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

organization saved perhaps its most significant news for a presentation at A glimpse at future vehicle technol- NACE the following day. ogy and what it may mean for colliThere, Jason Bartanen unveiled the new “Repairability Technical Support Portal,” I-CAR’s effort to put repair procedures and vehicle information as close to technician’s as the nearest computer, tablet or smartphone screen.

“We really want to put this information into technician’s hands,” said Bartanen, director of industry technical relations Jason Bartanen presents the Repairability Technical for I-CAR. “They may not Support Portal on the NACE Show Floor walk up to the front of the sion repairers and insurers filled much shop to ask a technical question. But if of the agenda at I-CAR’s annual con- they have the answer in their pocket, ference in Detroit in late July, but the See I-CAR Wants, Page 22

by John Yoswick

VOL. 4 ISSUE 6 SEPTEMBER 2014

Louisiana AG Buddy Caldwell Files Suit Against State Farm Alleging Unsafe Business Practices Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell has filed a lawsuit against State Farm Insurance alleging the na-

tionwide insurer has engaged in a pattern of unfair and fraudulent business practices aimed at controlling the auto repair industry and forcing unsafe repairs on vehicles without the knowledge or consent of Louisiana consumers.

Attorney General Caldwell said, “State Farm has created a culture of See LA AG Files Suit, Page 18

Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell addresses media Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014, about a lawsuit he filed on behalf of the state of Louisiana against State Farm Auto Insurance for what he calls deceptive and unsafe practices regarding vehicle repairs, which allegedly violate fair trade and monopoly laws

NACE Coverage Online at autobodynews.com

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

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

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

P.O. BOX 1516, CARLSBAD, CA 92018

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

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

Change Service Requested

by Ed Attanasio

ing to Biggs. “You need to know that this isn’t your grandfather’s or even your father’s certification program.

The biggest difference is that now the automakers are rewarding the shops that invest in compliance with customer referrals.

OEM’s have already begun to refer their vehicle owners to these forward-thinking shops for their collision repair needs, and this will only increase over the coming months. The

playing field has changed and business as usual is over. The biggest automakers with mass-produced and mass-market brands are using a very aggressive referral approach and that will place the certified shops at a whole different level.”

That Ford is leading the pack with this body shop certification program is a clear indication of where things are headed, Biggs explained. “Ford has made a new truck (the best selling vehicle in the country for 30 years) that cannot be fixed in the old-fashioned way—period. Following suit are other OEM’s. If you want to repair any of these vehicles, and there will be millions of them soon, you’re going to have to do it the right way—which requires new tools, equipment, training and facilities. Shops who do not embrace these changes put themselves and their customers in a very tenuous and unsafe position. So, certification really isn’t even elective in this See Assured Performance, Page 16

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

2 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Contents Two Jersey Physicians for Alleged Auto

Insurance Fraud. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

3 Injured in Hit and Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 AASP-MA Opens Sponsor Registration for 2014

ABAT Holds Second Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

ABRA Continues Nationwide Expansion . . . . . . 17 As Vehicle Designs Evolve, Frame Racks and Measuring Systems Are More Important

than Ever Says Chief Automotive . . . . . . . . . 13

Casino Night and More for Fall 2014 . . . . . . 34

ASA-AZ Serves a Big State with Diverse

Pool Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

ASA-IL Uses CAN Conference to Reintroduce

AASP-NJ Offers Job Matching Labor

Arrest in Long Island Car Break-In Spree . . . . . . 4 Bothel’s Garage Celebrates 65 Years in

Business in Cape Elizabeth, ME . . . . . . . . . . 8

Cape May, NJ, Awards Contracts to

Body Shops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Carubba Collision Presents Scholarships to Buffalo, NY High School Students at Upward Bound Awards Banquet at

Buffalo State College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Collision Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

ASA-NW Members Enjoy Summer Retreat . . . . 42 and Details Growing OEM Insistence on Being Part of Repair and Certification in the Future,

NACE Attendees Clearly Impressed . . . . . . . . 1

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

Repair Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

California Insurance Firm Pays Settlement

CollisionMax Now Advertising on Philadelphia

CIC Selects Randy Stabler as New

Driving Snake-Wrapped . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Collision King Honored By Farmers Insurance

Sports Radio 97.5 WPEN-FM, “The Fanatic”. . 6

Ex-Police Dispatcher, Co-Owner of Tow-Truck Co.

Plead Guilty In Bribery Case. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Fire at Vacant Auto Body Shop In South Jersey,

Man Seen Running . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Insurance Fraud Sentence for Former

Chairman as of January. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 As Body Shop of the Year in Texas,

Sherwin-Williams Congratulates . . . . . . . . . 16

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

at U. Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

IADA Holds 46th Annual Conference, Hopes

Crash in New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

I-CAR Wants to Get OEM Info to Techs and to

from Safelite in Connecticut Anti-Steering Case . 10

I-CAR® Announces Launch Of New Website . . 12

Lynx Services Files Motion to Quash Subpoena MA Auto Insurance Rates Climbing 5 Years

After Deregulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

to Attract New Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Educate Consumers about Tech Training . . . . 1

ICRA Lobbyist Defends Rights of Iowa

Body Shop Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Man Charged in Fatal Hit-and-Run on

Judge Denies Ford’s Motion to Dismiss

New Jersey Lexus Owner Charged in False

Louisiana AG Buddy Caldwell Files Suit

Long Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Carjacking Claim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

PA Joins 70 mph Club, NJ Not Likely to

ABPA Lawsuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Against State Farm Alleging Unsafe

Business Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Follow Suit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Master Painter JoAnn Bortles Gets Dose

Auto Parts in Bridgeport, CT . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

MCRS Lobbyist Represents Collision

Robbery Video Released of East Coast

COLUMNISTS

Attanasio - How Can I Squeeze More

of Reality on Motor City Masters . . . . . . . . . 60

Repairers in Big Sky Country . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Motor City Masters on truTV® Combines

Design, Imagination and Innovation . . . . . . . 58

Out of My SEMA Experience? . . . . . . . . . . . 36

NICB Says Honda Accord Still Most

a Good First Impression?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

NICB Warns Consumers That Thieves

Why is Blueprinting Important? . . . . . . . . . . 52

SCRS Announces Repairer-Driven Education

Assignment of Proceeds and Writ of

Seven Charged with Utah Automotive

Attanasio - Is Your Reception Area Making Luehr - Better Blueprinting, Part 1:

Sisk - Repair Documentation Series, Part 2:

Replevin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 NATIONAL

2015 F-150 Repair Parts Will Be Sold

Wexford, PA

With Buckets of Coins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

New York Cop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Loose Tire Sets Off Deadly Chain-Reaction

Roslindale, MA

Assured Performance Network Makes the Case

Chiropractor Gets 27 Months in CT Insurance

Fraud Scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Lexington, KY

Interests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

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

Stolen Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Use Scanner Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

at SEMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Glass Repair Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Tampa Television Station Highlights Poor Quality

Repairs, Body Shop Lawsuits Against Insurers. 12

Wheels to Prosper’s Annual Giveaway . . . . . . . 30

Serving New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts

Acura of Westchester . . . . . . . . . . 30 Amato Agency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Audi Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . 50 Axalta Coating Systems . . . . . . . . . 5 B & R Associates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Baystate Chrysler-Jeep-DodgeRam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 61 CarcoonAmerica Airflow Systems . 6 CCC Information Services. . . . . . . 19 Central Avenue Chrysler-JeepDodge-Ram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA) . . . . . . . . . . 39 Chief Automotive. . . . . . . . . . . 36, 37 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Clay Auto Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Colours, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Crashmax Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Creative Metal Manufacturing . . . . . 9 Dent Tools Direct USA. . . . . . . . . . 36 Ditschman/Flemington Auto Group. 55 Dominion Sure Seal, Ltd . . . . . . . . . 4 Empire Auto Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Equalizer Industries, Inc.. . . . . . . . 20 Fairfield Chrysler-Jeep-DodgeRam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Fitzgerald’s Lakeforest HyundaiSubaru. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Ford Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . 38 Fred Beans Parts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Future Cure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Gary Rome Hyundai-Kia . . . . . . . . 34 Glanzmann Subaru . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 GlasWeld Systems, Inc . . . . . . . . . 16 GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 44 Hackettstown Honda. . . . . . . . . . . 30 Herkules Equipment Corporation . 13 Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-33

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. ©2014 Adamantine Media LLC. Autobody News P.O. Box 1516, Carlsbad, CA 92018 (800) 699-8251 (760) 603-3229 Fax www.autobodynews.com Email: news@autobodynews.com

Northeast

21st Century Insurance Files Suit Against

Boulder, CO

To All Body Shops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Indexof Advertisers

REGIONAL

How Does Industry Pay Compare?

Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers . 57 Jaguar Wholesale Parts Dealers. . 54 Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Koeppel VW-Mazda. . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Lexus Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . 58 Malco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Maxon Hyundai . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-15 Maxon Mazda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Mazda Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 52 Mercedes-Benz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 MINI Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . 60 MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers . 35 Nissan/Infiniti Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Porsche Wholesale Parts Dealers . 56 PPG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 PreFab Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Providence Lacquer & Supply Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Rare Parts, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Safety Regulation Strategies. . . . . 48 SATA Spray Equipment . . . . . . . . 25 Security Dodge-Chrysler-JeepRam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 SEMA Trade Show . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 17 Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers . 63 Sussman Auto Group . . . . . . . . . . 47 Tasca Automotive Group. . . . . . . . 41 TG Products, Inc. - The Rail Saver. 10 Thompson Organization . . . . . . . . 49 Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 60 Valspar Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Volvo Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 48 Wagner Auto Group . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Yonkers Kia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS 3

Carubba Collision Presents Scholarships to Buffalo, NY High School Students at Upward Bound Awards Banquet at Buffalo State College

August 15, 2014…Buffalo, NY… Carubba Collision Corp. President, Joe Carubba, presented scholarships recently to a pair of Buffalo high school students at the Upward Bound Awards Banquet held at the State Uni-

Carubba Check Presentation

versity of New York College at Buffalo campus in Buffalo, New York. Mr. Carubba provided the scholarships at the Hal D. Payne, Educational Opportunity Lifetime Service Student Scholarship Awards Program.

The two recipients of the scholarships were Terrell Johnson, a 2014

graduate of the Charter School for applied Technologies who will be attending Buffalo State College and Saw Mey, a 2014 graduate from Lafayette High School who will also be enrolled at Buffalo State College this fall.

One of eight federal TRIO Programs created for disadvantaged students, Buffalo State’s Upward Bound serves 9th through 12th graders from Buffalo annually. Activities include a mix of tutoring, afterschool programming, and a six-week summer residence at Buffalo State offering core

AASP-NJ Offers Job Matching Labor Pool Service

The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers/New Jersey (AASP/NJ) has a Labor Pool service which helps match industry professionals with jobs at auto body and repair shops throughout the state. “If you have a skill related to the automotive industry and are looking for work, don’t wait! Call the AASP/NJ Labor Pool today and let us know that you are available,” the association states on its website. “We may have a job waiting for you.”

AASP/NJ has struggled to bring younger generations of workers into its professional fold. The Labor Pool approach helps to ensure that that the industry is leveraging the workers it has more effectively. “AASP/NJ understands that finding qualified employees in our industry is getting more and more difficult each year,”

Executive Director Charles Bryant said. “It’s not a new problem, but it is one that is increasingly growing with the lack of young technicians coming into the automotive repair industry.”

Other benefits offered: The group offers a variety of other perks for its members, including discounts on payroll and human resource services, a member insurance offering, help with compliance and renewals, and access to legislation and forms relevant to the industry.

And if the group’s members need to refer their customers to a rental car service—a common need after an accident—they also can participate in a revenue-generating program with Hertz, which could become a potential revenue source for auto body repair shops. Did someone say “mutually beneficial”?

Police say they have arrested a homeless man responsible for dozens of vehicle break-ins on Long Island in the past two months. Suffolk County police say 36-year-old Keith Keene was arrested Sunday in North Bellport after one of his victims recognized him from surveillance video. They say she called out to several onlookers who helped detain the man. Keene was ar-

rested on grand larceny and petit larceny charges and is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday. It wasn’t clear if he had a lawyer. Police say Keene would ride around on a bicycle looking for unlocked vehicles. They say he stole cash, wallets, pocketbooks, jewelry, gift cards and electronic items.

The thefts happened in Medford, East Patchogue and North Bellport.

Arrest in Long Island Car Break-In Spree

4 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

academic subjects. Ninety percent of participants enroll in college after high school, including several at Buffalo State.

Delivering the keynote address at the event was former US Congressman Louis Stokes of Ohio. Mr. Stokes, who served in the House of Representatives from 1969 through 1999, was the first African-American to represent Ohio. Congressman Stokes chaired several congressional committees, including the House Select Committee on Assassinations that investigated the murders of President John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. “These young students who have achieved so much in high school deserve every opportunity to be successful in their college careers and in life” stated Joe Carubba. “I am honored to help out with these scholarships” Carubba added.

“Joe Carubba and Carubba Collision Corp. have made such a difference in our community because of their continual support and generosity” said Upward Bound Program Director Don Patterson.

21st Century Insurance Files Suit Against Two Jersey Physicians for Alleged Auto Insurance Fraud

21st Century Insurance, a group of insurers which are a part of the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies, has filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of New Jersey against two medical doctors and their professional organizations alleging that they knowingly submitted false, fraudulent and misleading billing, treatment and testing records to obtain payment for Electromyography/Nerve Conduction Velocity (EMG/NCV) studies that it is alleged were not medically valid for the reasonable and necessary treatment of patients. The complaint also alleges that the EMG/NCV tests were performed inaccurately and interpreted in such a manner as to misrepresent the clinical condition and medical status of patients. The detailed civil complaint seeks restitution and reimbursement of all monies paid to defendants as well as compensatory and treble damages under the New Jersey Insurance Fraud Prevention Act (N.J.S.A. 17:33A-1, et seq.) including investigation costs, costs of suit, interest and attorney’s fees. 21st Century Insurance also seeks an order declaring that defendants are not entitled to the payment of bills for EMG/NCV studies submitted by defendants for claims under automobile insurance policies issued by plaintiffs.

www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS 5

CollisionMax Now Advertising on Philadelphia Sports Radio 97.5 WPEN-FM, “The Fanatic”

CollisionMax Autobody and Glass Repair Centers has reached an agreement to advertise on 97.5 WPEN-FM “The Fanatic,” a Philadelphia sports talk radio station, the company announced today.

Under the terms of the agreement, CollisionMax will sponsor the station’s “FanVote of the Day” listener poll, in addition to airing ads daily. To vote, listeners can go to the radio station’s website. http://www.975thefanatic.com. Recent polls asked readers to name the best quarterback in the NFL’s Eastern Conference, and who should be traded by the Philadelphia Phillies.

“We’re thrilled to be advertising on The Fanatic,” said Rich Tornetta, CollisionMax’s marketing communications manager. “Our radio advertising has been very effective for us, and our relationship with The Fanatic expands our reach to another listening audience.”

For the past two years, CollisionMax has been advertising on WPENFM’s sister station, WMMR-FM, Philadelphia’s leading rock format radio station. Both stations are owned

by Greater Media Philadelphia.

Driving Snake-Wrapped

Authorities say an Albany woman who was allegedly drunk and in possession of marijuana crashed her car into a Long Island firehouse. Why? She had a stolen snake wrapped around her neck.

Nassau County police say Sarah Espinosa was driving west on Jericho Turnpike when her car crossed the median and struck another vehicle. They say she continued through the front door of the New Hyde Park firehouse and collided with two fire trucks. The station’s garage door was badly damaged as were the fire trucks, one of which has to be taken out of service for several months, according to New Hyde Park Fire Chief Steven Waldron.

“We heard a bang and a few seconds later, a louder bang,” said Waldron. “We went to the vehicle to render aid and there was a python sitting on her chest.”

Waldron says a medic took the snake as firefighters tended to Espinosa. Authorities said the snake had been stolen from a nearby pet store shortly before the accident.

Espinosa faces charges including reckless endangerment and driving while intoxicated.

New Jersey Lexus Owner Charged in False Carjacking Claim Authorities say a central New Jersey man lied when he claimed he had been carjacked by someone who then crashed his vehicle into several parked cars. Union County prosecutors announced Wednesday that 29year-old Darwin Edward of New Brunswick has been charged with insurance fraud and false swearing.

His bail was set at $35,000. Prosecutors say Edward claimed someone carjacked his Lexus SC400 sports coupe and drove off then wrecked it, costing $30,000 in claims.

Fire at Vacant Auto Body Shop In South Jersey, Man Seen Running

The fire broke out shortly before 2:30 a.m. Aug. 17 at an abandoned shop on the 400 block of Pavilion Avenue in Riverside, New Jersey.

The fire caused the roof of the building to collapse before firefighters brought the flames under control.

No one was hurt during the incident.

Investigators have not yet revealed whether the fire was suspicious. However, a resident who lives nearby told NBC10 he spotted someone running from the building moments before it went up in flames.

PA Joins 70 mph Club, NJ Not Likely to Follow Suit Motorists breezing through parts of Pennsylvania are now able to set their cruise control at 70 mph without having to worry about getting a speeding ticket. Pennsylvania is the latest state to join the 70 mph club. A 100-mile section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike south of Reading went from 65 mph to 70 mph last month. Pennsylvania also increased the speed limit from 65 mph to 70 mph on stretches of Interstates 80 and 380.

Altogether, 37 states now have speed limits of 70 mph or higher, with some highways in Texas, Utah, Idaho

and Wyoming allowing drivers to zoom up to 80 or 85 mph, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

New Jersey’s Department of Transportation told The Press of Atlantic City that there are no discussions with the Legislature to increase the speed limit from 65 mph to 70 mph on any highways or the state’s three toll roads.

