, the body shop also focuses on spray-on bedliners and recently became a LineX franchise.

“My hope for the future is that we keep expanding and getting bigger,” said Newman. “When you first find out that you are being sold, you have that nervousness about whether or not you’re going to be able to still have your job or what’s going on,” said Newman. “Now that everyone has had a chance to talk, it seems like it’s going to be very very good for us. It’s going to be good for keeping the business growing, the employees are all happy with what’s going on and I think it’s going to be a good change for us.”

In 1998, LKQ was initially formed through the combination of a number of wholesale recycled products businesses located in Florida, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. The company has subsequently expanded through internal development and over 220 acquisitions of aftermarket, recycled, refurbished, and remanufactured product suppliers and manufacturers; self service retail businesses; and specialty vehicle aftermarket equipment and accessories suppliers.

One of LKQ’s significant acqui-

sitions was Keystone Automotive Industries, Inc. in 2007. The company said that at the time of acquisition, Keystone was the leading domestic distributor of aftermarket products, including collision replacement products, paint products, refurbished steel bumpers, bumper covers and alloy wheels. In 2014, the company then acquired Keystone Specialty. LKQ said this expanded its product offerings and increased its addressable market to include specialty vehicle aftermarket equipment and accessories.

Two years later, it acquired Pittsburgh Glass Works (PGW), a global distributor and manufacturer of automotive glass products, further growing the company’s product offerings.

Autobody News will continue to follow this story and report on further developments.

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CCC Donates $4M+ in Software Subscriptions to CREF

CCC Information Services Inc. (“CCC”), through its partnership with the Collision Repair Education Foundation (“CREF”), donated more than $4 million in software subscriptions to qualified secondary and postsecondary schools in 2016. CCC and CREF offer CCC ONE® Estimating software at no cost to technical schools and colleges that have a qualifying collision repair program.

Student and teacher recipients of CCC ONE software learn how to write estimates while examining damaged vehicles. The software package includes access to collision repair databases, digital imaging capabilities, and CCC ONE® Touch, a mobile estimating solution designed exclusively for tablets.

“Educating the next generation of collision repairers is critically important,” said Mary Jo Prigge, president, Service Operations, CCC. “CCC is proud to work with CREF to provide collision repair schools with the industry’s most advanced software, giving them an opportunity to learn with the tools they will encounter once they start their careers.”

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Chicagoland CARSTAR Donates to Fisher House For the 6th consecutive year, Chicagoland CARSTAR recently made its journey to Hines, IL to drop off donations for the Fisher House. Mel Twilling (Army Veteran) was the first one out of the house to help unload the Enterprise cargo van that was busting at the seams with large bins and other containers filled with food and supplies.

Chicagoland CARSTAR and US99 placed the donation bins at the participating shops during Military Month back in November. More than 10 donation bins and other containers were filled with much appreciated food and supplies.

There was also over $300.00 collected in monetary donations that can be used for meals for the current residents. The Fisher House provides free

temporary housing for the families of veterans currently staying at the Hine V.A. Hospital.

“I cannot thank the Fisher House and CARSTAR enough for providing me with a place to stay while my son was at Hines,” said Mel Twilling, a 5 year Army Veteran who has been coming to the Fisher House off and on over the past two years while his son was at the Hines V.A. Hospital.

“This is a wonderful thing that CARSTAR does.”

Holly Wright, manager of the Hines Fisher House since its inception, is always a gracious host. “We send our appreciation to all the CARSTAR owners and staff for their generous donations,” Wright said. “We depend on these donations to provide amenities to our residents during their stay here.”

The Fisher House staff and residents were also treated to lunch that included some of the tastiest carrot cake in the area. Kudos to Chicagoland CARSTAR, who once again went beyond the call of duty in making sure the donation bins were filled to the top. Special thanks to Marian Rodriguez (CARSTAR Mundelein) and Stan Craven (CARSTAR Chicago 38th St.)

for attending the event to bring their donations. A big shout out to Kerry Bulthuis (US-99 COUNTRY MUSIC).

Kerri provided the donation bins.

Also, thanks to: CARSTAR All Line of Bolingbrook, CARSTAR Wally’s of Des Plaines, CARSTAR West-Hill of Hillside, CARSTAR Scola’s of Brookfield, CARSTAR Ideal of Arlington Heights, CARSTAR Friendly of Roselle and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. “Chicagoland CARSTAR and our partners business continue to make a difference,” a statement from the company read.

“This was a great way to kickoff the New Year. A very, very special thank you to the night time cleaning crew (The McBroom Family) from CARSTAR All Line for their generous and thoughtful contribution.”

For more information, visit www .carstar.com.

I-CAR®’s Josh McFarlin Named to ATMC Board of Directors

Recently, ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) announced the new slate of board members for the Automotive Training Managers Council (ATMC).

Josh McFarlin, I-CAR’s Director, Curriculum and Product Development, has been named to the Automotive Training Managers Council’s Board of Directors. McFarlin will be serving his first three-year term and bringing his automotive and technical training experience to the ATMC board. ATMC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of training and professional development within the transportation service industry. McFarlin has more than 20 years of experience in the automotive industry and is in his fourth year as I-CAR’s Director, Curriculum and Product Development, where he leads the product development team in the creation of all training materials and works with the rest of the I-CAR leadership team to develop and refine growth strategies for the organization. Prior to joining I-CAR, McFarlin was Curriculum Manager at Raytheon Technical Services Company for eight years, and has served as a Service Engineer for both Audi AG and Ford Motor Company, and as Heavy Line Technician and Team Leader at Greenway Ford in Orlando, Florida.

Visit www.I-CAR.com.

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 13

Melvindale Autobody Shop Likely a Total Loss After Fire tainers and other flammable liquids caught fire, Murray said.

Firefighters were called to a com“There were barrels of paint mercial building in Melvindale, MI thinner and other liquids that we susfor a fire with reports of several small pect were the cause of the exploexplosions heard inside on January sions,” he said. “(The building) was 30. going pretty good when our crews got out there. There were fires in several areas of the building.”

Murray said they did what they could to control the fire, but it was spreading faster than they could contain it with the 29 firefighters at the scene.

“We had to pull out of the building and do a defensive operation on the building,” he said.

The repair shop portion of the building is likely a A defensive operation is total loss after a Jan. 30 fire ravaged the building. when the firefighters dump water Credit: Ian Kushnir on the blaze without being inside The call came into the station at the fire. about 7:57 p.m. The first truck was at “At that point some exterior walls the automotive repair shop, located at were becoming unstable and there 18900 Meginnity, four minutes later. wasn’t much we were going to be able “It was some type of auto body to save,” Murray said. “As a safety repair shop,” Dearborn Fire Chief measure we had to pull out.”

Joseph Murray said. The Dearborn After containing the fire, crews Fire Department also covers the city went back inside through the office of Melvindale. portion of the building to make sure The small explosions were caused the fires were out in the back. He said as tires popped and small gasoline con- the front office is mostly intact, but

by Dave Herndon, News-Herald

Mike Anderson Presents Workshop to ASA-OH Members

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

ASA-OH hosted Collision Advice’s Mike Anderson for two workshops on January 13-14 in Columbus and Cleveland, OH. Matt Dougher, Executive Director for the association, notes, “The event was well attended, and the attendees’ reviews were very, very positive.

The attendees were very engaged during the workshops and were very appreciative of the information provided.

All left with valuable information that they plan to implement to improve the profitability of their shops.”

Dougher continues, “His morning session was ‘Positioning Yourself in the Collision Repair Industry.’ This workshop covered many facets of collision repair and what the future of the industry holds for shop owners and how the industry is changing. He provided valuable information on what shop owners need to do to stay profitable moving forward. His afternoon workshop was ‘Negotiating Best Practices.’ He showed the attendees how to best negotiate with insurance companies and how to get paid for the processes they perform to repair a vehicle properly and safely for the customer. He also went over his latest ‘Who Pays for What Survey.’ He showed the attendees what

procedures the insurance companies were paying for and how their region of country compared to others.”

“A Mike Anderson workshop never disappoints, and these workshops exceeded expectations by far,” according to Dougher. “The attendees were very pleased with the education and want Mike to return soon.”

ASA-OH hosted these informative workshops as part of its mission to provide shop owners with continuous education to assist them with information to improve their businesses. The association plans to host many educational seminars this year as part of their membership benefits.

According to Dougher, “Association-sponsored events are key to the industry staying connected to ensure shop owners’ best interests are protected in the industry. It provides an opportunity to network and learn from peers.”

ASA-OH will host its next networking event on February 22 in the Sandusky, OH area with a representative from American Honda in attendance to explain the OEM’s collision shop certification program. The association is also in the process of scheduling scan tool training for technicians and plans to announce that schedule in the near future.

14 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

the rear of the building where the work is done was likely a total loss.

Murray said the investigation is still ongoing with no preliminary cause of the fire able to be released.

“The guys on scene did an excellent job controlling the fire,” he said.

“I wound up coming in to help out. I thought the crews were going to be there all night because of the size of the fire, but the crews did a crack job at controlling it.”

He said the fire was out by 10:15 p.m.

We thank News-Herald for reprint permission

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Members-Only Registration Opens: “Be Extraordinary” WIN 2017 Educational Conference

Registration for the 2017 WIN (Women’s Industry Network) Educational Conference in Denver, Colorado is now open for members only. Event organizers promise a dynamic, edu-

cation-filled program to increase understanding of balance and purpose in order to achieve extraordinary results.

To register at the early-bird Conference rate of $425, visit https: //t.e2ma.net/click/xa35z/h6sakbb/5w 1xcf. Early-bird registration will be available through Wednesday, March 15th. After that date, registration will increase to the standard member rate of $475.

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www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 15

AASP-MN’s 15th Annual Race for Automotive Education Supports Scholarship Fund

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

On January 10-11, the AASP-MN held its 15th Annual Race for Automotive Education at ProKart Indoors in Burnsville, MN. The event is part of the association’s 2017 fundraising campaign to support the AASP-MN Automotive Education Fund and served to raise the majority of the $9000 acquired during the campaign. These funds will be used to award scholarships to MN automotive students enrolled in NATEFcertified mechanical and collision repair programs.

According to AASP-MN Executive Director Judell Anderson, “Everybody had a blast! Members use this event as an opportunity for teambuilding and at the same time raise money for a very worthy cause. During the course of the two-night event, 120 racers tore up the track in stateof-the-art European karts, reaching speeds of nearly 40 miles per hour.

Many fans and spectators were also on hand to cheer their teams on.

Twenty-four teams of mechanical and collision repair shops and industry suppliers were represented, and the

competition was fierce.”

Trophies were awarded to the first place and runner-up teams on each night. On Tuesday, St. Anthony Mobil took the gold with the Hopkins Auto Body Team #1 coming in as runner-up. LaMettry’s Collision Team #1 took first place on Wednesday, January 11, with AAA Auto Parts Team #1 receiving the runner-up trophy.

Sponsors for AASP-MN’s 15th Annual Race for Automotive Education included Autoshop Solutions, Auto Value Parts Stores/APH, CBIZ AiA, Axalta, FinishMaster, Meadowbrook Insurance, PPG Automotive Refinish, Peter’s Body Shop, and United Fire Group.

AASP-MN established its Automotive Education Fund in 2002 to provide financial assistance to support automotive students, enhance automotive education programs, and raise awareness of the career opportunities available in the automotive service industry. Since the fund was founded, nearly $190,000 has been directly distributed to automotive students through AASP-MN’s scholarship program and participation in Skills USA.

16 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Opening of New Maaco Store in Fargo, ND

Maaco has added North Dakota to its growing franchise footprint in the United States. New Maaco owner Henry Holtgard has been a successful businessman in the Fargo community for over a decade and has now opened his Maaco shop at 401 40th Street.

Holtgard combined his Master’s of Business from the University of Maryland and his discipline from serving in the United States Army to create the perfect recipe for success. Holtgard is looking to bring quality collision repair to Fargo with this Maaco center.

No stranger to being a franchise business owner, Holtgard has been a successful part of the Driven Brands family since 2005.

“As a current Meineke fran-

chisee, I was familiar with the Maaco

concept and saw it as an incredible opportunity for the Fargo area,” said Holtgard. “With a unique business model offering not just collision repair services but overall paint capabilities as well, I had no hesitation in joining the Maaco family. The support system is unparalleled.”

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www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 17

WI Native Discovers Passion for Collision Repair, Now He Needs a Job Whitewater with an undeclared major.

“The university was great, just Ryan Mader didn’t discover his love not for me,” Mader explained. for cars and body work until his early After leaving school, he worked 20s. for a carpet cleaning company.

“I gained a lot of professionalism in the work field,” said Mader. “However, I didn’t feel like it was the job I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing.”

He said he then began researching different career paths to try and After graduating from Waukesha find something he would be more pasWest High School in Waukesha, WI, he sionate about. That was when he came attended the University of Wisconsin across the collision repair program at the Universal Technical Institute (UTI) Houston.

“I requested more information, and after speaking with my admissions representative, Rudy Perez, and my parents, we came to the conclusion that UTI Houston would be my best option,” explained Mader.

He said that his parents were confused at first, since he had never showed a significant interest in cars, but they supported his decision.

“My friends were all very After trying out a four-year university and working at a excited, as a lot of them are in carpet cleaning company, Ryan Mader gave collision repair a shot the automotive field or take inby Victoria Antonelli

UBM Teams up With AMI, NATEF, TST to Deliver NACE Automechanika Scholarships

The UBM Community Engagement Program has joined with Automotive Management Institute (AMi), National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) and Technicians Service Training (TST) to provide scholarships for NACE Automechanika Chicago covering travel expenses, training costs and access to trade show product discovery.

NACE Automechanika, the largest U.S. trade show dedicated to high-end technical and managementrelated training for automotive service and collision repair shops, will be held July 26-29 at McCormick Place West in Chicago.

Scholarships will cover travel and hotel expenses for recipients as well as any costs associated with training courses during NACE Automechanika Chicago. Recipients also will receive cash vouchers redeemable with exhibitors at the NACE Automechanika Chicago expo to purchase tools, equipment and other services required to enhance their skillsets.

“We are pleased to work with three wonderful organizations in AMi, NATEF and TST as we all work to further the access to quality, in-demand training for automotive profes-

sionals across the industry,” said Jim Savas, GM and VP of the UBM Automotive Group. “We are fortunate to have the UBM Community Engagement Program support us in making it possible for more repairers and owners to participate in NACE Automechanika Chi-cago and continue to learn and im- prove their skills.”

To apply, visit http://www.nace automechanika.com/scholarships.

Criteria for each scholarship is listed and a single sign-on form is available for applicants. Winners will be notified in late May. Scholarships from AMi are available for those who work in the automotive service or collision repair industry and served in the U.S. military, while NATEF scholarships are available for automotive educators and students over age 18. TST scholarships are available for technicians and shop owners meeting a variety of criteria.“I’m pleased to team up with the UBM Community Engagement Program to assist the number of quality technicians and owners in the country who desire training and who could use a little help in obtaining it,” said G. Jerry Truglia, president of TST.

18 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

terest in working on cars,” Mader added.

Mader started taking classes at UTI Houston in May 2016 and said he loves it so far, which truly shows in his academic and extracurricular performance.

“I joined the student council and currently serve as vice president,” he said. “I have also gotten perfect atten-

(test scores), professionalism (using proper safety equipment, coming to class in the proper uniform everyday), and attendance.

