January 2021 Northeast Edition by Autobody News

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Auto Insurance Fraud Ring Busted in Westchester, Bronx: DA? by Michael Wayton, Patch

ine people have been accused of committing insurance fraud using auto bod shops in southern estchester and the ron in ew or estchester ount istrict Attorney Anth ony A. S carp ino J r announced ec the ta edown of peration Sledgehammer, an enterprise insurance fraud scheme that operated in ew ochelle, others parts of estchester ount and the ron ive registered businesses and nine people were charged with felo-

n enterprise corruption for defrauding insurance companies b ma ing damage to cars worse and falsif ing insurance claims, resulting from a two ear investgation J osep h S . C ermele, of Scarsdale; Rang ee J aw ah ir, of obbs Ferry; Georg ette S . S loley ; of Mount ernon, and W ay ne M. S cott, of ridgeport were arrested ec and arraigned in ew ochelle it ourt, authorities said Ronnie Lee- Andro J aw ah ir, of ew ochelle Allan Ramdeo Ramiah , of ew ochelle RonSee Fraud Ring Busted, Page 11

Collision Repair Industry Associations Make 2021 New Year’s Resolutions by Chasidy Rae Sisk

n ew ear s Eve, people t picall en o re ecting on the ending ear, but has been a little chaotic, to sa the least

hile no one seems particularl sad to sa goodb e to , there s still e citement and hope for the incoming ear, e pressed b ma ing

ew ear s resolutions ollision repair industr associations are optimistic about the upcoming ear and graciousl agreed to share their ew ear s resolutions with Autobod ews

ecause has contained so man unprecedented events and situations, man associations resolutions See New Year’s Resolutions, Page 16

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AUTOBODYNEWS.COM Vol. 11 / Issue 10 / January 2021

After Historic Turnaround in Q3, U.S. Auto Dealer Current Market Sentiment Fades in Q4 S automobile dealer sentiment dropped in returning to its pre pandemic levels, according to the latest o Automotive ealer Sentiment nde A S he overall current mar et inde dropped below into negative territor with a score of , a statisticall significant point decrease from last uarter s ear over ear, the current mar et inde was up b points he A S research was underta en from ov to ov , immediatel after Election a and at a time when cases were surging in the S onversel ,

research was conducted in late ul and earl August, when vehicle sales were improving and dealerships were open for business, with some restrictions ealer sentiment declined in the fourth uarter as cases increased and mar et conditions became less than perfect compared to the third uarter, said C ox Aut om ot i v e hief Economist J onath an S mok e t is not all bad news, though As Smo e notes, elative to a ear ago, sentiment remains marginalSee Sentiment Fades, Page 22

Distracted Driving Skyrocketing During the Pandemic by Kea Wilson, StreetsBlog USA

A new study of COVID-era car crashes finds that a shoc ing of all drivers were using their cell phones within seconds of impact—and transaportation safet leaders are doing almost nothing to stop it, despite a preponderance of proven strategies that can compel us to put down our devices when we re behind the wheel n an anal sis of , collisions that too place on S roads in , mobilit anal sis firm endrive found our countr s record setting crash rates in the loc down months usuall involved dangerous distracted driving behaviors li e te ting behind the wheel, which is illegal in states Alarmingl , of drivers the compan studied were using their cell phones in the five seconds immediatel prior to impact—and the problem got increasingl worse as the ear wore on, and more and more cars returned to the road and rates of other dangerous behaviors,

li e speeding, dropped endrive s technolog wor s in the bac ground of a wide range of cell phone apps, from e ta i software to navigation services countless Americans use ever da , so the dangerous phenomenon cuts across both commercial and civilian driving hose earl da s of , of course, were an e ceptional time for S transportation ut e perts reiterated that distracted driving long predates the pandemic, and the recent upheaval in travel patterns onl underscores a long standing problem istracted driving is a needless crisis, and now as we navigate increased health ris s in our da to da , we need to prioriti e safet on the road, said J onath an Matus, endrive E and co founder e hope that sharing this data demonstrates the urgenc here, and sheds light on a e to eeping our communities safer f course, we now e actl how to stop drivers from scrollSee Distracted Driving, Page 18

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REGIONAL

AirPro Diagnostics Partners with adasThink ......23

AASP/NJ Guides Members Through

ASE Expands Spanish- Language Test Options ..37

Auto Body License Renewals ........................10 AASP/NJ to Host Right to Repair and Legislative Discussion Dec. 17 ......................14 Auto Care Association Responds to Alliance for Automotive Innovation Lawsuit in Massachusetts ...............................................7 Auto Insurance Fraud Ring Busted in Westchester, Bronx: DA? .................................1 COMMENTARY: Implications as Massachusetts Updates its Vehicle Right to Repair Law ........12 King Collision Centers in MA Earn 15 OEM Certifications ..................................................8 Maaco Penndel Collecting Donations for Bucks County Housing Group ..........................7 Marlborough, MA, Girl Scouts Host Successful Food Drive with Al Brodeur’s Auto Body .........23 New Jersey Republicans Call on Relief for Small Businesses, Nonprofits ..........................6 New Jersey to Introduce Vintage-Style License Plates ................................................4 Reading, PA, Man Arrested on Insurance Fraud Charges ..............................................19 Young Local Entrepreneur Opens Used Car Dealership and Auto Shop in CT ..............15

Biden Says He Won’t Immediately Remove U.S. Tariffs on China ......................................54 Caliber Announces Internal Promotions .............14 Collision Parts Might Creep Into Federal ‘Right to Repair’ Bill as OEMs Fight MA Law..............4 Collision Repair Industry Associations Make 2021 New Year’s Resolutions ..........................1 Collision Repair Teacher Sets Students Up for Career Success .......................................50 Distracted Driving Skyrocketing During the Pandemic..................................................1 Experts: Classic Car Owners Should Beware Second Lockdown ........................................54 Ford Has a Controversial Message for Every Automaker...........................................57 Ford, I-CAR Announce EV Training .....................10 Former UAW VP Gets 30 Months for Taking $250,000 in Bribes and Kickbacks ................52 GM and the UAW Meet With Biden and Harris on COVID-19 and Economy .................26 Hertz Global Holdings Announces Asset Purchase Agreement with Athene Holding for Sale of Donlen Corporation..........27 Hyundai, Kia Fires Cost Automakers Another $137 Million.....................................56

COLUMNISTS Anderson - It’s Time to Address the Other ‘Pandemic’ in Our Industry ............................32 Attanasio - Metal and Creativity Collide at CRASH Jewelry .........................................42 Ledoux - The ‘80s—Foreign Cars and Other Changes ..............................................36 Phillips - Cracking the Code to Recruiting and Hiring Collision Repair Technicians .........40 Yoswick - Driving Has Largely Rebounded, but Traffic Congestion, Resulting Claims Have Not.......................................................44

Investment Banker Tells MSOs the Industry Will be ‘Alive and Well’ Seven Years from Now .....................................................54 Motus: Vehicle Depreciation to Slow as Much as 3% in 2021.....................................53 MSCRA, GCIA Hire New Executive Director Josh Kent, Expands His Leadership to Five States ....................................................24 Politics, Guns, Religion and Other Things You Should Never Talk About in Your Shop: IGONC’s November Tireside Chat ..................28 Private’s Equity’s Influence on Consolidation Predicted to Continue Amidst COVID-19

NATIONAL 10 Cities with the Most Expensive Driver Commutes ....................................................56 2021 ASA X50 Automotive Conference & Expo ..19 3M Introduces Lightweight Performance Spray Gun Using Revolutionary Technology .............58 After Historic Turnaround in Q3, U.S. Auto Dealer Current Market Sentiment Fades in Q4 ..............................................................1

Disruption, Structural Change .......................46 Progressive Introduces UBI for Businesses ..........6 Subaru Named Top Brand by ALG......................33 Today’s Collision Presents NABC Recycled Rides Vehicle to Front Line Worker in MA ......15 U.S. EV Market Set for Huge Growth by 2025 ......8 WIN Opens MIW Nominations............................28 Women in Auto Care Virtual Event .....................33

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

CONTENTS

Publisher & Editor: Jeremy Hayhurst General Manager: Barbara Davies Contributing Writers: John Yoswick, Janet Chaney, Toby Chess, Ed Attanasio, Chasidy Sisk, David Luehr, Stacey Phillips, Victoria Antonelli, Gary Ledoux Advertising Sales: Joe Momber, Griffin Reinhard, Norman Morano (800) 699-8251 Office Manager: Louise Tedesco Digital Marketing Manager: Bryan Malinski Art Director: Rodolfo Garcia Graphic Designer: Vicki Sitarz Online and Web Content Editor: Abby Andrews Accounting Manager: Heather Priddy Permissions Editor: Randi Scholtes Office Assistant: Dianne Pray

Serving New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Northern Virginia, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and adjacent metro areas. Autobody News is a monthly publication for the autobody industry. Permission to reproduce in any form the material published in Autobody News must be obtained in writing from the publisher. ©2021 Adamantine Media LLC. Autobody News P.O. Box 1516, Carlsbad, CA 92018 (800) 699-8251 / (760) 603-3229 Fax www.autobodynews.com editor@autobodynews.com

Acura of Westchester ...................................... 44

Mercedes-Benz of Paramus ............................ 41

Audi Wholesale Parts Dealers .......................... 47

Mercedes-Benz of West Chester ..................... 25

Bical Auto Mall ................................................ 23

Mercedes-Benz of Wilmington ........................ 11

BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers ...................38-39

Mercedes-Benz Wholesale Parts Dealers ........ 55

Cadillac of Mahwah ........................................ 37

MINI Wholesale Parts Dealers.......................... 40

Central Avenue Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram ....... 2

MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers ................34-35

Certified Automotive Parts Association ............ 12

New Holland Ford ........................................... 33

Classifieds ...................................................... 58

New Holland Toyota ........................................ 36

Colonial Automotive Group .............................. 21

Nissan/Infiniti Wholesale Parts Dealers............ 52

Courtesy Mitsubishi ........................................ 46

Northstar Kia................................................... 42

DePaula Chevrolet-Ford .................................. 26

Nucar ............................................................. 17

Empire Auto Parts ........................................... 28

Open Road Acura of East Brunswick ............... 16

Equalizer Industries, Inc .................................... 8

Packer Norris Parts ......................................... 13

Ford Wholesale Parts Dealers .......................... 53

Porsche Huntington......................................... 20

GM Wholesale Parts Dealers ........................... 43

Porsche Wholesale Parts Dealers .................... 49

Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts Dealers .29-30, 31

Rafferty Subaru................................................. 8

Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers .................... 48

SATA Dan-Am Company .................................... 5

Infiniti of Norwood .......................................... 22

Schultz Ford.................................................... 45

Jaguar Land Rover Cherry Hill......................... 27

Security Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep-Ram .................. 6

Jeff D’Ambrosio Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge ............ 10

Shop-Pro Equipment ....................................... 60

Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers ................ 51

Spanesi Americas ............................................. 9

Kia of Attleboro ............................................... 46

Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers...................... 57

Killer Tools & Equipment Corp. .......................... 7

Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers....................... 56

Kundert Volvo.................................................. 32

VIP Honda ....................................................... 19

Long Automotive Group .................................. 18

Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers .............. 59

Mazda Wholesale Parts Dealers ...................... 50

Wedge Clamp Systems ................................... 15

McGovern Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram ............. 14

White Plains Volkswagen ................................ 36

Mercedes-Benz of Atlantic City ....................... 25

Yonkers Kia ..................................................... 24

Mercedes-Benz of Fort Washington ................. 25

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Collision Parts Might Creep Into Federal ‘Right to Repair’ Bill as OEMs Fight MA Law cluded the Auto Care Association; parts sellers like NAPA, Auto Zone Despite millions of dollars from au- and LKQ Corp.; and independent tomakers spent this year to oppose shops. an updated “Right to Repair” ballot They say the law won’t preinitiative in Massachusetts, voters vent automakers from using “sethere in November overwhelmingly cure gateway” systems—like Fiat voted in favor of the measure, with Chrysler of America’s use of Autothree in four giving it a thumbs up. Auth—to require user registration, Now, however, the initiative and use of authorized scan tools by faces a legal challenge from the those seeking to access telematics OEMs even before it goes into ef- data. fect. It would, however, require any such processes be standardized across automakers so independent shops, for example, wouldn’t have to use a variety of gateways to access different ma es of vehicles. J ust weeks after the election, automakers filed a lawsuit as ing a federal court to rule the law unconstitutional and unenforceable. The Alliance of Automotive Innovation, During an online panel discussion after Massachusetts voters a trade group formed approved a “Right to Repair” ballot initiative in November, Aaron Lowe of the Auto Care Association said a push for similar earlier this year with the legislation at the federal level was the next step. merger of two automaker trade groups, argues The law will require all model in its lawsuit the law would hamper year 2022 or newer vehicles to have auto manufacturers’ ability to keep a standardized open data platform, vehicle data and vehicle systems giving vehicle owners and indepen- safe. dent repairers access to telematics It cites written testimony from data. the ational ighwa ra c Safe Backers of the legislation in- ty Administration to a Massachuby John Yoswick

setts legislative committee that stated the law would force “vehicle manufacturers to redesign their vehicles in a manner that necessarily introduces cybersecurity risks, and to do so in a timeframe that makes design, proof and implementation of any meaningful countermeasure effectivel impossible The Auto Care Association issued a statement decrying the automakers’ lawsuit. “The Auto Care Association is very disappointed to see this pattern of behavior from the vehicle manufacturers against the American people, who want the right to control their vehicle mechanical data and to share it with their independent repair shops,” the association said in a statement. “Over the last several years, the Auto Care Association has j oined with cybersecurity experts to develop international standards that could be readily implemented and will permit the cyber-secure sharing of data.” In an online panel discussion during the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo the day after the Nov. 3 election, the Auto Care Association and other backers of the legislation said their next step was to push for similar legislation on a national level. “We all know the big prize is getting this done on a national basis,” the association’s Aaron Low e said. That’s something the coalition was previously unsuccessful at

making happen despite a nearly decade long effort, which led instead to the first assachusetts ight to Repair” ballot measure, passed by voters in 2012. That bill in turn led the automakers to sign a national memorandum of understanding with the aftermarket proponents to agree to comply with the Massachusetts law nationwide. “Right to Repair” proponents now say they intend to take another run at a national bill in 2021. But the collision repair industry may want to watch whether any such bill expands beyond data access into other areas of interest by coalition members, such as LKQ Corporation, which had a representative on the post-election online panel discussion, and the Consumer Access to Repair (CAR) Coalition. That group, formed in 2020, is funded by insurers and the nonOEM parts industry, and has a stated goal of “preserving and protecting consumer choice, transparency and affordabilit in the post colli sion repair market.” Lowe on the post-election call indicated that crash parts could be part of the federal legislation. The bill, he said, should address “not j ust data access but a lot of the other competitive issues that are going on in our industry… because of work that’s being done by the manufacturers [ such as] requirements for E collision parts in different states.”

New Jersey to Introduce Vintage-Style License Plates by Steven Symes, Motorious

cials in ew erse are consid ering bringing back the light blue license plates used long ago. First introduced to the G arden State in , the license plates ha ven’t been issued to anyone since owever, new bills in front of the legislature seek to change that and people are excited about the possibility. According to local reports, it would take at least 500 people applying for the throwback license plates to cover the cost of designing, making and distributing them.

We have a funny feeling that won t be di cult to achieve once word spreads far enough. After all, j ust about anyone with a vintage car will want the look of a vintage license plate for authenticity’s sake. To say there’s a healthy interest in vintage styling these days would be a huge understatement. While this has been a thing in the auto industry for some time, even fueling the surge in people collecting classic cars, it seems an increasing number of people want to feel a connection to the past. For some, this surely is a function of reminiscing of days gone by.

However, a good number of people interested in these vintage designs like the New J ersey plates weren’t alive when the original design was still in use. In other words, the youth of today seem to have an increasingly healthy respect for the past. hile some states alread offer vintage-style license plates, like California s famous blac s legac plates, this would be a new thing for the arden State nl three ma or li cense plate design changes have been instituted in ew erse since , which is surprisingly stagnant. Some who live in other states that also don’t have a throwback

license plate option hope New J ersey’s move would help bring about a change where they live. W e t h a n k M ot ori ous f or rep ri n t p erm i s s i on .

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New Jersey Republicans Call on Relief for Small Businesses, Nonprofits by Todd DeFeo, The Center Square

Republican members of the New J ersey Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee want legislators to include relief for small businesses and nonprofits impacted b COVID-19 in any forthcoming relief measure. In a letter to Senate President S tev e S w eeney , D-G loucester, and Budget Committee Chairman P aul S arlo, D-Woodridge, the Republican committee members want the aid in any legislation to restore a state tax incentive program. he specificall pointed to S-3 210, which would appropriate $ 3 00 million to the New J ersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) to help small businesses and nonprofits. Several organizations, including the New J ersey Business & Industry Association and the New J ersey Chamber of Commerce, support the legislation. “Please know that we generally support reforming and reestablishing New J ersey’s tax credit program as a means of attracting and retaining employers,” the lawmakers wrote.

