October 2017 Midwestern Edition

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ABRA Auto Body Didn't Properly Collect Employee, Customer Fingerprints Says Plaintiff in Class Action Suit

by Jonathan Bilyk, Cook County Record

Two more business groups—a chain of auto body repair shops and a group of fitness clubs—have been added to the growing list of shops being sued under an Illinois law governing how businesses are supposed to handle the collection and use of employees’ and customers’ fingerprints and other socalled biometric information.

On Sept. 8, attorneys with two Chicago law firms introduced class action lawsuits in Cook County Circuit Court, accusing both ABRA Auto Body & Glass and the operators of the Crunch

Fitness group of gyms, of violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act. Lawyers for the firm of Stephan Zouras LLP, of Chicago, filed suit on behalf of named plaintiff Randy Fields against ABRA. The lawsuit marked the third such lawsuit filed by the Stephan Zouras firm under the Illinois BIPA law in September. On Sept. 5, the firm filed two similar lawsuits in Cook County court against both the Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group and the Speedway chain of gas stations and convenience See ABRA Class Action, Page 3

Hurricane Harvey Wreaks Havoc on Houston, Affected Body Shops Report on Damage

Credit: Patch.com

See Shops Affected, Page 22

P.O. BOX 1516, CARLSBAD, CA 92018

When Hurricane Harvey hit the Southeast part of Texas during the weekend of August 25–27, many small towns along the coast were utterly devastated

and destroyed.

However, the most damage was sustained in Houston due to the city’s large size and denser population.

Homes, vehicles and businesses were flooded, and at least 45 Houston lives were lost as Harvey unleashed its fury on the Lone Star State.

Harvey hit the Texas coast on the evening of Aug. 25 as a Category 4 hurricane, with winds as high as 130 mph, ravaging the coastline. Houston residents awoke on Sunday to flooding that turned roads into rivers.

John Kopriva, President of the Houston Auto Body Association

Change Service Requested

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

An Island in Wrigleyville

by Mauricio Peña, Chicago Magazine

Walking through Wrigleyville lately, you’re just as likely to skirt around scaffolding as you are to dodge a drunken fan. The Resendiz family is used to the latter and acclimating to

Jose Luis took over the shop from his father, and his son Greg is now shop manager

the former: They’ve owned and operated Luis’s Auto Repair for more than 50 years and seen plenty of changes to the neighborhood. But the largest, most recent spate of development

VOL. 7 ISSUE 1 OCTOBER 2017

came straight to their shop door, in the form of a Cubs representative.

Roughly four years ago, Jose Luis Resendiz remembers, the team official stopped by offering to purchase the property. While the 60-yearold shop owner entertained the idea, nothing ever came of it.

“I said yes, but he must have not been serious because he never came back,” Resendiz says with a smile.

Luis’s Auto Repair, owned by Jose Luis and managed by his son Greg, has born witness to the neighborhood’s many transformations. Before pubs like Goose Island lined Clark and Addison, Jose Luis remembers laundromats, warehouses selling industrial equipment for restaurants, and other auto body shops that have since vanished.

Now, Wrigleyville is undergoing another makeover—more drastic than See An Island, Page 15

Hurricane Harvey Ravaged Cars and Trucks — Bad for Drivers, Good for Automakers

by James F. Peltz and David Montero, Los Angeles Times

been busy helping his parents clean out their wind-damaged house along the coast. He said he doubts he’ll get much anyway and is instead hoping for some assistance from the Federal

Perry Smith tried to race Hurricane Harvey.

He lost.

Now his white Toyota Corolla sits with a broken axle in the parking lot of a Strips convenience store in Rockport, Texas. It is, he admits, probably the end of the road for his trusty car with almost 190,000 miles on it.

“The hurricane was right on my tail,” Smith said. “It Harvey created epic flooding throughout Houston and caught me. It lifted the back southeast Texas. Credit: Robert Gauthier, Los Angeles Times of the car up and I was looking down at the road through my Emergency Management Agency.

Still, Texans already have filed windshield. Then—bam—it slammed more than 100,000 storm-related back down and that was it.” claims on their car- and truck-insurSmith, 56, hasn’t filed a claim See Harvey Ravage, Page 26 with his insurance carrier yet; he’s

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

2 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

COLUMNISTS Attanasio - Veteran Shop Owner Energized

by Son and Daughter at Panel Craft . . . . . 44 Attanasio - Young Painter Creates “Girls Behind the Gun” to Support Women in Collision Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Phillips - How to Improve Body Shop Profit Using Sensible Goals: The ‘Power of One’ . . 50 Yoswick - CCC Defends Shift to Secure Share, Faces Tough Questions from CIC Task Force . 48 Yoswick - Talk of Other Insurers Requiring use of PartsTrader Goes Back Five Years . . 42 NATIONAL 180BIZ Webinar Focuses on ABCs of Employee Retention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 A Half-Million Flooded Cars and Trucks Could be Scrapped after Hurricane Harvey . . . . . 25 AACF Helps Aftermarket Victims of Hurricanes. 34 All New SEM Website Delivers ‘Best in Class’ Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Apollo’s TrueHVLP™ Maxi-Miser® 1000 & 2000 Mobile Spray Systems Offer Dramatically Less Overspray . . . . . . . . . . 68 ASA Announces Must-Attend Training Events at CARS@AAPEX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Caliber Collision Announces Changing Lanes Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 CARSTAR Names Top Shops at Annual Conference in Charlotte, NC . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Charley Hutton’s Color Studio Recommends Innovative Tools & Technologies, Inc. . . . . 67 CHEMSPEC USA Releases NextGen Color Selector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Chief® Introduces the MultiMig 190 Welder

for Mild Steel Repairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 CIF Rallying to Support Industry Flood Victims of Hurricane Harvey . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Collision Student of the Year Nominations due Sept. 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Consumer Watchdog: New Federal Robot Car Guidelines Threaten Highway Safety . . . 4 CREF Fundraiser Co-Hosted by PPG Raises $120,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Darin Smith Discusses His SEMA Battle of the Builders Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Diamond Standard Parts Releases New Custom Dodge Ram Cowl Hood . . . . . . . . 43 Don’t Settle Your Auto Insurance Claim Until You Have All The Facts . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Driven Brands’ President Resigns: Industry Awaits News of Successor . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Estify Adds Industry Veteran Toan Nguyen to Executive Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Fourth Annual SEMA Battle of the Builders to Feature Top Customizers in Three Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 GFS Releases Booth Shield Peelable Booth Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 HDDA Developing Product Data Standards for Heavy Duty Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 House OKs Bill to Allow Thousands of Self-Driving Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Hurricane Harvey Ravaged Cars and Trucks — Bad for Drivers, Good for Automakers. . . . . 1 Hurricane Harvey Wreaks Havoc on Houston, Affected Shops Report on Damage . . . . . . . 1 Industry Invited to Sponsor Work Uniforms for Local High School and College Collision School Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Magna Unveils MAX4 Autonomous Driving Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 MyPriceLink Providing Dynamic, Real-Time Pricing, Receives Patent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 New SEMA Program Supports Automotive Education. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 New Shop Ownership Expands Services in WA and ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 New Types of Claims Management ‘Insurtech’ Could Disrupt Auto Body Industry. . . . . . . 52 Project Underdog Heads to Auction, Actor’s Project to Benefit SEMA Scholarships . . . . 58 Remy Donates to AACF to Help Industry Members Rebuild from Major Hurricanes . . 56 Richard Rawlings of “Fast N’ Loud” has New TV Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 SCRS and March Taylor Memorial Fund Award SkillsUSA Gold Medalists Tool Scholarships . 64 SCRS Announces Awards Presented at Collision Industry Red Carpet Awards Breakfast . . . 39 SEMA Show New Products Showcase Features Expanded hours, Buyer Happy Hour . . . . . 60 SEMA Student Career Day Focuses on Job Opportunities and Industry Growth . . . . . . 67 SEMA Supports Aftermarket Foundation’s Efforts Related to Hurricane Harvey . . . . . 56 Seminars Give Hawaii Body Shops Opportunity to Learn Advanced Techniques and Procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Spanesi Americas Partners with MB Motorsports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Special Events Provide SEMA Showgoers With Education, Networking . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Tesla’s Autopilot Played Key Role in Deadly Florida Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 U.S. DOT Releases Revisions to Self-Driving Cars Guidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Young Auto Care Network Group Announces Program at AAPEX 2017. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

stores.

According to the most recent lawsuit, ABRA, like many other employers, requires employees to scan their fingerprints into the company’s employee database, and then use their fingerprints to punch in and out of their work shifts.

However, the lawsuit says ABRA didn’t inform Fields and other employees of the company’s policies for collecting, storing and managing the fingerprints, including how long the prints would be stored in the company’s computers after an employee leaves the company.

Fields alleges he was never provided a written form authorizing the

company to collect and store his fingerprints, as he asserts is required by Illinois law.

According to the lawsuit, Fields worked at ABRA’s shop in south suburban Lynwood from 2013–2017.

According to its website, ABRA operates 44 shops in Illinois, and more than 30 scattered throughout the Chicago area.

The lawsuit seeks to expand the action to include all of ABRA’s Illinois employees who may have had their fingerprints scanned—a group that may number in the “hundreds or more,” the lawsuit said.

We thank Cook County Record for reprint permission. To read the full article, go to http://cookcountyrecord. com/stories/511215829-class-actionsabra-auto-body-crunch-fitness-didn-tproperly-collect-employee-customerfingerprints

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AIRCAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 AMH Canada, Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Audi Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 64 Axalta Coating Systems . . . . . . . . . . 2 BASF Corporation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Bettenhausen Automotive . . . . . . . 32 Blue Springs Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 63 Bob Hook Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 CarcoonAmerica Airflow Systems . 35 Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA). . . . . . . . . . . 29 Charles Gabus Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 ChemSpec USA, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Classic Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Courtesy Subaru. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Dent Magic Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Dominion Sure Seal . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 ECS Automotive Concepts . . . . . . . 38 Equalizer Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . 31 Erhard BMW of Bloomfield Hills . . . 42 Erhard BMW of Farmington Hills . . 42 Eurovac, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . 61 Griffin Automotive Group . . . . . . . . 27 Herkules Equipment Corporation. . . 6 Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36-37 Hyundai Motor America . . . . . . . . . 16 Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers. . 67 Infiniti of Naperville . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Insta Finish Car Care . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Jack Phelan Chrysler-Dodge-JeepRam of Countryside . . . . . . . . . . 17 Jake Sweeney Chevrolet . . . . . . . . 58 Kelly BMW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Kia of Des Moines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Kia Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . . . 65 Lancer Insurance Company . . . . . . 30

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Midwest

REGIONAL 3M PPS World Cup Features 10 of the World’s Best Car Painters . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 ABRA Auto Body Didn't Properly Collect Employee, Customer Fingerprints Says Plaintiff in Class Action Suit . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 An Island in Wrigleyville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 ASA-MW Took Members Out to the Ball Game! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Attanasio - Lefler Collision and Glass Celebrates 65th Anniversary . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Bud Crawford’s Conviction for Property Damage Reversed in NE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 CARSTAR Fabel West and CARSTAR Fabel of Waupaca, WI, Now Open . . . . . . . . . . . 12 CARSTAR Impact of Cascade Opens in Grand Rapids, MI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 FHS Automotive in WI Awarded RPM Foundation Grant for Career and Technical Education. . 14 Kentucky AG Warns of Issues with ‘Rebuilt’ Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis Acquires RapidFix Assets from Boss Products USA. . 9 Maaco Collision Repair and Auto Paintng Opens in Lynwood, IL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Martin Senour Paints Announces 2017 Fourth Quarter Training Schedule . . . . . . . 25 MI Auto Body Program Receives Car for Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 More Than 500 Collision and Auto Service Students RSVP’d for Cars, Careers & Celebrities Expo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 MSO Symposium at NACE Establishes a New Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sun Prairie, WI, Man Gets 2 years in Prison for Auto-Body Theft, Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 U.S. Navy Vet: Gift Puts Him on Road to Opportunity in Chaska, MN. . . . . . . . . . . . 28

ABRA Class Action

Index of Advertisers

Contents

Continued from Cover

Laurel Auto Group of Westmont . . . 53 Luther Bloomington Acura-Subaru. 47 Luther Hopkins Honda . . . . . . . . . . 54 Malco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Maplewood Toyota-Scion . . . . . . . . 55 Mazda Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 68 McGrath City Hyundai . . . . . . . . . . 10 Midwest Parts Group . . . . . . . . . 18-19 MINI Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 62 Mirka USA, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Mitsubishi Wholesale Parts Dealers. 68 MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40-41 Morrison’s Auto Parts . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Motor Guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 MWMtools.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Nissan/Infiniti Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Patrick Hyundai. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Polyvance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 ProLine Tool & Supply, LLC. . . . . . . . 9 Reliable Automotive Equipment . . . 21 Richfield-Bloomington Honda . . . . 48 Russ Darrow Automotive Group. . . 34 SATA Dan-Am Company . . . . . . . . 11 Sorbothane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Spanesi Americas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 69 The Sharpe Collection of Automobiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Toyota of Des Moines . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 62 Valspar Refinish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 VanDevere Kia-GM . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Wizards Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Zimmer Chrysler-Dodge-JeepRam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 3

House OKs Bill to Allow Thousands of Self-Driving Cars Automakers would each be allowed to operate up to 100,000 self-driving cars per year on U.S. roads, and states would be prevented from passing laws to prevent them from doing so under a bill that was approved Sept. 6 by the U.S. House of Representatives.

The measure, approved on a voice vote, would allow the Secretary of Transportation to grant exemptions to federal motor vehicle rules that require cars to have human operators. Initially, 25,000 cars per automaker could be operated if companies can prove they meet existing safety standards for traditional cars. After a 12-month period, the number of exemptions per manufacturer would increase to 50,000, and it would go up to 100,000 in the third and fourth years.

The current limit for such exemptions to federal auto standards is 2,500 cars for two years at a time. Under the bill approved Sept. 6, exemptions to federal auto standards would be limited to three years at a time.

The measure, which goes now to the U.S. Senate, was approved after weeks of backroom negotiations between Republicans and Democrats on the panel over issues involving the number of test vehicles that would be exempt from federal safety standards requiring a human to be in control of the car and the length of time for which those exemptions would be valid.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle said the compromised legislation will boost safety of U.S. roads, and also represented a rare bipartisan con-

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, DDearborn, added, “This wasn’t something that was thrown together at the last minute. A lot of time has been spent addressing everybody’s concerns.”

The bill passed Sept. 6 requires the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule requiring automakers to submit a safety assessment certification for their self-driving cars within two years of passage of the measure.

In the interim, the legislation directs carmakers to submit letters to the National Highway Traffic Safety Ad-

ministration that mirror a set of 15 guidelines that were recommended by the Obama administration in 2016.

The guidelines called for automakers and technology companies to voluntarily report on testing and safety to federal regulators before autonomous cars are sold to the public. Under Obama’s proposal, automakers would have been required to report how they were tested, how the systems work and what happens if those systems fail before self-driving cars are allowed to roll on U.S. roads.

Democrats in the House had sought to greatly reduce the number of exemptions that would allow automakers to put thousands of self-driving cars on the road in the immediate future, but they said they could live with the compromise that calls for gradually increasing the number over several years.

“Self-driving cars have the potential in the future to reduce deaths and injuries from car crashes, particularly those that result from driver distraction,” Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said. “This bill allows for testing and deployment of self-driving cars to help the United States reach that potential sooner.”

Automakers praised lawmakers for moving the bill to increase the number of self-driving cars that can be operated on U.S. roads. General Motors Co. said in a statement that the measure “represents good progress toward a law that will facilitate realization of the safety, mobility, and environmental benefits of self-driving vehicles.” The company added a caveat that “more work is needed” before the bill is signed into law, how-

The new Federal autonomous vehicle policy released today poses a threat to highway safety, Consumer Watchdog warned and the nonpartisan nonprofit group called for the enactment of enforceable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards specifically covering self-driving cars.

Dubbed a “Vision for Safety 2.0” and released by Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, the new policy emphasizes the voluntary nature of the new federal guidelines.

“This isn’t a vision for safety,” said John M. Simpson, Consumer Watchdog’s Privacy Project Director. “It’s a roadmap that allows manufacturers to

do whatever they want, wherever and whenever they want, turning our roads into private laboratories for robot cars with no regard for our safety.”

The new Department of Transportation and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration policy focuses only on voluntary guidance for Level 3, Level 4 and Level 5 selfdriving cars, not Level 2 technology where only some driving technology is automated, Consumer Watchdog noted.

“This a serious short-coming and ignores the fact that Level 2 technology, like Tesla’s Autopilot, has killed people,” said Simpson. “How the

human driver monitors and interacts with Level 2 technologies is potentially life threatening and requires Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.”

The DOT claims the revised voluntary policy “incorporates feedback received through public comments.”

“This simply isn’t true,” Simpson said. “There hasn’t been a NHTSA public hearing on autonomous vehicle policy since President Trump was inaugurated and the highly touted DOT Advisory Committee on Automation in Transportation (ACAT) has not even met and has been completely ignored by Trump’s appointees.”

The new robot car guidelines raise

by Keith Laing, Detroit News Washington Bureau

sensus in a typically bitterly divided Washington.

“This legislation on autonomous vehicles ...will go a long way to taking the human error out of driving and making roads safer for all Americans,” said U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph. “Forget about the Jetsons, it’s over. The future of the autonomous industry is here, and this bill will give the automotive industry the tools to revolutionize how we’re going to get around for generations to come.”

The measure, approved on a voice vote, would allow the Secretary of Transportation to grant exemptions to federal motor vehicle rules that require cars to have human operators. Credit: Gene J. Puskar, AP

ever.

Safety groups complained the exemptions give automakers too much freedom to test self-driving cars on roads with other drivers.

“This bill leaves a Wild West frontier by pre-empting the states’ ability to do anything to protect consumer safety, while there is nothing yet at the federal level,” said John Simpson, Consumer Watchdog privacy project director.

The legislation prohibits states and other local jurisdictions from adopting regulations related to cars’ design, construction, software or communication.

States still would be allowed to regulate registration, licensing, liability, education and training, insurance or traffic laws.

Michigan had already taken steps to position itself as a haven for selfdriving car testing: last year, the state legislature passed into law a measure that allows robotic cars to be operated on any Michigan road without a driver behind the wheel.

Supporters of the measure moving now in Congress anticipate the U.S. Senate will take up a similar version of the self-driving measure this fall.

Lawmakers in the upper chamber have said they also are working on a bipartisan bill to regulate self-driving cars. They have released a set of principles that call for prioritizing safety, promoting innovation and strengthening cybersecurity, but have not agreed on specific language.

questions for state regulators, Consumer Watchdog said. For example, proposed self-driving rules in California mandate that manufacturers would have to file a federal safety assessment with NHTSA. The new guidance, however, says states should not codify any portion of the voluntary guidance in their regulations.

“The DOT and NHTSA ‘Vision for Safety 2.0’ tells auto manufacturers to think about a few things involving robot cars and then do whatever they want,” said Simpson.

We thank the Detroit News for reprint permission.

Consumer Watchdog: New Federal Robot Car Guidelines Threaten Highway Safety

4 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 5

More Than 500 Collision and Auto Service Students RSVP’d for Cars, Careers & Celebrities Expo

The Collision Repair Education Foundation and ASE will hold their third annual Cars, Careers, & Celebrities Expo event on Friday, Sept. 15 at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, IL, in conjunction with the NASCAR Cup race taking place that weekend.

The event will bring together hundreds of high school and college collision and auto service students, industry members, and sponsors.

More than 30 companies are signed up to participate in the event and meet the attending students who will be traveling from the greater Midwest and beyond.

Hundreds of students are anticipated to attend and will have the opportunity to meet industry employers, view demonstrations, hold initial/mock interviews, meet race car drivers, and more in the Chicagoland Speedway’s hospitality village area. There is no charge for high school and college collision students, instructors, and administrators to attend.

Collision Repair Education Foundation Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode noted,

“We are excited to bring this career fair back to the Chicagoland Speedway this year. Through our partnership with ASE, we are also inviting high school and college auto service students to the event, which should double the student attendance compared to previous years. This will provide the participating companies with a larger pool of employee candidates and fulfill their need for entry-level staff.”

Companies currently participating include: Gerber Collision & Glass, ABRA Auto Body & Glass, Service King Collision Repair Centers, 3M Automotive, PPG Automotive Refinish, Caliber Collision, Allstate Insurance, Nationwide Insurance, State Farm Insurance, GEICO, Snap-on, Copart USA, CCC Information Services, Mirka Abrasives, AutoZone/ ALLDATA, Garmat USA, Cintas, WyoTech, Ranken Technical College, ADESA, Sears Auto, Ryder Inc., Collision Equipment Experts, Cox Automotive, Celette Inc., Auto Care Association, SimSpray Aidex, SkillsUSA, SEMA, and Women’s Industry Network (WIN).

CARSTAR Impact of Cascade Opens in Grand Rapids, MI

CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts, North America’s largest Multi-Shop Operator Network of independently owned collision repair facilities, announced the opening of CARSTAR Impact of Cascade at

5566 36th St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512. The CARSTAR location is owned by James H. Engen, Ryan H. Engen and Mark S. Wierenga.

The Grand Rapids location is the sixth CARSTAR facility in Michigan. The center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. They provide the highest quality auto body repair and offer 24/7 accident support and towing assistance to get drivers back on the road quickly.

They repair all makes and models, work with most insurance companies and offer a nationwide warranty.

CARSTAR Impact of Cascade will provide comprehensive services from full auto collision repair, small dent and ding fixes, storm damage repair and paint jobs. Its

team of technicians is up-to-date on the latest vehicle and collision repair technology, and has professional, hands-on experience working with all brands and models of vehicles.

They use the most current collision repair equipment and materials available, meaning that they can quickly repair vehicles and quickly get customers back on the road in a timely manner.

“We’re proud to welcome James, Ryan and Mark to the CARSTAR family,” said Michael Macaluso, president, CARSTAR North America. “As we continue to expand across Michigan, owners like these three gentlemen will be essential in building our brand and serving our customers.”

For more information on CARSTAR, visit carstar.com.

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6 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

MI Auto Body Program Receives Car for Studies

by Jordan Spence, The Alpena News

The first day of classes were off to a good start, Alpena Community College instructor, Chris Lubiato said August 28.

The ACC auto body program received a free 2014 Buick Encore for the program’s studies this year.

The car has both front end and rear end damage.

“It is perfect for the class because it’s repairable,” Lubiato said.

The car was donated by Meemic Insurance Thomson Agency.

“This is really exciting for us. I like to celebrate the moment and help provide and support the educational community,” Tony Thomson said.

Lubiato said he asked for a newer model car because technology changes fast, so the students need to be up to date. He said the newer models are what are being repaired in the shops, so he wants his students

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to be knowledgeable of those technologies.

The class is one that prefers to work on live vehicles, Lubiato said.

He said working on cars with realworld wear and tear has previously helped students.

Although Meemic field claims representative Mitchell Sell said the car has about $13,000-$14,000 in damages, it could be repaired.

He said the company was happy to donate the car for Lubatio’s class needs.

“He communicated to us and asked how we can do this for the program. We started looking into it and found the Buick. That’s all it took, really,” Sell said.

Lubiato said students will work and practice on the car the majority of the semester because there’s a lot to learn from it.

We thank Alpena News for reprint permission.

www.autobodynews.com

www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 7

Lefler Collision and Glass Celebrates 65th Anniversary

ting took place at their Maxwell Avenue location, followed by a free cookSome second-generation body shop out at each location. owners take over their family’s busiLefler Collision and Glass is a ness and make it better and this is one third-generation, family-owned and prime example of exactly that. By operated full-service collision and stressing training, customer service and glass repair center with four locations O.E. repairs while going over the top throughout the Tri-State. “Through dedication to staying at the forefront of their industry, legendary customer service, and engagement within the community, it is an honor to be celebrating this milestone,” Owner Jim Lefler said. “Mayor Lloyd Winnecke named August 18th as “Lefler Collision & Glass 65th Anniversary Day”! We had community leaders out, our friends from Enterprise and Axalta, as well as amA ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 18 celebrated the bassadors from the South65th anniversary of Lefler Collision and Glass Repair west Indiana Chamber.” with its philanthropy and community The proclamation outlined the service, Lefler Collision and Glass has history of the business and described been a household name in Indiana since its road to success: 1952.