“Raising the speed limit above its current levels would neither be safe or prudent,” NJDOT spokesman Steve Schapiro said. “Higher speeds lead to an increase in the number and severity of crashes, injuries and fatalities.”

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6 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS 7

Bothel’s Garage Celebrates 65 Years in Business in Cape Elizabeth, ME Bothel’s, a family-owned mechanical and auto-body repair company in Cape Elizabeth, ME, is celebrating 65 years in business this year, and brothers Stephen and Robert are proud to be carrying on as the third generation owners.

The shop has been located at 94 Ocean House Road since their grandfather, Henry Walter Bothel, established it in 1949. Several years ago it operated as an automotive repair business called Bothel’s Garage with two bays and an Esso gas station, but over the years it has essentially become two separate businesses, Bothel’s Mechanical Repair and Bothel’s Autobody Inc., which operate under the same roof.

Stephen and Robert are nine years apart in age and have worked side by side since they were teenagers.

“I started working here in the summer of ’72,” said Stephen Bothel.

At the time Bothel was 19 and worked as a mechanic next to his father, Walter Robert Bothel. Back then, the shop could only accommodate space for two vehicles, but now, decades later, there is space for 11, Stephen Bothel said. The business discontinued selling gasoline in the 1960s.

Since 1949, Bothel’s has grown from two employees – someone pumped gas and another did service work, like oil

changes – to six employees, with three on the mechanical repair side and three at the body shop.

Growing up, the brothers lived in a home just hundreds of feet from the shop, said Stephen Bothel, who now has two daughters and two sons of his own.

Stephen said he remembers handing tools to his father when he was 7 years old.

“It wasn’t something I really planned on doing for a lifetime,” said Stephen Bothel, who left his family’s business for six months to work as an operator for a phone company in Portland.

Because he knew he wouldn’t progress at the phone company, Bothel said, he decided to go back to Bothel’s where he said everyone is treated fairly and works like a team.

In the 1970s, as technology changed, Walter Robert Bothel went to work next door at the auto body shop and Stephen took over the mechanical repair aspect of the business. He said, “it’s been a constant learning experience ever since then.” Three to four times a year, Stephen takes courses on diagnostics to keep up with the everchanging technology in the automotive repair business.

“It’s to help us make repairs faster on cars and helps us understand some

of the newer technology that is out there, and what we should be gearing up for,” said Stephen Bothel, who takes great pride in his work.

Stephen and Robert’s grandfather passed away in 1976 and their father died in 2000. Ever since, the customer base has continued to grow. Some of the customers have been bringing their vehicles to Bothel’s for 30-plus years, said Stephen Bothel.

“Everybody here cares about the customers,” he said.

On Monday morning, one customer, Terry Ann Scriven, said she’s been bringing her vehicle to both the mechanical repair business and autobody business since the 1990s and that she appreciates the Bothel brothers’ honest work and efficiency.

“I love using somebody local,” said Scriven. “These guys are a big part of the community, too.”

She said, along with fixing her vehicle, “I love that they tell me about the mechanics of the car. They are always respectful and thoughtful,” Scriven said.

Stephen Bothel said the fact that the employees treat each other and their customers fairly is one reason why business continues to thrive and the customers keep coming back.

Stephen is the owner of Bothel’s

Mechanical Repair and Robert owns Bothel’s Autobody, which are both located at the same address, but operate separately.

“It’s the same family, different aspects,” Stephen Bothel said.

Though he and Robert are proud of their businesses, Stephen said that he is not sure if, when, or even how they will be celebrating their 65-year milestone. Most of the advertising over the years has been word of mouth and more recently on the Bothel’s Mechanical Repair Facebook page.

“I think the most important thing is that we really care about getting the job done right the first time,” said Stephen Bothel. He said at Bothel’s, employees treat their customers the way they would want to be treated.

Some that have moved out of state still call the shop for advice and estimates on repairs, said Stephen Bothel.

“They would call me and get a second opinion until they settled down in their new location,” he said.

“We explain things to the customers so they know what was done to their vehicle and so they have more of an understanding where their money went,” he added.

When asked why people should take their vehicles to Bothel’s, Jim Baker, a mechanic, said, smiling,

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Ex-Police Dispatcher, Co-Owner of Tow-Truck Co. Plead Guilty In Bribery Case

“You’re not going to get ripped off.” Baker has worked as a mechanic at Bothel’s for eight years and said that employees are not only treated fairly, but they are well compensated.

Robert Bothel said he spends 80-100 hours per week at the auto body shop. Along with auto body repair, he said that employees also do some mechanical work on vehicles that have been involved in collisions.

He remembers bumpers in the late 1970s, early ’80s weighing much more than they do now, and sometimes it would take two men to lift them. While auto-body work can be gratifying, it can also be very challenging, said Robert Bothel.

“My father started doing body work here in the ’60s and it was mostly doing overall paint jobs and patching cars up,” he said. “When I started in high school, we pressed more for collision work.”

He said, as a business owner, “One thing about being in one place for a long period of time, you tend to get attached to a lot of different people.” When asked about what he enjoys about doing auto body work, he said, “I really don’t know, but thankfully, I don’t hate it. I will probably be here when I’m 70.”

A former Philadelphia police dispatcher and the co-owner of a Frankford auto-body shop pleaded guilty yesterday to participating in a bribery scheme involving the tow-trucking business, according to Julie Shaw, writing in the Philadelphia Daily News.

Dorian Parsley, 44, the ex-dispatcher, admitted before U.S. District Judge Eduardo Robreno that she had taken cash bribes from tow-truck operators in exchange for giving them confidential police information about the locations of accident scenes.

In a separate hearing before the judge, William Cheeseman, 43, coowner of the K&B Auto Body shop on Kinsey Street near Worth, pleaded guilty to one count of bribery.

Two other defendants, Stepfon Flowers and Chad Harris, who at times worked as tow-truck operators for K&B, are expected to enter guilty pleas tomorrow.

According to a federal indictment unsealed in May, Parsley circumvented the Police Department’s rotational towing program by surreptitiously texting the locations of car accidents and disabled vehicles from her personal cellphone to the tow-truck operators, who paid her cash bribes for the information.

The rotational program was instituted in 2011 after a series of highly publicized, violent encounters among tow-truck operators competing for business. In one case in September 2010, a Philadelphia tow-truck driver killed a rival operator.

Under the newly instituted system, the location where a tow truck was needed was to remain confidential until given by police dispatch to the next tow-truck operator on the city’s call list.

Parsley, by giving the tow-truck William Cheeseman operators advance notice of the locaduring a May court appearance. Credit: tion of an accident, ended up Alejandro Alvarez giving those operators an unfair advantage, authorities said.

She pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy, solicitation of a bribe and honest-services fraud. The bespectacled former dispatcher with short hair told the judge yesterday that she is not currently working.

Parsley first accepted bribes from Flowers, who in turn introduced her to

Cheeseman. She later began to accept bribes from Harris. In total, from April 2011 to December 2013, Parsley received $35,400 in bribes from the three men, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Chun Barry said.

Parsley, most recently of Van Kirk Street near Oakland in Oxford Circle, worked as a civilian dispatcher from January 1998 to November of last year, when she was transferred to a different department of the police force. She was fired from the force in May. Cheeseman, of Delran, N.J., agreed in court that the value of the confidential tips he received from Parsley was potentially worth about $9,000. His lawyer, Fortunato Perri Jr., said afterward that Cheeseman did not personally go out to tow the vehicles when he got the information from Parsley, but instead had given the assignments to another tow-truck operator.

Parsley faces a maximum 35 years in prison when she is sentenced Oct. 21. Cheeseman faces a maximum of 10 years at his Oct. 24 sentencing.

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Lynx Services Files Motion to Quash Subpoena from Safelite in Connecticut Anti-Steering Case

Lynx Services has filed a motion in the U.S. Western District Court of Pennsylvania to quash a subpoena served on the company by Safelite Group and Safelite Solutions involving the Connecticut lawsuit over the state’s new anti-steering law.

“The subpoena demands the production of documents that go to the very heart of Lynx’s business operations,” according to court documents filed

by Lynx.

“Safelite is Lynx’s primary competitor in the auto glass claims administration business,” Lynx’s attorney writes. “However, there is a significant difference between the business operations of Safelite and Lynx. In addition to providing claims management services, Safelite also owns a substantial number of auto glass shops. In fact, according to the complaint Safelite filed in the underlying lawsuit, Safelite is the largest vehicle glass repair and replacement service organization in the United States, with over 4,000 technicians serving more than 4.5 million customers each year.”