“We also believe, however, that the State must act to meet the needs of the smaller Main Street businesses and nonprofits that are the bac bone of our New J ersey economy.” State Sens. S tev en O roh o, R-Frankling; S am T h omp son, R-Old Bridge; D eclan O ’ S canlon, R-Little Silver; and Mich ael T esta, R-Vineland, signed the letter. The lawmakers chided Gov . P h il Murp h y , a Democrat, for not making available federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to help small businesses and nonprofits “Rather than using federal relief funds for their intended purpose of helping small businesses and nonprofits to survive the coronavi rus crisis, the governor has diverted $ 600 million of CARES Act money to pay the salaries and health benefits of ordinar State emplo ees, the Republican lawmakers wrote. “These funds are being washed into the G eneral Fund despite a State budget surplus that will likely exceed $ 2.5 billion due to tax revenues exceeding expectations.” A new survey from the New

J ersey Business and Industry Association (NJ BIA) found businesses are less than optimistic about the state’s economy heading into 2021. The Republican lawmakers noted that 3 0% of New J ersey small businesses have closed permanently since the start of COVID-19. In an online appearance before the NJ BIA’s Public Policy Forum, Sweeney said he hopes presumptive President-elect J oe B iden and the incoming Congress will pass a stimulus package that helps the G arden State. “Our focus now is on the recovery and the next budget, and I am optimistic that Biden will be able to work with the Senate and that we can get back to work by next summer,” he said, according to a news release. “We are going to need to get stimulus relief from the federal government because a lot of small businesses stayed alive only because of the Payroll Protection Plan loans, and we need another round desperately.” W e t h a n k T h e C en t er Sq ua re f or rep ri n t p erm i s s i on .

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Auto Care Association Responds to Alliance for Automotive Innovation Lawsuit in Massachusetts he following statement can be attributed to B ill H anv ey , presi dent and E , Auto are Asso ciation n ov , the citi ens of assachusetts made their voic es loud and clear on the issue of vehicle data access, with an over whelming of voters support ing ballot uestion nfortu natel , the vehicle manufacturers are once again ignoring the will of the people and have instead cho sen to pursue legal action against the ommonwealth of assachu setts in an effort to halt the imple mentation of uestion he Auto are Association is ver disappointed to see this pattern of behavior from the ve hicle manufacturers against the American people, who want the right to control their vehicle me chanical data and to share it with their independent repair shops ver the last several ears, the Auto are Association has oined with c ber securit e perts to develop international standards that could be readil implemented

and will permit the c ber secure sharing of data urther, we have offered to wor with the manufac turers to adopt these standards in order to ensure competition for their customers owever, instead of wor ing to find common ground, the manu facturers have continued to engage in a scare campaign regarding ac cess to wireless mechanical data, aimed first at voters and now the courts ust li e assachusetts vot ers, we trust that the courts will see through the manufacturers scare tactics and will throw out this baseless lawsuit or uestions or more infor mation, contact Aaron owe, se nior vice president, regulator and government affairs, Auto are Association, at aaron lowe auto care org Source A A

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Maaco Penndel Collecting Donations for Bucks County Housing Group coln w , enndel, A et s ta e the opportunit to celebrate the season b giving bac to our communit b providing food and toys to those less fortunate in our neighborhood, said T h omas Andrew s, owner of aaco en ndel t s the least we can do this or an ear, and we re happ to do what we can Acceptable items the uc s ount ousing roup will ta e include non perishable food items oiletries such Pictured, left to right, are Thomas Andrews, Lori Fantini as shampoo, soap and and Timothy Morgan toothpaste; and toys for As food ban s across orth children Ever ear we aim to provide America continue to e perience a enough food for over fami strain on their supplies, this contri lies, and we have been able to do bution helps uc s ount ous ing roup provide crucial items it than s to the continued support of our ama ing enndel communi needed for enndel s most vulner t , said Andrews e are ta ing able this ear esidents from enndel and donations until ec and we hope to e ceed last ear s the surrounding area are encour aged to bring their contributions goal Source aaco to aaco enndel at in aaco enndel in enns lvania is hosting its fourth annual food and to drive in support of uc s ount ousing roup this holi da season

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King Collision Centers in MA Earn 15 OEM Certifications K i n g C ol l i s i on C en t ers is a second generation, two-store collision repair business in Massachusetts, run by brothers C h ris and Matt K ing . Their father, B ruce, opened his first shop in embroo e, A, in 1983 . Chris j oined the business in 1995, and shortly after, they opened their second location in l mouth, A, in ruce ing retired in 2011, and Matt decided to j oin hris in running the famil busi ness. ing ollision enters has earned an ama ing E certi fications, A latinum certifica tion and the prestigious VQ designation from eri acts Automotive ith that impressive resume, the advertise as ew England s ost ertified ollision enter e want the nowledge that comes with certifications and ma ing sure that we are prepared to repair ever car properl and safel , said hris ing efore m father retired, he saw the rapid changes that were happening to the industry and to the way cars were being manufactured, and he wanted to be sure that his emplo ees had as

much training and nowledge as possible. he introduction of boron steel b the manufacturers is an ear l e ample, and we uic l reali ed the challenges that would present to

Brothers Chris and Matt King

technicians e became involved with A and earned old and then latinum certification efore long, education, training and certifi cations became a part of our A he ings uic l earned a reputation for outstanding repair

wor and were invited to partici pate in several E certification pilot programs n , the ings were introduced to eri acts Auto motive while pursuing their onda certification e reall li ed what we saw in the eri acts Automotive busi ness model, said hris ing o da s vehicles are evolving at an incredible rate, and it s a real chal lenge to eep up he service that eri acts provides, b auditing our repairs, coaching and training, was e actl what we needed ing ollision enters em ployees 24 technicians, and the team has embraced the fact the er i acts Automotive coaches inspect and audit their repairs, because the coach also nows how to ma e the repair, not j ust teach it. he eri acts Automotive coach does a great j ob, and he teaches us something new with ever sin gle visit, said att ing ur team has now gotten to a point where they not only want to delight the car owner with the end result, but they also want to impress the coach he entire ing ollision

enter organi ation is highl fo cused and dedicated to ma ing the safest and highest ualit repairs for their customers, said ar am Afshar, E of eri acts Automo tive t s an honor to have them as a member of the eri acts Automo tive famil of verified collision centers e are ver proud and hon ored to have earned the desig nation, said hris ing bvi ousl having the certifications helps bring in more business, but it s re all about the nowledge and the abilit to ma e the best repair pos sible ur communit supports us, and we support our communit , and we have an obligation to ma e sure that their cars are repaired properly and safely. ur father alwa s said, e the best you can be, and train and e uip our staff to be the best the can be Source eri acts Automotive

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U.S. EV Market Set for Huge Growth by 2025 rost Sullivan s recent anal sis, ransitor rends in the Electric ehicle Eco s stem in the nited States, , finds the electric ve hicle E mar et in the S is e pected to ourish, with government incentives driv ing E ownership he stud also e amines various trends in E sales since 2010, factors contributing to growth, the current charging infrastructure, the road ahead and much more he E mar et in the S is estimated to register a nearl five fold growth, reaching almost million unit sales b , from million unit sales in or further information on this anal sis, visit http frost l ua Source: F ros t &

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AASP/NJ Guides Members Through Auto Body License Renewals With COVID-19 dramatically affecting collision repair businesses in New J ersey over the past several months, the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New J ersey (AASP/ NJ ) has been actively assisting several shops in ensuring that their auto body licenses will be renewed for the next two years.

In J uly, the New J ersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) contacted the association to discuss the need for shops to file their renewal applications by Sept. 3 0. The commission followed up in mid-September by providing AASP/ NJ a list of businesses that had not yet fulfilled the re uirements for re newal. The association took immediate action, with Executive Director C h arles B ry ant working with

several repair businesses in making sure they had compiled the necessary documentation and information to provide to the state. “We assisted nearly three dozen shops that contacted the AASP/ NJ Hot Line in getting their applications in order by reviewing what they already had, identifying missing items and providing other guidance when needed,” explained Bryant. “We especially wanted to be available to help those members who were behind on things due to the demands placed on their businesses during this pandemic.” According to MVC spokesperson William Connolly, 1,250 body shop licenses had been renewed as of early November, while the commission is working with 112 licensees who submitted their applications but need to supply additional information to complete the process. Connolly added when an auto body repair facility license is not renewed on time, the licensee may have to submit an application for a new license. He also credits AASP/ NJ for its response to MVC’s con-

tact in the summer, assisting shops in not only hitting the deadline but also in meeting state re uirements during a challenging time. “Although we were disappointed that did not offer extensions to license renewal this year to help shops impacted by COVID-19, we’re pleased to see so many shops in New J ersey rise to the challenge and successfully renew their licenses within the reuired time period, said r ant “AASP/ NJ is always available to serve as a resource for members who have uestions or concerns in regard to licensing, and we expect to see the vast maj ority of the 112 shops still engaged in the process reach a final conclusion and remain licensed to operate in our state. I would caution anyone who hasn’t finali ed the licensing process to do so immediately.” Source: AASP/ NJ

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Fraud Ring Busted ald J aw ah ir, of the ron , D anesh S ing h , of the ron and Andrew Arj une, of the ron were arrest ed ec and were also arraigned in ew ochelle it ourt, according to prosecutors he were all released without bail to return to court on different dates throughout ecember and an uar he businesses that were charged were L ee’ s Aut o R ep a i r, I n c. , C erm el e’ s Aut o C ol l i s i on , L L C , R & G Aut o W ork s , I n c , and R a m i a h Aut o R ep a i r, I n c , in ew ochelle and C i t y Aut o R ep a i r, I n c. , in the ron n addition to the corruption charge, the nine defendants also face other charges, including second de gree grand larcen , fourth degree mone laundering, third degree insurance fraud and third degree grand larcen , all felonies rosecutors said, from a , , to arch , the defendants

intentionall conducted and partic ipated in a pattern of criminal ac tivit in the form of auto insurance fraud using auto repair shops he so called awahir Enter prise focused on defrauding in surance companies b submitting claims that show the enhanced damage to vehicles with or without the nowledge of the owners, and intentionall damaged cars not pre viousl damaged, according to au thorities olice said several schemes were used to defraud the insurance companies, including worsening the damage so the bod shop could in crease the billed repair cost and stag ing accidents between two or more cars, at least one of which was owned b someone who had insurance An additional scheme involved stri ing the insured cars with heav ob ects such as sledgehammers or rubbing light assemblies alongside a car, prosecutors said, creating dam age that simulated collisions with par ed cars To ensure the success of the operation, members of the enterprise

used auto bod shops that legall e isted but were not operational, had emplo ees assisting in damaging the cars, got car owners to offer their ve hicles in e change for a portion of the insurance pa out and had people who called insurance companies posing as vehicle owners filing claims, among other actions Three other people—Latoy a S h onta T urner, Reiluis Medina and Andrea T h omp son—were charged on separate complaints with related crimes, including third degree grand larcen and third degree insurance fraud, felonies Scarpino said auto insurance theft affects ever one, because insur ance fraud is not a victimless crime hen false claims are made and mone is stolen from insurance companies, it forces all of our insur ance rates to increase and costs each of us hard earned mone , he said Scarpino said the arrests send two messages o all fraudsters now that this t pe of illegal conduct will not be tol erated in this count and will be ful l investigated and prosecuted, he

said And to the people of estches ter now that we activel see out and bring to ustice those enterprises which see to gain illegal monies to the detriment of all insurance polic holders peration Sledgehammer was a collaborative investigation led b the district attorne s nvestigations ivision and riminal nvestigators Auto rimes nit with the assis tance of the following agencies and law enforcement it of ew ochelle olice epartment ew or State olice Special nvestigation—Auto heft nit it of on ers olice epart ment ew or State epartment of otor ehicles ivision of ield n vestigations ew or State epartment of inancial Services ew or State Environmental onservation olice ational nsurance rime u reau W e t h a n k P a t ch f or rep ri n t p erm i s s i on .

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COMMENTARY: Implications as Massachusetts Updates its Vehicle Right to Repair Law By Gabriel Kotch, Auto Remarketing News

n ov , assachusetts voters overwhelmingl voted es on uestion o of the state election ballot, thereb approving the initia tive law to enhance, update and pro tect the otor ehicle ight to epair aw as an amendment to the assachusetts otor ehicle ight to epair Act he initiative re uires that ve hicle manufacturers provide vehicle owners and independent car repair facilities with e panded access to telematic wireless mechanical data

application he s stem must be secure he vehicle owner must have di rect access to the telematics s stem through the mobile based connec tion Access to the telematic s stem must include read write capabilities, including the abilit to read mechan ical data and to send commands to in vehicle components e g bra ing, acceleration, steering controls for the purposes of maintenance, diag nostics and repair

pon authori ation b the vehicle owner, all me chanical data must be ac cessible to an independent automobile repair facilit for such time as is neces sar to complete a repair or for such time as agreed Massachusetts State House in Boston. Credit: Belikova to with the vehicle owner Oksana, Shutterstock.com for the purposes of vehicle related to vehicle diagnostics, main maintenance, diagnostics and repair tenance and repair hile the act has been in place he manufacturer ma not re in assachusetts since , the act uire, whether directl or indirectl , onl regulated diagnostic informa that access to the telematic s stem tion obtained from a non propri re uire an t pe of authori ation, etar vehicle interface device e g a unless the s stem for accessing ve port and did not contemplate telem hicle networ s and their on board atic data diagnostic s stems is made standard Automobile manufacturers, deal across all ma es and models sold ers, vehicle owners and independent into assachusetts and is adminis repair shops need to consider e pro tered b an entit that is independent visions from the nitiative in light of of the manufacturer the new re uirements hen selling a vehicle that con Key provisions tains a telematic s stem, a dealer eginning with models, the ini ship must provide a notice, to be tiative re uires all vehicle manufactur developed b the assachusetts ers selling new telematics e uipped attorne general, to the prospective vehicles into assachusetts includ bu er, obtain his her signature and ing passenger and heav dut vehi provide him her with a cop of the cles design their s stems in such a signed notice ailure to provide this wa that vehicle owners and indepen notice can be grounds for sanctions dent third part repair shops have ac b the dealership s licensing author cess to the vehicles s stems through it , up to and including revocation of an interoperable, standardi ed and the dealership s relevant licenses open access telematics s stem f an owner of a vehicle or inde System specifications pendent repair facilit covered b he initiative re uires the act is denied access to the me chanical data, the owner or the facil he telematics s stem must be it ma bring a civil action against accessible through a mobile based the manufacturer for an remedies

available under the law, and each denial of access is sub ect to treble damages or , , whichever is greater

facturers from compl ing with fed eral motor vehicle safet protocols hether these concerns are well founded remains to be seen

Potential cybersecurity concerns n a ul letter to assachusetts State ep T ack ey C h an and Massachusetts State Sen P aul Feeney , the ational ighwa ra c Safet Administration raised various c bersecurit concerns regarding the initiative, including the following ue to the accelerated timeline, manufacturers ma have to remove e isting c bersecurit protections to meet the new access re uirements, thereb leaving s stems at an in creased ris of c ber attac s, which would increase the ris to public safet he implementation of univer sal and standardi ed access re uire ments ma increase the ris of a c ber attac being successful he re uirement that s stems be se cure is vague and undefined and does not re ect best practices he initiative ma prohibit manu

Key takeaways ith the deadline for imple mentation of the initiative rapidl approaching, vehicle manufacturers must begin wor ing towards com pliance now ailing to do so can lead to substantial conse uences Gabriel K otch is an attorne in the rlando, , office of a er onelson e assists companies with building and managing indus tr leading global data privac and securit compliance programs e can be reached at g otch ba er donelson com W e t h a n k Aut o R em a rk et i n g f or rep ri n t p erm i s s i on .

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Caliber Announces Internal Promotions Caliber is pleased to announce Mark S anders, current president and COO, will succeed longtime CEO S tev e Grimsh aw , effective J an. 1, at which time G rimshaw will move to full time executive chairman. Sanders has spent his entire career in the automotive industry, and j oined Caliber Collision in 1997 as it expanded its operations into Texas. As president and COO, Sanders led the growth strategy which expanded Caliber Collision’s footprint throughout the U .S., while also positioning Caliber for the future through the strategic acquisition of other lines of business. He also led the consolidation and alignment of all brands—Caliber Collision, Caliber Auto Care and Caliber Auto G lass—under the Caliber umbrella, priming Caliber for its next phase of growth. During G rimshaw’s tenure, the organization grew from 68 to more than 1,200 locations. Caliber’s revenue also increased from $ 284 million to $ 4 billion. Source: C a l i b er

AASP/NJ to Host Right to Repair and Legislative Discussion Dec. 17 The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New J ersey (AASP/ NJ ) will host a virtual membership meeting Dec. 17 via oom that will focus on the efforts behind the recently passed Massachusetts Right to Repair Law ballot measure, as well as local legislative efforts and how the appl to New J ersey. The association will welcome T ommy H ick ey , director of the Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition, and AASP/ MA Executive Director Evangelos “Lucky” Papageorg, who will share the steps behind the recently passed ballot measure in Massachusetts that will update the state’s Right to Repair Law to provide independent repair and service facilities with greater access to OEM repair information. They will also provide insight into what AASP/ NJ members can do in support of A1659, otherwise known as the New J ersey Insurance Fair Conduct Act. AASP/ NJ Collision Chairman D ennis C ataldo J r. , of D & M Aut o B od y in Old Bridge, NJ , believes passage of the Massachusetts bal-

work in the future, especially with more autonomous cars coming with lane departure sensors, pedestrian sensors and cameras. “This industry is changing at a shockingly rapid pace. Access to the evolving repair information is crucial for even the best of the best to keep up.” This meeting is free to all active AASP/ NJ members. Pre-registration is required and can be completed at https: / / docs.google. com/ forms/ d/ e/ 1FAIpQLSc_ yT 2aY oshsDZdnt78t6Li6a84 M PZyVOlsEY DF54 IhiQG 7Bw/ viewform? gxids= 7628. Attendees will receive a Zoom link prior to the start of the meeting. Source: AASP/ NJ

lot measure, which earned more than 2 million votes in the state Nov. 3 , is a critical win for the independent automotive repair and service industry.