“Whereas in 1952, Leroy Lefler On Aug. 18, Lefler Collision and opened Leroy’s Paint and Fender ReGlass held a ribbon-cutting in Evans- pair out of his dirt floor garage on the ville, IN with Mayor Winnecke and the west side of Evansville.

Southwest Indiana Chamber in honor Whereas in 1976, James Lefler, of their 65th anniversary. A ribbon-cut- son of Leroy, took over the business

by Ed Attanasio

8 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

and incorporated it as Lefler Body Shop.

Whereas in 1994, Lefler Body Shop moved from their original location on 9th Avenue to their new home

(l to r) Owner Jimmy Lefler, the Mayor of Evansville, IN Lloyd Winnecke and Chief Operations Officer Eddie Dietz posing with the city proclamation that named August 18th “Lefler Collision and Glass 65th Anniversary Day.”

at 704 Wabash Ave of Flags. This new location would be 30,000 sq. feet, home to 60 repair bays, and two paint booths. It was the most advanced collision repair facility in the area.

Whereas in 2006, Jimmy Lefler became CEO and began expanding Lefler Body Shop into four locations throughout the Tri-State as Lefler Collision and Glass Repair Centers; focusing on highly trained repair specialists, hometown support, and legendary customer service.

Whereas in 2017, Lefler Collision and Glass Repair Centers have grown to over 90 employees at four locations in Indiana and Kentucky. Through dedication to serving the Tri-State and staying at the forefront of technology and repair processes, many accolades have been awarded during the last 65 years.”

Looking back at the history of his family’s business, Jimmy Lefler took a moment to remember his father who taught him every aspect of the industry. He was an amazing man and a great technician and he really taught me a lot and then I eventually installed some of my ideas here,” Lefler said. “He taught me that hiring people who share our values and building the kind of culture we want is crucial.

Give your people clear guidelines and let them do their jobs. Trust them and empower them and they will do great things and help you to succeed for 65 years!”

Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis Acquires RapidFix Assets from Boss Products USA Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis (LHB-SL), a not-for-profit manufacturing and packaging company with a dedicated social service mission, has acquired RapidFix brand of adhesives from Boss Products USA, LLC, of Norton Shores, MI. The deal closed effective Sept. 2.

RapidFix represents a premium line of industrial and consumer bonding products that repair broken or damaged items that include rubber, glass, copper, aluminum, steel and most plastics. RapidFix is sold by Ace Hardware, NAPA, Advance Auto Parts, The Pep Boys, Amazon and additional retailers in automotive, hardware and marine industries.

John Thompson, president of Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis, also known as LHB Industries, Inc., said, “Our acquisition of the RapidFix product line from Boss Products USA provides LHB-SL with an additional line of adhesive and bonding products that are well-known and popular with consumers and businesses nationwide. LHB-SL has been looking for another acquisition since we acquired Tear Mender brands in June of 2015 from Val-A Chicago, Inc. RapidFix and Tear Mender products are excellent fits for our organization. This new

acquisition gives LHB-SL more exposure in commercial retail markets in addition to our current business in government and military sales.”

Financial terms of LHB-SL’s acquisition of RapidFix were not disclosed.

LHB-SL will move RapidFix operations to St. Louis from Michigan.

As with Tear Mender and Quake Kare, proceeds from RapidFix product sales will support LHB-SL service programs for people who are visually impaired in Missouri and Southwestern Illinois.

The RapidFix deal is expected to increase LHB-SL revenues and employment in St. Louis County by expanding operations, providing more employment for people who are legally blind and increasing income to support LHB-SL’s outreach programs.

All RapidFix products are made in the United States.

Brian Houser, LHB-SL director of sales and marketing, said, “RapidFix products enable durable, long-lasting, permanent bonds and repairs to hundreds of automotive, industrial, marine and consumer items. We are very excited about this new acquisition.”

The RapidFix Professional Adhe-

sive product bonds almost any material instantly – including different materials to each other, such as glass to aluminum or rubber to metal. RapidFix Welding Powder is used to repair all types of holes, cracks and gaps by producing a strong weld seam to support the repair, just like solder or welded joints. RapidFix adhesives are nontoxic and very safe and easy to use.

Len Kelsey is president of Boss Products USA, LLC. He is a native of Australia who established U.S. business operations in the early 1990s and built his company by selling automotive filters and related systems to car and truck manufacturers, including Ford Motor Co., and Chrysler. He founded and began selling RapidFix products nationally and internationally in 2008.

LHB-SL will package, sell and distribute the RapidFix Dual Adhesive System, RapidFix UV Adhesive and the RapidFix UV Fiber Patch from its headquarters plant in the St. Louis suburb of Overland.

LHB-SL is a 501(c)3 organization founded in 1933. Today, it helps children and adults who are visually impaired maintain dignity and independence by offering employment, education and support services. LHB-SL currently em-

ploys 48 people who are legally blind in two assembly and packaging plants in St. Louis County to assemble, pack and ship RapidFix, Quake Kare and Tear Mender products, as well as LHB-SL’s flagship products for business, government and military customers. All sales revenue directly supports LHB-SL’s 16 Community Outreach Programs under the banner “See the Future.”

“With RapidFix, Quake Kare and Tear Mender, Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis is demonstrating that it makes good sense for nonprofit entities to pursue opportunities to enhance their service missions with new approaches for strategic acquisitions and collaborations that can generate revenue to support social service programs,” Thompson said. “We are very proud of our skilled employees in both of our production plants, and we are proud of our mission-specific staff members who develop, sustain and provide our meaningful programs for the blind community in Missouri and Illinois.”

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989-315-8946 www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 9

Bud Crawford’s Conviction for Property Damage Reversed in NE

Pankonin upheld the boxer’s conviction for disorderly conduct.

Boxing champion Terence “Bud” In December, County Court Judge Crawford no longer faces 90 days in Marcena Hendrix had found the 29jail for his role in an April 2016 con- year-old boxer guilty of disorderly confrontation at an auto body shop in duct and causing property damage Omaha, NE, a district court judge during an altercation at a body shop. The ruled August 23. charges were misdemeanors. She dismissed a trespassing charge.

She sentenced Crawford— the undisputed world champion junior welterweight boxer—to 90 days, and ordered him to pay $6,000 in restitution and undergo random drug and alcohol tests.

Pankonin said it would be up to the county court to decide whether restitution was still proper, based on Crawford’s disorderly conduct.

Attempts to reach Crawford and the body shop owner Boxer Terence “Bud” Crawford leaves court in June for comment were unsuccessafter his attorney presented reasons that Crawford’s ful. Omaha City Prosecutor sentence in a 2016 incident wasn't appropriate. Credit: Matt Kuhse said he would Ryan Soderlin, The World-Herald not appeal Pankonin’s deciJudge Kimberly Miller Pankonin sion. reversed Crawford’s conviction for “In the grand scheme of things, property damage and the requirement one conviction was maintained. He’s that he serve 90 days in jail as a condi- still going to ... be on probation for a tion of probation, according to court year,” Kuhse said. “I think everybody documents. needs to kind of bring this to a close.

by Andrew J. Nelson, World-Herald

He needs to serve his sentence. We need to get the victim his restitution.”

Crawford and the body shop owner, Michael Nelson, both agreed that on April 4, 2016, Crawford went to Extreme Custom Fleet & Auto at 56th Street and Sorensen Parkway intending to reclaim a car.

The shop had performed a $2,500 paint job and other work on a 1984 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Crawford had paid half as a down payment but later refused to pay the rest, complaining about the quality of the work and the six months the vehicle had spent in Nelson’s garage.

Crawford and a few friends went to the shop and told Nelson they were taking the car.

Nelson testified that he had placed the Monte Carlo on a hydraulic lift and left a 600-pound engine underneath to discourage Crawford from taking the car.

Crawford was able to lower the car to the floor after pushing the engine out of the way by himself, Nelson said.

Nelson said Crawford caused $3,300 in damage to the hydraulic lift, and fluid spilled onto the shop floor.

Nelson said that he felt intimidated by the boxer’s presence but that Crawford never physically threatened

him. The incident was captured on a surveillance video that was played at trial.

Crawford and his attorneys appealed the sentencing.

Pankonin, in dismissing the property damage count, wrote in her order: “The evidence presented during the trial does not establish who caused the damage to the hydraulic lift.”

Regarding the disorderly conduct count, Pankonin wrote that there was enough evidence to convict Crawford.

“The evidence clearly shows the defendant used intimidation, and at times force, to accomplish his goal.”

The restitution sentencing was also not done properly, the judge wrote.

“The court simply ordered the defendant ‘to pay the restitution as set forth in the presentence investigation.’ ... A sentencing court cannot just rubberstamp information provided in the (report).”

We thank Omaha World-Herald for reprint permission.

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Sun Prairie, WI, Man Gets 2 years in Prison for Auto-Body Theft, Fraud

by Jonathan Stefonek, Portage Daily Register

A Sun Prairie, WI, man was sentenced to prison for theft and fraud after a December 2016 arrest for doing illegal auto body work.

Richard M. Clark, 43, was sentenced to two years in prison and three years of extended supervision during a sentencing hearing Sept. 12, in which he entered pleas of no contest to one count of theft in a business setting in an amount over $10,000 and fraudulent writing by a corporate officer.

Clark was arrested after the Columbus Police Department received a call from the city’s Napleton Chevrolet Buick dealership, where the president had accused Clark of stealing from the company. At the shop, Clark oversaw repair orders, estimates, parts orders, supplies and billing hours.

Following a change in company ownership, the company president told officers, irregularities appeared in documents. That led to further investigation of Clark’s work and the discovery of a Craigslist adver-

tisement, posted by Clark, advertising discount services at the shop.

The company losses were estimated at just over $13,000 and $2,600 worth of missing tools.

On Feb. 28, Clark made an initial appearance in court from the Columbia County Jail with Judge W. Andrew Voigt ordering the defendant to be held on $25,000 cash bond, which was reduced at the end of April to $15,000, though not posted.

A final restitution amount is to be determined in the next 90 days, with conditions of his eventual release being that he maintain employment or education, complete counseling and to not use the Internet to solicit or advertise business.

Clark had been previously placed on probation in North Carolina following convictions for felony obtaining property by false pretenses in 2009 and again in 2012.

We thank Portage Daily Register for reprint permission.

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www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 11

Kentucky AG Warns of Issues with ‘Rebuilt’ Cars

by Chad Hedrick, WSAZ NewsChannel 3

Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear is warning consumers of the potential for cars flooded by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma to make their way to the Bluegrass State and be resold as “rebuilt” cars.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Department of Vehicle Regulation (DVR) is preparing for an influx of title requests for vehicles that have been deemed a total loss due to natural disaster damage in states such as Florida and Texas, then brought to Kentucky to be rebuilt.

“Our title requests for flood-damaged vehicles tripled after Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Kentucky has a sizable ‘rebuilt car’ industry, and many vehicles deemed as scrap or junk make their way into our state,” stated John-Mark Hack, commissioner for the Department of Vehicle Regulation. “Consumers need to be aware that many of these vehicles will be hitting the market, and there’s a potential for issues with a rebuilt automobile.”

These are issues that mechanics and car experts are aware of and know to look for when it comes to checking on a car and its safety.

“What they got to realize is these cars have been sitting in water for

quite some time,” said Tom McLeod.

“You just don’t know what’s going to happen on the internal part of the car.”

McLeod is the owner of McLeod’s Body Shop in Ashland, and says it’s not often his sees a rebuilt car come into his lot, but it does happen.

Flood-damaged vehicles in other states are given a scrap title or junking certificate. Florida uses a certificate of destruction; Texas provides a non-repairable title. After arrival in Kentucky, flood-damaged vehicles undergo a “rebuild” process that typically involves only cleaning the interior and exterior and changing the system fluids. These vehicles are then sold at a significantly reduced cost.

McLeod says those reduced costs end up just not being worth the trouble you will face in the long run.

“Yeah, they’re going to look great from the outside—everybody’s going to clean them up, but your rotors, inside your motor compartment...a year or two down the road, they’re not going to last,” McLeod said. “You’re going to have all kinds of problems.”

“If a buyer finds a deal on a vehicle that seems too good to be true, then it probably is,” said Commissioner Hack.

Under Kentucky’s current law, the title applicant must submit two photos of

Maaco Collision Repair and Auto Paintng Opens in Lynwood, IL

Maaco, America’s No. 1 auto paint and collision repair provider, announced the opening of a new franchise, Maaco Collision Repair and Auto Painting, at 19560 Burnham Ave., Lynwood, IL, 60411. The facility is owned by RGC Automotive Group.

Maaco Collision Repair and Auto Painting of Lynwood is a fullservice facility that offers automobile painting, accident repairs, insurance claims/direct repair program and fleet and industrial services. It handles routine dents and dings, provides superb painting services and makes structural repairs through its expertly trained team of technicians. All structural repairs are backed by a lifetime warranty, and painting packages come with varying price points and warranties. The facility is open Monday through Friday from 7:30

a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to Noon.

RGC Automotive Group is actively growing in the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Oklahoma. The organization has ambitious goals to grow its store system with a strong culture and with the right leadership and resources in place. As the Midwest developer of Maacobranded auto collision and paint shops, RGC Automotive Group’s growth plans focus on the following key cities: Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee and St. Louis. Future plans include: Indianapolis, Kansas City, Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

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the vehicle and two estimates of damage costs: the fees for cleaning and changing fluids. If the damage cost is less than 75 percent of the vehicle’s retail value, then the DVR issues a new certificate of title.

The new title is printed in red ink with the words REBUILT VEHICLE on the face of the title. This is done in an effort to alert consumers of the vehicle’s history.

Officials say car buyers need to do their homework before buying a rebuilt car. They say to get a copy of the vehicle history report and even have a mechanic look over it. McLeod says that’s a service his shop offers.

“All the time people come in here, especially if it has a rebuilt title,” said McLeod. “They want us to look at it because we can look at the frame [and] we can look at how it is put together. We’ll recommend if it’s worth buying or not, and I have seen a lot that aren’t worth buying.”

Officials add getting a loan or even insurance for a rebuilt car can be tough. They also should keep in mind that driving a rebuilt car or truck back to the state where it was originally given a scrap title runs the risk of the vehicle being confiscated if they are stopped by law enforcement.

We thank WSAZ NewsChannel 3 for reprint permission.

CARSTAR Fabel West and CARSTAR Fabel of Waupaca, WI, Now Open

CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts, North America’s largest Multi-Shop Operator Network of independently owned collision repair facilities, announced the opening of CARSTAR Fabel West in Appleton, WI, and a second satellite location, CARSTAR Fabel of Waupaca, located in Waucapa, WI. The CARSTAR locations are owned by Scott Fabel. CARSTAR Fabel West and CARSTAR Fabel of Waupaca are one of the largest repair centers in Northeastern Wisconsin and continue to expand and grow. The fullservice repair shop opened in 1991.

CARSTAR Fabel West values quality work and zero call-backs as it builds strong customer relationships.

The shop attributes its success to the quality of people on its team. Fullservice body repairs and painting are offered for all makes of cars and all light, medium and heavy-duty trucks, regardless of age. Computer diagnostics, engine repair, clutch replacement, suspension and brake work are all available, along with body repair for trailers, vans and refers. Truck and trailer D.O.T. inspections are also offered.

www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 13

ASA-MW Took Members Out to the Ball Game!

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

ASA-Midwest held its Annual Automotive Industry Appreciation Night on August 24 at Busch Stadium, allowing members to network with peers while enjoying a game of baseball.

One attendee said, “It was a beautiful evening to share a game with friends and co-workers.”

ASA-MW members enjoyed a lovely evening of networking and baseball during the association’s Annual Automotive Industry Appreciation Night

The event began at 4:45 p.m. with a picnic dinner, and tickets included select drinks throughout the game, which started at 6:15 p.m. Despite the cheers from the association members in attendance, the St. Louis Cardinals lost 3-4 to the San Diego Padres.

For more information about ASA-MW, visit: www.asa-midwest .org.

FHS Automotive in WI Awarded RPM Foundation Grant for Career and Technical Education Freedom High School Automotive in Freedom, WI, has been awarded a $4,300 education grant from the RPM Foundation to support Career and Technical Education.

Freedom High School was chosen from a nationwide pool of applicants for this year’s award. The grant will play a key role in funding the replacement of Freedom High School Automotive’s Miller welders. FHS Automotive has been fundraising for years to replace its welders to meet the needs of the growing program and stay up to date with industry standards. Welding steel and aluminum with both MIG and TIG processes enables the program to prepare students for a variety of post-secondary career paths and trade skills.

The FHS automotive program is the only of its kind in Wisconsin capable of doing full collision, refinishing, and restoration at the high school level.

About the RPM Foundation This is the RPM Foundation – Building awareness of job opportunities in the restoration field, connecting talented young people to master craftsmen and supporting the continued “passing of the torch” in sharing knowledge to de-

14 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

velop the next generation of craftsmen who will care for and protect America’s automotive heritage.

The RPM Foundation supports restoration and preservation training programs for the next generation of auto and marine craftsmen. As the educational arm of America’s Automotive Trust, the services, resources and grants provided by the RPM Foundation safeguard the future of the collector vehicle industry by sustaining hands-on training for young adults

About Freedom High School Automotive The Freedom High School Automotive program came to life in 1972 under the guidance of Bob Abitz, who built the program over an outstanding 35-year career. Over the years this program has grown into one of the most renowned and accredited programs in the state and even the nation.

FHS is probably best known for its success through the SkillsUSA (formerly VICA) collision repair contest with 25 state champions (state record) and multiple finishes inside the top 10 at nationals.

One of the things that makes the FHS automotive program special is its focus on collision repair. Since

1972, FHS has taught collision repair techniques such as panel replacement, metal working, welding, plastic repair, cosmetic repair, and refinishing.

Students also experience restoration and custom work, emphasizing skills like metal and composite fabrication, rust repair, and custom painting and refinishing. It is the goal of the automotive program to expose students to a variety of hands-on experiences to prepare them for a career in the automotive industry or personal vehicle maintenance and repair. Students use a variety of current industry standard repair techniques, tools, and materials to complete repairs on vehicles. Current instructor Jay Abitz has taken the program to the next level by introducing new curriculum, teaching practices, tools and technology and continuing the growth of the program.

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Continued from Cover

An Island

the revolving door of businesses that they’ve grown used to. After the Ricketts family bought the Cubs, they scooped up properties surrounding the stadium, including rooftops to the north and east, as well as a forthcoming hotel and the recently opened Park at Wrigley

Greg Resendiz looks at the construction site for the $140 million Addison & Clark complex from the roof of Luis’s Auto Repair

to the west. South of the ballpark, M&R Development and Bucksbaum Retail Properties acquired a substantial swath of land that will become the $140 million Addison & Clark mixeduse complex with 148 luxury apartments, a 5,700-square foot clubhouse,

Cinemex theaters, and Shake Shack.

But what it doesn’t have is a storefront at the prime location just south of the iconic Wrigley Field marquee—that’s where Luis’s Auto Repair stands, one of the last family-ownedand-operated businesses next to the Friendly Confines.

All in the family The repair shop has been in the family since 1966. Jose Luis’s father worked on an assembly line at Ford Motor Company in Mexico before immigrating to Chicago from Mexico in the mid ‘50s. When he arrived, he started working at an auto body shop at Southport and Irving Park before renting the shop that would become Luis’s Auto Repair at 1031 West Addison Street, Jose Luis says.

At the time, the Resendiz family lived in an apartment a few blocks away on Grace and Magnolia. Jose Luis would spend after-school hours and Saturdays learning the trade alongside his father.

“When I was about 12 years old, my dad would make me come to his shop after school,” he recalls. “I’d come over and help my dad sweep the floors and organize the nuts and bolts.

After I was done, I’d ask him if I could go home, but he would never let me leave until the shop closed at six o’clock.”

Jose Luis started by sweeping the floors, gradually gained more responsibilities, and ultimately learned how to do all the bodywork including collision damages, bumpers, lights, and windows.

“He worked his way up to become a master craftsman of the trade,” Greg says.

Xavier Nauta completes a paint job. Business is thriving despite increasing challenges from nearby construction

Like his father, Greg and his two brothers grew up around the shop, coming in on the weekends to sweep and clean up. Afterward, they would head to batting cages at Sluggers down the street.

The 33-year-old remembers his grandfather moving into the apartment above the repair shop, where he lived until he passed away 14 years ago.

“He was committed to the shop— he worked until the very end,” he says.

Life across from the marquee A handful of Cubs fans clad in jerseys and baseball caps ambled past the shop on a muggy Thursday afternoon in August, snapping photos of Wrigley Field from across the street before making their way into the stadium.

“In a couple of hours, this place will be packed with people,” Greg says. From the garage door, he watches the crowd grow in front of the stadium before a ringing phone redirects his focus back to the shop.

Over the years, Jose Luis and his employees have learned to help customers maneuver around traffic and road closures on game days. Greg acknowledges the redevelopment has been challenging.

“On game days it’s difficult to have cars delivered because of street closures,” Greg says. “We plan around the restrictions. We make it work.”

The family used to park cars in See An Island, Page 21

www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 15

3M PPS World Cup Features 10 of the World’s Best Car Painters

by Ed Attanasio

Ten of the world’s top painters from Australia, Germany, Canada and the USA displayed their unique automotive artwork at the inaugural 3M PPS

repair, paint preparation, vehicle painting, paint finishing and vehicle appearance during the Dream Cruise.

The 10 leading painters who featured their amazing artwork on car hoods during the event included:

3M’s Automotive Aftermarket Division invited 10 leading painters from around the world to illustrate their vision of classic car culture on a hood, using the 3M™ PPS™ System and other 3M automotive products at the 2017 Woodward Dream Cruise

World Cup at the 2017 Woodward Dream Cruise on Saturday, August 19 in Detroit, MI. Invited by 3M to illustrate their artistic vision of classic car culture on a hood using the 3M™ PPS™ System and other 3M automotive products, the painters made themselves available to discuss their creations at the Dream Cruise, where the unique hoods were unveiled.

In a celebration of classic car culture, the 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division stole the show at the Dream Cruise with special guest Chip Foose, legendary automotive designer, who signed autographs for fans and gave advice to the 10 painters featured in the event. The 3M Demonstration and Education Mobile Operations (D.E.M.O.) trailer showcased its latest 3M solutions for automotive repair and maintenance with hands-on demonstrations for body

Pablo Prado, KandynChrome, USA; Jacob Miles, Milestone Paint & Body, USA; Connie Manjavinos, PassionateInk, USA; Clay Hoberecht, Best

Carmine De Maria from C.A.D. Custom in Melbourne, Australia created a hood featuring a boxing kangaroo with a green and gold background

Body Shop, USA; Justin Jimmo, Refinish Network, Canada; Carl-André Giroux, Canada; Danny Schramm, SchrammWerk, Germany; Christian Wilke, Germany; Carmine De Maria, C.A.D. Custom, Australia and Shane Wanjon, Exclusive Image Paint and Body, USA. With painters from all over the planet, the event offered Detroit a unique opportunity to learn the art of automotive from 10 different perspectives. Some of the participating world-class artists were Carl-Andre Giroux, a painter from Quebec, Canada with his custom hood seasoned veterans on the col-

16 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

lision repair side of the business, while and Body in Mt. Juliet, TN, started out painting cars with his father, and today others were up and emerging, such as owns a top tier custom shop. He was Connie Manjavinos, who is only 25 honored to be one of the 10 painters years old, and Pablo Prado, who is known as one of the top upand-coming lowrider painters on the West Coast.

All of the 10 painters had begun working on their hoods two days prior to the Dream Cruise at the PPG Training Center in Wixom, MI, where they sprayed together and shared stories. When a reporter asked Danny Schramm, one of the German painters, if the Pablo Prado (right) from KandynChrome Custom Paint painters were sharing ideas and Designs with one of his lowrider creations at 2017 Woodward Dream Cruise secrets, he replied, “Yes, all of these painters have learned much from selected for the event, and spent a lot of time meeting the other painters. me already!”

