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I-CAR Wants to Get OEM Info to Techs and to Educate Consumers about Tech Training

organization saved perhaps its most significant news for a presentation at A glimpse at future vehicle technol- NACE the following day. ogy and what it may mean for colliThere, Jason Bartanen unveiled the new “Repairability Technical Support Portal,” I-CAR’s effort to put repair procedures and vehicle information as close to technician’s as the nearest computer, tablet or smartphone screen. “We really want to put this information into technician’s hands,” said Bartanen, director of industry technical relations Jason Bartanen presents the Repairability Technical for I-CAR. “They may not Support Portal on the NACE Show Floor walk up to the front of the sion repairers and insurers filled much shop to ask a technical question. But if of the agenda at I-CAR’s annual con- they have the answer in their pocket, ference in Detroit in late July, but the See I-CAR Wants, Page 14 by John Yoswick

VOL. 3 ISSUE 12 SEPTEMBER 2014

Louisiana AG Buddy Caldwell Files Suit Against State Farm Alleging Unsafe Business Practices Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell has filed a lawsuit against State Farm Insurance alleging the nationwide insurer has engaged in a pattern of unfair and fraudulent business practices aimed at controlling the auto repair industry and forcing unsafe repairs on vehicles without the knowledge or consent of Louisiana consumers. Attorney General Caldwell said, “State Farm has created a culture of unsafe business practices in which consumer vehicle repairs are performed with cost-savings as the primary goal rather than safety and reliability.” The suit, filed in Louisiana’s 19th Judicial District Court, alleges State Farm violated Louisiana’s Unfair Trade Practices Act and Monopolies Law by

using scare tactics to steer Louisiana consumers to State Farm’s preferred repair shops and forcing shops to perform vehicle repairs cheaply and quickly, rather than in accordance with consumer safety and vehicle manufacturer performance standards. The lawsuit alleges that State Farm steers consumers to direct repair See LA AG Files Suit, Page 10

NACE Coverage Online at autobodynews.com

Technology & Telematics Expo Hole in One Winner at CREF Expo Overview and Sessions NABC and Recycled Rides Media Debriefing After Show Show Photos on our Facebook

Assured Performance Network Makes the Case and Details Growing OEM Insistence on Being Part of Repair and Certification in the Future, NACE Attendees Clearly Impressed

Ronald Doerr, new Senior V.P. of Strategic Initiatives (l) and Scott Biggs point out the features of the new Chrysler app.

P.O. BOX 1516, CARLSBAD, CA 92018

NACE is known for new product releases, fast breaking technology and fancy classic cars, but it’s also a place to get the latest news in the collision industry. Scott Biggs, the charismatic CEO, President and Founder of Assured Performance Network in Irvine, CA, delivered the goods when he spoke to a full room at this year’s NACE show. The message Biggs conveyed concerned the present and

growing importance of manufacturer certifications and the associated referral programs that will soon become prevalent in the collision industry. His speech was both timely and relevant to any body shop, whether it’s a small independent all the way to a large MSO. The times are a-changing and you don’t need to be Bob Dylan to see it, accord-

Change Service Requested

by Ed Attanasio

ing to Biggs. “You need to know that this isn’t your grandfather’s or even your father’s certification program. The biggest difference is that now the automakers are rewarding the shops that invest in compliance with customer referrals. OEM’s have already begun to refer their vehicle owners to these forward-thinking shops for their collision repair needs, and this will only increase over the coming months. The

playing field has changed and business as usual is over. The biggest automakers with mass-produced and mass-market brands are using a very aggressive referral approach and that will place the certified shops at a whole different level.” That Ford is leading the pack with this body shop certification program is a clear indication of where things are headed, Biggs explained. “Ford has made a new truck (the best selling vehicle in the country for 30 years) that cannot be fixed in the old-fashioned way—period. Following suit are other OEM’s. If you want to repair any of these vehicles, and there will be millions of them soon, you’re going to have to do it the right way—which requires new tools, equipment, training and facilities. Shops who do not embrace these changes put themselves and their customers in a very tenuous and unsafe position. So, certification really isn’t even elective in this See Assured Performance, Page 46

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2 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Contents

COLUMNISTS Attanasio - How Can I Squeeze More Out of My SEMA Experience?. . . . . . . . . . . 32 Attanasio - ICRA Lobbyist Defends Rights of Iowa Body Shop Owners . . . . . . . . . 12 Attanasio - Is Your Reception Area Making a Good First Impression? . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Luehr - Better Blueprinting, Part 1: Why is Blueprinting Important? . . . . . . 30 Sisk - Repair Documentation Series, Part 2: Assignment of Proceeds and Writ of Replevin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 NATIONAL 2015 F-150 Repair Parts Will Be Sold

Lexington, KY

Roslindale, MA

Wexford, PA

Publisher & Editor: Jeremy Hayhurst General Manager: Barbara Davies Contributing Writers: Tom Franklin, John Yoswick, Janet Chaney, Toby Chess, David Brown, Rich Evans, Ed Attanasio, Chasidy Sisk, David Luehr Advertising Sales: Joe Momber, Sean Hartman, Bill Doyle, David Petro (800) 699-8251 Sales Assistant: Louise Tedesco Art Director: Rodolfo Garcia

Midwest

To All Body Shops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Assured Performance Network Makes the Case and Details Growing OEM Insistence on Being Part of Repair and Certification in the Future, NACE Attendees Clearly Impressed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Attanasio - MCRS Lobbyist Represents Collision Repairers in Big Sky Country . . 38 AudaExplore Study Finds Major Gap in Trust and Customer Satisfaction in Collision Repair Experience . . . . . . . . . 41 CCC Releases CCC ONE® Indicators 2.0. . . 40 CIC Selects Randy Stabler as New Chairman as of Jan.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Collision King Honored By Farmers Insurance As Body Shop of the Year in Texas, Sherwin-Williams Congratulates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Five GOP Candidates Contend for KS Insurance Boss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 I-CAR Wants to Get OEM Info to Techs and to Educate Consumers about Tech Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Judge Denies Ford’s Motion to Dismiss ABPA Lawsuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Master Painter JoAnn Bortles Gets Dose of Reality on Motor City Masters . . . . . 44 Motor City Masters on truTV® Combines Design, Imagination and Innovation . . . 42 NHTSA Releases Early Estimate of Q1 Traffic Fatalities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 NICB Says Honda Accord Still Most Stolen Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 NICB Warns Consumers That Thieves Use Scanner Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 OEConnection Ships Updated CollisionLink Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 SCRS Announces Repairer-Driven Education at SEMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Seven Charged with Utah Automotive Glass Repair Fraud. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Sisk - ASA-AZ Serves a Big State with Diverse Interests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Sisk - ASA-NW Members Enjoy Summer Retreat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sisk - IADA Holds 46th Annual Conference, Hopes to Attract New Members . . . . . . 16 Sisk - Wheels to Prosper’s Annual Giveaway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Tampa Television Station Highlights Poor Quality Repairs, Body Shop Lawsuits Against Insurers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Transtar Technologies Has New Website Renovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Two Regional Insurers and USAA get Top Grades from Oregon Collision Repair Shops. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 VA’s AA Auto Collision & Repair Offers Wheel Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Boulder, CO

Indexof Advertisers

REGIONAL 92-year-old Owen Crist Auto Body closed July 31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 AASPI Holds Successful Golf Outing in Mt. Prospect, IL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 ABRA Auto Body & Glass Expands Operations in Minnesota . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 ABRA Launches in Missouri and Expands in Washington State . . . . . . . . . 4 Bennett Coachworks Expands in Milwaukee . 4 Champaign County, OH, Body Shop Owner Charged with 30 Counts of Theft . . . . . . 6 Detroit City Council Approves No-Bid Contract to Investigate Insurance Claims. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Drunken Driving Deaths, Injuries Drop in Wisconsin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Event to Benefit CA Shop Owner Raises $125K for ALS Research at his Treatment Center at U. Michigan . . . . . . 6 Four Cars In 2 Locations Were Vandalized With Spray Paint In Springfield Spree, One Window Smashed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Gary, IN, Body Shop Owner Killed at Work . 10 Gerber Collision Donates Car Through Recycled Rides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Hertz adds On-Site Maaco Shop in Chicago Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Illinois is Third State to Provide Online Access to Insurer Filings . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 IN Shop Owner Charged in Child Exploitation/Porn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Indiana BMV Has Program to Restore Driving Privileges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 KY Sinkhole that Swallowed 8 Corvettes will be Filled In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Sisk - ASA-IL Uses CAN Conference to Reintroduce Collision Membership . . . . 28 Toyota to Donate $1 Million to the Detroit Institute of Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Two Students Awarded Robert Author Memorial Scholarship . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Wisconsin Fire Melted Parts of Fire Truck. . 9

How Does Industry Pay Compare?

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Audi Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 45 Automotive International . . . . . . . . . . 8 BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 43 CarcoonAmerica Airflow Systems . 21 CCC Information Services . . . . . . . . 5 Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA). . . . . . . . . . . 23 Charles Gabus Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Chief Automotive. . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 29 Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Color-Dec North America, Inc. . . . . . 4 Dent Magic Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Dent Tools Direct USA . . . . . . . . . . . 9 DJS Fabrications, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . 48 Dominion Sure Seal, Ltd. . . . . . . . . 10 Equalizer Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . 12 Erhard BMW of Bloomfield Hills . . . 39 Erhard BMW of Farmington Hills . . 39 GlasWeld Systems, Inc . . . . . . . . . . 16 GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . 32 Graham Auto Mall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Hank Graff Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Herkules Equipment Corporation. . 13 Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-25 Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers . 34 Induction Innovations, Inc. . . . . . . . 35 Jake Sweeney Chevrolet . . . . . . . . 30 Kia of Des Moines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Kia Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . . . 42 Laurel Auto Group of Westmont . . . 31 Lexus Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 47 Luther Hopkins Honda . . . . . . . . . . 20 Malco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Mazda Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 40 Mercedes-Benz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 MINI Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 43 Mitsubishi Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 27 Morrison’s Auto Parts . . . . . . . . . . . 18 PPG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 PreFab Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Rare Parts, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 SATA Spray Equipment . . . . . . . . . 33 SEMA Trade Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 17 Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 36 TG Products, Inc. - The Rail Saver . . 6 The Sharpe Collection of Automobiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Toyota of Des Moines . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Toyota of Grand Rapids . . . . . . . . . 28 Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 38 Valspar Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS 3

Detroit City Council Approves No-Bid Contract to Investigate Insurance Claims

The Detroit City Council today approved a $1.6 million no-bid contract at the urging of emergency manager Kevyn Orr as part of a deal with the state allowing the city to remain self-insured while in bankruptcy. Under the three-year contract beginning in October, York Risk Services Group of New Jersey will investigate and administer insurance claims against the city related to automobile and general liabilities, such as car crashes involving city vehicles. The city’s law department currently does the work. Detroit’s purchasing rules require such contracts to be competitively bid. But the state’s emergency manager law allows Orr to circumvent the requirement with the state treasurer’s permis-

sion. Orr already received permission to approve York’s contract, Detroit finance director John Naglick said. The council approved the contract by a 5-1 vote. Council President Brenda Jones voted against it. Members Gabe Leland, Mary Sheffield and Andre Spivey were absent from today’s session, which was called in the middle of the council’s August recess. “My job is still to follow what we have and that is to put out RFPs and do competitive bidding,” Jones said. “And I know Mr. Orr can do as he pleases. But I’m supposed to do as I’m supposed to do.” As a self-insured city, Detroit pays about $60 million a year in taxpayer money to settle automobile, workers’ compensation and general liability claims, corpora-

tion counsel Butch Hollowell said. York Risk Services will be able to devote more resources to investigating auto and general liability claims and reduce the city’s costs by as much as 40%, Hollowell said. “It gives us a powerful tool in fighting back against these lawsuits to reduce judgments against the city,” Hollowell said. In response to the council’s questions about not bidding out the work, Hollowell and Naglick said the city became familiar with the companies available to handle Detroit’s caseload when reviewing bids to outsource administration of the city’s workers’ compensation claims. Last month, the council approved a $2.4 million contract with CMI, a York Risk Serv-

ices affiliate, to handle the workers’ compensation claims. Hollowell said the state of Michigan required the city to outsource the administration of liability claims to retain its status as a self-insured city. Detroit had to remain self-insured because it couldn’t find coverage elsewhere, he said. In other businesstoday, the council approved several previously disclosed settlements with creditors reached in the city’s ongoing bankruptcy case, including deals with limited tax general obligation bondholders, unlimited tax bondholders and water department bondholders and companies that insure the bonds. The settlements are part of Orr’s plan for Detroit to shed billions in debt. Federal bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes still must approve the plan.

Bennett Coachworks LLC, a high end auto body shop that restores and services classic, antique and collectible cars, recently completed an expansion that nearly doubles its space in Milwaukee’s Haymarket neighborhood, just north of downtown. Bob Bennett proudly called it “a chunk of California from the 1960s right here in Milwaukee.” It’s Bennett Coachworks, an automotive fabrica-

tion business just north of downtown. The business has increased its space in the building at 1500 N. 4th St., adding 7,500 square feet, and now occupies a total of 16,500 square feet there. The company expanded into space that had been vacant in the building for some time, said Bennett Coachworks owner Bob Bennett. The expansion allows the business to separate its tear-down, assem-

bly, mechanical and final detail shop area from its fabrication, body work and paint area, he said. Over the last year the company has also added two full time employees and now has 10 full time employees and two part time employees. Bennett Coachworks has done work on a wide array of high end cars including Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Maseratis and Porsches. The business

has served collector car owners from around the country and from outside of the U.S. Bennett said he likes the company’s location just north of downtown Milwaukee. “It’s very central. It’s very easy to get to,” he said. “We really like the way the neighborhood has been going. There’s a lot of good things going on around us.”

Bennett Coachworks Expands in Milwaukee

ABRA Auto Body & Glass Expands Operations in Minnesota

ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a leading national damaged vehicle repair company, announced the opening of its newest franchise repair center in Princeton, Minnesota. ABRA is one of the largest and fastest growing multi shop repair operators in the country. The company now operates 48 independently-owned franchises and 182 company-owned locations for a total of 230 in 18 states. The new ABRA repair center is located at 32018 125th Street NW in Princeton, Minnesota, about 50 minutes north of downtown Minneapolis. It is the third ABRA franchise owned and operated by Kedrick Johnson and family. “Opening the Princeton repair center is about meeting the demand of our customers in the community,” said Kedrick Johnson, owner of ABRAPrinceton. “We are delighted the market is thriving and look forward to offering top-quality collision repair services to the Princeton area now and for years to come.” Mark Wahlin, ABRA’s Vice President of Franchise Development/Relations said, “We are dedicated to increasing our presence in the markets we serve. Opening the Princeton repair center is an opportunity to better serve our customers and insurance partners in Minnesota.”

ABRA Launches in Missouri and Expands in Washington State

On July 25, ABRA Auto Body & Glass announced the purchase of three TEAM1 Auto Body and Glass collision centers in St. Louis, Missouri and one Auto Hound Collision Center in Seattle, Washington. The company’s repair center portfolio now totals 234 in 19 states. “Our vision for growth is in full swing,” said Duane Rouse, ABRA’s president and chief executive officer. “We are poised to continue expanding across the country. Our team is excited to introduce ABRA to new markets and show customers firsthand the operational excellence philosophy and processes that make us an industry leader.” “ABRA has established itself as a well-respected and trusted front-runner in the collision repair industry,” said Tom Hutton, owner of TEAM1 Auto Body and Glass. “The company’s industry-leading processes and commitment to excellence assure customers will receive the highest-quality workmanship and superior customer service moving forward.” Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

4 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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Event to Benefit CA Shop Owner Raises $125K for ALS Research at his Treatment Center at U. Michigan

A fundraising event held May 29 in honor of Tom Coleman, a co-owner of an MSO in California, raised more than $125,000 to support the Program for Neurology Research & Discovery’s stem-cell research on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neural degenerative diseases at U. Michigan. Tom Coleman is a partner in the LC Automotive Group comprised of Bill Lawrence, Gil Alcoser and Tim Brown. LC is a small MSO with shops in Hemet, Hesperia, Highland, Long Beach, Redlands, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Clemente. Tom Coleman was diagnosed a little over a year ago with ALS and his has been particularly aggressive. He is involved in a Stem Cell Transplant study at the University of Michigan that has had some very positive results. The industry came together for him to raise awareness of ALS, the Stem Cell Study and raise funds to further the study. The event, held at the Back Bay Bistro in Newport Beach, was originally planned for 150 people. But through word-of-mouth it grew to include more than 250 friends and associates of Tom Coleman, 47, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2013. The fundraising event, which included a keynote speech by Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., was organized by Tom’s wife Ronnette Coleman, his business partner and co-founder of LC Automotive, Bill Lawrence, both of

Costa Mesa, CA, Mr. Coleman’s sister, Sue Gottschalk of Canton, MI, and other friends. “I am deeply touched by the wide support of our industry for Tom, his family and their desire to contribute to the research efforts of Dr. Feldman and the University of Michigan,” Bill Lawrence said. “While Tom, his family and friends had worked tirelessly on planning this event, all those involved were taken back by not only the number of attendees, but by their generosity.” Tom Coleman is one of 30 patients who have received stem-cell injections in a first-of-its-kind clinical trial that has now reached Phase 2. In Phase 1 of the trial, the spinal cords of 15 patients including Mr. Coleman were injected with stem cells to determine whether the procedure was safe for humans. Phase 2 will add an additional 18 patients, each receiving up to 16 million stem cells—to determine the procedure’s efficacy—how well it works. “It took a big effort from family and friends to pull this event together,” said Tom Coleman. “But our fundraising success would not have been possible without the strong support of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, PPG, LKQ Corp, The Platinum Group, Single Source, Caliber Collision Centers, CCC and many anonymous individual donors. I sincerely thank each of you for your participation and contribution.”