“Manufacturers want to make this technology proprietary, and the measure passed in Massachusetts allows independent shops access to that information,” Cataldo said. “This sets a template that could and should be applied to other states as well.” “That information has to be available to us,” said AASP/ NJ President J erry McN ee, of U ltimate Collision Repair in Edison, NJ . “The shops have a shared liability with the technicians—and can be held accountable for improper repairs. Ignorance is not going to be a defense; excuses are not going to

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Today’s Collision Presents NABC Recycled Rides Vehicle to Front Line Worker in MA As part of the ational Auto od ouncil s A e c cled ides program, oda s ollision epair enter recentl honored front line health care wor er Melody Marsh all,

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he salvage vehicle, a onda Accord, was donated b et ife he team members at T od a y ’ s C ol l i s i on refurbished the vehicle, and the A coor dinated all the communications and paperwor , along with harit ars arshall endlessl dedicates

herself to the highest level of care for all patients and does so with genuine compassion and empath er sel ess care of others, coupled with her passion for nursing, aids in ma ing patients and their fam ilies feel safe, secure and comforted during some of their most vul nerable times She has a true calling to the profes sion and alwa s goes above and be ond for her patients and their families A special than ou to the presentation team K ristie C roteau from et ife B obby C obb, owner of oda s ollision Linda S ulk ala from the A ec cled ides program and it of al den Mayor Gary C h ristenson Source: T od a y ’ s C ol l i s i on

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Young Local Entrepreneur Opens Used Car Dealership and Auto Shop in CT Aut o L eg en d s in eriden, , opened its doors ec , with a grand opening including mu sic, pri es and a ribbon cutting ceremon featuring a or K ev in S carp ati and the idstate hamber of ommerce he public was invited to celebrate the occasion min utes after the ribbon cutting Auto egends held a to drive to benefit its communit , and provided a tour of its used car selection and auto bod repair demonstrations Auto egends, at S road St , was founded b e riden native J osh ua S antiag o After graduation from latt igh School, Santiago went on to wor for local auto bod shops in the area, where he gained a lot of his nowledge about the automotive industr , and for The Hartford Insurance ompan t has been a goal of mine since was a child to have m own auto bod shop, and ma e a difference in m eriden

communit , Santiago said m starting with a to drive, where all items will be donated to the a e A ish oundation and he Salvation Arm , and want m business to do so much more want to re establish trust in the used car industr , and help m town thrive Auto egends is a used car dealership collision repair center, speciali ing in foreign and domestic vehicles Auto egends provides a trul e cep tional and seamless customer e perience, an integral part of successful operations ree towing is provided with all ma or auto bod repairs, in addition to free estimates, and the compam wor s closel with all insurance companies to handle the claims process Auto egends offers competitive pric ing and financing operations isit https www alauto legends com to learn more Source: M i d s t a t e C h a m b er of C om m erce

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New Year’s Resolutions for the new year are centered around anticipating and addressing members imminent needs B ob Amendola, president of the A A , is loo ing forward to ma ing more headwa on the challenges we face within our industr brought a tremendous amount of change to the mar etplace, S S E ecutive irector Aaron S ch ulenburg observed, detailing that changes impacted how members interact with customers, vendors and carriers, as well as how the connect within the industr oo ing to , the association is tremendousl focused on what those interactions loo li e, Schulenburg said Since arch, the S S has formed coalitions with a variet of trade groups to improve support for the small businesses we represent, including two that are see ing forgiveness reform and supporting efforts to streamline forgiveness he new ear, and new administration, will bring new opportunities for the association to serve as a voice of the industr , see ing solutions that improve business conditions for those in our trade Each and ever ear, the alliance resolves to advance its mission to improve the state s automotive service industr and the success of its members, said AAS E ecutive irector J udell Anderson n , anticipate that wor will revolve around helping members rebound from what has been a challenging e stand read to be of service, based on the needs of our members For J erry McN ee, president of AAS , the most important thing he hopes to see in is unit here is strength in numbers, and to create change, it s crucial that we have the abilit to share information, such as success or losses where we can all learn something to help improve our industr , c ee said rom the claims process to vehicle technolog , all our businesses have changed due to , and we can no longer sit bac and operate our businesses the same old wa — owners and emplo ees need to get

involved hings will not fi themselves An area of the industr needing particular attention continues to be attracting new talent to the industr e plan to continue to be creative and innovative when it comes to attracting students to local collision school programs, providing the support needed b instructors and students while in schools, and continuing to help connect students with local and national emplo ers, said B randon E ck enrode, director of development for E Anderson also emphasi ed the importance of AAS remaining focused on the ne t generation of collision repairers espite the pandemic, the availabilit of a future wor force remains a high priorit for the industr , so e pect that the wor of A S innesota areers in Auto epair Service will continue, she siad ur ou ube advertising campaign has been e tremel successful, as has been our wor to support local high school auto programs or , A A s goal and desire are to wor closer with all the schools in regon that offer automotive programs for our students, said A A E ecutive irector C ath i W ebb A A members o complaint is the lac of new emplo ees, and believe that the automotive programs need A A s help to eep their programs going and encourage our outh to consider our trades as a career option “Marg aret Rag an in our o ce has done an e cellent ob in sta ing in touch with teachers and connecting A A industries with the school s needs A A hopes to e pand on that course in A A resident S usan Rok osz has a similar goal ur ew ear s resolution is to continue wor ing towards greater diversit in the automotive industr , she said reater diversit benefits both the talent entering the industr and the companies hiring that talent roviding continuing education and networ ing opportunities for association members is also vital to industr leaders Share successes with other bod shops across the state urged A A resident B url Rich ards e want to let other industr shops

now that there is power in nowledge and education, and that we need to wor together in order to ma e a positive change for our industr ur resolution will be to loo at virtual conferences and training in a new wa , noted D iana D eLeon, e ecutive director of ASA A eing able to offer shop owners and their emplo ees top ualit training and networ ing in this new environment is our goal, along with showing the benefits of saving on costs b eliminating travel and time awa , which can allow more people to attend he virtual platform also allows training classes to be recorded, then viewed at a later date for those not able to oin live classes or those who would li e to ta e another loo ur virtual event coming this spring will be one not to miss A A is eager to bring our leadership and members bac together in face to face settings to continue the networ ing and e change of information and nowledge among the industr s finest representatives, said resident and E Rodney P ierini e are hopeful that we ll be able to safel bring members togeth-

er for AAS s Annual eeting and eadership onference on a and deliver the education, networ ing and camaraderie that ever one is so hungr for right now, said Anderson ffering ongoing training is also important to ASA orthwest ASA orthwest would li e to bring the automotive industr together, and we feel we have a good start with the first rofessional Automotive irtual Education A E raining on an , , said Jeff Lovell, president and e ecutive director e have partnered with other automotive trade associations from all over the S to form this partnership ASA orthwest is loo ing forward to serving our members with education, adding value to them and their business in S S demonstrated its dedication to continuing education b converting the association s epairer riven Education and other programs to a virtual environment hile virtual deliver clearl has its advantages, it is no replacement for the face to face interaction See New Year’s Resolutions, Page 20

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Distracted Driving ing witter when the re piloting multi ton illing machines e ust don t do it ederal safet agencies could re uire all cars or cell phones be outfitted with technolog that ren ders most functions unusable when the vehicle is in motion—and accept the inconvenience of stopping a passenger from sending a te t as a small price to pa for saving thou sands of lives ever ear e could also ta e the not at all radical step of banning all cell phone use behind the wheel na tionwide—something ever single European countr has done—while enhancing automated enforcement of the laws we ve alread got and increasing fines and license penal ties, as ermuda, the hillipines, atar, and man others have al read done, too And in the long term, we could stop allowing automa ers to manufacture cars that e plicitl encourage cell phone use b inte

grating bluetooth into on board control centers, especiall if the have touch screens—something for which top safet e perts have advo cated since the technolog became widespread And no, hands free cell phone tech isn t much safer ut in a countr that all but re uires a private vehicle and a cell phone for participation in societ , enforcement and technolog based solutions ma never completel uash our distracted driving prob lem—and increased fines, especial l , ris creating unacceptable ine uities for communities of color that alread dangerousl over policed oreover, some e perts thin we wouldn t need to rel on fines at all if we ust redesigned our roads to encourage drivers to pa more attention to their surroundings f ou thin of an interstate, ever thing about it is designed to minimi e the need for drivers to thin , said B ill S ch ulth eiss, vice president and director for sustain able safet at oole esign t all starts there people thin the can loo at their phones because ever thing around them is prett predict

able, and designed for them to go fast And transportation engi neers , as a profession, have ta en a lot of those highwa design prin ciples to cit streets As people get more and more comfortable being distracted, it s going to be harder and harder to fi it ndeed, endrive s own data ma suggest that cities that too uic action to calm roads during the pandemic saw their efforts pa off behind the wheel f the top five cities with the highest rates of cell phone use, onl Austin, , had a significant Slow Streets program, while hicago, San Antonio and allas hosted e treme l modest street closure events in a handful of neighborhoods oston, etroit and Seattle, b contrast, all won plaudits for their car limiting initiatives, and land ed on the list of the top five cities whose drivers reached for their phones the least ut even larger scale tempo rary street closures can only do so much—and e perts sa we need foundational change, both for now

and for the future beyond the coronavirus here s still a pandemic, and there will continue to be one or at least another for si months be fore ever one is vaccinated, said Schultheiss ut in the road safe t world, what we re still seeing is a ton of conversation about au tomated vehicles, which is a much longer range solution here needs to be a serious ness about developing that technol og , but we also have to be realistic about when it will be read f peo ple, right now, are distracted of the time the crash their cars, that s not going to get an lower an time soon e ust need s stem ic change to our roadwa s W e t h a n k St reet s B l og U SA f or rep ri n t p erm i s s i on .

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Reading, PA, Man Arrested on Insurance Fraud Charges it was a mere coincidence laim investigators found A eading, A, man filed a claim the issan at a eading dealerwith his auto insurance carrier ship about hitting a deer while driving he car had damage that was on Route 10 near Morgantown, appraised at nearl , , but , last winter, a claim that the claims representative who trigged red ags, authorities said interviewed the shop manager or starters, according to learned the vehicle had been there investigators, two da s before for months filing the claim an he insurance comfor his issan Alpan denied the claim, tima, the vehicle owner, citing fraud, and referred J ulio Martinez, called the matter to the state the carrier, ure Auto attorne general s o ce nsurance, to lower his for further investigation comprehensive deductartine , of the ible from , â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the bloc of uttonwood amount he would have Street, had turned over Julio Martinez to pa out of poc etâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;to the issan as collateral in earl ctober ut that wasn t ever thing until he could complete pa ment According to investigators for repairs to his olvo, which n a follow up phone inter- sustained heav front end damview with a claims representative age when artine reportedl hit an , artine , , repeated he a deer in September was driving the issan when he A special agent interviewed struc a deer at about a m an artine in September and, acAs ed to e plain the fact that cording to the criminal comhe lowered the comprehensive plaint, the suspect admitted the deductible on the polic , he said following by Steven Henshaw, Reading Eagle

e struc a deer with his olvo, not the issan, and the accident happened several months before the issan claim e was insured at that time b State arm but never filed a claim he issan was alread at the eading auto shop when he reported to ure that he struc a deer e lowered his comprehensive deductible about a da before he filed the claim with ure, e plaining he did so to save mone artine was charged with two counts of insurance fraud and attempted theft b deception e remained free to await a hearing after arraignment ov before istrict udge Alv in B . Robinson he police paperwor said artine did get the olvo bac but it was unclear how the issan got damaged, or what happened to it W e t h a n k t h e R ea d i n g Ea g l e f or rep ri n t p erm i s s i on .

2021 ASA X50 Automotive Conference & Expo he Automotive Service Association, a national training leader for the automotive service and collision repair industries with its networ of ASA a liates across the S , will host its first multi da virtual conference and e po, April a , ASA niting ur oice, niting our ndustr will create a diverse training lineup of courses and instructors that will provide ASA members and attendees with a high tech learning e perience and virtual e po that promises to be a uni ue e perience for shop owners, technicians, service writers and managers in the automotive repair and collision sectors he virtual training will ta e place April and a ontent will remain online and accessible on demand to registrants for da s following the event n addition, students can revisit technical and management sessions for ma imum value and learning impact egistration for attendees will open eb , Source: ASA

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New Year’s Resolutions and onsite engagement that occurs during an event, Schulenburg said e are determined to wor with our partners to find wa s to safel develop and promote in person opportunities for learning and information e change n , plans to bring to our members, said hair C h ery l B osw ell etwor ing is important, and we reali e our industr is craving these opportunities, considering the changes in the world Sta tuned for e citing educational and networ ing opportunities ASA E ecutive irector Ray Fish er agreed training is vital he one word that will dominate as a resolution would be adaptable, isher said e ve all seen the rapid changes the collision industr had to ma e uic l in first uarter when the pandemic hit, and how it affected the mar etplace for collision repairers, both short and long term ASA alread had numerous digital resources in place so we e panded our fre uencies and delivered information uic l and often we will continue to do that in with our Automotive onference E po on April and a , J osh K ent, who serves as e ecutive director for both A and A, hopes to see both associations continue to provide more training to shops in their coverage areas, while also increasing membership atching the changes that ta e place as shops learn more about proper repairs that s rewarding in itself ent said rowth also continues to be an important goal for associations as the calendar ips to E ecutive irector Luck y P ap ag eorg hopes to see AAS A steadil grow our association s membership numbers n doing so, we will strengthen the voice of ever shop, large or small, and provide the

information and educational tools to assist them in being successful in the future he s is the limit in said J ames Rodis, vice chair of A A e hope to grow the association and get some legislation passed, as well as help provide members with eas access to education and continue to push for safe and proper repairs he other part of adaptable for ASA is responding to the rapid changes happening with the manufacturers and the information we are receiving in ashington, , as the administration changes, isher said e now that the new administration is intent on stimulating E sales and delivering alternative fueled vehicles e have a representative that is involved in man coalition partnerships to ensure we are at the forefront, ta e part in the discussions, and that we help the industr with those changes through these relationships Associations also plan to continue progressing the initiatives previousl underta en E A s ew ear s esolution for is to continue developing and promoting data integration standards that will be relevant in the future, E A E ecutive irector P aul B arry said hrough our volunteer committees, E A members and the industr wor together to ensure the organi ation remains a neutral forum where uniform electronic standards and guidelines are created that allow all segments of the collision industr to be more e cient Apart from maintaining our active response, the association will focus on growing public and industr recognition of its trademar ed ec cled riginal E uipment E as a wa to accuratel identif the parts that our members sell, said S andy B lalock , e ecutive director of A A E parts are originall from the manufacturer, and A A is wor ing on several public awareness and branding campaigns—including a realit show, otaled reasures — to showcase the trul positive impact that this industr has around the

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eferencing members anecdotes about increased di culties with insurance carriers, Schulenburg noted, ow, more than ever, it is critical to have the venue and the voice to address the ver real challenges ta ing place on the collision repair center oor As an association, brings an opportunit to help draw those challenges out, shine light onto some of the dar er areas of the process that impact the consumer and find mechanisms to help improve understanding amongst all parties regarding what is necessar to properl repair these increasingl advanced vehicles that find their wa into our facilities, Schulenburg said ma hold man things in store for us and our industr , but the challenges onl help to focus the resolve we have in our mission of S S, Schulenburg continued here has never been a time where education, information and a voice of advocac have been more necessar , and we remain steadfast in our intent to deliver on that for our members and non members ali e

presents an opportunit to demonstrate the true educated professionals that we are and ta e control of being the e perts accordingl , isher noted ur pro ect to identif the proper E service procedures for pre post scanning of vehicles and vehicle calibration for A AS s stems has been a great start, and ASA is grateful to our ollision perations ommittee volunteers and past board member D arrell Amberson for their devotion to the endeavor ur responsibilit is to return vehicles to their pre loss conditions with the integrit of all safet s stems as the were designed originall the lives of families across the S rel on us to do that espite the challenges that held for all of us, it s reassuring to now these industr leaders are leading the charge to ensure sees growth, progress and success for collision repairers across the countr m hopeful will allow us all to see each other face to face again, and welcome feedbac and suggestions so we can bring ou the best information available in app ew ear, ever one

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Sentiment Fades ly better, and dealers describe both new and used sales as strong.” The key drivers of sentiment saw marginal shifts in Q4 . The three-month market outlook index saw a 2-point decrease from the prior quarter to 4 8, indicating more than half of dealers are expecting the market in the next three months to be weak as opposed to strong. Independent dealers were more pessimistic about the future, falling below the 50 threshold to 4 4 in Q4 , which means most independent dealers expect the market to be weak. Franchised dealers remain optimistic about the next three months with an index rating of 58, a drop from Q3 but above Q4 2019. Derived from a quarterly survey Cox Automotive issues to a representative sample of franchised and independent auto dealers from around the country, the CADSI measures dealer perceptions of current retail auto sales and sales expecta-

tions for the next three months as “strong,” “average” or “weak.” The survey also asks dealers to rate new-car sales and used-car sales separately along with a variety of key drivers, including consumer tra c Responses are used to calculate an index by which any number over 50 indicates that more dealers view conditions as strong rather than weak. Profitability Remains Strong he overall profit inde was at an all-time high in Q3 of this year and grew further in Q4 to 4 8. This indicates nearly half of all dealers in the S describe their profits as strong in Q4 . For franchised dealers, the profit index grew to 70, up from 66 in and significantl higher than the index score of 51 in Q4 last year. hile the profit inde increased, the cost index also saw an increase compared to , re ecting that dealers feel expenses are growing in Q4 . The index score of 61, however, remains historically low. The price pressure index is also

historically low in Q4 , although the score did show a statistically significant increase from , meaning more dealers are feeling pressure to lower prices. Inventory Levels Improve The new-vehicle inventory index of significantl increased overall in Q4 , up by 19 points compared to last quarter. The view from franchised dealers represents improving new-vehicle inventory conditions despite an index below the positive threshold of 50. For comparison, the new-vehicle inventory index was 59 in Q4 of last year. The used-vehicle inventory index was also significantl higher from to Q4 , moving from 21 to 4 1. The gap between the franchised and independent dealer perception of used-vehicle inventory stayed the same in Q2, at 9 points. The used-vehicle inventory mix inde increased significantl compared to last uarter, re ecting an improving inventory mix. The reading of 52 means most dealers consider used inventory mix to be good. The 20-point improvement in