“This is a great group, because we To open the weekend, 3M held a reception dinner at the Ford Piquette all come from different parts of the world and have different ways of paintAvenue Plant to welcome the painters ing cars,” Miles said. “The attitude here before the hard work began. Built in 1904, the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant is, ‘Let’s work together,’ and we’re alwas the second center of automobile ready making arrangements to stay conproduction for the Ford Motor Com- nected well after this weekend is over.”

Carmine De Maria from C.A.D. pany. The Ford Model T was created Custom in Melbourne, Australia has and first produced there in 1908.

See 3M PPS World Cup, Page 27 Jacob Miles from Milestone Paint

www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 17

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www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 19

MSO Symposium at NACE Establishes a New Record More than 300 collision industry executives attended the annual MSO Symposium, representing approximately $6.3 billion in annual revenue from more than 2,400 collision repair locations, as reported by The Roman’s Group.

This year’s Symposium featured a robust program and strong attendance from multiple industry facets with increased participation from car manufacturers. Insurance industry attendance exceeded expectations, with representation from numerous companies, including eight out of the top 10 largest insurers. Additionally, Susanna Gotsch, CCC Information Services Inc., and Vincent Romans, The Romans Group, kicked off the event with important outlooks and business forecasts. The Advisory Board, led by this year’s Chairman, Paul Gange, President & CEO, FIX Auto USA, did a fantastic job of bringing top speakers and subject matter to Chicago.

“Our focus for the MSO Symposium is to bring together the leaders and influencers from the insurance and collision repair industry. Executives and owners in the collision repair industry are treated to a day of education, collaboration,

20 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

and networking,” stated Dan Risley, ASA president and executive director. “The MSO Symposium is the one event that brings repairers and insurers together to the benefit of the industry and, ultimately, the consumer.”

“The ASA board and management were pleased to see the great turnout and positive response to the 2017 MSO Symposium. Although we will continue to make improvements with more networking and presentations, we are very pleased with the results and appreciate the support of sponsors who make all of this possible,” said Roy Schnepper, Chairman of ASA. It was announced that the 2018 MSO Symposium will be in Atlanta, GA, at the Georgia World Congress Center, in conjunction with NACE Automechanika.

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Continued from Page 15

An Island

the former Bar Louie parking lot—the property owner who had known Jose Luis for many years—until last year, when redevelopment for the Addison & Clark complex began.

Jose Luis stands on the sidewalk, talking with a client and surveying the damage on his car before making his way to the office to write an estimate.

The shop thrives on word-of-mouth, with customers referring family members and friends to the shop. Jose Luis frequently gets customers who say, “You did work for my dad, and he told me to come here.” A 4.5 rating on Yelp helps, too.

Inside, classic rock and Mexican ranchera music blare in separate rooms

as two auto body workers and one painter prep, prime and complete modifications on three separate cars. With six cars in the shop, it’s a slower day for the crew.

Gabriel Alanis, 40, applies Bondo, a putty-like body filler, on a dented driver-side door, smoothing several layers over the damaged area, while Xavier Nauta, 28, meticulously wipes particles from a black Infiniti sedan before spraying a clear coat of paint to ensure a gloss finish.

In another room, Jose Felix, 56, adds insulation between a door panel, tapping the outside of the door, listening for the hollow sound to go away.

Felix has worked at Luis’s Body Shop for about 26 years, and says the longevity of the business comes from the perfectionism that Jose Luis’s father expected.

“He wanted people to be happy, and he wanted us to do everything right,” Felix says in Spanish. “That expectation hasn’t changed. That’s why the shop is still around.”

Even while acknowledging the high caliber of work expected at the shop, Felix knows the shop isn’t immune to the changes happening outside.

Greg Resendiz, shop manager, looks out at throngs of Cubs fans on an August afternoon.

Credit: Mauricio Peña

“Things have changed, and we’ll see how much longer we will be here,” he says. “The big fish eat the little fish.”

“Our humble little shop” Luis’s Auto Shop, along with its neighbor Sports World, is now an island amid larger development projects. Jose Luis says he’ll keep doing business in this red-brick building for now. But how much longer? He isn’t sure.

“The property taxes keep going

www.autobodynews.com Don’t Miss the Weekly Industry NEWS Your Shop Needs.

up,” he says. That’s made it far more difficult to pay the bills, buy supplies, and pay his workers; his father’s former apartment upstairs was converted into an office space that they rent out for additional income.

“We are here for at least another year, and then after that we’ll see what happens,” Jose Luis says. After 51 years with the same shop name, location, and phone number, he hopes the reputation and customers follow should they decide to leave the neighborhood.

While the elder Resendiz will make the final decision when, and if, the shop leaves the Wrigleyville universe, Greg remains optimistic.

“We’re glad to be at this location,” he says. “We’ll be so lucky to be here another 50 years. This is our humble little shop in the middle of everything.”

We thank Chicago Magazine for reprint permission.

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Continued from Cover

Shops Affected

(HABA), reported, “We normally get about 50 inches of rain annually in Houston, but during Harvey, we got 53 inches in just a few days.”

Kopriva’s shop had 3 feet of water in the back of the building, but fortunately, he had moved all his customers’ vehicles to the front of the building, and neither his nor his children’s homes sustained damage.

Others were not so lucky. Several Houston area dealerships were completely flooded with all inventory lost; however, no casualties have been reported in the automotive community.

Many shop and dealership employees, as well as the general Houston population, have experienced major property losses, with homes and vehicles suffering severe damages or being completely destroyed.

Greg Luther, one of HABA’s Directors, noted, “A few guys in our shop had personal damage, and none have flood insurance, but employers are being as helpful and understanding as possible. Also, the National Automobile Dealers Association stepped in with some donations to help them.

“Harvey damaged 140,000 homes and at least 280,000 vehicles in Harris County alone, plus half a dozen other counties were impacted by the floods, and over 80 percent of the flooded homes don’t have flood insurance.

Still, it’s amazing how fast the city is recovering.”

Jill Tuggle, Executive Director of the Auto Body Association of Texas (ABAT), said, “In the days immediately following the hurricane, many people were unable to get to work due to flooded roads and highways. Some of the water has since receded, and some people are able to return to work, but we haven’t gotten word on specific shops and how much damage was sustained. I can’t imagine the emotional toll this has taken on business owners and team members alike.

Many are still trying to assess the damage done to their homes, remove debris and water from damaged surfaces, and determine what type of insurance coverages they have—or don’t have—all while trying to make sure they can continue to earn a paycheck to replace basic necessities and feed their families. That’s a large burden to bear.”

Fortunately, most ABAT shops are located in areas that received minimal impact from the storm, but the association has decided to donate all proceeds from raffle sales during August’s Texas Auto Body Trade Show to Harvey Relief and will be organizing a campaign to help in the upcoming weeks alongside HABA and CIF.

know why. Due to the increased traffic, there have been more accidents, but the lack of available rental cars continues to be an inconvenience for consumers. Also, due to Harvey’s destructive path, several large oil refineries have been closed, causing a gas shortage felt across the state, as well as increased prices.

More than three weeks after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, Kopriva added, “Here we are, 23 days after the initial storm coming on shore, and Houston is still dealing with the after-effects of Harvey. In some areas of the city, it is projected that there is a possibility that it will take 10 months or longer before A dumpsite in Houston for residents to discard property things finally get back to nordamaged during Harvey’s assault on the city mal. In downtown Houston, HABA’s Legislative Advisor many parking garage basements still Larry Cernosek estimated that hold flood water and are slowly being around 500,000 vehicles were flooded pumped dry and aerated to prevent in the Houston Metropolitan area, but mold. Bayous are just now starting to “the biggest problem is insurance recede back to normal levels. Numercompanies are writing $900 estimates ous subdivisions that never had a histhat barely cover towing and require tory of flooding were covered due to supplements, arguments and comemergency release of water from area plaints to fix these cars people bring reservoirs to prevent potential breach in to be repaired. The insurance com- in levies and spillways. Around Houspanies should work with the shops that do the repairs, but it’s just getting worse every day.”

Debris broke the windows of Cernosek’s shop, allowing 6 inches of rain to get in, but he easily pumped it out. He also lost some personal property, a boat and jet skis, during the storm, but knows that others had it much worse with up to 6 feet of water being reported in some homes.

Because of the sheer volume of damaged vehicles and the subsequent number of rental cars needed, the repair process has been slowed down while rental cars are being transported to Texas in an attempt to meet demands.

Although 18-wheelers are bringing more supply hourly, the list of customers waiting for rental car availability keeps growing.

Kopriva said, “The number of damaged and flooded vehicles continues to rise. As flood waters recede, more cars are being discovered, straining the availability of rental cars. Repairers have back logs of customers waiting to drop off their vehicle for repair, but not until a rental is made available.”

Traffic is also horrendous, according to Kopriva, who says roads are overloaded, but no one seems to

22 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

ton in rural outlying areas, the city is using military C-130 aircraft to spray for the control and to combat mass mosquito infestation, which is a growing problem.”

Still, amidst all the chaos and heartbreak, Harvey resulted in one positive thing.

“It pulled everyone together,” Kopriva shared. “I have a number of friends who took their boats out to help others evacuate, and it seems everyone reached out to help one another, even at risk of their own lives.

Despite all the loss and tragedy, everyone came together to help one another and show that not even this massive storm can divide us.”

Among the many organizations collecting donations for victims of Hurricane Harvey, CIF is offering disaster relief, and information is available for those who need assistance or anyone interested in contributing at: collisionindustryfoundation.org/disaster -relief/. See story this issue.

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www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 23

24 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

A Half-Million Flooded Cars and Trucks Could be Scrapped after Hurricane Harvey

by Justin Kavanagh, Car History Check Experts, MyVehicle.ie

Car dealers stateside are expecting a huge surge in business once Houston gets back on its feet.

Used-car values are already at a record high, and prices could climb even higher over the next couple of weeks due to the tighter supply.

Thousands of cars and trucks have been totaled, with water up to their windows and in some cases, over the roof.

The flooding is so extensive that it is estimated that a half-million vehicles may wind up being scrapped.

Jonathan Smoke, the chief economist for Cox Automotive, said, “This is worse than Hurricane Sandy.

Sandy was bad, but the flooding with Hurricane Harvey could impact far more vehicles.”

After Hurricane Sandy hit New York and New Jersey in October 2012, there were an estimated 250,000 vehicles that had to be written off and scrapped.

The New York metropolitan area may have a bigger population than Houston, TX, but the number of vehicles per household is much higher in Houston, hence double the number of cars written off.

With so many vehicles in the flood zone, insurance companies will be busy handling claims and sorting out insurance payouts for flood victims so they can buy new vehicles.

Car prices could climb even higher over the next couple of weeks due to the tighter supply in the Houston area, but not all of the flooded vehicles will wind up being scrapped. Many will be cleaned up and resold, often without the new buyer realizing they are buying a salvaged car or truck.

Frank Scafidi with the National Insurance Crime Bureau said, “It’s going to happen, that’s inevitable.

Look at all those vehicles floating around. There are people who will try to take advantage of the situation.”

The resale of repaired flooded

cars is not illegal in the US, as long as the flood damage is disclosed on the title to buyers. After Hurricane Katrina, thousands of rebuilt flood vehicles were sold to unsuspecting buyers

with titles that had been washed or reissued in a different state.

“We didn’t see this on a huge scale until Hurricane Katrina,” said Scafidi.

“Since then, the public awareness of the problem is greater, but with thousands of flooded vehicles it’s hard to prevent this from happening.”

We thank Car History Check Experts, MyVehicle.ie for reprint permission.

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CHEMSPEC USA Releases NextGen Color Selector

ChemSpec USA, LLC., is proud to announce the release of its 2nd generation Professional Color Selector.

The redesign of the PCS system is a direct result of the company’s dedication to color excellence and efficiencies in improving the lives of their customers in the USA and worldwide. The Professional Color Selector™ system consists of over 5,600 color chips for solid and metallic color refinishing. Included within are 265 color updates for 2017. The swatches are arranged in color chromatic sequence to easily compare the color swatch to the color directly on the vehicles surface. This allows for the painter to make a correct color choice quickly and accurately for improved efficiency. Each swatch is manufactured with our original paint and applied with a spray gun to get a truer to life, accurate match. The chips feature a newly laminated coating for improved durability and prevention of solvent ingress.

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Martin Senour Paints Announces 2017 Fourth Quarter Training Schedule

Martin Senour Paints has announced its 2017 fourth quarter training schedule, featuring courses held at training centers nationwide.

The curriculum is designed to provide collision repair industry professionals with advanced knowledge in their field. Shop owners, managers and technicians, as well as NAPA jobbers, will learn about cutting edge best practices for utilizing systems, maximizing profits and increasing productivity.

“The only way to thrive in this industry is to be constantly learning,” says Jeff Hartl, Martin Senour National Sales Director. “We offer these training courses to help collision repair professionals, and those who service them, at all skill levels grow their business and better serve their respective customers while increasing productivity and profits.”

The fourth quarter offering continues the training focus on Color Adjustment and Blending. The class content covers a combination of procedures, theory and application for practical shop experience and for refinish technicians and paint special-

ists to learn about new product updates and maximizing color application. All participants will receive personal safety equipment, as well as product and color training materials for use and future reference.

There are also courses specifically designed for fleet refinishers and NAPA jobber personnel who service the collision repair marketplace.

Other courses being taught by Martin Senour professionals during the fourth quarter of 2017 include: ● Painter Certification ● Pro//BASE™ Refinish System Painter Certification ● Color Match Simplicity ● Jobber Level 1

For more information regarding Martin Senour training or its paint products, visit martinsenourautopaint.com or call 1-800-5266704.

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www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 25

Continued from Cover

Harvey Ravage

ance policies, said Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas trade group, and some analysts estimate that figure will climb as high as 500,000.

With hurricane season in full swing and the tally from Irma just beginning, Harvey has been projected to be one of the costliest disasters in U.S. history, with experts estimating damage could exceed $100 billion. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has even suggested that damage could reach $150 billion to $180 billion.

About 15% of Texas motorists don’t have vehicle insurance, even though liability insurance is mandatory in the state.

Of the remaining 85% of motorists, three-quarters of them carry comprehensive coverage, which would include protection against flooding, on their policies, Hanna said.

“That’s very good news,” he said, for getting Texans back on the road.

There are just slightly less than 14 million total passenger vehicles and 6 million trucks in Texas, according to the

Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.

Of that total, 3.5 million vehicles were registered last year in Harris County, which includes Houston, according to the DMV. “We’ll see people wanting to replace their cars in a pretty quick fashion” because Houston, much like Los Angeles, is a sprawling city heavily dependent on the car for transporta-

were damaged by Harvey, including 150,000 to 200,000 new vehicles in the hardest-hit areas such as Houston and Corpus Christi.

Many of those new vehicles are trucks; Texas is the top market for new-truck sales in the United States.

One dealership, McRee Ford in Dickinson, southeast of Houston, had temporarily closed because all of its

tion, said Jessica Caldwell, director of industry analysis at Edmunds.com.

“You will see auto sales higher in the affected areas, probably for the rest of the year, with people needing to replace their vehicles,” she said. “It’s hard to go without a car in a place like Houston.”

The typical surge in vehicle sales after a natural disaster provides some economic boost to the affected area.

A month after Superstorm Sandy slammed New Jersey and New York, New York City-area vehicle sales jumped 49%.

Edmunds estimated that 366,000 new vehicles on dealer lots in Texas

500 new and used vehicles were damaged by the storm.

But the Houston Automobile Dealers Assn., which represents about 175 franchise dealers selling new cars and trucks, said 85% of its dealers in Houston were fully operational with zero or minimal damage.

“All but a handful of dealers I spoke to this morning are all open today at full service and regular hours,” association spokeswoman RoShelle Salinas said Aug. 31, only the second day of sunshine for Houston after Harvey’s deluge. “This is a great position to be in to help Houstonians get back into transportation and on to moving

Our entire inventory is no longer available for sale.

— McRee Ford, Dickinson, Texas

26 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

about the city.”

She said some dealers “have multi-story parking garages, and a lot of them put their vehicles into those garages” before the storm hit “so they wouldn’t suffer damage if the water was to rise.”

For those dealers who lost cars, replenishing their lots with new vehicles “is not an issue” because “there’s an overabundance of new cars” in the U.S. market, Michelle Krebs, executive analyst for Autotrader, said in an email.

“All of this inventory can be shuttled around the country,” Krebs said.

“In fact, AutoNation, which has numerous dealerships in the Houston area that were hit by Harvey, said it would do exactly that.”

But it could be a tougher situation for Texans who can afford only a modestly priced used car that’s a few years old, Krebs said.

“Shortages exist in the very affordable [market for] 4- to 8-year-old cars,” she said. “That could spell trouble for consumers with few resources or with resources stretched.”

It’s also unclear how rapidly flood-weary Texans will jump into the market for another car. “The hard

thing to figure out are the insurance claims, and how fast that process will work,” Caldwell said. “Most people can’t buy a new car while waiting for an insurance check for the old one.”

Dealers also carry insurance to cover losses for the vehicles on their lots — notably for hail storms that are common in Texas—so the insurers would suffer the biggest financial hit from the storm, Hanna said.

Dean Crutchfield, chief information officer at CDK Global, a provider of software and services to auto dealerships, said many Houston-area dealers removed or relocated their computers ahead of the storm “and now they’re coming back into their stores and trying to reestablish normal operations.”

“One of the key themes we’ve seen is the dealers’ interest in maintaining their payroll operations” so that their employees don’t miss a paycheck even though car sales were disrupted by Harvey, Crutchfield said.

And what of the flood-damaged cars?

“Most of the vehicles are sold to parts companies who dismantle them and resell usable parts that were not damaged by the flooding,” the National Insurance Crime Bureau, an insurance

trade group, said in an advisory.

But the bureau advised buyers to “be particularly careful in the coming weeks and months as thousands of Harvey-damaged vehicles may reappear for sale in their areas” across the nation, a problem that also occurred in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

That disaster led the bureau to create the free VINCheck database, which lets vehicle shoppers check a vehicle identification number to see if the car or truck was deemed “salvage” by an insurance company because of flood or accident or if it was reported stolen. Uninsured vehicles, however, would escape the insurance industry’s scrutiny.

“Unfortunately, some of the flooded vehicles may be purchased at bargain prices, cleaned up and then taken out of state where the VIN [vehicle identification number] is switched and the car is re-titled with no indication it has been damaged,” the bureau said.

“Buyers should have a vehicle checked by a reputable mechanic or repair facility before handing over any cash,” the bureau said.

Mark Holstein decided he would bypass insurance and dealerships al-

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The Port Aransas resident left his white 1980 Camaro in the garage during the hurricane as he high-tailed it out of there and headed for drier land in San Antonio in his truck.

The low-to-the-ground sports car had been a labor of love for him over the years as he had refurbished the black leather interior and was working on replacing the transmission to give it better performance.

After Harvey, the car took in 3 feet of water. Mold was growing. The engine had drowned in the salty Gulf of Mexico water. The flared exhaust pipes along the running boards were already caked in rust.

Holstein, 59, said he wouldn’t bother with insurance. Instead, he said he’d just consider it another project.

“I guess I’ll start over,” he said.

“Something to keep me busy.”

Peltz reported from Los Angeles, Montero from Houston.

We thank the Los Angeles Times for reprint permission.

www.autobodynews.com

Continued from Page 16

3M PPS World Cup

been painting for 25 years. A decade ago, he came to the U.S. and met with other painters. It reignited his career and he began focusing on customs, hot rods and full restorations as a result. The hood De Maria created featured a boxing kangaroo with a green and gold background.

“Coming here is truly a big deal for me and for my company, because it’s recognition that’s coming from 3M,” he said. “I am representing Australia, which means I have to do a good hood that people will like, but it also shows my style and creativity.”

Pablo Prado from Los Angeles, CA, is one of the hottest painters of lowriders in the country right now. One of the younger painters invited to be in the 3M PPS World Cup, Prado brought some West Coast flavor to the event.

“I’m self-taught pretty much, and it’s really an honor to be meeting all of these other painters,” Prado said.

“I’ve been doing this for around 10 years now and I basically do lowriders, so I appreciate seeing other styles and techniques.”

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Highest Quality, Factory-Certified Ford Parts www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 27

U.S. Navy Vet: Gift Puts Him on Road to Opportunity in Chaska, MN

by Unsie Zuege, Southwest News Media

Justin Griego had a car—a 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix. But then it started acting up, becoming much less reliable for him, his fiancee Chelsea Decker, and their young son.

It was just one more thing for the young family to worry about. Griego and Decker have had their share of challenges in recent years.

Thanks to a program called Recycled Rides, in which participating auto repair shops refurbish and donate former “totaled” vehicles, Griego and his family have one less hurdle to overcome.

Griego, a Chaska resident, joined the U.S. Navy in 2005 at age 17, right out of high school. He became a U.S.

Griego is attending school to study early childhood education and sign language. Working with educators and counselors at District 112 provided him an opportunity to understand the work they do to help children like his son, and inspired him to work in education.

Honoring Vets The “Recycled Rides” program is a national program, spearheaded by the National Auto Body Council (NABC).

Vehicles deemed total losses by insurance companies are repaired, restored and rebuilt.

“Just because it’s classified as a ‘total loss’ doesn’t mean that it can’t be fixed,” explained Darrell Amberson, president of operations at LaMettry’s Collision. LaMettry’s has several Twin Cities locations, including Chanhassen. “In the insurance industry, a vehicle is considered a total loss by a mathematical formula. They calculate the cost of the repairs and the value of the car, and if it falls below a certain monetary value, the car is classified as totaled. But it doesn’t have much to do with Justin Greigo and his fiancee, Chelsea Decker, check the condition of the car itself. out their new ride, a 2014 Plymouth Dodge minivan.

They’re serviceable and just Credit: Unsie Zuege need to be refurbished.”

Navy helicopter mechanic, working on This is LaMettry’s seventh year as electrical components and serving as a Recycled Rides donor, and “my plane captain. He was deployed two fourth year since being here,” Ambertimes. son said. “We’ve worked with several Both deployments were humanidifferent insurance companies—State tarian missions meant to build schools Farm, Farmers Insurance, American and goodwill in remote areas of the Family—who find the vehicles for us; world. After his second deployment, the NABC helps with the legal paperduring a post-flight inspection, a heliwork.” copter blade that was being reset fell on “It’s not only a good cause, providhim. It hit him on the head and neck, ing a vehicle for a veteran,” Amberson resulting in muscle damage, insomnia, said, “but the program also provides and other long-term disabilities. training for our less-experienced meIn November 2013, Griego and chanics. They have an opportunity to Decker had a baby boy. But their joy learn alongside our experienced meturned to worry when not long afterchanics. Everybody benefits.” ward, Decker was diagnosed with cerThis year’s Recycled Ride is a vical cancer. While the cancer is in gray 2014 Dodge Caravan minivan. remission, she suffers from the effects “Refurbished cars can be donated of the chemotherapy. to anyone, but LaMettry’s has chosen At about the same time, they military veterans,” Amberson said. “We learned their son, Matthew, exhibited want to do something for our military signs of autism. With early intervenveterans.” tion, he has made significant progress.

With all these cascading challenges, Choosing a Vet Griego had to quit his job, and eventuWhen it came time earlier this year to ally the family was homeless. Fortupick a recipient, Amberson got in touch nately, they were able to get help through with some people out at Flying Cloud a program that assists homeless vets.

Airport.

28 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

“I knew that the airport had associations with a number of military vet groups,” Amberson said. “As I talked with various people, Bob Ayotte’s name kept coming up. So I called him.”

Bob Ayotte, a retired U.S. Army colonel and real property accountable officer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is involved with several military

The 2014 Plymouth Dodge minivan, once classified as a “total loss,” was refurbished and repaired to just-like-new condition by LaMettry’s Collision, Chanhassen, MN

service and veterans groups, including Chanhassen’s Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program. Amberson enlisted Ayotte’s help in finding candidates.

“It’s difficult,” Ayotte said, “because there are so many good ones out there. But we really do look for someone who has faced some tough times,

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who could really benefit. Sometimes we’ve picked the family of a vet. One year, the recipient was the family of Kham See Xiong, of St. Paul, MN, an Army private who was one of 13 killed in the Fort Hood shooting Nov. 5, 2009.”