Champaign County, OH, Body Shop Owner Charged with 30 Counts of Theft, Lawyer Says Should be Civil

A Champaign County man who owned an auto body shop has been indicted on 30 counts of theft after several customers complained to St. Paris police, according to reports in the Springfield News-Sun. A Champaign County grand jury indicted Bradley Hutchinson, 37, of 223 N. Church St. in St. Paris, on 13 counts of grand theft of a motor vehicle, eight counts of petty theft, six counts of theft and three counts of receiving stolen property. “What is unique is we don’t have one victim. We have a number of different victims that are alleging criminal activity that is very similar,” Champaign County Prosecutor Kevin Talebi said. The alleged thefts took place at his body shop S & A Automotive, which used to be located at 124 W. Main St. in St. Paris. Hutchinson moved out of the building in May and is now seeking to open a new shop in Springfield at the intersection of Perry Street and Hyer Avenue, just off of Bechtle Ave. He is accused of charging customers and then not providing the service, according to

police reports, and in some cases allegedly wouldn’t give people their cars back. Hutchinson’s lawyer, Jon Paul Rion, said this matter should have been a civil issue rather than a criminal case. His client provided all of the services that any of his customers paid for, Rion said. “Had people paid for the work that was performed, there would not have been any issues,” he said. Dan Carey said he is one of Hutchinson’s victims. He brought his car to Hutchinson to fix his engine. “It’s definitely hard to swallow, I guess, because he comes into our small town and violates a lot of people that lived here,” Carey said. Hutchinson said it was fixed and when Carey asked if he could drive it before he paid, he said Hutchinson became, “verbally abusive and locked my car in his garage.” Hutchinson had Carey’s car until the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office seized it while executing a search warrant in May. Before opening his shop in St. Paris, Hutchinson ran a body shop in Sidney.

6 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

KY Sinkhole that Swallowed 8 Corvettes will be Filled In

credit: National Corvette Museum

The sinkhole that swallowed up eight cars at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY, will be partially filled in with plans for a bridge built over the top of the section left open. National Corvette Museum spokeswoman Katie Frassinelli says the facility will keep a 25-by-45-foot section that’s about 30 feet deep with a bridge over it as a tourist attraction. Frassinelli told WDRB-TV in Louisville that officials wanted to leave the Skydome room as is, for people attending their 20th anniversary celebration at the end of the month. The sinkhole appeared in February and did more than $1 million in damage to cars that fell on rocks. The cars were eventually pulled out of the hole. The Skydome area will close in September, so repairs can begin.

Gerber Collision Donates Car Through Recycled Rides

Gerber Collision & Glass, a member of the National Auto Body Council (NABC) has restored a vehicle as part of a nationwide vehicle donation program called Recycled Rides. Recycled Rides is a community awareness project whereby members of NABC repair and donate recycled vehicles to people in need. Gerber Collision & Glass refurbished a 2005 Ford Explorer, donated by Farmers Insurance. This is Gerber Collision & Glass’s 21st vehicle donation to families and community service organizations. “We continue to refurbish and donate cars for needy families, and/or charitable organizations, not only in the Chicagoland area but around the country,” said Jim Maliszewski, Director Program Management & Centralized Support for Gerber Collision & Glass. Gerber partnered with Naperville CARES, a charity whose mission is to help local families in financial crisis meet their essential needs by providing financial support and resources. The Naperville CARES Car Program provides reliable transportation to clients in need by providing donated vehicles to eligible households who lack critical transportation to get to work.

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Illinois is Third State to Provide Online Access to Insurer Filings

The Illinois Department of Insurance (DOI) is now providing online access for consumers to view insurance company records. Insurance product filings, such as rates and forms, filed with DOI are now available to the public through the online tool SERFF Filing Access (SFA). Illinois became the third state nationwide to implement the new service that will provide consumers direct access to insurance records, the department said. Prior to submitting a Freedom of Information request for records, the requestor (whether a consumer or member of the media) may first check the information is available to them via SERFF. All public records not legally declared by law to be closed, and for which DOI has legal custody and control, are available for inspection. Documents that are closed (not public) are not available on this website. Filings will be available electronically through SERFF upon the completion of DOI’s review. Access SERFF at https://filingaccess.serff.com/sfa /home/il. SERFF was developed under the leadership of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).

Toyota to Donate $1 Million to the Detroit Institute of Arts Toyota said Aug. 6 it will donate $1 million toward the Detroit Institute of Arts’ commitment to raise $100 million as part of a “grand bargain” that will help the city of Detroit emerge from bankruptcy. “Detroit and the surrounding areas are vitally important to the automotive community. They deserve our support,” Simon Nagata, president of Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing Inc., said in a statement. “Together we can find solutions to help Detroit become a healthy and vibrant community.” In January, the Detroit Institute of Arts pledged to raise $100 million for

the federally mediated grand bargain as part of Detroit’s bankruptcy. Earlier this year, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler announced that they and their foundations would donate a total of $26 million to the DIA’s fund-raising goals. Last month, the museum said that it has moved past the $80-million mark in its fund-raising with nine additional corporate donations totaling $26.8 million. “Toyota has demonstrated its commitment to Detroit and Michigan by doing its part to secure the DIA’s future while helping Detroit’s retirees,” Eugene Gargaro, the DIA’s board chair-

man, said in a statement. The grand bargain, is the centerpiece of Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr’s financial restructuring plan. It brings together the equivalent of $816 million over 20 years from national and local foundations, the DIA and the State of Michigan to clear a path for a relatively quick exit from bankruptcy. All of the grand bargain funds will funnel into city workers’ pensions, while ownership of the DIA will transfer to an independent nonprofit, forever shielding it from the possibility of a forced sale to pay city debt.

Two cars in the 500 block of East Rose Street in Springfield were covered in black spray paint, including on the license plate, as well as tan latex paint. One car had its back window smashed. Those cars belonged to Desari Roberts and her younger sister, Justice Lawrence. “It’s messed up,” Roberts said. “We work hard. We both work two jobs and go to school and it’s really messed up. Now we just have to pay extra money, but that’s life.” The two were woken up by the sound of glass shattering about 2 a.m. and told police they saw the suspect. Police have requested an arrest war-

rant for criminal damaging. The other set of vandalized cars were in the 200 block of Rosewood Avenue. Those were also covered in black spray paint, including on the license plate and mirrors. Cheryl West saw her damaged car when she was coming home from her night shift as a nurse. “All over the glass. All over the hood. All over the car,” she said “I’ve never had anything like this happen to me before.” She called it a traumatic experience and a senseless crime. Her neighbor’s car was also hit, with profanities written on its hood.

“I would just really like an apology,” West said. “I feel some kids might have done it and if children did it, that’s all I want from them, is a personal apology.” Roberts took her car for an estimate at Jeff Wyler Collision Shop. It will likely take two weeks and cost about $6,000 to repair the car. “(Spray paint) makes a mess,” Jeff Wyler Collision Shop manager Dave Detrick said. Spray paint will come off of metal and windows with paint thinner, he said, but any plastic pieces will have to be replaced. Springfield police couldn’t be reached to ask if the incidents are related.

Four Cars In 2 Locations Were Vandalized With Spray Paint In Springfield Spree, One Window Smashed

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Wisconsin Fire Melted Parts of Fire Truck

A Madison, WI, fire was so big it could be seen on weather radar damaged more than a dozen nearby homes and melted parts of a fire truck. Madison fire department spokeswoman Bernadette Galvez told WISC-TV crews arriving to the fire of an apartment building under construction Aug. 8 could feel heat from 100 feet away through the fire engine windshield. She says it emitted enough heat to melt parts of a new fire engine and crack windows in adjacent buildings. Steve Dwyer lives a block away and said the heat caused $7,000 damage to his home. He said they have to swap out a window, fix the roof and re-side two sides of their home. Fire department Division Chief Mike Dibble estimated the fire engine sustained $10,000 in damage.

Drunken Driving Deaths, Injuries Drop in Wisconsin

Wisconsin transportation officials say drunken driving deaths and injuries in the state have dramatically declined over the last decade. The Department of Transportation released data Friday showing the number of fatalities in alcohol-related crashes in Wisconsin dropped 47 percent, from 348 in 2003 to 185 in 2013. The number of injuries fell 59 percent, from 6,445 in 2003 to 2,660 last year. The overall number of alcohol-related crashes dropped 45 percent, from 9,007 in 2003 to 4,945 in 2013. DOT officials released the statistics as law enforcement agencies across the state prepare to launch their annual “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” drunken driving crackdown. The effort is set to begin Aug. 15 and run through Labor Day.

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Five GOP Candidates Contend for KS Insurance Boss

Five Republicans are running for Kansas insurance commissioner and seeking to replace retiring three-term GOP Commissioner Sandy Praeger. The GOP field in the Aug. 5 primary includes state Sen. Clark Shultz, of Lindsborg. He formerly served in the Kansas House as its Insurance Committee chairman. Former state Rep. John Toplikar, of Olathe, is now a Johnson County commissioner. Beverly Gossage is a health insurance consultant from Eudora with a solid following among conservatives who oppose the federal health care law. David Powell is president of an El Dorado insurance agency and has tea party support. Ken Selzer, of Leawood, is an accountant and executive with a firm providing coverage to insurance companies against catastrophic claims. The winner will face Democrat Dennis Anderson. He is an Overland Park businessman.

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IN Shop Owner Charged in Child Exploitation/Porn

An Alexandria, IN, shop owner was charged with possession of child pornography and child exploitation after police said they found evidence on his computer. The charges are so inflamatory that Autobody News is withholding the name of the owner and his shop pending resolution. The shop owner was turned in after he asked a woman if he could have sex with her minor daughter. According to a probable cause affidavit, the woman contacted police in April to report the incident. She said that after meeting the man in February, the two spent time together. One night when the two were at the shop office at the owner displayed pornographic movies on his computer, according to the woman. He showed videos that portrayed bestiality and later, videos with children ranging from ages 3 to 15 years old. The woman said he showed her about 20 clips, then allegedly asked the woman if he could have sex with her 3-yearold daughter. Detectives executed a search warrant on the owner’s office and found video clips and submitted them to the Indiana State Police Cyber Crime Unit for examination. The arrest warrant was issued Aug. 13.

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Gary, IN, Body Shop Owner Killed in his Own Shop The very same day Gary officials announced plans to revamp the police department because of an excessive number of murders the owner of an autobody shop, Tony Tolbert, was Forty-one-year-old gunned down on Tony Tolbert was July 28. fatally shot in his The victim was auto body shop in 41 years old, the Gary, the latest backbone of his in a string of family, his loved murders there ones told CBS 2’s Jim Williams. It’s one more tragic example Gary’s mayor says a change was needed at the top of the police department. Right after Antonio Tolbert’s family learned he had been murdered, they rushed to the body shop he owned in Gary. He was the greatest son, his mother, Mary Tolbert Lewis, said. “He was kind. He was generous. … So, I don’t understand why someone would do this to my son,” he says. He started working on cars when he was 13 and always dreamed of owning a business. “He wouldn’t

Indiana BMV Has Program to Restore Driving Privileges

The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles is making it easier for residents who want to have their drivers licenses reinstated. Commissioner Don Snemis announced Thursday that the BMV will begin a “relief” program allowing drivers to pay smaller fees to get their driving privileges restored. Drivers will get half off the cost of reinstatement if their privileges were suspended for driving without insurance. Snemis said that more than 250,000 drivers owe the BMV more than $118 million in reinstatement fees that are at least one year old. Beginning Monday, drivers will be able to check their account online to see if they can qualify for the reduced fee.

92-year-old Owen Crist Auto Body closed July 31

Owen Crist Auto Body Service in Des Moines closed its doors on July 31, ending a 92-year-old business, according to reports in the Des Moines Register. Closing the business is bittersweet for owner Larry Crist, who auctioned off the contents of the business Aug. 9. “This is great for Des Moines and great for the northern part of the city,” said Crist, 82. Crist planned to sell six or eight vehicles, air compressors, frame racks and auto body and towing equipment.

have to worry because everybody liked him, everybody loved him. He was cool with everybody. If you needed something from him, he got you,” the victim’s cousin, Andre Tolbert, said. Tony Tolbert was found dead on the very day Gary’s mayor announced she’s making Larry McKinley police chief. “Over the past 60 days, the city of Gary has been forced to reckon with some of the most heinous murders ever seen,” Karen Freeman-Wilson said. McKinley, a 15-year veteran of the department, said he’s hiring 14 new officers and talking with police in New Orleans about crime-fighting strategies that have worked there. “We will make the few folks who are committing these crimes so uncomfortable they will migrate somewhere else,” he said. But some things a police chief cannot control: closed businesses, high unemployment, widespread poverty. Still, outside Tony Tolbert’s body shop, there was little talk of Gary’s economic despair. “We need to stop all this killing. We need to stop killing one another,” his mother said.

Hertz adds On-Site Maaco Shop in Chicago Area

Maaco Auto Painting and Collision Repair has partnered with The Hertz Corporation to provide an on-site MAACO shop at a Chicago-area Hertz Rent-aCar location, Maaco announced. The new shop is part of a longstanding relationship between the two companies, according to a Maaco press release. “The onsite body shop allows for greater fleet efficiencies, enabling Hertz to quickly get cars back into its rental fleet,” Sean Bromfield, Hertz’s region vice president, said. “Maaco’s efficiency in repair time, superb quality, and flexible billing options ensure that we’ll have the fleet available to provide the fastest and easiest rental experience for our customers.”

CIC Selects Randy Stabler as New Chairman as of Jan.

Collision Industry Conference (CIC) Administrator Jeff Hendler announced on Tuesday, July 29, that Randy Stabler, owner of Pride Auto Body in Van Nuys, CA, will succeed State Farm Claims Consultant George Avery as CIC chairman. Avery will officially pass the gavel to Stabler at the CIC scheduled at the SEMA Show in November, as that will be Avery’s last official CIC as chairman. Stabler will then handle CIC chair duties for 2015, starting in Palm Springs, CA, in January.

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LA AG Files Suit

providers that have signed agreements with the insurance company. As part of the terms of the agreement, those repair shops must comply with the standards for repair laid out by State Farm. The insurance company, not the repair shop, dictates how long the repair should take, what types of repairs are made and the quality of replacement parts. In many cases, the repairs are completed with sub-standard parts without the consent of the policy holder. “In some cases, we’ve found that these parts are nothing more than used junk yard parts. In others, we’ve found them to be foreign knock-off parts of questionable quality,” said Caldwell. “Auto repair is not an industry where you can cut corners to save a little money,” he said. “It could be a matter of life and death.” Caldwell says the suit aims to change the culture of unsafe business practices led by State Farm in the

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auto insurance and repair industry. State Farm currently holds the largest share of auto insurance policies in Louisiana. In 2012, State Farm wrote one third of all auto insurance policies in the state totaling over $1 billion in premiums. “Each month Louisiana consumers give their hard earned money to State Farm under the assumption that the insurer will take care of them if an accident occurs. This simply isn’t happening. Quite frankly, State Farm has been there for State Farm, not the Louisiana consumer,” Caldwell stated. A PDF copy of the lawsuit can be found at www.autobodynews.com.

VA’s AA Auto Collision & Repair Offers Wheel Repair

AA Auto Collision & Repair will continue to offer its popular wheel repair service in response to growing demand in some of the major cities in Virginia. Wheel repair services have proved just as important as its other services and AA Auto Collision & Repair intends to deliver quality and affordable wheel repair services to as many new customers as possible in Virginia. For more details, visit: www.autobodyshopvirginia.com.

www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS 11

Midwest Associations with Ed Attanasio

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

ICRA Lobbyist Defends Rights of Iowa Body Shop Owners

R. Scott Weiser, 58, is the lobbyist for the Iowa Collision Repair Association (ICRA) and works closely with the organization’s Executive Director Janet Chaney to act on behalf of its members throughout the state. Weiser established Capitol Strategies Group, Inc, (CSG) in 1998 and seven years ago he began working with the ICRA. He has been a registered lobbyist with 33 years and CSG is a full-service lobbying, consulting, and advocacy company providing services at the statehouse in Des Moines, Iowa and in Washington, D.C.

Q: Some lobbyists are attorneys, but others are full-time lobbyists and not lawyers. Which are you and describe the difference? A: I am not an attorney. Some lobbyists are lawyers and some aren’t. Attorneys are usually seeking negotiated outcomes, but when you’re an advo-

cate like I am, you don’t always get negotiated outcomes. There are winners and losers, so it’s an interesting dynamic. Sometimes we’re for something or opposed to it and R. Scott Weiser that’s all there is to is the lobbyist for it. There’s no room the Iowa Collision for negotiation Repair Association when it comes to (ICRA) and the president of Capitol many of these sitStrategies Group, uations, especially Inc. in Des Moines, in the collision inIowa dustry. So, that’s how a lobbyist can differ from an attorney.

Q: What do you do specifically for the ICRA? A: I represent a wide range of business groups here in town. I took on the ICRA as a client several years ago be-

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cause I like these people and I’ve stayed with them because I really enjoy working with them. They’re hard-working honest folks and top business people and not afraid to fight, so I enjoy working on their behalf at the State House. The ICRA has recently had some successes and that’s really important to any association in terms of building membership and visibility and tracking other winners. We had a tax issue here about three years ago now. Our body shop guys were one of the last businesses in Iowa that were still being taxed on the products they use on their repairs. In other words, tape and putty and fillers and other ancillary products that they need in order to complete the work for their clients was being taxed. They were paying six per cent on that and we were able to secure an exemption for them for the past three years. That was a nice ral-

lying point for our members and I think our group is stronger now than it has been in years because of that victory. We got that handled and it’s definitely a shot in the arm for the collision industry in Iowa, because now the body shops can take the six per cent and put it in their pockets.