“UTI Houston emphasizes the importance of having good attendance, because a shop is not going to want to hire you if they can’t rely on you to show up,” he added.

Mader was awarded title SOC in Exterior Panel Alignment, Exterior Panel Replacement (Quarter Panels), Welding and Cutting, Refinishing 1, Power Systems and Controls, Steering and Suspension, and Exterior Panel Repair. He’s also had perfect attendance for two-thirds of his schooling and maintains a 4.0 GPA. “After graduation, I would like to move back to WisconMader found his true passion at UTI Houston. He plans sin and find a collision repair to graduate this May shop or dealership to work dance in all my classes so far, and have at,” Mader said. “Eventually, I would been named Student of the Course in like to write estimates for insurance seven of the 11 courses I’ve taken.” companies.”

Mader explained that in order to be He will be graduating in May named “Student of the Course” (SOC), a 2017 and is interested in career opporstudent must have the highest lab grade tunities in the MW. To contact Ryan in class, and maintain at least a 90 per- Mader call 262-617-5180 or email cent in the following areas: class grade Ryan.Mader@yahoo.com.

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 19

St. Cloud, MN, Body Shop Tackles Collision Repair Head-On

by Vicki Ikeogu, SCTimes

From its humble beginnings on St. Cloud’s north side almost 60 years ago, Peters Body Shop has continued to specialize in one thing: auto body repair.

“Our main forte is auto body,” said Glen Sunder, Peters Body Shop’s chief financial officer. “We repair and replace panels to bring vehicles back to their pre-loss condition.”

It’s an industry that has certainly evolved since founder Nick Peters opened his original shop in 1957. And it’s a business, like many others in the automotive industry in Central Minnesota, that has continued to grow as demand for services has increased.

It is precisely that industry growth coupled with a lack of qualified candidates in Central Minnesota that prompted Times Media to feature businesses such as Peters Body Shop as part of its 10month initiative called Spark: Igniting Your Future. The series features a different industry each month that is growing — according to data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development — and in need of workers.

And businesses in the automotive and trucking industry, like Peters Body Shop, are no exception.

The Evolution of Peters In 1966, Peters was sold to Darwin Bonn and Vern Klein, who opted to keep the name as it had become a staple in the community. Bonn’s son, Roger, joined the company ownership team in 1987 after Klein retired.

In 1997, Roger Bonn and Sunder took over full ownership of the company.

Today, the shop at 205 Osseo Ave. N is in transition as Sunder prepares to take on the president and chief executive officer roles in October.

Throughout the company’s tenure, Peters has expanded significantly in both physical size—having outgrown its original location—and service capabilities.

The shop has added a wheel alignment and balancing machine to give customers a one-stop-shop experience.

It has an in-house auto mechanic to provide services such as oil changes, suspension checks and repairs, and air conditioning checks and maintenance.

20 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

“We want our customers to have peace of mind knowing that Peters will take care of them start to finish,” Sunder said.

Peters Body Shop started with a handful of employees nearly 60 years ago and now has the equivalent of 26 full-time jobs. Positions in the company vary from estimators and auto body technicians, to service managers, detail personnel and painters.

“We have 10 body techs who when vehicles get dropped off will do all of the dismantling, repair and straightening of the panels,” Sunder said. “At this shop, we do a combination of fixing and replacing.”

Each auto body tech has two lifts so they can work on multiple cars simultaneously. This is especially important if parts are on back-order.

“If it is a late model vehicle, sometimes insurance will allow us to order new parts,” Sunder said. “But a lot of times we get in reconditioned parts.”

After the work is completed—including basic auto mechanic work done in-house—the reassembled vehicle makes its way to a prep station where it is taped and ready to be painted.

“The painting is done in an enclosed space in order to have a clean paint job,” Sunder said.

The vehicle gets detailed and is then ready for the customer to pick up.

It may sound like a simple process, but Sunder said auto body technicians need a lot of training and problemsolving skills to get a customer’s vehicle back up and running.

“It can be challenging,” he said.

“Every vehicle we work on is unique.

No two hits are the same.”

In order to keep up with changing technology, every employee at Peters is required to undergo some sort of continuing education. Often that program is designed by car manufacturers and helps the shop become a preferred provider for many brands including Ford, General Motors, Honda and Nissan.

That commitment to education earned Peters Body Shop original equipment manufacturer (OEM) certification 2015, allowing the shop to make repairs using the exact specifications and parts the manufacturer did.

Starting pay for Peters varies with experience. Sunder said employees See Bdy Shop Tackles, Page 40

National Events

Stacey Phillips is a freelance writer and editor for the automotive industry.

She has 20 years of experience writing for a variety of publications.

She can be reached at sphillips.autobodynews@gmail.com.

NADA Kicks Off 100th Anniversary at National Convention and Expo in “The Big Easy” with Stacey Phillips

by Stacey Phillips

Celebrating its 100th anniversary, the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) kicked off a series of year-long commemorative events at its annual convention and expo in New Orleans, Louisiana January 26 to 29.

This is the 12th time since 1973 that the convention has been held in “The Big Easy.” An estimated 23,000 new car dealers, managers, automotive industry professional and exhibitors were expected to attend the four-day event.

“It’s not every day that a national trade association reaches its 100-year anniversary, yet NADA is still as strong and relevant as the day it was founded,” said 2016 NADA Chairman Jeff Carlson.

“NADA’s 100th mission for 100 years has been to represent local dealerships and our customers in Washington, DC, with a goal of keeping personal transportation affordable for

everyone,” added Carlson, president of Glenwood Springs Ford and Glenwood Springs Subaru in Glenwood Springs, Colo., and co-owner of Summit Ford in Silverthorne, CO. “It’s an honor to serve such a respected group.”

Mitch Landrieu, Mayor of New Orleans welcomes attendees to the Big Easy

Founded in 1917, NADA formed when a group of local dealers set out to fight a new effort by Congress to levy a luxury tax on new automobiles.

Thirty dealers from state and local associations traveled to Washington, DC,

and set up base at the Willard Hotel.

By convincing Congress that cars were not luxury items as they were classified, but instead were vital to the economy, the group prevented total factory conversion to wartime work and succeeded in reducing a proposed five percent luxury tax to three percent.

The incident was the first of many chapters where local dealerships fought to keep new vehicles affordable for their customers. For the past 15 years, more than 90 percent of all new-car and -truck dealerships in the United States have been NADA members.

Prior to the start of the 2017 convention, the NADA Foundation donated $50,000 to the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, which supports organizations that create opportunities to inspire and mentor youth through culinary, nutrition and arts education with a focus on life skills development.

“My wife Alden and I are delighted that NADA has chosen the

Emeril Lagasse Foundation as a grant recipient in conjunction with their convention. This generous philanthropic gift will help us positively impact the lives of more children,” said Chef Emeril Lagasse, chairman and founder of the Emeril Lagasse Foundation.

“Thank you for bringing your convention to New Orleans and for supporting the Emeril Lagasse Foundation.”

Since its inception in 1975, the NADA Foundation has had a long history of providing financial support to New Orleans and the surrounding communities.

“The NADA Foundation through amazing contributions from our dealer network has supported dealership families, military families and children in need from natural disasters and times of emergency, like hurricanes Katrina and Rita and most recently, the flooding in Baton Rouge,” See NADA 100th, Page 29

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 21

Shop Secrets and Strategies

Stacey Phillips is a freelance writer and editor for the automotive industry.

She has 20 years of experience writing for a variety of publications.

She can be reached at sphillips.autobodynews@gmail.com.

North Dakota Collision Manager Explains How Processes From Bodyshop Revolution Helped with Better Cycle Time and Ensured a Better Product with Stacey Phillips

Fourteen and a half years ago, Randy Sattler came to work at Rydell GM Auto Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He had no background in the body shop industry and started out in the service department. After working in the service department for two years, he was asked to move to the body shop

had no misconceptions about it. The body shop has always intrigued me. I love cars so I said, “Why not.”

Looking back on it now, I have to laugh. When I moved to the body shop, it was the week of 4th of July. I showed up Monday afternoon and I had Tuesday and half of Wednesday to learn how to write an estimate in Mitchell software before the only estimator left that Wednesday afternoon,…… permanently! Wes Rydell, the owner, took me under his wing and educated me. Here I am 12 years later still learning every day.

How has the shop utiQ: lized the Theory of Constraints methodology? (Theory of

A new body shop was constructed a little over 14 years ago

to learn how to write estimates. Six months later, he was promoted to manager of the collision shop. He began working closely with the owner of the dealership to help build a successful body shop using specific processes based on the Theory of Constraints.

These included some of the processes implemented in December 2014 from Bodyshop Revolution.

Autobody News spoke to Sattler about the importance of setting up processes in a body shop and how it can help with better cycle time, build closer relationships with employees and ensure a better overall product.

Q: W

ith no industry experience prior to joining Rydell, can you tell us about your background and how you became collision manager?

I came to work at Rydell from A: the trucking industry and had zero background in the body shop

world. They had built this new building the year that I started in the service department. After two years, the manager of the body shop decided he was going to move into another Rydell store. They asked me if I would be interested in the job in the body shop, and taking this journey with them to see where we could go. I think they were looking for someone who didn’t have a background in the industry and

Constraints is a methodology for identifying the most important limiting factor i.e. constraint that stands in the way of achieving a goal and then systematically improving that constraint until it is no longer the limiting factor.)

My first training on Theory of A: Constraints was reading an article called “Standing on the Shoulders

of Giants,” written by Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt. Eli was a very good friend of Wes Rydell. In the beginning, when Wes told him that he wanted to take this Toyota production system and build it into a body shop, Eli (from my understanding) pretty much told him that he’s nuts and it would be a huge challenge.

When Rydell constructed the new body shop building a little over 14 years ago, it was set up with the theory of constraints in mind.

Once a car is introduced into production, it never has to go outside of the building. One of our goals is to always try and work towards consistently working on a particular car. It was easy when there were just a few technicians but now that we have 20, it becomes more of a challenge every day. Every once in a while we have to go back and reread the article and make sure we’re true to what our con-

22 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

straint is in the shop.

Early on, we realized in most cases when people in the industry talk about “lean” or “theory of constraints” they are typically talking about the paint booth being the constraint. What we have learned is the painting of the repair is really the most consistent part of the repair. We focused on the metal side of the repair because when we stepped back and looked at why our metal techs would have to stop and restart a repair, until the vehicle moves to the paint side, the majority of the variables always came prior to the paint process. Supplements, missed parts, wrong parts, parts broken during disassembly, hidden damage, panel written to repair when it needs to be replaced and even the wrong tech working on a job. These are all typical variables that always cause techs to start and stop on a repair

long before the vehicle ever moves to the paint department. We found that until we removed all these constraints, there was no way that we could ever get constant work flow.

Once we stepped back and tracked all these variables, and realized just how much of an impact it was having on our performance, we knew we had to focus on eliminating them.

Our first step was realizing that it all starts with the estimating process.

When we started tracking the stops and their causes, we learned that we needed to look at the quality of the estimate and mapped vehicle that we were giving our technicians. We also realized that we were really not taking advantage of our tech’s abilities. To get the best out of them, you have to give them the best chance to win. I think a huge milestone for us was when we realized that if we looked at

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 23

tech’s stops and starts as a fail the same way that we look at when a customer comes to pick up their vehicle, and we missed something, which we always look at as a fail, the impact is the same. The techs having to stop because of a poor estimate was the same fail as when a customer came to pick up their car and they found something wrong. We are significantly better today than when we started two years ago, and we know we still have many improvements that we need to do to even make us better.

Our whole process has been designed around focusing on eliminating as many situations that prevent a car from not being continuously worked on when released for repairs.

What is the benefit of continuworkflow?

Q: ous 1: Performance from better A: cycle time and hours per day.

When a technician does not have to

constantly start and stop on a repair, he can focus and concentrate on his work.

This allows for better repairs and more consistency in their performance. They earn more money, are much happier and their quality of work improves

3: When we talk about continuous workflow, it means that after the technician gets a vehicle into his stall for repair, our goal is that he is working on that one vehicle from the time that he starts in the morning and until he completes it or punches out for the day. We don’t allow him to work on another vehicle until it moves to paint, then typically, we’ll have that technician look at his next job while the other car is in paint and he might do some pre-staging, pull his parts, etc.

Our cycle time for going through the paint booth is about 52-53 minutes with a gas catalytic robot. The vehicle is not on the paint side very long, so the repairing technician will get his repair back for reassembly typically Randy Sattler said they have found that the painting of within 60 to 75 minutes. We the repair is really the most consistent part of the repair truly work at getting four dustry is changing; there are many new hours a day on every car that we repair repair processes and opportunities for that has 4.0 or more repair or refinish repair shops to improve their performhours. ance. They can have a process in place What were some of the changes that allow them to better repair vehicles you implemented at Rydell and know that those repairs are done when you began using the processes correctly, become faster and ultimately from Bodyshop Revolution? become a more profitable shop. dramatically.

2: Better performing body shops that are in the DRP world understand the importance of performance. It gives them the ability to receive more cars from insurance companies.

Our shop, like thousands of other shops, typically processed work the same way because “it’s all we know” and “because that’s how we’ve always did it!” I believe the collision repair in-

24 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Q:

When Bodyshop Revolution A: came into our world in 2014, it was a huge culture change. Prior to

this, we tried many different stages and types of blueprinting and mirror matching of parts, etc. but we couldn’t get our processes consistent to the point where we didn’t have what we call “process evaporation.” We’d implement a new process, it would work well for a couple of weeks, maybe even a few months, but as time passed, we would see this process evaporation and after a period of time, we seemed to fall back to our comfort level of doing things the old way.

What we found was we didn’t have a good set of ground rules or a good solid outline to follow that allowed us to monitor these new processes and be able to follow up correctly when they seemed to fail. In many cases, we had good training and we knew what we wanted to accomplish, but we just seemed to always chase success.

Once we found and were trained on Bodyshop Revolution’s Vehicle Damage Assessment (VDA) process, it was a HUGE change on how we assessed vehicle damage. We had to change our thought process on how

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 25

important estimating the vehicle was, and how it affects the complete repair.

We had to understand how important accuracy of the estimate really was and also the importance of how we map our vehicles, and ultimately, the biggest reality was how we needed to looked at the value of our metal and paint technicians.

We all know that starts and stops in this industry are a given. With the VDA, our goal is to eliminate as many of these starts and stops as possible.

We know we can’t stop them all, but if we can get better at determining the why of these stops, we can get better with our repair performance. Any time a technician has to stop working on a

vehicle, we consider that a fail the same way as if a customer up front comes to pick up a vehicle and notices something that isn’t properly repaired.

The culture for us became that we looked at our technicians as customers of the estimating process and that anytime they had to leave their six-foot repair circle—the area around the repair that they are working on—that it is a fail.

Once we had the VDA in place, our first true success and example or what we call continuous workflow was a Cobalt repair. This happened on a Wednesday; the vehicle was a frontend hit with nine and a half hours of total repair work, metal and paint time.

Continuous Workflow

Randy Sattler walks us through the process of continuous workflow and how Rydell Collision Center ensures that cars are continually moving through the repair process.