“They are people who generally shy away from publicity,” Amberson said of the recipients. “And, it can be a delicate situation, but we donate the car to someone who’s had some incident or mishap, who really could benefit.”

Griego After reviewing a slate of candidates, LaMettry’s decided on Griego, who was notified earlier this summer. The donation event in his honor was Sept.

8, at the LaMettry’s Collision complex in Chanhassen, MN. At the reception, Griego received congratulations from dignitaries and LaMettry employees alike, and had pictures taken in front of his Plymouth Caravan, which sported a huge green bow on its roof. Amberson handed off the minivan keys to an appreciative Griego, who thanked those gathered See U.S. Navy Vet, Page 30

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www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 29

Continued from Page 28

U.S. Navy Vet

for the gift.

Later in the day, after he had a chance to catch his breath, Griego shared his thoughts.

“I was thrilled to hear I was getting a car,” Griego said. “I was excited and surprised. What I drove previously had served us well, but it had

for more than just the minivan.

“It comes at a good time. I’m going to school. I just started a month ago for early childhood education, and I’m learning sign language. I’ve always enjoyed teaching. I was a dog trainer before this. But staying home with my son opened my eyes to the field (early childhood education). What really prompted me were Matthew’s educators and teachers. The school district here is amazing; they have a lot of amazing people.”

Things are looking up “Chelsea is in remission and has been free and clear for some time,” Griego said, “and today, Matthew, who’s 3-1/2 years old had his first day of preschool. That’s where he was this morning, so he missed the ceremony.

So it’s been a big Justin Griego, a U.S. navy vet, is the recipient of this year’s Recycled Ride, refurbished and restored by day of firsts. And then, right LaMettry Collision of Chanhassen, MN. With him is after, we picked him up in the his fiance, Chelsea Decker minivan. Of course, the first broken down. I had it fixed, and then thing he did inside was spill his drink.” a couple days later, it broke down When pointed out that the family again. Actually, when LaMettry heard minivan has officially been broken in, about what happened to our car—they Griego cheerfully agreed and chuckled. actually came and got it and repaired We thank Southwest News Media it for us. I’m pretty thankful to them for reprint permission.

30 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Tesla’s Autopilot Played Key Role in Deadly Florida Crash

The National Transportation Safety Board’s finding that Tesla’s Autopilot shares the blame for a fatal crash with a truck in Florida last year underscores the need for Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards covering automated driver assistance technologies, Consumer Watchdog said Sept. 12.

The NTSB’s findings came an hour before the Department of Transportation and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released new autonomous vehicle guidance, “A Vision for Safety 2.0,” which explicitly ignored socalled Level 2 technologies such as Autopilot.

At the DOT-NHTSA news conference in Ann Arbor, MI, announcing the new federal voluntary self-driving guidelines, an NHTSA spokesman said the agency hadn’t yet reviewed the NTSB findings.

“NHTSA should have been a partner with the NTSB in this investigation, but they were not,” said John M. Simpson, Consumer Watchdog’s Privacy Project Director. “Instead they’re asleep at the

wheel and didn’t even bother to address Level 2 technologies in their new voluntary guidance.”

NTSB chair Robert Sumwalt said the Tesla’s “operational limitations played a major role in this collision.”

The board unanimously recommended that automakers be required to limit the use of partially self-driving technology by ensuring that drivers are actively engaged in driving at all times. The board concluded that Tesla’s method of making sure the driver’s hands are periodically on the wheel is not enough. A possible solution could be a camera that tracks eye movement.

“Tesla CEO Elon Musk played an active role in leading drivers to believe Autopilot was more capable of self-driving than was the case,” said Simpson.

“There were widely viewed videos of both him and his wife behind the wheel and waving their arms, clearly leaving the impression the car did everything. He should be held accountable for his deadly hype.”

Chip Foose Demonstrates the 3M™ Accuspray™ Spray Gun System

Automotive legend Chip Foose, along with Andy Boyd, U.S. Marketing Manager at 3M Paint Booth Solutions, demonstrated the 3M™ Accuspray™ Spray Gun System with Standard PPS™ at NACE Automechanica 2017 in Chicago.

During the demonstration, Chip Foose said, “When you are actually using this system, get your paint cup ready with paint in it. When you’ve got that all assembled, if you are doing custom work, you can have 15 different colors here with the tips on them by simply popping the lid off. With a rag, you can wipe the gun and it is easily cleaned for the next color.”

The 3M™ Accuspray™ Spray Gun System with Standard PPS™ is a combination of convenience, versatility and efficiency. It is an all-in-one solution for the mixing, measuring, filtering and spraying of primer, sealer, base and clear coat. This system features the Accuspray™ ONE Spray Gun—a lightweight, composite spray gun body that is molded in one piece, eliminating the complexity, wear and cleaning of small parts and pieces. The spray gun uses a series of replaceable, transparent atomizing heads, which can be reused 5—10 times and then simply removed and replaced. This af-

fords the performance of a brand-new spray gun on demand and at a fraction of the price.

Atomizing heads are available in 1.3 mm and 1.4 mm sizes for sealers, primer surfacers, basecoats and topcoats; a 1.8 mm size for higher-viscosity materials such as primer and gel coats; and a 2.0 mm size for heavyduty applications using fluids like adhesives, undercoats or industrial coatings. And fast, easy controls for fan diameter, fluid and air pressure allow for quick adjustment across jobs from spot repairs to full panel coverage requiring up to foot-long vertical or horizontal spray patterns. This equipment works with the standard PPS™ system of reusable paint cups and disposable lids and liners, so you can be done with cleaning paint cups forever.

Unlike conventional paint cup systems, the 3M™ PPS™ (PDF, 706.89 Kb) eliminates the need for mixing

paint in additional paint mix cups and then transferring the paint through a separate filter into a paint reservoir.

This is an important advantage because waste occurs every time a user transfers paint through mixing cups and filters. When using PPS™, you place the disposable liner within the re-usable PPS™ Cup. Then, simply mix the paint in the PPS™ disposable liner, snap the disposable lid (with the pre-welded filter) in place and attach the locking collar to complete the PPS™ System. With just these few simple steps, you’re ready to start spraying.

PPS™ allows the painter to spray consistently 90° to the part, no matter how the part is positioned. This makes material transfer more consistent, limits paint overspray and lowers paint consumption. Because PPS is a closed system, you can operate in any orientation—e.g. 360 degrees.

After spraying, the painter can use a sealing plug to seal and protect paint materials or simply discard the disposable lid and liner, leaving only the adapter and spray gun to clean. Discard the disposable lid and liner in the appropriate approved waste containers specified by the paint manufacturer (or local government requirements). Use a

small amount of solvent for cleaning the spray gun and the PPS™ adapter.

Shops are often experiencing a 70 percent reduction in cleaning solvents when using this disposable paint system, which means solvent cleaning savings and solvent disposal savings.

Most guns can be cleaned with less than 3 oz. of solvent.

Specifically designed PPS™ stainless steel metal adapters allow painters to use the PPS™ system with virtually any spray gun (PDF, 310.09 Kb).

Painters have also the option to use the 3M™ Accuspray™ ONE spray gun (PDF, 3.69 Mb), which requires no adapters. Technicians have found that this spray gun further reduces cleaning solvent usage and cleaning and maintenance time.

Because the painter uses a new disposable lid (with welded-in filter) and disposable liner for each mix, there is less risk of outside contamination due to mixing, filtering, and clean-up. Using a fresh lid and liner with each paint job, rather than washing out reusable components, often improves overall productivity in prep and clean-up time by as much as 15 percent.

For more information visit: http:// bit.ly/2xgDxXv

www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 31

Seminars Give Hawaii Body Shops Opportunity to Learn

Larry Montanez instructed attendees at two seminars hosted by the Automotive Body & Painting Association of Hawaii

Seminars Give Hawaii Body Shops Opportunity to Learn Advanced Techniques and Procedures

by Stacey Phillips

The Automotive Body & Painting Association of Hawaii hosted two seminars in September instructed by Larry Montanez from P&L Consultants. On September 7, body shop owners, managers, technicians and estimators across the Hawaiian Islands attended “Tech Night-Repairing Cosmetic Aluminum.� It was held at Island Fender in Honolulu, which is owned by Van Takemoto.

During the evening event, Montanez gave an overview of proper aluminum repair procedures and techniques for outer panels with cosmetic damage, which was followed by a hands-on demonstration.

Two days later, on September 8, Montanez led an estimating class at

the Pagoda Hotel in Honolulu focused on metallurgy, crash management and advanced damage report writing. Attendees had the opportunity to learn about the different strengths of steel and aluminum, including their functions and designs, different attachment methods, reparability and the specialized equipment required.

Montanez also covered diagnosing damage and pre-measuring and prerepair diagnostic scanning as well as how vehicles absorb, transfer or manage applied collision energy forces.

For more information about P&L Consultants, contact info@PnL Estimology.com. For details about The Automotive Body & Painting Association of Hawaii and upcoming events, contact ABPAH@hawaii .rr.com.

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www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 33

GFS Releases Booth Shield Peelable Booth Protection Global Finishing Solutions® (GFS), a world leader in innovation for paint booth and finishing system technologies, has released Booth Shield™, a complete line of peelable coatings for protecting paint booth walls, windows, lights and floors.

“GFS is excited to offer our customers a fast, easy solution for booth protection and overspray capture,” said Mick Ramis, business unit manager at GFS. Compatible with all types of booths, Booth Shield provides a bright,

clean finish on paint booth surfaces and ensures prime visibility while working inside the booth. Booth Shield Peelable Translucent offers a protective coating for white pre-coated steel booths, windows and lights. Booth Shield Peelable White brightens and protects both galvanized and white pre-coated paint booths.

Easy to apply and remove, and providing longlasting coverage, Booth Shield offers significant advantages compared to traditional paper wrap.

The liquid coatings can be sprayed or rolled onto the surface and built up to desired thickness. Most wall applications are complete with just one coat of Booth Shield, and floor coatings can withstand heavy-duty traffic after just two layers.

“Booth Shield dries quickly after application, allowing you to resume full use of your booth within a couple hours,” continues Ramis.

In addition to improving booth brightness and appearance, Booth Shield creates a safer spraying environment by trapping overspray and minimizing fire hazards caused by

34 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

excess paint accumulation. When it’s time to remove and replace the booth coating, simply score the edges and

peel Booth Shield off your surfaces.

The coating can be peeled off walls and floors in large sections, compressed and disposed of normally.

Choose from a complete line of Booth Shield wall and floor prep coats, peelable white wall coats, peelable translucent wall coats and peelable floor products to quickly and easily protect your investment.

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AACF Helps Aftermarket Victims of Hurricanes

The Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation (AACF) is taking immediate action to expand urgent storm response efforts for aftermarket families in the wake of hurricanes Irma and Harvey. “We are actively working with SEMA, the Auto Care Association, and others to continue identifying aftermarket families in urgent need, and a number of families have already been provided with urgent funding,” said AACF President Bob Hirsch. “We understand that many are still without power and basic supplies, so we’ve also launched a simple application on our website to make it easier for families to apply and receive help using a mobile device.” AACF recently allocated $250,000 from its reserve funds to address the needs of families in storm-affected areas in addition to donations received, as historic hurricane events and flooding continue in many areas of the country.

“Aftermarket families are going to need a lot of help,” said Joel Ayres, Executive Director of AACF. “With tens of thousands displaced, and more than 7 million people currently without power in Florida alone, it’s clear this is going to be a long road of recovery.”

New Shop Ownership Expands Services in WA and ID

years prior to the management switch and felt ready for retirement, Lohman A local body shop is now under new said. management after almost four decades.

Sims bought the company from Previously known as Brian’s Body his father when it was still located in Shop, it is now known as University downtown Pullman, making it a secCollision. ond-generation business, said Nick Carson, the head painter for University Collision. Sims relocated the shop to 2530 S. Grand Ave. 25 years ago.

Carson, who has worked for the company for 17 years, said the previous owner’s ultimate goal was to retire, and University Collision’s goal is to invest in its future and expand within the community.

University Collision does paint and collision repair. The shop cannot repair chipped Jake Stephenson, an employee of University Collision, windshields, but does offer repairs a replacement bumper on the back of an SUV. complete glass replacement.

Credit: Alex Pettit Estell, The Daily Evergreen Its Moscow location has a This shop is owned and operated full bed liner and detail shop. The shops by five new owner/managers with also have shuttling capabilities between two locations in Pullman, WA, and the two locations.

Moscow, ID. University Collision will begin Marcus Lohman, one of the five to introduce aluminum repairs once new owner/managers, said the shop’s the rest of its equipment arrives. This previous owner, Brian Sims, recently shop is currently the only auto body sold the company. repair company in the area that’s caSims owned the shop for 37 pable of aluminum repairs, considby Marco McCray, the Daily Evergreen

ering the difficulty of the process, Lohman said.

Marcus Lohman, shop owner and manager, discusses future business goals. Credit: Alex Pettit Estell, The Daily Evergreen

Under the new management, University Collision will also implement a new estimating program, he said.

The new estimating program is an entirely online-based system. Customers only need to get a claim number from their insurance company, drop off their car and University Col-

lision will handle the repairs, Lohman said.

The new estimating program provides customers with daily updates on their car. This includes the prices of the replacement parts, a schedule of the repair and notifications after the completion of each repair.

Once the program is fully up and running, University Collision will have one of the most advanced estimating programs around the Palouse, Lohman said.

Lohman has worked in the auto body business for the past 15 years.

Prior to being an owner/manager at University Collision, Lohman worked at the Moscow location when it opened four years ago.

“We’re a new shop, but we’re not new to the business,” Lohman said.

We thank The Daily Evergreen for reprint permission.

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

• A massive 179 square feet of filtration area.

• Two huge input filters (over 36sf ) clean the air going through the Workstation.

• Four Paint Arrest Filters (140+ square feet) and two Activated • Charcoal Filters ensure the air going back into the environment is clean and EPA compliant.

Different Diff fferent ffe ren nt Sizes Sizes Sizes Available—Including: S Availab A Availabl ble le—IIncludin ncllud diing: g:

• 13’x11’—Parts, pieces and motorcycles.

• 30’x14’—Any full size vehicle.

• 35’x16’x12’5” tall—As above but also Sprinter vans, small boats, and smaller RVs.

• 60’x16’x12’5” tall—Full size RVs, boats, large trucks, etc.

Lighting: LLighting: Ligh ghtiing g:

• Four large clear windows provide ample lighting.

• Additional stand lights can be placed outside the booth.

A Smart Solution.

The The Carcoon Car arco co oon on America Am A meerica ric Workstation Wo orksta atio on works work wo orks ks the the he same sam sa me and and just ju ust as effectively eff ffecctivvely as as a cross-flow ccrros rosss--fl flow flo fl w paint paiint booth. ootth The Th T he Carcoon Carrco Ca C oon America oo Am me erricca Workstation Work W Work kstation kst ation n is is EPA E A Certified.

Cer fi C fie ed Ideal Ideall for fo or the the busy b busy body b dy bod dy shop-mobile sh p-m mob bile technician/smaller techn tech hn nician/smaller nici ian n/sma alle er shop sh hop ho p with w th limited llim mited facilities. fac facil cilliti ities. es

866.910.0899 www.carcoonworkstation.com www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 35

H ONDA ILLI NO I S

Honda Superstore of Lisle Ch i ca go /Su b u rb s

866-874-6632 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-5 hondaparts@auto-plaza.com

Schaumburg Honda Automobiles Sch a u m b urg

847-884-8898 847-884-6632 Dept. Hours: M-F 6:30am-Midnight; Sat 8am-5pm k.kelley@rohrman.com

Meyer Honda O ’F a l l o n

888-714-6739 618-206-2172 Dept. Hours: M-Sat 7-6 partsmeyerhonda1@gmail.com IND I AN A

Basney Honda M i sh a wa k a

800-877-7477 574-255-2179 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-2

Bob Rohrman Honda La fa ye tte

800-488-3537 765-448-1000 Dept. Hours: M 7:30-8; Tue-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-3 Brho.partsmgr@rohrman.com A CU RA OH I O

Columbia Acura Ci n ci nn a ti

800-654-3553 513-530-0698 Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5:30; Sat 8-12 columbiaparts@mail.com IL L IN O IS

Acura of Libertyville Li b e rty vi ll e

847-680-7333 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 7:30-4 kmilz@acuralibertyville.com

Arlington Acura in Palatine Pa l a ti n e

800-991-8438 847-991-9005 Dept. Hours: M-W 7:30-7:30; Thu-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 8-3 aaip.partsmgr@rohrman.com 36 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Please contact these dealers for your Honda or Acura Genuine parts needs.

I NDI A NA

M INNE SO TA

MIS SOU RI

O HIO

Bosak Honda

Buerkle Honda

Frank Fletcher Honda

Hig hla nd

S t . P aul

C o lu mb i a

Be d ford

800-542-6725 219-922-3102

800-592-9514 651-484-0975

573-818-3650

800-509-9057 440-786-3363

Dept. Hours: M 8-5; Tue 8-8 W, Thu, F 8-5; Sat 8-4 davepropeck@bosakmail.com

Dept. Hours: M-Thu 8-9; F 8-6; Sat 8-4:30 hondaparts@buerkle.com

Honda of Fishers F ishe r s

800-806-6404 317-299-3723 Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6 honda-west@att.com

Pl ymo uth

800-824-4646 734-453-3600 Dept. Hours: M 7:30-8; Tue-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-4 Karl_messer@victoryplymouth.com

Zeigler Honda

Frank Leta Honda

Luther Hopkins Honda

S t . L ou is

Ho pkin s

888-680-6025 636-336-5003

800-328-6016 952-908-8585 Dept. Hours: M-Thu 7-9; F 7-6; Sat 8-4 tim.lewis@hopkinshonda.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7-5 hondaparts@frankleta.com

Honda of Tiffany Springs

800-328-2703 612-866-8197

Dept. Hours: M-Fri 7-6; Sat 7-4 parts@hondaoftiffanysprings.com

Dept. Hours: M-Thu 6:30-9; F 6:30-6; Sat 6:30-5 parts@rbhonda.com

Roper Honda

Dept. Hours: M 7:30-8; Tu-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 8-4

M ISS OUR I

Bommarito Honda

Dept. Hours: M, W, Th, F 7:30-6; Tu 7:30-7; Sat 9-1 dvice@roperauto.com

Dept. Hours: M-Sat 7-6 Lrowe@bommarito.net

Superior Honda of Omaha

Ed Napleton Honda

888-408-0911 402-408-1100

IL L INO IS

S t . P et e rs

800-875-4190 636-928-4400

W IS C O NSI N

Russ Darrow Honda M i lwa u ke e

888-318-1671 414-586-5401 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7-4; Sun 8-4 hondaparts@russdarrow.com

N EBR AS KA

O m ah a

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-5:30; Sat 8-6 ianw@hondaofomaha.com

Wilde Honda Wa u ke sh a

800-526-3209 262-542-9300 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-9; Sat 8-4 wildehondaparts@gmail.com

Dept. Hours: M-Sat 7-6 gethondaparts@napleton.com

IL LI NO I S

Continental Acura of Naperville

M a si l lo n

Jo p li n

877-244-6632 417-625-0846

Dept. Hours: M-Thu 7-8; F 7-6; Sat 8-4 bobsmith@zagteam.com

Dept. Hours: M-Th 7-9; F 7-6; Sat 8-6 parts@lutherbrookdalehonda.com

Waikem Honda 800-225-0281 330-478-4435

Ha ze lwoo d

800-899-8900 763-331-6880

Dept. Hours: Tue, W, F 8-6; M, Thu 8-8; Sat 8-4 grobinette@glakeshonda.com

816-452-3221

800-731-8270 314-731-8270

B roo k lyn Ce nter

Ak ro n

330-633-8197 330-633-6060

R ichf ie ld

Ka la ma zo o

Brookdale Honda

Great Lakes Honda

K a ns a s C it y

888-342-1678 269-585-5812

MI N NES O TA

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-4 jayhondaparts@gmail.com

Richfield-Bloomington Honda MI C HIG A N

Victory Honda

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4 gropp@fletcherauto.com

Jay Honda

MIC HIGAN

W IS C O NSI N

Muller’s Woodfield Acura

Acura of Troy

Ho f f m an Es t at e s

Tr oy

Br oo k fi e ld

Chi ca go /Su b urb s

866-475-9280

630-960-2175

Dept. Hours: M 7-5; Tue-F 7-6 Sat 8-3 mcavallini@woodfieldacura.com

800-935-0923 248-643-0900

800-383-3936 262-439-6029

Dept. Hours: M 7:30-8; T-F 7:30-6; Sat 10-3 parts286@acuraoftroy.com parts287@acuraoftroy.com

Dept. Hours: M-Th 7:30-6; F 7:30-5; Sat 8-4:30 patrick.murphy@zimbrick.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-5:30; Sat 8-4 bobw@conacura.com

Joe Rizza Acura

M INNE SO TA

Acura of Brookfield

Buerkle Acura

O rl a ndo Par k

Mi nneap ol i s

708-460-6369 708-403-7770

800-717-3109 763-488-1122

Dept. Hours: M-W 8-5:30; Thu 8-7 F 8-4:30 Sat 8-2 acuraparts@rizzacars.com

Dept. Hours: M, F 7-5:30; Tue-Thu 7-7; Sat 7:30-4 acuraparts@buerkle.com

McGrath Acura of Morton Grove

Luther Bloomington Acura

Mo rto n Grove

847-470-2309

800-451-5078 952-887-0600

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-9; Sat 8-6 acparts@mcgrathag.com

Dept. Hours: M 6:30-6; Tue-F 6:30-9; Sat 8-4 parts@bloomingtonacura.com

B lo om ing t on

www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 37

Spanesi Americas Partners with MB Motorsports Spanesi Americas, a global industry leader in Collision Repair, has partnered with the sole surviving original team in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, MB Motorsports.

Timothy Morgan, COO of Spanesi Americas, sees parallels between his company and the team. “MB Motorsports has a long, long history of finding young talent and grooming them for their future in NASCAR. At Spanesi Americas, we have been involved with the Collision Repair Education Foundation since our inception, and myself for over 20 years, supporting collision repair, equipment and process to high schools and colleges,” he said.

Spanesi Americas specializes in supplying design, equipment and training for collision repair facilities. Spanesi Americas offers consulting, training and 3D plans through customized solutions and innovative processes. Spanesi products are innovative, highly technological and offer excellent performance in quality, productivity and profit. In conjunction with Spanesi technologies, the techni-

cian is able to repair a damaged vehicle within factory OEM specifications.

“Timothy is absolutely correct,” says team owner Mike Mittler. “Both our organizations are heavily involved in developing young talent, so we have that synergy going forward. In addition, the people who purchase and utilize their equipment are the same people who fill our grandstands and watch our races week in and week out.”

Adds Morgan, “There couldn’t be a better time to launch this partnership, as the Collision Repair Education Foundation and ASE will hold their third annual Cars, Careers, & Celebrities Expo event on Friday, September 15th at Chicagoland Speedway.”

MB Motorsports is the sole surviving original team in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, having competed in every season since the series debuted in 1995. The team has given many young drivers their start in NASCAR, including Sprint Cup Series winners Carl Edwards, Jamie McMurray, Brad Keselowski and Regan Smith.

38 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Young Auto Care Network Group Announces Program at AAPEX 2017

The Young Auto Care Network Group (YANG) of the Auto Care Association will be presenting YANG@AAPEX during the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX), Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, NV. All professionals in the auto care industry under the age of 40 are encouraged to attend.

The program will include the YANG Town Hall titled, “Get in the Driver’s Seat: The 3 Keys to a Successful Auto Care Career,” featuring an executive panel from all channels of the auto care industry moderated

by YANG Advisory Council member Dave Shapiro, SRS Marketing Company, 3:45 p.m.-4:45 p.m. at The Venetian Hotel, Marco Polo Room 706.

The panel topics include:  Willingness to Grow - How Continuing Education and Learning New Skills Drives Opportunity  You Are Who You Know - The Importance of Networking and Growing Your Inner Circle  Learning to Lead - How Getting to the Top Takes Sacrifice and Putting Others First Immediately after the panel, at-

tendees are invited to attend the YANG-sponsored happy hour, 5 p.m.6:30 p.m., at LAVO in the Palazzo.