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the used-vehicle inventory index— moving from 21 to 4 1—was the largest positive increase in the Q4 study. The new-vehicle inventory index saw the second-largest increase, up 19 points from Q3 , as franchised dealers’ perception of inventory improved significantl COVID-19, Limited Inventory Continue to Dampen Business he top five factors holding bac the business across all dealers shifted modestly in Q4 from Q3 , with Business Impacts From COVID-19 reclaiming the top spot with 4 7% of dealers citing it, moving up from second. Limited Inventory moved down to second from first last uarter, with 4 5% of dealers citing it. Political Climate rose to the third spot from fifth in Q3 . Economy stayed in the fourth spot, and Market Conditions dropped from third to fifth, with of dealers citing it as a top factor holding their business back. For franchises, Political Climate saw a statisticall significant increase, rising to the top concern with 4 8% of franchised dealers citing it as

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a factor holding back their business. Limited Inventory fell to the No. 2 position at 4 4 % , beating Business Impacts From COVID-19 at 3 9% . The Economy dropped in factor ranking for franchises and was No. 4 at 3 3 % . Market Conditions remained within the top factors, dropping to fifth place for franchises and rounding out the top five For independents, Business Impacts From COVID-19 was cited marginally less quarter over quarter at 4 9% , but remained the top factor holding back business. The second factor for independent dealers was Limited Inventory, with a statisticall significant decline from the top spot in Q3 . The Economy rose to the No. 3 spot at 4 0% , switching positions quarter over quarter with Market Conditions at 3 9% . Political Climate stayed in the fifth ran ing for independents at 3 7% . Source: Cox Automotive www.autobodynews.com

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AirPro Diagnostics Partners with adasThink

Marlborough, MA, Girl Scouts Host Successful Food Drive with Al Brodeur’s Auto Body

AirPro Diagnostics announced Dec. 7 a strategic partnership to deliver adasThink technology on required ADAS calibrations to its customers at no additional cost. AirPro Diagnostics is proud to be the first to mar et to offer the adasThink technology integrated into its cloud-based diagnostic platform, to elevate the ease of access for shops to identify vehicles requiring ADAS calibrations for repairers across the S and anada adasThink provides technology that allows an estimate to be analyzed against correlating OE procedures, and assess as to which ADAS features a vehicle has, which services and calibrations are required to be performed, and access to the information to perform a complete and safe repair. AirPro Diagnostics provides remote scanning, diagnostics, programming and calibration services to shops across North America. Source: Ai rP ro D i a g n os t i cs

by Janice Elizabeth Berte, Community Advocate

Marlborough, MA, G irl Scouts teamed up with Al B rod eur’ s Aut o B od y to host a successful food drive to benefit the cit s food pantry, the Community Cupboard. Residents drove up to Brodeur s, and Service nit oordinator B onny Goldberg retrieved the groceries out of people s trun s, along with Membership Coordinator Kyla Leconti. “We normally put door hangers on residents homes to notif them of the food drive, but this year we had to create a system where there would be no contact for the people dropping off the food, oldberg said. Molly N esbitt, owner of Brodeur s Auto od , said, ur property here on South Street can handle the many vehicles that will be donating food, and then be delivered to the Marlborough Community upboard The circular driveway allowed the cars to seamlessly navigate around the lot to make for a produc-

tive and safe event. The drive started at 9 a.m. and within minutes, bags and bags of food were owing into the parking area, keeping helpers busy. T eresa Martinez, who volunteered along with her G irl Scout daughter, Rosie, said, “This is a great event to help families especially at this time of ear For more information about donations, contact the Marlborough Community Cupboard at 508-4 814 080 at 255 Main St. W e t h a n k t h e C om m un i t y Ad v oca t e f or rep ri n t p erm i s s i on .

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MSCRA, GCIA Hire New Executive Director Josh Kent, Expands His Leadership to Five States by Chasidy Rae Sisk

Kent said. “Shops need continuous education, plus the association provides them an outlet and a voice.”

that we hope will set the industry’s standard for learning,” Kent said. “It involves industry professionals

repairers are getting really excited and for good reason! “It’s all about relationships because there’s strength in numbers,” Kent continued. “So much can be done with this industry if we all come together and bridge the gaps. “It’s OK to have our own ideas and tr different things there are multiple ways to run your business and get paid but one thing remains consistent: there’s only one wa to properl fi a car, and ensuring drivers safet is definitel an idea we can all get behind.” For more information on G CIA, visit gcia.org. For more information on MSCRA, visit mscra.net.

The Mississippi Collision Repair Association (MSCRA) and the G eorgia Collision Industry Association (G CIA) recently hired “We have a goal for 2021—a major project we’re the same new executive director: working on that we hope will set the industry’s standard J osh K ent, who is also executive director of the Carolinas Collision for learning. It involves industry professionals with a Association (CCA) and the Tenneslot of knowledge, and everyone is really excited and see Collision Repairers Association eager to participate!” — Josh Kent (TCRA). “I bring passion and drive to my new role, as well as my experience with CCA and TCRA,” Kent Once the associations’ struc- with a lot of knowledge, and everypromised. tures are strengthened, Kent plans to one is really excited and eager to Kent’s professional involve- consistently host meetings and train- participate! ” ment with the position of execu- ing across both states. Kent has similar plans for the tive director began in 2016 with “G eorgia and Mississippi are consumer committee. the North Carolina Association of going to see more action and move“We also want to be a resource Collision and Automotive Repair ment,” Kent noted. “While the four for consumer education, and the Your leading source (NCACAR), followed by associations will contin- more heads we put together, the 2018’s South Carolina Asue to operate separately, more ideas we can generate,” Kent for NORTHEASTERN sociation of Collision and there’s a lot I can schedule pointed out. “We are collaborating Collision Repair Automotive Repair (SCAacross all four associations. with other associations also, and News! CAR); the two combined to ur focus is on fi ing we’re seeing this spirit of workform CCA in J anuary 2020. vehicles correctly to ensure ing together all across the country, northeastern.autobodynews.com Kent was hired by the customer has a safe ve- creating more change and building TCRA earlier this year and hicle. Like CCA and TCRA, up to be more powerful. Collision Josh Kent is excited to add the MisMSCRA and G CIA will prosissippi and G eorgia assovide training to show shops ciations to his portfolio. how to document repairs and protect The top of Kent’s agenda for their shops from liability concerns. MSCRA and G CIA includes estab- Our ultimate goal is to work together URCE lishing the associations’ bylaws, on a trade show for the whole southARTS SO The right part makes the difference. P IA K R updating paperwork and records, east region.” YOU evaluating the groups’ websites and Kent believes associations coldeveloping a schedule for 2021. laborating on certain proj ects will “There’s a lot to do in the be- strengthen each group individually ginning to construct a solid foun- as well. dation on which we can build a “We all can, and should, work tosuccessful association that will be gether to accomplish some really big able to support members,” Kent things for our industry,” he said. “We explained. “I have a lot of ideas, need to get on the same page, combine and since I’m not a shop owner our resources and work together, even attempting to run a business at the as we work individually within our same time, it’s much easier for me organizations. This industry is getting to step in and help rebuild these as- tougher, and shops needs to come tosociations.” gether to share their voice; this indusG CIA has struggled to recover try needs to amplify its voice because since the tragic passing of former it’s not loud enough.” www.yonkerskia.com executive director Howard BatcheAlthough each association’s lor, as busy shop owners and manag- legal committees will stay separate ers have di cult finding the time to to accommodate state laws, Kent • Genuine Kia OEM Parts • Efficient Service on All Orders run an association. MSCRA’s story hopes to combine and grow the • Fast & Free Delivery • Fax Your Order Today is similar. groups’ trade school committees, “It means a lot to the current inviting the participation of I-CAR Fax: 914.652.7665 members of G CIA and MSCRA to professionals, state officials, shops see the associations continue, and and instructors. Hours: Mon-Thur 7:30am- 8pm / Fri 7:30am-7pm / Sat 8am-5pm we are all interested in strength“We have a goal for 2021—a 1840 Central Park Ave. • Yonkers, NY 10710 ening and re-growing the groups,” maj or proj ect we’re working on

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autobodynews.com / JANUARY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 25

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12/15/2020 4:01:07 PM

GM and the UAW Meet With Biden and Harris on COVID-19 and Economy by Jamie L. LaReau, Detroit Free Press

G eneral Motors and the U AW met with President-elect J oe B iden and Vice President-elect K amala H arris on Nov. 16 to talk about the economy and the rise of COVID-19 cases sweeping the nation. The U AW told the incoming administration that there is a need for an immediate economic package to help people hard hit by the pandemic. The Biden Administration nuTransition Committee called the meeting the night before, said U AW spokesman B rian Roth enberg . The virtual meeting was scheduled for 11: 3 0 a.m. with Biden and Harris together in Wilmington, DE, a G M spokesperson said. U AW President Rory Gamble characterized it as an â&#x20AC;&#x153;importantâ&#x20AC;? meeting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our nation and economy are at a crucial point right now given the rise in COVID-19 cases,â&#x20AC;? G amble said in a statement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s discussion among labor and business leaders was a productive and honest discussion of the challenges we all face in manufacturing and business

to wrestle control of a ver di cult situation for our economy.â&#x20AC;? The U AW has had productive ongoing discussions with the Detroit Three automakers about the plant protocols to keep the economy moving while making â&#x20AC;&#x153;tough decisions to protect U AW members and all working Americans.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;But we all expressed today to the incoming administration an acute need for an immediate economic package for those hard hit by this pandemic, help for our states and our front line providers and specifically to protect the health and safety of U AW members in the workplace,â&#x20AC;? G amble said. The U AW and leaders pressed Biden for more testing, personal protective equipment and a plan for distribution of a vaccine when one is available, G amble said. He said workers, management and government must work together to get through this pandemic and save lives. G amble said he outlined for Biden and Harris the extent to which U AW members are working to follow protocols both inside and

outside of the workplace, but said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;together we all need to be ready for the di cult et lifesaving decisions that lay ahead.â&#x20AC;?

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-CA, arrive Aug. 12 to speak at a news conference at A.I. du Pont High School in Greenville, DE. Credit: Carolyn Kaster, AP

A spokesperson for Ford Motor Co. said it was not asked to j oin the meeting. A list of participants released by the Biden team did not list Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles on it either. G M put out a statement that read, â&#x20AC;&#x153;G eneral Motors was pleased to participate in this important discussion with President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris and

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others from the business and labor community.â&#x20AC;? The automaker said CEO Mary B arra shared G Mâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best practices for keeping the workforce safe and factories running during the pandemic. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We look forward to working with the new administration and incoming Congress on policies that support our customers, dealers and employees, help strengthen our manufacturing presence in the U .S. and advance our vision of an all-electric, zero-emissions future,â&#x20AC;? G Mâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s statement read. Here is the list of participants on the call: Rich ard T rumk a, president of AFLCIO Mary B arra, CEO of G eneral Motors Mary K ay H enry , president of SEIU S aty a N adella, president and CEO of Microsoft Rory Gamble, president of U AW B rian C ornell, CEO and chairman of the board at Target Marc P errone, president of U FCW Lee S aunders, president of AFSCME S onia S y ng al, CEO of G ap W e t h a n k t h e D et roi t F ree P res s f or rep ri n t p erm i s s i on .

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26 JANUARY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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12/16/2020 5:06:37 PM

Hertz Global Holdings Announces Asset Purchase Agreement with Athene Holding for Sale of Donlen Corporation Hertz G lobal Holdings, Inc. announced Nov. 25 it has entered into a stock and asset purchase agreement to sell substantially all of the assets of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Donlen orporation, a eet management leader, to Athene Holding Ltd., a leading financial services compan , for an anticipated cash payment of $ 825 million sub ect to ad ustments for eet equity, working capital and assumed debt. Hertz anticipates these adj ustments will result in a purchase price at closing of at least $ 875 million. “The agreement to sell our Donlen business is another significant accomplishment for Hertz during our financial restructuring, following the $ 1.65 billion debtor-in-possession financing and billion eet financing recentl approved b the Bankruptcy Court,” said Hertz President and CEO P aul S tone. “As we continue to work to position Hertz and our business for the future, we believe this transaction provides significant additional e ibilit to help us achieve our strategic and financial obj ectives. At the same time, customers will continue to be able to

benefit from onlen s commitment to e cellence in eet management solutions and service.” “We are pleased with this opportunit to position onlen s business for continued long-term success and appreciate Athene s commitment to continuing our tradition of high-quality service, customer satisfaction and award-winning

dustr leading eet management franchise that is well-suited to meet our obj ective of sourcing attractive, differentiated long term investments for our growing portfolio,” said Athene Chairman and CEO J im B elardi. “In support of the business, strengthening the balance sheet and its significant growth opportunit , we are making an upfront investment of appro imatel billion, and we are prepared to provide incremental capital that would support appro imatel billion of additional growth in the eet e plan to support Donlen with resources to invest in technology and grow their team, which will enable them to continue offering best in class service to their long-standing customer base.” The agreement with Athene was reached following an initial marketing process. If approved by the Bankruptcy Court at a hearing anticipated for Dec. 16, the agreement with Athene will serve as the “stalking horse bid” in a court-supervised sales process, and the agreement will establish a minimum sale price for Donlen.

eet management, wor ing with our talented employees,” said Donlen President T om C allah an ur eet customers remain our top priority and we look forward to continuing to be a trusted partner providing high levels of customer satisfaction, impactful technolog and eet solutions.” e are e cited about the opportunity to partner with the strong team at Donlen to acquire an in-

ert e pects to conduct a competitive auction process pursuant to bidding procedures that will be subj ect to approval by the Bankruptcy Court to ensure Hertz receives the highest and best offer for the onlen business. White & Case LLP is serving as ert s legal advisor, oelis o is serving as investment banker, and onsulting is serving as ert s financial advisor Information related to the Chapter 11 proceedings and access to court documents for Hertz G lobal Holdings, Inc. and Donlen can be found at https: / / restructuring.prime clerk.com/ hertz/ . Source: Hertz

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autobodynews.com / JANUARY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 27

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12/16/2020 5:07:05 PM

Politics, Guns, Religion and Other Things You Should Never Talk About in Your Shop: IGONCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s November Tireside Chat by Chasidy Rae Sisk

n ov , arfi owner Mik e Allen hosted the ndependent a rage wners of orth arolina s monthl ireside hat, olitics, uns, eligion and th er hings ou Should ever al About in our Shop he open forum discussion went ver well, with about indi viduals participatingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;both members and nonmembers, said E ecutive irector T ricia S auls e covered man topics including shop tal , loaner cars, c ber securit and

credit card processing fees t was neat seeing how the conversation de veloped and touched on so man e issues that the participants were pas sionate about he response to the ovem ber ireside hat was positive, Sauls continued ith so man hot button topics discussed, was happ to see constructive discus sion and e citement from partici pants to share their opinions hose who registered but were unable to attend received a lin to the record ing of the webinar received pos itive feedbac from those second hand viewers, who are alread loo ing forward to the ne t chat his was s second monthl ire side hat, and while the first event saw a similar turnout, the association intends to grow the audience b using aceboo ive and nstagram to in vite more people into the conversation, Sauls e plained m hopeful that we ll have regular attendees now that we ve determined the

WIN Opens MIW Nominations he wor tions

omen s ndustr et opened nomina ec for the prestigious ost nfluential omen

awards ominations will be accepted through an he recipients will be rec ogni ed at the elebration during the virtual Educational onference in a ominations of women

www.autobodynews.com

wor ing in an segment of the collision repair industr across the S and anada are wel comed hese women are not re uired to be members to be nominated Since its inception in , the ost n uential omen pro gram has recogni ed more than women who have enriched the collision repair industr with their leadership, vision and com mitment to e cellence he program supports s mission of driving the future of collision repair b attracting, developing and advancing women Source: W I N

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event will be held monthl , Sauls said

he events, open to an one within the automotive communit , provide an opportunit for networ ing, communit building and dis cussing the issues impacting partic

ipants shops and other automotive businesses ur goal with the online events, whether the are open to the public or for members onl , are meant to have a positive impact via education, discussion and networ ing, Sauls said t s important to provide a safe platform for partici pants to openl share their opinions and not be attac ed or udged, but rather initiate discussion and be come better educated n addition to its ireside hats, plans to host one educa tional event each month, as well as monthl riangle, Asheville est ern and Southern iedmont chapter meetings n ec , attendees will learn about Estimators oolbo ti li ing EE esources for repair planning from E from D anny Gredinberg . or more information on and its upcoming events, visit ig onc com

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autobodynews.com / JANUARY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 29