On or about July 22, 2014, Safelite served a subpoena to produce

documents on Lynx in Pittsburgh, Pa. “The Safelite subpoena instructs Lynx to produce documents showing (a) the substance of Lynx’s communications with policyholders, including all scripts or similar materials; (b) when and how Lynx provides names of auto glass repair shops to policyholders; (c) Lynx’s contractual agreements or other relationships with auto glass repair shops in Connecticut; (d) the total number of auto glass claims processed for policyholders in Connecticut to whom Lynx provided claims administration services and the total number of policyholders in Connecticut covered by insurers to whom Lynx provides claims administration services; (e) documents concerning the efforts to enact PA 13-67 and the expected or intended benefits of the act; and (f) any complaints, investigations or inquires related to steering or failure to honor customer choice,” according to Lynx’s attorney. “[T]here is no connection between any of the requested documents and the claims at issue in the Connecticut Lawsuit, which relate solely to a statute that does not even

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apply to Lynx,” the company’s attorney claims. “[S]afelite’s requests are not a good-faith effort calculated to lead the discovery of relevant evidence, and instead resemble an improper attempt to engage in a fishing expedition into Lynx’s sensitive and conditional information,” Lynx’s attorney argues.

In response, Judge Mark Hornak issued an order deferring ruling on the motion to quash, asking Lynx to file an amended motion “demonstrating why this judicial district is the proper district for disposition of this motion, in that neither the subpoena nor the motion to quash appear to facially state that this is the judicial district in which compliance is to occur.

“The obligation to comply with the subpoena at issue is held in abeyance pending this court’s disposition of the motion to quash unless otherwise ordered by this court or the court in which the underlying action is pending,” he continued.

To read the court papers, including a copy of the subpoena Safelite served on Lynx, click here.

3 Injured in Hit and Run

Three people were injured in a hitand-run crash involving two cars in Brooklyn, according to authorities.

Two of the people in the crash at 65th Street and 16th Avenue had serious, but not life-threatening, injuries, according to officials. The third had minor injuries. Two people in one of the cars fled the scene by foot, police said. The victims were taken to Lutheran Hospital.

Insurance Fraud Sentence for Former New York Cop

A retired Buffalo, NY, police officer will avoid jail but must pay back $6,400 after inflating a car insurance claim. U.S. Attorney William Hochul says 49-year-old Johnnie Fritz was sentenced to 10 months in home confinement for his conviction on a charge of mail fraud. Authorities say that in 2009, Fritz helped a co-conspirator collect a bigger insurance payout by inflating the value of a stolen Cadillac and that he also made three other unrelated false auto insurance claims. Fritz also is accused of abusing his position as a police officer by opening a Department of Motor Vehicles account that gave him free access to DMV databases.

www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS 11

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

Report highlights repair quality issues and collision repairer lawsuits against insurers. Warns consumers their families could be “…at risk on the road.”

Consumers in Florida were exposed to the controversies surrounding collision repair quality and insurance company practices that are the subject of lawsuits in the state and around the U.S. when Tampa ABCaffiliate, WFTS, aired a segment on its Action News broadcast. The ITeam investigation detailed consumer complaints of poor quality collision repairs that, according to the report, were performed by insurance company direct repair facilities. The report included an interview with Ray Gunder, owner of Gunder’s Auto Center, who is one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit, A&E Auto Body, Inc., et al. v. 21st Century Centennial Insurance Company, et al, brought against more than 30 insurance companies operating in Florida.

In the segment, embedded below, the reporter details consumer complaints on the quality of repairs received and explains for viewers the legal action taken by repairers against the insurers.

In the report, an emailed statement from Insurance Information Institute defended insurance company DRPs saying steps to manage repair costs benefit consumers and that consumers have a choice of repairer.

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

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12 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

I-CAR® Announces Launch Of New Website

HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL – August 7, 2014 – I-CAR, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair, announced today that it is launching a completely redesigned website at www.i-car.com. The new site has been carefully planned and meticulously designed to provide the industry with a comprehensive, easy-to-use online resource for collision repair education, knowledge and solutions.

The new I-CAR website contains an extensive amount of newly created and highly relevant content, covering everything from specific details on all programs and services that I-CAR offers, to more strategic insights that will help users gain even more value from I-CAR solutions. For example, greatly expanded accessibility to the technical information required to support repair excellence is now available through the Repairability Technical Support Portal.

In addition to the development of considerable new content, user-

friendly and actionable navigation is another key component of the website redesign. Content can be found in multiple ways: ♦ By I-CAR program: including the I-CAR Professional Development Program™, Welding Training & Certification™, Industry Training Alliance and more ♦ By industry segment: Collision Repair, Insurance, OEM, Suppliers and Career & Technical Schools ♦ By individual role: such as Repair Technicians, Training Managers, Insurance Claims Managers and Executives Expandable menus and detailed navigation options allow users to see important content at a glance, while advanced search capabilities put critical information at the user’s fingertips.

Clearly labeled buttons, links and a new I-CAR Class Search functionality make it easy for users to take action once they find the information they need.

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As Vehicle Designs Evolve, Frame Racks and Measuring Systems Are More Important than Ever Says Chief Automotive The increasing use of aluminum and other “exotic” materials in vehicle design has led to evolving repair procedures. Long gone are the days of pulling out every dent. But even as the use of sectioning and parts replacement grows, the foundation of a solid collision repair remains the trusty frame rack, backed by a reliable measuring system.

Although high-strength steel and aluminum vehicle bodies are getting a lot of industry buzz, even the most cutting-edge light-duty trucks and many other SUVs and vans continue to be built on steel frames. These steel frames may need to be pulled back into shape after a collision. Frame racks also play a crucial role in keeping a vehicle in place during the parts removal and replacement process.

“Using high-strength steels and aluminum, vehicle manufacturers are able to direct collision forces around the passenger compartment and into areas specifically designed to absorb an impact,” explains Bob Holland, director of collision in North and South America for Chief Automotive Technologies parent company Vehicle Service Group (VSG).

“This protects passengers, but also transmits damage across the en-

tire vehicle. If any damaged components are not properly repaired or replaced according to OEM specs, the vehicle’s entire impact-absorbing design could be compromised. Today’s damaged vehicles should be fully measured before and during the repair, held securely while being fixed, and, if needed, pulled in multiple strategic locations.”

Before attempting to repair a modern vehicle, technicians must look for damage beyond the point of impact. Using Chief’s LaserLock™ Live Mapping™ system, they can map an entire vehicle at once. LaserLock measures more reference points than any other system to provide a thorough depiction of all damage.

Since its out-of-level capabilities simplify the setup process, LaserLock can be used to measure every vehicle that comes in to blueprint repair plans that reduce the risk of repair delays.

During the repair, Chief’s new Structural Holding Package can help ensure that new high-strength steel and aluminum pieces are placed according to OEM specs. This preserves the vehicle’s impact-absorbing design. The Structural Holding Package works with any Chief frame rack and features

more than 50 components that can be combined in a variety of ways to add holding points at strategic locations along the body. These additional holding points prevent the vehicle from shifting out of place during the repair process.

The Structural Holding Package includes vice clamps that can be used to secure vehicle frames to the rack at multiple locations. The additional holding points provided by the Structural Holding Package help distribute pressure when pulling out frame damage, which reduces the risk of inflicting additional damage to the vehicle.

When paired with a modern frame rack, the LaserLock Live Mapping System and Structural Holding Package can provide shops with an ideal setup for returning modern vehicles to OEM specs. Chief’s full-sized impulse®-E/VHT, Goliath® and Titan®360 frame racks all feature 360-degree, multipoint pulling capabilities

that allow technicians to isolate damaged areas for accurate, efficient repairs. Their decks offer variable height settings for versatility and each pulling tower is equipped with 10,000 lbs. of power at the hook for handling nearly any job.

“Vehicle design has evolved, and without the right equipment, shops will not be able to properly repair the vehicles of today and tomorrow,” says Holland. “Chief’s collision repair equipment is more powerful, versatile and capable than ever before, and has been specifically designed to service modern cars and trucks.”

To learn more about the full line of Chief collision repair equipment, contact your local Chief distributor, visit www.chiefautomotive.com or call (800) 445-9262. Chief is active on Twitter, twitter.com/ChiefAutomotive, Facebook, www.facebook.com/ChiefAutomotive and Vimeo, http://vimeo.com/groups/ chief.

Give us your opinion on matters affecting the industry.

write us! publisher@autobodynews.com

www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS 13

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Continued from Cover

Assured Performance

case—it’s essential to be on the playing field in the future.”

Assured Performance has positioned itself right in the middle of this obvious game change. They are a legal co-op, a non-profit consumer advocacy organization and management company. Combined, they operate as a third-party administrator for body shop certifications and marketing programs for Ford, Nissan, Chrysler, Enterprise, GM and others. They also provide consumer awareness to thousands of media outlets and manage various vendor rebate programs. Uniquely, Assured Performance has the distinction of administering more than $13.5 million dollars of supplier rebate rewards to their members since 2004 which helps shops reinvest in their business.

“We’re helping all of the shops to keep pace with a rapidly changing marketplace. We welcome those that want to be a part of the future; our best estimate is that, to-date, only about 1 in 10 shops have already begun this journey,” Biggs said. “Our industry needs to urgently embrace this challenge to

meet the repair needs of today‘s vehicles.

The company has already enrolled nearly 1,600 shops in their joint-effort OE Certification program and is well on their way to their objective of 2,000 shops by year-end 2014 and 3,000 by year-end 2015.