Panelists include: Corey Bartlett, MAAP, president, Automotive Parts Headquarters, Inc.; and Aaron Shaffer, business development manager, KYB Americas Corporation.

In addition to YANG @AAPEX, members of YANG have the opportunity to receive professional staged photographs free of charge on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., in the Auto Care Association Member Center, Room 201-203 in the Sands Expo.

New this year is the YANG Mentor Pin, designed to initiate conversations between young industry professionals and willing mentors.

YANG Mentor Pin wearers will be recognized at AAPEX events by wearing the mentor pin. The pin pledges their willingness to support the industry’s future leaders and to indicate they are open to conversations with members.

“Getting the perspective of professionals with prior experience is extremely valuable, and our hope is

that the YANG Mentor Pin will help YANG members identify auto care industry leaders willing to share their experiences,” said Thurston Adams, Heri Automotive and YANG Council member.

“Our goal is that mentorship relationships will be formed informally, based on mutual respect for the similar paths we are following throughout our careers in the auto care industry. When someone is wearing a YANG Mentor Pin, YANG members can simply say hello and introduce themselves, pick their brain and ask them about their career. In life and in business, simple introductions often lead to great relationships.”

Those interested in a YANG Mentor Pin can contact Courtney Hammer, YANG staff liaison, at courtney.hammer@autocare.org or by picking up their pin at the Auto Care Association Fall Leadership Days registration desk in San Francisco, CA, Sept. 6-8, or at the Auto Care Association Member Center in the Sands Expo, Room 201 during AAPEX 2017.

YANG membership is free and open to Auto Care Association members under the age of 40. For information, visit www.autocare.org /yang or email yang@autocare.org.

SCRS Announces Awards Presented at Collision Industry Red Carpet Awards Breakfast

The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) is pleased to announce the first annual Collision Industry Red Carpet Awards Breakfast at the 2017 SEMA Show.

This event will be free to attend, and held on Wednesday, Nov. 1 from 7:30 - 9:00am in Ballrooms D-E in the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino. RSVP here: http://conta.cc /2u4wrEM. The event will feature some of the most prestigious awards and recognitions from industry organizations highlighting standout individuals and businesses in the collision repair industry.

As part of the morning ceremony, SCRS will deliver the first-ever March Taylor Kina’ole Award. The Hawaiian word Kina’ole is the embodiment of excellence in the highest form. It is often defined as “Doing the right thing, in the right way, at the right time, in the right place, to the right person, for the right reason, with the right feeling, the first time.”

Many within SCRS and the collision repair industry learned life lessons about Kina’ole from March Taylor, then-owner of Auto Body Hawaii in Kailua Kona, Hawaii and SCRS board member. Ten years ago,

on August 26th, 2007, March Taylor passed away.

“We all lost an invaluable man, friend, mentor, and ally that day,” stated SCRS Past Chairman Barry Dorn. “March would be the first to tell you that he did nothing ‘significant’ and he was humble beyond belief, but he could bridge gaps, change peoples’ minds and move progress forward by simply being who he was.

That is the legacy that we all must continue. Individuals like March do not come around often, and it is so important to recognize it when they do, encourage it, and to carry on with what he has started and grow it for future generations.”

Event awards will include:  BodyShop Business: Executive of the Year Awards  CIECA: Electronic Commerce of the Year Award; Outstanding Achievement Awards

 I-CAR: Russ Verona Memorial Award; Jeff Silver Award; Board of Directors Chairman’s Award

 National Auto Body Council:

Award of Distinction; Body Image Award

 Society of Collision Repair Specialists: Inaugural presentation of the March Taylor Kina’ole Award

The Collision Industry Red Carpet Awards Breakfast places a priority on encouraging and recognizing greatness in individuals, companies and actions in the collision repair industry in a place where the excitement and energy of the SEMA Show provides the perfect backdrop for such distinguished presentations.

Seating for breakfast will be on a first-come-first-served basis, and will be limited to 200 available seats.

However, organizers request attendees RSVP no later than Sept. 30, so that we can best aid with guest accommodations. RSVP at the following URL: http://conta.cc/2u4wrEM

For more information about SCRS, or to join as a member, please visit scrs.com, call toll free 1-877-8410660 or email us at info@scrs.com.

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www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 41

Historical Snapshot

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

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

Talk of Other Insurers Requiring use of PartsTrader Goes Back Five Years with John Yoswick

20 Years ago in the Collision Repair Industry (October 1997) In a meeting with the Automotive Service Association (ASA) earlier this year, Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA) Executive Director Jack Gillis outlined CAPA’s new standards and additional testing that will help ensure the quality of CAPA-certified crash parts. Gillis reviewed the plans with ASA in response to ASA’s dissatisfaction with CAPA’s performance.

Gillis said that CAPA’s new standards officially went into effect in May of 1997.

“Parts produced after this date will meet the needs of today’s collision repairers,” Gillis said. “Furthermore, additional testing and inspections should result in more consistency in CAPAcertified crash parts. The downside is that the new standards are so tough that as many as 40 percent of the parts currently certified could become decerti-

fied. CAPA is committed to pursuing the new, more stringent standards in spite of the many parts to be decertified.”

– As reported in Professional Auto News. See also the news item from October 2012, exactly 15 years after CAPA’s 1997 standards upgrade.

15 Years Ago in the Collision Repair Industry (October 2002) While insurers’ involvement in the collision repair industry may not be the cause of fraud within the industry, Doug Walsh says it does make it more difficult to eliminate fraudulent activity.

“You’re not in a free enterprise system,” Walsh, an assistant attorney general for Washington state, told attendees at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC), held in Seattle in mid-October. “The purpose of the free enterprise system is to have the consumer’s dollar chase the highest qual-

ity goods at the lowest price; that has nothing to do with your industry. The third party payer perverts it. The normal market forces are not operating.

In 2007, Tom Fleming of Mitchell International said his company would participate in the Database Enhancement Gateway (DEG) project

And as regulators, we’re confused about your industry because you’re finger-pointing between the insurers and the auto body craftsmen.”

Walsh’s comments came during a panel discussion on ethics and fraud

within the industry, a discussion that raised at least as many new questions as it answered.

“If insurance companies and auto collision repairers can get together and recognize their responsibility to the insured and the customer, and work to fulfill that, that’s the only way your system can work,” Walsh said. “Because market forces are not going to get rid of businesses that aren’t doing that.”

– As reported in Autobody News.

10 Years Ago in the Collision Repair Industry (October 2007) The architects of the Database Enhancement Gateway (DEG) project applauded Mitchell International’s decision to collaborate with the DEG to collect broad industry data to identify, monitor and analyze wider collision industry trends and issues.

The DEG is a joint effort between the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers (AASP), the Automotive Service Association (ASA) and the

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Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS). It aims to create a single industry website to submit requests for reviews when technicians question the accuracy or a labor time or identify missing, incomplete or incorrect data within any one of the three information providers’ estimating products. It also would allow users to view responses from the database providers.

In 2007, Darrell Amberson worked to help establish the Database Enhancement Gateway as a representative of the Automotive Service Association. He is currently president of operations for Minnesota-based LaMettry s Collision

“Mitchell welcomes the formation of the DEG project as a vehicle for the collision repair industry to voice concerns and issues about sourced data,” said Tom Fleming, vice president of

industry relations for Mitchell.

“Mitchell’s announcement is very good news,” said Darrell Amberson, a member of the ASA database task force. “We met with all three information providers in June, and there was some hesitancy on their part because we are in effect critiquing their service tool.”

CCC Information Services is also supporting the project, while Audatex appears to be taking more of a waitand-see attitude to be certain the project makes sense for its business.

– As reported in Auto Body Repair News. All three estimating system providers were eventually onboard with the DEG, and today the DEG website (www.DEGweb.org) now has a database of more than 11,000 inquiries (to which the information providers have responded) about labor times and other elements of the estimating systems. Fleming retired from Mitchell in 2010 after 25 years with the company.

5 Years Ago in the Collision Repair Industry (October 2012) Florida shop owner Ray Gunder received affirmative responses this month to two complaints he filed about non-

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CAPA acknowledged that it found fit problems with a front bumper cover for the 2010 Chevrolet Impala and that it has notified the Taiwanese manufacturer, Y.C.C. Auto Parts, of the “nonconformances” and “will work with the manufacturer in order to verify that the deficiencies have been corrected.”

CAPA said it similarly found fit problems with a TYG Products rear bumper cover for the 2002 Honda Accord, has decertified the lot of those parts, and will work with that manufacturer as well to ensure the problems are corrected.

– As reported in CRASH Network (www.CrashNetwork.com), October 29, 2012. Gunder, who also was an outspoken critic of many insurance company practices, filing dozens of lawsuits against insurers over the past decade, sold his Lakeland, FL, business to Car Guys Collision Repair this summer.

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Shop Showcase

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

Veteran Shop Owner Energized by Son and Daughter at Panel Craft with Ed Attanasio

David Habu, 55, is the owner of Panel Craft, a 30-year-old shop in Berkeley, CA. He started as a high schooler with a one-piston compressor on wheels and by 18 years old, had a small shop with one employee. Four years later, he opened Panel Craft. By working hard and learning everything he could on his own, Habu was able to take his passion for classic cars and use it to fix vehicles for his customers throughout the East Bay.

(l to r) Brianna, David and Brenden Habu now run the show at Panel Craft in Berkeley, CA

He calls himself self-trained, but Habu’s work is well-known throughout the East Bay for being precise while focusing on the customer, rather than simply placating the insurance companies.

One of his Yelp reviews said it best when Vijay R. wrote, “Dave isn’t a big city shyster, he’s just an honest guy who grew up in an honest town at an honest time. Talk to him and you get the feeling that he’s always been that way and doesn’t appear that he has any need or desire to change.”

However, change is on the way, and Habu is prepared for it. Now, with seven employees and his two children, Brianna, 25, and Brenden, 22, on staff, Habu has undergone a Renaissance and is finding a new purpose for his business, he said.

“To be honest, I was thinking about winding this business down and retiring, because I have been in this industry since I was 16,” he said. “But, when I saw that my children might want to get involved and eventually take over the shop, I found some new energy and decided to stay in it to work with my kids.”

Brianna and Brenden are now an integral part of the business, but it was

not a path their father originally anticipated.

“They started helping out around here when they turned 18, but I never wanted them to have careers in this industry, because it can be a roller coaster at times,” Habu said. “But, they seemed to like it and they want to learn, so I figure, why not?”

With Brianna concentrating on the front office while Brenden manages the shop floor, Dad has served as a mentor for his kids, and now they have plans to open a second location in the nearby city of Oakland.

“Brianna is very good at organizing, and she’s got the ability to work well with people,” Habu said. “Brenden has a knack for everything technical, and I think he was born with it.

He never went to school for it, so it’s intuitive and it’s been great, because he is bringing all of this new technology to the shop.”

Not exactly known as an early adopter to technology, David Habu is now being a little more open-minded about things such as computers and automotive diagnostics.

“For many years, I fought it all— the computer, management systems, the Internet—I figured I knew it all anyway,” he said. “But, my kids have helped shed a different light on this business and it’s helped us. I still do write some things down once in a while, but I’m getting better!”

To fast-track their growth and impending expansion, the Habu family decided to join the California Autobody Association (CAA) to become more involved in the industry and network with top shops all over the Bay Area, Brianna explained.

“We want to be on top of everything, because we realize that eventually the smaller shops will be fading away if they don’t stay current,” she said. “By joining CAA and meeting these successful people, we are associating ourselves with the best shops in the area. We have attended several of their events since joining, and we love the idea that these other shop owners are willing to help us.”

One valuable lesson Dad has taught his children is to do repairs the right way without being coerced by

44 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

the insurance companies.

“We don’t have any DRPs here, and we’re making more money without them,” he said. “I am not afraid to tell them that if you want me to fix the car the way you want me to, then you can

The Habu family has plans to open a second location in Oakland, CA, before the end of the year

warranty the vehicle. But, then they tell me that they’re not repairing the car, we are. If I am going to warranty that vehicle, I am going to do it right and usually I get exactly what I want. I’ve lost money fixing cars correctly quite a few times, but we’re not ever going to skimp on quality to save a few bucks,

because it’s the only way I know.”

By networking with other professionals in the collision repair industry throughout the East Bay, Habu is able to survive without DRPs. “I have relationships with the local car dealerships, service writers, mechanics and techs at other shops and other people attached to the industry, and they give us referrals,” he said. “When someone recommends us, that’s an obligation to the customer and to the person who referred us for the work. We take that very seriously.”

David Habu is transitioning from a boss to a mentor and he couldn’t be happier, because his children are learning a trade he’s been doing his entire life.

“I am seeing it all now through their eyes, and that is wonderful,” he said. “I am going to support them every step of the way and do everything I can to set them up for ongoing success.”

www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 45

Young Painter Creates “Girls Behind the Gun” to Support Women in Collision Repair Connie Manjavinos, 25, started her career as a detailer at a CarMax in her hometown of Virginia Beach, VA, seven years ago.

Recently, she was honored as one of the world’s top painters at the 3M Automotive Aftermarket PPS World Cup in Detroit, MI. It has been an unexpected and wonderful journey for Manjavinos as she pursues her dreams

her a full-fledged painter.

“I transferred out there to be a detailer, but with the idea that I would become a painter there,” she said.

“After that first week I started going over to the paint department to learn as much as I possibly could. At that point, they really hadn’t figured out a role for me, so I was getting paid as a detailer, but I was in the paint department for 6–8 months. I learned everything from masking, unmasking, how

while providing a support network for female painters worldwide and gaining national attention for her work.

Right out of high school, Manjavinos wanted to become a police officer, but she knew that in the interim, she would need to get what she called a “big girl job”. After exhibiting her ability to learn quickly along with a knack for painting, Manjavinos seized an opportunity to transfer to another CarMax location in Colorado, where they were seemingly willing to make

to buff fresh paint, primer, bodywork, PDR—and then into the booth. I became an unofficial part of their paint crew, but I was just waiting for a job.

So, when the position as a painter finally opened up, I got it, because I was already doing it all anyway. After a while, I became the paint manager there.”

With original plans of attending school to study Administration of Justice and riding along with the local police department, Manjavinos then

by Ed Attanasio

“I want to learn it all and play a role in this industry as it changes” — Connie Manjavinos

as well as planned, Manjavinos said. decided to pursue a new direction to“I was learning under a guy who ward collision repair—and she’s happy had no desire to teach me, so it was that she did.

“I saw that I could do this, so I de- definitely very frustrating,” she said. cided to step up and give it a real try,” “But, I kept plugging away and after she said. “It makes me happy when about eight months I could see that people see my work and say, “Wow, a there was no chance of becoming the girl did that.’ I am only 5” 2’ and I number one painter there, even though weigh a little more than 100 lbs., but the head painter was retiring and they when people see me banging out these cars, they are kind of surprised, and I love that!”

After leaving her job at CarMax, Manjavinos landed a job at a vehicle restoration shop called Emmel’s Enamels in Denver, CO, where she was allowed to learn how to paint cars the right way, she said.

“I had to commute a couple hours every day and I definitely took a financial hit to work there, but I wanted to learn from these people, and I Connie Manjavinos was the only female painter featured did. After eight months there, I at the 3M Automotive Aftermarket PPS World Cup in Detroit, MI, in August decided that I was ready to jump into collision repair,” she said. had promised me the position. When I So, she got another job at a body asked them directly if I was going to shop in the area, but things did not go eventually move up, they said no.

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One of the guys told me that he would never let his daughter become a painter, so I bailed and went back to work at Emmel’s Enamels for a short time.”

Recently, Connie made another move from Colorado to Florida to work for Kiddy’s Classics Automotive Repair in Jensen Beach, FL. “It’s a great opportunity, and I am so excited,” she said. “I get to do everything here, [including] shadowing the owner who specializes in metal fabrication. I’ve learned a lot about heavy bodywork and restoration paint jobs here. They have a new painter there, and I have trained her to be my helper and become a painter so we can tagteam projects later. She is so happy to be learning, and I am delighted to help her after all of the things I had to go through.”

To network with women who are either painters or work in some capacity within the collision repair industry, Manjavinos created an online group called “Girls Behind the Gun.” “I could see that the guys were getting major recognition for their work, but the women were not,” she said. “After a while, I started thinking, ‘Am I the only one out there?’ When I

started the group on Facebook and Instagram back in February of 2015, the ladies started flocking to it, and now we have 16,500 followers. It’s a place where women who work in this industry in any capacity can communicate, interact and share ideas.”

Manjavinos was going to be a police woman until she decided to become a car painter seven years ago

As Manjavinos connects with more and more female painters all over the world through her efforts on social media, her mission is quickly

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gaining momentum.

“Painting is our shared obsession, and now we’re communicating back and forth on a daily basis,” she said.

“It’s become something that we can hopefully build upon because we all need friends in this business.”

Manjavinos has bigger and better plans for “Girls Behind the Gun” and looks forward to meeting new female painters at SEMA and other networking events this year.

“Now I am reaching out to young women who are going to be the future refinishers of this industry; to encourage them and mentor them,” she said.

“We need to work together and create a community where we can share information and set ourselves up for success. If young girls can find this career early in their lives, they can achieve so many things and even though they might encounter setbacks, we’ve got their backs. I want to focus on the future of ‘Girls Behind the Gun’ now to inspire them.”

With a long career ahead of her, Manjavinos is ready for whatever happens next, she said.

“I want to learn it all and play a role in this industry as it changes,” Manjavinos said. “That’s why I am try-

ing to inspire women and help them as they take it to the next level. Right now, I am learning everything I possibly can to find out what I am really good at,

Manjavinos is using social media to connect with female painters and other women working in collision repair through “Girls Behind the Gun,” an online group she started back in 2015

and that includes metal work and every aspect of fixing or restoring a car. My passion for this business runs deep, and that’s why I love what I do every day!”

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Industry Insight with John Yoswick

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

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

CCC Defends Shift to Secure Share, Faces Tough Questions from CIC Task Force This summer, CCC Information Services defended the dramatic changes that the shift to CCC’s “Secure Share” system will bring to the industry, calling it necessary for data security, a step forward for the industry, and reasonably priced.

“We’re a software company that builds software as a business,” CCC’s Mark Fincher said at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) in Chicago in July, when asked about CCC’s pro-

Mark Fincher of CCC discussed “Secure Share” at the first CIC meeting CCC attended since a task force was formed based on concerns about Secure Share

jected profit from the 50-cent-perwork file fee that management system providers and other vendors will pay CCC when they receive a shop’s estimate data through Secure Share. “We think the price is fair and equitable for all the participants.”

Fincher’s presentation in Chicago was noteworthy because CCC wasn’t represented at two previous CIC meetings this year at which a task force was formed to address industry concerns about Secure Share. The new data-exchange system went live this past spring, and as of next April, CCC users will only be able to transfer estimate data to others through Secure Share.

That’s a change from the longstanding current method under which a CCC ONE user can transfer the data from an estimate—to a shop management system, a CSI provider, a rental car company, etc.—using a standardized “Estimate Management Standard (EMS)” file. In many cases, those third-parties have—with a shop’s permission—placed a “data pump” on the shop’s server to automatically pull the

EMS files the shop has agreed to share.

CCC’s “Secure Share” changes this arrangement in several key ways.

First, it transfers the data using a “Business Message Suite (BMS)” file, largely viewed as a positive change.

The industry-developed BMS standard gives users more control over which portions of an estimate are transferred.

It can limit a parts vendor’s access, for example, to only the portions of the estimate needed to accurately fill the parts order, rather than also including (as the EMS file does) information about the vehicle owner as well.

But the required use of Secure Share for the data transfer means that by next April, shops will need to ensure any vendors or systems (CCC refers to these as “apps”) with which they share estimate data has completed the CCC approval process to be part of the “Secure Share Network.”

Those system providers will then pay the 50-cent toll per work file each time they receive data from the shop.

Fincher acknowledged CCC will recoup its development costs and profit from this arrangement, but declined to provide any of the company’s projections for the revenue Secure Share will generate.

He focused on why CCC sees Secure Share as a necessary improvement for data-sharing within the industry, saying that first and foremost it helps ensure the security of estimate information.

“We know this information is sitting on thousands of shop servers or PCs, [in some cases] unencrypted and accessible to third parties,” Fincher said. “In many cases, as a repairer you had no idea who was accessing that information. You may have known there was a data pump or two data pumps on your system, but you had no visibility to that.”

Instead, keeping this information encrypted “in the cloud” and under CCC’s control, he said, helps ensure only authorized parties have access to it, and the BMS file transfer “gives repair facilities the ability to send just the relevant information” to different apps.

“That app provider does not have the ability to share that information with anyone that they want to,” Fincher

48 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

also noted. “You retain control of that information as a repairer, and know its only going to be used for the purpose for which you designated.”

If a shop chooses to terminate a relationship with an app provider, Secure Share ensures that a third party will no longer have access to the shop’s estimate data, Fincher said.

“I’ve heard these stories that there was a company you were working with five years ago, but you terminated the relationship and moved on to a different software solution, but meanwhile that [old] data pump is still residing on your server, tracking that data, and you might not have had any idea that it’s pulling it,” Fincher said.

“Now you have complete transparency with Secure Share.”

Fincher faced some tough questioning from the CIC task force established in the wake of CCC’s announced plans for Secure Share last fall. That task force developed a position state-

ment that is supportive of the shift to the BMS file transfer standard, but critical of other limits on a shop’s sharing of estimate data.

“Any third party that restricts or prevents industry stakeholders from accessing or using the data generated and permitted by the collision repair facility and industry stakeholders will adversely impact the industry,” the task force position statement reads.

“In addition, it will inhibit advancements in technology, restrict competition and adds cost into the marketplace.

Technological advances should enable sophisticated, secure and more collaborative data usage, not impede industry progress.”

It is the shop’s responsibility to protect the privacy and proper use of the data, the task force acknowledges, but “the repair facility is entitled to and must have the freedom and flexibility to utilize the data as they deem approSee CCC Defends Shift, Page 51

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Tips for Busy Body Shops

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

She has 20 years of experience writing for a variety of publications, and is co-author of “The Secrets of America’s Greatest Body Shops.”

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

How to Improve Body Shop Profit Using Sensible Goals: The ‘Power of One’ with Stacey Phillips

When John Shoemaker asks collision repair shops across the country about their financial goals, he is often told, “I’m going to increase company sales 10 percent.”

When he asks how, they instinctively say, “by doing more repairs.”

The business development manager for BASF Automotive Refinish Coatings North America said if you look at an average shop with $2.4 million in annual sales, a 10 percent increase would equate to $240,000 annually, or $20,000 per month.

“Using an average repair of $2,600 as an example, the goal would require around eight more repairs per month,” said Shoemaker. “That’s reasonable, but is it sensible?”

Shoemaker said that what is sensible is making more money on the repairs the shop is already doing. During a recent interview with Autobody News, he shared tips on how a collision repair facility can increase profits sensibly by making small incremental improvements. Much of this centers around changing a sale or cost by about 1 percent, which he refers to as “The Power of One.” Although it’s a small number, he said it can make a big difference to a business in terms of profit.

Six key performance indicators to help overall profitability:

Sales per RO (repair order) Shoemaker often recommends that shops consider raising each RO by 1 percent. “If an average RO is $2,600 and you increase that by 1 percent, it would raise the average to $2,626 or $26,” he explained. When you multiply $26 by an average of 20 repairs per week, it equates to $520 in weekly growth. Earning an extra $520 each week for 52 weeks will add up to an additional $27,040 in profit.

Effective labor rate A body shop’s hourly rate is not necessarily its effective labor rate. Shoemaker said the effective labor rate is what a shop is actually earning. Although body, frame and mechanical work generally all have different labor rates, Shoemaker said often times shops bill insurance companies the body labor rate and don’t charge frame

or mechanical labor. He advises shops to charge for the particular skill being used based on the education and training the particular individual has received.

“You need to make sure that you are charging your frame rate for your frame work, your mechanical rate for your mechanical labor and not including everything in body; that’s how you increase your effective labor rate,” he said.

In addition, he said by increasing your effective labor rate by just $1, a shop can improve its annual revenue by $31,200 based on an average of 30 hours billed on a $2,600 RO.