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

MASSACHUSETTS

NEW JERSEY

NEW YORK

NEW

Curtiss-Ryan Honda

LIA Honda Northampton

Madison Honda

Brewster Honda

800-523-4190 203-929-0635

800-369-7889 413-587-2900

800-648-0293 973-822-1710

845-278-4177

Shelton

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-5; Sat 7-4 callen@curtissryan.com

Lia Honda of Enfield Enfield

800-221-3131 860-741-3401

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 8-4 jdoucette@liacars.com MAINE

Berlin City Honda South Portland

800-640-6685 207-774-6685

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30 mmmparts@berlincity.com

Prime Honda Saco

207-391-7910 207-282-0900

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Th. 7:30-7; Sat 7:30-4 klavalle@driveprime.com MARYLAND

Criswell Honda Germantown

Northampton

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5; Sat 8-3 dstanisewski@liacars.com NEW JERSEY

Autosport Honda Bridgewater

908-722-5579

Madison

Dept. Hours: M-Thu 7-8; Fri 7-6; Sat 8-6; mschumer@madisonhonda.com

Rossi Honda Vineland

800-893-3030 856-692-4449

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 parts@autosporthonda.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 6:30-5; Sat 7:30-3 dave@rossihonda.com

Clinton Honda

Route 22 Honda

Annandale

877-657-2787

Hillside

973-705-9100

Brewster

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4 kbennett@liacars.com

Dept

Dick Ide Honda

PEN

Rochester

800-462-0056 (N.Y.) 585-586-4919 Dept. Hours: M-Thur 8-8; Fri 8-5:30; Sat 8-5 parts@dickide.com

Lamacchia Honda Syracuse

315-471-7278

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 9-1 parts@lamacchiahonda.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5 chrish@clintonhonda.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7:30; Sat 8-5 rt22hondaparts@route22honda.com

Honda of Turnersville

Sussex Honda

Lia Honda of Albany

800-842-0557 973-579-3500

800-272-6741 518-482-2598

Turnersville

800-883-0002 856-649-1584

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-4 sbaptist@penskeautomotive.com

Hudson Honda West New York

866-483-6917 201-868-9500

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7:30-5; Sun 8-3 anthony.perrone@hudsonhonda.com

Newton

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5 realhondaparts@sussexhonda.com

VIP Honda

Albany

Dept. Hours: M, T, W, F 7:30-5:30; Thur 7:30-8; Sat 8-5 mjerard@liacars.com

North Plainfield

Lia Honda of Williamsville

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-3 kevinh@viphonda.com

877-659-2672 716-632-3800

908-753-1680

866-738-2886

Dept. ap

sha

Williamsville/Buffalo

Dept. Hours: M-Thu 7:30-8; Fri 7:30-5; Sat 8-5:30 liaparts@liacars.com

Dep

Dept. Hours: M-Thu 7-9; Fri 7-7:30; Sat 8-6 hondaparts@criswellauto.com

ACURA MASSACHUSETTS

NEW JERSEY

NEW

Acura of Boston

Acura Turnersville

Elite Acura

Park Ave Acura

800-254-1169 617-254-5400

888-883-2884 856-516-6060

856-722-9600

888-690-7621 201-587-0028

Brighton

Turnersville

Maple Shade

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4 bmartinsen@group1auto.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5:30; Sat 8-5 bruce.fisher@acuraofboston.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4 kristen.powell@penskeautomotive.com

Acura of Peabody

Autosport Acura

Open Road Acura of East Brunswick

973-361-3117

732-238-0777 732-238-5466

Peabody

800-878-3600 978-532-9110

Dept. Hours: M-Sat 8-5 dbritt@acurapeabody.com

Denville

East Brunswick

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 8-4 erin@theautosportgroup.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4 robert.talbot@openroad.com

Bill Vinceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bridgewater Acura

Open Road Acura of Wayne

908-704-0307

973-696-5151

Bridgewater

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-7; Sat 8-4 mattn@bridgewateracura.com

Maywood

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-3 ron@parkaveacura.com NEW YORK

Acura of Westchester Westchester

914-834-8887

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-8; Sat 8-4; Sun 9-4 acura.parts@yahoo.com

Wayne

Dept.

Dep

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-4 jonathan.tangen@openroad.com

30 JANUARY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_0121.indd 30

12/15/2020 4:01:14 PM

t 9-1 m

30;

sville

ter

un 9-4

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW YORK

Ray Laks Honda

Sussman Honda

716-824-7852

800-682-2914 215-657-3301

West Seneca

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-8; Sat 7:30-5:30 ekuznicki@raylaks.com PENNSYLVANIA

Apple Honda York

800-960-9041 717-848-2600

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7-4; Sun 10-4 applehondaparts@appleauto1.com

Roslyn

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-1 rendrick@sussmanauto.com VERMONT

802 Honda Berlin

802-223-9700

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5; Sat 8-Noon hondaparts@802cars.com

Baierl Honda Wexford

724-940-2006

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4 johnryan@baierl.com

Shadyside Honda Pittsburgh

800-468-2090 412-390-2908

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5 shadysidehondaparts@hotmail.com

Shenango Honda Hermitage

800-858-0849 724-981-7106

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

NEW YORK

PENNSYLVANIA

Curry Acura

Baierl Acura

800-725-2877 914-472-7406

800-246-7457 724-935-0800

Scarsdale

Wexford

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-5 parts@curryacura.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-1 johnsabella@baierl.com

Paragon Acura

Davis Acura

718-507-3990

866-50-ACURA 215-943-7000

Woodside

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-5; Sun 9-4 johnp@paragonacura.com

Smithtown Acura St. James

888-832-8220 631-366-4114

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

Langhorne

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-4 markh@davisacura.com

Sussman Acura Jenkintown

800-826-4078 215-884-6285

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-1 rendrick@sussmanauto.com autobodynews.com / JANUARY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 31

Northeast_Issue_0121.indd 31

12/15/2020 4:01:14 PM

with Stacey Phillips

From the Desk of Mike Anderson with Mike Anderson

Mike Anderson is the president and owner of Collision Advice, a consulting company for the auto body/collision repair industry. For nearly 25 years, he was the owner of Wagonwork Collision Center, an OEM-certified, full-service auto body repair facility in Alexandria, VA.

It’s Time to Address the Other ‘Pandemic’ in Our Industry s it possible to ell at people through an article li e this hose of ou who have participated in training or seminars or groups that did ears ago no doubt remember how would sometimes ump down someone s throat here were times ou d see me chew em up and spit em out ve tried over the ears to become a inder, gentler i e ut m getting bac to a point where m genuinel angr Actuall , m not sure if angr is a strong enough word e have a pandemic in our industr , ladies and gentlemen, and m not tal ing about e have a pandemic of people who don t understand or uite honestl don t care what it ta es to repair a vehicle properl And this pandemic is going to end up illing people if we don t get it together ASA ou ma thin m being overl dramatic ut can show ou data that proves what m tal ing about Ever ear, m compan conducts estimating training for hundreds and in some ears, thousands of people Some of this training is done on behalf of automa ers, some is for associations, and some is for our individual clients f ou have attended one of the virtual ollision Advice estimate training sessions since began, ou are aware that a wee prior to the class, we send out wor for ou to complete ahead of the training e send ou photos of a collision damaged vehicle that needs a uarter panel replaced, and the assignment is to prepare an estimate for that vehicle Ever one uses the same rates for labor and materials ow understand the limitations of photo estimating ut what m loo ing for here is each person s level of understanding of nowing what E procedures need to be researched, and their abilit to do so, and each person s understanding of what s included and not included in the estimating s stems e then build a table showing how man total labor hours were

included b each anon mi ed estimator, bro en down b bod , paint, frame and mechanical, and how man total line items were on each estimate e prepare an estimate using each of the three estimating s stems, so no matter which one the people in the class use, we can do an apples to apples comparison f ou don t thin there s a pandemic of people not nowing how to properl fi a car, send me an email and will send ou one of these tables so ou can see what a dramatic difference there is among those who now and those who don t ne person will have hours of bod labor Another will have e wrote a , estimate when other estimators, before the training, were turning in estimates totaling , or , hat the hec hen we re all loo ing at the same vehicle hat s the difference e find their estimates are incomplete because he didn t ta e the assignment seriousl • They are uneducated or untrained he do not now how to properl research that specific automa er s procedures as to what it ta es to perform a proper and safe repair he didn t have or spend the time necessar now this isn t eas team and wrote uarter panel replacement estimates for four different automa ers vehicles or one of those automa ers, it re uired researching and reviewing pages of E documentation or another, it was pages he headlight replacement alone on one vehicle was pages oes this ta e time es Some in m classes will tell me what we ve written is not realistic eall Are ou idding me hose who now me now that have ourette s ndrome, and a comment li e that absolutel sets m tics and twitches in motion

ow ve been getting a ton of calls recentl from shops sa ing this insurer won t pa for or , or the re getting ic ed off this program or that program get that m not sa ing the insurance companies ma e it eas to do the right thing he don t Some are better than others m not sa ing insurance companies will pa for all lines of the estimate wrote ut at the end of the da , we are our own worst enem because we are so uneducated about what it ta es to properl fi that vehicle e don t ta e the time to research the repair procedures And that ma es it hard for the shop that is tr ing to do the right thing magine if all those shops in one of m classes were all in the same town ou ve got this person, who is tr ing to get paid legitimate labor hours, and the gu down

the street is onl charging for And fran l don t care if ou leave off some paint procedure on our estimate, or charge three fewer labor hours for a dent hat isn t going to ill an bod ut see shops not nowing the need to conduct seat belt inspections, or the need to measure steering columns, or the need to set up and perform destructive test welds r the are leaving off needed calibrations and initiali ations all because the didn t research what was needed on t tell me those safet items are left off because some insurance compan won t pa ou hat s a bunch of crap As m friend D ean H ancock sa s, hat dog don t hunt uite honestl , it doesn t matter what the insurance carrier will or will not pa hat matters is now-

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32 JANUARY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_0121.indd 32

12/15/2020 4:01:16 PM

ing what it takes to repair the vehicle safely and properly. When a vehicle owner brings a vehicle to your facility, they are saying, “I trust you to look out for me and my family.” What are you doing with their trust? Are you doing right by the consumer? Let me put it this way: I’m proud to have served in the U .S. military, and I see those helping preserve the freedoms we have as heroes. I see firefighters and police o cers and EMTs saving lives as heroes as well. But here’s what I’m also going to tell you: The shop owner, technician and estimator who make the effort to research E repair procedures, who make sure they know what is needed as part of a safe and proper repair, and who make sure it happens—they’re heroes too. They are saving lives. We’ll never know how many lives were saved when a pedestrian or a kid on a bike is suddenly directly behind or ahead one of the vehicles they repaired, and the vehicle systems worked properly to stop that vehicle in time. For those doing all those things,

I salute you. But frankly, far too many in this industry don’t fall into that category. That makes me angry. I see people who are trying to do the right thing really struggling and being penalized because of those of you who aren’t. My hope and prayer is those dedicated to doing the right thing will hang on, and the rest of you will start to do your part to end this pandemic in our industry of people who are uneducated, who are untrained, or who frankly j ust don’t care. J ust as before I became a “kinder, gentler Mike,” this isn’t intended to be mean-spirited or disrespectful. I j ust want to talk straight to an industry that means more to me than anything. I’m declaring war on this pandemic. Which side are you on? It starts with taking personal responsibility.

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Women in Auto Care Virtual Event

Subaru Named Top Brand by ALG

Women in Auto Care, a community of the Auto Care Association, announced Dec. 3 the opening of registration for its first ever omen in Auto are Week, a virtual conference set to take place Feb. 22-26, 2021. With the theme of “Reunite and Reimagine,” the event aims to provide attendees with the opportunity to reunite with industry peers in a new way and to reimagine the road ahead for 2021 and beyond. Women in Auto are ee will offer an engaging five da s of d namic spea ers and workshops, personal and professional skill development sessions, fun breakout engagement activities, dedicated networking opportunities, updates on the latest industry trends and more. The event will feature dail streaming content offered in small blocks, to allow more participation for attendees with busy schedules. Rates start at $ 150 for Women in Auto Care members and $ 200 for non-members. Source: AC A

Subaru of America, Inc. announced Nov. 18 it has been named the 2021 Top Mainstream Brand for Residual Value from the ALG Residual Value Awards. ALG , the analytics division of TrueCar Inc., serves as the industry benchmark for forecasting vehicle values and depreciation data. With the latest award, Subaru is a five time top brand for residual value, having taken home the honor in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and now 2021. In addition to the titular Residual Value Award honor, four Subaru models received top recognition in their respective segments: Impreza, best compact car; Forester, best compact utility; Crosstrek, best sub-compact utility; and WRX , best sports car. The ALG Residual Value Awards recognized vehicles in 29 segments predicted to maintain the highest percentage of the Manufacturers’ Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) after three years. Source: Sub a ru of Am eri ca , I n c.

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with Victoria Antonelli

In Reverse

Gary Ledoux is an industry veteran with 48 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience in the automotive and OEM collision parts industry. His column appears exclusively in Autobody News. He can be reached at YesterWreck@yahoo.com

with Gary Ledoux

The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;80sâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Foreign Cars and Other Changes As the s dawned, the collision he empirical approach of advancing repair industr began to see some into the collision repair business profound changes, and some shops moving from technician to shop mantried their darndest to eep things ager to owner, or passing the business Gary Ledouxfrom father to son or daughter was the same as the with had alwa s been changing to the emerging concept of Say No to Foreign investing and franchising Some ideas die hard, li e sa ing A trade maga ine, in the fall of no to wor ing on foreign cars , announced the launch of the the earl s, foreign cars SAutobod etwor , the latest had been pouring into the S for concept in franchising bod shops more than ears, et some shops he article noted there had been still did not wantwith to worStacey on themPhillips man attempts in the past to franchise despite the fact that some foreign shops, but this was the first to attempt nameplates were now made in the the concept on a nationwide scale S SAutobod etwor was a concept developed and administered b hief Automotive S stems, ma ers of hief E iner e uipwith Ed Attanasio ment he article noted there would be no compan owned shops, nor would the franchise agreement call for the homogeniation of shops All shops would continhe complained about thin- ue to be locall owned and run, but Bruce Roistacher ner sheet metal,with di cult matching would have to meet certain criteria to paint, parts that were hard to get and ualif for the networ , not the least volatile parts prices of which would be the abilit to reowever, so called foreign pair unibod vehicles, something the cars were becoming a larger part of industr still struggled with the repair landscape, and the global Along with e uipment re uireautomotive landscape was growing ments which oddl did not re uire more homogeni ed oreover, dohief products each shop would with Gary Ledoux mestic cars were becoming more li e be responsible for having properl foreign cars inasmuch as the thic - trained technicians and managers ness of sheet metal, di cult matching colors and the fact that, li e foreign cars, most domestics were using unibod construction According to ard s Automotive eports, import car sales were of total S cars sales in , that umped to more with Stacey Phillips than Some shops tried to ignore the foreign mar et, but the he SAutobod etwor francould not do it forever and survive chising group opened its first four shops, all in ebras a, in the fall of Investing and Franchising All were established shops that he s saw the traditional bod had been in business for between five shop business model begin to change and ears

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t is un nown what caused the demise of this initiative however, the SAutobod etwor trademar was cancelled eb , n , the A S A franchise was founded b Lirel H olt and proved to be much more successful Holt had been a shop owner and an e pert in collision management for the compan e shared his nowledge with thousands of shop owners and managers as director of the much heralded A S wor shops here, he developed a belief that a networ of ualit collision repair facilities across orth America would be a benefit for consumers and welcomed b the insurance industr olt used his nowledge and contacts and dedicated his efforts to building the A S A franchise s stem e was the first to appl customer satisfaction, financial measure-

ments and ongoing improvements and consistenc on a large scale Some shops tried to ignore the franchising concept, hoping it would ust go awa t didn t

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Waste is a Terrible Thing to Mind he earl s also put the industr on the cusp of later E A and S A regulations A trade maga ine article dealing with bod shop to ic waste noted it was onl a matter of time before a number of local or federal agencies reali ed that bod shops generate a lot of nast waste and have no good wa to get rid of it, man doing so illegall hanges were proposed in that would re uire most bod shops and auto repair places to register with the E A and to properl store and dispose of ha ardous waste , those proposals had

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become a reality. Businesses generating a minimum of 220 lbs. of hazardous waste per month would come under regulation. This meant most body shops would need to track their waste from the time it left their shop through certified carriers to its final resting place. The Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986, also known as Title III of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act, brought a harsh re-

ality to the doorsteps of every body shop in America. It required those employers dealing with hazardous materials to provide Material Safety Data Sheets for every hazardous chemical used in the business by employees. The shop would

also have to make this information available to local authorities and first responders, such as fire departments, so they would be aware of what they are dealing with in the event of a fire, chemical spill or other emergency. This meant collision shop owners would be responsible for training employees about their rights under the legislation, the nature of the hazardous chemicals in the workplace and the information contained in MSDS sheets; labeling information about potentially hazardous chemicals; and record keeping. In the summer of 1988, Southern California shops owners found they were targeted for some special environmental rules. Shops in southern California that fell under the auspices of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SQAQMD)—basically the Los Angeles area—were faced with a dire issue concerning compliance with the SCAQMD’s recent interpretation of the 1977 Clean Air Act. It said if larger shops, spraying

more than 25 lbs. of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), wanted to expand their business, they would need to buy very expensive equipment to capture the VOCs, rather than expel them into the environment, use low VOC paints, or both. Smaller shops would be able to get away with low VOC coatings. This caused permits to build new paint booths to take four to six months. The industry was realizing it could no longer ignore its state and federal lawmakers, because lawmakers were no longer ignoring collision shop owners. It was all the more reason to belong to a local or state auto body association. In September 1988, the California Autobody Association met for its annual expo and convention at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, CA. Among the various speakers was Fred Simonelli, legislative advocate for the State of California. His message was, “Whether you like it or not, you have a partner—the government.” He encouraged shop owners to get involved with government to help drive legislative decisions that would affect their future business.