Q: Is it difficult for the body shop owners in Iowa to be heard by their legislators? A: No, not really because the ICRA, has an excellent reputation for gaining access over at the State House. We built a three-pronged approach to how to solve problems here in Iowa and it works. We have our legislative work which involves committee work and testifying and those sorts of things. We also are working on the regulatory side to engage our Insurance Commissioner and our Attorney General as it relates to things like PartsTrader and other things that

begin to be issues for them as well as the industry.

Q: What are some of the hotter issues right now for you and the ICRA? A: During this past session, we introduced some legislation after carefully looking at some other states to see what they’re doing and how they’ve had successes. So we looked at a couple of issues, one of which involves the use of aftermarket and recycled parts in repairs and the other concern is with short pay. It was our first shot out of the box addressing the short pay issue and it wasn’t as fruitful as we imagined. We have a very large insurance presence here in Des Moines. We’re second only to Hartford, Connecticut for insurance company headquarters, so we’re very insurance-friendly here. Almost all of the insurance companies are right here and of course they show up at the State House whenever you introduce a piece of legislation and they tend to have data–lots of data. On top of that, we currently have one of the lowest auto rates in the nation here in Iowa, so we began to testify. The problem is that when our members are asked to testify on

something such as short pay, for example (involving what we believe includes things such as safety issues and other issues) we don’t have any data on our side. We’re giving them individual stories from our members and they’re valuable, but here in Iowa it’s difficult to pass bills without the data. Our members are pretty sophisticated over here and they work it pretty hard. So, right now we’re regrouping and during this past year, we’ve been working pretty hard to capture and quantify short pay issues that are going on right now in the collision industry in Iowa. We’re going to have some good, solid, well-supported and documented cases of short pay and will be able to go toe to toe with the insurance companies. We’re going to professionalize our approach more, so by owning the data that we’re assembling it’s really going be a key thing for us here.

Q: What are the main issues surrounding short pay? A: Well, first off–the consumer is being short changed here—the customer is not being made whole. There are safety concerns when cer-

tain parts of the vehicle are not paid for or used appropriately. In many cases, our own elbow grease is being short paid, but sometimes it’s other things and so I think we’re hoping by the end of December we’re going to have a pretty good documentation to use.

Q: What does the future of the ICRA hold for you and your members? A: Our body shop members have done a great job politically here in Iowa, but it all comes down to the fact that we have to help ourselves ultimately. That’s where we find ourselves right now. Our Executive Director Janet Chaney is doing an excellent job and that’s important, because these body shop owners can’t do it alone. We’ve got some good things happening right now with the ICRA and with Janet onboard, they’re definitely headed in the right direction. I am paid to be an advocate for this organization and it’s a pleasure because they take their own time, energy and money to try and make a difference and by achieving things for them is very fulfilling personally and professionally.

Two Students Awarded Robert Author Memorial Scholarship

Two collision students have been awarded the Robert Author Memorial Scholarship through the Collision Repair Education Foundation. Collision students attending Fox Valley Technical College were eligible to receive these scholarships. Funding for these scholarships was made possible through the local ICAR volunteer committee hosting fundraising events. The 2014 Robert Author Memorial Scholarship winners include: ● Jason Oertel (Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, Wis.) ● Matthew Spiegel (Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, Wis.) “Thanks to some very generous donors, The Robert Author (Bob) Smith Memorial Golf Outing committee is proud to issue scholarships to these two fine gentlemen,” said committee member Jerry Goodson. “Both demonstrate a great willingness to learn, the commitment to succeed, and perseverance to never give up — a few of the qualities Bob was always looking for as an educator. Awarding the first annual golf outing scholarships will help carry on Bob's legacy as an inspiration and teacher to many, and a friend to all.”

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I-CAR Wants

maybe they are more likely to take a look to see what they can find on the website.” After more than a year in development, the website is available through the “Technical Knowledge” section of I-CAR’s website – www.i-car.com – or directly at http://rts.i-car.com. It feature six primary features: 1. The “OEM Information” section includes a page for each automaker, listing what types of collision repair procedures and information each makes available and how to access it. But Bartanen said the section offers not just links to the automaker’s repair information websites (though there are short videos explaining the navigation of each automaker site) but often some of the actual procedures, bulletins and information technicians or estimators may need. In the Acura section of the portal, for example, Bartanen opened a bulletin showing that sectioning cannot be done on the B-pillar reinforcement on the 2014 Acura MDX. 2. Another section, searchable by year-make-model, offers a guide to automaker information on which parts require inspection or replacement following an airbag deployment. 3. The “partial part replacement” section, also searchable by year-makemodel, lists what sectioning procedures are available from the automakers. The procedures themselves still generally need to be downloaded from the OEM website, Bartanen said, but this guide at least allows users to know whether what they are looking for exists at those sites. 4. A “collision news” section of the portal is replacing I-CAR’s longstanding “Advantage” newsletter, and will include three or four new articles a week; this is where, for example, ICAR announced in July that in part due to I-CAR’s encouragement, Kia Motors recently released comprehensive collision repair manuals in the United States for the first time. Bartanen said shops and technicians can receive “push notifications” about news posted to the portal by following the “@tech_briefs” Twitter feed (no push notifications are available via email at this time). 5. I-CAR has posted it “Uniform Procedures for Collision Repair” (UPCR) at the new portal. First developed in the late 1990s but more recently updated, the UPCR outlines

industry-accepted repair procedures for such things as adhesive bonding, corrosion protection and wheel alignment. 6. The “Ask I-CAR” section is just that, a way for a portal user to email or call I-CAR with a technical question for which they haven’t been able to find an answer. In a live demonstration of this feature, Bartanen called I-CAR’s tollfree number and said he was looking for sectioning procedures for the B-pillar on a Dodge Dart; within minutes, the I-CAR representative checked the Dodge OEM information website and found that given the type of steel John Van Alstyne used for that B-pillar, Dodge offers no sectioning procedures. She also emailed Bartanen that information, and posted it to the portal in a searchable (by year-make-model) database of other such questions I-CAR has researched. Bartanen said more information will continue to be added to the portal; many automakers, he said, are anxious to use the portal to put technical information and procedures into collision repairers’ hands, often at no charge.

Current I-CAR Statistics I-CAR also used its annual conference to update the nearly 400 people in attendance on the organization’s other current and future activities. I-CAR CEO John Van Alstyne reported that 56,000 student from more than 8,600 businesses received I-CAR training last year. That training now includes 77 live classroom courses, almost an equal number of online course, and 14 virtual classes that are taken online but with an I-CAR instructor teaching the course live. He said about 3,000 businesses have achieved I-CAR Gold Class status, and about 2,300 more have been categorized as “Road to Gold,” businesses that are working toward achieving Gold Class status.

I-CAR reaching out to consumers Those businesses, and others with ICAR-trained technicians, may be glad to hear that I-CAR is launching a consumer awareness campaign to help drivers understand the value of having their vehicles repaired by trained shops and technicians. “During my first three years with this industry, I have been told many times that the consumer just doesn’t

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care about collision repair until the moment their car is hit,” Van Alstyne said, acknowledging that he too had previously not thought much about the topic before joining I-CAR in late 2010. “But no one ever told me I should think much about repairs, so I was ignorant.” With that in mind, he said, ICAR first benchmarked the level of awareness among consumers about collision repair, finding it very low. As part of this benchmarking, he said, “We gave them some information about things they should be aware of, and their interest perked significantly. They cared and wanted more information.” “We need to educate and empower consumers to help them make informed collision repair decisions,” Van Alstyne said. Speaking at a press conference following the day-long conference, Ann Gonzalez, senior director of marketing for I-CAR, said the organization is now working with a Detroit-based agency on a “larger-scale national and regional creative campaign,” to reach consumers. That will include public service announcements and social media advertising, she said. Those campaigns, which

focus on “safe repairs” and “trained technicians” are currently being tested in some markets. Elise Quadrozzi, I-CAR’s director of development for the insurance segment, said as more insurers include Gold Class or other training requirements as part of their direct repair program (DRP) agreements, they are interested in reaching consumers with a similar message about the value of that training. “So I think you will see some initiatives coming to fruition pretty quickly where they will start to include that in their messaging. not just as part of the DRP structure, but actually as part of the messaging out to their consumers,” Quadrozzi said. By getting this information directly to vehicle-owners, Van Alstyne said, “the consumer is going to help our industry do more of the right things.”

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National Associations with Chasidy Rae Sisk

Chasidy Rae Sisk is a freelance technical writer from Wilmington, Delaware, who writes on a variety of fields and subjects, and grew up in a family of NASCAR fans. She can be contacted at crsisk@chasidyraesisk.com.

IADA Holds 46th Annual Conference, Hopes to Attract New Members Although the Independent Automotive Damage Appraisers Association (IADA) was forced to move the location of their 46th Annual Vehicle Repair Conference to the Lord Baltimore Hotel, located at 20 West Street, Baltimore MD 21201 at the last moment, the conference was successfully held on June 18-20, 2014 as “an educational tool for our members and the industry,” John Williams, Executive Vice President of IABA explains. “For guest speakers, we have experts in various fields relating to current methods of repair as well as what to expect from manufacturers in the future. Our expectations for this event are to promote our association and members as professionals committed to exceeding industry expectations as well as providing our members an educational and social venue to network with clients.” According to Williams, “attendees were very pleased with both the

location and the agenda. Our event always focuses on education and training as well as being a social event for members and guests, and it is important because it provides members with an opportunity to train and remain a viable force in the industry. This year, our conference exceeded expectations. We try to build on what we learned in the past to make our next event even more dynamic.” Registration for the conference began on Wednesday, June 18, at 1PM and continued until 6PM when IADA held their Welcome Reception followed by exhibitor showcases which concluded at 9PM. After breakfast on Thursday morning, IADA President Leo Maki’s Welcoming Address served as the opening to the event. IADA planned an exciting agenda filled with informative seminars led by nine industry leaders. Around 8:30AM, the educational seminars began with Wayne R. Schaumburg’s “An Illus-

trated History of Baltimore,” followed by “Best Claims Practices” which was presented by Harvey Lightstone, Vice President of the Directory of Claims and Risk for Management Claims Professionals Liability Insurance Company. Before lunch, Jim Aulby, Vice President of Claims Protective for Sagamore Insurance, discussed “Heavy Equipment Estimating.” The seminars resumed at 12:45PM with the Highway Loss Data Institute’s Senior Vice President Kim L. Hazelbaker’s “New Technology of Electronics in Vehicles.” Thursday’s lectures concluded at 4PM with “Investigating Fuel System Contamination” as presented by Jeff Lange, President of Lange Technical Services LTD. Attendees then enjoyed a two-hour break which gave them a chance to visit exhibitors before attending the President’s Reception and dinner banquet. On Friday morning, Dan Oscarson, Vice President of Global Mar-

keting Insurance Auto Auctions, explored “Marketing Salvage in a Global Economy.” He was followed by CIECA Executive Director Fred Iantorno’s “Getting It Done for the Industry.” The final presentation, “Aftermarket Truck Parts,” was led by Donald B. Cameron, President and Founder of Dawson Truck Parts. After their closing remarks, IADA’s conference culminated with their membership meeting. “Our 46th conference went well, even after facing the challenge of relocating to the Lord Baltimore Hotel at the last moment due to unexpected issues with the hotel we had contracted with. Our conference has always focused on education and training; this year was no exception!” Williams recalls, “our conference started with an excellent presentation by a local historian speaking about the history of Baltimore, and attendees were amazed to learn how Baltimore’s history helped

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shape many industrial and cultural advances we enjoy to this day. Attendees were given a glimpse of future vehicle technology as well as a look at the past to learn how far vehicle technology has progress and what to expect in the future.” In regards to the valuable information provided at the conference, Williams also notes that “a presentation on Global Salvage was of great interest to learn how salvage vehicles are being purchased in the US, then shipped in cargo containers with available parts to repair included with each vehicle. Vehicles that would not be put back on the road are repaired in many third world countries due to cheap labor and a shortage of vehicles. Vehicles we take for granted are a luxury

in many countries since few have options such as air or other power options.” IADA was first founded in 1947 as the Independent Appraisal Plan (IAP) with a mission “to offer an unbiased automotive specialist appraiser to assess vehicle damage and establish a fair cost of repair,” Williams recalls. That same year, IAP was approved by the Association of Casualty and Surety Companies and the National Association of Mutual Companies. In 1964, the IAP reorganized and was reborn as the IADA, a national not-for-profit trade association. Currently, IADA has 98 members in 43 states who employ more than 600 appraisers in over 400 service locations. Over the past 15 years, mem-

bership in IADA has increased around 15%. Williams details their membership process: “in order to apply for membership, applicants are required to have five years’ experience in the industry and owned and operated an appraisal firm for the past two years. We conduct a background investigation on all applicants, followed by a site inspection requiring the applicant to prepare a professional damage appraisal. Our Board of Directors then vote on the applicant.” Though obtaining membership to IADA seems somewhat involved, the cost-savings benefits offered to members makes it well worth the effort. For starters, E&O/GL insurance is provided under a blanket policy and is included in membership dues with no

additional charge. Members receive discounts on estimating software from all three providers plus discounts on CarFax, NADA Online and Old Cars Price Guide reports. IADA members are also listed on the association’s website as well as in their annual service directory, around 7000 copies of which are distributed throughout the industry. In addition to the national marketing supplied, members have the opportunity to attend IADA’s national conference which provides them with useful educational seminars as well as the chance to network with other IADA members. Still, IADA strives to continually add new member benefits in their efforts to attract new members. They also continue to promote educational and training seminars at regional and national events. The association works toward securing new business for their members by “upholding the integrity of the association and being consistent with our honesty policy to enhance our position with the public, insurance industry and automotive repair businesses,” Williams explains. “Our current goal is to recruit new members who have an interest in joining a professional organization dedicated to serving the industry with truly ‘Trained Professionals.’ Our members take pride in delivering professional, unbiased damage appraisals. Our goal is to treat the consumer the way we would expect to be treated if we had a claim.” Regarding challenges currently facing the industry, Williams notes, “DRP programs have impacted our volume of business to a great degree. While DRPs may be a good concept for smaller losses, I feel some carriers’ attempts to completely control the repair process, no matter how large or small the loss, is a mistake. Having owned and operated an appraisal firm for 24 years, I enjoyed a great working relationship with repair facilities. Preparing an accurate appraisal and securing an agreed price with a reputable shop is quickly becoming a lost art. The industry is losing qualified appraisers at a rapid pace. Many of our members had second, third and fourth generation family taking over their businesses, but we are no longer seeing as much of that.” IADA Association PO Box 12291 Columbus, GA 31917 www.iada.org 800-369-4232

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Wheels to Prosper’s Annual Giveaway by Chasidy Rae Sisk

On Saturday, July 26, Wheels to Prosper shops across the country gave away 15 vehicles to deserving people in their communities. Dino DiGiulio, owner of Body Best Collision Center in Sonoma, CA, and founder of Wheels to Prosper, notes that it is “mind-blowing to be able to change people’s lives in this type of way” and wonders “how big it could be if we got all the shops in the country involved?” This year, Body Best awarded their car giveaway vehicle, a 2004 Saturn L300, to Irene Morgan. DiGiulio’s son, Chance, helped Body Best’s tech-

Chance DiGiulio poses with winner Irene Morgan in front of the car he helped repair for his senior project

nician with the body repairs as his senior project, which his father proudly reports received a grade of “A”. In 2010, DiGiulio took a public relations class at Management Success, and he admits “I didn’t realize how important it was until I took the class.” When the topic of car giveaways came up, DiGiulio thought it seemed like a practical way of giving back to the community. His friend, Jody Gatchell who owns A & J Collision Repair in Conway, AR was involved with a similar concept through Recycled Rides, and when DiGiulio saw an emotional video about a giveaway recipient, he knew he had to do it. After acquiring information about the program from Gatchell, including how to organize a car giveaway, DiGiulio began planning Body Best’s first Car Giveaway with the initial intention of donating two to three vehicles yearly. Rather than choosing a person in need, DiGiulio put together a committee to choose a winner, enlisting the aid of a diverse panel of public officials and community leads to select a deserving individual. Early on,

DiGiulio decided to choose winners who deserved a vehicle, rather than simply donating to someone in need, because “need is always there,” he explains. “We wanted to help people who help others. Everyone has to do their part, and this is my way of volunteering. By helping this person, he or she can help so many others.” Gatchell suggested Wheels to Prosper as the name for DiGiulio’s giveaway, and Management Success advised DiGiulio to secure the name and website, helping him build the site. The idea behind Wheels to Prosper was to establish a program to help shops begin the process of sponsoring car giveaways, and when he pitched the idea for a national giveaway to 30 shops in hopes of getting more interest in the program, 11 shops signed up that same day. “We laid out some parameters and established a process, including marketing – there’s a lot of marketing you can do for free because people want to help,” DiGiulio states. In the four years since its inception, Wheels to Prosper has increased to include 34 shops donating around 25 cars annually, but the program is growing consistently; DiGiulio hopes, by next year, 100 shops will participate in Wheels to Prosper’s annual giveaway because “Jody and I cannot do as much alone as we can when we involved the entire industry. Wheels to Prosper is all about telling shops how easy it really is.” Though Wheels to Prosper is expanding to include non-Management Success shops, shops interested in participating in the program need to acquire approval from DiGiulio and the program’s administrator, Jim Anderson, because they want to elicit involvement from shops committed to giving away at least one car each year. Anderson, owner of Anderson Automotive in Marion, IA, did a giveaway called “Wheels of Change” several years before DiGiulio began his program, but Anderson joined Wheels to Prosper’s board as their administrator because he wanted to be part of something bigger. Participating shops pay a one-time fee for inclusion on Wheels to Prosper’s website, but this provides a place to promote their business as it generates traffic back to the shop’s website; DiGiulio estimates receiving around 100 visits to his shop’s website annually through the link from Wheels to