Every repair that gets put on the floor has what we call a repair expectation sheet. We do most of our estimates by appointment and probably 80 percent comes from DRPs. When a customer comes in, the goal at the time of writing an estimate is determining 100 percent of the parts. We’ll remove headlights and taillights and in some cases bumper covers with the customer’s permission and understanding that it might be a half hour or 45 minutes wait depending on how much damage there is. Most of the time the customers are okay with it. We explain that when they come back for their repair, we want to be able to start working on the car and continuously work on their car until we are done. In order for us to do that, we need to do some partial disassembly so we can get all of the parts so we can order them only once. We’re not worried about the labor because labor we can easily supplement. If we don’t capture all the parts, then that’s going to cause the technician to stop and push the car outside and go and work on another car and we consider that a fail.

We take photos and do everything the insurance company need us to do. Then we’ll put the pieces back on the car if it is safe to drive and schedule the car to come back one day after we have confirmation the parts will arrive. A week goes by, the parts show up and the customer drops the car off. The same people who wrote that estimate now take the car and the estimate and we map it physically on the car. They unbox the parts and match them up to the part on the car they’re replacing to make sure they have all of the correct parts. When the car is mapped, a VDA team thoroughly goes through different checklists to make sure that we know how that car was before the technician tears it apart. Once everything is correct, the car gets parked out in our parking area until it is released to the floor.

When a technician finishes up a job, another car is released to him, and that technician ensures the estimate matches what is mapped on the car before beginning to work on it. Then he or she works on the car until it is ready to go to the paint side where it is masked, rolled in to the booth, painted and dried with a gas catalytic robot. Once the car comes See Continuous Workflow, Page 28

26 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

The tech started on it after his morning coffee break, about 9:15 a.m. and we were able to call the customer a lit-

Many of Bodyshop Revolution processes aligns with the theory of constraints. We would not be where we are at if we would not have had the Bodyshop Revolution process come in. It enhanced what we were trying to do with continuous workflow and made it tenfold easier.

We’ve tweaked it to where it makes sense for us but the core values and some very specific ground rules are still The process created by Rydell Collision Center focuses on in place today as they were eliminating as many situations that prevent a car from not two years ago when we first being continuously worked on when repaired started. tle after 4:30 in the afternoon and he How did you get from where was here at 5:30 picking up his vehiyou started until now? cle. That was a huge win for us, and that one repair helped all of us underI have read a lot of books, visstand what we were really trying to acited a lot of shops and became complish—continuous workflow on a involved with a Twenty group through vehicle. our paint company. Fortunately, it had Typically, in some shops they may some very high performing body have a different tech for each of the folshops that I was able to tour and see lowing: taking the car apart, fixing it, their processes. I realized that there prepping it, refinishing it and putting it are other people out there doing the back together. For some shops, this same things we’re doing now. They’re works great; for us, it did not. We spent not necessarily exactly the same but too much time going back and forth ultimately they’re doing things to and too many hands touched the vehimake themselves a better shop and cle; we wanted to simplify this.

Q: A:

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out of the booth, our goal is that same repairing technician is reContinuous Workflow assembling the vehicle within 60 minutes. In the interim, he preps for his next job that includes pulling his parts cart, reviewing the estimate, etc. Also, if the waiting tech has time during the interim of waiting for his vehicle to come back for paint, he may check the monitor screen that shows all of the vehicles released to the floor for repair. If there are vehicles in reassembly that are behind in the repair, he may go assist the tech working on that car.

Our computer management system tracks every vehicle released to the floor. We use colors for each job to show the status of the repairs.

Once a vehicle is released for repair, we track the amount of time that a tech is repairing that vehicle and compare that to our projected shop out date. The colors are black, red, yellow and green. If a repair is red on the screen, it means that there is a strong possibility that based on how long that vehicle has been released to the floor that we possibly are not going to make our completion time based on where that vehicle is in the repair process. If the repair turns black, we have missed our opportunity to meet our completion date based on where that vehicle is in the repair process. Yellow is showing that we are getting close to a possible missed completion date and green indicates that all is ok with the repair based on time used compared to the out date. This visual concept allows our people to know the status of every vehicle released to the floor and as those vehicles move through the repair process, the techs cans see if are we on time or not. If there is time to assist in a repair that has turned black, they go help!

Continued from Page 26

28 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

that helped provide the fuel for me to want to be like them.

A lot had to do with the management staff. It goes back to the owners making the commitment. When things didn’t go the way we expected, we talked about it and tried to figure out why it didn’t work.

One of our greatest assets is that our owner is always committed to trying to be the best. He taught me that you are going to fail and when you fail, fail hard and fail early so you can move on and start making progress.

That failure is an opportunity to learn.

We have far surpassed our goals that we initially talked about 12 years ago. Now our goals have changed because we have achieved these things and learned that as good as we are today we can become even better.

Now the hard work really begins with fine tuning the process.

How have your employees Q: dealt with the changes over the years and what advice do you have for

other shops in terms of building better employee relations?

The most important part of the A: puzzle is the employees here.

It’s fun and impressive to talk about how we’ve grown over the years but the reality is what we’re doing here is a byproduct of a commitment from not only management but also from the employees. There are about five of us who have been together about 12 years. The employees are the people who deserve the credit because they didn’t give up. Change for people is very very hard and I am forever indebted to the people who were there during these changes.

One of the most valuable lessons that we have learned through all this is when we decide to either change a process or implement a new one, we will include any staff that will be touched by the change. We will sit down and talk about what it is we want to change or try, explain the why… and then listen to what their thought process might be. They deserve the opportunity to express their concerns and know how the change or new process might affect them and possibly their paycheck.

Another important thing to remember is any process change or shop repair experimentation can never come at the cost of the employees.

See Bodyshop Revolution, Page 40

Continued from Page 21

NADA 100th

said Annette Sykora, chairman of the NADA Foundation. “Through it all, NADA has been there to help.”

“NADA was formed to make sure that entrepreneurs could open local dealerships and provide affordable cars and transportation to farmers, factory workers and people from all walks of life,” said 2017 NADA Chairman Mark Scarpelli. Scarpelli, who officially became chairman of NADA during the convention, is the president of Raymond Chevrolet and Raymond Kia in Antioch and co-owner of Ray Chevrolet and Ray Chrysler-JeepDodge-Ram in Fox Lake, IL. During the convention, Scarpelli unveiled a new initiative designed to help local dealerships showcase the benefits they bring to their millions of customers, the 1.1 million dealership employees in the U.S., and communities across the nation.

The initiative—MyDealership.org —utilizes videos, social media platforms and public service announcements to communicate the significant benefits of a strong and vibrant fran-

chised dealership network.

“There are five hallmarks of any local dealership in America today: We are local; We are modern; We are diverse; We save people money; And we create great jobs,” Scarpelli told the audience at the convention.

Carl Swope, TIME Dealer of the Year

Scarpelli’s top priorities for 2017 include advocating on legislative and regulatory issues in Washington, D.C., promoting the consumer benefits of local dealerships, meeting with auto manufacturer executives, and getting the next generation of dealers involved in their trade associations and on Capitol Hill.

“We’re advocating for clarity with the new administration and Congress, whether it’s related to auto financing, new tax proposals, vehicle recall pol-

icy or fuel economy rules,” Scarpelli said. “We’re concerned about vehicle affordability for consumers, period. We have to make sure we keep our customers top of mind when dealing with all of these issues.”

Also during the convention, Carl Swope, president of Swope Toyota in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, was named the 2017 TIME Dealer of the Year. It is often considered the most prestigious honor a new-car dealer can receive.

Swope was selected from a group of 49 nominees from across the country.

Those who are nominated perform heroic community service and are strong advocates for improving the world around them. (Autobody News will feature Carl Swope in the April issue of the magazine.)

Sidney DeBoer, the executive chairman of Lithia Motors, Ashland, OR, and Amy Purdy, who overcame a partial leg amputation to become an award-winning adaptive snowboarder, brought the final general session of the NADA Convention to a rousing close.

DeBoer, who is also dealer principal of Lithia Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, worked in many positions at the dealership starting as the office manager.

His dad’s death in the late 1960s thrust

him into the role of running the dealership.

“I made 35 sales that first month,” he said, noting his dad had served as the chief salesperson prior to his death.

“Those sales made me strong. They gave me the strength I needed to go on.”

It was soon after that turbulent time that DeBoer spearheaded the drive to take the dealership public. Today the

Chief Executive Officer of Ford, Mark Fields, gave a rich, data-filled presentation on the future of OEMs

company—now led by his son Bryan DeBoer—sells 30 brands in 153 stores located across 17 states.

“People can do a lot more than they think they can,” he said. His company’s success “came about due to a decision I made one day after a tragedy.

You can do anything anyone else can if you put your mind to it.”

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 29

“You start with getting the customer’s authorization to obtain the data, taking photographs of the scan tool on the car so you can prove to the after hurting his knee playing basketinsurer or anyone else that you really ball. As the knee continued to swell, scanned the car,” he said. “Sometimes Wano took his son to an urgent care we even photograph the different clinic, where, he said, they checked his codes that come up on the scanner.” son’s temperature, heart rate and blood One challenge, he said, is that pressure, then decided an MRI was scan times can vary widely from one needed to determine if his son had damvehicle model to another. aged his meniscus. The MRI showed no “And if you find fault codes, it damage. leads to all sorts of questions,” he said.

“The point I’m making is there “Sometimes the scan will point you in were all these diagnostic tests to de- the direction and give you some insight termine what happened,” Wano said. [into what needs to be done]. Other “And I can tell you from the [papertimes you have dig into it further.” work] I’ve received, the tests were all Others on the panel concurred charged out. Even though there was that there’s a need for training related no tear in the meniscus, the insurer to scanning. Mark Allen of Audi of would pay for that MRI because it was America said his company hasn’t yet a concern.” joined the nearly two dozen other auPanelist Chris Evans of State tomakers putting out position stateFarm called the analogy a good one. ments on scanning despite the need to “There was ‘technology’ in the ensure systems have been calibrated area of the damage, right,” Evans said and reset. of Wano’s son’s knee. “So it made “To pull codes sounds great, but sense to do everything that the doctors there’s a danger here,” Allen said. “If did.” someone goes in and does a pre-scan, Evans said he recently took his pulls the codes and clears the history, own vehicle in for collision repair, and we don’t know what happened to that a scan was involved in part car. We lose all the back-hisbecause one of the car’s tory on that car. You’re not adaptive headlights had to be just affecting the collision replaced. world. You’re affecting any “Our developing posiof the campaigns we do to tion at my company as we try update those computer systo get our arms around this tems for the function of that is: Do what makes sense,” entire vehicle system.”

John Eck Evans said. “In that situation, That segued the discussion the body shop did what made sense. into another related topic: the need for There’s technology there. There was shops to consistently use automaker an accident. It made sense in that sce- repair procedures. nario to do what they did.”

“If you don’t use the [OEM] inforPanelist Darrell Amberson, vice mation together with the information president of operations for Minnesota- and results you get from the scan, based LaMettry’s Collision, said his there’s really not much sense in doing a company now scans virtually every scan anyway,” Olsen said. “The process car coming into their eight shops. isn’t just about scanning the car. It’s in“Right now we’re scanning over terpreting the results that you get from 1,000 cars a month,” he said. that scan, and then using the service inHe said that to do that well, and formation and procedures.” to be paid for the process by insurers, Panelist John Eck of General requires a disciplined process.

Motors noted that a survey of shops Continued from Cover

CIC panel

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his company did last year found results similar to other surveys in terms of shops’ regular review of OEM repair procedures.

“It’s less than 20 percent pulling repair procedures [for all repairs],” Eck said. “It’s unacceptable. There are no two accidents that are alike. We change repair procedures often. I understand the cost and the process and the payment issues [related to looking up OEM procedures]. But we’re talking about a safe repair. We have to work with the information providers to find better ways to make it easier, to provide the information to shops in a faster, more intuitive way.”

State Farm’s Evans agreed there’s a need for more OEM scanning and repair information within the estimating systems.

“I believe in the very near future, they are going to become a critical element in this whole process,” Evans said.

GM’s Eck was asked if he has concerns about the industry being ready to repair the autonomous vehicles that are being developed. Eck said his concerns are more immediate. He said he recently learned of a relative who had been in a vehicle accident, and

he immediately began texting that person to find out who was doing the repairs, and suggesting questions to ask the shop.

“We’re on the inside so we know what we really want [for them] out of that repair, and what may not happen,” Eck said. “I’m concerned about the vehicles being sold today, that the industry as a whole isn’t prepared to fix even today’s non-autonomous vehicles.”

He said that obviously there are shops that have the training, equipment and information to repair vehicles properly, but “by and large, the masses” may be five or 10 years behind.

Eck acknowledged his company needs to do more to educate insurers as well, pointing to Mercedes-Benz as a company doing that well.

They’ve done a fabulous job with insurer training, so that insurers understand the type of vehicles their policyholders are owning,” Eck said.

“We need to take those best practices and see how General Motors can improve information communication to insurance companies.”

CIC’s next meeting will be held April 19-20 in Pittsburgh, PA.

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Continued from Cover

SARC 2017

am.

The Conference and Exhibits open at 12:30 pm on Friday and close at 9:00 pm. Friday includes afternoon classes followed by a Reception in the exhibit area from 6:00 to 9:00 pm.

Saturday begins at 8:00 am with exhibits, demos, class offerings, conference presentations, and prize giveaways. A continental breakfast will be served and lunch will be provided.

General Admission is $40 online and $50 at the door. This fee includes entry to the event, classes, and sessions as well as food and beverages, including drink tickets for the reception.

A large number of exhibitors will participate, including national paint companies, major vehicle OEMs, PBE distributors, equipment and tool companies, industry service providers, and product innovators. There will be vehicles on the floor with demonstration areas available to sponsors and exhibitors. New exhibitors are being added daily. Check for updates on the SARC website.

Exhibitor set-up is Friday from

9:00 am to noon. A ‘Come & Go’ private lunch buffet will be served to exhibitors, sponsors, speakers, and SARC staff from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm before the Exhibition floor is opened to the public. All Exhibitors are asked to be set up no later than 3:00 pm on Friday.

Speaker Brad Mewes with Supplement will present a look at the current state of the industry, the role of Wall Street financiers, other industries that have consolidated, the future of collision repair, and strategies that smaller operators can use to compete in this environment.

Keynote Speaker Mike Jones is a dynamic and inspiring presenter who motivates high levels of leadership utilizing tools to develop untapped potential. Mike served 6 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, is an accomplished TV host and radio personality, flew a helicopter for the Houston police, and was a four-time recipient of the Houston Police Officer of the Year.

Mike currently runs Discover Leadership Training in Houston, Texas.

Panels include: Panel 1: OEM Perspective Industry Panel with Mike Anderson/CollisionAdvice and representatives from

32 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

AsTech, GM, Honda, and Nissan discuss topics important to distributors, shops, and consumers.

Panel 2: Successful Shops discussion with Mike Anderson/CollisionAdvice, David Luehr/Elite Body Shop Solutions, Brad Mewes/Supplement, and Jake Rodenroth/Collision Diagnostics

Panel 3: I-CAR 2017 presentation and discussion with I-CAR Instructors and Staff German Mejia, Caleb Mills, Tony Nethery, Patrick Porter, Dave Robinette, and Terry Ticel

Classes include: I-CAR: ‘Safety Shield Technologies’ a brand new 1 hour class module that will be presented to attendees. Individuals must register with I-CAR to receive credit.

Assured Performance: Special preconference session! Attendees will learn how to maximize benefits of being an OEM Certified Collision Care Provider, and also learn about tools to improve business.