Ford, Nissan, Chrysler and others now have similar coverage by leveraging the Assured Performance platform.

Regardless of where a consumer lives or travels, they will have a Certified Collision Repair Provider choice, according to Biggs.

To handle the anticipated further growth of its third-party certification program, Assured Performance has added several industry veterans to its team. A significant recent addition for Assured Performance is Ronald Doerr, the company’s new Senior V.P. of Strategic Initiatives. Through 30-plus years working for GM on the OEM parts side, he brings a broad industry perspective and is respected across multiple market segments.

“I’ve known Scott Biggs and witnessed the evolution of his company over many years,” Clark said. “Scott has asked me to help the company in See Assured Performance, Page 26

Collision King Honored By Farmers Insurance As Body Shop of the Year in Texas, Sherwin-Williams Congratulates In the collision repair industry, quality work and dedicated service are the keys to a satisfied customer. Farmers Insurance annually recognizes top shops for service excellence with the Body Shop of the Year award. Sherwin-Williams would like to congratulate Collision King Auto Body Repair Center in Lubbock, Texas for being the state recipient of this award for the year 2013.

This latest award will be one among numerous other accolades for Collision King including being named “Best Auto Body Repair Center in Lubbock” for nine straight years and “Best Body Repair Center” in KCBD Channel 11’s “Best of the West” campaign since 2010.

“We feel a great sense of pride,” said owner Steven Tisdale, “and its humbling to be recognized this way.

We are in a smaller market compared to areas like Dallas, Houston and Austin. We often fly under the radar getting overlooked by the larger markets in Texas. But we have a great team, we utilize team work and empower our people to make good decisions and think on their feet.”

Established in 1998 by Tisdale, Collision King’s management staff

brings more than 100 years of combined experience to their work, utilizing the latest technology, including Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes’ primer and topcoat systems to ensure precision work.

“Sherwin-Williams products have been great for our shop,” said Tisdale. “But more important than the products is the ongoing support we get from them. In addition, our local jobber, West Texas Auto Colors, is top notch and the manager, Anthony Palomo, has helped us implement lean process and goes the extra mile any time we need him.”

“At Sherwin-Williams, we truly value our long term relationship with Collision King and are committed to continue to support them in their pursuit of excellence,” adds Glenn Lane, Director of Sales-Southwest, for Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes.

For more information on Collision King visit the company website www.collisionking.com or call 806794-5990.

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16 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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ABRA Continues Nationwide Expansion ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a leading national damaged vehicle repair company, continued with its nationwide expansion today by announcing the purchase of White Auto Body repair centers in Florissant and O’Fallon, Missouri and Fayetteville Collision in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

“Acquiring these three centers today reinforces our growth strategy and underscores our commitment to servicing customers across the country” ABRA is one of the collision industry’s largest multi shop repair operators in the country. The company uses an operational excellence philosophy that significantly improves its operating metrics which distinguishes it from competitors.

Today’s acquisitions increase

ABRA’s repair center portfolio to 237 in 19 states.

“Acquiring these three centers today reinforces our growth strategy and underscores our commitment to servicing customers across the country,” said Duane Rouse, ABRA’s president and chief executive officer. “We are delighted to continue expanding in markets and showing customers our innovative service model.”

Scott Krohn, ABRA’s Executive Vice President of Operations said, “ABRA’s reputation is built on proven processes and our commitment to excellence. We continue to grow because we have the expertise and experience needed to be successful in the collision repair industry.”

Building on its increasing success, ABRA plans to continue expanding in

the months and years ahead as part of its aggressive national growth strategy. It is actively seeking new opportunities to acquire repair centers and integrate them into its industry-leading operating system. Interested parties in major markets should contact Scott Gerling, Vice President of Corporate Development (sgerling@abraauto.com or 763.585.6210).

For franchise opportunities in small and midsize markets contact Mark Wahlin, Vice President of Franchise Development/Relations (mwahlin@abraauto.com or 763-585-6315).

ABRA is committed to conducting business based on responsible business practices including implementation of environmentally sustainable initiatives, health and safety, and a commitment to the communities in which it serves.

Chiropractor Gets 27 Months in CT Insurance Fraud Scheme

A Stamford, Conn., man has been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison in an insurance fraud scheme and ordered to pay nearly $1.7 million in restitution.

The U.S. attorney’s office and FBI said 49-year-old Marc Kirshner was sentenced Monday to 27 months. He previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit mail fraud to defraud insurance carriers.

Prosecutors say Kirshner conspired with an attorney and others to defraud insurance companies by exaggerating the auto accident injuries of the attorney’s clients to justify bigger settlements. The co-conspirators fabricated medical records, overstated injuries or disabilities and billed for questionable diagnostic tests, among other things.

Kirshner, who owned the now-defunct Health First Medical PC, must report to prison Oct. 8.

His prosecution stemmed from a 14-month undercover investigation dubbed “Operation Running Man.”

Loose Tire Sets Off Deadly Chain-Reaction Crash in New York

Authorities say a chain-reaction crash that claimed the life of a Rochester-area town highway employee started with a vehicle losing one of its tires.

The Ontario County Sheriff’s Office says a pickup truck was traveling on Route 96 in the town of Farmington early the afternoon of Aug. 12 when it lost a tire near an intersection. The tire headed toward a truck loaded with six tons of grain, forcing the driver to hit his brakes.

The grain truck started to tip over, then hit a truck from the highway department in the neighboring town of Hopewell. Deputies say the driver of the town truck was ejected from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His name hasn’t been released.

Another vehicle hit the overturned grain truck. Two people in one of the other vehicles suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

www.autobodynews.com CHECK IT OUT! www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS 17

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

A fundraising event held May 29 in honor of Tom Coleman, a co-owner of an MSO in California, raised more than $125,000 to support the Program for Neurology Research & Discovery’s stem-cell research on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neural degenerative diseases at U. Michigan.

Tom Coleman is a partner in the LC Automotive Group comprised of Bill Lawrence, Gil Alcoser and Tim Brown. LC is a small MSO with shops in Hemet, Hesperia, Highland, Long Beach, Redlands, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Clemente. Tom Coleman was diagnosed a little over a year ago with ALS and his has been particularly aggressive. He is involved in a Stem Cell Transplant study at the University of Michigan that has had some very positive results. The industry came together for him to raise awareness of ALS, the Stem Cell Study and raise funds to further the study.

The event, held at the Back Bay Bistro in Newport Beach, was originally planned for 150 people. But through word-of-mouth it grew to include more than 250 friends and associates of Tom Coleman, 47, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2013. The fundraising event, which included a keynote speech by Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., was organized by Tom’s wife Ronnette Coleman, his business partner and co-founder of LC Automotive, Bill Lawrence, both of Continued from Cover

LA AG Files Suit

unsafe business practices in which consumer vehicle repairs are performed with cost-savings as the primary goal rather than safety and reliability.”

The suit, filed in Louisiana’s 19th Judicial District Court, alleges State Farm violated Louisiana’s Unfair Trade Practices Act and Monopolies Law by using scare tactics to steer Louisiana consumers to State Farm’s preferred repair shops and forcing shops to perform vehicle repairs cheaply and quickly, rather than in accordance with consumer safety and vehicle manufacturer performance standards.

The lawsuit alleges that State Farm steers consumers to direct repair providers that have signed agreements with the insurance company. As part of the terms of the agreement, those repair shops must comply with the standards for repair laid out by State Farm. The insurance company, not the repair shop,

Costa Mesa, CA, Mr. Coleman’s sister, Sue Gottschalk of Canton, MI, and other friends.

“I am deeply touched by the wide support of our industry for Tom, his family and their desire to contribute to the research efforts of Dr. Feldman and the University of Michigan,” Bill Lawrence said. “While Tom, his family and friends had worked tirelessly on planning this event, all those involved were taken back by not only the number of attendees, but by their generosity.”

Tom Coleman is one of 30 patients who have received stem-cell injections in a first-of-its-kind clinical trial that has now reached Phase 2. In Phase 1 of the trial, the spinal cords of 15 patients including Mr. Coleman were injected with stem cells to determine whether the procedure was safe for humans. Phase 2 will add an additional 18 patients, each receiving up to 16 million stem cells—to determine the procedure’s efficacy—how well it works.

“It took a big effort from family and friends to pull this event together,” said Tom Coleman. “But our fundraising success would not have been possible without the strong support of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, PPG, LKQ Corp, The Platinum Group, Single Source, Caliber Collision Centers, CCC and many anonymous individual donors.

I sincerely thank each of you for your participation and contribution.”

dictates how long the repair should take, what types of repairs are made and the quality of replacement parts. In many cases, the repairs are completed with sub-standard parts without the consent of the policy holder.

“In some cases, we’ve found that these parts are nothing more than used junk yard parts. In others, we’ve found them to be foreign knock-off parts of questionable quality,” said Caldwell.

“Auto repair is not an industry where you can cut corners to save a little money,” he said. “It could be a matter of life and death.”