18 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Prosper. He states, “it demonstrates that you actually care about the community. It’s a little about business but not really – it’s mainly about how many people are impacted by the donation.” Wheels to Prosper does not hold any type of contest to determine their winners. Instead, they solicit stories from community members about a person who deserves to win the car

Dino DiGiulio hands over the keys for Body Best’s 2014 Car Giveaway through Wheels to Prosper

giveaway, and a panel of judges reviews the stories to select a winner. “The difference between Wheels to Prosper and other giveaways is that it’s about who is deserving,” DiGiulio explains. “There’s always a need, but we want to help someone who is helping the community, so our winners are

always majorly involved with volunteering efforts.” In May 2011, DiGiulio held his first giveaway, awarding a car to a five-person family run by a local woman who is very active in her community. “She always thinks of everyone before herself. Even though she didn’t have the means to buy a car, she was still actively volunteering in the community, so we rewarded her efforts by giving her a car which allows her to help others even more.” Gatchell held his giveaway in July 2011, and DiGiulio held a second giveaway that same year. Afterwards, they decided to choose a consistent date for the annual giveaway, electing the last Saturday in July at 12PM CST. Ultimately, the goal is for all Wheels to Prosper shops to hold their annual giveaway on the same day each year. While the participating shops acquire the giveaway vehicles through various means, Wheels to Prosper requires the donated vehicle to be in good shape with less than 100,000 miles on it in hopes of servicing the winner for at least five years without See Annual Giveaway, Page 33

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Northwest Associations with Chasidy Rae Sisk

ASA-NW Members Enjoy Summer Retreat Range Sports Complex in West Richland for their “Hogs & Dogs” event where over 2000 motorcycles were on display.

sues in the industry as well as their biggest challenges. Lovell shares, “most agreed that finding good technicians is one of the biggest challenges currently facing the automotive industry today. Our members shared information on how they advertise for employees and where technicians come from. Another topic was the challenge of running a family-owned business; how do you fire your son? Being the boss can be tough on families!” During the roundtable disRick White of One Eighty Business Solutions presents cussions, the Ascettes played Communicating for Success a game of croquet in the courtOn Friday, the group gathered for yard, and in the evening, the Cool their Board of Directors meeting Desert Nights event allowed attendees where conversations ensued about the to enjoy two hours of classic cars cruising past the hotel. From 9-11PM, the association in general and their financial plans, followed by a Mechanical evening concluded, as did all others during the trip, with ASA-NW’s Hosand Collision Roundtable which alpitality Suite, allowing members to inlowed members to discuss common is-

During the weekend of June 19 through 22, ASA-Northwest held their Semi-Annual Summer Retreat and Management Conference at the Red Lion Hanford House in Richland, WA. The four-day event featured educational seminars, industry roundtable discussions, networking opportunities and general fun for all present. Jeff Lovell, President and Executive Director of ASA-NW, noted that the event went very well with around 80 participants, though this year’s retreat was smaller than in the past were attendance was closer to 100 individuals, a fact he attributes to many graduation ceremonies taking place that weekend. On Thursday, attendees had the option of enjoying a free day or playing golf with their peers, and those who chose to golf seemed to immensely enjoy the day in the sunshine. Later in the day, a group of ASA-NW members traveled to the Bombing

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dulge in hors d’oeuvres and adult beverages while socializing with their peers in a relaxed setting which provided “an excellent networking opportunity,” according to Lovell. On Saturday morning, Rick White of One Eighty Business Solutions presented a seminar, approved by the Automotive Management Institute (AMI), entitled “Communicating for Success.” Lovell states, “the seminar was great, and everyone loved Rick… He praised ASA-Northwest as one of the most fun associations he gets to work with!” When the group gathered for lunch, Joel Baxter, Past Board Chairman, presented plaques to Brian and Zoya Johnson as well as ASA Honorary Member Ron Willand. Current Chairman Todd Black also presented the “Hunt Endowment” to Travis and Renee Mosley of My Auto Pro. That afternoon, ASA-NW members gathered for a productive General

Business Session, while the Ascettes held an equally fruitful business meeting. Saturday evening’s main event was a barbeque in the hotel courtyard where attendees partook of ribs and chicken while playing lawn games

nated by Jude and Lindsy Larson of CompTrek Consulting, Brian and Jen Smith of Gig Harbor Automotive, Beven Weeks of ICM, Mark and Sara Simons of Rolf’s Import Auto Service, Bryant and Melissa Kelley of Valley Automotive Electric, Janel Black of Unlimited Services, and Janae Schindler of Rod’s Japanese Auto Care. Between the live auction and the raffle, the Ascettes raised over $2300 towards their scholarship fund. ASA-NW is grateful to the members who took time from their busy schedules to make ASA-NW members enjoyed a weekend filled with the event such a success. socializing and discussions Lovell believes everyone had such as croquet and ladder ball. Dura great time networking and dising the barbeque, the Ascettes auc- cussing the issues, and he looks fortioned off a “Pamper Yourself” basket ward to the next retreat this winter. donated by the Ascettes, a two-person fishing trip donated by Scott and ASA Northwest Rachael Tveten, and a Butter Pecan 7403 Lakewood Drive W, Suite 7 cake donated by Casey Hall; the cake Lakewood, WA 98499 was so popular that a second one was 253-473-6970 also auctioned off, to be supplied at a www.asanorthwest.com later date. At the Hospitality Suite later Satwww.autobodynews.com urday evening, the Ascettes held their CHECK IT OUT! raffle prize drawings with prizes do-

Tampa Television Station Highlights Poor Quality Repairs, Body Shop Lawsuits Against Insurers

Report highlights repair quality issues and collision repairer lawsuits against insurers. Warns consumers their families could be “…at risk on the road.” Consumers in Florida were exposed to the controversies surrounding collision repair quality and insurance company practices that are the subject of lawsuits in the state and around the U.S. when Tampa ABCaffiliate, WFTS, aired a segment on its Action News broadcast. The ITeam investigation detailed consumer complaints of poor quality collision repairs that, according to the report, were performed by insurance company direct repair facilities. The report included an interview with Ray Gunder, owner of Gunder’s Auto Center, who is one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit, A&E Auto Body, Inc., et al. v. 21st Century Centennial Insurance Company, et al, brought against more than 30 insurance companies operating in Florida. In the segment, embedded below, the reporter details consumer complaints on the quality of repairs received and explains for viewers the legal action taken by repairers against the insurers.

In the report, an emailed statement from Insurance Information Institute defended insurance company DRPs saying steps to manage repair costs benefit consumers and that consumers have a choice of repairer. In late June, plaintiffs in the A&E Auto Body suit filed an amended complaint after the initial complaint was dismissed by the Judge in the case. In a press release announcing the filing of the amended complaint, Gunder states, “In reading the complaint, everyone in this industry knows it to be the truth… I am looking forward to bringing the issues to a jury and exposing the insurer’s egregious practices and ending the suppression that has been so harmful to our industry and to the consumers we serve. All repairers want is to serve our customers in an unencumbered manner and to see our employees earn a fair wage for their efforts.”

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The Legal View

Erica Eversman is an attorney, frequent speaker and author on automotive legal topics. She has been quoted in such publications as The Wall Street Journal Online, USA Today, Kiplingers Personal Finance, Cars.com, Yahoo! News and other trade magazines.

Repair Documentation Series, Part 2: Assignment of Proceeds and Writ of Replevin with Erica Eversman

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

Repair documentation plays an important role in your collision repair business, but many shop owners are not very familiar with what they need to protect their interests, so I’ve turned to an industry-leading attorney to provide crucial information on what you need to know about documentation in the collision repair industry. Last month, Erica Eversman, Chief Counsel for Vehicle Information Services, Inc. and founder of the Automotive Education and Policy Institute, a nonprofit organization geared toward educating consumers, explained how collision repair facilities can use the Authorization to Repair and Repair Contract to receive proper compensation from insurers in legal battles. While those two documents are extremely important, they may not be the only documents you need to successfully pursue a shortpay case in a courtroom. Here, Eversman explains the relevance of an Assignment of Proceeds and Writ of Replevin in these situations. The purpose of the Assignment of Proceeds is to create a bridge between the insurance company and the collision repair shop, and this is especially important when you have a consumer who is unwilling or unable to pursue proper compensation via a shortpay lawsuit on the shop’s behalf. Though the insurance company owes their customer the duty of indemnity and the customer thus expects their insurer to pay the shop that repairs their vehicle, many consumers simply do not know or care enough to pursue litigation in instances of shortpays. By asking your customers to sign an Assignment of Proceeds, your shop creates a necessary bridge to the insurance company, giving you the right to step into the consumer’s shoes (for purposes of collecting the full repair costs), force the issue and get paid. The “devil is in the details”, so your first step is going to be hiring an attorney with experience in the collision repair industry who can assist you with properly wording the document. Eversman cautions, “you don’t

have the right to sue on the consumer’s behalf for everything, such as diminished value; because you’re only being assigned the rights to proceeds, you can only sue the insurance company to collect proceeds for the repair. You need to understand what this industry is about, clarify exactly what’s going on, and specify which rights are being assigned to you.” Though a Power of Attorney (POA) would also serve this purpose, customers are less likely to agree to sign this type of document. The problem with the POA is that, while it gives a repairer more power, it is also more complicated, leaving the repair facility with the burden of making all decisions for the customers, so Eversman discourages the use of the POA. While every insurer has an anti-assignment clause written into their policies, most states permit the use of post-loss agreements, making the Assignment of Proceeds a viable option. It also makes sense for the shop to assume responsibility for prosecuting the insurance company, if necessary, since it requires less action on the part of the consumer. Once you get to the point of pursuing litigation in order to receive proper compensation, you must remember that the burden of proof falls on you, the plaintiff. In court, you should try to avoid allowing the insurance company to present their estimate as evidence because part of your battle entails proving that their estimate is meaningless – as the collision repair professional, YOU are the one with the right to determine how the vehicle should be repaired, while the insurer is merely obligated to pay for the repair, not to control the process (unless the insurance company has elected to repair). In order for an Assignment of Proceeds to be legitimate, it is imperative that the consumer understand what they are signing, so it is also a good idea to ask your customers to sign a separate document confirming their comprehension of the Assignment of Proceeds. When constructing your Assignment of Proceeds, begin by defining what it is and how it will be used. The purpose of the document

22 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

is to allow “a transfer of property or other rights from one person (the assignor) to another person (the assignee) which confers a complete and present right in the subject matter to the assignor… Essentially, this means that the assignee stands in the shoes of the assignor,” Eversman explains. Because the assignment serves as a contract between the assignor and the assignee, it is thus subject to contract law and interpretation. An important item that must be included in Assignments of Proceeds is a definition of the assignable rights which will identify causes of action issuing from a wrong that causes injury to property or from tort by which property is diminished or damaged; both of these are generally assignable. It is also vital to inform your customers that they can assign their right to recover damages to their property without conveying the title to that property.

For an Assignment of Proceeds to be valid, it must contain clear evidence of the intent to transfer rights in addition to a description of the subject matter in question. The assignment must be clear and unequivocal and be noticed to the obligor. While there are no formal requirements regarding the verbiage used in this document, the language must clearly indicate the owner’s intention to transfer the claim. Valuable consideration is essential to support the assignment, and while the word “consideration” doesn’t necessarily have to appear on the document, Eversman recommends it as evidence of the exchange required to make an Assignment of Proceeds valid. Essentially, this allows you to take possession of the vehicle without receiving payment if the document is signed, but you are also agreeing not to sue the consumer for money owed as part of the assignment. See Documentation Series, Page 35

www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS 23

24 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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Two Regional Insurers and USAA get Top Grades from Oregon Collision Repair Shops State Farm may still be the largest auto insurer in Oregon, but it’s no longer the best liked by repairers, according to the latest survey of Oregon collision repair shops. The survey by the Northwest Automotive Trades Association (NATA) asked shops to grade the Top 20 auto insurers in the state in terms of how well each company’s “policies, attitude and payment practices ensure quality repairs and customer service for Oregon motorists.” This was the eighth time the association has conducted such a survey since 2004, and State Farm had topped the list each time, finishing last year with a solid B+ grade. But in a year in which State Farm required its “Select Service” shops in Oregon to use PartsTrader, shops dropped the insurer’s mark by a full grade to C+, putting it in fourth place in the survey, virtually tied with Progressive, California Casualty and other insurers. Multiple shops commented on PartsTrader as the reason for giving the insurer a low (or lower than in past years) grade. Two smaller Northwest-based auto insurers continue to be among the best at taking care of their customers after an accident, according to shops.

Oregon Mutual’s grade slipped a bit from a B+ last year to a B this year, but that was still good enough to share the top spot with Mutual of Enumclaw. Both companies have consistently been among the top four insurers in the survey every year. Shops in this year’s survey commented that the two are “excellent to work with” and “take care of their customers.” In terms of market share in Oregon, Mutual of Enumclaw and Oregon Mutual are ranked 12th and 13th, respectively. USAA nudged up from a C+ to a B- this year, jumping from sixth place to third, its best showing ever in the survey. “They really care about their customers,” one shop noted. Farmers Insurance was the only insurer to receive a D+ this year, keeping it at the bottom of the rankings for the third year in a row. “Just as medical providers see how health insurers take care of patients, collision repair shops interact with auto insurers on a daily basis, so we feel it’s worthwhile to ask how those insurers treat Oregon drivers after an accident,” said Barbara Crest, NATA executive director. “We believe their views will be helpful to insurance companies and consumers.”

About 500 collision repair shops throughout the state received the survey and more than 50 shops responded to the survey. Crest pointed to a number of items of interest in the findings of the latest survey: In addition to USAA, two other insurers saw their grades improve from the 2013 survey. Geico (which had a D+ in 2012) and Safeco each nudged up to a C this year, up from a C- last year. Though State Farm’s drop was the most severe, seven other insurers saw their grades decline this year. Travelers was ranked 4th last year with a B-, but fell to a C this year. American Family, Allstate and Esurance (which is owned by Allstate) each dropped from a C to a C-. Shops cited inconsistency in the claims staff and policies at these companies. Progressive has continued to work its way up the list, having had a D+ or worse (and the lowest or second-lowest ranking) in every survey between 2004 and 2009. It was 16th on the list in 2012, 8th last year and 5th this year. Farmers received a “F” from about one-in-four shops, the most failing grades received by any insurer. (By comparison, Allstate and Esurance, the

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other lowest-graded insurers, each received about half as many Fs as Farmers.) About one-in-three shops gave Oregon Mutual and Mutual of Enumclaw a grade of “A.” Last year, State Farm received an “A” from well over half of shops, but this year less than one-in-four shops gave it an “A” grade. In most cases, the grades given a particular insurer from shops involved in that insurer’s direct repair program (DRP) were higher than those given by shops that are not part of that insurer’s program. This was particularly true with California Casualty and USAA; their DRP shops gave them grades of A- or better while non-DRP shops gave each of these insurers a C and C+, respectively. But even Farmers Insurance direct repair shops gave that insurer only a C. “Collision repairers say the insurers receiving the highest grades – which includes both larger and smaller insurance companies – do the best job of taking care of Oregon drivers after an accident,” Crest said. “We hope consumers will take these ratings into account when choosing an auto insurer, and that insurers that received lower grades will work to improve their performance.”