AsTech™: AsTech Remote Diagnostic Device—Jake Rodenroth of Col-

lision Diagnostic Services presents the innovative AsTech tool and process that remotely diagnoses vehicle issues and codes.

Management Success: ‘Super Charge Your Profits’ Learn the importance of having the right employees on your team, how efficiency & numbers make the difference, and what key ingredient sets you apart.

CollisionAdvice: ‘Positioning Yourself’ with Mike Anderson focuses on Sales & Marketing, Production, Accounting & Financing, and Human Resources for both shops and jobbers.

All members of your team can learn and apply this material.

Mitchell: Content to be announced shortly.

GM ‘Supplemental Restraints: Service and Repair’ covers the servicing of supplemental restraint systems. Topics include replacement of the SDM, inflators, passenger presence sensor, SIR coil, seat belt retractors and wire repair strategy.

Dave Luehr: Discusses his forthcomSee SARC 2017, Page 40

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Shop Strategies with Stacey Phillips

Stacey Phillips is a freelance writer and editor for the automotive industry.

She has 20 years of experience writing for a variety of publications.

She can be reached at sphillips.autobodynews@gmail.com.

Taking New Approach to Leadership at KS Body Shop Turned out to Be “Best Decision Ever Made” When Tony Adams was in high school, he began working at Weaver’s Auto Center where his dad was a technician.

It was 1989 and Adams swept floors, took out the trash and enjoyed the time he spent with his father in the Shawnee, Kansas body shop. One day, the owner of the shop, John Weaver, put his arm around Adams and told him that if he wanted to run his own business one day, he would should him how. They became business partners in the mid-1990s and Adams is now in charge of the dayto-day operations.

Autobody News spoke to Adams about how he has changed his leadership style over the years, and the effect it has had on the culture at Weaver’s Auto Center. The body shop owner has incorporated a servant-leadership philosophy and set of practices in his business and said it was the best decision he ever made.

According to the Center for Servant Leadership, “A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong… The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.”

What prompted you to make Q: changes at your shop?

I was talking to a great friend A: of mine—Dale Opeka who owns a couple of shops in PA—dur-

ing a Twenty Group meeting in 2008.

I was going through a difficult patch in my business, like we all go through from time to time, and he recommended that I call Kevin Wolfe from LeadersWay. Dale told me that I needed coaching. What I thought of as coaching was Little League. I told him that I didn’t need someone cheering me on—ra ra ra. I was hesitant to even call Kevin at first but Dale was really persistent and I finally contacted him.

It was one of the best decisions I ever made. Kevin helped mold me into the person I am today and I am forever grateful for that.

We spent about a year on the phone focusing on personal develop-

ment. I started reading a lot. I was one of those statistics you hear about people who never read another book after graduating from high school—that is until I started working with Kevin. He taught me that I had to exercise my mind. He had me start on a journey of understanding different concepts and challenged me. He also held me ac-

Weavers Auto Center in Shawnee, Kansas

countable as my coach. After about a year of working together, he came onsite and started helping me see some of the things we needed to do in terms of team development and collaboration.

What types of books did you Q: read and how did they change your mindset?

They were all universal to leadA: ership and understanding what that is. The first book he had me read

is the One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey. I still recommend it to people. It’s all about how we as leaders take on other people’s “monkeys” and we think we are trying to help.

I remember in 2008 when I started working with Kevin, he said that I needed to read this book. I picked it up and it sat on my desk for a couple of weeks. Finally, it was a Saturday morning and I started reading it and the only difference between me and the guy in the book was there wasn’t a golf course across the street outside my window where I saw my employees playing golf while I was inside doing all of their work!

I began learning and understanding the different principles and philosophies around servant leadership.

Can you tell us about the difQ: ferent types of leaders and how

34 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

you have incorporated servant-leadership philosophies into your business?

I learned about three types of A: leaders: “do for,” “do to” and “do with.” I was the “do for” type. I

didn’t want my employees to work late and be here on Saturdays so I would do the work for them thinking that I was helping and protecting them. In this type of situation, at some point in time you get frustrated and irritated because you are the one who is doing all the work. Then you get mad and become a “do to” manager and say, “I’m not going to do this work anymore— you do it.” Afterwards, you feel bad about doing that and then you go back into that “do for” model. It’s a vicious cycle.

It’s one of the things that Kevin really helped me understand and was one of the points of that first book when the manager meets the monkey.

Afterward, I had several people in

the office read the book. I wanted to make sure everybody understood where I was coming from and start addressing cultural development. If you take the word ‘cult’ out of culture without the negative connotations, at the end of the day what is a cult? It’s a group of people who are connected to a common leader, a common belief system and speak a common language.

One of the first things we started working on was developing a common language. I couldn’t just come in and say, “OK, I’m not doing this for you anymore.” Instead, it was becoming comfortable saying, “If I have to do this for you, then I don’t need you,” and not coming from a place that was threatening by any means. It was understanding and sharing with employees that, “It’s not my job doing it for you; that’s why we hired you.” It’s a trap that I think a lot of managers and leaders get into.

The place we want to be is “do See New Approach, Page 38

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Continued from Page34

New Approach

with.” Let’s do this together and make sure you understand it before we just throw you in to sink or swim. We also learned the importance of having clear, written expectations of our employees and communicating those expectations.

I realized that if I don’t know what to expect of my employees, how will they ever know?

As owner of the company, I’m here to support the three leaders in the office, service department and collision center. I want to make sure they have everything they need to succeed so they can do the same thing for the people they serve and operate in the servant-leadership model.

Can you explain the difference Q: between managing and leading?

In the past, I used the words A: synonymously but clearly they are two different things. Management

is about doing things right and leadership is about doing the right things.

Managers are all about protecting the status quo and making sure that we

always follow profit. It doesn’t leave a lot of room for growth, development and ingenuity. However, leaders recognize they are there for their people.

They ask questions like: How do we

about that journey of self-discovery and I decided I wanted to do the same thing that Kevin did with me so I went to Coach U and received my coaching certificate and I’m now a certified coach. I like to teach and help other organizations with some of these same kinds of concepts around clarity and expectations and how to have difficult conversations.

It sounds like these Q: learnings changed the way you conducted your busi-

Since implementing changes at the body shop, Tony Adams said it has helped increase the volume of cars repaired

grow? How do we get better? Instead of saying, “just follow this process,” they ask, “Is this the right process to follow?”

An industrial management style, which I had been using, is managing by fear, “I say jump and you ask how high?” The leadership style of the 21st century is about growing and supporting people and operating from a servant-leader mindset.

Ultimately, I became passionate

ness. Can you tell us how it affected the shop and the reaction from employees?

Absolutely. It started A: with me. One of the hardest things I think for people to un-

derstand, at least with leaders at the top of their organizations, is that it’s always a leadership issue. Very rarely is it a people issue although I’m not saying that organizations don’t have some employees who have some bad behaviors.

The biggest pill I had to swallow was my ego and recognize that I was the problem. It wasn’t my people who were the problem. It was me.

Once I became clear on that, I had a conversation with everybody— sometimes daily. I told them, ‘This is the direction that we are going to go as a company and I know there are people on my team who are not going to be here as we continue to move forward. I don’t know who those people are and I certainly can’t imagine losing anybody on my team but I’m not going to negotiate on what I want and expect. Some people are just going choose along the way that they don’t want to be part of this journey. And that’s ok too.’

For the employees, I think it was a mixed emotion of happiness and frustration. Some didn’t like it because there are people who take advantage and like a manager who does everything for them. The superior performers on the team loved it because they could see some of those poor performers out there and were glad that I was holding people accountable.

The first major shift was understanding that we are an employee-first organization. My employees come first. I want to make sure they are happy, healthy and full engaged. If they are, they are going to be in a betSee New Approach, Page 40

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Continued from Page 38

New Approach

ter position to take care of our customers. If our customers are happy, healthy and engaged in what we are doing in our business, then profits and revenue follow that. The way it impacted our organization is the teamwork we have now. It’s not uncommon to come into our business and see three or four techs working on one car at a time. It has become a culture of collaboration and working together. They are making good, strong friendships within the organization. It’s not every man for himself. Everyone is after one common goal. We’re not just after the almighty dollar; we’re after something bigger.

thing with one person that takes you two or three, you can’t compete against me and my operating costs are going to be less.

We all know in this industry the profits are shrinking and administration work is rising. We now do things from a standpoint of how do we put people in positions of strength instead of always trying to fix what’s wrong with them.

What is your advice to other Q: shops looking to make a change?

Start reading, learning and unA: derstanding that there are different ways to lead and talk and

many and sometimes three times as many administration staff to be able to do the same thing. If I can do some-

communicate. There are many books on the subject. Our brain is a muscle just like any other muscle in our body and it will atrophy when we stop using it.

When I go visit other shops and clients who I work with, it’s almost always the same thing. First and foremost, people are operating on assumptions rather than clear expectations.

Number two, it’s always a leadership issue.

I often recommend hiring a coach.

Many shops will hire someone to mar-

Continued from Page 28

Continued from Page 20

We’ve always tried to take care of our employees and I think that is why they’ve stayed here, and are still as committed today to get better as they were when we started this journey.

All of us are in it together and we are all committed!

get a flat hourly wage and the opportunity to earn incentives as they increase efficiency. The shop also offers a full benefits package.

Sunder said experience from a technical college does help teach some of the basics behind auto body repair.

“But bottom line is a lot of training will come from people mirroring more experienced techs,” he said.

“We are not throwing them out to the wolves. We can teach them the trade and the skills, but they have to be willing to learn.”

And in an industry where technology is rapidly evolving, more people —especially those who are capable of adapting to those technology changes —are and will be in high demand. “(You) have to be a thinker to be in this industry,” said Sunder. “You have to be a problem-solver and be able to think on your feet. It’s a very challenging career and we are truly proud of what we do.”

We thank SCTimes for reprint permission.

How has it helped with the fiQ: nancial performance of the business?

I’m in a position now where I can do the kind of volume that A: takes most of my competition twice as

Bodyshop Revolution

Randy Sattler is featured in the book The Secrets of America’s Greatest Body Shops, written by Dave Luehr with Stacey Phillips, scheduled to be released in early 2017. For more information, visit www.bodyshopsecrets .com or email dluehr@bodyshopsecrets .com/sphillips@bodyshopsecrets.com.

Your leading source for MIDWESTERN Collision Repair News! midwestern.autobodynews.com

Body Shop Tackles

40 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

ket their business, to come and learn lean processes and how to revamp your administration scanning and filing. Why wouldn’t you hire a coach to help you with what you don’t know from a leadership perspective?

We’re learned a lot along the way about servant-leadership, behavioral science and having clear expectations.

All these pieces have helped us create the culture we have now. The biggest thing in leadership is having the right heart and coming from the right place and understanding that you need to be there for your employees.

Continued from Page 32

SARC 2017

ing book, Secrets of America’s Best Body Shops and presents inspiration to shops, along with tips on how any shop with the right attitude and resources can excel and succeed.

Symach: Fix Line information session presented by Osvaldo Bergaglio and Chad Seelye covering innovative equipment and processes that cure paint in seconds and yield significantly reduced touch times for all repairs. Discussion includes methodology used to develop new body shops worldwide.

(Classes are free, unless specifically noted otherwise) Conference M/C: Robert McKenzie, Refinish Distributors Alliance.

Conference Facilitator: Mike Anderson, CollisionAdvice.

For more information, visit www .southernautomotiverepairconference .com.

Tony Adams is featured in the book The Secrets of America’s Greatest Body Shops, written by Dave Luehr with Stacey Phillips. It is scheduled to be released in early 2017. For more information, visit www.bodyshopsecrets .com or email dluehr@bodyshopsecrets .com/sphillips@bodyshopsecrets.com.

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Media and Publicity for Shops

Ed Attanasio is an automotive journalist based in San Francisco, California. He can be reached at era39@aol.com.

Do 3 Things Right With Your Shop Marketing, Stick to Them and Thrive with Ed Attanasio

I had a baseball coach in high school who used to say, “Do three things right!” His theory was that the human brain was adept at handling three things simultaneously, but more than that and it would struggle.

So for a hitter, he would say, think about these three things: 1) Keep your eye on the ball 2) Don’t move your head and 3) Finish your swing. But if you add in a lot of other things to think about while at the plate—not moving your feet; keeping your knees bent, etc.—it will only confuse you and keep you from doing the first three things right. Or at least that’s what my coach thought.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t hit a slider (or a curveball), but his advice stuck with me, and today, I often put his three-point plan into practice in my

these be examples of major corporations that tried to do too much all at once? Maybe or maybe not—but at this point I’m rolling, so I’m going to stick to my theory of doing things threefold for maximum results.

The first thing you need to do— whether you’re a one-man shop with one bay or an MSO with 300-plus locations—is determine your path and goals with your marketing efforts.

Concentrate on the audience you want to cater to—either the insurance companies or consumers. Once you can make this decision, the subsequent ones should follow more easily.

The average shop in the U.S. is more than 80% dependant on DRPs for their revenues, so if you determine that the three things you want to do right might fit into that cate-

business and writing.

I strongly believe that many people in this industry are skilled at multitasking, but sometimes they “pile on,” and that’s when the problems begin. A body shop has thousands of moving parts, and a lot of things have to happen in perfect order for a repair to go right.

If you’re not dealing with a deluge of paperwork (which is increasing all the time), communicating with customers, DRPs, vendors and, of course, employees—on top of fixing a car without affecting your cycle time—it can be overwhelming to say the least.

If you’re most concerned about getting the cars out, marketing isn’t going to be a priority, and I understand that.

But by doing it in small increments and concentrating on just three things, you’re more likely to thrive rather than just survive via your marketing.

It makes sense to do three things right, as opposed to doing a dozen things ineffectively. Very few companies can do it all, and that’s why they stumble sometimes. Remember HP’s TouchPad, New Coke, the Ford Edsel and McDonald’s Arch Deluxe? Could

gory, there are a wide range of options. To retain its DRPs and interact regularly with the insurance agents that they work with, shops often produce and disseminate e-mail newsletters to keep them in the loop; set up social media platforms that are just for them; hold regular classes and other events for the agents and create special sections of their websites to accommodate and communicate with their DRPs. If you are a shop that is more concerned about catering to the consumer, then there is an entirely different approach with many more options. Social media, e-mail marketing, broadcast advertising, community outreach, online advertising, outdoor advertising, blogging—there are literally hundreds of things you can do.

So pick three and work them for a while. After you see some real progress, maybe change the plan a little bit and alter your marketing goals? Things change quickly in the marketing game, so always be open to new marketing methods and approaches. Many successful shops beat the other guys down the street by embracing things such as

“It makes sense to do three things right, as opposed to doing a dozen things ineffectively.”

42 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

online advertising and blogging before they become another flavor of the moment.

For a shop that hasn’t done any significant marketing in the past, it’s a big and exciting world out there. My first piece of advice is to take baby steps initially and don’t take on too much at first. Pick three things and put some resources behind them and commit to them for the duration.

How long should you stick with these three things before evaluating and re-shuffling them or abandoning them altogether?

Too many shops have unrealistic expectations about the results of their marketing. They will do a blog, for example, to boost their rankings on Google, but after 1–2 months, they aren’t happy with the results, so they bail. All of the work they’ve done up to that point has disappeared and now the blog sits there dormant and without any new content. They don’t realize that an

out of date blog can actually hurt their Search Engine Optimization (SEO) due to inactivity.