Caldwell says the suit aims to change the culture of unsafe business practices led by State Farm in the auto insurance and repair industry. State Farm currently holds the largest share of auto insurance policies in Louisiana.

In 2012, State Farm wrote one third of all auto insurance policies in the state totaling over $1 billion in premiums.

“Each month Louisiana consumers give their hard earned money See LA AG Files Suit, Page 34

18 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

NICB Says Honda Accord Still Most Stolen Vehicle

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) released its annual Hot Wheels report which identifies the 10 most stolen vehicles in the United States. The report examines vehicle theft data submitted by law enforcement to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and determines the vehicle make, model and model year most reported stolen in 2013.

The report also lists the top 25 2013 vehicle makes and models that were reported stolen in calendar year 2013.

For 2013, the most stolen vehicles in the nation were (total thefts in parentheses): 1. Honda Accord (53,995) 2. Honda Civic (45,001) 3. Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size) (27,809) 4. Ford Pickup (Full Size) (26,494) 5. Toyota Camry (14,420) 6. Dodge Pickup (Full Size) (11,347) 7. Dodge Caravan (10,911) 8. Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee (9,272) 9. Toyota Corolla (9,010) 10. Nissan Altima (8,892) The following are the top 10 2013 model year vehicles stolen during calendar year 2013: 1. Nissan Altima (810) 2. Ford Fusion (793)

3. Ford Pickup Full Size (775) 4. Toyota Corolla (669) 5. Chevrolet Impala (654) 6. Hyundai Elantra (541) 7. Dodge Charger (536) 8. Chevrolet Malibu (529) 9. Chevrolet Cruze (499) 10. Ford Focus (483) After a slight increase in 2012, the FBI predicts a reduction in national vehicle thefts of 3.2 percent when final 2013 statistics are released later this year. The peak year for vehicle thefts was 1991 with 1,661,738.

If the FBI’s preliminary 2013 vehicle theft estimate holds, thefts will be under 700,000—a number not seen since 1967 and a reduction in vehicle thefts of over 50 percent since 1991.

“The drop in thefts is good news for all of us,” said NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle. “But it still amounts to a vehicle being stolen every 45 seconds and losses of over $4 billion a year. That’s why we applaud the vehicle manufacturers for their efforts to improve anti-theft technology and pledge to continue to work with our insurance company members and law enforcement to identify and seek vigorous prosecution of the organized criminal rings responsible for so many of these thefts.”

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The Legal View

Erica Eversman is an attorney, frequent speaker and author on automotive legal topics.

She has been quoted in such publications as The Wall Street Journal Online, USA Today, Kiplingers Personal Finance, Cars.com, Yahoo! News and other trade magazines.

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

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

Repair documentation plays an important role in your collision repair business, but many shop owners are not very familiar with what they need to protect their interests, so I’ve turned to an industry-leading attorney to provide crucial information on what you need to know about documentation in the collision repair industry. Last month, Erica Eversman, Chief Counsel for Vehicle Information Services, Inc. and founder of the Automotive Education and Policy Institute, a nonprofit organization geared toward educating consumers, explained how collision repair facilities can use the Authorization to Repair and Repair Contract to receive proper compensation from insurers in legal battles.

While those two documents are extremely important, they may not be the only documents you need to successfully pursue a shortpay case in a

courtroom. Here, Eversman explains the relevance of an Assignment of Proceeds and Writ of Replevin in these situations.

The purpose of the Assignment of Proceeds is to create a bridge between the insurance company and the collision repair shop, and this is especially important when you have a consumer who is unwilling or unable to pursue proper compensation via a shortpay lawsuit on the shop’s behalf.

Though the insurance company owes their customer the duty of indemnity and the customer thus expects their insurer to pay the shop that repairs their vehicle, many consumers simply do not know or care enough to pursue litigation in instances of shortpays. By asking your customers to sign an Assignment of Proceeds, your shop creates a necessary bridge to the insurance company, giving you the right to step into the consumer’s shoes (for purposes of collecting the

20 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

full repair costs), force the issue and get paid.

The “devil is in the details”, so your first step is going to be hiring an attorney with experience in the collision repair industry who can assist you with properly wording the document. Eversman cautions, “you don’t have the right to sue on the consumer’s behalf for everything, such as diminished value; because you’re only being assigned the rights to proceeds, you can only sue the insurance company to collect proceeds for the repair.

You need to understand what this industry is about, clarify exactly what’s going on, and specify which rights are being assigned to you.”

Though a Power of Attorney (POA) would also serve this purpose, customers are less likely to agree to sign this type of document. The problem with the POA is that, while it gives a repairer more power, it is also more complicated, leaving the repair

facility with the burden of making all decisions for the customers, so Eversman discourages the use of the POA. While every insurer has an anti-assignment clause written into their policies, most states permit the use of post-loss agreements, making the Assignment of Proceeds a viable option.

It also makes sense for the shop to assume responsibility for prosecuting the insurance company, if necessary, since it requires less action on the part of the consumer.

Once you get to the point of pursuing litigation in order to receive proper compensation, you must remember that the burden of proof falls on you, the plaintiff. In court, you should try to avoid allowing the insurance company to present their estimate as evidence because part of your battle entails proving that their estimate is meaningless – as the collision repair professional, YOU are the one with the right to determine how the

vehicle should be repaired, while the insurer is merely obligated to pay for the repair, not to control the process (unless the insurance company has elected to repair).

In order for an Assignment of Proceeds to be legitimate, it is imperative that the consumer understand what they are signing, so it is also a good idea to ask your customers to sign a separate document confirming their comprehension of the Assignment of Proceeds. When constructing your Assignment of Proceeds, begin by defining what it is and how it will be used. The purpose of the document is to allow “a transfer of property or other rights from one person (the assignor) to another person (the assignee) which confers a complete and present right in the subject matter to the assignor… Essentially, this means that the assignee stands in the shoes of the assignor,” Eversman explains.

Because the assignment serves as a contract between the assignor and the assignee, it is thus subject to contract law and interpretation. An important item that must be included in Assignments of Proceeds is a definition of the assignable rights which

will identify causes of action issuing from a wrong that causes injury to property or from tort by which property is diminished or damaged; both of these are generally assignable. It is also vital to inform your customers that they can assign their right to recover damages to their property without conveying the title to that property.

For an Assignment of Proceeds to be valid, it must contain clear evidence of the intent to transfer rights in addition to a description of the subject matter in question. The assignment must be clear and unequivocal and be noticed to the obligor. While there are no formal requirements regarding the verbiage used in this document, the language must clearly indicate the owner’s intention to transfer the claim.

Valuable consideration is essential to support the assignment, and while the word “consideration” doesn’t necessarily have to appear on the document, Eversman recommends it as evidence of the exchange required to make an Assignment of Proceeds valid. Essentially, this allows you to take possession of the vehicle without receiving payment if the document is signed, but you are also agreeing not

to sue the consumer for money owed as part of the assignment.

In your supporting documents, you should also include an Assignment for Money Due which must identify the customer, the repair facility, the vehicle and the loss. As long as this is without defects, it should be enforceable without being notarized (dependent upon state laws).

The Writ of Replevin is a document that the insurance company typically uses to retrieve a total loss vehicle, filing it to say a shop is unlawfully withholding a vehicle when they do not want to pay for the repair.

Because this document is only valid if the insurance company can prove the shop is wrongfully withholding the vehicle, it is imperative that you are prepared to defend yourself against a Writ of Replevin by including a clause in the Repair Contract that states the consumer cannot transfer the title of the vehicle without ensuring the repair bill is paid in full.

With the vehicle owner’s signature affixed to this verbiage, the insurance company has no right to the vehicle until they have paid for the repair, making their Writ of Replevin effectively useless.

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

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Continued from Cover

I-CAR Wants

maybe they are more likely to take a look to see what they can find on the website.”

After more than a year in development, the website is available through the “Technical Knowledge” section of I-CAR’s website – www.i-car.com – or directly at http://rts.i-car.com. It feature six primary features: 1. The “OEM Information” section includes a page for each automaker, listing what types of collision repair procedures and information each makes available and how to access it. But Bartanen said the section offers not just links to the automaker’s repair information websites (though there are short videos explaining the navigation of each automaker site) but often some of the actual procedures, bulletins and information technicians or estimators may need. In the Acura section of the portal, for example, Bartanen opened a bulletin showing that sectioning cannot be done on the B-pillar reinforcement on the 2014 Acura MDX. 2. Another section, searchable by year-make-model, offers a guide to automaker information on which parts require inspection or replacement following an airbag deployment.

3. The “partial part replacement” section, also searchable by year-makemodel, lists what sectioning procedures are available from the automakers. The procedures themselves still generally need to be downloaded from the OEM website, Bartanen said, but this guide at least allows users to know whether what they are looking for exists at those sites.

4. A “collision news” section of the portal is replacing I-CAR’s longstanding “Advantage” newsletter, and will include three or four new articles a week; this is where, for example, ICAR announced in July that in part due to I-CAR’s encouragement, Kia Motors recently released comprehensive collision repair manuals in the United States for the first time. Bartanen said shops and technicians can receive “push notifications” about news posted to the portal by following the “@tech_briefs” Twitter feed (no push notifications are available via email at this time).