Effective Labor Cost The effective labor cost—the hourly rate paid to technicians—works handin-hand with a facility’s effective labor rate. Shoemaker encourages shops to bring in lower-cost technicians to focus on the less technical jobs—for example, bumper repair.

“There is an opportunity to make more profit on those smaller jobs, which is about 45 percent of a shop’s business,” he said. “If they can make more money on 45 percent of their business by using a lower-level and lower-paid technician to do these smaller repairs, that’s where they change their effective labor cost.”

Based on an average of 30 hours per RO, he said reducing the effective labor cost by $1 can increase annual profits by $31,200.

Paint Hours per RO In regard to paint hours, Shoemaker said shops can often miss little things on estimates such as blending a gas filler door when repairing a quarter panel, refinishing a tail lamp pocket when replacing a rear body panel or rocker panel flanges to correct frame clamp damage. He said that currently, the average paint hour per RO is 7.8.

“If we raise that by one to 8.8, over the year you can bring in an annual sales increase of nearly $73,000,” he said.

Paint and Material Sales Per Paint Hour Shops that increase their paint materi-

50 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

als sales per paint hour by $1 can also make a significant difference in their annual profits. When insurance companies cap materials, Shoemaker said it can drive down the actual rate.

Using a common industry average of $27.63, he said shops can boost their annual sales by $8,100 by raising their paint and material sales per paint hour by $1.

Paint and Material Cost per Paint Hour In terms of the amount of paint materials used to do a particular job, Shoemaker often recommends that shops use a little less product. He has found that typically, there is about an ounce of paint left over after finishing the job.

“If you are mixing less product, your cost for that job is going to be reduced even though you are still getting paid the same amount because you are eliminating the waste,” he explained.

He said it’s understandable that painters don’t want to be short on materials and go into the paint booth with less paint than they need to do the job.

Therefore, it’s important to take into account work habits, pilferage and waste. Based on a benchmark of $13 to $14, reducing the paint and material cost per paint hour by $1 would increase annual profits by $8,112.

In addition to these six KPIs, Shoemaker said the same concept of “The Power of One” can be applied to a business’s gross profit numbers, including total labor, parts, paint and materials, and total gross profit.

For example, using 62 percent as a benchmark for total labor gross profit, Shoemaker said it would equate to $812,448 in gross profit using $1,310,400 as an average shop’s labor sales.

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CCC Defends Shift

priate, [including] the ability to copy or export data to separate servers, trading partners or online data warehousing services, without approval from a third party.”

Dan Risley of the Automotive Service Association, one of three chairs of the CIC task force, asked Fincher if data security really has been a problem within the industry during the decades in which the current data exchange system has been used.

“There has not been a significant compromise from a security perspective,” Fincher acknowledged. “But we don’t want to be in a reactive mode.

We are processing thousands of files per day, and there are thousands of collision repair facilities that are using this data that is sitting unencrypted.

The last thing we want to do is be in a reactive mode.”

Shouldn’t a shop have the right to share its estimate data as it chooses, Risley asked Fincher.

“Unfortunately, it’s not just the shops that own that data,” Fincher said.

“There are others who claim ownership

of that data, and we have a commitment to secure the data of all of our customers and other providers we work with who provide us that source data.”

Risley said one alternative that he has heard is being worked on is a sys-

Dan Risley represented a CIC task force formed to address concerns related to CCC’s “Secure Share.”

tem in which the shop exports a PDF file of an estimate to a third party that then translates that file back into a data file the shop can share.

“We agree there are other alternatives that could exist to share this information,” Fincher said. “As long as it’s within the guidelines of the contractual agreement that the repair fa-

cility has with CCC, then absolutely…

[But] it’s also important to understand other contractual relationships that as a repair facility you might have with insurance companies, and look at those DRP agreements to see what your limitations are. There is specific language about what and who you can share information with.”

Risley acknowledged CCC has been responding to some of the concerns raised by the industry about Secure Share, reviewing its contract language with app providers that some vendors found troubling, and potentially establishing an advisory board to allow for ongoing feedback.

Still, following Fincher’s presentation, 70 percent of CIC attendees in Chicago voted to not disband the task force, believing “there is additional work to be done.”

CIC Chairman Guy Bargnes praised the task force’s work.

“Regardless of your position, your thinking on this issue, the work done by this task force…absolutely exemplifies…CIC’s mission: To discuss issues, to enhance understanding, to find common ground,” Bargnes said. “That’s the objective of CIC, to bring more information.”

Continued from Page 50

The ‘Power of One’

63 would increase annual profits by $13,104,” he said.

In terms of parts gross profit, using a benchmark of 25 percent would equate to $270,000 using $1,080,000 as an average for annual part sales.

Shoemaker said that by increasing the percentage by 1 to 26 would bring an additional profit of $10,800.

“I call it organic growth,” said Shoemaker. Rather than bringing in more cars to increase a shop’s sales numbers, he said shops can increase profits with the current work they have.

“By looking at the small number rather than the big number, you can very steadily and sensibly grow your business,” he said.

This article was based on a presentation by John Shoemaker, business development manager for BASF Automotive Refinish Coatings. For more information, email: john.a.shoemaker @basf.com.

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New Types of Claims Management ‘Insurtech’ Could Disrupt Auto Body Industry

by John Huetter, Repairer Driven News

Developments in “insurtech” could radically change how collision repairers interact with insurers and customers in the next few years—and the nature of that disruption will depend on how automated and “touchless” a claims management method the carrier chooses.

We encountered at least three accident management models at TU-Automotive’s Connected Car Insurance USA 2017 last week. It’s possible your customers will encounter any of these (or potentially a blend of them) depending on their carrier’s strategy and budget. At least one scenario is also an option for OEMs to influence the collision repair shop selection process, creating another potential external market condition to which shops must adapt.

One framework involved detecting a collision through telematics and getting the claims process started imme-

diately from the moment of loss. One involved photo-estimating artificial intelligence. Another was simply a means of reporting a claim through video cha—sort of a combination of a call center and photo estimating.

The appeal to an insurer varies depending on the product, and a benefit suggested by one insurtech provider might extend to a competing product.

Carrier benefits mentioned included reducing the lag until a policyholder actually reports the collision —shrinking it from days to seconds— and appearing heroic or high-tech to customers.

With a connected car product that detects an impact and immediately alerts an insurer to a loss, the carrier has a chance to reach out to a customer “when he’s most vulnerable,” said CCC OEM Group general manager and Senior Vice President Andreas Hecht, whose company already sells a telematics service capable of facilitating this.

“In those first crucial moments, you can help,” Hecht said.

The ability to steer to OEM and DRP shops (and insurer-affiliated tow trucks) and to kick total-loss vehicles immediately to the salvage yard also were mentioned.

Verisk claims Internet of Things and telematics Assistant Vice President Dawn Mortimer said her company had an artificial intelligence engine trained to detect total losses with 91 percent accuracy.

“That’s happening already” in Europe, she said.

Other applications included cutting fraud and leakage, giving the shop a jump on parts ordering and diagnostics, cutting the cost of physical appraisals, and replacing subjective analyses with vehicle and on-scene crash data and artificial intelligence predictive models. (The latter carries concerns about the quality and neutrality of the model, but we’ll address that in other coverage.)

Here’s a look at the three models we saw. Collision repairers need to consider the ramifications of these systems and prepare accordingly, for this technology is coming fast. In fact, all of these products appear to be in use today or are market-ready.

Accident data Attendees CCC, Verisk, Metromile, Octo and Redtail Telematics all have a model where an artificial intelligence studies data gleaned from a smartphone, OBD-II port “dongle,” another gadget or the vehicle’s own electronics to detect a collision by noticing variables like the change in vehicle velocity (“delta-V”) and direction.

Generally, the closer one gets to the actual car, the better the data, CCC and Verisk both told us. (But phones are improving, and some OEMs yield better data quality than others, experts told us.) LexisNexis, which is selling a telematics data exchange and working on a pilot driving behavior program with Mitsubishi, humorously observed during the conference that phone-based telematics can erroneously read a cell signal drop as a sudden acceleration.

52 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

currently” dispatching police or an ambulance, it can validate that a loss occurred.

“I’d say down the road” these capabilities could develop, he said.

Metromile in June announced AVA, an “AI claims assistant” which helped get claims paid faster.

“AVA can also use opt-in sensor data from the Metromile Pulse device to reconstruct the accident scene, ex-

The car, dongle, device or phone registers a collision and the relevant information from that crash. Depending on the program, this information might immediately be shared with an insurer, OEM or emergency services. Mortimer, whose company partners with General Motors and Ford to offer such a capability, described a system activated by collisions over 5 mph.

OnStar and BMW’s telematics offerings will call the owner and see if he or she needs medical assistance, according to Strategy Analytics automotive connected mobility director Roger Lanctot and Mortimer. Ford cuts right to the chase and calls emergency responders, Lanctot indicated.

Hecht said CCC already was deciphering crash pulses (and scoring driving behavior) today for insurer clients, and it was in the proof of concept and discussion phase with OEMs on the idea of the cars themselves transmitting crash data to CCC for such electronic first notice of loss uses by other CCC clients.

Luke Harris, director of claims for Metromile, said that while the solely usage-based insurer was “not

pediting the approval process,” the company wrote. “For certain claim types, this enables the claim to be instantly approved.”

RedTail Telematics in its booth and on its website described a system that not only alerts an insurer that See Claims Management, Page 55

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U.S. DOT Releases Revisions to Self-Driving Cars Guidance

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released new federal guidance for Automated Driving Systems (ADS): A Vision for Safety 2.0. This document updates the original 2016 guidance by incorporating public and congressional feedback.

Specifically, the new guidance: ● Focuses on SAE International Levels of Automation 3-5 – Automated Driving Systems – Conditional, High and Full Automation ● Clarifies the guidance process and that entities do not need to wait to test or deploy their ADS ● Revises unnecessary design elements from safety self-assessment ● Aligns federal guidance with the latest developments and industry terminology ● Clarifies federal and state roles On release of the guidance, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao stated, “The new guidance supports further development of this important new technology. The safe deployment of automated vehicle technologies means we can look forward to a future with fewer traffic fatalities and increased mobility for all Americans.”

ASA Announces Must-Attend Training Events at CARS@AAPEX The Automotive Service Association (ASA) has announced a significant new opportunity for all automotive repair professionals to learn about the biggest changes in the industry since the advent of mass-produced vehicles.

In partnership with AAPEX and AVI, ASA is proud to present CARS@AAPEX, Nov. 2-3 at the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas. It’s an event designed specifically to teach shop operators how to understand and adapt to the revolutionary changes taking place in vehicle technology so their businesses will thrive and grow.

“The future belongs to those who can do more than repair a car,” said Donny Seyfer, organizer of CARS@AAPEX. “It belongs to those who can understand the technology and connect the dots with the opportunities it offers. Shop owners need to become industry

New SEMA Program Supports Automotive Education

SEMA has launched a new program designed to support and engage highschool students in the automotive hobby. As part of the pilot program, high-school students will oversee and execute the build of an entire project vehicle, including tracking time, expenses and associated resources, using a pre-owned vehicle purchased and donated by SEMA. The project will create a self-sustaining program with the completed vehicle sold to raise money for the purchase of another vehicle that can be used for a similar project the following school year.

“Our hope is that the one-time purchase and vehicle donation will initiate an ongoing program at the school and allow hundreds of students to participate over the years,” said SEMA Board of Directors Chairman Wade Kawasaki. “We are optimistic and excited about this program, and look forward to seeing what the students accomplish.”

The pilot program began last month with the delivery of a ’15 4WD Jeep Wrangler Unlimited to students at the Santa Fe Early College Opportunities (ECO) Auto Shop Program in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Students have begun identifying priorities and creating a plan for the

project, which will be sold by the end of the school year in May 2018.

“The Santa Fe ECO program is dedicated to training and preparing students for careers in the automotive industry,” said Auto Collision Technology Instructor Chris Coriz. “Having an actual vehicle to work on is incredibly valuable. We’re excited and appreciative to SEMA for supporting our program.”

SEMA continues to support the project, and is helping to secure parts donations and volunteers to serve as mentors to the students. Those interested in supporting the project, or wanting more details should contact SEMA Senior Director of Education Zane Clark.

As one of several SEMA programs designed to support and encourage youth in the automotive industry, SEMA hopes to be able to replicate the program at high schools throughout the country.

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analysts. CARS will get them up to speed and show them how to embrace the changes.”

ASA has responded to the challenging issues surrounding these new technologies by creating a comprehensive program featuring exclusive and extensively researched content that presents knowledgebased instruction on attracting and building technicians equipped for the future and how new and existing competitors are changing their game plans to capture shop operators’ market share.

A thoroughly updated version of the Technology and Telematics Forum will show them how to prepare-to-repair now and in the near future, as well as how all of this advanced technology works. Authoritative guest presenters Dr. Anuja Sonalker, a recognized expert on cybersecurity issues, Robert L. Redding Jr., ASA’s Washington, D.C.,

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representative, Bill Long, AASA president, and Aaron Solomon, CEO, Mobile Devices in France, are some of the presenters for this dynamic, three-hour session.

In addition, AVI representatives will conduct their annual technicaland management-education expo Nov. 2-4, and the Automotive Management Institute (AMi) will host four classes on Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, featuring Jeremy O’Neal, veteran shop owner and founder of AdvisorFix, and Chris Cloutier, president and founder of autotext.me.

With support from AAPEX, The Automotive Alliance and other event sponsors, the registration fee for CARS@AAPEX is just $215 for those who sign up prior to Oct. 13, and $265 after that date. However, ASA advises that those who wish to attend should book now because room blocks are selling out fast.

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Continued from Page 74

Claims Management

there’s been a collision, but also reconstructs the accident.

“The INR platform enables detailed observation of incidents by sampling data at an extremely high frequency leading up to and during the event,” Redtail wrote. “Its data outstrips what can be provided by GPS alone and includes forensic detail relating to the impact, the accelerations and forces involved, together with evidence of any harsh braking immediately before and during the incident.

“This intelligence replaces potentially unreliable human recollection of events with precise facts, which in turn enables timely and accurate assessments of liability and claim costs.”

Nexar, one of the startups competing in a semi-formal audience-judged competition during the Connected Car Insurance event, offers an insurer similar crash data and analysis as its competitors, but pairs it with photos from the scene.

The company’s fleet drivers—who can receive an attractive commercial insurance discount for allowing Nexar

to score their driving and study their collisions—mount a smartphone with the Nexar app to their windshield. In addition to spitting out traditional

driver-rating and collision metrics, the app transmits images of the collision event back to the insurer.

Video estimating DropIn should probably feel the most familiar to customers, shops and insurers. The startup offers insurers a first notice of loss piece of software— which mostly involves live-streaming video chat—which can be integrated into a carrier’s app.

This “gives the power to the carrier,” DropIn CEO Louis Ziskin said during the startup competition. The customer can be directed to produce

the images an adjuster would need, he said.

“It compresses admin costs,” Ziskin said.

The insurer can start taking costcutting steps like picking the towing company, instead of emergency services calling a tow, Ziskin said.

“The car’s on your hook,” he said, noting there’s a better chance of getting it to a DRP shop.

Ziskin said customers could be directed to use the software for claims as a condition of a premium discount upfront, and the ability to knock out the entire claim immediately might be attractive to a policyholder.

Photo estimating AI Tractable is a little different than the others in that it doesn’t have a crash reporting feature. Rather, the company uses artificial intelligence to identify parts of a car and the damage to those parts based on photos of the vehicle. It trained the computer using what CEO Alexandre Dalyac characterized as a “gold mine” of hundreds of millions of insurance industry estimates and accompanying photos.

“We are making sense of the vehicle,” Dalyac said during the startup

competition (Tractable beat out Nexar by a hair). The AI can estimate if parts are likely to be repaired or replaced and estimate the overall cost, he said.

He said that insurance experts typically see an agreement rate of 75–80 percent, but Tractable’s AI is usually 2– 3 percentage points higher. He said the AI is only uncertain in about 8 percent of cases—and that number is dropping, he said.

Overall, the company can generate $40 in value per claim for a potential billion dollars in value to insurers in the U.S., he said. It has deals with Mitchell and half of the top 10 insurers in the U.S., and No. 3 United Kingdom insurer Ageas announced in May it would use the company on every claim.

Dalyac predicted that next year, the industry would see entire estimates generated by artificial intelligence, and the innovation departments of its partner carriers had a goal of “touchless claims.”

We thank John Huetter at Repairer Driven News for reprint permission.

See additional articles at repairerdrivennews.com, a publication of SCRS.

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www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 55

Driven Brands’ President Resigns: Industry Awaits News of Successor

by Stacey Phillips

Following the departure of Jose Costa as president of Driven Brands Paint & Collision Group in August, employees and industry professionals have been awaiting the news of his successor.

Costa left the company to “pursue other opportunities,” according to Deborah Robinson, director of corporate communications for Driven Brands, which comprises CARSTAR, Maaco and Drive N Style, a smaller mobile interior company.

Originally from Venezuela, Costa joined Maaco in 2013 and headed the auto paint and collision repair provider for the next two years. During this time, he was fea-

tured on the Emmy Award-winning reality series Undercover Boss in January 2015, in which corporate executives go undercover in their businesses.

Later that year, Driven Brands acquired CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts in the United States and CARSTAR Canada. Costa was named head of Driven Brands’ Paint & Collision Division.

“The company remains committed to growing our business,” said Robinson.

This includes increasing the number of CARSTAR locations to 1,000, as well as strengthening the Maaco brand. In March, Maaco celebrated the opening of its 500th North American store located in Dallas, TX.

Chief® Introduces the MultiMig 190 Welder for Mild Steel Repairs Chief® rounds out its welding lineup with the new MultiMig 190 welder, an entry-level model for low-carbon steel welding.

The 220-volt transformer-based welder has the power to perform both structural and sheet metal repairs.

With three control dials for wire speed, temperature and time, plus a built-in wire speed and temperature reference chart, the MultiMig 190 is easy to operate. The unit is mounted on an integrated cart for easy mobility around the shop, and comes fully assembled.

“Many shops frown on 110-volt welders because they lack the power necessary for proper steel structural repair welding. Since a good portion

of the 250 million cars on the road today still contain mild steel, our customers were clamoring for an affordable 220-volt welder like the MultiMig 190 that they could devote to simple steel repairs,” said Mickey Swartz, vice president of global product management for Chief parent company Vehicle Service Group (VSG). “With the MultiMig 190 added to our equipment portfolio, Chief now offers a full range of welders, from basic up to the most state-of-the-art inverter/pulse welders for aluminum welding and brazing.”

The MultiMig 190 comes with a welding torch and grounding cable, so it is immediately ready to start welding 0.6 to 0.8 mm steel weld wire.

Remy Donates to AACF to Help Industry Members Rebuild from Major Hurricanes

Remy Power Products has made a $10,000 donation to the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation (AACF) to help auto care industry members rebuild in the aftermath of the recent hurricanes.

“Our hearts go out to the people who are suffering through the utter devastation caused by these catastrophic hurricanes,” said Dave Nichols, president of Remy Power Products. “We made this donation to the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation to show our support for fellow industry members who may have lost their homes, belongings and businesses, as they begin the

rebuilding process.”

The AACF assists individuals and families of the automotive aftermarket who have fallen on hard times due to death, catastrophic illness, accident or disaster, and have exhausted all other available resources in maintaining a reasonable existence. In the days since the hurricane hit, the AACF has set up a program to specifically help those members of the industry who are victims of this tragic event.

For donation to the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation or to seek assistance for someone in need, visit www.aacfi .org.

56 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

SEMA Supports Aftermarket Foundation’s Efforts Related to Hurricane Harvey

As the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation (AACF) prepares to aid families affected by Hurricane Harvey, SEMA is coordinating its efforts with the foundation to identify and assist those impacted by the disaster.

“SEMA is contacting member companies in southeast Texas and other affected areas, and will be taking part in aftermarket industry efforts to raise and distribute funds for assistance,” said Chris Kersting, SEMA president and CEO. “As in the past, the clearinghouse for these efforts will be the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation. SEMA will be coordinating with the Foundation to aid aftermarket families affected by Hurricane Harvey.”

“It is very early in the process, but our intention is to explore every avenue to identify aftermarket families that need our help during this unprecedented natural disaster,” said AACF President Bob Hirsch.

“Although AACF doesn’t claim to be a disaster-relief service, we will do our best to identify and assist those industry families that

have immediate and unmet needs in keeping with our mission to support aftermarket families facing catastrophic circumstances,” said Joel Ayres, executive director of AACF. AACF is asking for tax-deductible donations to help provide urgently needed funding. Donations can be made online; by mail at P.O. Box 865420, Orlando, FL, 32886; or by calling 772-286-5500.

“Clearly, we don’t know what shape our response is going to take yet,” Ayres continued. “What we do know is we’re going to need the generous support of our industry if we want to be in a position to respond. Thank you to all those who have already made contributions.

Donations of any amount are welcome. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who suffer during this profound time of crisis.”

The AACF has been helping aftermarket families turn tragedy into triumph since 1959. Like the industry, AACF is driven by passion and devoted to family. AACF will provide additional updates on this initiative as they become available.

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Project Underdog Heads to Auction, Actor’s Project to Benefit SEMA Scholarships Project Underdog, a highly customized ’72 Ford Maverick originally conceived by actor Sung Kang—known for his role as Han Seoul-Oh in The Fast and the Furious franchise—is finished, fine-tuned, revved and ready for auction.

Sponsored by Shell and featuring Pennzoil, and supported by Ford Motor Co., Samsung, Nitto, GReddy, Rocket Bunny and Facebook, the unique vehicle build was completed at the SEMA Garage in Diamond Bar, California, with specialized tuning provided by Cobb Tuning, headquartered in Austin, Texas.

Kang enlisted inner-city students Tony Chen, Alexis Hernandez and Christian Quiroz to successfully transform the unassuming “underdog” Maverick into a showcase performer and winner of a Ford Corporate Design Award for its significant contribution to vehicle design.

Debuting at the 2016 SEMA Show, the Maverick went on to continued refinement and a year-long media tour, which will now culminate at the October 19–21, Barrett Jackson auction in Las Vegas, where its sale will benefit the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Foundation. Providing financial support to young people pursuing automotive careers, the foundation delivers dozens of annual awards ranging from $2,000– $3,000 to deserving student recipients, with a $5,000 award going to a top achiever.

The program also includes a loanforgiveness fund for employees of SEMA-member companies who are paying off loans from study at an accredited university, college or vocational/technical program. Since its inception in 1984, the memorial scholarship fund has granted $2.1 million to more than 1,200 students.

Kang first drove the Maverick while shooting one of the Fast and Furious series’ installments in Brazil and immediately fell in love with the vehicle.

“The Maverick has always been The vehicle’s powertrain is based on the show here is the engineering ability of under-appreciated, overlooked and unreplacement of its outdated ’72 inline the SEMA Garage,” said Mike Spagdervalued, but those who love her are six-cylinder engine with a new Ford nola, SEMA vice president of OEM loyal forever,” he explained. “This, EcoBoost 2.3L from a ’15 Mustang. and product-development programs, and the chance to make a difference Originally rated at 305 hp, the Ecowho helped oversee the U3 Maverfor these students, is something I could Boost has been reworked to churn out ick’s development. “From the beginstand behind.” ning, we scanned the engine bay and in excess of 400 hp while delivering The actor had previously modern levels of efficiency, engine so we would know exactly how captivated fans throughout the fuel economy and lowered it would fit into the engine compartworld when he documented a ment. We got dimensions from Tremec emissions. The high-achievprior vehicle build, the FuguZ ing engine is now mated to a and their CAD files, so we knew what 240Z, through videos in social it would take to put that transmission six-speed Tremec T56 transmedia. In similar fashion, mission. A Currie Enterprises into the car. each step of the Project Un“The experience was something rearend and Baer brake sysderdog Maverick build was kind of new for us here in Diamond tem are other key performSung Kang recorded and presented in a Bar. Our four SEMA Tech Transfer ance upgrades. popular YouTube/Garage Monkey To create that unorthodox combi- engineers at the Garage help members online video series filled with raw, nation, Kang and his student team all the time to produce products, but behind-the-scenes footage, intimate leveraged advanced SEMA Garage re- they never had to do it themselves. It conversations and real-time progress sources, including 3D scanning and was neat to see them do that. It was a reports. But unlike the 240Z build, extensive CAD work to produce a great learning process for us that will Project Underdog was a markedly full-scale, 3D-printed “engine” that help us serve our members even betpurposeful experience for Kang, who greatly aided in the prototyping and ter.” hoped that it would help spark greater fitment of the actual engine block.