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Midwest Associations with Chasidy Rae Sisk

ASA-IL Uses CAN Conference to Reintroduce Collision Membership When ASA-IL holds their annual Chicago Automotive Networking (CAN) Conference on September 2628 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont IL, repeat attendees are going to notice a big change—the association recently voted to reintegrate the collision side of the automotive services industry into their predominantly mechanical membership base. Donna Kelly, Executive Director of ASA-IL, and Deb Bullwinkel, CoExecutive Director of ASA-IL, agree that CAN offers the perfect opportunity to reintroduce collision to the association, and they have invited I-CAR to provide collision training at the conference in hopes of attracting collision repair professionals to CAN 2014. For their 2014 CAN Conference, ASA-IL has partnered with I-CAR to offer 6 accredited training courses: “Are You Ready for Aluminum?,” “Vehicle Technology & Trends,” “Get-

ting ROI for Your Training Dollar,” “Aluminum Panel Replacement,” and “2015 Ford F-150 Structural Repair Training,” a two-part course that will

ASA-IL Training: John Anello from Auto Tech on Wheels provides training at the 2011 CAN Conference

span an entire day. CAN 2014 will also include a multitude of management-focused seminars, and ASA-IL is working with Tom McGee, Director of Collision at the Automotive Training Institute (ATI) to provide even more educational value to

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their members. Registration for the event’s Bonus Sessions will open on Friday, September 26 at 9AM with “Module Reprogramming Techniques for Today” being presented from 9:30AM until 12:30PM by Scott Shotton of The Driveability Guys and Eric Ziegler of EZ Diagnostic Solutions. Shotton and Ziegler will continue their seminar from 1:304:45PM, at the same time that Louie Nelson of CarQuest Technical Institute will present “Total Fuel Trim Diagnostics” and I-CAR offers two courses, “Are You Ready for Aluminum?” and “Vehicle Technology & Trends.” At 5PM, CAN Conference Co-Chairs JJ Jobst and John Vallely will hold a General Session to welcome attendees to the 2014 event. Afterwards, ASA-IL’s Open Reception will run until 8PM, giving industry professionals a chance to network and mingle with vendors, shop owners and other automotive service profes-

sionals. Friday’s reception is free to industry professionals and all conference guests. Saturday’s seminars will kick off at 8AM with a General Session. From 8:30–11:30AM, attendees will choose from six education seminars: “Blueprint Your Collision Business for Profit” presented by Tom McGee of ATI, the “2015 Ford F-150 Structural Repair Training” by I-CAR, “High Impact Customer Care Sales Course” presented by Bob Cooper and Doris Barnes of Elite Worldwide, “Advanced Electronics: Automotive Solid State Electronics Course including Sensor Simulation and Circuit Emulation Electronics” by Dave Scaler of Mechanic’s Education Association (MEA), “Advanced Hybrid Vehicle Inverter/Electric Machine Testing” presented by Jeff Minter of Automotive Research and Design (AR&D), and “The Big Five Scan Tool Diagnostics” presented by Scott Manna, Ken Zanders, Pat Weber and

Matt Shanahan. Following lunch in the Expo Hall, five seminars will be held simultaneously from 1:30-5PM. The afternoon options will include continuations of the four all-day courses: “Blueprint Your Collisions Business for Profit,” “2015 Ford F-150 Structural Repair Training,” “High Impact Customer Care Sales Course” and “The Big Five Scan Tool Diagnostics,” as well as “Down and Dirty Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) Diagnosis,” presented by MEA’s Dave Scaler. During the General Session at 5PM, ASA-IL will present the Frank Brizek Memorial Award. The evening will conclude with the association’s special Open Bar Reception for registered attendees, including a pizza hors d’oeuvres bar, until 8PM. On Sunday morning, ASA-IL President Dave Walter will speak at the 8AM General Session. From 8:45AM until noon, attendees will have the opportunity to choose from five educational seminars: “Wiring Diagram: Understanding Electrical Circuits” presented by Jorge Menchu from Automotive Electronic Services (AESwave), John Thornton’s “Euro Scan Tool Diagnostics,” “Hybrid Vehicle Service Myth

Busting” presented by Jeff Minter of AR&D, and two more I-CAR courses: “Getting ROI for Your Training Dollar” and “Aluminum Panel Replacement.” Kelly and Bullwinkel look forward to CAN 2014 being very beneficial to ASA-IL members due to the heavy emphasis the association places on education and training. Though ASA-IL offers training during their evening meetings

Moe Kondich (left), Treasurer for ASA-IL’s BOD, poses with Scot Manna

throughout the year, those opportunities do not provide as in-depth an exploration into the topics as they are able to do through CAN. The association takes great pains to frequently survey their members, and they take that feedback very seriously, using it as a guide when planning their CAN Conference. Kelly points out that Chicago is

home to some of the industry’s best trainers in the country, and CAN brings them together in one place for an entire weekend, giving them a chance to provide advanced industry professionals with training from world-class instructors. While low pricing for the conference has translated into good attendance in the past, ASA-IL hopes that the inclusion of the collision side of the business will result in a substantial increase from last year’s attendance. Bullwinkel states “it feels new because we’re offering a lot more training, as many as five or six sessions at a time, compared to just two or three in the past. We’re hoping that bringing collision back into the fold, in addition to offering courses by some of the top trainers in the industry, will attract a lot of people. We are really excited to watch the collision side of ASA-IL evolve.” The 2014 CAN Conference will also feature a trade show in the Expo Hall where vendors and various automotive service providers will display their product offerings and have a chance to interface with the collision and mechanical industry professionals who use their products. The trade show will be open on Friday evening during

the Reception from 5-8PM, as well as on Saturday from 8-9AM, during lunch from 11:30AM until 1:30PM, and during the Open Bar Reception from 5:309PM. The Expo Hall will also be open on Sunday during the training sessions from 8AM until noon. The trade show will provide CAN Conference attendees with an opportunity to visit vendors and demo some of the latest tools, software and technology. Registration for the event costs $395, but those who register by August 31st can receive the Early Bird Discounted rate of $375. ASA-IL members will receive a $50 discount on the cost of admission, and shops registering three or more employees at once are eligible to receive an additional $50 off per person. ASA-IL 209 Le Moyne Parkway Oak Park, IL 60302 www.asailcan.com

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Lean Operations

David Luehr is the owner of Elite Body Shop Solutions, LLC, a collision business consulting firm based in Nashville, Tennessee. He is a 30 year veteran of the collision repair industry. David is an expert in Body Shop Operations and specializes in Lean, and Theory of Constraints methods. Email him at dluehr@msn.com

Better Blueprinting, Part 1: Why is Blueprinting Important? with David Luehr

In the collision repair business, the only time the shop makes money is when the technician is actually working on the car. So for a shop to optimize profitability, systems must be put in-place to ensure that wasteful delays are eliminated. Some of the more common delays are. ■ Techs wandering around looking for parts, fasteners, or information ■ Missing, damaged, or incorrect replacement parts ■ Waiting for approval and parts on supplemental (missed) damage A great way to reduce or eliminate such delays is through the process of damage analysis or “blueprinting.” Blueprinting is one of the most important processes a shop can implement to reduce or eliminate delays and can have a dramatic effect on important KPIs such as cycle time, customer satisfaction and profitability.

The Goal of this Article Blueprinting is not a new concept by any means, but many shops still fail at either successfully implementing it, or if they have implemented it they are not getting the results they expected. My goal is to guide the reader through some reasons why shops fail at Blueprinting and then in part two give some proven simple techniques that are being used by shops that do have successful Blueprinting programs.

Why Shops Commonly Fail at Blueprinting We Make it Too Difficult for the Real World When lean concepts including Blueprinting were first introduced to our industry, the initiatives were often led by well-intended paint companies that had over-complicated curriculum. Lean was the “new kid on the block” and came with all the bells and whistles; in many cases, too many bells and whistles. When concepts such as these are taught to us by people from the manufacturing industry from a 30,000 foot level, many of the basics were over-looked or misconstrued. So as the years progressed, most people stopped doing Blueprinting, a lucky few figured out better and simpler ways of performing it. Those that were successful

found ways of using lean thinking and applying it to Blueprinting in a “real world” manner, a manner that would work on the shop floor and not from a philosophical 30,000 foot high vantage.

Lack of Visual Mistake Proofing Systems As someone that has been teaching Blueprinting for many years, I hear excuses all the time why damage was missed during Blueprinting. The one that kills me is “We are only human.” Tell that to a surgeon or a Blue Angels pilot some time. The point is, that yes, we are human, so in order to be successful at Blueprinting, we have to put systems in place that make mistakes VISIBLE so that we can catch them before it’s too late. This is an old trick introduced by Japanese manufacturers. This mistake proofing is a technique called “Poka Yoke.” So if you want to have a successful Blueprinting program, mistake-proof it by using some of the “Poka Yoke” techniques in this article.

No Written Repeatable Process The lucky few that were able to achieve Blueprinting success at some level often doomed the process from future success by not carefully documenting the Blueprint system they worked so hard on into a Standard Operating Procedure. Because of this lack of standardization, the program was susceptible to failures caused by new employees, lapses of memory, or many other reasons. If a process has simple written instruction, and people are well trained, the likelihood that the vital steps needed to produce a consistently accurate Blueprint is increased immensely.

Technicians are hired to Repair Vehicles, Not Write Supplements To this day, most shops continue to ask their body technicians to perform a teardown and then write a supplement. This IS NOT Blueprinting! Please keep in mind that the only time a shop is making any money is when the technician’s hands are touching the car. So if we ask them to perform supplement writing for us, not only are we inviting problems with esti-

30 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

mate accuracy, we are also not making money! Technicians are a very integral part in the Blueprinting process, and can offer a lot of insight into good damage analysis, but their involvement should be limited to collaboration during the disassembly plan, and damage analysis, then disassembling the vehicle and placing the damaged or R&I parts in their designated areas.

A Common Misconception Having a dedicated Blueprint Analyst or Department always causes bottleneck delays The reason that many say that they don’t like having a dedicated Blueprint Department or Analyst is because it often causes a bottleneck and delays. All the repair jobs have to go through one resource, so by definition the Blueprint guy is a bottleneck, but here’s what some people don’t understand. Every system is going to have a bottleneck that dictates the shops throughput

ability and that is okay, the problem is that shops continue to bring all their work in on Monday. If smarter scheduling was practiced, the bottleneck will manage to produce the needed amount of work. This misunderstanding of production management is another main reason people abandon their Blueprinting attempts. In the real world, even when using good scheduling habits, bottlenecks do become a problem at times. When Blueprinting starts getting behind schedule, it is extremely important to stick to the program with discipline and not abandon it. Instead additional resources or extended hours may occasionally need to be dedicated. In next month’s continuation of Better Blueprinting by David Luehr, we will discuss how to setup a proper Blueprinting area regardless of the size of your shop, and then we will discuss some great techniques that will allow you to get consistent and positive results with your Blueprinting efforts.

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National Associations

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

with Ed Attanasio

How Can I Squeeze More Out of My SEMA Experience?

Trade shows are huge right now and that’s why SEMA is more popular than ever. If you’ve ever attended one of these events, you know they’re frenetic, fun, packed full of things to do and your time is usually limited. So, that’s why we’re offering some invaluable tips about how to take full advantage of any trade show, but specifically the upcoming SEMA show, in Las Vegas November 3-7. When the economy took a hit in 2008, many body shops started dialing down their participation in industry conferences, but now that the economy seems to be a little healthier, this is a smart time to re-engage. The main question for any business owner considering SEMA is this –will the money and staff that I will invest into a show like SEMA really pay off in the long run? After discussing the “SEMA Experience” with collision professionals from all over the country for at least

the past decade and attending many as an automotive journalist, I’ve heard a wide range of responses about the

ers getting wiped out at the tables and other foolishness were probably halftrue when originally told and undoubtedly pure fiction by now. On the serious side, I’ve heard things like “Too crowded and we spent too much time trying to find the right booths;” “The classes were either packed or not suited for us;” or “Now we’re back to work and we need to take a vacation just to recuperate from SEMA!” But in the end all of them said the same thing about the show— Peter Macillvray, VP of Communications and Events for “It was useful and we did SEMA and his staff work hard to make the show a winhave a good time!” win for both attendees and exhibitors Since SEMA is an indusshow, both positive and negative. Be- try-only show, you’re obviously not cause the setting is Las Vegas, many going to get any customers from of these anecdotes are not suitable for SEMA and that’s not the goal. The this article, but you can imagine. Tales main reasons you attend conferences of quickie marriages, body shop own- such as SEMA are to connect with

NICB Says Honda Accord Still Most Stolen Vehicle

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) released its annual Hot Wheels report which identifies the 10 most stolen vehicles in the United States. The report examines vehicle theft data submitted by law enforcement to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and determines the vehicle make, model and model year most reported stolen in 2013. The report also lists the top 25 2013 vehicle makes and models that were reported stolen in calendar year 2013. For 2013, the most stolen vehicles in the nation were (total thefts in parentheses): 1. Honda Accord (53,995) 2. Honda Civic (45,001) 3. Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size) (27,809) 4. Ford Pickup (Full Size) (26,494) 5. Toyota Camry (14,420) 6. Dodge Pickup (Full Size) (11,347) 7. Dodge Caravan (10,911) 8. Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee (9,272) 9. Toyota Corolla (9,010) 10. Nissan Altima (8,892) The following are the top 10 2013 model year vehicles stolen during calendar year 2013: 1. Nissan Altima (810) 2. Ford Fusion (793)

3. Ford Pickup Full Size (775) 4. Toyota Corolla (669) 5. Chevrolet Impala (654) 6. Hyundai Elantra (541) 7. Dodge Charger (536) 8. Chevrolet Malibu (529) 9. Chevrolet Cruze (499) 10. Ford Focus (483) After a slight increase in 2012, the FBI predicts a reduction in national vehicle thefts of 3.2 percent when final 2013 statistics are released later this year. The peak year for vehicle thefts was 1991 with 1,661,738. If the FBI’s preliminary 2013 vehicle theft estimate holds, thefts will be under 700,000—a number not seen since 1967 and a reduction in vehicle thefts of over 50 percent since 1991. “The drop in thefts is good news for all of us,” said NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle. “But it still amounts to a vehicle being stolen every 45 seconds and losses of over $4 billion a year. That’s why we applaud the vehicle manufacturers for their efforts to improve anti-theft technology and pledge to continue to work with our insurance company members and law enforcement to identify and seek vigorous prosecution of the organized criminal rings responsible for so many of these thefts.”

32 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

current and prospective vendors and to learn about new technologies or products that will influence your future. The first step is to make a list containing your goals with realistic objectives, while determining the costs involved. For example, you may want to visit a dozen equipment companies, paint companies and other suppliers. If you’re going to be at the show for three days, you will obviously need to visit at least four every day, pacing yourself and hydrating continually. To decide if SEMA is right for you and your business, ask yourself these questions: ■ Is SEMA going to offer you the most cost-effective way of sourcing products, services and information in the collision industry? ■ Is SEMA the best forum for you to keep up- to-date on the collision industry’s newest technologies, state-

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of-the-art products, innovations and new developments in your market? Are you going to encounter a highly targeted audience of your fellow industry professionals? ■ If your answer is yes to more than one of these questions, SEMA is probably a slam dunk for you, your manager and even other members of your crew as well. Peter Macillvray, VP of Communications and Events for SEMA, offered some helpful tips about how to squeeze the most out of your SEMA experience. “We’re extremely vested in making sure that all of our attendees and exhibitors will leave here with a year’s worth of new business ideas. We’re committed to doing everything we can to bring value to your time here at SEMA. We want you to make more money by using what you’ve learned at SEMA, so that’s we’ve created a whole range of things to make it happen.” Everyone’s goal at any trade show is different, so the first thing you need to do is define what success means for you at SEMA. Before you jump in, make a list and plan your show. “We call it ‘shaping’ the show and it’s so valuable,” Macillvray said.

“Too many people jump on a plane and don’t register until they get here and then start wandering through the aisles without any real plan. Time is so precious and by aimlessly walking around you’re losing opportunities. Being prepared at any trade show or industry event is imperative, so map it out and don’t leave anything to chance.” To get more out of your SEMA, take a few classes and learn things you can take back to your business. “We have top companies that have partnered with us on these classes,” Macillvray said. “We’ve got some of the world’s top experts on things like marketing, technology and management. Everything taught at SEMA is created with two words in mind— useful and relevant.” If you’re looking for cutting-edge products and equipment that can help your shop and make your life a little easier, SEMA is the place to be. “This show is always about unveiling new technology and we’re proud to lead the way,” Macillvray said. “Our New Product Showcase is always a huge attraction and a great place to get an overview of what’s new. Many products that have won awards at past

SEMA shows are now used by body shops all over the world and the first time anyone saw them was here at SEMA.” SEMA has two ways to help you as you navigate through the show— by calling on their popular Pocket Guide, available almost anywhere at SEMA, as well as by using their 2014 SEMA app, available for free at any Apple Store or online, sponsored by Showcase. “We have been fine-tuning our app over the years by listening to our customers and we believe it’s stateof-the-art,” Macillvray said. “It contains some planning tools that can really help you to get more out of the show while also allowing you to stay in the loop about the show yearround. Lots of people walk around with the app open on their iPads and iPhones and refer to it during the entire show. We want to offer every tool we have available to us to help you, and that’s why we’re heavily involved in social media. You can like us on Facebook, connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. We have the largest social media following of any automotive show in the world.”

Continued from Page 18

Annual Giveaway

any troubles. DiGiulio’s first giveaway was a salvage loaner with low mileage, and for his second giveaway, he purchased a vandalized car that just needed a new paint job. No matter how the vehicles are acquired, the Wheels to Prosper shop makes any collision and mechanical repairs necessary before donating the vehicle to their deserving new owner. Thus far, nearly 50 cars have been given away through Wheels to Prosper with a few more giveaways scheduled to take place in October. A film company is currently in negotiations to develop a 12-part miniseries on a shop sponsoring a giveaway, and DiGiulio is optimistic about the publicity that such a program would provide for Wheels to Prosper. www.wheelstoprosper.org

www.autobodynews.com

www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS 33

Social Media for Shops

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

with Ed Attanasio

Is Your Reception Area Making a Good First Impression?