Pare down your marketing efforts and concentrate on three things to achieve your goals and create new business. Stick with all three (one year at least) and you will see the benefits gradually and organically. Don’t try to do it all when it comes to marketing, but make the three things your priorities.

There are a lot of shops out there that do incredible work and garner top reviews from their customers and insurance partners, but unless they are marketing continually, no one will likely know. You can’t rely on the old “word of mouth” anymore, so focus and specialize with your marketing endeavors and thrive in a highly competitive market.

By working on three things and making sure you do them effectively, you will succeed and watch the numbers grow over time.

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www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 43

Hey Toby!

Kool Tools 2016

with Toby Chess

Four years ago, Kye Yeung, owner of European Motor Car Works, and I walked the floors of SEMA again looking for new products that most of us never get a chance to see. When we made a presentation at the Collision Industry Conference, the presentation became an instant hit among the audience. So for the fourth year in a row, we walked the floor at SEMA looking for things that were unique and would make life in the body a little easier. It should be noted that we are not endorsing these products and there other manufactures that make similar items and you should take some time to search them out. Moreover, we purchased all but one of the items and we checked them out before we presented at the SCRS open board meeting and the Collision Industry Conference. I might add that there will be a video presentation and it can be accessed at SCRS.com. Let’s look at an out first item:

Toby Chess is an I-CAR program instructor, Training specialist, and former salvage yard operator.

Toby is universally known in the collision industry for his work with first responders and advocacy for body shops and consumers. He can be reached at tcspeedster@gmail.com

that you want to check to see if an intrusion beam inside a damaged door needs replacing. Punch a hole and cut out a section for inspection. Available from Amazon.

This will save a lot to sanding time on the repaired tab. Available from Amazon.

The next item is a hand seamer.

The next item I found was a steel cutoff wheel from Alpha Professional Tools (800-648-7229).

Hand Seamer

Steel Cut-off Wheel

Portable Nibbler

A Portable Nibbler by Malco. This part fits on any battery operated electric drill. It will cut sheet metal up to and including 18 gauge steel. Let say

The tool is ideal for forming a tab on a broken bumper. You can use adhesives or plastic weld the broken tab, followed by the hand seamer to “squish” down the tab to the proper thickness.

Alpha® Ultracut ABM Series is designed for use on most popular pneumatic cut-off tools which are widely used in automotive body shops. Unlike regular abrasive cut-off wheels,

Th The Carcoon A W Features: tttures: The T Th he C Carcoon Ca C arcoon America arco Amer Am A America eriiica ca Workstation Workstation W orkk ork ksttati kst ati tiion io i nF Fe F ea e eat atures: a tu ures

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44 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

A Smart Solution.

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the Alpha® Ultracut doesn’t change diameter during the cutting operation.

It will maintain maximum cutting depth throughout its life. The Ultracut was made with the highest quality diamond grits allowing you to cut multiple layers of different materials while assuring a fast, clean cutting experience. The company states that the blade will outlast an abrasive cutoff wheel ten to one. Both Kye and I have used it and it does last a lot longer than a conventional cutoff wheel.

Comes in 3 and 4 inch diameters.

Moving on, the next item is a leatherlead shot dolly bag from S & H Industries (800-253-9726).

Shot Loaded Dolly Bag

The shot loaded dolly bag is one of the best tools for replacing a door skin.

Steel dollies are too rigid and will

cause some damage, even in skilled hands. If you don’t want to end up repairing hem flange damage, don’t damage the flange edge. Use a shot loaded dolly bag – a leather bag filled with lead shot. This dolly is heavy, but conforms to the shape of the outer door skin, whatever that shape. It absorbs the energy and does not rebound on the door skin. If your tech is placing bondo on the outside of the edge of the new door skin, switch to this dooly and the need for bondo will be eliminated. This dolly is also an excellent tool for repairing aluminum.

Another item that helps eliminate repair/removal damage is a laser weld cutter. From Reliable Automotive Equipment (800-328-7855)

Laser Weld Cutter

What is a laser weld?”

A laser weld is a narrow high in-

tool box from Camel Grinding Wheel Inc or CGW.

tense heat source that is used in welding steel and aluminum The main advantages to be gained through the use of laser welding include low distortion, single sided access, high torsional stiffness of components, and cost savings through elimination of other manufacturing operations. Most of the applications to date have focused on welding of steels but there is a growth in confidence in laser welding of aluminum alloys. In the past these welds were ground off using a cutoff wheel or a grinding disc, which could lead to damage of the underneath metal layer.

Laser weld cutter have a depth of cut, guide rods, and multiple width cutters, that allow the tech to remove only the laser weld and not the underneath metal. I recently used one on a roof of a Ford Aluminum Body F150 and the tool really made the removal operation clean and quick. I found another item that should be part of your aluminum

Flap Disc for Aluminum

Traditionally, to remove excess aluminum weld material, you would use either a high aluma burr or 50 grit grinding discs. These two products will cause collateral damage to adjacent surfaces if you get off the weld. It is recommended that you remove excess weld, but stop grinding so that the weld is slightly above the surface of the surrounding aluminum. New switch over to 80 grid DA sandpaper at low speeds to finish the operation. The CGW for aluminum is completely different.

The CGW 4.5” x 7/8” T29 A3 Flap Disc for Aluminum keeps work material cool and prevents loading See Kool Tools 2016, Page 50

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(888) 834-8635 (248) 699-3003 www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 45

Shop Strategies with Stacey Phillips

Stacey Phillips is a freelance writer and editor for the automotive industry.

She has 20 years of experience writing for a variety of publications.

She can be reached at sphillips.autobodynews@gmail.com.

Successful Female Shop Owner in OR Encourages Shops to Keep an Open Mind, Have No Fear and Dive in Camille Eber began working at her My parents were ahead of their parent’s Oregon body shop, Roth & time in many ways; they were foundMiller Autobody, in 1986. Just three ing members of our state association, years later, her dad decided he was Autobody Craftsman Association, and ready to sell the business and Camille dad helped shape an estimator training became the new owner. Since and certification program then, she has added a minorwithin the association. They ity partner, become affiliated were one of the first shops in with the Fix Auto Network Portland to have the equipand grown the collision rement needed to repair unibody pair facility, which includes vehicles. They also attended a two locations, Fix Auto Portlot of training and the first few land East and Fix Auto Gladyears of NACE. Camille Eber, stone.

I worked only a year with owner of Fix Auto Portland East and mom before she passed away, Autobody News spoke to Camille about her experiences Fix Auto Gladstone and after that dad lost his in Oregon over the years as a woman focus and initiative with work. shop owner in a male-dominated field It was a few very difficult years. as well as the challenges of working in My nephew, William Bray, stara family business, and why she decided ted hanging out with me as a youngto become part of a network of shops. ster and would come with me to the shop on Saturdays while I caught up What are some of the challenges on supplements. He would do all kinds you have encountered being part of odd jobs to earn a buck—entering of a family business and how have you labor control cards (for job costing), dealt with them? cleaning in the shop, cutting the grass and weeding. When he graduated high Our business, Roth & Miller Au- school, we had been experiencing tobody, was started in 1946 by growth in volume so I taught him estiChet Roth & C.E. Miller. My folks, mating and how to negotiate with inJim and Doris Eber, purchased it in surers (which he did much better than 1963.

I ever have). He’s a very goal-focused When I joined the business with guy and wanted to spread his wings. my folks, I was untainted by the ways We often found ourselves butting of insurer/shop relations. I was optiheads and arguing. He even gave his mistic about being paid for what we notice once to go work for our largest did when we did it, and I believed I competitor and I made a promise to could eliminate the friction of getting make him a partner to keep him from paid, even though my folks told me leaving. Due to many, many things, it how it was. I only needed to educate took me much too long to fulfil that myself and approach it in a different promise. I credit my involvement in a way. This was not always the case, and DuPont (now Axalta) Business Council in many ways not much has changed group facilitated by Mike Anderson, between shops and insurers since that and Mike being my accountability parttime. ner within that group, as the fuel that I also saw an opportunity to im- prompted me to finally execute that prove our accounting (my college promise to make my nephew William a focus had been business and account- minority partner in 2012. ing) and our system was archaic when The relationship with my nephew I got there. Mom was the business has not been easy and this is wellbookkeeper and she had continued the known by many of our colleagues and system the previous bookkeeper had friends. We are polar opposites. He is set up. She was very resistant to mak- an extrovert and I am introvert; he is ing any changes to the system. In goal-focused and I have an overarchhindsight, mom was already very sick ing idea of how I want things to go. He and we just didn’t know that her tired- wants autonomy and I want control. ness and sometimes feeling exhausted The tension in our relationship has frewas an illness. quently gotten in the way—until re-

Q: A:

46 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

cently. We contracted with a husband and wife coaching team and their ideas and methods mesh well with our Discover Leadership training and my individual work with a personal coach.

Trying to work together has cost a ton of money over the years, but working with this couple since June of 2016 has parted the “Red Sea” for us. I was on my last straw with our working relationship (which made our family relationship awful, too). If this round of coaching didn’t yield different results than all the other stuff I’d paid for and saw as a panacea at the time, something very different and likely unpleasant would need to happen.

I am very happy I gave it one more go—like my heart told me to do—despite the majority of people familiar with the situation encouraging me to cut ties.

What is it like to be a successful Q: woman shop owner in a male-

dominated field?

Growing up, I was always a bit A: of a tomboy with an interest in cars, and playing with my younger brother in the dirt with cars and trucks was the norm. I even recall a time when I was about 15, he would have been 11, and we had a grand time one fall afternoon outside in the dirt building Tonka truck-sized roads and maneuvering our cars and trucks along them. I think my interest in cars was also a way to connect with my dad.

I started working full time for my folks in 1986 and a year later my mom, who was my dad’s business partner and the glue of the business, passed away unexpectedly. I was tossed into a role that I had to step up to and fulfil, and do so expeditiously, in terms of education and action. My mom was my dad’s support system and he rather crumbled after she died and although he was physically See Have No Fear, Page 48

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Continued from Page 46

Have No Fear

at work for an additional three years, he was not always mentally at work. Often times he would leave for several hours, which left me holding down the office, answering the phone, preparing estimates and negotiating with insurers at a moment’s notice while also juggling the management of production and employees in the shop.

When dad asked me at the beginning of 1989 if I wanted to buy the shop, I recall having no fear and no thoughts about it seeming odd or being an unusual challenge because I was female in a male-dominated industry. It was not until recently that I even brought into my awareness the innate mental differences between men and women. Once in a while, I would ask myself if X is happening because I’m female or if that adjuster treats me the way he does because I’m female. But generally speaking, I have not and do not play a card that has said, “It’s because I’m female.”

I have always had male friendships, with some of my most treasured and dearest being male friends. I have no problem being the only woman at the table, which happens less often today than it did 20+ years ago; it seems normal.

Friends and colleagues know me, I believe, for my passion (which if you don’t know me can look like anger or hostility), willingness and ability to say some hard things in front of others. I’m called to and counted upon to review complex documents or concepts because I am extremely detail oriented and have an innate ability to see how one thing here can impact another over there.

Q:

What advice can you share with other women (and men) in a similar situation or those who are thinking about becoming part of the industry?

If you are female and you A: have interest in our industry— dive in, head or feet first, it doesn’t

matter. What matters is that you learn what you need to learn to be successful—that’s no different, male or female, in my opinion. For me, that was to seek out mentors (male or female), learn from others, keep an open mind and acknowledge “I don’t know what I don’t know.” Also, be

willing to be vulnerable and admit when you don’t know (because you can always learn it or find it, etc.).

I always thought that I could learn from the experience and vision of others. Learn to trust what your body tells you about situations. I could have learned this much sooner, but as I mentioned, you don’t know what you don’t know. I was an excel-

Why did you decide to become Q: part of the Fix Auto Network and what are some recommendations

for Independent shops in this industry that are looking to grow?

We joined the Fix Auto Network A: of body shops in late 2008, after a five-year stint with CARSTAR. We had a chance crossing of paths with an-

Roth & Miller Autobody joined the Fix Auto Network of body shops in late 2008

lent estimator and a mediocre negotiator. Those are different skill sets and as an industry we often latch those together with a padlock and throw away the key. I believe this can be detrimental to our business and our people, but sometimes it’s all we have to work with, or we think it’s all we have available. I have the mentality that I can best my best every day— some days progress is better than others, but I choose to rise and shine versus to lie down and fail.

I have a strong sense of duty to give back to the industry, to seek continuous improvement in operations and the resources we use to help us, such as software. I enjoy serving and have done so through voluntary committee work such as I-CAR focus committees, software advisory boards, local college advisory board, Fix Auto Market Leaders board and subcommittees, being active in local and national associations and holding board positions there, proofreading and offering expertise input to an industry journalist and an industry consultant. I say all of this because I recommend to any one in any industry: be involved in shaping your future. Regardless of your industry role, there is a place for you to serve—just do it, or start it!

Sometimes, time adjustments and stepping back will be necessary as we have to keep our own ship afloat to help others.

48 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

other of the Fix Auto Network shop owners, and franchised as a charter franchisee in December 2011. Although we are affiliated with Fix Auto, we still

operate as an independent shop.

Being part of the Fix Auto Network has provided us with business connections we struggled maintaining as a single shop owner, provides networking opportunities with performance-based forward-thinking shop owners I have found to be some of the best-of-the-best operators in the US and beyond, and allows for broad and rich joint marketing and advertising campaigns.

For me, aligning with Fix Auto has provided opportunities that I would not have had without their brand and the other owners in the network. This industry has phenomenal human beings that make for phenomenal operators and operations. I feel honored to be in the room with many of the best-of-thebest men and women. If I’m struggling with something, there is always someone a phone call away that will take time to listen and give me their opinion or advice—this can be priceless.

My advice is to align yourself with people that challenge you professionally and personally, give back to your industry and community and treat your teammates with respect. Never ever give up on your passions, your educaSee Have No Fear, Page 59

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Continued from Page 45

Kool Tools 2016

making it the ideal option for softer material jobs. This flapper disc is constructed on heat treated polyester backing and features Blue-Fired premium aluminum oxide grains with a calcium stearate coating. This unique combination of A3 Material with calcium stearate coating can become liquefied under the heat of friction, lowering the materials temperature and preventing loading. In addition the T29 flap disc for aluminum oxide is constructed with the flaps at an 8 degree angle providing greater surface contact and aggressive use.

The picture is a practice weld from the I-CAR Aluminum Certification test. It took less than 30 seconds to remove the weld. Notice that the adjacent metal is smooth and not gouged up if a 50 grit grinder was used. I used a scotch brite flat disc next and I will explain about the tool in the next paragraph. Available online from a number of outlets.

Moving on to the next tool, a scotch brite flap disc from Sait.

V Fine-Blue-Aluminum

Stainless Steel, High tensile steel, NonFerrous Metals—Available On-line. I switch to the V fine flap disc and finished dressing the weld. It took less than a minute and the results were fantastic.

Medium-Gray-Steel

SAIT Sand-Light Flap Discs, Durable Material, Suitable for Surface Preparation/Cleaning/Finishing applications.

Longer Lasting Layered Flaps create a cushioned design which provides a better finish. Use for Ferrous Metals,

ness. The machine would make adjustments for voltage and wire speed. At SEMA 2016, ProSpot International demoed their multi voltage MIG WelderPR-205 MV.

Let’s shift gears now and look at welding.