Spagnola is especially proud of car enthusiasm among a new Meanwhile, the vehicle’s new body- the project’s unique incorporation of generation of young people— work boasts flared wheel arches, a the latest vehicle technologies. especially the disadvantaged.

“The Ford 2.3 EcoBoost engine custom front bumper and forward“I feel like it’s been a long mounted black wing mirrors, all ridwas first introduced in the ’15 Musroad, but it’s been very retang,” he said. “To our knowledge, ing on a set of deep-dish gold wheels.

See Project Underdog, Page 62 warding,” Kang said of the “Part of what we were trying to completed project. “The whole spirit of it was working with kids and making new friends.

The most rewarding has been the transformation that I’ve seen with the kids. I think when we • Large Inventory • Genuine Chevy Parts first met them, each of them had a different place they were coming from in • Exceptional Service • Ready To Serve You terms of self-esteem—to see Alexis now at UTI as a student, to see his life Hours: transform in the sense of who he feels Mon. - Fri. 7:30am - 6pm he is and what his contribution is to Sat. 8am - 12pm the community, and then to see Tony FAX 33 West Kemper Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45246 come out of his shell and be more extroverted. And today I found out that he actually bought a go-kart, which is pretty awesome. It’s another step forward proactively to pursue his dream.

And then I talk to Christian periodically on the phone, and he’s aggressively attacking school and seems very positive about where he is in his life. Another rewarding aspect is all the new friends that have been made on the journey. That’s something that you can’t put a price tag on, this magic recipe that happens when you meet www.jakesweeneychevy.com people that you actually enjoy working with.”

The Project Underdog U3 Maverick is a showcase blend of humble, old-school hot rodding and leadingedge, new-school performance tuning.

58 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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180BIZ Webinar Focuses on ABCs of Employee Retention

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

On August 30, 180BIZ’s Rick White taught a one-hour webinar on “The ABCs of Employee Retention,” during which 25 collision repair industry professionals learned some helpful tips on retaining good employees.

White began, “A lot of attention is placed on finding and hiring the best employees, but the reason that’s necessary is because someone left. Good people leave because of managers, so we are going to look at ways to keep employees engaged and committed.”

White defined the course’s objectives as identifying ways to keep the best employees, realizing the impact

owners and managers have on the work environment, and creating strategies that foster an environment of trust, engagement and respect. White then corrected himself and instead identified employees as team members, since the word “employee” introduces a hierarchy, and people want to work with others, not for them, and know they’re part of something that makes a difference.

A company’s culture is determined by how team members are made to feel at work, and while all companies have a culture, most are created by circumstances and reactions, whereas White encouraged attendees to create a company culture intentionally.

White warned that team members

Richard Rawlings of “Fast N’ Loud” Has New TV Series Gas Monkey Garage is an auto restoration service in Dallas, TX, owned by Richard Rawlings. Rawlings will help garage owners make their businesses more profitable with his new TV series, “Garage Rehab,” scheduled to premiere on August 30 at 9 p.m. on the Discovery Channel. The show will include Russell J. Holmes as project manager and Chris Stephens as garage designer.

The crew will take over a garage for a short time, making all the business decisions with the goal of increasing profits. Rawlings, a native of Fort Worth, TX, was a firefighter, police officer and paramedic. He eventually left those jobs to open Gas Monkey Garage, a world-renowned hot rod shop that has produced cars for people around the world. Richard is a veteran of transcontinental road

can smell a gimmick, which will make them feel undervalued and unappreciated. Instead, shop owners should strive to create an environment that fosters trust, inclusivity and respect.

“People want to do work that matters for people who care about them,” White said. “Your staff members are internal customers who are there to help your external customers. Make your team your first priority, and you’ll create an environment where people come and never leave.”

White worked his way through the alphabet, explaining how to create this type of culture.

“Appreciating team members” was the first step to workplace im-

provements. White stressed the importance of development, goals, training and mentorship as well as balance with personal lives and having fun at work.

Questions help managers understand their team members’ thoughts, and creating a dialogue makes them feel valuable.

White concluded, “The biggest challenge is taking time to create a culture. You’ll be met with suspicion, so you have to be patient and show team members they really matter. What you want, you must first give. There are great people out there, and if you create the right culture where they want to come and stay, no one can lure them away!”

rallies, and won the Gumball 3000 and the Bullrun twice. He is the current world record holder in the Cannonball Run, having broken the record that stood since 1979. He covered the 2,811 miles from New York to Los Angeles in 31 hours and 59 minutes with an average speed of 87.6 miles per hour.

FAST N’ LOUD had a very popular run on the Discovery Channel.

“Garage Rehab” is predicted to be another huge hit.

Sign up to have your garage considered for the show visit: discovery.com/garage-rehab-casting For more information on Gas Monkey Garage visit: gasmonkeygarage.com/the-show For more information on Garage Rehab visit: discovery.com/tv-shows/garage-rehab

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Special Events Provide SEMA Showgoers With Education, Networking As a four-day trade show, the SEMA Show has seen a trend in buyers attending the premier automotive event in Las Vegas, NV, for multiple days, with many participating the entire week of the SEMA Show. To accom-

modate the growing interest of buyers and provide the greatest return on investment, activities and special events are scheduled to take place each day of the 2017 SEMA Show, Oct. 31-Nov. 3.

“We recognize that buyers have choices as to which industry events they attend, and we’re grateful that they are investing in the SEMA Show,” said Peter MacGillivray, SEMA VP of events and communications. “To ensure that attendees get the greatest value for their investment, the entire week of the SEMA Show is filled with multiple networking events, special activities and a comprehensive educational program.”

The events and activities at the SEMA Show, beyond the business that

takes place on the trade show floor, are: Education Seminars: SEMA Showgoers have more than 60 sessions from which to choose, with the flexibility to select from a variety of days and times Monday–Friday, Oct. 30–Nov. 3. Topics focus on online marketing, customer service, staffing, and accounting, and the content focuses on the industry’s unique needs by targeting small businesses in the automotive aftermarket. This year, an increased number of seminars are available on Friday, Nov. 3.

SEMA Reveal: New for 2017 is a media sneak peek of select vehicle builds. Held during the Exhibitor Appreciation Reception on Monday, Oct. 30, the SEMA Reveal will give media exclusive access to about 10 noteworthy vehicles debuting at the SEMA Show.

New Products Breakfast: Open to all SEMA Showgoers on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 7:30 a.m., the breakfast is where winners of the Best New Products are announced. Buyers can get a jump on what’s hot in the marketplace and winning exhibitors can promote the honor. Tickets are free, but space is limited and must be reserved in advance.

NHRA Breakfast: Hosted by the NHRA, the annual breakfast features

iconic race car drivers in an informal setting. SEMA Showgoers can sign up for free tickets during registration, but space and tickets are limited for the event taking place Wednesday, Nov. 1.

SEMA Industry Awards Banquet: Held annually on Thursday evening of the SEMA Show, the ban-

quet is where the industry’s most prestigious awards are presented. With 3,000 industry professionals and celebrities in attendance, winners are announced for the SEMA Person of the Year, Manufacturer of the Year, WD of the Year, Rep Agency of the Year, and Gen-III Innovator of the Year. The 2017 Hall of Fame inductees are also honored, and this year’s entertainers are legendary musicians Jimmie Vaughan, Billy F Gib-

bons, Jeff Beck and Michael Anthony.

SEMA Cruise: When the SEMA Show closes on Friday evening, vehicles from the Show roll out of the Las Vegas Convention Center, creating the world’s most unique parade of cars and trucks. With bleachers set up, the public is invited to join Showgoers as nearly 1,500 customized vehicles emerge after being on display to the trade-only for the past four days.

SEMA Ignited: In addition to serving as the destination for the SEMA Cruise vehicles, SEMA Ignited, also known as the official SEMA Show after-party, includes drifting demonstrations, the filming for a nationwide TV special, crowning of the SEMA Battle of the Builders winner, celebrity appearances, vendors, music and food. Showgoers are invited to celebrate and unwind for free using their SEMA Show badge, while consumers are invited to purchase tickets to this extravaganza.

Additional details about these activities and all special events at the 2017 SEMA Show can be found at www.semashow.com/special-events.

SEMA Show New Products Showcase Features Expanded hours, Buyer Happy Hour

As the No. 1 destination for attendees at the SEMA Show, the 2017 New Products Showcase will feature expanded operating hours, a Buyer Happy Hour and enhancements to make it easier than ever for buyers and media to visit. Located along the skybridge between Central and South Halls, the SEMA Show New Products Showcase will be open to Showgoers from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day of the event – one hour before opening and one hour after closing – and will include a New Products Happy Hour on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

“The New Products Showcase is an essential part of the SEMA Show.

Thousands of buyers and media visit the Showcase to discover leading trends, and participating exhibitors rely on it as a tool to generate awareness of their products and brand,” said Peter MacGillivray, SEMA VP of events and communications. “Even beyond the brand awareness, we’ve seen a direct correlation between buyer visits to a booth and exhibitors that have products in the Showcase.”

Buyers and media will be able to visit the New Products Showcase when it opens at 8 a.m., then hit the

Show floor immediately when it opens at 9 a.m. each day of the Show.

While at the New Products Showcase, buyers and media will also be able to utilize scanning devices to create a personalized list of products they see in the Showcase that are of particular interest. Details for the products scanned will be provided to attendees when they return the scanner, complete with company name, booth location and more.

Another option for maximizing one’s visit to the New Products Showcase is to attend the New Products Happy Hour on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday evening. Complimentary beer and popcorn will be available to buyers and media from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and visitors will also be able to use the scanning devices during this time.

The New Products Showcase is expected to include nearly 2,000 product entries, and all exhibitors qualify to submit one entry at no cost. There is also a “featured products” category for exhibitors to enter products that may not meet the qualifications for a “new” product. Entry forms and details can be found at www.semashow.com or contact sales@sema.org, 909-396-0289.

60 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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Continued from Page 58

Project Underdog

this is one of the first transplants to go into a street car that’s street legal with an aftermarket GReddy turbo on it. So we have a larger turbo, different tuning and all sorts of SEMA-member aftermarket products—all put into a ’72 Maverick, of all things. It’s a one-ofa-kind vehicle featuring the first cratemotor offering from Ford, the first harness wire kit, the first of a lot of things. It’s fun and an honor to be on that cutting edge.”

Spagnola also noted that the build team paid careful attention to the Maverick’s tuning.

“The engineers at Cobb did the tuning in successive baby steps,” he explained. “They took their time, running it up to 2,000 rpm, checking it, then to 3,000 rpm, checking it, and mapping as they went along, because this had never been done before.

Again, this is really the first 2.3 EcoBoost to get transplanted into anything of this kind. To get the mapping right with all the aftermarket products that were incorporated into the vehicle was skilled work.”

Project Underdog helped inspire its other sponsors to push their envelopes as well. According to Jesse Kershaw, product manager for Ford Performance Parts, the Maverick accelerated the development of a new OE control pack, the electronic wiring kit that allows Ford’s late-model engines to be transplanted into non-original vehicles like the Kang team’s U3.

“In this case, when the SEMA group decided to do Project Underdog and they contacted Ford [about making the new engine work in the Maverick], we said, well, we’re actually working on this great install kit that will make your life very easy there,” he explained, adding Ford had originally planned to debut its kit at the 2016 SEMA Show.

With the Maverick also slated for a reveal at that same Show, Ford saw the project as the perfect chance to get some advance real-world feedback on the control pack in advance of its debut. Much of what Ford learned from the experience was eventually folded into the OE’s installation instructions, making the application easier for future builders.

“What I liked about doing the Maverick with one of our 2.3L engines

Estify Adds Industry Veteran Toan Nguyen to Executive Team

Estify, the software company that is bringing efficiency and innovation to the collision repair industry, recently announced the appointment of Toan Nguyen as CIO/CTO/CSO. As Estify’s chief technologist, Nguyen will oversee the continued development of the company’s core products, Estify Transfer and Estify Pro, which simplify the rekeying process and generate repair plans that align with Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) documentation, respectively. He will be responsible for spearheading projects and cultivating strategies that cement Estify’s position as a forward-thinking industry leader.

“Core to Estify’s success is our laser-focus on ensuring we have a world-class technology team that can very quickly understand the unique challenges of our partners and create technology to anticipate the needs of our rapidly changing industry,” says Estify CEO Rochelle Thielen. “Toan has become one of the best-recognized technology leaders in our industry by creating ‘first-of-its-kind’ technology and fostering industrywide collaborations that have been responsible for advancing major breakthroughs for repairers. We are

elated to have him at the helm of our technology and strategy team going forward.”

An automotive industry veteran, Nguyen has spent 14 years in executive roles in the automotive space, where he has focused on application development, software and hardware engineering, big data analytics, and cloud computing. He joins Estify after an illustrious career at ABRA Auto Body & Glass in Minneapolis, where he was most recently the Chief Information and Strategy Officer. In his past roles, Nguyen has been responsible for multiple divisions and has helmed product development in addition to leading enterprise growth strategy. His combined interests in technology and the collision repair space attracted him to Estify.

“Witnessing recent advancements in vehicular technology really motivated me to venture back into the software space,” says Nguyen. “I wanted to do something bold and disruptive within our industry, so Estify was an obvious company with which to partner. The ecosystem we’re building will completely change the landscape of how automotive companies operate.”

62 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

is that it’s a little unconventional,” Kershaw said. “I won’t say it can fit in anything, but if you can make it work in here, and you can work around the details and get all the small details right, the lessons learned here can be applied to so many other platforms.”

The vehicle’s updated styling emanated from Pure Vision founder and well-known vehicle builder Steve Strope, a longtime friend of Kang’s.

Strope believes the out-of-box thinking that went into the project helped teach its team of inner-city students valuable lessons in overcoming obstacles. Such empowerment, he said, was always key to Kang’s vision for the build.

“He was formulating the idea for this project and already had the terminology Project Underdog, because these kids he envisioned were underdogs,” Strope said. “They were not the stars of the world, the football team, the homecoming kings. They’re from the inner city and don’t get a lot of opportunity, but they like to work on cars.”

With their handiwork now going to auction, the young team can experience not only the pride of a job well done but also the feeling of satisfac-

tion that comes from giving back to the wider community, since the proceeds will benefit SEMA scholarship programs for other students like themselves.

Spagnola said they won’t be alone in that satisfaction. A host of SEMAmember companies contributed significant support, technologies and specialty equipment to the project (see sidebar), resulting in a true “underdog” performer that will also make its highest bidder proud.

“It was fun to see the car go from the 2016 SEMA Show, where we were mostly interested in getting it to look right, feel right and get the design right, along with fitting the engine and transmission, and feeling the thrill of actually starting it,” Spagnola said. “It’s been a long journey, but now it’s really a car. It’s been upgraded with aftermarket knowhow into something streetable that’s got some terrific horsepower— the same or more horsepower that you used to get out of a V8 but from a fourcylinder that is half the size and weight.

And that’s a great combination.”

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Fourth Annual SEMA Battle of the Builders to Feature Top Customizers in Three Categories SEMA Show exhibitors enlist top vehicle builders to create custom cars and trucks that generate worldwide attention and stand out at the premier automotive trade show each year. More than 250 builders will compete in the fourth annual SEMA Battle of the Builders competition, with the finalists announced during the 2017 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, and the winner announced during the nationwide television filming at SEMA Ignited, Friday, November 3.

“It’s great to see the amazing array of vehicle builds at the SEMA Show each year,” said Peter MacGillivray, SEMA vice president of communications and events.

“It’s inspiring to watch the SEMA Battle of the Builders competition, as we meet the builders and learn about the products and stories behind the cars and trucks.”

All SEMA Battle of the Builders competitors are recognized in SEMA Show publications and on signage at the event. Also during the Show, finalists are narrowed down in three categories (hot rod, truck and tuner), and the winner is announced Friday, Novem-

ber 3, at SEMA Ignited (www.semaignited.com), the official SEMA Show after-party where thousands of consumers join SEMA Showgoers.

This year’s competition includes special recognition of builders 27 years or younger, named Young Guns, who enter the contest with a vehicle at the SEMA Show. The recognition serves to inspire and encourage young builders to pursue their passions and shine the light on up-and-coming customizers, including a select number of young vehicle builders who were awarded a Young Guns prize package from partnering consumer auto shows. The prize package includes an invitation to bring their vehicles to the SEMA Show and compete in the 2017 SEMA Battle of the Builders.

The competition and its builders, vehicles and manufacturers are profiled in a one-hour television special that will air exclusively on the Velocity Network in 2018. Exclusive online footage is also posted at www.SEMA Show.com/botb, featuring additional behind-the-scenes stories and interviews.

Darin Smith Discusses His SEMA Battle of the Builders Project

Darin Smith has been building and restoring classic vehicles with DWS Classics for more than 20 years. He handles everything from nut-and-bolt restorations to custom-built vehicles.

SEMA had a chance to preview the build he’s entering in the Battle of the Builders competition. Smith is

blending old school with new school in his custom-built ’64 Chevy pickup.

The red-themed truck includes unique craftsmanship throughout and custom touches that will make the vehicle stand out in the competition. Smith says winning the SEMA Battle of the Builders competition would be an unimaginable honor.

Open to all customizers with a car or truck on display at the SEMA

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Show, the competition shines the spotlight on the amazing talents and craftsmanship of builders who have already proven themselves by being a part of the premier automotive trade event in the world. It allows enthusiasts and fans a chance to learn the stories behind the builds, get to know the builders and be inspired along the way.

All builders with a feature or booth vehicle on display at the 2017 SEMA Show are invited and encouraged to participate. (Note that your vehicle must NOT be under embargo at the time of entry) Young, up-and-coming builders who are under the age of 27 (as of November 3, 2017) will receive special recognition as a ‘Young Gun’ in the competition, designed to spotlight and inspire future industry icons. Builders who meet the age requirements of a Young Gun but may not have a confirmed feature or booth vehicle for the 2017 SEMA Show may be awarded a ‘SEMA Prize Package’ from one of our regional partners and invited to compete in the competition in Las Vegas.

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Hiring 300 Veterans - Service King’s Mission 2 Hire Surpasses another Milestone

As part of the organizations ongoing support of U.S. Armed Forces veterans and families, Service King Collision Repair Centers announced the company surpassed another milestone in its Mission 2 Hire program on Sept.

12.

Since launching in May 2015, Service King has recruited and hired more than 300 military veterans and spouses exclusively through Mission 2 Hire.

With the announcement, the program remains ahead of its goal of providing careers to 500 veterans and spouses in five years.

“The Mission 2 Hire program continues to be a proud symbol of Service Kings pledged commitment to serving military veterans and families across the country,” said Jeff McFadden, Service King President.

“Surpassing another milestone is a proud moment in that mission as we march onward towards our goal of welcoming 500 veterans and military spouses to the Service King family.”

SCRS and March Taylor Memorial Fund Award SkillsUSA Gold Medalists Tool Scholarships As the industry and mainstream media report on increasing challenges related to shortages of skilled tradespeople, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS), the March Taylor Memorial Fund (MTMF) and Snap-on are working to make sure that those entering into the collision repair industry—and working hard to excel in it—are both recognized and rewarded for their efforts.

For the third consecutive year, SCRS and MTMF have partnered to provide a $1,250 tool scholarship to each of the SkillsUSA National Championship Gold Medalists in the high school and post-secondary levels to help the recipients secure tools they can use as they enter the trade.

Automotive Refinishing recipients awarded include: • Dylan Ahrndt of Ridgewater College Willmar in Minnesota

• Dylan Wertz of Vanguard Sentinal Career and Tech Center in Ohio

Collision Repair recipients awarded

CREF Fundraiser Co-Hosted by PPG Raises $120,000

The annual Collision Repair Education Foundation industry fundraiser, co-hosted by the automotive refinish business unit of PPG, raised $120,000 through the support of attendees and sponsors.

Sponsors and participants enjoyed a day of golf at the Harborside International in Chicago, IL, on July 24, and the funds raised from this event will go toward supporting scholarships and grants for collision schools and students.

“PPG is proud to support an event of this caliber,” said Domenic Brusco, PPG, Senior Manager, Industry Relations. “It’s an honor to bring together industry professionals from around the country and to assist the Foundation in making sure that collision repair students are well prepared for entering our industry. With the Education Foundation staff working towards another great event next year, I encourage industry members to participate through a sponsorship, by attending, or by donating items

for the raffle table and silent auction.

This is a wonderful and important investment in our industry’s future.”

“Through our incredible sponsors, attendees and volunteers, we had another great golf fundraiser event that will significantly assist in the Education Foundation’s abilities to support high school and college collision school programs. A special thanks to the automotive refinish professionals at PPG for their continued co-sponsorship,” noted Collision Repair Education Foundation Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode.

The Collision Repair Education Foundation is already starting to plan for the 2018 event taking place in Atlanta, GA, in conjunction with NACE and Automechanika. The date and location should be announced in the coming weeks. Individuals and companies interested in getting involved with next year’s fundraiser should contact Education Foundation Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode at 847-463-5244 or Brandon .Eckenrode@ed-foundation.org.

www.autobodynews.com

64 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

include: • Joel Hartstack of Southwestern Community College in Iowa

• Second-time recipient Alan Zimmerman of Vanguard - Sentinel Career and Tech Center in Ohio.

“Snap-on is a longtime supporter of SkillsUSA,” stated Greg Rintala, National Sales Manager, Snap-on Industrial - Education Sales. “SkillsUSA, along with the technical training programs in high schools and colleges in the USA, are part of the solution to the skills gap. Teaming up with SCRS and the March Taylor Memorial Fund to give these winners the professional tools they need will ease their way to learning their craft and performing their job when they get out in the workplace.

That should help them lead a successful life with a dignified career supporting themselves and their families.”

“This is a way to fill a very critical gap in the future of our industry,” SCRS Chairman Kye Yeung said in a statement. “We need to get kids and their families to see trades

as a viable future, because the country needs talented, ambitious kids to fill the technical roles in working on the highly sophisticated vehicles we are presented with. We want to honor and encourage the ambition these competitors have demonstrated, and I want to see SCRS working to help students like these find really rewarding careers in our industry.”

In 2016, SCRS announced the launch of the SCRS Career Center (scrs.com/jobs) intending to help students such as those awarded, to be able to post resumes and connect with employers in the industry. The SCRS Career Center was created as part of an extensive network that includes the Auto Care Association and the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA).

For more information about SCRS, or to join as a member, please visit scrs.com, call toll free 1-877-8410660 or email us at info@scrs.com.

www.autobodynews.com

Audi dealers strive to make you an Audi Genuine Parts fan

Illinois

South Dakota

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Audi Sioux Falls

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MICHIGAN

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Hawkinson Kia Matteson

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Seelye Kia of Holland Holland

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IOWA Des Moines

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Russ Darrow Kia of Waukesha Waukesha

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Jeff.krueger@russdarrow.com www.kiaofwaukesha.com

M-F 7am-6pm; Sat 7am-3pm bprinster@napleton.com pschnare@napleton.com www.midriverskia.com

www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 65

Collision Student of the Year Nominations due Sept. 22

The Collision Repair Education Foundation is currently accepting nominations for its “Collision Student of the Year” award. The deadline for nominations is Sept. 22, 2017.

Launched last year, the Collision Student of the Year award seeks to recognize truly outstanding students training for a career in the collision industry. Nominated students must currently be studying collision repair/refinishing at a school that has completed the Foundation’s 2017-18 Collision Repair School Solutions Survey.

“We encourage instructors who would like to recognize the academic achievement, collision repair and refinish training success and drive of their best students to submit nominations for the award,” said Melissa Marscin, Director of Operations/Administration for the Foundation. Instructors who would like to nominate a student can download a nomination form from the Foundation’s website.