I was recently at a body shop that does amazing work, garners incredible customer reviews and skillfully fixes nearly 200 cars monthly. All of the shop’s techs are dressed in clean uniforms and you could eat off the shop floor. But, then I took a look at their reception area and it’s an OMG moment. Ugly yellow walls covered with greasy handprints; one little table that looks like it was pulled out of the Titanic; magazines from 2010; a coffee machine covered in what looks like mud and an old, beat-up sign on the wall that the guys from American Pickers wouldn’t even want. My first reaction was shock. Why does this shop work so hard to provide amazing customer service, maintaining a professional image with a highly-trained staff and then they badly fumble the appearance of their reception area (or some call it a “waiting room”), the only part of their shop that customers will definitely see?

lision Specialists in Randolph, NJ hired Aurora Kitchens and Interiors of Somerville, NJ to completely re-do their reception area in 2011. It won a design award in the National Association of Remodeling’s annual contest in 2012, according to Kelley Evens, the owner and chief designer at Aurora Kitchens and Interiors. “The owner of Towne Auto wanted to provide his customers with a different experience than is usually found in auto body shops,” Evens said. “A comfortable, upscale waiting area for customers was top priority. Other amenities on the owner’s wish list included a television viewing area, a working area with free Wi-Fi for customers, a gourmet coffee/tea center, an inviting reception desk, an area for insurance adjusters to speak with clients privately, multiple employee work stations and beautiful restrooms.” Figuring out how to keep the waiting room clean in an auto body shop environment was one of the biggest challenges. “Collision technicians often track oil and grease from the shop into the waiting area when they are speaking with customers,” Evens said. “The key was a durable yet attractive concrete floor with a multi-sized tile pattern, some texture and a VictorEric Design in Vancouver, British Columbia designed color variation from gold to this high-end reception area for B&D Autobody & Glass, terra cotta. Cleaning is a also in Vancouver breeze with just water and a Think about it. Collision repair is mop. To make the seating area more one of the only industries in the world inviting, a multi-colored jewel-toned where your average customer is un- rug was used to anchor the space. A happy before they even interact with brown leather sofa and gold leather you. They’re looking for reasons to chairs were grouped for seating. take you off their list, in some cases, Their colors complement the so why give them any ammunition? A concrete floor and area rug.” body shop’s reception area should be While many auto body shops have comfortable, clean and inviting, but so a single unisex restroom, which is often many of them just don’t make the dark and dingy, the owners at Towne grade. So, we found three examples of Auto insisted on separate restrooms, body shops that understand the im- each modern, clean and well-lit. “We portance of a waiting room that fits the achieved this through the use of mirrors aforementioned qualities. They see the and artwork, with warm paint colors to value in making a good first impres- keep the restrooms from feeling cold sion, because like the old deodorant and sterile,” Evens said. “The combicommercial used to say, “You may nation of bold colors, wall art and acnever get a second chance.” cent pieces created exactly the effect Towne Auto Restoration & Col- that the owner was trying to achieve.”

34 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Ace Architects designed this cool and comfortable reception area for Uptown Auto Body in Oakland, CA

Another award-winning reception area designed by a leading interior design firm was created by VictorEric Design, a Canadian design firm located in Vancouver,

British Columbia. “B&D Autobody & Glass, (also in Vancouver) came to us looking to upgrade their space,” according to the company’s blog.

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“B&D Auto body is the preferred auto body shop of the Vancouver MINI Cooper Club – they are factorytrained for repairing MINI’s and are used exclusively by MINI Yaletown for body work. That being said they wanted to update their look to suit their new clientele. We wanted to design a waiting area for our client that offered style and comfort, and one that conveyed organization and efficiency. We took a blank concrete canvas and chose to create a cool vibe with bold colors of grey, black and white. We custom fabricated a table topped with glass with a base of stacked tires, added colorful automotive themed artwork and threw in accents of chrome and silver. This is not your ordinary auto body shop. Customers don’t even mind waiting.” Our third example of a well-received reception area that is both cool and comfortable was designed for Uptown Auto Body in Oakland, CA by Ace Architects, also located in Oakland. Ace’s Co-Owner Lucia Howard loved working on the design and dealing with the shop’s owners Lisandro Allende and Giovanna Tanzillo was a creative and enriching experience, she said.

“Giovanni’s idea behind this project was to create a space where people could forget that they were in a body shop,” Howard explained. “Both owners collect art, so they wanted art to play a role. We were also interested in using car images in the overall look, because Lisandro is a big car guy and loves racing cars. We wanted to inject a ton of their personality into the reception area and I believe that’s what we achieved. We also wanted it to be open, so that when customers enter, they can also see part of the offices, so that they don’t get that stifling feeling. We didn’t want the customers to feel like they were being stored off in some room waiting for their car. When you sit in this reception area, there is so much happening throughout the room that you don’t’ even have a chance to be bored.” So, maybe it’s time to take a longer look at your reception area. When was the last time you did anything to it? It’s all about what the public sees and perceives, so if you do A+ work, but your reception area is getting low grades from the people who matter the most, a makeover might just be money well-spent.

Continued from Page 22

Documentation Series

In your supporting documents, you should also include an Assignment for Money Due which must identify the customer, the repair facility, the vehicle and the loss. As long as this is without defects, it should be enforceable without being notarized (dependent upon state laws). The Writ of Replevin is a document that the insurance company typically uses to retrieve a total loss vehicle, filing it to say a shop is unlawfully withholding a vehicle when they do not want to pay for the repair. Because this document is only valid if the insurance company can prove the shop is wrongfully withholding the vehicle, it is imperative that you are prepared to defend yourself against a Writ of Replevin by including a clause in the Repair Contract that states the consumer cannot transfer the title of the vehicle without ensuring the repair bill is paid in full. With the vehicle owner’s signature affixed to this verbiage, the insurance company has no right to the vehicle until they have paid for the repair, making their Writ

of Replevin effectively useless. So, with the Authorization to Repair, Repair Contract, Assignment of Proceeds and defense against the Writ of Replevin, you are well on your way to protecting your business interests, but you’ll also need a Parts Notice and Authorization as well as an Indemnification Letter (we’ll cover these next month in the third and final installment of this series). You can still get started right away by contacting a local attorney to start drafting these important documents which will allow you to recover proper compensation on every repair that comes through your shop doors.

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Western Associations with Chasidy Rae Sisk

ASA-AZ Serves a Big State with Diverse Interests As the sixth largest state in the nation, Arizona is home to over 6.5 million citizens and over 6.8 million registered vehicles. With such a large population and such busy roadways, it is no surprise that there is an overwhelming number of collision and mechanical repair facilities scattered throughout the state, and all those independent businesses need a collective voice. That’s where the Automotive Service Association of Arizona (ASA-AZ) comes in! Incorporated in 1976, ASA-AZ was founded on the concept of establishing collaborative efforts amongst automotive service professionals from all across AZ. As a state affiliate, the association shares the same mission as ASA-National which is “advancing

professionalism and excellence in the the association was in the process of automotive repair industry through merging with the Arizona Automotive education, representation and member Trade Organizations, an association services.” comprised of service station dealers, With 169 members in the 113,909 convenience stores and repair facilities. square mile area, ASA-AZ consists of When the Arizona Collision Craftsseven chapters: Prescott, Mohave, Tucson, Phoenix, Verde Valley, Yuma and the Grand Canyon Chapter “which incorporated all businesses that are not in close proximity to any of the other chapters,” explains Luz Rubio, Executive Director of ASA-AZ. “Each chapter provides local chapter meet- ASA-AZ provides educational opportunities for members ings and outreach to its members. Some chapters meet monthly, and man’s Association experienced some others not as often. These meetings membership fallout in 2004 and found allow our members to exchange ideas, that they were unable to sustain their operations through their volunteer discuss challenges and identify solutions, thus elevating the professionalism force, they also merged with the formerly all mechanical ASA-AZ, leading of the industry. Rubio assumed the role of ASA- to the creation of the association’s colAZ’s Executive Director in 2002 while lision division.

Collision King Honored By Farmers Insurance As Body Shop of the Year in Texas, Sherwin-Williams Congratulates

In the collision repair industry, quality work and dedicated service are the keys to a satisfied customer. Farmers Insurance annually recognizes top shops for service excellence with the Body Shop of the Year award. Sherwin-Williams would like to congratulate Collision King Auto Body Repair Center in Lubbock, Texas for being the state recipient of this award for the year 2013. This latest award will be one among numerous other accolades for Collision King including being named “Best Auto Body Repair Center in Lubbock” for nine straight years and “Best Body Repair Center” in KCBD Channel 11’s “Best of the West” campaign since 2010. “We feel a great sense of pride,” said owner Steven Tisdale, “and its humbling to be recognized this way. We are in a smaller market compared to areas like Dallas, Houston and Austin. We often fly under the radar getting overlooked by the larger markets in Texas. But we have a great team, we utilize team work and empower our people to make good decisions and think on their feet.” Established in 1998 by Tisdale, Collision King’s management staff

brings more than 100 years of combined experience to their work, utilizing the latest technology, including Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes’ primer and topcoat systems to ensure precision work. “Sherwin-Williams products have been great for our shop,” said Tisdale. “But more important than the products is the ongoing support we get from them. In addition, our local jobber, West Texas Auto Colors, is top notch and the manager, Anthony Palomo, has helped us implement lean process and goes the extra mile any time we need him.” “At Sherwin-Williams, we truly value our long term relationship with Collision King and are committed to continue to support them in their pursuit of excellence,” adds Glenn Lane, Director of Sales-Southwest, for Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes. For more information on Collision King visit the company website www.collisionking.com or call 806794-5990. For more information on Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes visit www.sherwin-automotive.com or call 1-800-798-5872.

36 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

As a registered lobbyist, Rubio monitors legislation that may have an impact on the automotive industry. When action is required on a legislative bill that may have a negative effect, members of ASA-AZ receive alerts requiring that they contact their legislators to share their views, and the association works with other small business organizations to strengthen their position. In 2012, ASA-AZ successfully defeated a bill that would have forced body shops to absorb the cost associated with vehicle storage in many situations. Though ASA-AZ is not currently working on any legislation, Rubio plans to continue monitoring introduced legislation in January when the new session begins. She notes “ASA supports legislation that protects the consumer’s rights in the full repair process of their vehicle, both mechanical and collision related.” ASA-AZ monitors national legislation as well, and Rubio shares

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membership. She says, “we identify topics that our members need and host out-of-state speakers that will bring them the information that they need to improve their business, including topics such as ‘Survival Skills for the Service Advisor’ for our mechanical shops and ‘Profitability to Preserve Survivability’ for our collision members.”

In addition to reviewing and upgrading their website, one of ASAAZ’s current projects entails forming Automotive Roundtables for their various chapters. Rubio states, “these are forums that allow business owners with single operations to discuss the day-today challenges and identify solutions.” Unfortunately, recent increases in the number of multi-shop operations in the mechanical industry and consolidators buying out collision repair shops has reduced the number of independent automotive businesses in AZ, creating a challenge for ASA-AZ to maintain operations. Another concern Rubio has noticed on both sides of the industry is “the lack of qualified young technicians. The current workforce is getting older, and there are not enough upcoming technicians in the field to replace those who will be retiring. We have not yet addressed this issue, but we have begun to discuss it as an association.” As an affiliate of the national association, ASA-AZ offers both ASANational and state only benefits to their members, including partnering

with various vendors, or associate members, to provide the utmost customer service to members. “We encourage our associate members to attend the local chapter meetings and build relationships with the local shop owners, managers and technicians,” Rubio says. “It’s a business of relationships, and the sales will come when the need arises. We have a strong support network of vendors in this industry that offer great products and services, and we want to make sure that they too are educated and understand the industry.” Through training, representation and member benefits, ASA-AZ continually seeks ways to improve their communication and outreach to member shops, but Rubio encourages “nonmember shops to join us and learn what ASA is about. We are a network of like-minded independent owners who are looking for ways to provide outstanding customer service to the motoring public.”

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their stance on several current matters: “Though the Right to Repair no longer seems to be in the forefront for mechanical repairers, we continue to work with NASTF to ensure that information for repairing vehicles is available. [Concerning PartsTrader and other insurer-mandated parts procurement systems], ASA-AZ believes that the insurance companies should stay in the business of insurance and leave all aspects of the repair process to collision repair professionals.” In addition to providing legislative representation, ASA-AZ members receive discounts from various industry vendors, and the association also provides members with opportunities to interact with their peers in both educational and purely social situations. Some of the association’s current goals include providing ongoing activities for their membership to network and encourage all chapters to conduct monthly activities. Rubio says, “what would an association be without any fun? Our annual convention – Sunrise – offers everything: education, resources and lots of fun. Next year’s event is already on the calendar for June 19-21 at the Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino. We are

looking to bring in a great line-up of speakers; there will be lots of learning, but also time for fun!” At the State Office, Rubio collaborates with ASA-AZ’s Board of Directors to coordinate the technical, collision and management training that the association offers to their

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ASA-AZ PO Box 81517 Phoenix, AZ 85069 602-544-2600 www.asaaz.org

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Northwest Associations

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

with Ed Attanasio

MCRS Lobbyist Represents Collision Repairers in Big Sky Country

Drew Geiger, 44, is the chief lobbyist for Communication and Management Services in Helena, MT. He’s been a lobbyist for more than two decades and began working for the Montana Collision Repair Specialists (MCRS) seven years ago, representing the organization in the Capitol and acting as a watch dog as he steadfastly keeps an eye on proposed bills for its membership. Geiger’s connection to the collision industry goes all the way back to his high school years, he explained. “The body shop guys in high school kept my $500 car on the road, so I’ve been indebted to this industry ever since then.” Geiger respects the collision repairers he works with at the MCRS, he explained. “The board at MCRS is a very mature group consisting of very successful body shop owners. You could take this board and give them another business and within six months, they’d

be running it successfully. They’re sharp business people who started out working on cars, but then they took it to the next level by understanding how to run a successful business. It’s been a good relationship, because they seem to like my counsel and we’ve been able to achieve some good things over the years. We’ve gotten some bills passed that have helped the collision indusDrew Geiger is the try significantly in chief lobbyist for Montana and so it’s Communication and worked very well.” Management ServGeiger has been ices in Helena, MT. He’s been a lobbyist stressing from day for more than two one that body shops decades and began are good employers working for the and important conMontana Collision tributors to the Repair Specialists economy in Mon(MCRS) seven years ago tana. “Back when I

2015 F-150 Repair Parts Will Be Sold To All Body Shops Ford Motor Co. says it will sell body repair parts for the 2015 F-150 to all body shops, even ones that have not been certified to fix the aluminumbodied pickup. Ford will package each replacement part with the instruction sheet from the factory repair manual that dealers use, Paul Massie, Ford’s powertrain and collision product marketing manager, said at NACE. The instructions will spell out such things as how to apply the structural adhesive and which type of rivets to use to affix a repair part to the vehicle. The aluminum F-150 requires special tools, facilities, technician training and repair procedures, and some Ford dealerships’ body shops are not making the investment to repair the pickups. Massie said less than half of Ford’s 3,000 or so dealerships have body shops, but that is not expected to affect F-150 customers who need accident repairs. He said Ford is working to ensure that getting the 2015 pickup’s body repaired will be no different for customers from getting mechanical work done. “The independent body shop training is the same for Ford and Lincoln dealer body shops,” Massie said. He spoke to independent repair shop owners and Ford dealers here at the collision repair and service convention, NACE|CARS 2014 Expo &

Conference, hosted by the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair, or I-Car, and the Automotive Service Association. Massie said fixing the aluminum truck is not more difficult than repairing a steel-bodied vehicle. Many of the tools and repair procedures are identical. “Eighty percent of the repairs are exactly what you do today,” Massie said. “With bumpers, fenders, grilles and things you hang on the vehicle, there’s no change.” What adds cost and complexity is that dealers and body shops working on the 2015 F-150 must maintain near hospital operating room-like cleanliness and prevent steel and aluminum particles from mixing, which can cause galvanic corrosion and other problems.To do that, a body shop needs another set of tools to be used only on aluminum vehicles, an air filtration or vacuum system to prevent dust from spreading and a dedicated and segregated repair bay. The tools alone cost about $34,000, according to Ford. Massie said in some accidents, a 2015 F-150 might be easier to repair than a steel-bodied truck. Replacement panels will be available for the floor and rocker panels, and B-pillar repairs can be made without removing the roof. Massie said: “That will save both time and cost.”

38 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

started with MCRS, I did some research and found out that body shops in Montana pay 30% above the state average in wages and give the majority of their employees health care,” Geiger said “So, we’ve really tried to communicate to the legislature and the public about the industry in general. A proposed bill might be opposed by the insurance industry or have proponents, but we want to show that we have a broad public interest when we walk into the state Capitol to start talking about legislation, and we’ve been successful at doing that. “We also stress the level of professionalism in this industry,” he said. “When a customer’s car is in the shop, the insurance company obviously plays a role, but ultimately, the body shop professionals are the ones that are saying, not only are we going to get you your car looking fine, but it’s going to be performing the same way it did when it was towed in here. There’s a huge public

safety component here as well, and we stress that. The point is that body shops are main street businesses and my clients are fixing their neighbors’ cars. We have more deer than people here in Montana and almost all of our legislators have been in a deerrelated accident, so our body shops have helped them more than once, in some cases. We stress all of this, because we want to illustrate that we’re a useful industry that helps the public and that’s what legislators respond to.” There have been some big wins for the MCRS and Geiger since he began in 2007, he said. “The most significant bill we’ve encountered during the seven years I’ve been in this position was HB 265, sponsored by Representative Gordon Vance, which prohibits the insurer from disregarding cost items identified by an estimating system. In some states, this same bill is 500 pages long, but here in Montana

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it’s basically one sentence: ‘An insurer may not unilaterally disregard a repair operation or cost identified by an estimating system that the insurer and the auto body repair business have agreed to utilize.’ It doesn’t get easier than that, does it? We had some major push back from the insurance side on this bill. In the end, it’s a David vs. Goliath situation here. You have a larger industry being told by a smaller industry that we need to sit down and negotiate and you can’t tell us what to do, essentially. It took a couple sessions, but the legislature ultimately said that it shouldn’t be a problem for us to sit down with the insurance companies and work it out. It impacts the body shop, but if you’re a customer and it’s your car being repaired, you want your car back in that same condition. But, if procedures are denied by the insurance company, how can you be sure what’s being done and what isn’t being done? So it’s absolutely a consumer protection issue and that’s why it passed in 2011.” Geiger is also concerned with steering practices in Montana, he said. “Steering is absolutely a problem here

in Montana and an ongoing issue. If the insurance companies could take it off the books, they would do it absolutely. So, we have to be vigilant when it comes to steering. Our Insurance Commissioner Monica Lindeen is absolutely open to working with us and she’s had an open door policy since day one. She’s pro-consumer and has been good for the collision industry in Montana. She knows many of our board members by name and we hold regular informal meetings in her office all the time. My office is two blocks away and I see her at the grocery store, which is definitely an advantage of working in a smaller state like Montana.” One of Geiger’s jobs is going through each and every bill with a fine tooth comb. “Our legislature meets every other year for four months and there are roughly 2,000 bills that get thrown out there,” he said. “So, I have to read through all of them, to make sure they don’t contain anything that can negatively impact the collision industry in Montana. My MCRS members don’t have time to read 2,000 bills every year and that’s one of the main things that we provide.