5. I-CAR has posted it “Uniform Procedures for Collision Repair” (UPCR) at the new portal. First developed in the late 1990s but more recently updated, the UPCR outlines

industry-accepted repair procedures for such things as adhesive bonding, corrosion protection and wheel alignment.

6. The “Ask I-CAR” section is just that, a way for a portal user to email or call I-CAR with a technical question for which they haven’t been able to find an answer. In a live demonstration of this feature, Bartanen called I-CAR’s tollfree number and said he was looking for sectioning procedures for the B-pillar on a Dodge Dart; within minutes, the I-CAR representative checked the Dodge OEM information website and found that given the type of steel John Van Alstyne used for that B-pillar, Dodge offers no sectioning procedures. She also emailed Bartanen that information, and posted it to the portal in a searchable (by year-make-model) database of other such questions I-CAR has researched.

Bartanen said more information will continue to be added to the portal; many automakers, he said, are anxious to use the portal to put technical information and procedures into collision repairers’ hands, often at no charge.

Current I-CAR Statistics I-CAR also used its annual conference to update the nearly 400 people in attendance on the organization’s other current and future activities.

I-CAR CEO John Van Alstyne reported that 56,000 student from more than 8,600 businesses received I-CAR training last year. That training now includes 77 live classroom courses, almost an equal number of online course, and 14 virtual classes that are taken online but with an I-CAR instructor teaching the course live.

He said about 3,000 businesses have achieved I-CAR Gold Class status, and about 2,300 more have been categorized as “Road to Gold,” businesses that are working toward achieving Gold Class status.

I-CAR reaching out to consumers Those businesses, and others with ICAR-trained technicians, may be glad to hear that I-CAR is launching a consumer awareness campaign to help drivers understand the value of having their vehicles repaired by trained shops and technicians.

“During my first three years with this industry, I have been told many times that the consumer just doesn’t

22 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

care about collision repair until the moment their car is hit,” Van Alstyne said, acknowledging that he too had previously not thought much about the topic before joining I-CAR in late 2010. “But no one ever told me I should think much about repairs, so I was ignorant.”

With that in mind, he said, ICAR first benchmarked the level of awareness among consumers about collision repair, finding it very low.

As part of this benchmarking, he said, “We gave them some information about things they should be aware of, and their interest perked significantly.

They cared and wanted more information.”

“We need to educate and empower consumers to help them make informed collision repair decisions,” Van Alstyne said.

Speaking at a press conference following the day-long conference, Ann Gonzalez, senior director of marketing for I-CAR, said the organization is now working with a Detroit-based agency on a “larger-scale national and regional creative campaign,” to reach consumers.

That will include public service announcements and social media advertising, she said. Those campaigns, which

focus on “safe repairs” and “trained technicians” are currently being tested in some markets.

Elise Quadrozzi, I-CAR’s director of development for the insurance segment, said as more insurers include Gold Class or other training requirements as part of their direct repair program (DRP) agreements, they are interested in reaching consumers with a similar message about the value of that training.

“So I think you will see some initiatives coming to fruition pretty quickly where they will start to include that in their messaging. not just as part of the DRP structure, but actually as part of the messaging out to their consumers,” Quadrozzi said.

By getting this information directly to vehicle-owners, Van Alstyne said, “the consumer is going to help our industry do more of the right things.”

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

Midwest Associations with Chasidy Rae Sisk

ASA-IL Uses CAN Conference to Reintroduce Collision Membership When ASA-IL holds their annual Chicago Automotive Networking (CAN) Conference on September 2628 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont IL, repeat attendees are going to notice a big change—the association recently voted to reintegrate the collision side of the automotive services industry into their predominantly mechanical membership base.

Donna Kelly, Executive Director of ASA-IL, and Deb Bullwinkel, CoExecutive Director of ASA-IL, agree that CAN offers the perfect opportunity to reintroduce collision to the association, and they have invited I-CAR to provide collision training at the conference in hopes of attracting collision repair professionals to CAN 2014.

For their 2014 CAN Conference, ASA-IL has partnered with I-CAR to offer 6 accredited training courses: “Are You Ready for Aluminum?,” “Vehicle Technology & Trends,” “Get-

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

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

span an entire day.

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

their members. Registration for the event’s Bonus Sessions will open on Friday, September 26 at 9AM with “Module Reprogramming Techniques for Today” being presented from 9:30AM until 12:30PM by Scott Shotton of The Driveability Guys and Eric Ziegler of EZ Diagnostic Solutions.

Shotton and Ziegler will continue their seminar from 1:304:45PM, at the same time that Louie Nelson of CarQuest Technical Institute will present “Total Fuel Trim Diagnostics” and I-CAR offers two courses, “Are You Ready for Aluminum?” and “Vehicle Technology & Trends.” At 5PM, CAN Conference Co-Chairs JJ Jobst and John Vallely will hold a General Session to welcome attendees to the 2014 event. Afterwards, ASA-IL’s Open Reception will run until 8PM, giving industry professionals a chance to network and mingle with vendors, shop owners and other automotive service profes-

sionals. Friday’s reception is free to industry professionals and all conference guests.

Saturday’s seminars will kick off at 8AM with a General Session. From 8:30–11:30AM, attendees will choose from six education seminars: “Blueprint Your Collision Business for Profit” presented by Tom McGee of ATI, the “2015 Ford F-150 Structural Repair Training” by I-CAR, “High Impact Customer Care Sales Course” presented

by Bob Cooper and Doris Barnes of Elite Worldwide, “Advanced Electronics: Automotive Solid State Electronics Course including Sensor Simulation and Circuit Emulation Electronics” by Dave Scaler of Mechanic’s Education Association (MEA), “Advanced Hybrid Vehicle Inverter/Electric Machine Testing” presented by Jeff Minter of Automotive Research and Design (AR&D), and “The Big Five Scan Tool Diagnostics” presented by Scott Manna, Ken Zanders, Pat Weber and Scho

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Following lunch in the Expo Hall, five seminars will be held simultaneously from 1:30-5PM. The afternoon options will include continuations of the four all-day courses: “Blueprint Your Collisions Business for Profit,” “2015 Ford F-150 Structural Repair Training,” “High Impact Customer Care Sales Course” and “The Big Five Scan Tool Diagnostics,” as well as “Down and Dirty Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) Diagnosis,” presented by MEA’s Dave Scaler.

During the General Session at 5PM, ASA-IL will present the Frank Brizek Memorial Award. The evening will conclude with the association’s special Open Bar Reception for registered attendees, including a pizza hors d’oeuvres bar, until 8PM. On Sunday morning, ASA-IL President Dave Walter will speak at the 8AM General Session. From 8:45AM until noon, attendees will have the opportunity to choose from five educational seminars: “Wiring Diagram: Understanding Electrical Circuits” presented by Jorge Menchu from Automotive Electronic Services (AESwave), John Thornton’s “Euro Scan Tool Diagnostics,” “Hybrid Vehicle Service Myth

Busting” presented by Jeff Minter of AR&D, and two more I-CAR courses: “Getting ROI for Your Training Dollar” and “Aluminum Panel Replacement.”

Kelly and Bullwinkel look forward to CAN 2014 being very beneficial to ASA-IL members due to the heavy emphasis the association places on education and training. Though ASA-IL offers training during their evening meetings

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

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

Kelly points out that Chicago is

home to some of the industry’s best trainers in the country, and CAN brings them together in one place for an entire weekend, giving them a chance to provide advanced industry professionals with training from world-class instructors. While low pricing for the conference has translated into good attendance in the past, ASA-IL hopes that the inclusion of the collision side of the business will result in a substantial increase from last year’s attendance.

Bullwinkel states “it feels new because we’re offering a lot more training, as many as five or six sessions at a time, compared to just two or three in the past. We’re hoping that bringing collision back into the fold, in addition to offering courses by some of the top trainers in the industry, will attract a lot of people. We are really excited to watch the collision side of ASA-IL evolve.”

The 2014 CAN Conference will also feature a trade show in the Expo Hall where vendors and various automotive service providers will display their product offerings and have a chance to interface with the collision and mechanical industry professionals who use their products. The trade show will be open on Friday evening during

the Reception from 5-8PM, as well as on Saturday from 8-9AM, during lunch from 11:30AM until 1:30PM, and during the Open Bar Reception from 5:309PM. The Expo Hall will also be open on Sunday during the training sessions from 8AM until noon. The trade show will provide CAN Conference attendees with an opportunity to visit vendors and demo some of the latest tools, software and technology.

Registration for the event costs $395, but those who register by August 31st can receive the Early Bird Discounted rate of $375. ASA-IL members will receive a $50 discount on the cost of admission, and shops registering three or more employees at once are eligible to receive an additional $50 off per person.