Up until recently, Miller Electric had a multi volt welder. The Millermatic 211 could be plugged into 220 single phase or 110 volts. The machine would read the input volts and make the necessary adjustments. On the auto set mode, you set the wire diameter and metal thick-

Multi Voltage Mig Welder

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Like the Millermatic 211, the machine comes with a pigtail that allows you to go from 220 volt plug to 110 volt plug.

It also has stick weld option. You set the thickness in MM and you are off to the races. Remember; always do test welds prior to welding on a vehicle. Another nice feature about this machine it has an Adjustable Slope & Burn Back Time: The Slope adjusts the response of the motor at start-up ensuring a clean start to the weld. Burn Back Time maintains power to the torch after the motor stops ensuring a clean end to the weld. I have used this welder and it is a really nice piece of equipment. Now you have two choices for a multi volt machine, Miller or ProSpot.

The next small tool is a magnetic flasher light holder from Killer Tools (800-369-4262).

This holder has a magnetic base with a scratch protection surface on the bottom along with a “goose neck”. I use these when I conduct the I-CAR MIG Certification test. Having light on the weld prior to striking an arch, give the tech better control when he/she is welding especially in an overhead position. It should be noted that the

The Nebo 250 is two lights in one.

A flash light and a work light.

An additional feature is the base of the light has a magnet.

Magnetic Flasher Light Holder

stand does not come with a flash light.

Available from Amazon.Com. Here is another lighting solution from Car-OLiner.

Here is another option for close up lighting from Nebo.

Lighted Plastic Curtain

Flash Light and Work Light

Car-O-Liner has made a lighted plastic curtain. Adds addition LED light to the side of a vehicle for better

repair visibility. It is also has a rheostat so that you can vary the intensity of the light. Curtains are great way to controlling cross contamination (steel and aluminum particles) as well as dust from sand. A better way of controlling bondo dust is with a vacuum system, but you need to understand the health hazards of bondo dust.

The application of filler material can expose you to some hazardous materials if you do not take appropriate precautions. Most body fillers contain a solvent called styrene. As the filler dries, styrene is released to the air and you can breathe it. It has a characteristic sweet smell at low concentrations and a sharp disagreeable odor at high concentrations.

Exposure to styrene can cause respiratory irritation. It may also damage your liver and possibly cause cancer at very high levels of exposures not usually found in autobody shops.

Styrene can also be absorbed directly through the skin if you come in direct contact with the uncured filler. In some people, direct contact with the filler may cause skin rashes and repeated exposure may increase your sensitivity.

See Kool Tools 2016, Page 52

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and cleanly with water. Available from Kent Automotive.

Continued from Page 51

Kool Tools 2016

Sanding paint and filler material creates a lot of fine dust that is easily inhaled and can irritate your breathing tubes and eyes. The dust may contain hazardous substances as well, such as lead, chromium, and the abrasives from sanding disks. This dust can be harmful if inhaled or ingested. I am not suggesting that anyone eats the dust on purpose, but it can easily stick to your hands and face, and if not thoroughly washed off, will contaminate your food, drinks and cigarettes. At even very low levels of exposure, the toxic metals in this dust can cause serious health effects and body workers performing these tasks without precautions have exceeded the exposure limits for these hazardous materials.

The Kool Tool from SEMA 2016 is a Sanding work Station from Tool Shaver (714-974-2531)

This sprayer is from FBS Distributors (613-224-0685). The spray nozzle adjusts from a fan to stream is chemically resistant to all chemical used in the body shop environment.

High-Performance Scuffing Agent

Eurovac Vac. Hand Sanders. 800-265-3878

the bondo dust and having everything at your fingertips, will improve your repair cycle time.

Here are a couple of additional new and different sanders from R&H Products (360-687-978).

True Flex Sanders

Sanding Work Station

This sanding station has it all.

The cart comes with the tool box, twosided aluminum extruded wall and product holders. You add a vacuum unit, sand paper, chemical and sanders.

The sanders are on the other side of the cart. They (for demonstration purpose) include air operated vacuum DA sanders from Dynbrade and vacuum sanders from Eurovac. You will reduce

Dynabrade 6” DA Vac. Sander. 800-828-7333

6004 Series True Flex Sanders: Automatically conforms to curves.

Easy 1 handed operation Designed for exceptional final finish on body filler & primers Available with Plexiglass base or MORE durable Spring Stainless Steel Part# 6004 Plexiglass base Part# 6004S Spring Stainless base True Flex Foam Blocks: Rugged dense foam sanding block with “Tough” Dual texture surface for easy removal of sandpaper & added durability.

Easily flexes to follow even the most demanding curves. Flexes for concave & convex curves. Different textures on each side for fast & finish sanding. Again, available from R&H Products.

Kye is using this next product in his shop. I might add Kye tests out a product thoroughly before he will use it or endorse it. Presta Scuff Stuff is a prep that gives superior adhesion to

52 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

the paint. It’s a high-performance scuffing agent that enhances paint adhesion by ensuring cleanliness and consistent surface profiling.

As an industry trusted product for cleaning and abrading plastic bumpers as well as preparing blend and hardto-reach areas, Scuff Stuff offers superior workability and rinses off easily

Super Sprayer

The last item is an 8MM drill bit extender from Dent Fix Corp. (800-5231751).

8mm Drill Bit Extender

When access is limited or obstructed either by a structural member or other component, we have a solution. DF-1600K The Extender is a spot weld drill bit extension that adds 6_ inches of length, letting you get to those deep and hard to reach spot welds. The plastic sleeve protects any nearby structures from damage & cables from getting tangled. You can stabilize the drill point by holding here.

The drill bit is held in the holder with a set screw, which allows for a replacement bit.

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Historical Snapshot with John Yoswick

—John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon, who has a body shop in the family and has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988.

He is the editor of the weekly CRASH Network (for a free 4-week trial subscription, visit www.CrashNetwork.com). Contact him by email at jyoswick@SpiritOne.com.

Industry History Includes Concern About Refinish Materials Calculation, “Underwritten” Estimates 20 years ago in the collision repair industry (March 1997) The estimating system providers agreed that the formulas they offer for calculating blending time (painting a portion of an adjacent panel for color matching) are not designed to be used when estimating spot painting (blending within a repaired panel).

The panelists were also asked whether shop compensation for paint materials would be calculated differently in the future.

Sherwin-Williams’ Bruce Cooley said there is nothing logical about the current system, in which materials compensation is based on the number of refinish hours.

“If someone was painting a room in your home on an insurance claim, I’m sure the materials required to paint that room would be basically based on the size of that room,” Cooley said.

“Boy, I wish we could catch up with that in the automotive trade business.”

– As reported in The Auto Rebuilder. Twenty years later, the majority of the industry continues to use the refinish hours as the multiplier of the refinish materials rate. A 2016 “Who

In 2007, Ohio attorney Erica Eversman argued that insurers could be in breach of the insurance contract if they make a practice of deliberately not including on an estimate all of the repairs necessary to restore the vehicle

Pays for What?” survey (www.crash network.com/collisionadvice) found that only about 19 percent of shops use a materials calculator/invoicing system; more than 60 percent who do, however,

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reported they are paid “always” or “most of the time” based on that materials invoice from the top eight largest insurers.

15 years ago in the collision repair industry (March 2002) Principle has influence only when the public is watching. Otherwise, money rules. The insurance lobby knows this and applies it expertly. What other explanation would there be for bills that would limit the use of non-OEM parts on late-model vehicles languishing in one state legislature after another over the last six years? The insurance lobby would have us believe that instead of enhancing consumer choices, the bills ensured a monopoly for the car companies.

Hogwash.

The insurance lobby seems to have forgotten that the customer is the care owner, not the insurance company, and without these bills becoming laws, owners have no choice about what

goes on their recently-purchased cars.

They get what the insurance company dictates.

– from a column by industry writer Tom Slear published in Autobody News.

10 years ago in the collision repair industry (March 2007) The causes and concerns about “underwritten” initial estimates were the focus of a recent panel discussion including shops, insurers and attorneys.

“It could be a breach of the insurance contract with the insured if an insurance company is making a practice of deliberately not including (on an estimate) all of the repairs necessary to restore the vehicle,” Ohio attorney Erica Eversman of Vehicle Information Services, Inc., said in her opening statement at the discussion, held in Phoenix.

“I don’t see any value to the (insurance) company that would be the

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motivation for doing that,” George Avery, national claims consultant with State Farm, responded, pointing out the risk any such an insurer would be taking.

The panel discussion was prompted by a report by the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) “Anti-Fraud Committee” last year. In what the committee acknowledged was a non-scientific study, 266 claims submitted by collision repair shops showed an average supplement of nearly $2,400 on initial insurer-prepared estimates that averaged $1,640. The committee subsequently received documentation on more than 700 claims, with the average difference between initial insurer estimate and final repair still remaining above $2,400.

The panel discussion in Phoenix was not CIC-organized but was prompted by those who wanted to see more analysis of the subject following the CIC committee’s work. Some of the main points raised by those participating on the panel.

• Attorney Eversman said that in addition to breach of contract, insurers could potentially be engaging in consumer fraud if they are training adjusters to not include on initial estimates

“items that would be obvious to an experienced collision repairer as necessary.” She believes the problem stems not from policies set in place by top executives at insurance companies but more at a local level where adjusters and appraisers may be rewarded for keeping severity down.

• Bill Graden, a State Farm attorney, agreed that any insurer deliberately underwriting estimates would be risking not only accusations of consumer fraud but also charges of bad faith which can lead to significant punitive damages. These risks provide ample disincentive to underwrite initial estimates, he said.

• State Farm’s Avery said insurers are aware of the risk they would be taking if they were to engage in the types of practices Eversman describes. He said that underwriting initial estimates also raises an insurer’s costs because of the resulting supplements. “We try to get everything we can on the estimate because the next time you have to go out (because of supplements) means extra steps, extra time, extra man-power to get those things done,” he said.

• Roger Wright, manager of material damage and direct repair programs for AIG, said his company

believes in giving appraisers adequate estimating training because a poorlytrained adjuster is as likely to “overwrite” as “under-write” an estimate.

He used an analogy of a light bulb that is broken inside a paper bag, however, to explain that initial estimates may not include damage that can’t be seen; you may be pretty sure the bulb is broken, he said, but if you can’t see it, you don’t know whether it’s a 60-watt bulb or 100-watt bulb so how can you accurately include it on an estimate?

• Darrell Amberson, president of Lehman’s Garage, a six-shop collision repair business in Bloomington, Minn., and national director of the Collision Division of the Automotive Service Association (ASA), said that not all insurers act the same, but that he believes some deliberately underwrite initial estimates. He cited an example of an insurer not including refinish labor time on salvage parts because the part might already be the right color.

– As reported in Collision Expert.

5 years ago in the collision repair industry (March 2012) Preliminary data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners indicates the Top 10 auto insurers con-

tinued to gain market share as a group in 2011. The Top 10 insurers accounted for close to 70 percent of the market last year, compared to 68.1 percent in 2010 (and up from about 59 percent in 2000).

In terms of market share growth, GEICO (No. 3) was the big winner with just over 9 percent market share, up from 8.5 in 2010, continuing to fuel speculation that it could pass Allstate (at 10.3 percent last year) as early as 2013 to become the second-largest auto insurer.

Progressive (No. 4) and USAA (No. 6) also gained one-fourth of a point of market share last year. Nationwide (No. 8) and American Family (No. 10) saw the largest decline in market share among the Top 10.

As reported in CRASH Network (www.CrashNetwork.com), March 26, 2012. GEICO indeed passed Allstate in 2013 to become the second-largest auto insurer, having outpaced even fast-growing Progressive (No. 4, still trailing Allstate) over the past decade.

USAA most recently passed Farmers (No. 6) and Liberty Mutual (No. 7) to become the fifth-largest auto insurer.

Nationwide (No. 8), which was the sixth-largest auto insurer in 2005, has continued to lose marketshare.

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Shop Showcase

Ed Attanasio is an automotive journalist based in San Francisco, California. He can be reached at era39@aol.com.

Supporting Orphans is Not Just a Cause, But a Way of Life for Lefler Collision Family with Ed Attanasio

The collision repair industry gives back in a big way, and certain body shops are well-known for their philanthropy and kindness. They give cars away and sponsor things like food drives, car washes and other fundraisers for local charities and more. Many of these shops have been doing these types of things for so many years that it’s practically in their DNA, just like fixing cars.

were like, and we were terrified by what we saw,” Lefler said. “So we decided to sponsor three orphans, but when we started getting letters from them and learning their stories, we knew we had to do more.”

One day, Jimmy’s wife Stephanie came into his office and announced that God was calling them to go to Myanmar.

“So I looked at my cell phone and there were no messages from Him there,” he said. “I jokingly asked my wife, ‘Are you sure?’”

When most husbands get a “honey do list,” it says things like clean up the garage or wash the car, but this particular request was going to involve a 30 hour+ travel period, including one 16-hour flight to reach their destination, and Jimmy wasn’t enamored with the idea initially.

Jimmy Lefler with Yin Yin Khin and Sophia during his “First off, I had to look at a recent and 11th trip to Myanmar map to find Myanmar,” Lefler While most shops reach out to help said. “I am not a really adventurous their respective communities, there is person in general. I hate camping and one third-generation MSO that is I can’t stand living out of suitcases, so changing the world with its generosity I figured I would go the first time and and commitment to making a change. that would be it.”

But after seeing the orphans and Jimmy Lefler, the owner of Lefler Collision and Glass, with three locations in victims of human trafficking firsthand Indiana and one in Kentucky, embarked in Myanmar, Lefler realized that this eight years ago on an amazing journey was going to be a little more than just to help people in Myanmar (formerly a two-week vacation. “Like Michael Burma).

Anderson from Collision Advice alLefler, his family and some of his ways says, ‘We didn’t know what we crew work closely with an organization didn’t know,’” Lefler said. “These called Uncharted International that has people were so wonderful and so 12 orphanages with more than 600 orgrateful [that] it just melted my heart. phans in Myanmar; a home for elderly widows; a human trafficking recovery center; and The Loom House, which provides jobs for the children that grow up in the orphanages and for women who, without a job, would end up in horrible situations to provide for themselves and their families.

Josh Lefler manages the company’s Evansville Maxwell For his 11th time, Lefler location. He has been to Myanmar five times to volunteer traveled to Myanmar right at The Loom House after Christmas last year for two weeks. They were embarrassed to receive our It has become his annual pilgrimage, help, but we were right in there doing but how did it all begin? manual labor with them and I think “At my church in 2008, they show- they respected that. What they give ed us what the conditions in Myanmar back to us in immeasurable. They

56 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

have become our family.”

During his first trip, Lefler was helping people with things he knew nothing about, but it did not dissuade him for a second, he explained. “They wanted to raise pigs and chickens, but they didn’t know about the business

side. Planning, rotating, feeding, selling—I had to teach them all of that and I knew nothing about pigs or chickens!

So I did my research, and then when we returned, I was more prepared. One of the villagers wanted to raise fish, so I researched the process and advised him to dig a pond. When I returned the 6 months later, I was amazed at the two ponds he had dug by hand. They were 20 ft. long, 30 ft. wide and three feet deep and I was shocked that he did it all by himself. So now he’s raising fish.”