ASE Expands SpanishLanguage Test Options To better serve the increasing number of Spanish-speaking professional service providers, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) has added Spanish translations to select ASE certification tests with the help of industry experts who participated in workshops hosted by ASE. Luis Arboleda of Superior Automotive Training, Rafael de Leon of Automotive Service Institute, Guillermo Martinez of Automotive Technical Center and Francisco Moreno of ZF Services, LLC worked with ASE to develop a comprehensive plan for implementing Spanish translations into the ASE test-taking process. No special registration procedure is needed to access the Spanish translations because they are built into the ASE test delivery screen. All ASE tests will continue to have the searchable English-to-Spanish glossary of technical terms. Source: ASE

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with Stacey Phillips

Techs of the Future with Stacey Phillips

Stacey Phillips is an award-winning 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.

Cracking the Code to Recruiting and Hiring Collision Repair Technicians ollision repair owners and man agers across the countr sa hiring technicians and high turnover rates have become critical issues in their businesses Emplo ee engagement ma be the e to solving these problems, ac cording to D ustin P eug eot, owner of the atri rade nstitute, and K ev in W olfe, owner of eaders a eugeot and olfe recentl discussed how to rac the ode to technician recruiting, and offered innovative solutions for shops to ma imi e the e cienc and reten tion of current emplo ees heir

ma e mone , added eugeot f we can focus more on retaining and growing our emplo ees, the will do the recruiting for us, and then we can do what we are reall good at ma ing mone in the collision industr eugeot said nearl of peo ple who complete a collision repair training program defect from the in dustr in months e have a retention problem in our industr , not a recruiting problem, he said e have to find wa s to ma e this industr more palatable and e citing for them and not ust get frustrated when the act e actl the wa we assume the would during the interview process olfe said upgrading organi ations and moving into a st centur econo m are crucial for survival, especiall now during the pandemic ou can t sit bac an Dustin Peugeot, left, owner of the Matrix Trade Institute, and Kevin Wolfe, right, owner of LeadersWay more and pretend that ou can continue to go on this presentation was held as part of the wa , he said ou can t achieve Societ of ollision epair Special great results with the wrong people ists S S epairer riven ews eugeot and olfe offered sev Series during SE A en steps to crac ing the code to talent olfe cited a allup poll con and developing the potential of the ducted in une that addressed the people who show up to wor ever engagement and well being of the da wor force According to the poll, nearl of S wor ers said ight Sourcing the were either activel disengaged or not engaged at all at their obs he first step is sourcing people Al n almost ears, we ve done though internet ob sites, such as n almost nothing to better the wor deed com, and vocational technical conditions for the people who are schools are good options, olfe also showing up ever single da , said advises thin ing more broadl olfe et, organi ations continue e have to start loo ing ev to move awa or sh awa from lead er where, he said alent doesn t ership, coaching, training and wor ust e ist in somebod s bac ard ing at all levels to develop people with a oung person who li es to be hen olfe visits collision re under the hood pair shops, owners often complain eugeot said emplo ees care about emplo ee retention n re about wor ing at a business where sponse, he tells them, ou alread the can grow and there is a clear ca have the talent our ob is to devel reer path to follow op it e should constantl be re ur time is valuable hiring cruiting those from all angles of life and firing ta e awa our abilit to who want to wor hard and ma e

mone and feel great about a s ill, he said etwor ing with the local ham ber of ommerce, a otar club or A meetings can also be helpful when loo ing for emplo ees lti matel , the goal is to become a talent magnet ecoming a talent magnet means being a leader who is devel oping people ever da not ust when the have time, said olfe ight Selection An important part of crac ing the code is how owners and managers approach the interview process p icall , when bringing in new people to an organi ation, interviewers will as basic uestions such as ou wor ed for ollision o ou have tools Are ou A certified ill ou wor for our compan

hen can ou start nstead, olfe advocates fo cusing on three critical steps irst, he recommends screening potential candidates don t want to bring in some one for an hour if now right awa that m not going to continue with them, he said Second is conducting what he referred to as a top grading interview, going through the person s resume and references eugeot said this demonstrates to potential emplo ees that ou care and are going to loo into their bac ground f ou let them now ou are disciplined enough to ma e a cou ple of calls and read more than the first seven lines, it lets the candidate now ou are ta ing this as serious as the are, he said uring this stage, olfe and eu geot advocate conducting an assess

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ment of a person s technical, personal and cognitive s ills f the candidate seems li e a good fit for the organi ation, the final step of the process is conducting a focus interview his involves bringing the person in to wor with the team and determining how ever one gets along ight osition rior to hiring someone for a certain position, olfe suggests determining what that ob will entail, the duties the person will have and the results needed to be successful t often surprises me how man organi ations lac clear e pectations, he said olfe often as s organi ations if the are pla ing chec ers or chess Average leaders pla chec ers the thin ever one can move the same wa , he said e force people into roles that aren t good for them and then blame them because the don t perform reat leaders pla chess nce those e pectations are set and the business owner has determined the candidate will be a

good fit, eugeot advises selecting the person based on fit and comfort o the define success the wa we want them to and are the going to be comfortable doing it because we want them to ight evelopment nce an emplo ee is hired, development becomes paramount, both personall and professionall he o reason that will eep a person in an

those who care for each other and help one another, he said hen it comes to professional development, eugeot recommends building their pride through education ithout pride in what ou are doing, development, growth and efficienc don t occur, he said hen emplo ees demonstrate pride in their wor , eugeot said to then focus on proficienc , teaching them how to do it right ever time, while

â&#x20AC;&#x153;It often surprises me how many organizations lack clear expectations,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Kevin Wolfe organi ation, according to olfe, is a shop s investment in development t s not ust enough to develop the professional talents of people, but also invest in the personal side as well and help them become better humans, said olfe n terms of personal development, olfe said to focus on s ills that will enable individuals to learn to communicate more effectivel to the people the will be wor ing with istoricall , great teams are

ensuring the understand what the are doing ltimatel , their confidence will grow through hands on learning and the will become more e cient ight Support As a business owner or manager, olfe said it s essential to guide emplo ees rac ing the code is all about becoming a better guide, he said his doesn t mean doing the

wor for them, but demonstrating how to do it correctl and supporting their development eugeot said this ta es discipline and commitment n da one, he recommends providing emplo ees with the tools and resources the need to do their ob effectivel Although it re uires time and mone , he said it builds proficienc and confidence An additional wa to show support is having constant communication with emplo ees eople need to now what s going on, said olfe ne of the biggest deficits in an organi ation is not communicating with emplo ees or thin ing the can t handle the information eugeot suggests appointing someone in the organi ation, other than the owner, who can deliver consistent positive and negative information to emplo ees ight Accountabilit olfe said accountabilit is often a misunderstood concept, and man business owners believe that caring See Cracking the Code, Page 45

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New Product Showcase with Ed Attanasio

Day Job/Night Job

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

with Ed Attanasio

Metal and Creativity Collide at CRASH Jewelry hen our average metal technician house consultant right here to proviloo s at a damaged bumper, hood, de answers and he has been such a door or uarter panel, their first in- plus with stinct is to tr and fi itGary Wickert hen Schimp e came up with ut, when C h risti S ch imp k e, the initial concept for AS efounder of AS ewelr in wes- welr , she new it was doable, but tern os Angeles, A, sees an of wasn t sure how to proceed these automotive parts, her perspecmade a few mista es at the tive is dramaticall different, fueled beginning, but as developed techb her creativit and an artistic e e ni ues for ta ing metal off cars and Schimp e ma es sustainable ecreating polished ewelr from it, with Stacey Phillips welr from the metal of lu ur autogot better and better, she said mobiles for men and women ver the past few ears, ve refier husband, an, is the co owned m process to the point where ner of B ev erl y C oa ch C ra f t , a e- man people can t initiall believe ar old shop speciali ing in repairing that those earrings or that cuff actuall started as part of a vewith Stacey Phillips hicle hen Schimp e started receiving accolades and great reviews for her first few pieces, from parts off a errari hallenge Stradale, she was obviousl with Stacey Phillips thrilled love the fact that people are continuall surpriChristi Schimpke created CRASH Jewelry in 2013, building sed when the reali e that a it into a successful business that has produced 3,000 cuff or a nec lace is made pieces in seven years from a hood, door or uarlate model ercedes en , , ter panel of a car, she said hen with Stacey Phillips Audi, entle , orsche, olls the find out that it s from a vehicle, o ce, aserati and other high end the are shoc ed and want to learn vehicles t s a perfect source for more about the process e periparts from high end cars, after an t- menting, we have developed mething from fender benders all the wa hods to manuall manipulate steel to complete totals with Stacey n , Schimp e decidedPhillips to set up her studio at oach raft and that s when the magic began hile was in m studio, maing more traditional ewelr from silver and gold, noticed these beautiful cars thatwith were Victoria coming into Antonelli the shop ever da , she said he paint reminded me of enamel, so began wondering if could create something with those fenders and doors and give them a second life CRASH Jewelry is best known for its cuffs, Schimp e s husband, a former like this one made from a hood from an Aston with Victoria Antonelli technician, has helped with her busiMartin DBS Superleggera ness ever step of the wa , she said e began as a technician, so he and aluminum, without affecting the nows a lot about the metals and the car s original paint paint how the can be manipulated Since its inception, the sales at f have an uestions, have an in AS ewelr have increased b

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Schimp e said he clientele at AS ewelr spans a diverse demographic, including car enthusiasts, fashionistas, artisanal crafters and those who simpl en o a good stor about something handmade, Schimp e said e ta e pride in our collection, and often embellish our creations with ualit gemstones and cabochons, Schimpke uses her jewelry to raise money for her pet she said n this age of charities, such as animal rescue, free legal aid, education mass production, handmade and hospice organizations craftsmanship seems to be a he compan has been featured in thing of the past, which is what maes AS ewelr so special numerous publications, radio and racelets a a cuffs are television programs A guest on the fifth season Schimp e s best sellers, ma ing up of her total sales he of a eno s arage was wearing almost to , , one of m cuffs, and models on the range in price from but average between and runwa during A s ashion ee wore some of m ewelr as well, See CRASH Jewelry, Page 53

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autobodynews.com / JANUARY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 43

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with Erica Schroeder

Industry Insight with John Yoswick

—John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon who 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.

Driving Has Largely Rebounded, but Traffic Congestion, Resulting Claims Have Not

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S usanna Gotsch sa s drivers are have of students in classrooms bac out on the roads, but changes in some or all school da s, nearl two driving patterns are still more adverse- in five students nationall still with Ed Attanasio l impacting the number of claims and attend schools offering onl a virtual shop repair orders option otsch, data anal st for hese changes cut morning and nformation Services and the lead afternoon commute tra c signifioff spea er at the virtual S S m- cantl , otsch said, noting those are posium held in ovember, said ve- the times of da in which federal data hicle miles traveled withhas Edrebounded Attanasio indicates about one third of all accinationall to within of normal, dents occur but that tra c congestion and the he rebound in vehicle travel claims that result has not is happening with less congestion in part because of travel during non pea time online shopping deliveries occur across a broad swath of with Ed Attanasio the da , for e ample and in part because of longer trips b those avoiding air travel he end result, otsch said, is claims remained with Ed Attanasio down about , ear to date, in earl ovember ut there is a broad range of mar et variation in that statistic otsch s data shows the hoeni mar et, for e amwith Stacey Phillips ple, was down ust , ear to date, as of ovember Atlanta, harlotte and the iverside San ernardino area in alifornia all had claims counts down less with Stacey Phillips than CCC Information Services reports claims being down At the other end of the nationally almost 22% year-to-date this fall, but individual spectrum, hardest hit among states’ results range from a 31% decline in North Dakota large mar ets are ashingto an 8% uptick in Louisiana ton, , San rancisco, She cited a number of statis- Seattle and oston, where claims with Stacey Phillips tics affecting congestion A stud of are down between and , o ce buildings showed, for he good news for shops is their e ample, that occupanc rates that volume of repair orders is not that far were near in man metro areas below normal, otsch said are now below n the middle wee of arch, hile man businesses are still shops in states with minor restricoperational, thewith continue to Phillips eep tions saw repair order volume dip b Stacey their emplo ees wor ing remotel , compared to the same wee in otsch said, noting automa ers and , followed b a wee with a high tech firms are among the com- decline from the preceding ear he panies alread announcing the will stats were even worse for shops in eep their emplo ees wor ing from states with ma or related rehome at least through ne t une strictions, where repair order volume Similarl , although states was down b and in those

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total cost of repairs was , , up same wee s in arch , ust sh of , compared to late ctober, however, repair order volume had rebounded to being the same period a ear earlier, and up more than for down about compared the same month period to the same period last ear ending in ith overall volumes hat s based in part on continuing to be down slighta more than rise in l , we do e pect that in , non drivable vehicles after claims counts and repair orhigher speed crashes made der counts will be much better than the were in , Susanna Gotsch of possible b less vehicle trafotsch said ut we do e - CCC Information Ser- fic, she said, along with inpect overall volume will be vices said congestion creases in the cost of parts less in than it was in during morning and and higher costs in the misafternoon commute cellaneous sublet categor , times hasn’t which is where a lot of the otsch shared a vari- rebounded from the et of other statistics during plummet in March fees associated with scanher presentation during the as much as driving ning and calibrations are apduring other parts of pearing S S mposium the day has A line item for scanning ost of repairs, she of appraisals said, has been up ear over ear in was included on ever month this ear through Sep- in the first uarter of this ear, she in the tember or the months ending the said, compared to ust he average third uarter of this ear, the average same period in

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44 JANUARY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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fee for scans across appraisals that include them is , she said oo ing at claims onl , shops in the second uarter of this ear averaged labor hours per da on drivable vehicles and hours on non drivable vehicles that was up from labor hours on drivable vehicles and hours for non drivable for the same period in , but down slightl from labor hours for drivable and hours for non drivable in ewer repairs in shops in the second uarter also led to improved c cle time, otsch said from vehicle in to vehicle out, c cle time fell to an average of da s, down nearl a half da from the previous uarter, and down from da s in the second uarter of or the months ending with the third uarter of this ear, of claims had supplements, up from a ear earlier and up from for the month period ending in , and those supplements accounted for of the total cost of repairs, up from and in the two prior ears he percentage of vehicles de-

clared total losses has continued to increase, despite a rise in used vehicle pricing this ear e re now at a point where roughl of all non comprehensive appraisals are being agged as total loss, which is a substantial increase considering that even ears ago, onl about of all vehicles were agged as total loss, otsch said hat is li el to rise even higher ne t ear, she said, given the e pected decline in new vehicle sales this ear he vehicle eet will continue to shift older for the ne t several ears, otsch said an fewer vehicles were purchased this ear b eets, which ultimatel supplies the used vehicle mar et, and that will help eep used vehicle prices elevated, but as repair costs continue to rise and ma outpace that, that will continue to push up the total loss freuenc

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Cracking the Code for emplo ees and ta ing actions that help them get better is the soft side of business uilding a culture around leadership and putting people first implies that we shouldn t hold people accountable, said olfe t s ust the opposite f we re not holding people accountable, the are never going to feel better about themselves eugeot agreed he easiest thing to do as a manager is to wal b a problem and commit that ou will deal with it ne t time because ou are bus now, he said eing a good leader is nowing that it s our ob to ta e time and stop and have what can be perceived as a hard conversation ather than being a negative meeting, eugeot said it can be a positive coaching session, where leaders share clear e pectations, offer consistent feedbac and remember there is no negotiating on results ight Environment

Even if business leaders follow all the steps involved in hiring and developing emplo ees, olfe said the environment must be right, or the won t sta in the organi ation eople sta in health cultures and organi ations that treat them as people, invest in their development and consistentl challenge them to get better, he said eople aren t going to wor for ou and do their best for ou because the love ou t doesn t matter how nice ou are, said eugeot f ou give them an environment where the can ta e pride and love themselves for what the do, then ou ll start to reali e e ponential growth and opportunit or more information, contact ustin eugeot at dustin matri tradeinstitute com or visit www matri tradeinstitute com, or evin olfe at evinw leaderswa com or visit www leaderswa com o watch this presentation and other S S epairer riven Education sessions through August , enrollment information can be found online at https rde scrs com

autobodynews.com / JANUARY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 45