(www.collisioneducationfoundation .org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/ 2017-Student-of-the-Year-AwardApplication.pdf) In addition to an instructor endorsement, students must submit a one-minute video to the Foundation explaining his/her academic and collision course achievements, future plans for his/her career, and why he/she enjoys being in the collision industry.

Winners of the Collision Student of the Year award and their instructors must be able to attend the Foundation’s reception on Oct. 31 at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, NV. The award will cover two nights of hotel each for the instructor and for the student, airfare (or mileage if driving), and meals.

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CIF Rallying to Support Industry Flood Victims of Hurricane Harvey

The Collision Industry Foundation (CIF) is committed to working with all industry segments to deliver aid to victims of Hurricane Harvey.

The CIF’s mission is to deliver emergency relief directly to collision repair professionals. CIF is calling on all shops, trade groups, equipment companies, paint companies, insurance companies and all other industry organizations that can assist in this relief effort.

The CIF Board of Trustees has assembled a committee that will organize and facilitate the relief efforts. Michael Quinn has been appointed chair of this committee.

“Michael led the industry’s relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina, as well as chaired other industry-wide charitable projects like Recycled Rides and the First Responder Emergency Extrication programs,” says Kelly Broderick, CIF Vice Chair and Vice President of Sales & Marketing with Dedoes Industries LLC. “We couldn’t have selected a better person to lead the Harvey efforts.”

Within the last 48 hours, donations have started coming in from shops, individuals and companies, in-

cluding: CCC Information Services, Mitchell International and Parts Trader.

We encourage others within the industry to support our efforts and donate.

EVERY dollar counts and will help your fellow industry professionals!

Donations can be made via collisionindustryfoundation.org, and no donation amount is too small.

“We encourage all industry professionals to reach deep and make tax deductible donations to CIF so we can help those in need,” stated William Shaw, CIF chair and Director of Business Development US & Canada, PPG Automotive Refinish. “Please join us in sending our thoughts and prayers to those impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

It’s time to roll up our collective sleeves and help our brothers and sisters in Texas and Louisiana.”

To donate to the Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief Fund or apply for assistance, please visit: collisionindustry foundation.org, or contact us directly at email: collisionindustryfoundation@ gmail.com or Toll Free (855) 4243243 - Direct (804) 427-6982.

CIF is utilizing all donations for emergency living and/or tool replacement expenses.

Industry Invited to Sponsor Work Uniforms for Local High School and College Collision School Programs The collision industry is invited to help make “Back to School” more professional for its local high school

and college collision school programs by sponsoring Cintas work uniforms for students through the Collision Repair Education Foundation.

Industry businesses can select the local collision school programs that they are already working with or the Education Foundation can help locate local programs for them. The work uniforms will add a new level of professionalism to programs during the 2017-2018 school year.

A local collision student can be sponsored for $50 each and would be provided with a Cintas work shirt and pants. Those businesses that sponsor more than 20 uniforms for a school will have their corporate logo added as a patch to the front of the work shirts. The Collision Repair Education

Foundation will coordinate the work uniform orders and the sponsoring company will be invited to visit the school to meet the students and distribute the uniforms that they helped make possible when they arrive.

Collision Repair Education Foundation Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode said, “We hear from instructors across the country that of all the support that we have been able to provide over the years, these student uniforms have made the most significant impact on collision programs. It changes the mindset of the students as they look like employed industry professionals, school administration and guests treat them with respect, and the students feel like a family. We invite you to help a local collision program in your local area by making these student uniforms possible.”

Companies interested in sponsoring work uniforms for a local high school or college collision program should contact Collision Repair Education Foundation Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode at: Brandon.Eckenrode@ed-foundation .org/ 847-463-5244.

66 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Shift into Genuine Nissan and Infiniti OEM Parts

Genuine Nissan and Infiniti OEM Wholesale Parts are superbly crafted to strict quality standards.

The following dealers proudly stock genuine parts for your Nissan or Infiniti repairs.

ILLINOIS

Infiniti of Naperville Naperville

866-874-6346

(331) 457-4661 Fax M-F 7-7, Sat. 8-4 www.buyinfinitiparts.com tryan@auto-plaza.com

MINNESOTA

Eden Prairie Nissan Eden Prairie

952-567-2150

(952) 567-2197 Fax M-F 6:30-7 parts@edenprairienissan.com www.edenprairienissan.com

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SEMA Student Career Day Focuses on Job Opportunities and Industry Growth

As the automotive aftermarket industry continues to grow and business demand for qualified employees rises, the second annual Student Career Day will bring SEMA Show exhibitors and

students passionate about the automotive aftermarket industry together during the world’s premier automotive trade show.

Held on Monday, Oct. 30, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Westgate Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, the Student Career Day will include hundreds of high school and college students from across the country and more than 60 SEMA Show exhibitors.

“Student Career Day is unique in that we focus solely on the automotive industry and bring students who are passionate about the automotive aftermarket,” said SEMA Senior Director of Education Zane Clark. “Many times, career fairs are limited to local opportunities and represent a number of industries. At

the SEMA Student Career Day, all participating companies are specific to the automotive aftermarket and represent a national footprint. Further, it is held against the backdrop of the SEMA Show, where students get the opportunity to learn more about our industry and experience it firsthand.”

The 2016 program included more than 40 companies and 650 students, many of whom were offered jobs from the event.

“It was exciting to meet the next generation of our industry and see their enthusiasm for what we do. They were all well-prepared, confident, and educated about our companies,” said ididit’s Kimberly Johnson, who participated in last year’s inaugural event. “I highly recommend that all SEMA member companies participate in SEMA Career Day.” Companies that sign up for Student Career Day to meet the future generation of the automotive aftermarket industry are provided a table, chairs, and basic signage. To register or for more information, email Clark at zanec@sema.org.

Illinois

MCGRATH CITY HYUNDAI Chicago 6750 W. Grand Ave.

773-889-3070

Mon-Fri 8am - 5pm www.mcgrathhyundai.com

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847-605-4055 847-619-4511 Fax

Mon-Fri 7:30am - 5pm www.patrickhyundai.com

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Charley Hutton’s Color Studio Recommends Innovative Tools & Technologies, Inc.

Charley Hutton began his custom car career at an early age, and is now widely recognized as a leading automotive fabricator and painter.

Charley began his career working with the legendary Boyd Coddington, who had him work on the famous 1938 Lincoln “Led Zephyr.”

He appeared on the Discovery Channel’s “American Hot Rod” as Boyd’s body shop supervisor. In 2004, Hutton joined another legendary team, Foose Design, led by automotive icon Chip Foose.

When working with Foose design, Charley worked on his first Ridler car, the 1936 Ford “Impression.”

He also worked with Rad Rides by Troy, joining Troy and his team to work on the 1936 Ford “First Love.”

In 2009, Charley, along with his wife, Teri, opened Charley Hutton’s Color Studio in Nampa, ID.

Indiana

Charley has appeared on the automotive TV shows “Overhaulin’” and “Chasing Classic Cars.” He now makes personal appearances around the United States and around the world at automotive events.

One of Charley’s favorite tool companies is Innovative Tools & Technologies in Minnesota. Recently, he demonstrated the assembly of a set of Innovative tool racks from the company for use in his studio, and shared it via social media.

Innovative Tools & Technologies was founded in 1996 by Bryan Johnson. As an auto body technician for more than 21 years, he noticed the need for quality racks to hold plastic bumper covers. During his career, many shops placed the bumpers over trash barrels for painting. Bryan came up with a better way to support and secure bumpers during the repair and paint process by creating the SuperStand. This was the first of many innovative products, hence the name of the company.

Currently, more than 275,000 Innovative products are in use throughout the U.S. and worldwide. Innovative’s customers range from small shops to large corporations to do-it-yourself individuals.

Ohio

INDY HYUNDAI

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800-592-5170

440-266-6750

Indianapolis 7101 E Washington St.

317-536-1552 Fax

Mentor 8460 Tyler Blvd.

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Mon 8am - 8pm; Tue-Fri 8am - 6pm Sat 8am - 1pm inss.partsmgr@rohrman.com www.indyhyundai.com

Mon-Thu 7am - 7pm; Fri 7am - 6pm; Sat 7am - 3pm gregj@driveclassic.com www.driveclassichyundai.com

LUTHER BLOOMINGTON HYUNDAI

Massillon 3748 Lincoln Way East

Minnesota

Bloomington 4801 American Blvd. West

877-801-0641 952-377-2081 Fax

Mon-Thu 7am - 7pm Fri 7am - 6pm; Sat 8am - 4:30pm parts@bloomingtonhyundai.com www.bloomingtonhyundai.com

WAIKEM HYUNDAI

800-225-0281x1446 330-478-2800x1446 330-478-9957 Fax

Mon 7:30am - 8pm Tue-Fri 7:30am - 5:30pm Sat 8am - 4pm webbmcnutt@waikem.com www.waikemhyundai.com

PARTS

For Your Collision Job. Visit these Genuine Hyundai Parts Dealers: www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 67

All New SEM Website Delivers Best in Class Experience, Just Like Its Products

SEM Products, Inc. unveils its new website with simplified navigation, powerful imagery, and amplified search tools to deliver a best in class experience, just like its products.

“We’re committed to delivering an exceptional SEM experience. Our products are engineered to the highest of standards. By extension, it’s critical our website delivers an exceptional customer experience as well,” says Andy Lewis, Director of Marketing.

“The rapid consolidation within collision has created a new, more tech savvy, info-hungry consumer. Additionally, mobile has become an increasingly critical component of PBE’s digital space. We made the investment to ensure an industry leading .com exceeds the evolving information needs of our customers.”

Visitors can easily drill into the specifics they seek via categories, brands, or markets. Filtering and sorting tools quickly refine searches further. Product detail pages include every corresponding resource available, including the TDS, SDS, SOP, literature, how-to videos, and more.

The Resources tab houses five sections of assets including SOPs /videos/literature, SDS/TDS search, training information, VOC rules, and formulas. Visitors can also learn more about SEM by reading through the About Us section and interacting with the company’s historical timeline.

SEM designs intelligent products to reduce repair time, steps, and waste in every application. SEM PRODUCTS.COM now reflects the company’s “Built Better” brand promise.

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Don’t Settle Your Auto Insurance Claim Until You Have All The Facts

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, insurance companies will use a bag of tricks to pressure the owners of flood and water-damaged cars into settling their insurance claims for far less money than their vehicles are really worth.

Hurricane Harvey Vehicle Claim Alert Flood and water damaged vehicles are typically declared a total loss.

Insurance companies usually lowball policyholders into accepting offers for automobile storm claims that are 40 percent less than the actual value of the car, according to data in a presentation made by independent public insurance adjuster

Auto Claim Specialists to the Auto Body Association of Texas in Hurst as Hurricane Harvey first hit the state’s gulf coast.

When car owners feel most vulnerable, insurance estimators use tactics to quickly settle claims with lowball offers by stating that it is “a one-time offer”. They also resort to threats of cancelling the claim or not providing a rental car. This is bad faith insurance adjusting. Do not be taken advantage of by these high pressure closing tactics by insurance companies.

An estimated half-million vehicles received flood and water damage during Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath.

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68 OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Apollo’s TrueHVLP™ Maxi-Miser® 1000 & 2000 Mobile Spray Systems Offer Dramatically Less Overspray

Apollo Sprayers International, Inc., a USA-based leader in the manufacturing of HVLP (High Volume Low Pressure) has developed the ultimate portable auto body spray finishing systems for both mobile and shop use, the Maxi-Miser® 1000 & 2000 TrueHVLP™ Turbo paint spray systems.

“By using Apollo’s advanced TrueHVLP™ technology, the MaxiMiser® 1000 & 2000 system offer dramatically less overspray (80% 90% transfer efficiency) which translates to a documented 40% savings on paint. Mobile collision repair specialists that use the Maxi-Miser® TrueHVLP™ painting system see immediate savings in paint consumption and increased through put. In addition, users have experienced amazing finish results with solvent or waterborne basecoats, metallics and clears,” states John Darroch, President of Apollo Sprayers International, Inc. The Maxi-Miser® 1000 & 2000 TrueHVLP™ Turbo paint spray systems are made in the USA and designed with mobile collision repair professionals in mind. The system provides continuous clean, warm, dry

Parts You Need.

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air without oil or moisture and has no need for expensive filters or dryers.

The M2000 system includes the patented Pressure Control System (PCS™) that controls motor speed, voltage and amperage while adjusting automatically for altitude and barometric pressure; Variable Power Level Control, which allows the operator to adjust the atomizing pressure accurate to 1/10th a PSI; LCD Message Center monitors all system functions and (2) HVLP spray guns for use with Base and Clear coats and a 37’ long Air-Flex™ air hose. The M1000 has the same turbine power and includes a Hi-Low pressure control, hour meter, (1) HVLP spray gun and a 37’ long Air-Flex™ air hose.

Both models are covered by Apollo’s Two-Year Limited Warranty on parts and labor.

The Maxi-Miser® 1000 & 2000 are two of three Apollo TrueHVLP™ spray systems designed for automotive collision repair use. The MaxiMiser® TWIN-TURBO 3000 model is designed for a spray booth shop environment and adds 30% more power, a total of three spray guns, and added features.

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Order Genuine Mazda Parts from these Parts Specialists in your area

Genuine Mitsubishi Replacement Crash Parts are close at hand from the following quality dealerships.

OHIO

Waikem Mitsubishi

800-225-0281x1444 MASSILLON

(330) 478-0900 x1444 (330) 478-9957 Fax M 7:30am - 8pm Tu-F 7:30am - 5:30pm Sat 8am - 4pm mmiller@waikem.com www.waikem.com

OHIO

Brunswick Mazda Brunswick Toll Free

888-460-7080

Direct 330-460-7080 Fax 330-460-7082 M-F 8-6; Sat 8-4 www.brunswickautomart.com

CARSTAR Names Top Shops at Annual Conference in Charlotte

For the first time at its annual conference, CARSTAR North America recognized both United States and Canadian CARSTAR owners and business groups throughout its network for their leadership and performance.

In the categories for top system award winners, Michael Macaluso, President, CARSTAR North America, and Dean Fisher, Chief Operations Officer, CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts, presented three awards to CARSTAR stores for their achievements. The winners included:

Franchisee of the Year Franchisee of the Year is the highest award given in the CARSTAR system, and represents the best of the best that is CARSTAR. These two winners were chosen on criteria such as using all vendors possible, attending the annual conference, committing to the EDGE program, being image compliant, submitting reports on time online, and delivering consistently high CSI for the month and quarterly periods.

For Canada, the 2017 Franchisee of the Year is Jeff Labanovich, owner of CARSTAR Oshawa Drake Street.

He is a longtime franchisee with two locations, chair of the CARSTAR Canada advisory board, has delivered

double-digit growth over the past several years, is very engaged in the community and has an excellent brand presence in the marketplace.

In the U.S., the 2017 Franchisee of the Year is Sheila Samuels and her brother Jeff Samuels of CARSTAR Ideal and CARSTAR Arvada. They

are a leader in the market on systems and processes and an integral part of the Denver business group. They have one of the most beautiful facilities in CARSTAR’s system, they have embraced a scheduling program, they have engaged in the advanced EDGE process and they are getting ready for eco-lean.

They have created a great shop culture with long-term employees, and are always a leader in the market on charitable donations.

Rookie of the Year The Rookie of the Year award is given in recognition to a new CARSTAR franchisee as it gets “up and running”

with CARSTAR. To qualify for the award, a franchisee must be in its first year with CARSTAR, have completed CARSTAR immersion and enthusiastically embraced the CARSTAR culture with active participation.

For Canada, the 2017 Rookie of the Year is Ron Alberts / CARSTAR St. Stephen, New Brunswick. He has proven to be a very progressive thinker.

He is a best-in-class location, is a true ambassador of the CARSTAR Brand, and is very integrated in the community.

In the U.S., the 2017 Rookie of the Year is Kevin Raines, with CARSTAR Centre City and CARSTAR West Chester. Kevin opened two stores in the Cincinnati area late last year, becoming our 500th location, and is on track to open two more this year.

Next Generation Award The Next Generation Award honors a second or third-generation CARSTAR owner who excels at leading a family business, continues to meet high performance standards, participates in key CARSTAR programs like the EDGE Performance platform, attends conferences and is image compliant.

The 2017 Next Generation Award for Canada is presented to Joe and Paul Saputo, owners of CARSTAR

MINNESOTA

Ancaster. These recipients were one of the first CARSTAR Franchise locations in Canada. They have been very successful in transitioning the business from their father and mother and have grown sales by 25 percent since taking over the business. They have just recently opened their second location in Ancaster, Ontario.

For the U.S., the 2017 Next Generation Award is presented to Jamie White, owner of CARSTAR Ken’s North and CARSTAR Dalton South.

Jamie purchased both locations from his uncle, Ken White, in January 2017, and is now staged for additional growth.

“It is an incredible honor to be able to recognize the achievements of these great shops, owners, and executives,” said Macaluso. “Our North American award recipients not only set a great example for other shops to follow, they also spread their knowledge experience throughout the entire CARSTAR network to help each and every one of our shops grow.”

For more information on CARSTAR, visit www.carstar.com.

www.autobodynews.com SOUTH DAKOTA

Luther Bloomington Subaru

Courtesy Subaru

Direct (952) 887-0600

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

Bloomington

(800) 451-5078

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

Brunswick Subaru Brunswick

Toll Free (888) 460-7080 Direct (330) 460-7080

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

Rapid City

(800) 658-3054

(605) 342-1178 Fax WISCONSIN

Wilde Subaru Waukesha

(800) 903-2434

(262) 544-1913 Fax Mon-Thu 7-7; Fri 7-5; Sat 8-4 parts@gowilde.com www.wildesubaru.com

Waikem Subaru Massillon

The following dealerships are eager to serve your needs.

Call your local Subaru collision parts specialist today!

Toll Free (800) 225-0281 x2189 Direct (330) 478-2800 x2189

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

www.autobodynews.com | OCTOBER 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 69

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Magna Unveils MAX4 Autonomous Driving Platform The hurdles to reaching high levels of vehicle autonomy might be in infrastructure and legislation, but not necessarily in technology development.

Magna is proving just that by unveil-

ing MAX4, a fully integrated, customizable and scalable autonomous driving sensing and computing platform that can enable up to Level 4 autonomous driving capabilities in both urban and highway environments.

MAX4 combines cameras, RADAR, LiDAR and ultrasonic sensors with a compute platform that are designed for easy integration with any automaker’s existing and future platforms—including hybrid and electric vehicles. Additionally, Magna’s compute platform, scalable for high-volume production, is flexible, upgradeable and fully functional with a fraction of the power requirements of alternative solutions.

Magna has leveraged its full-vehicle expertise in its design of MAX4

to overcome traditional obstacles in the development and production of an autonomous driving platform.

Crucially, integration of MAX4 retains an automaker’s existing design and styling freedom for their vehicle, including not taking up cargo space in the rear of the vehicle and personal space in the main compartment.

“At the heart of this development is a desire to show the market Magna’s breadth of capabilities and an autonomous driving enabling platform with subsystems that do not compromise the interior and exterior of a vehicle,” said Swamy Kotagiri, Magna’s Chief Technology Officer. “Our focus is on developing production-ready solutions that offer flexibility to integrate and the framework to enable Level 4 technology for when the market is ready.”

One of the targets for Magna was to simplify the way drivers engage with autonomous driving systems, including the option of an intuitive and familiar cruise-control-like user interface that is controlled through the press of a button. A lighted display indicates the vehicle is in autonomous mode, and drivers can disengage that mode via brake pedal or an emergency button.

MyPriceLink Providing Dynamic, Real-Time Pricing, Receives Patent

OEConnection LLC (OEC), the leading automotive technology provider for original equipment manufacturers’ (OEM) distribution networks, recently announced the issuance of US Patent No. 9,747,481.

This patent relates to MyPrice Link®, a service that delivers realtime dynamic list pricing on original equipment (OE) collision parts based on timing and local market conditions.

“OEC continues to lead the way in pioneering new technologies that are revolutionizing the auto parts industry,” said Chuck Rotuno, OEC Chairman & CEO. “In 2001, we pioneered online collision parts procurement through our CollisionLink solution; in 2007, we introduced webbased parts conquesting technology through our Parts Marketing Administration (PMA) solution; and now we are providing real-time, dynamic list pricing through MyPriceLink. The combination of CollisionLink, PMA and MyPriceLink makes for a very comprehensive parts strategy for automakers.”

OEC currently provides CollisionLink and PMA to 23 OEMs,

8,000 dealers and nearly 20,000 collision repair shops in the US and Canada, who use these solutions to complete nearly 400,000 transactions each month. Launched in December 2015, MyPriceLink currently fulfills 125 million pricing requests every day with an average response time of less than 0.5 seconds. MyPriceLink integrates with numerous collision estimating systems and dealer management systems, and is accessible through CollisionLink (for participating dealers), CollisionLink Insurance, CollisionLink Shop, or directly through participating collision estimating systems.

“MyPriceLink is set to transform the industry,” added Bill Lopez, OEC Vice President & General Manager, Collision. “GM is currently using MyPriceLink to great affect and it won’t be long before every automaker makes using MyPriceLink standard operating procedure to more accurately and reliably present their parts pricing.”

Several additional patent applications for MyPriceLink features are pending and expected to issue in the near future. Visit MyPriceLink.com.

Level 4 automation, according to SAE International, includes vehicles that can perform all safety-critical functions for the duration of a trip in a specified operational design domain with no input from a driver, save for destination or navigation input. To compare, most of the vehicles on the road today equipped with some automation features are classified by SAE as Level 1 or Level 2, requiring active monitoring by the driver.

Magna has been developing and manufacturing autonomous technology features for automakers since the 2000s. Most recently, it showcased its Level 3 autonomous capability with a 300-mile test drive that crossed an international border, during which the vehicle drove autonomously for 92 percent of the trip.

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CIF Extends Assistance to Irma Victims and Answers Industry on How to Help

The Collision Industry Foundation (CIF) announced Sept. 13 that its current relief efforts to Hurricane Harvey victims would be extended to Hurricane Irma victims as well.

The CIF’s mission is to deliver emergency relief directly to collision repair professionals. CIF is calling on all shops, trade groups, equipment companies, paint companies, insurance companies and all other industry organizations that can assist in this relief effort.

One shop owner shared that his shop was buried in more than 10 feet of debris and still had 6–7 feet of water inside. He lost everything, had no flood insurance, and more importantly, 30 of his employees are out of work with no income for themselves or their families. Another manager at a dealership body shop shared that his painter and his family were air-lifted off the roof of their home with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. CIF encourages everyone within the industry to support its efforts, and says EVERY dollar counts and will help your fellow industry professionals in need.

HDDA Developing Product Data Standards for Heavy Duty Market

The Heavy Duty Distribution Association (HDDA: Heavy Duty), a community of the Auto Care Association, has announced that it will begin the formal creation of product data standards for the heavy duty (HD) aftermarket. Pre-

liminary development of these standards, which will improve product data communication across the entire HD market, is already underway.

HDDA: Heavy Duty has contracted Pricedex Software Inc. to continue as its partner on this project.

Additionally, the association will bring together volunteer product data experts from across 20 top parts categories to participate in subject matter expert subcommittees for the standards’ creation.

This project was initiated to help independent HD distributors and their supplier community communicate product and system attributes more effectively to provide a faster, more ac-

curate experience for the end customer.

In 2016, HDDA: Heavy Duty conducted a feasibility study for the standards’ creation. At AAPEX 2016 in Las Vegas, NV, Bill Hanvey, president and CEO, Auto Care Association, announced that the study produced a positive result for the ability to create HD standards. Since that announcement, several industry organizations, including the Technology & Maintenance Council of the American Trucking Associations, and multiple industry publications, featured the data standards project in articles and conferences.

“Product data standards mean the heavy duty aftermarket, from manufacturer, to distributor, professional installer, and fleet maintenance managers will get the right part, at the right place, at the right time,” said Hanvey. “We want to reiterate to the HD marketplace that these will be HD standards based upon the way the marketplace looks up and presents its parts. We will seek the input and insight from distributors and data system providers, but particularly manufacturers wanting to communicate product data in a more efficient and consistent manner for all of their customers.”

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