Lefler focuses much of his attention on The Loom House, which enables orphans who age out of the orphanage to have careers in which they can (l to r) Jimmy Lefler, Assistant Production Manager flourish and have pride. It has Max Carnahan and (front) Megan Williams, Director of also provided employment to Marketing at Lefler Collision and Glass, who utilize their women who otherwise would marketing skills to help Jimmy with the branding and progression of the Loom House goods

See Not Just a Cause, Page 58

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Continued from Page 56

Not Just a Cause

have ended up in very unfavorable situations.

“Unfortunately, without The Loom House opportunity, their chance of becoming victims to false promises from human trafficking scavengers are high,” Lefler explained. “They promise them work abroad and sell them into tragic and inescapable slavery, and it happens every day. So The Loom House takes them out of that life and gives them a chance to support themselves.”

The young ladies that work at The Loom House sew, knit and make blankets, jewelry, silk scarves, makeup bags and dresses for sale worldwide.

Of every dollar that comes in, 90 cents goes to the employees of The Loom House. When Lefler began to collaborate with and coordinate the processes within the The Loom House in 2009, the operation made around $8,000, but last year it brought in almost $100,000 thanks to the purchases of many in the collision community.

Now, the Leflers bring an entire group along with them to Myanmar.

“My twin 17-year-old girls made their fourth trip in December,” he said. It has changed their whole perspective on life. “My Axalta Jobber, Bill Payne, started going with me in 2010, and now he sponsors his own orphanage and has taught them how to fix and maintain all

my wife works with medical teams and teaches educational programs in the areas of health, hygiene and family planning.”

In addition to supporting and enabling these orphanages and setting up The Loom House for ongoing produc-

The Loom House in 2016, including all of the girls with (l to r) Max, Megan, and Jimmy

of their transportation vehicles including their van and motorbikes, allowing them to have consistent transportation.

I have taken three marketing staff members to assist in branding and marketing The Loom House products. My son, who manages our Maxwell shop in Evansville, has been three times, and

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tion, the Leflers welcomed a young woman from Myanmar into their home in Indiana a while back.

“Elizabeth Thang is the daughter of Rebecca and Peter Thang, the founders and leaders over the Love Children Home Christian orphanage network,” Lefler said. “Elizabeth has

lived with my family for almost two years and is studying to get her bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Indiana,” he said. “She is working on an International Business degree and looking forward to returning to Yangon, Myanmar to make a difference in the newly open democratic country. She is a 4.0 student on the Dean’s List and is deeply involved with the work at Uncharted local headquarters, the summer program for international students department for the school and she is a foreign exchange student ambassador for incoming freshmen from around the world.”

Lefler is already planning for his 12th trip to Myanmar at the end of 2017. “I am planning a trip for up to 12 people later this year,” he said. “My goal is to coordinate a team of people in the collision and related industries with an interest in making a difference in the lives of people looking for a ‘hand up’ not a ‘hand out.’ People think that one person can’t make a difference, but all they need to do is make one trip with me; I can show them that through love, knowledge and a little sweat, one person can change the futures of many. It’s a cumulative effect.”

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Snap-on Adds MODIS Edge to Diagnostic Calculator

Snap-on has added its MODIS™ Edge combination full-function scan tool and scope/graphing meter to its diagnostic calculator feature available on the Snap-on website at http:// diagnostics.snapon.com. This online tool helps automotive repair technicians and shop owners determine how much profit they could be making by using a Snap-on diagnostic

The MODIS™ Edge from Snap-on

platform. The diagnostic calculator is available for use in the United States, Canada, Ireland, Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

“With the addition of MODIS Edge to our diagnostic calculator, technicians and shop owners can easily see the value of investing in our latest integrated diagnostic system,” said Mark Schaefer, director of marketing, Snap-on Diagnostics.

“The diagnostic calculator will give users a thorough breakdown on how profitable MODIS Edge could be for their shop, based on how it would be used. Fast and easy-to-use, the diagnostic calculator is another great resource to help our customers grow their business.”

To find the user’s potential return on investment, the diagnostic calculator asks a few simple questions such as how many times a week does the shop connect to a vehicle, how many service/health checks does the shop perform each week and what the shop charges for these services. The user then indicates which diagnostic tool they either own or are looking to purchase. Lastly, the user enters their name and e-mail address to receive a customized message about their potential profit breakdown, based on the answers given. In addition to MODIS Edge, the diagnostic calculator also includes VERUS® Edge, SOLUS™ Edge and ETHOS® PRO. To learn more about Snap-on diagnostic solutions, talk to a Snapon Franchisee or other sales representative or visit www.diagnostics .snapon.com.

Continued from Page 48

Have No Fear

tion, your business and your industry, and learn to understand yourself— what motivates you, deflates you, lifts you up and feed you what you need to get up and forge ahead every day.

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New Global Warranty Program for Architectural Powder Coatings

Axalta Coating Systems has introduced a Global Warranty program for its premium line of Alesta® architectural powder coatings.

Alesta powder coatings are designed to meet the rigorous architectural specifications set forth by the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA), Qualicoat and GSB standards. These are available in a wide selection of colors and gloss levels, and contain virtually no VOCs and no targeted HAPs. The Global Warranty provides a unique and consistent program to specifiers and façade fabricators through Axalta’s approved applicators.

The fluoropolymer-based Alesta AR500 UD series powder coatings based on fluorocarbon technology will come with a warranty of up to 30 years, offering superior mechanical properties compared to traditional liquid technologies. Alesta AR400 SD super durable polyester-based powder coatings will come with a warranty up to 25 years. Alesta AR300 AP standard durable polyester-based powder coatings will come with a warranty up to 15 years.

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PPG Announces Key Advances in Color Tools PPG has announced that it has developed several key advances in its array of color software and hardware tools.

The news was delivered by Denise Lu, PPG global marketing director.

While specifics are still under wraps, Lu indicated that dramatic enhancements to the company’s PAINTMANAGER® color management software, RAPIDMATCH™ X-5 spectrophotometer and TOUCHMIX® color retrieval system are clear expressions of PPG’s commitment to maintaining its leadership position in automotive refinish color technology.

“We have been working on critical initiatives that will elevate our color tools to a whole new level, all to the benefit of our customers,” said Lu. “Those individuals who attended the SEMA show and saw our video about color tools have an idea of what’s coming. Our color management, identification and retrieval products are already highly efficient and accurate; they’re in daily use in collision centers around the country. Now we’re giving these products advanced features and capabilities to make automotive refinishing even easier, more productive and more quality-focused.”

The advanced tools will be part of a new Color Solutions product line

branded XI. “XI means excellent, innovative, exciting, intuitive and exceptional, all key attributes for this line of tools,” Lu added. “We firmly believe that our customers will quickly see and embrace the value of XI products, and we are proud of bringing 25 years of consistent, reliable color matching technology to the refinish industry.”

The first of the three initiatives, the TouchMix XI computer, was released this month in the U.S. and Canada. Exclusive to PPG, this robust Windows OS computer provides a secure and compact solution for the most demanding environments.

Second is the PaintManager XI program software. It will be rolled out across the U.S. and Canada this spring and introduced to additional markets soon thereafter. This next-generation software features numerous process improvements and a more intuitive workflow to help managers oversee the productivity and profitability of their paint mixing operations more ef-

fectively. The new software also provides greater opportunities for collaboration.

Rounding out the trio of new tools is the RapidMatch XI spectrophotometer. This third-generation spectrophotometer was designed exclusively for PPG to significantly advance collision repair. The innovative spectrophotometer combines eleven color angles and five texture angles for a total of sixteen geometries powered with six blue-enhanced LEDs, making it the most advanced technology in the industry today. Technicians will be able to benefit from the five texture digital color images that provide real-time paint surface viewing. In addition, the intuitive touchscreen user interface captures vital job details with Wi-Fi connectivity directly to the PaintManager XI software. PPG’s extensive reflectance data and color image database will help provide the added confidence required in match rating and texture information.

Details about the new color products will be released in a few weeks.

For more information, call 800647-6050 or visit www.ppgrefinish .com.

SCRS Releases Part 2 of 2016 OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit

During the OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit at the 2016 SEMA Show, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) led several sessions with a focus on emerging trends in vehicle technology. On February 2, SCRS launched a second video that captured discussion about scan tools and options, in a segment on Restoring Vehicle Functionality through Electronic Technology and Diagnostics. While the first segment featured representatives from leading automakers who discussed the positions they have released and the responsibilities expected of the collision repair providers, part 2 features tool and solutions providers discussing the options available to the industry. The conversations cover different mechanisms available to the collision repair community, and unique challenges and advantages associated with the process of documenting the restoration of the technological elements in the vehicle. After watching these videos, individuals interested in training on the topic can find more information in I-CAR’s recently released Introduction to Diagnostics and Scan Tools (VT210E01). To view the video, visit www.scrs.com.

UpdatePromise Unveils New Electronic Signatures Feature

UpdatePromise, a communication and information technology provider to insurers and repairers in auto-service related operations, recently re-

leased its new Integrated Electronic Signatures feature within its Consumer Lifecycle Experience Solution.

According to the company, this new feature adds yet another layer of efficiency for both UpdatePromise users and their customers.

“UpdatePromise continues delivering innovative solutions to the automotive services industry with this latest release,” said COO Richard Pannazzo. “Continuing our mantra of creating an unparalleled con-

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sumer experience, Integrated Electronic Signatures allows customers to sign documents digitally, eliminating delays and shortening the repair cycle.”

The UpdatePromise IES solution adopts the spirit of the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act and adheres to the strictest requirements for obtaining and storing electronic signatures, according to the company’s president, Curtis Nixon.

“We developed this feature to use an electronic signature in order to provide a secure and precise identification method for the signatory while enabling a seamless transaction. Our goal was to make the entire process as secure and simple as it could possibly be and I do believe that our development team achieved exactly that.”

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ChemSpec USA Launches New Website ChemSpec USA, LLC. has announced the launch of its new website.

The company is encouraging its customers and guests to visit www.chemspecpaint.com. The site includes information about the company and its products and offers a user-friendly experience that is now faster and easier to navigate.

ChemSpec manufactures a wide array of collision repair products for the Automotive, Fleet, OEM and Industrial Markets. According to the company, as a manufacturer, it’s important to make the information about your company and its products easily accessible for customers and website visitors, providing a much more customer-centric experience.

“We wanted to provide a better way for both our customers and website visitors to get to know our company and its associates and to familiarize themselves with all the products that we have to offer,” said

Tammy Anderson, Marketing Communication Manager for ChemSpec USA. “The new website allows us to provide accurate information in a more, timely manner.”

A few website features include: ● Mobile Responsiveness

Chief® Offers Chassis Liner® Frame Rack in Custom Packages for Heavy-Duty Repairs

The Chassis Liner Heavy-Duty Trucker™ is available from Chief distributors to provide a cost-effective, versatile pulling package for repairing a wide range of heavy-duty vehicles,

● Convenient forms to request product information, as well as product demos, or assistance from various departments

● ChemSpec USA news and events including tradeshow, product features and announcements

● Employment portal accessing worldwide job opportunities within ChemSpec USA, LLC., and parent company Axalta Coating Systems, LLC ● Product Selector which allows customers and visitors to easily filter and locate products even if they are not familiar with the company’s branded products For more information, visit www .chemspecpaint.com.

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including trucks, trailers, buses and recreational vehicles. The pulling system is built on a multiuse platform so it can be customized to meet any heavyduty shop’s needs for less than the cost of a rail system. “The Heavy-Duty Trucker is built to repair everything from a half-ton pickup to a triple-rail cement truck, and everything in between,” said TJ Schultz, Chief northern division sales manager. “For shops that focus on any variety of repairs, including trailer roll-over work, axle corrections, trailer re-crowning, passenger buses, or other specialties, we can provide an enhanced, affordable pulling

package to meet the need.” Available in 32-foot, 40-foot or custom bed lengths, the versatile Heavy-Duty Trucker frame rack can do it all with a fast and easy-to-use system. It features a drive-on deck that provides excellent access to the vehicle being repaired.

Removable drive on ramps and nonskid treadways allow for easy loading of the vehicle to be repaired. The bed is also plumbed for air in multiple locations to speed prep time. The modular design of the Heavy-Duty Trucker allows for precise holding, pulling and pushing anywhere around the bed, providing technicians with a wide variety of options to bring larger vehicle frames back into alignment. It is available with four, six or eight seven-foottall cab towers, providing 360-degrees of pulling with 25-tons of pulling power, and two pulls per tower. Lasercut tie-downs are located in the inner and outer portion of the treadways, and there are center hold pockets for additional tie-downs and anchoring. A jacking beam allows for pushing up on frames. For more information, visit www.chiefautomotive.com/ChiefHD/Heavy-Duty-Racks/Heavy-DutyTrucker.

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62 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

CREF Announces Application for Ultimate Collision Education Makeover Grants The Collision Repair Education Foundation has announced that the application for their Ultimate Collision Education Makeover school grant is now available for high school and post-secondary collision school programs. The Makeover grant program is in its ninth year.

Instructors are advised to begin the application early and industry professionals are encouraged to get involved with the Makeover grant by working with their local school’s collision instructors to help them apply.

The winning schools will be announced during the SEMA show in Las Vegas, NV in October. Awards of up to $50,000 will be given.

The Ultimate Collision Education Makeover school grant application is available online and is due by Thursday, June 1, 2017. Industry members are encouraged to work with their local collision school programs to ensure they apply by the deadline.

“School collision programs are facing tremendous budgetary pressure,” said Melissa Marscin, Director of Grant Programs for the Foundation. “It is difficult for many to maintain their program at current capabilities, no less increase their abilities and improve the training they deliver to the industry’s fu-

ture workforce. The Makeover grant program is designed to help collision schools get the much needed tools, equipment and supplies they couldn’t get otherwise and increase their capabilities. Last year, every school that applied received some level of support through both grants and in-kind donations.”

The Makeover grant program incorporates the “Collision School Career Readiness Benchmark” that the Foundation launched last year. Under the new program developed by the Foundation, schools are classified into three tiers: ● Tier 1: Advanced, ● Tier 2: Proficient, or ● Tier 3: Developing

The designation will be determined by the Foundation based upon information provided by schools about the capabilities of their program detailed in the Collision Repair Education Makeover grant application. The criteria for each level includes the number of hours of instruction, curriculum in place, along with what tools, equipment, and supplies a school uses to prepare their students for employment in the collision industry.

If there is something that a school

needs to advance to the next level, the Education Foundation’s grant application will allow a school to request that particular item. The goal is to help every school acquire the resources to eventually achieve a Tier 1: Advanced school designation. Schools at Tier 1 status can request support for items that further advance their program.

The organization’s Board of Trustees Selection Committee will select the winners of the awards and determine what items off the wish lists each school will receive.

Since 2009, schools have been able to apply for the Ultimate Collision Education Makeover Grant to get much needed tools, equipment, and supplies for their school. Over $4 million in cash and in-kind donations have been given out to schools as a result of the grant, and over 25,000 collision students have been impacted by the program.

Industry members interested in getting involved with the Foundation and joining its efforts to support the future of the collision industry should contact Foundation Director of Development, Brandon Eckenrode at 847463-5244 or Brandon.Eckenrode@ed -foundation.org.

AAPEX Announces 2017 Dates

AAPEX 2017 will take place Tuesday, Oct. 31 through Thursday, Nov. 2 at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas.

Online registration will be available in May 2017. Buyers who would like to be notified when registration opens can sign up on the AAPEX website, www.aapexshow .com/reginq.

For hotel reservations, buyers and exhibitors are encouraged to use OnPeak, the event’s official hotel partner, for the lowest rates at conveniently located hotels in Las Vegas.