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Private’s Equity’s Influence on Consolidation Predicted to Continue Amidst COVID-19 Disruption, Structural Change by Vincent Romans, as told to Stacey Phillips

uring the S S mposium in ovember, V incent Romans, managing partner of he omans roup, presented a macro level view of the evolving S collision repair industr ollowing the virtual show, omans shared further insight from he omans roup industr research with Aut ob od y N ew s contributor S tacey P h illip s, following trends on consolidation, private e uit E and the auto ph sical damage landscape n the following article, omans discusses the impact of on the collision repair industr and e amines how E continues to in uence structural change with consolidation will forever be seen and remembered as a generational foundation ear of significant disruption and structural change for the world with far reaching economic, social and political implications At the omans roup, we have discussed and profiled the ongoing disruption ta ing place during the last five decades as part of our stud of the longitudinal evolution within the collision repair industr , and its auto ph sical damage ecos stem s multi segment structural transformation e entered with one of the best business and economic environments ever b all comparative standards e were then une pectedl hit b a con uence of e ternal events impacting near and longer term visibilit overshadowed b continued uncertaint hese include s uncertain impact a slow, hobbling, uneven healing econom social unrest in the S presidential election results and tensions between the S , hina and ussia he recent disruption caused b the pandemic will accelerate change in wa s that ma e it di cult to predict what the effects will be throughout the broader auto ph sical damage ecos stem here are man industr constructs la ing the foundation for change, opportunit and uncertaint

as we transition to owever, we e pect to emerge from with stronger nascent and legac leading businesses that were well capitali ed with strong balance sheets pre , as well as emerging disrupters who were at the right place and time with new norm solutions that became opportunities for success and competitive advantages e have seen man repair organi ations able to not onl maintain their operational and financial well being, but also to be profitable during the pandemic A combination of the ederal eserve s periodic economic intervention, the collision repair industr s designation as an essential business, available loans and earl reductions in labor force actions initiated b repairers all helped contribute to man repairer s positivel navigating the pandemic Since ebruar , we have seen a number of mar et d namic changes that seem to be at the top of the more in uential and impactful near term con uence of prevailing industr conditions during and post pandemic rastic decrease in miles driven, accidents and claims processed compared to the same period in A reduction in the collision repair addressable mar et, otal Available ar et A , in , et to be determined ncreased vehicle repair comple it due to growing penetration of embedded A AS technolog and calibration re uirements ontinued acceptance and adoption of E certification programs echnician shortage mitigated in the short term due to furloughed and terminated technicians, but sourcing, recruitment and retention continues echnicians and collision repair owners are now even more selective regarding hiring and retaining the best Evolution of business segmentation strategies with the largest consolidators mar eting to insurers their uni ue one national shop model platform his is further segmented with collision repair locations providing specific capabilities including

glass installation, e press , same or ne t da service, non drive total loss processing and disposition, E certification, advanced material and or mechanical repair, and diagnostic services including pre and post repair scanning and calibration Artificial intelligence, machine learning and computer vision geared to the development and adoption of collision repair estimating eventuall impacting shorter claims processing and estimate accurac Accelerated digital transformation including acceptance of virtual claims photo processing and financial pa ments rivate e uit s continued interest and activit in activel see ing out investments throughout the auto ph sical damage ecos stem and collision repair consolidation Impact of Private Equity on Industry Consolidation t s no secret the collision repair industr has e perienced and will con-

tinue to re ect significant consolidation, both in terms of the number of repair locations ac uired and the transfer of ownership he number of repair organi ations has decreased considerabl since , while consolidator and larger multi shop operators S s have created multi location, multi regional and national S s that now represent of the collision repair industr s A ith ever increasing E funds and record levels of dr powder unallocated capital on hand it is anticipated that transactions within the collision repair industr and broader auto ph sical damage landscape will continue at a constant pace E organi ations continue to be attracted to collision repair for several reasons the health and growing industr A , strong positive cash ow, the view that collision repair is somewhat recession resistant as re ected in the recession downturn economic c cle

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autobodynews.com / JANUARY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 47

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and the government s current designation that collision repair is an essential business ost repairers remain open even though business was slashed b to in the earl da s, when repairers too actions to cut costs, accepted mone from the government, furloughed person-

he high velocit of E deal ma ing diminished in as dealma ers felt the impact of the pandemic was the first full uarter in which global economies had to slog through the pandemic, and the slowdown in S E deal activit became more apparent

firm activit scouring the collision repair industr for possible investments in S s urrent rivate E uit Strategic nvestors with S and anadian S s ( See F i g . 4 )

output A , and or million for a total orth America share of or billion in revenue co managed b private e uit and collision repair owner teams n ovember, enter a art-

Fig. 1

nel and, in some cases, shuttered their doors for some of the earl da s of the health crisis verall, S E deal ma ing activit registered another health

According to e uin, E fundraising momentum has slowed from s record setting pace, although it will li el remain health ( See F i g . 3 )

Fig. 5

here are now private e uit and strategic investor firms in the S and anada that represent or billion of the nation s revenue

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Fig. 2

showing in , though fell sh of the record setting pace of ( See F ig . 1 ) espite the strong rising S investment theme, seen in the chart above, the amount of unspent E cash continues at its all time high nvestors such as pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and insurance companies continue to direct mone into private mar ets in the hopes of achieving higher returns in industries li e collision repair than offered b traditional stoc s and bonds in an era of continued low interest rates E investments and relativel ine pensive debt have provided the enormous pools of capital re uired to enable collision repair industr consolidation ( See F i g . 2 )

Fig. 4

E s interest in the collision repair industr in remains strong Since the beginning of , we have e perienced a growth of E

ners became the most recent private e uit firm to announce its entrance into the collision repair industr , b ac uiring several S s totaling

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48 JANUARY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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locations and million in revenue, with a target of million b ear end rior to enter a , the four most recent S private e uit ac

ac uisition oar apital riven rands ac uiring the Auto fran chise and the shop Southern ali fornia S Auto enter Auto od A A and Sus uehanna apital

Fig. 5

uisitions involved A apital and rash hampions ew ountain apital adding to its billion port folio with a shop lassic ollision

ac uiring rand wine oach or s, with four locations in enns lvania hese ac uisitions indicate po tential investors continue to see po

tential in the collision repair indus tr he transactions re ect how small to medium si e S s are partnering with E companies to help accelerate their e pansion and growth, creating nascent models where small to medium aggressive S consol idators are now competing as the build their regional and super regional platforms to compete with the larger legac consolidator S s li e ali ber and o d erber ( See F i g . 5 ) here continues to be private e uit firms such as rontenac, in hicago, , reaching out to court smaller to medium si e S s in terested in partnering with them to grow their business to a regional or super regional S espite these E deals and con tinued S ac uisitions, there cur rentl remain independent S s with million in annual revenue here are independent e isting S organi ations with between million and million in annual revenue that can easil grow into this meaningful E targeted million segment e e pect and to be

ears of ongoing consolidation within the collision repair industr , especial l with the large number of indepen dent million multiple location op erators still operating that could turn into ac uisitions his activit can be viewed as a pro for what will con tinue as we enter the ne t decade with in the collision repair industr his is an e cerpt from he o mans roup annual report, A rofile of the Evolving S and an ada ollision epair ar etplace, now available he report contains the complete results of their research and anal sis for , including more than charts and graphs throughout more than pages, with historical trends and a view of the future o purchase the report, contact ar ane urows i of he omans roup at mar ane romans group com

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autobodynews.com / JANUARY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 49

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Collision Repair Teacher Sets Students Up for Career Success by Ed Attanasio

ollision repair instructor Lonnie H ig ey at orain ount oint ocational School in berlin, , has a program focused on career emplo ment and hands on engagement while ma ing things fun achieving all three goals since ta ing the ob seven ears ago, ige is proud of the fact this two ear high school program with sophomores shadowing is ourishing even during uncertain times After man ears as a painter, estimator and manager in the collision repair industr at the dealership level, ige decided to pursue a second career as the new collision instructor at orain ount S

Every year, the collision repair classes participate in the State of Ohio’s Paint-A-Plow Program, to give its students a chance to hone their skills while helping the community

started with students, with bo s and one girl in m first class, he said hen the State of hio as ed us if we would li e to participate in the aint A low, which is a communit outreach program in which students are invited to paint an hio epartment of ransportation snow plow blade with original artwor to represent their individual school The snow plows were j ust the beginning, ige said too a chance and had them drop off four plows for us to paint, he said uic l reali ed that prepping these plows would teach the students all the basics in bod wor , which also opened up a new world in the program After success with the aint A low e perience, ige began loo ing around to ta e on all inds of interesting pro ects e ve painted s, horse cart wagons, even mi ers for local ba eries, he said e painted a hev

orvette for the sheriff s department and a few for a local orvette club e also completel restored a van for the orain ount Salvation Arm and another one for the local uvenile court s stem believe in having students do service wor in m classes because giving bac is so important and it contributes to the growth of the program hroughout the ears, the collision repair program at orain ount S has grown considerabl , with more and more oung women signing on for ige s classes his ear s unior class has girls and bo s, which gives us a total of plus sophomores, uniors and seniors, ige said an of the girls go on to either independent bod shops, li e Ruby T anner at leveland ower and Spit er hr sler odge am, S av annah Moore at latline ollision, and even J ulie T ay lor and H annah D eich ler at iddell Sports in El ria, , reconditioning helmets for sports teams leveraging more than ears in the business, ige is adept at creating great opportunities for his students iddell has been a ma or emplo er of our students, and now we have several graduates wor ing there full time, as well as two seniors and seven uniors, si of which are girls, he said t seems that this program

un has alwa s been an integral part of ige s classes e have a grill and we ma e panca es, he said believe in having fun and enabling m ids to be creative in their thin ing about collision repair and then appl it to almost an thing cars, truc s, boats, snow plows and golf carts ve learned over the ears that if students can have some fun, the program will grow b leaps and bounds uniors and seniors at orain ount S are also enrolled in A s professional development program to complete courses in painting and refinishing and non structural technician pon completion, the have a ro evel ne certification ige s students can also stud ollision Academ and S safet courses, or learn athwa s Estimating if the desire n addition, uniors and seniors also have the opportunit to compete in S ills SA, ige said e have made it to the state competition man times, he said his is alwa s a fun time and a

great trip, giving this opportunit to see how man students are there competing in all different industries and trades

Many of Higey’s students work at Riddell Sports in Elyria, OH, painting and reconditioning helmets for sports teams

eaching his students is his o priorit , but helping to place them in good obs is a close second, ige said tell m students parents that am not a teacher, m a ob trainer f the can get their id out of their basement and into one of m classes, the have a fair chance to find See Career Success, Page 54

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MARYLAND One of Higey’s students, Ruby Tanner, has created a brand for herself as a model and an industry spokesperson

is getting bigger and bigger ever ear, because our students can see a future where the have man avenues for success t s great to see when m students and graduates can appl the talents the have learned here ne of m graduates told me that she was ma ing more mone than her father b wor ing at iddell

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50 JANUARY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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ge 54

Contact These Dealers For Your Kia Genuine Parts Needs MASSACHUSETTS Kia of Attleboro

South Attleboro 508-761-9300 (508) 761-0768 Fax 8am-8pm Mon, Wed; 8am-5pm Tue, Thu, Fri 8am-4pm Sat frank@courtesyma.com www.courtesyma.com

MARYLAND Bob Bell Kia

Baltimore 800-638-4967 (410) 285-1376 Fax 7am-7pm Mon-Fri 7am-5pm Sat smelson@bobbell.com

NEW JERSEY Liberty Kia

Ramsey 201-818-8995 (201) 783-8848 Fax 8am-5pm Mon-Sat parts@libertyhyundai.com

NEW YORK

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New Hampton 888-374-6575 (845) 374-4718 Fax 8am-5pm Mon-Fri 8am-3pm Sat

Easton 610-829-3020 (484) 546-0292 Fax

Kia of Middletown

nissankiaofmiddletownparts@yahoo.com

www.kiaofmiddletown.com

Northstar Kia

Long Island City (718) 683-5300 (718) 489-9889 Fax M-F 7:30am-5pm; Sat 8am-2pm www.northstarkiany.com

Yonkers Kia

Yonkers 914-268-0279 (914) 652-7665 Fax 7:30am-8pm Mon-Thu 7:30am-7pm Fri; 8am-5pm Sat

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Coatesville 610-384-7700 (610) 384-2171 Fax 8am-5pm Mon-Fri 8am-12pm Sat Alan@kiaofcoatesville.com www.kiaofcoatesville.com

Kia of West Chester

West Chester 610-429-3500 (610) 429-0164 Fax 8am-5pm Mon-Fri 8am-12pm Sat Alan@kiaofcoatesville.com www.kiaofwestchester.com

Outten Kia

Hamburg 610-562-4166 (610) 562-9436 Fax 7:30am-5pm Mon-Fri 8am-12pm Sat jhenne@outtencars.com www.outtenkia.com

RHODE ISLAND Bald Hill Kia

Warwick 800-822-3015 (401) 822-8135 Fax 8am-5pm Mon-Fri 8am-4pm Sat www.shopkiaparts.com

VERMONT

Berlin City Kia

Williston 800-684-5779 (303) 928-6905 Fax 6am-6pm Mon, Wed, Fri 6am-7pm Tue, Thu 7am-3pm Sat ableau@berlincity.com

autobodynews.com / JANUARY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 51

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Former UAW VP Gets 30 Months for Taking $250,000 in Bribes and Kickbacks J osep h Ash ton, former vice president of the A s eneral otors epartment, was sentenced ov to months in federal prison for conspiring with other A officials to engage in honest services fraud b ta ing , in bribes and ic bac s from a A vendor and for conspiring to launder the proceeds of the scheme, announced S Attorne Matth ew S ch neider oining in the announcement were I rene Lindow , special agent in charge of the hicago region for the S epartment of abor ffice of nspector eneral D av id G. N anz, acting special agent in charge of the etroit, , o ce of the S arah K ull, special agent in charge of the etroit, , o ce of the S riminal nvestigations and T h omas Murray , district director, S epartment of abor ce of abor anagement Standards n ecember , Ashton, , of cean iew, , pleaded guilt to conspiring with two other high level A o cials—Mich ael Grimes and Jeffrey Pietrzyk—to ta e hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and ic bac s from vendors doing business with the oint A enter for uman esources rimes and ietr have also pleaded guilt rimes was sentenced to months in prison and ietr is awaiting sentencing he is supposed to be a center for training A wor ers emplo ed b Ashton was the co director of the Ashton, ietr and rimes also served on the e ecutive board for the , and the were responsible for approving contracts with the vendors Ashton admitted that over the course of the conspirac , he and the other two A o cials demanded and accepted bribes and ic bac s from a vendor based in hiladelphia, A, in e change for securing or maintaining a contract to provide custom watches to the Ashton and his A co conspirators demanded ic bac s on the million contract for the to bu , watches for all A members emplo ed b Ashton demanded more than , in ic bac s on the watch contract to

be distributed between

through

Some of the ic bac s were distributed in the form of chec s pa able to Ashton, which were deposited into his personal ban account he ma orit of the ic bac s were distributed as cash n , the A received the , watches from the vendor owever, the watches were never distributed to A members nstead, the watches were left sitting in a storage room at the for more than five ears esides conspiring with other A o cials and vendors to the A , Ashton also admitted he conspired to launder the proceeds of the ic bac scheme b using various methods to conceal and disguise the bribes and ic bac s through a length and complicated series of financial transactions Ashton is one of defendants convicted in connection with the ongoing criminal investigation into illegal pa offs to A o cials b A e ecutives and corruption within the A itself he following individuals have alread pleaded guilt to their participation in the scheme and have been sentenced former A ice resident for Emplo ee elations Alp h ons I acobelli months in prison former A inancial Analyst J erome D urden months in prison former irector of A s Emplo ee elations epartment Mich ael B row n months in prison former senior A o cials V irdell K ing da s in prison , K eith Mick ens months in prison and N ancy A. J oh nson months in prison Monica Morg an, the widow of A ice resident eneral oliefield months in prison former A ice resident N orw ood J ew ell months in prison and former senior A official Mich ael Grimes months n addition, the following A o cials have pleaded guilt and are awaiting sentencing former A resident Gary J ones, former senior A o cial Jeffrey “Paych eck ” P ietrzy k , former A egion irector and A board member V ance P earson, former A idwest A resident E d-

ward “Nick” Robinson and former A resident D ennis W illiams Schneider commended the outstanding wor of the S riminal nvestigations, the S epartment of abor ce of abor anagement Standards and ce of nspector eneral, and the in conducting a comprehensive criminal investigation into labor corruption activities involving a vital sector of the local and national econom oseph Ashton illegall used his power and in uence to benefit himself, and he caused long lasting damage to the hardwor ing members of the A , Schneider said Ashton wasted almost million that could have been used to train A members, and his crimes led to the closing of the A training center and the loss of man training center obs Ashton s greed caused irreparable damage to the trust A members have in their leaders who are supposed to represent their best interests oseph Ashton abused his po-

Contin

sition with the nternational nited Auto or ers nion A b demanding and accepting over , in ic bac s from a A vendor, said indow nstead of bargaining in the best interests of the A members, he chose to personall enrich himself e will continue to wor with our law enforcement partners to protect the financial integrit of labor organi ations he men and women of the A deserve real, honest leadership t is clear r Ashton s priorit was not to advocate for union members but to line his own poc ets, said an he will continue to wor with our law enforcement partners to investigate corruption and ensure the financial integrit of our countr s labor unions t is imperative that A leadership continues to be held accountable for their selfish acts of greed, said ull oda s sentence is another step forward in our efforts to rid the A of corrupt leaders who abuse their positions to line See Bribes and Kickbacks, Page 57

Genuine NISSAN & INFINITI OEM Wholesale Parts are Superbly Crafted to Strict Quality Standards. THE FOLLOWING DEALERS PROUDLY STOCK GENUINE PARTS FOR YOUR NISSAN OR INFINITI REPAIRS.