Knowing how to act while working with the legislators in Montana is important, Geiger said. “With 2,000 bills in play, you want to have a presence but you don’t want to be pushy. You want to maintain a fine balance between being around and being engaged, but you also want to be respectful of the fact that these legislators have to study, decide and vote on 2,000 bills. You have to learn the process and the protocol if you want to get things done. You don’t want to go in there and make demands and stomp your feet. You have to be professional and pragmatic with your presentation if you even want to be considered. The people I work with at MCRS get it and understand that and I think that’s why we’ve had so much success.”

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AASPI Holds Successful Golf Outing in Mt. Prospect, IL

On Thursday, August 7, the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Illinois (AASPI) held their annual golf outing at the Old Orchard Country Club in Mt. Prospect, IL. Nearly 140 golfers attended the event, representing various collision repair facilities and industry vendors around the state, showing their support for AASPI. Proceeds from the event will aid the association in its legislative advocacy activities and general operations. Executive Director of AASPI Michael Lane recalls, “twenty-six industry suppliers showed their community spirit by sponsoring everything from coffee & donuts for early morning arrivals to all sorts of prizes and refreshments throughout the day. Golf Chairman Jim Kuhlmey of Elite Auto Body in Chicago once again did an outstanding job in coordinating this event. Jim announced that it was time for him to retire as Chairman. AASPI Board of Directors gave Jim a gift for his 18+ years of service as the Chairman of the AASPI golf outing.”

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OEConnection Ships Updated CollisionLink Application OEConnection LLC has launched a new version of the CollisionLink Shop application. The new CollisionLink Shop provides access to OEM-quality part illustrations through catalog integration, ensuring all the correct parts needed for repair are ordered. Shops will also have a new and improved workflow and Web-based user interface, which helps streamline the parts ordering process and keep shops organized. “We spent a great deal of time with collision shops and dealers learning about and understanding the process of buying and selling parts, and that has helped us identify new value-added features that are a part of our next-generation CollisionLink Shop application,” said Bill Lopez, director of collision and OEM program management for OEConnection. “Our primary focus is to make sure we continue to provide a parts procurement solution that is easy to use while meeting the needs of our users, both body shops and automotive franchise dealers. Features we’ve included in new CollisionLink Shop focus on making body shops more productive and efficient when it comes to ordering parts.” In addition, the new CollisionLink Shop will feature the ability to locate, source and purchase recycled parts by providing an integrated workflow with Car-Part Pro.

“Car-Part is seen as a market leader in recycled parts locating and sourcing,” said Lopez. “We feel by enhancing CollisionLink to include recycled parts as part of our workflow and feature set, we are delivering a solution that builds upon the value it already delivers to current body shop users of CollisionLink.” The CollisionLink Shop allmakes, all-models parts ordering and fulfillment solution is currently used by thousands of collision shops across North America on a daily basis to source, price and purchase OE collision parts from automotive dealerships. Sixteen automakers in the U.S. and Canada utilize CollisionLink to administer their parts marketing programs, enabling dealers to more effectively compete with non-OEM parts suppliers for the sale of OE parts. Through CollisionLink, collision repair facilities are able to more effectively manage repair costs while improving repair quality, cycle time and customer satisfaction. CollisionLink Shop is offered to collision repair facilities at no cost. OEConnection will begin upgrading current shops to the new version of CollisionLink Shop this fall. Collision shops can sign up to receive more information and get access to the new CollisionLink Shop earlier in the rollout at http://marketing.oeconnection.com/clshopcomingsoon.

CCC Releases CCC ONE® Indicators 2.0

There’s no shortage of performance metrics an auto body repair shop can track, but quickly honing in on leading indicators can take some effort. CCC has made performance management simple through its redesigned CCC ONE® Indicators 2.0. CCC ONE Indicators 2.0 includes a visually intuitive dashboard that places leading KPIs (key performance indicators) such as cycle time and customer satisfaction metrics up front so users can easily get to the information they need. The dashboard is also organized to make it easier for auto body shops to view activity across multiple locations,

measure the performance of an individual shop, or view their performance within a DRP program. “As DRP relationships continue to evolve and expand, it becomes critically important for repairers to have tools that help them self-manage their performance against the metrics agreed to with their insurance company partners,” said Susanna Gotsch, Director, CCC Information Services Inc. “The enhancements to the CCC ONE Indicators dashboard offer visual representations of key metrics within a single view and allow for easy access to detailed support data on the performance trends that matter most.”

NHTSA Releases Early Estimate of Q1 Traffic Fatalities

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently released a statistical projection of traffic fatalities for the first three months of 2014. According to the report, the number of fatalities is down slightly from the first quarter of 2013, as well as the amount of vehicle miles traveled (VMT). From January to

March, VMT decreased by approximately 4.2 billion miles compared to 2013. The majority of the data for NHTSA’s analysis came from its Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). FARS records all crashes that involve a motor vehicle traveling on a traffic way that result in the deaths of one or more persons.

40 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Seven Charged with Utah Automotive Glass Repair Fraud The Utah Insurance Department’s Fraud Division has charged the owners of Pleasant Grove-based Quick Fix Auto Glass and T&R Auto Services, as well as several employees, with various forms of fraud. Tyson Brown, owner of Quick Fix Auto Glass LLC, was charged with racketeering and insurance fraud. He was also charged with eight counts of identity fraud. Four of Brown’s sales employees were also charged with identity fraud and falsification of insurance claims. The case is pending. Tyson Weber, owner of T&R Auto Services, has pled guilty to third-degree felony insurance fraud and three counts of thirddegree felony identity fraud. “Brown and Weber, along with their sales employees solicited rock chip repairs by going door-to-door and using other means of contacting owners of vehicles in need of rock chip windshield repairs,” according a statement by the Utah Insurance Department. “They advised vehicle owners that they would take care of the claim with their auto insurance company without cost to the vehicle owner. “After obtaining the auto owners’ insurance information and other personal information, Brown, Weber

and their employees contacted the insurance companies by impersonating the policyholders in order to obtain payment for the windshield repairs,” the statement continued. “In cases where multiple rock chips were repaired, the agents kept the insured’s information and filed follow up claims without the insureds knowledge, days, weeks or months later.” The defendants allegedly filed more than 1,600 glass repair claims with Farmers, Allstate and Progressive. The insurance companies paid Quick Fix Auto Glass and T&R Auto Services $102,000.

Transtar Technologies Has New Website Renovation

Transtar Autobody Technologies has announced the launch of a new website: www.tat-co.com. The company says that the website includes the same information, but it is presented in a way that makes it easier for visitors to locate. Transtar says the highest priority has been placed on information such as material safety data sheets and technical data sheets so they are easy to find. A robust support and training section has been updated to ensure customers are receiving the attention they need.

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AudaExplore Study Finds Major Gap in Trust and Customer Satisfaction in Collision Repair Experience

AudaExplore™ has released a study showing a major gap in trust and customer satisfaction in repair shops and insurance carriers. The study found that collision repair technicians are less trusted than many other professions and that almost half (48 percent) of consumers surveyed believe that repair shops sometimes, rarely or never provide great customer service. Insurance companies didn’t fare much better, with only 22 percent of respondents saying carriers decreased their stress level after a car accident. There is a clear consensus that repair shops and insurance carriers must improve in the areas of communications, trust and price. “With increased competition, employee turnover, evolving vehicles, digitally empowered consumers and endless streams of data, the relationship between customers and companies has changed dramatically,” explains Adam Vasquez, VP Marketing, AudaExplore. “We are living in the Era of Disruption, and providing a great customer experience is more important than ever. In this new era, it’s not just about the number of shops or the size of your network; it’s about building trust with constant communication and

transparency throughout the repair process.”

Communications When it comes to delivering a great customer experience, communication is the driving force. According to the survey, respondents find timely electronic updates valuable, with more than one in three wishing they received these more often. In fact: ● 74 percent say they would like to better understand the work their repair shop is doing. ● 62 percent say that it would be very or somewhat valuable to receive timely electronic status updates, such as email alerts, text messages, or social media notifications during the repair process. ● Being kept informed on progress of repairs ranked highest (4.2 on a scale of 1-5) among a list of eight customer desires.

Trust Out of five professions (teacher, doctor, law enforcement, automotive collision repair technician and lawyer) collision repair technicians rank second to last on the trust scale. Twentyeight percent of those polled reported trusting collision repair technicians the

least. In addition: ● Only half of those surveyed believe that repair shops always or often provide the most qualified technicians. ● Less than half (49 percent) believe technicians always or often perform only repairs that are necessary.

Cost Overall, respondents would like more accurate estimates and better premiums, and they don’t believe insurance providers are doing a satisfactory job in this area. ● Only 34 percent of those surveyed believe a fair price is charged always or often. ● Almost half (46 percent) of respondents say that repair shops sometimes, rarely or never deliver a final price that matches the original estimate. ● For insurance carriers, more than one-third (34 percent) of those surveyed say they would like more accurate collision repair estimates. “The research shows that there is a gap today with customer expectations that is having a negative impact on insurance carrier and repair shop business,” continued Vasquez. “By leveraging advanced data and technology to manage customer expectations, insurance carriers and repairers can keep customers informed, making re-

pairers more trusted and helping to better manage the difficult price conversation.” This study sheds light on some of the present issues in the collision repair industry, unveiling that ultimately, communications is the driving force behind customer satisfaction. By solving these challenges, customers will not only be more informed and trusting, but companies will position themselves to be successful in a competitive marketplace. For more details about the study, please visit www.collisionrepairinsights.com.

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Motor City Masters on truTV® Combines Design, Imagination and Innovation by Ed Attanasio

Motor City Masters (Tuesday nights, 10 p.m. PST on truTV) pits 10 megatalented designers from different parts of the automotive industry against each other week after week in the am-

Motor City Masters, hosted by Brooke Burns (far right) features some of the world’s top car designers as they compete for $100,000 and a new 2014 Camaro Z28

bitious task of creating new, fullyfunctional concept cars based around a different theme during each episode. One by one, designers who fumble their role during each weekly build will be sent home by the judges until

one lone Motor City Master will remain. The winner gets $100,000, a new 2014 Camaro Z28 and becomes a Chevy ambassador for the carmaker. Hosted by Brooke Burns, Motor City Masters features an impressive panel of industry expert judges, including Jean Jennings and Harald Belker and joined by celebrity guest judges including actress Melissa Joan Hart, actor Jesse Metcalfe, Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz, baseball great David Justice and former NASCAR driver Robby Gordon. Celebrity automotive fabricator, painter and designer Rich Evans is the owner of Huntington Bodyworks and a veteran of reality television. Evans was initially hired by Bunim/Murray to be an automotive producer for the series. His main role was to recruit build techs for the show, in order to work with the 10 featured car designers as they compete in two teams to create a pair of concept vehicles per episode. The one

Early reviews for Motor City Masters have been uneven

This is what Neil Genzlinger, TV critic for NY Times.com wrote about the show: Last week TruTV unveiled Motor City Masters, which tells two lies right off the bat. First, it’s not so much a reality show as an extended commercial for Chevrolet, and second, it takes place mostly in Los Angeles, though Detroit presumably could have used. Chevrolet and the rest of General Motors have, of course, been struggling with an image problem lately, and in the series premiere last week, when the contestants were offered a choice of redesigning one of three Chevys— a Malibu, a Cruze or an Equinox— you half-expected the cars to be whisked away by the recall police before the contest could even begin. Anyway, the show features the usual forced collaborations and simmering tensions as personalities emerge and clash. It’s also, let’s face it, primarily of interest to people who subscribe to car magazines, because few others will be transfixed by discussions about rocker panels or mirror size. In the end, there are only so many things you can do with four wheels with a box for passengers, and over the past century or so, most of them have already been done. David Hinckley, TV critic at the New York Daily News wrote: Call it “Project Runway” for gearheads.

At the start of “Motor City Masters,” a competition reality show in which contestants design cars, you kind of wish one of their tasks might be restoring some sense of style to the design of everyday automobiles. Turns out that’s a little too much to ask in an age when ordinary cars are mostly designed for safety and fuel efficiency, which actually aren’t bad goals. Instead, “Motor City” has its 10 contestants design more exotic specialty machines, like a movie car, a NASCAR entry or something to showcase Hot Wheels. That said, it’s a surprisingly instructive show, walking us civilians through the process of designing a car and reminding us function often has to trump form. In standard reality fashion, contestants are divided into two teams and given a ridiculously short amount of time to complete a formidable task. Still, we learn some basics, like the difference between customizing a single car and creating concepts for a line of cars. We also realize how much an item like the wheels, which we often assess for their own look, depend on other parts of the car. At the very least, it’s fun to watch car fanatics play with their own life-size toys.

42 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

designer judged as the very the best on each project gets immunity for the next build and acts as one of the team’s captains during the next episode. The designer finishing second acts as the captain of the other team during the next build and of course, the one designer judged as the weakest is elimi-

Rich Evans (kneeling) hand selected all of the build-techs for Motor City Masters, as well as designing the garage and coordinating many aspects of each build

nated from Motor City Masters and sent home with nothing more than memories. As Evans got more and more involved in the show, he realized that being an off-screen producer wasn’t going to cut it, he explained. “I could

not just sit there on the sideline without getting hands-on during these builds,” Evans said. “I jumped in and helped both teams during the builds, to make it fair, because obviously it’s a competition and there’s a lot on the line. So as a result, I am also a lead auto tech on the show. With a large crew this is an incredible undertaking and I’m happy to be involved in the series.” Evans set up the show’s garage where the auto-designers compete, coordinated the build-techs’ work schedules and oversaw every build, as he played an integral role as the show’s automotive producer. He also enjoyed the competition and was happy to be working with the best-of-the-best. “It was fun to watch the build techs interacting with the auto-designers and helping them on these builds,” Evans explained. “We have some of the best build techs from across the country on the show and I know, because I recruited them. This show really tests the limits of these designers’ expertise and creativity and that’s why people will want to watch it.” See Motor City Masters, Page 44

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Judge Denies Ford’s Motion to Dismiss ABPA Lawsuit Recent recommendation by U.S. Magistrate Judge Mazzant affirms the Automotive Body Parts Association’s standing to bring suit seeking to overturn Ford design patents. U.S. Magistrate Judge Amos Mazzant issued an opinion that a motion to dismiss by Ford in the case, Automotive Body Parts Association, v. Ford Global Technologies, LLC., should be denied. In its motion to dismiss, filed in February, Ford sought to have the case dismissed arguing the ABPA did not have standing to “… assert a claim for declaratory relief on Ford’s design patents.” On November 25, 2013, the ABPA filed the lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas against Ford Global Technologies, LLC seeking to have design patents for body parts ruled invalid. Ford Global Technologies is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company that manages intellectual property and technology commercialization for Ford Motor Company. The complaint seeks to have the court declare Ford Global Technologies’ design patents invalid and permanently enjoin the company from enforcing automotive body repair parts patents against ABPA members. In the motion to dismiss, Ford cited that no company members of

ABPA joined the suit, and that the suit was actually counter to the interests of LKQ Corporation, an ABPA member, and since 2009, “…exclusive licensee of Ford design patents, including the six design patent in suit for the automotive aftermarket.” Comment on the issue in his Report and Recommendation denying the motion, Judge Mazzant states, “The ABPA has met this low threshold to show that the interests it represents are germane to the purposes of the ABPA organization. For example, if the named patents are rendered invalid and/or unenforceable, then all ABPA members can sell these parts without obtaining a license from Ford to do so. This is certainly relevant to the ABPA’s objectives to promote fair and honorable trade practices between the membership and its customers and to discourage unfair competition and violation of business customs and usages of the trade.” The Judge continued, “The Court finds that under both views, the ABPA has established that the alleged conflict in this case should not defeat associational standing. Ford asserts that the interests of the ABPA in this litigation are at odds with the interests of its member LKQ, the exclusive licensee of the six design patents at issue in this litigation.