Reservations can be made now on the AAPEX website.

AAPEX 2017 is expected to feature more than 2,200 exhibitors and 45,000 targeted buyers. Approximately 160,000 automotive aftermarket professionals from more than 140 countries are projected to be in Las Vegas during AAPEX.

www.autobodynews.com C

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www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 63

Gene Bilobram has been an automobile physical damage appraiser more than 25 years. His insights are useful tools in the often challenging process of reimbursement on new and non-included procedures. His company, Lacey Appraisal Service Inc. is a physical damage appraisal, consultancy and manufacturers’ rep firm serving the collision repair and insurance industries. He can be reached at 609-384-8093 or laceyappraisal@aol.com to discuss the latest in postcollision diagnostics and receive an updated PDF version of the CHART. As Manufacturer’s Representative for Collision Diagnostic Services, Gene will explain the many benefits of the award winning and patented asTech™ remote vehicle diagnostic solution for today’s collision repair professional.

64 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 65

CREF Spring Career Fair Has Sprung

The Collision Repair Education Foundation kicked off their spring career fair schedule on February 3rd in Des Moines, IA. The event will soon be followed by at least 11 additional sched-

uled career fairs. To ensure the best student participation possible at these events, the Education Foundation will be partnering with ASE/NATEF, who will be inviting their collision and automotive school contacts as well.

Through this partnership, attendance is anticipated to double in some markets in 2017 due to the inclusion of automotive/mechanical students.

Spring 2017 Initial Collision Ca-

reer Fair: ● Des Moines, IA – February 3rd ● San Diego, CA – March 9th ● Houston, TX – March 22nd ● Dallas, TX – March 23rd ● Phoenix, AZ – April 15th ● Pittsburgh, PA – April 19th ● St. Louis, MO - April 21st ● Chicago, IL –May 2nd ● Madison, WI – May 3rd ● Denver, CO – May 8th ● Seattle, WA – Tentatively scheduled for week of May 8th ● Nashville, TN – May 17th Locations and dates for the Fall 2017 career fairs will be announced later this year. Companies interested in participating in these events should contact Education Foundation Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode at (847) 463-5244.

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Driven Brands Charitable Foundation Raises $650,000K

The Driven Brands Charitable Foundation (DBCF) raised more than $650,000 in 2016 and its fundraising efforts have now surpassed more than $1.5 million since it was established in 2012. The Foundation, working in conjunction with over 2,500 Driven Brand franchisees, vendor partners, customers and employees, looks to not only change the lives of children and families in need but to support local community initiatives in the neighborhoods its businesses serve across the U.S. and Canada.

“We continue to benefit from our vendor partners, franchisees and employees’ support, awareness and commitment,” said Noah Pollack, Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Driven Brands. “As we grow all of our brands, and expand into new markets and new segments, the Foundation remains a constant focus and source of cohesion and pride.”

DBCF supports several organizations like the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals including the Levine Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital in New Orleans, Boston Children’s Hospital, Cystic Fibrosis Canada and other local charities like Snug Hugs for Kids. In addition, DBCF believes in honoring

our veterans and giving back to the brave men and women who fight for our freedoms through programs like NABC Recycles Rides, Wounded Warrior Project and Hope for Warriors.

Driven Brands family of automotive aftermarket brands including Take 5 Oil Change®, Maaco®, Meineke Car Care Centers®, Merlin 200,000 Mile Shops®, Econo Lube N’ Tune®, Pro Oil®, CARSTAR®, Drive N Style® and 1-800-Radiator & A/C®, raised the funds at National Conventions and during several events throughout the year including golf tournaments, collection drives, charitable walks, silent auctions and most importantly, in-store promotions.

The Foundation also receives a tremendous amount of support from its vendor partners and customers, including the Round It Forward program that rounds up customer purchases to the nearest dollar and in-shop collection boxes.

For more information, visit http://www.drivenbrandscharitable foundation.org.

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66 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

AMi Launches New Online Courses

The Automotive Management Institute (AMi), the industry’s leading nonprofit provider and collaborator of administration and management education for automotive collision and mechanical service repair professionals, announced the addition of several

new online courses for the collision repair segment. These newly released courses provide credit toward the organization’s Collsion Repair Segment certificates and professional designations.

They include the following: ● Customer Service Certificate

● Accredited Automotive Office Manager (AAOM) professional designation

● Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) professional designation

● Accredited Master Automotive Manager (AMAM) professional designation

● Soon to be released Accredited Collison-Repair Estimator (ACE) and Accredited Master Collision-Repair Estimator (AMCE) professional designations.

The new online courses include: ● Frank Terlep’s How to Market, Sell and Service Today’s “Connected Customer” ● Daren Fristoe’s Effective Interviewing Techniques

● Daren’s Fristoe’s Managing Conflict ● Steve Beck’s Time Management

These courses are part of a growing list of over 100 online courses hosted by the Automotive Management Institute’s “MyAMi” Learning Management System. The catalog of online courses include course content from other well-known industry professionals such as Mike Cassata, Mark Claypool and Frank LaViola. In addition to online courses, AMi recognizes over 250 live instructor-led courses being taught across North America for AMi credits.

Autologic Diagnostics Now ASA Corporate Member

The Automotive Service Association (ASA) has announced one of its latest corporate members: Autologic Diagnostics.

Corporate membership provides an opportunity for companies to expand their relationships with ASA and its leaders in the collision repair and automotive service segments of the industry.

Autologic Diagnostics, based in the United Kingdom and the United States, is a worldwide provider of the first and only fully integrated, cloud-connected aftermarket automotive diagnostic system, Autologic Assist, which helps technicians and automotive service facilities quickly identify faults in vehicles and repair cars faster.

“The members of ASA are precisely the audience that stands to benefit the most from learning more about the many advances of our Assist solution and how it could change the way they do business and improve productivity and efficiency, while also increasing both profitability and annual revenue,” said Kevin Finn, director of strategic partnerships.

“While partnering with ASA allows Autologic to share its expertise with the industry, it also affords the company the ability to learn significantly more about the changing dynamics of the automotive repair marketplace and allows us to stay on top of the cutting edge of change and advancement occurring industrywide.

This is very valuable to our growing global enterprise,” Finn commented.

Tony Molla, ASA vice president, welcomed the partnership with Autologic and said, “We are pleased to add Autologic to our growing list of corporate members and look forward to working with them to help our members stay abreast of the latest technology, as it relates to improving productivity, accuracy and diagnostic capabilities within their individual repair and collision shop enterprises.”

To learn more about ASA’s corporate membership program, visit www.ASAshop.org or contact Dan Risley, ASA president and executive director, at danr@asashop.org.

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Laurel BMW of Westmont

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www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 67

SEMA Scholarship Applications Due March 1

CARSTAR North America Announces Expanded Leadership Team for 2017

The SEMA Memorial Scholarship offers dozens of awards ranging from $2,000 to $3,000, with a $5,000 award going to the top student. Scholarship applications for the 2017 SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund are due March 1. The SEMA Memorial Scholarship program offers financial assistance of up to $5,000 to help foster the next generation of automotive aftermarket industry leaders and innovators.

Students can apply for the scholarship at www.sema.org/scholarships. Scholarships are available in a variety of categories, such as accounting, sales and marketing, and engineering. Dozens of awards ranging from $2,000 to $3,000 will be given out, with a $5,000 award going to the top student. The program also includes a loan forgiveness aspect that offers financial awards to employees of SEMA-member companies who have completed and are paying off a loan for a program of study at an accredited university, college or vocational/technical program within the United States. For more information about the program, please contact Juliet Marshall, SEMA manager of education projects, at 909-978-6655 or julietm@ sema.org.

CARSTAR and guide the continued delivery of the collision industry’s highest-quality repairs and customer satisfaction for its consumers in the U.S. and Canada.

Dean Fisher will assume the role of Chief Growth Officer for CARSTAR North America, working to help CARSTAR hit its target of 100 new stores for 2017. Leveraging his wealth of industry knowledge and experience, Fisher will be focused on building the CARSTAR franchise footprint in new markets across the U.S., as well as advancing significant development initiatives.

He, along with Sam Freeman, Vice President of Development, will work

by SEMA Editors

CARSTAR North America has announced the expansion of its corporate support team in the wake of its growth and North American integration in 2016. According to the company, the organizational changes will support the operations, development, training and marketing for

Next Step Program Offers Young Pros Scholarships

The Young Auto Care Network Group (YANG) and the Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association (AWDA) will offer young industry professionals the opportunity to experience up-close how the Auto Care

Association and various aspects of the industry work through participation in the Next Step Program.

The Next Step Program offers future leaders in the auto care industry the opportunity to become involved in the industry and trade association by receiving scholarships to attend the Auto Care Association’s Spring Leadership Days, held May 35, 2017 at the Grand Hyatt Regency in San Antonio, Texas.

“As young people become more connected and involved in the industry, they are more likely to build longlasting careers in auto care,” says Bill

Hanvey, president and CEO, Auto Care Association. “Future involvement and leadership are the ultimate goals of the Next Step Program.”

At the Auto Care Association Spring Leadership Days, Next Steppers will have the chance to participate in committee meetings and networking events with veteran industry leaders.

Ten Next Steppers will receive a scholarship of up to $1,100 to offset most expenses for travel and accommodations to, from and during the event.

Most meals are also included.

Interested applicants must be a member of YANG and employed by a member company of the Auto Care Association. The official application is available on the Auto Care Association website, www.autocare.org/What -We-Do/Professional-Development /YANG/the-next-step-program/ or by contacting Courtney Hammer at: courtney.hammer@autocare.org. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2017.

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as a united team to meet the company’s growth goals.

Melissa Miller has been promoted to Vice President of Operations for CARSTAR North America and will oversee all of CARSTAR’s operations in both the U.S. and Canada.

Miller’s promotion will ensure the brand leverages its best practices, volume and quality at all of its more than 500 locations.

Also promoted are John Burns, National Director of Operations in the U.S., and Ryan Anderson, National Director of Operations, in Canada. Their focus will be to implement the North American CARSTAR Operational strategy through the leadership of their Area Managers of Operations. Anderson will maintain vision and guidance of the Learning & Development actively building resources for the U.S. and Canada. Burns will maintain his focus with the Multi-Store Operators and Accelerated EDGE Performance Team Deployments.

Both will focus on deli- vering the performance and profitability goals of franchise and insurance partnerships.

Hannah Ross has been pro-

moted to Director of Marketing for CARSTAR North America, overseeing all marketing efforts for the CARSTAR brand. Ross will lead the amazing growth for the brand and its franchisees for both Canada and the U.S. With this move, Jennifer Benner has been promoted to Marketing Manager and will directly report to Ross as a part of the CARSTAR North America marketing team. Benner’s focus will be on the daily management of both national and regional marketing initiatives for CARSTAR Canadian franchise partners and continuing the success of its Shine Month outreach program.

Bethany Pugh has been promoted to Driven Brands Communications Supervisor, focusing on the internal communications efforts for CARSTAR North America and the Driven Brands Corporate office.

For more information, visit www.car star.com.

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Ford Vehicle Owners Can Easily Upgrade 2010–2016 Vehicles with Connectivity Features According to Ford, millions of current customers stand to benefit from Ford SmartLink, a technology that enables connectivity features normally only available on new modem-equipped vehicles. Using a simple device that plugs into the OBD II port below the steering wheel, Ford SmartLink will give customers who own 2010 – 2016 model year Ford and Lincoln vehicles that are not equipped with a modem access to: ● Smartphone-based remote start, lock and unlock ● 4G Wi-Fi hotspot capable of accepting up to eight devices ● Vehicle health and security alerts ● Vehicle location assistance “Ford SmartLink will surprise and delight owners of recent modelyear vehicles by adding some of today’s most popular connectivity features,” said Stephen Odell, executive vice president, Global Marketing, Sales and Service. “Offering it through our dealerships is another way to keep us connected with our

customers and earn their loyalty.”

SmartLink can be obtained at Ford and Lincoln dealerships beginning this summer.

With more than two years of research and development invested, the Ford SmartLink team of engineers, in collaboration with Delphi Automotive and Verizon Telematics, have ensured the technology will work seamlessly with Ford and Lincoln vehicles.

“From security to performance, we’ve conducted extensive testing and made a number of improvements to ensure Ford SmartLink enhances the customer experience for our owners,” said Raj Nair, executive vice president, Global Product Development, and chief technical officer.

“We are thrilled to offer this level of convenience and connectivity to our existing customers, extending the value of their vehicles and giving them just one more reason to love their Ford and Lincoln vehicles,” Nair said.

Martin Senour Introduces Rustproof M/D™

For auto body shop owners looking to boost their corrosion repair efficiency, RustProof M/D™ from the Martin Senour Company offers a powerful—yet easy to use—solution for combating rust.

“RustProof M/D’s UV resistant formula is designed for unrivaled durability and ongoing protection in most environments,” said Kyle Hauenstein, product manager, Martin Senour.

Upon application, RustProof M/D seals the surface of the substrate, stopping existing rust from spreading and new rust from forming. Its advanced technology en-

MINNESOTA

Luther Bloomington Subaru

RustProof M/D is available exclusively at NAPA AUTO PARTS stores in gloss black, light gray, white, and dark gray.

For more information, visit http:// www.martinsenour-autopaint.com /product-systems/rust proof-md.

OHIO

Waikem Subaru Massillon

Bloomington

(800) 225-0281 x2189

OHIO

SOUTH DAKOTA

(800) 451-5078

Direct (952) 887-0600 (952) 881-1787 Fax Mon. 6:30-6; Tue.-Fri. 6:30-9; Sat. 8-4 parts@bloomingtonsubaru.com www.bloomingtonsubaru.com

(330) 478-2800 x2189 (330) 639-0140 Fax Mon., Thu. 7:30-8 Tue., Wed., Fri. 7:30-5:30; Sat. 8-4 dandager@waikem.com www.waikem.com

Brunswick Subaru

Courtesy Subaru

Direct (330) 460-7080 (330) 460-7082 Fax Mon.-Fri. 8-6; Sat. 8-4 www.brunswickautomart.com

Mon.-Fri. 7:30-5:30; Sat. 8-Noon parts@courtesysubaru.com

Columbus

Wilde Subaru

Brunswick

Toll Free (888) 460-7080

Byers Subaru

(888) 804-7895

The following dealerships are eager to serve your needs.

Call your local Subaru collision parts specialist today!

ables users to apply it directly over rusted surfaces with minimal preparation. With a full cure time of only 24 hours, shop managers can rely on RustProof M/D to help shrink the waiting line – and boost the bottom line.

“RustProof M/D is positioned to become an essential tool in any shop,” said Hauenstein. “Between the ease of application and quick curing time, it’s a real cost saver.”

Specially formulated for direct to metal adhesion and maximum rust prevention, RustProof M/D is appropriate for a number of rust-prone surfaces auto body shops encounter regularly, including: ● Chassis ● Wheels ● Frames ● Truck beds ● Doors ● Floors ● Suspension

(614) 863-1770 Fax

Mon.-Fri. 8-6; Sat. 8-2 wholesaleparts@byersauto.com www.byersimports.com

Rapid City

(800) 658-3054

(605) 342-1178 Fax WISCONSIN

Waukesha

(800) 903-2434

(262) 544-1913 Fax

Mon.-Thu. 7-7; Fri. 7-5; Sat. 8-4 parts@gowilde.com www.wildesubaru.com

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