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781-619-7270

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(410) 282-2432 (410) 285-1376 Fax M-F 7-7, Sat. 8-5 smelson@bobbell.com

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52 JANUARY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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beca a pr pro sinc cust item will ple c

ted t bein sing

ever love even lega thro artis profi lieve

es she borg e am

Continued from Page 42

CRASH Jewelry hree ears ago, the business became viable and started ma ing a profit, she said ve created appro imatel , pieces overall since da one get a ton of return customers and man people bu items from us for corporate gifts or will purchase gift cards, so that people can pic the ewelr the prefer AS ewelr is committed to being all in when it comes to being a green business b repurposing discarded metal e also donate a portion of ever sale to multiple charities, and love to participate in fundraising events such as animal rescue, free legal aid, education and hospice throughout the ear, she said f an artist can use their art to help nonprofit organi ations and causes believe in, that s so satisf ing Ever once in a while, Schimpe s da gets a little brighter when she finds out about some prime amborghini, errari or unusual parts, for e ample

he most uni ue and special items that ve ever made have to be from a amborghini allardo Superleggera, she said hat one stands out, including the five cuffs did for an Australian race driver with parts from a orsche e crashed it, so got a ton of metal from that one vehicle n , Schimp e found out about S usan P urk h iser, a stuntwoman who lost her beloved in the oolse ire that hit os Angeles and entura counties er friends sent me a piece of fire damaged metal from the vehicle, and made a cuff with it, Schimpe said She was moved when she received it, and, of course, we were delighted as well As the media continues to embrace AS ewelr and more and more high profile celebrities bu her pieces, Schimp e sees a great future for her compan love doing this, and as long as lu ur car owners will get into accidents, will never run out of parts to turn into ewelr rowse AS ewelr s website at www crash ewelr com

Motus: Vehicle Depreciation to Slow as Much as 3% in 2021 by Auto Remarketing Staff

f ou thin vehicle prices are high in , ust wait til ne t ear According to the ehicle epreciation rends eport released b otus last month, is li el to see depreciation rates slow between and throughout the ear, assuming current trend lines remain in pla As ou might e pect, the current and forecasted high vehicle prices are being driven largel b pandemic related impacts hen automa ers shut down production this spring, otus e plained, that led to a new vehicle shortage ut demand remained strong And subse uentl , used vehicle suppl too a hit, as well he pandemic has decimated vehicle inventories, and consumer demand has remained surprisingl stead t s no surprise we re seeing premium prices on both new and used automobiles, K en Robinson, mar et research manager at otus, said in a news release ew vehicle prices and re-

sidual values both in uence depreciation and both have been impacted b the pandemic f suppl and demand trends in motion remain consistent, we predict that depreciation will decrease b to over the course of

n the full report, otus said ew vehicle prices and residual values both in uence depreciation oth have been in uenced b the pandemic Assuming consumer demand remains stead , we e pect the tight suppl of new vehicles to mostl offset the increased used vehicle inventor entering the mar et W e t h a n k Aut o R em a rk et i n g f or rep ri n t p erm i s s i on .

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autobodynews.com / JANUARY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 53

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Investment Banker Tells MSOs the Industry Will be ‘Alive and Well’ Seven Years from Now hen investment ban er Rex Green spo e seven ears ago at the S S mposium, he accuratel predicted that at least one collision repair chain would have , locations within five ears

During the online MSO Symposium, investment banker Rex Green said he foresees the largest collision repair companies continue to grow, but the ability of smaller MSOs to also grow has surprised him

So reen, who has been involved in ac uisitions involving man of the largest collision repair chains in orth America, was as ed at this ear s s mposium, held virtuall in ovember, what he pro ects he might be spea ing about at the event seven ears from now, in

he collision industr will be alive and well in seven ears t will be thriving, said reen, now global co head for the Automotive Aftermaret roup at efferies, thin the large chains will have a meaningfull larger share of the mar et e said the growth of large auto auctions, information provider nformation Services and large alternative parts suppliers li e orp are evidence that insurance companies are not troubled b large providers e said the increasing need to invest in the abilit to perform vehicle diagnostics and calibrations is ust the latest e ample of where higher cash ow and economies of scale gives larger collision repair organi ations advantages hat said, he admitted he would not have predicted seven ears ago the growth he s seen in smaller S s as well ne of the things that s most surprised me is the abilit of two , three or four store chains to get to or or or stores, reen said he beaut of this econom

and this societ is that it constantl surprises me with its entrepreneurialism and creativit Another surprise to him At the S S mposium, he said, there was little discussion of the automa ers role within the collision repair industr Somewhere in the last seven ears, the E s have come piling into this industr , and the want their piece of the profit pie bac , reen said here is also a desire on their part to have their cars fi ed properl here is, for them, a big branding importance to that ighl impacting the industr b , reen pro ected, will be the abilit of the vehicle to transmit telematics data indicating when a crash has occurred, giving automa ers and insurers this information with the driver needing to provide first notice of loss to their insurer hat first notice of loss is never going to be a phone call an more, and it s not going to be first, it s going to be instantaneous, he said, which ma well change the d namics between insurers, automa ers and shops

Continued from Page 50

Career Success a s ill that the can use the rest of their lives f ou want to sta in his classes, ou pla b ige s rules don t have a lot of rules, so it shouldn t be that di cult goal is to ta e m students out of a id s world and into the adult world e are a school of choice, so these people should be able to motivate themselves, but am willing to help hen it comes to retirement, the concept couldn t be further from his mind, ige said As long as can eep up with these teenagers, see m see teaching into m s he technolog is changing rapidl , but most of the processes are still the same in man wa s, he said f we can set these oung people up for successful lives and careers, that is something want to do as long as can

www.autobodynews.com

Biden Says He Won’t Immediately Remove U.S. Tariffs on China

Experts: Classic Car Owners Should Beware Second Lockdown

resident D onald T rump ’ s tariffs imposed on hina under the phase one trade deal will remain in place at the start of the new administration, resident elect J oe B iden said in an interview with the ew or imes published earl ec

ith different governments threatening or even beginning a second wave of loc downs, ostensibl to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, e perts are warning classic car owners of the ris s e all now firsthand that loc downs are devastating to economies, particularl small businesses he ve also caused a spi e in mental health problems, substance abuse, suicides and domestic violence A wave of divorce filings after might threaten a m riad of social and economic problems ut these loc downs also carr a ris for our classic car ut of ritain, classic car e pert E ric C ollins recently spread the message that loc downs might cause a classic car to deteriorate As the cars sit for long periods of time, different parts can wear out, sei e up, etc f ou alread new that, then congratulations, because apparentl not ever one is aware of the ris s n some areas, going for a leisurel drive in our classic car is considered criminal hat means our

President-elect Joe Biden during an event in Wilmington, DE. Credit: Alex Wong, Getty Images

m not going to ma e an immediate moves, and the same applies to the tariffs, iden said He plans to conduct a full review of the current S polic on hina and spea with e allies in Asia and Europe to develop a coherent strateg , he said he best hina strateg , thin , is one which gets ever one

of our—or at least what used to be our—allies on the same page t s going to be a ma or priorit for me in the opening wee s of m presidenc to tr to get us bac on the same page with our allies iden told columnist T h omas Friedman he didn t thin the S et had the leverage in dealing with hina etting bipartisan consensus in America on government led investments in American research and development, infrastructure and education would achieve this want to ma e sure we re going to fight li e hell b investing in America first, he said iden said he stood b comments he made in a Sept op ed in which he wrote if ran returns to strict compliance with the nuclear deal, the nited States would re oin the agreement as a starting point for follow on negotiations, ac nowledging to riedman t s going to be hard W e t h a n k Ax i os f or rep ri n t p erm i s s i on .

by Steven Symes, Motorious

beloved ride has to ust sit in the garage or ou could face a big fine and ma be even ail time ot driving our classic at all can lead to all inds of problems, ust li e with those barn finds we cover regularl ust how man problems our car gives ou once ou ta e it out of storage depends on man factors bviousl , moisture is a bad thing for a car, so putting a dehumidifier in our garage is a wise move Even better is a temperature controlled garage, but not ever one can swing that ou might consider pulling our classic out to do essential activities li e going to the grocer store es, there s a ris with leaving it in a par ing lot, especiall with car thefts rampant these da s, but ou also run a ris b never using it ltimatel , ou have the loc downs to than for being put in this precarious position owever, if ou live where a second loc down isn t being instituted, ou re luc indeed W e t h a n k M ot ori ous f or rep ri n t p erm i s s i on .

54 JANUARY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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Finish It Like a Masterpiece with

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Mercedes-Benz of Wilmington Wilmington

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617-275-2182 Direct 781-229-1600 Main

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Mercedes-Benz of Annapolis Annapolis

Mercedes-Benz of Goldens Bridge Goldens Bridge

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autobodynews.com / JANUARY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 55

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10 Cities with the Most Expensive Driver Commutes by Heather A. Turner, PropertyCasualty360

ommuters have been on a much needed reprieve these past couple of months as man businesses remain on a wor from home schedule to curb the spread of ut with the possibilit of vaccines circulating in the near future, wor ers ma want to prepare for the return of the dail commute sometime in he average American wor er spends minutes a da on their dail drive to wor , according to the S ensus hen factoring in fuel and toll costs and vehicle wear and tear, drivers could spend hundreds to thousands of dollars a year j ust on their commute ippia recentl evaluated S cities with populations over , to determine the cities where people are spending the most mone ust getting to wor or its anal sis, the career search website multiplied the median hourl wage b the average commute time to determine the lost financial opportunit cost in each cit ippia also calculated the estimated

wear and tear fuel costs b assuming an average of mile for ever two minutes spent driving two wa s and the standard mileage rate of cents per mile from the S

Av erag e commute leng th : 6 9 D aily commute cost: $ 1 9 . 6 9 7 . N ew ark , N J H ourly w ag e: $ 1 4 Av erag e commute leng th : 6 7 D aily commute cost: $ 1 9 . 2 1 6 . P omona, C A H ourly w ag e: $ 1 2 Av erag e commute leng th : 6 3 D aily commute cost: $ 1 8 . 0 1

Credit: Jamesb01/Wikimedia

1 0 . S an B ernadino, C A H ourly w ag e: $ 1 3 Av erag e commute leng th ( minutes) : 6 0 D aily commute cost: $ 1 7 . 1 0 9 . S anta C larita, C A H ourly w ag e: $ 2 0 Av erag e commute leng th : 7 7 D aily commute cost: $ 2 1 . 8 9 8 . P h iladelp h ia H ourly w ag e: $ 1 6

5 . S tock ton, C A H ourly w ag e: $ 1 5 Av erag e commute leng th : 6 9 D aily commute cost: $ 1 9 . 7 8 4 . H ialeah , FL H ourly w ag e: $ 1 2 Av erag e commute leng th : 6 4 D aily commute cost: $ 1 8 . 2 4 3 . Moreno V alley , C A H ourly w ag e: $ 1 4 Av erag e commute leng th : 7 2 D aily commute cost: $ 2 0 . 4 1 2 . N ew Y ork C ity H ourly w ag e: $ 2 0 Av erag e commute leng th : 8 4

Hyundai, Kia Fires Cost Automakers Another $137 Million by David A. Wood, CarComplaints.com

undai and ia will pa at least million to the ational ighwa ra c Safet Administration SA related to recalls of million vehicles e uipped with heta engines

he heta engines can cause fires due to metallic debris remaining from when the engines were manufactured he debris can enter the engine oil, damage the connecting rods and other engine components and cause engine failures and fires ased on the three ear undai consent order, the automa er will ma e an upfront pa ment of million and eventuall pa an additional million on safet improvements undai ma also be re uired to pa another million if conditions of

the consent order are not satisfied he two ear ia consent order includes an upfront pa ment of million along with an obligation to spend million on specified safet performance measures ia ma also pa million if it violates conditions of the consent order

he enter for Auto Safet petitioned SA in to investigate undai and ia engine fires following hundreds of complaints about the vehicles Safet regulators granted the petition and launched an investigation which still remains open According to the enter, these popular models are the problem 2 0 1 1 - 2 0 1 4 H y undai S anta Fe 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 4 H y undai S anta Fe S p ort 2 0 1 1 - 2 0 1 4 H y undai S onata 2 0 1 1 - 2 0 1 4 H y undai S onata H y brid 2 0 1 1 - 2 0 1 4 K ia O p tima

2 0 1 1 - 2 0 1 4 K ia O p tima H y brid 2 0 1 1 - 2 0 1 4 K ia S orento oda s announcement validates the concerns of millions of consumers about a persistent safet ha ard and should remind manufacturers there are costs beyond recalls for failing to report dangerous defects, as re uired b law, said J ason Lev ine, e ecutive director of the enter for Auto Safet he consent orders claim undai and ia waited too long to issue recalls of more than million vehicles as fire complaints continued to pile up SA also sa s undai and ia didn t report accurate information regarding the heta recalls n addition to the monetar agreements, ia will create a new safet o ce in the S , and undai will build a facilit in the S dedicated to safet investigations undai and ia also agreed to create new programs to detect possible safet problems and each automa er will hire an independent third part auditor who reports directl to the government W e t h a n k C a rC om p l a i n t s . com f or rep ri n t p erm i s s i on .

D aily commute cost: $ 2 3 . 9 4 1 . P almdale, C A H ourly w ag e: $ 1 5 Av erag e commute leng th : 8 6 D aily commute cost: $ 2 4 . 9 5 According to the car insurance comparison website he ebra, commuter car insurance policies cost an average of more per ear than pleasure use auto coverage he average polic costs between , and , annuall f ou re a low mileage driver, a commuter polic might not be our most cost e cient option, writes Av a Ly nch for he ebra hile relativel new to the world of auto insurance, usage based insurance policies can be a great solution if ou drive infre uentl ac ed b telematics, usage based insurance policies use how ou drive and how much ou drive to calculate our insurance polic n theor , the less ou drive, the more ou can save W e t h a n k P rop ert y C a s ua l t y 3 6 0 f or rep ri n t p erm i s s i on .

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their repu

a lo faile tra bers to o vend that ers od tion to s pers best mem

Assi C ar

Sour ern

Continued from Page 52

Bribes and Kickbacks

Ford Has a Controversial Message for Every Automaker by Jay Traugott, CARBUZZ

their own poc ets and tarnish the reputation of A o cials oseph Ashton is another in a long line of A o cials that failed in his fiduciar duties and be tra ed the trust of the A mem bership b using his union position to obtain bribes and ic bac s from vendors in e cess of , so that he could enrich himself and oth ers within the A , said urra oda s sentence leaves no ues tion as to the agenc s commitment to see ustice when an one puts personal financial gain ahead of the best interests of their fellow union members he case is being prosecuted b Assistant S Attorne s Frances C arlson and E aton B row n Source: U.S. Attorneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office Eastern D i s t ri ct of M i ch i g a n

AUTOBODY

he state of alifornia made a bold political and environmental decision in September An e ecutive order was signed b ov Gav in N ew som on the hood of a ord ustang ach E declaring the state s plan to ban sales of new passenger ve hicles with internal combustion engines be ond his gives automa ers barel ears to electrif their entire lineup if the wish to continue doing business in America s most populated state ord couldn t be happier with this decision and wants rival auto ma ers to bac it as well euters reports the earborn, based compan is now urging automa ers to support alifor nia s new ero emissions stan dards as part of an industr wide bid to reach a consensus on the matter before resident elect oe iden ta es o ce an , ord s crosstown rival, en eral otors, announced it no longer supports the rump ad

ministration s continued efforts to prevent alifornia from deciding its own emissions laws riginal l , oined with o ota and A in support of rump

eanwhile, , on da and ol swagen agreed with ord s position regarding the olden State Several ma or auto ma ers were set to have a virtual meeting to discuss their ne t steps and ord s message is loud and clear ord Americas resident K umar Galh orta recently wrote the following he iden Admin istration will not let the rump standards stand, and either b wa of litigation and or a regulator reboot, the new team will move in

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a different, more stringent direc tion n other words, it d be point less to resist alifornia s new rules because the incoming ad ministration is e pected to support them ight as well start preparing for the inevitable alifor nia Air esources oard hair Mary N ich ols also believes the state s emis sions rules could serve as the basis for new federal standards t is in the automa ers short and long term interest to form a consensus on this matter because the switch to electrifica tion ta es time, mone and se rious planning he sooner the start the better n addition to s about face, E Mary B arra revealed a plan to launch at least E s globall over the ne t five ears with an investment of billion ver two thirds of those new E s will be for the S W e t h a n k C AR B U Z Z f or rep ri n t p erm i s s i on .

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The following dealerships are eager to serve your needs. Call your local Subaru collision parts specialist today! autobodynews.com / JANUARY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 57

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3M Introduces Lightweight Performance Spray Gun Using Revolutionary Technology plication Solutions ffered in si different si es, from to , each After ears in development and atomi ing head is optimi ed for feedbac from customers worldwide, consistent atomi ation and superior introduced the erformance transfer e cienc , which adds up to faster c cle times for repair shops Spra un ecause paint never passes sing revolutionar technolo erfor g , the erformance Spra un through the bod of the un and onl through was developed b engineers to mance Spra the disposable cup and no le, the deliver top of the line performance, said J onnie B loemers, global product cleanup and changeover processes are streamlined mar eter, erformance Spra hat means there is no un ollision repairers more paint gun ing up in will e perience faster clean ternal components, no more up, changeovers and c cle brea ing down our spra time with this lightweight gun or soa ing in solvent, product and no more cross contam onstructed from an ination putting our ob at impact resistant composite ris , said aislet material, the erfor ith the uic change re mance Spra un was de Jonnie Bloemers placeable atomi ing heads, signed to offer a full range of aislet said cleanup is a snap high performance automotive coat Ever time ou swap out the ings, including paints, stains, prim ers, basecoats, topcoats, clearcoats, replaceable no le for a fresh one, ou can e pect li e new spra per epo ies and adhesives using replace formance, he added able atomi ing heads n toda s collision repair he secret lives inside our advanced interchangeable no le shops, it s important for painters to technolog , said B rady H aislet, have dependable tools so the can spend less time worr ing about their application engineer, aint Ap by Stacey Phillips

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Parts: They’re our passion We know Genuine Volkswagen Collision Parts down to the finest detail, and we’re happy to share that knowledge with you.

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