Under the first view, this conflict of interest would not defeat standing, and could instead be resolved by the ABPA’s internal procedures for removal of a member for conduct that “is detrimental to the interests and purposes of the Corporation.” Mazzant continued, “Further, LKQ has an interest in the patents as the exclusive licensee and could intervene to advance its interests against the association’s position on the merits, if necessary.” Mazzant noted that the ABPA argued that the litigation is not directly adverse to LKQ’s interest because if the litigation is successful, LKQ may continue to sell the products and will no longer have to pay licensing fees to Ford for the use of the patents. The ABPA further notes that LKQ’s benefit of selling these products exclusively is to the detriment of the other members of the ABPA. The ABPA contends that this litigation was properly authorized in accordance with its procedures Parties to the suit have days after service of the magistrate judge’s report, to file specific written objections to the findings and recommendations of the magistrate judge. The APBA lawsuit is the latest in series of litigation stretching back to the mid-2000s. In December 2005, a suit

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was filed by Ford with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) claiming that certain aftermarket parts violate patents held by the automaker. Keystone Automotive Industries, Inc., now part of LKQ Corporation, was identified as a respondent in that action. Ford’s patents were upheld and in April 2009, Ford reached an agreement with LKQ Corporation to settle litigation filed by Ford over collision parts. As part of that agreement LKQ agreed not to challenge the validity of Ford’s design patents and, in exchange, LKQ would become the only distributor of non-OEM collision parts covered by Ford patents. In early July, LKQ Corporation announced it has entered into a Patent License Agreement with Chrysler Group LLC that grants LKQ a license under certain Chrysler design patents in connection with LKQ’s distribution and sale of aftermarket collision parts in the United States. As part of the agreement, Chrysler will dismiss the complaint it filed in January 2014 against LKQ alleging that the distribution of certain aftermarket parts by LKQ infringed Chrysler’s design patents relating to its Dodge Ram pickup truck. Further details about the agreement and its terms and conditions are confidential.

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www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS 43

Master Painter JoAnn Bortles Gets Dose of Reality on Motor City Masters by Ed Attanasio

Renowned automotive and motorcycle painter JoAnn Bortles was eliminated at the conclusion of episode #3 on Motor City Masters (Tuesday nights, 10 p.m. PST on truTV) a re-

ality series that pits 10 mega-talented designers from different parts of the automotive industry against each other week after week in the ambitious task of creating concept cars based around a different theme. One by one, designers who fumble their role during each weekly build will be sent home by the judges until one lone Motor City Master will remain. The winner gets $100,000, a new 2014 Camaro Z28 and becomes a Chevy ambassador for the carmaker. Bortles is a 33-year veteran painter, the owner of Crazy Horse Custom Paint in Waxhaw NC and an Continued from Page 42

Motor City Masters

In each episode, the contestants will split into two teams of five to take on the ambitious task of creating new, fully functional (though not street legal) concept cars based on a theme that will showcase each competitor’s unique personality.

Motor City Masters can be seen on Tuesday nights, 10 p.m. PST on truTV

They have just three days to create each vehicle, while most shops doing the same work normally need 4-6 months. The contestants range in age from 20 to 54; consisting of eight men and two women from states such as New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina,

author of seven books about automotive painting and airbrushing techniques. Known as a leader in custom hot rod and motorcycle paint, Crazy Horse Painting has been producing show winning and road worthy paint jobs for 33 years. Known as the “Queen of Flame”, Bortles has won numerous awards for her work including some of the top custom painting awards in the country. In 1998, 2005, and 2012 her work won Best Motorcycle Paint of the Year and in 2006 she won PPG’s Top Five Most Outstanding Paint Award. Bortle’s paint work has been featured in Street Rodder, Hot Rod Milestones, Hot Rod, and other automotive publications. Her paintwork has appeared in nearly every bike magazine and on the covers of many magazines, including American Iron, Easyriders, VTwin, Biker, In the Wind, Auto Graphics. Her custom chopper was featured on the cover of Easyriders in Sept 2004, making her the first woman to have her own personal bike appearing on the cover. ABN interviewed Bortles the morning after the world discovered

Georgia, Michigan and California. Notable auto-designers competing on Motor City Masters include Camilo Pardo, 51, a former chief designer at Ford (2004-2006) where he was responsible for designing the SVT Mustang, the Ford Focus and the Ford GT. JoAnn Bortles, 54, was the country’s first female custom painter to open her own shop and is the author of six books about painting techniques. And Kevin Chun, 33, won the coveted Calty Design Scion Project and is considered one of the hottest new designers in the world. It was a huge project being involved in Motor City Masters, but Evans is proud of what the cast and crew achieved. “We took 18 cars from initial drawings all the way to completion in just 4.5 weeks, so if that’s not a Guinness World Record, I’d be surprised,” Evans said. “The finished products are stunning and you will be amazed by some of these concept cars. By using the latest technology available and having the finest equipment and tools in the industry to use, Motor City Masters is going to get a lot of attention, which it deserves.”

44 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

that JoAnn had been eliminated during episode #3 of Motor City Masters. She sounded a little down, but appreciative of the fact that she was asked to be on the reality series. “Yes, it was frustrating, but a lot of good things have come from it,”

JoAnn Bortles is an award-winning custom painter, airbrush artist, car builder, journalist, and book author with over 30 years of experience in the automotive industry

Bortles said. “My approach to my work is by always focusing on the future, so I’m not going to dwell on what happened on Motor City Masters. I’ve been getting a steady stream of new followers on Facebook and people have been really great. One of the main themes of the show stressed my leadership skills and my positive approach to everything I do. I thought I made some solid decisions about the design elements, especially on the truck we designed in episode #3. As soon as we were doing trucks, I wanted to do suicide doors; I wanted to give our team’s truck a step side look, so we did the suicide doors immediately and everyone took my concepts and ran with them. After that, it was all about keeping my team going to make sure they had what they needed so that we could build a nice vehicle. But in the end, you’re depending on three other people you don’t know and you can’t do it all by yourself.” What was her overall impression of Motor City Masters in general? “I love reality television personally and I

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selves to the limit, both mentally and great thing in my career. You physically. We had very little sleep always have to keep your feet during each build, so we were always on the ground so that you can a little on edge and cranky. I pushed be prepared for what’s comthe people in my team as much as I ing around the corner.” could, but one guy walked out of the You can meet JoAnn Borpaint booth after making one little tles at SEMA this year at Hysuggestion, so it was the battle of egos pertherm’s booth and also pretty much. If I had fought more, I some of her work will be on think I would have had a mutiny. display at the PPG booth. When I paint a car or a motorcycle at This is her 10th anniversary my shop, it’s pretty much me and my Judge Jenn Jennings (left) discussed her team with Bortles of attending SEMA shows, during episode #3 of Motor City Masters people, so I’m not used to the type of she said. “SEMA is all about drama I encountered on Motor City the networking and I have and they chose me, so it means a lot.” made some amazing contacts there Masters.” Bortles was energized by the ex- over the years, so I am anxious to It was a short run, but a great one for Bortles on the perience on the reality series and is make new friendships while re-conseries, she explained. “This now looking for more exciting proj- necting with old friends at SEMA this was the opportunity of a life- ects. “I look back at all the work I’ve year.” time, so when they asked me done and I think—wow I did this?” to be on the show, I jumped she said. “It’s a great feeling. I feel the same way for about Motor City Masters. on it. My attitudeRegister is always goYour Email Our for it. I don’t see how it can’t Camilo Pardo, a car designer on the help my business, because show, said something and I totally now I’ve been seen by a agree with it—‘Shut up and let your Be Seen by Our Readers! whole new audience. It’s a re- work speak for itself’ and that’s what CALL Advertising Sales at: sume builder and that’s im- I do. I let my body of work speak for Bortles made her case about the truck her team designed portant, because all of it itself and if people can see that I am on episode #3, without success, as she was voted off at fortheir Ourvision, then that’s ableEmail to share works together to Register support and Your the conclusion of this episode of Motor City Masters advertising@ @autobodynews.com com strengthen the brand—my the right customer for me. I try to stay we had build techs to help us. It was brand. Literally thousands of people humble because once I start thinking www.autobodynews.co www.autobodynews.com om that I’m all that, I might miss the next exhausting and we were pushing ourapplied to be on Motor City Masters always watch Project Runway and Best Ink,” she said. “This show is different in that you break into teams. The team dynamic is a tough one, because you have a lot of very different people from different backgrounds and you have to put them together and hope they’ll work well together in a stressful situation. So, it was 100 times tougher than I thought I would. It got pretty intense out there in the design studio and some people walked out and there was a lot of arguing. On top of it, we had to do much of the physical work ourselves, even though

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Continued from Cover

Assured Performance

case—it’s essential to be on the playing field in the future.” Assured Performance has positioned itself right in the middle of this obvious game change. They are a legal co-op, a non-profit consumer advocacy organization and management company. Combined, they operate as a third-party administrator for body shop certifications and marketing programs for Ford, Nissan, Chrysler, Enterprise, GM and others. They also provide consumer awareness to thousands of media outlets and manage various vendor rebate programs. Uniquely, Assured Performance has the distinction of Scott Biggs, administering more President and than $13.5 million Owner of Assured Performance Netdollars of supplier work in Irvine, CA rebate rewards to their members since 2004 which helps shops reinvest in their business. “We’re helping all of the shops to keep pace with a rapidly changing marketplace. We welcome those that want to be a part of the future; our best estimate is that, to-date, only about 1 in 10 shops have already begun this journey,” Biggs said. “Our industry needs to urgently embrace this challenge to meet the repair needs of today‘s vehicles. The company has already enrolled nearly 1,600 shops in their joint-effort OE Certification program and is well on their way to their objective of 2,000 shops by year-end 2014 and 3,000 by year-end 2015. Ford, Nissan, Chrysler and others now have similar coverage by leveraging the Assured Performance platform. Regardless of where a consumer lives or travels, they will have a Certified Collision Repair Provider choice, according to Biggs. To handle the anticipated further growth of its third-party certification program, Assured Performance has added several industry veterans to its team. A significant recent addition for Assured Performance is Ronald Doerr, the company’s new Senior V.P. of Strategic Initiatives. Through 30-plus years working for GM on the OEM parts side, he brings a broad industry perspective and is respected across multiple market segments.

“I’ve known Scott Biggs and witnessed the evolution of his company over many years,” Clark said. “Scott has asked me to help the company in getting all of the pieces together as we move forward in the certification aspect of the business. As a former member of the OEM Roundtable, I’ve seen first-hand how these programs have grown and changed. Multiple carmakers building multiple vehicle models that require multiple shop repair capabilities have created a confusing and unmanageable environment for most shops. “Cars have become so much more complex that certification is going to be more and more integral to the day-today operations of a body shop, regardless of where they are or what their business model is,” Doerr explained. “Assured Performance has interpreted and simplified the many moving parts, leveraging their commonalities instead of the exceptions. Assured Performance’s program has struck a chord with the OE’s and the industry because they all see a definite need. Shops can get the certification they need and in return, the OE’s are stepping up with things like referral programs.” To ensure that the company has first-hand shop knowledge and experience, Assured Performance has five former shop owners and MSO managers onboard. Aaron Clark is one such former body shop owner. He is now Assured Performance’s V.P. of Certification and Network Development. Clark sold his seven shops at the end of 2012, anticipating retirement, but started working for Assured Performance a few months later. He‘s happy and excited to be with a growing company during an ideal time in the collision industry’s history, he said. “The certification arm of this company is gaining more and more momentum every day because getting onboard with this program has quickly gone from an option to a necessity for body shops.” Clark said, “I was prepared to step away from the business after sellRonald Doerr is ing my shops, but Assured Network’s new Senior V.P. of when this opportuStrategic Initiatives nity was presented, I could not resist. We have a chance to reinvent this industry in a positive way and work to create something that never existed before.”

46 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

At NACE, Ford representatives discussed the details of repairing the 2015 F150 and their National Body Shop Network program and Clark elaborated on it. “As the maker of the number one selling vehicle representing nearly 700,000 sales per year, it was no wonder that all of their presentations had standing room only over three days,” Clark said. “The highpoint of the presentation was how shops would be rewarded with official Ford certification—recognition for making the investment to become retooled, re-trained and re-equipped. Further, shops that can make the grade will ultimately receive referrals from not only Ford, but Nissan, Chrysler and others through their aggressive OEM consumerfacing awareness and marketing efforts.” Chrysler, Nissan, and Ford are Aaron Clark is the the first ones to ancompany’s new nounce a referral V.P. of Certification and Network program and others Development. will be unveiling their programs right after the first of the year. Clark sees the referral aspect of

these certifications as a real shot in the arm for the collision industry as a whole. “These are 100% OE-driven customer referral programs that didn’t exist before, so it’s huge,” he said. “There is no question here—you will have to fix these new vehicles differently and therefore shops are going to have to invest in the training, tools and equipment. If you’re going to have to do all those things regardless, why wouldn’t you want to be recognized for it and receive referrals for doing it?” The standard certification-recognition requirements used by Ford, Chrysler, Nissan, etc. are those developed by Assured Performance in cooperation with many OEM’s. Assured Performance supports the open competition approach to procure the tools and equipment required. This key aspect is illustrated well in Ford’s aluminum repair requirements for the new F150. To be Ford certified-recognized through 2015, the shop must become “aluminum capable” including having separate aluminum repair tools, a separate area (curtains or walls) for aluminum work, and specific repair training and welding certification provided by ICAR. While Ford has these requireSee Assured Performance, Page 46

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SCRS Announces Repairer-Driven Education at SEMA The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) launched their first iteration of the Repairer Driven Education series at the SEMA Show in 2010, and with annual adjustments to the format and content it has become one of the most comprehensive programs of collision repair education being offered to the industry. This year, one of the most noticeable new developments to the SCRS program is the launch of the very first issue-specific, collision repair industry forum that will be featured on Wednesday, November 5th, and titled as the OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit. “There is really no topic more captivating of everyone’s attention right now than the rapidly changing landscape of automobile technology, and how it is driving adaptation in the collision repair marketplace,” shared SCRS Chairman Ron Reichen. “It is a topic that has broad-reaching impact on everyone in the industry and it was important to both SCRS and SEMA to develop a forum that would address the significant interest from all who are making the investment to join the industry in Las Vegas this fall.” “We are really excited about how this program has come together, and the unique nature of the participants, “added SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg. “We have speakers coming in from all over

the world, and participation from a wide variety of well-respected automakers such as Ford, GM, Toyota, Tesla, BMW, Audi and Mercedes - but we will be hearing from representatives that we often don’t have a chance to interface with.” The panelists represent companies with rich histories of producing sophisticated structural designs and technological advancements, and will be bringing technical insight into the design, architecture and development of their vehicles, and how advancements in those areas intersect with the repair process. The discussion will fittingly be moderated by Jason Bartanen, Director of Industry Technical Relations for I-CAR, and one of the lead representatives from the training organization involved in their work as an “OEM linking pin.” The program will also include separate panel discussions with representatives from certified repair facilities, equipment suppliers, certifiers/auditors and special presentations from the aluminum and steel industries. “SCRS really crafted a completely unique networking and learning forum with this event, and we are convinced it will put repairers in an interactive environment with subject matter experts that simply can’t be found in any other event,” added Peter MacGillivray, Vice President, Events and

Communications for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA). “As a show organizer, we are keenly focused on how to enrich the attendee experience, and this partnership with SCRS continues to deliver toward that objective.” “Every participant in this industry can benefit from better insight into how vehicles and materials are evolving, what that means in the repair process and what will be expected of those who are performing these repairs,” added Schulenburg. “The future of our collision repair industry is highly skilled professionals, working on highly sophisticated automobiles that require the industry to embrace the necessary investments in training and equipment; but also relies on informed business owners who understand how to define for themselves what a sustainable and successful business model to support that investment looks like.” The OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit is made possible through support from PPG Refinish Products, Ford Motor Company, BASF, Toyota Motor Sales and The Hertz Corporation. For more information about SCRS’ Repairer Driven Education (RDE) series, and to register for the OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit and other RDE sessions, please visit: www.semashow.com/scrs. Continued from Page 46

Assured Performance

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ments, the shop can buy from several good choices where competition exists. Assured Performance’s approach to body shop certification is unique in other ways as well. Instead of a surprise “pass-fail” test, Assured Performance uses a business development process. Even before the shop enrolls for the first time, they are able to evaluate their readiness by following the online capabilities assessment referred to as the “Pre-flight Checklist.” Shops interested in becoming certified are able to complete the “Capabilities Assessment” to review the requirements, see their deficiencies, and generate a business development plan, helping them get from where they are now to where they need to be, according to Doerr. The turnkey system designed by Assured Performance even develops a shop—specific calendar, budget and equipment matrix with vendors listed to help the shop streamline the entire process. Even I-CAR working in conjunction with Assured Performance has developed a program called “Road to

NICB Warns Consumers That Thieves Use Scanner Boxes

Recent news reports detailing the theft of personal items from locked cars by criminals using high-tech electronic devices may be alarming, but the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) says car owners can take some steps to protect themselves. The key-less entry feature on newer cars is a popular advancement that lets drivers unlock their cars with the simple click of a button on a key fob using radio frequency transmission. The technology also helps prevent drivers from locking their keys in the vehicle. Not surprisingly, thieves have found a way to partially outwit the new technology using electronic “scanner boxes.” These small, handheld devices can pop some factorymade electronic locks in seconds, allowing thieves to get into the vehicle and steal personal items left inside. “Our law enforcement partners tell us they are seeing this type of criminal activity and have recovered some of the illegal devices,” said NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle. “And unfortunately, some of these devices are available on the Internet.”

Gold” to address the evolving needs in the area of training. Equipment and tool vendors have also joined the effort, providing expedited online ordering and pricing to simplify and streamline the process of retooling for the shops willing to make the journey. “Every aspect of this program is administered by Assured Performance, starting with the enrollment process, the shop capability assessments, their business development plans, the annual on-site physical audit-inspections, necessary online support systems, proof of compliance documentation, and even shop marketing,” Ron Doerr said. “Assured Performance’s joint-effort approach eliminates redundancy in equipment and duplication of the fees and the overall cost for a body shop to become certified. The cost savings for each shop is in the thousands of dollars, annually – a huge windfall by any calculation. And, in aggregate, the OEM’s are probably saving millions in non-core expenses - they can focus on building great cars and trucks and promoting the certified repair network while Assured Performance quarterbacks the improvements in repair business capabilities - truly a best path forward for all.”

www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS 47

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48 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com