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Crash Champions, LLC, one of the nation’s largest independent collision repair companies, closed out April with the acquisition of eight leading collision repair shops in Illinois, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin.

These top-performing shops complement Crash Champions’ earlier acquisition of nine additional collision repair shops located throughout the vibrant Midwestern market at the start of 2021.

In East Moline, IL, Crash Champions completed the acquisition of Collision Repair Center, Inc. This acquisition strategically followed the company’s 2020 acquisitions of Chicago Collision, DuPage Auto Body and Albany Auto Body in the greater Chicago area, as well as Arnold’s Auto Body, Inc. in nearby Davenport, IA.

Surrounding Springfield, MO, Crash Champions completed the acquisition of Branson Collision Center, which boasts 20,000 square feet across its facility. This acquisition continued Crash Champions’ expansion into the Missouri market, strategically supplementing the company’s earlier acquisitions of Dodson-Williams Automotive and French Davis Collision in 2020.

In Ohio, the company acquired three Excalibur Auto Body collision repair shops located across Cleveland, Medina and Rocky River.

Crash Champions entered the Cleveland market in January through the acquisition of three earlier shops in the Excalibur platform, located in Streetsboro, Chagrin Falls and South Euclid. These latest acquisitions of Excalibur Auto Body shops have created one of the largest collision repair companies in the greater Cleveland metro area. Crash Champions first entered Ohio in Columbus with its successful acquisitions of Auto Body Collision and Glass and Fred Rieser in 2020.

In Wisconsin, Crash Champions announced the acquisition of two Quality Auto Body, Inc. repair shops, located in Milwaukee and Mequon and boasting 27,000 square feet across the two facilities.

In nearby Slinger, WI, Crash Champions also completed the acquisition of D&M Auto Body. These three acquisitions strategically follow the company’s 2020 acquisitions of Silver Spring Automotive in Milwaukee and Gillette’s Collision Center in Waukesha.

“Through these strategic acquisitions, Crash Champions will be better positioned to serve the greater Midwestern markets as we continue on this remarkable growth trajectory,” said Matt Ebert, founder and CEO of Crash Champions. “All eight of these repair shops will now enjoy the opportunity to further professionalize, improve operations and drive top-line growth and profitability under the Crash Champions banner.

“We look forward to learning from these remarkable shops—who share our mission of unparalleled customer service and industry excellence—to create even greater value for our customers, employees and shareholders for years to come.”

Crash Champions is one of the largest independent collision repair companies in America with more than 900 team members serving locations across the greater-Chicago area; Wisconsin; Davenport, IA; Kansas; Missouri; Ohio; and Southern California.

For more information, visit www.crashchampions.com.

Source: Crash Champions Chief Collision Technology has the collision industry covered this hail season with the introduction of the industry’s first mobile 3D hail damage scanning system.

The Constellation, a complete workflow system, tracks hail-damaged vehicles throughout the entire process from first notice of loss, through the claims process and finally to vehicle repair.

The system is now available and gives insurance providers, collision shops and fleet managers a complete hail management repair solution.

After a major hail event, the mobile system is deployed and can be set up quickly at any location within 24 to 48 hours, and can accommodate everything from small passenger vehicles and SUVs to pickup trucks.

Learn more at https://chieftechnology.com/constellation/

Source: Chief Collision Technology

Police Issue Alert on Cars Stolen from Dealerships in Midwest

Thieves have stolen more than 100 vehicles this year at dealerships from southeast Wisconsin to northwest Indiana, nearly triple the number stolen in all of 2020.

Highland Park, IL, police on April 20 issued an alert to help slow the efforts. Car rental agencies and service shops also have been the targets of thieves, who are stealing vehicles from parking lots and from inside buildings.

“These thefts have occurred by subjects breaking into the buildings and gaining access to vehicles which have keys left inside or are otherwise accessible. This is commonly found in the service departments of the dealerships,” said Brian Bodden, a detective with the Highland Park Police Department.

Thefts in the area have climbed annually since at least 2017, when just seven vehicles were taken from dealerships in the same area. Police have made arrests, and Bodden said they have recovered some vehicles, sometimes re-tagged out of state.

“The offenders have also obtained re-programmers and are targeting high-end Dodge and Jeep vehicles. It is believed this crew is searching social media and other online platforms,” Bodden said.

Police offered several tips to help thwart thieves: • Secure all keys • Cut power to overhead service doors • Block service doors with vehicles or other similar items • Make sure alarms are functional and in working order. Call police for all overnight activations • If video surveillance is present, check to make sure that cameras are operational and focused on building areas from which entry can be gained.

“The technology that was created specifically to eliminate car thefts, such as key fob technology, is now being used against us,” a Chicago Police Department official said to reporters in April on a day when five stolen cars were recovered in the city, and 12 people—about half of them teenagers—were arrested.

Source: Chicago Automobile Trade Association

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