ASA-IL 209 Le Moyne Parkway Oak Park, IL 60302 www.asailcan.com

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Continued from Page 16

Assured Performance

getting all of the pieces together as we move forward in the certification aspect of the business. As a former member of the OEM Roundtable, I’ve seen first-hand how these programs have grown and changed. Multiple carmakers building multiple vehicle models that require multiple shop repair capabilities have created a confusing and unmanageable environment for most shops.

“Cars have become so much more complex that certification is going to be more and more integral to the day-today operations of a body shop, regardless of where they are or what their business model is,” Doerr explained.

“Assured Performance has interpreted and simplified the many moving parts, leveraging their commonalities instead of the exceptions. Assured Performance’s program has struck a chord with the OE’s and the industry because they all see a definite need. Shops can get the certification they need and in return, the OE’s are stepping up with things like referral programs.”

To ensure that the company has first-hand shop knowledge and experience, Assured Performance has five former shop owners and MSO managers onboard. Aaron Clark is one such former body shop owner. He is now Assured Performance’s V.P. of Certification and Network Development. Clark sold his seven shops at Aaron Clark is the the end of 2012, company’s new anticipating retireV.P. of Certification ment, but started and Network Development. working for Assured Performance a few months later.

He‘s happy and excited to be with a growing company during an ideal time in the collision industry’s history, he said.

“The certification arm of this company is gaining more and more momentum every day because getting onboard with this program has quickly gone from an option to a necessity for body shops.” Clark said, “I was prepared to step away from the business after selling my shops, but when this opportunity was presented, I could not resist. We have a chance to reinvent this industry in a positive way and work to create something that never existed before.”

At NACE, Ford representatives discussed the details of repairing the 2015 F150 and their National Body Shop Network program and Clark elaborated on it. “As the maker of the number one selling vehicle representing nearly 700,000 sales per year, it was no wonder that all of their presentations had standing room only over three days,” Clark said. “The highpoint of the presentation was how shops would be rewarded with official Ford certification—recognition for making the investment to become retooled, re-trained and re-equipped.

Further, shops that can make the grade will ultimately receive referrals from not only Ford, but Nissan, Chrysler and others through their aggressive OEM consumer-facing awareness and marketing efforts.”

Chrysler, Nissan, and Ford are the first ones to announce a referral program and others will be unveiling their programs Scott Biggs, right after the first President and of the year. Clark Owner of Assured sees the referral asPerformance Network in Irvine, CA pect of these certifications as a real shot in the arm for the collision industry as a whole.

“These are 100% OE-driven customer referral programs that didn’t exist before, so it’s huge,” he said. “There is no question here—you will have to fix these new vehicles differently and therefore shops are going to have to invest in the training, tools and equipment. If you’re going to have to do all those things regardless, why wouldn’t you want to be recognized for it and receive referrals for doing it?”

The standard certification-recognition requirements used by Ford, Chrysler, Nissan, etc. are those developed by Assured Performance in cooperation with many OEM’s. Assured Performance supports the open competition approach to procure the tools and equipment required. This key aspect is illustrated well in Ford’s aluminum repair requirements for the new F150. To be Ford certified-recognized through 2015, the shop must become “aluminum capable” including having separate aluminum repair tools, a separate area (curtains or walls) for aluminum work, and specific repair training and welding certification provided by ICAR. While Ford has these requirements, the shop can buy from several good choices where competition exists.

26 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Assured Performance’s approach to body shop certification is unique in other ways as well. Instead of a surprise “pass-fail” test, Assured Performance uses a business development process. Even before the shop enrolls for the first time, they are able to evaluate their readiness by following the online capabilities assessment referred to as the “Pre-flight Checklist.” Shops interested in becoming certified are able to complete the “Capabilities Assessment” to review the requirements, see their deficiencies, and generate a business development plan, helping them get from where they are now to where they need to be, according to Doerr.

The turnkey system designed by Assured Performance even develops a shop—specific calendar, budget and equipment matrix with vendors listed to help the shop streamline the entire process. Even I-CAR working in conjunction with Assured Performance has developed a program called “Road to Gold” to address the evolving needs in the area of training. Equipment and tool vendors have also joined the effort, providing expedited online ordering and pricing to simplify and streamline the

process of retooling for the shops willing to make the journey.

“Every aspect of this program is administered by Assured Performance, starting with the enrollment process, the shop capability assessments, their business development plans, the annual on-site physical audit-inspections, necessary online support systems, proof of compliance documentation, and even shop marketing,” Ron Doerr said. “Assured Performance’s joint-effort approach eliminates redundancy in equipment and duplication of the fees and the overall cost for a body shop to become certified.

The cost savings for each shop is in the thousands of dollars, annually – a huge windfall by Ronald Doerr is any calculation.

Assured Network’s new Senior V.P. of And, in aggregate, Strategic Initiatives the OEM’s are probably saving millions in non-core expenses - they can focus on building great cars and trucks and promoting the certified repair network while Assured Performance quarterbacks the improvements in repair business capabilities - truly a best path forward for all.”

www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS 27

Southwest Associations with Chasidy Rae Sisk

ABAT Holds Second Meeting On Tuesday, July 29, the Auto Body Association of Texas (ABAT) held its second official meeting in Tyler, TX at Hi Way Auto Parts, a local recycled parts vendor who also provided refreshments for attendees. The twohour meeting attracted 58 attendees from shops throughout Eastern Texas,

Attendees listen attentively to guest speakers

as well as several shops from the Dallas/Fort Worth area who recently learned about ABAT, in addition to various paint companies and vendors.

Burl Richards, President of ABAT,

was pleased with the turnout because “this is a huge thing to have happen as the DFW area is obviously large, and we are working together with these shops to help unite the collision repair industry here in Texas.”

The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance followed by a benediction and review of Anti-Trust guidelines. Next, Richards introduced local State Representative Travis Clardy who is serving as ABAT’s attorney, and Clardy discussed the details associated with his role as a State Representative. He also described the process of introducing legislation, an avenue that the association may choose to get involved with in the future.

Richards then introduced Craig Barker, owner of Hi Way. Hi Way is a member of the Premium Recycled

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

practices in restoring vehicles to their pre-loss condition. Richards says, “this is a survey that CSI has never done, but we have been working with them in an effort to get it accomplished, and CSI believes this will be a great survey that can possibly be repeated in others areas across the U.S.” Since the meeting, Richards has been contacted by one of the Dallas shops that attended, and he and a few other ABAT members are planning a trip to ColAttendees enjoyed refreshments courtesy of Hi Way leyville to discuss the possiAuto Parts bility of that shop becoming dicating ways that the two associa- a Charter Member of ABAT. ABAT plans to hold their next tions can collaborate to effect positive, meaningful changes in the collision meeting during the second half of September. For more information about repair industry.

ABAT or their upcoming plans, email ABAT members then broached Burl@BurlsCollision.com. the topic of possibly having CSI conduct an independent survey regarding www.autobodynews.com certain short pay items and necessary Parts trade association (PRP), and Barker discussed his previous role as the President of PRP. He also drew parallels between PRP and ABAT, in-

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

AudaExplore™ has released a study showing a major gap in trust and customer satisfaction in repair shops and insurance carriers. The study found that collision repair technicians are less trusted than many other professions and that almost half (48 percent) of consumers surveyed believe that repair shops sometimes, rarely or never provide great customer service. Insurance companies didn’t fare much better, with only 22 percent of respondents saying carriers decreased their stress level after a car accident. There is a clear consensus that repair shops and insurance carriers must improve in the areas of communications, trust and price.

“With increased competition, employee turnover, evolving vehicles, digitally empowered consumers and endless streams of data, the relationship between customers and companies has changed dramatically,” explains Adam Vasquez, VP Marketing, AudaExplore. “We are living in the Era of Disruption, and providing a great customer experience is more important than ever. In this new era, it’s not just about the number of shops or the size of your network; it’s about building trust with constant communication and

transparency throughout the repair process.”

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

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

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

Cost Overall, respondents would like more accurate estimates and better premiums, and they don’t believe insurance providers are doing a satisfactory job in this area. ● Only 34 percent of those surveyed believe a fair price is charged always or often. ● Almost half (46 percent) of respondents say that repair shops sometimes, rarely or never deliver a final price that matches the original estimate. ● For insurance carriers, more than one-third (34 percent) of those surveyed say they would like more accurate collision repair estimates.

“The research shows that there is a gap today with customer expectations that is having a negative impact on insurance carrier and repair shop business,” continued Vasquez. “By leveraging advanced data and technology to manage customer expectations, insurance carriers and repairers can keep customers informed, making re-

pairers more trusted and helping to better manage the difficult price conversation.”

This study sheds light on some of the present issues in the collision repair industry, unveiling that ultimately, communications is the driving force behind customer satisfaction. By solving these challenges, customers will not only be more informed and trusting, but companies will position themselves to be successful in a competitive marketplace.

For more details about the study, please visit www.collisionrepairinsights.com.

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Wheels to Prosper’s Annual Giveaway

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

On Saturday, July 26, Wheels to Prosper shops across the country gave away 15 vehicles to deserving people in their communities. Dino DiGiulio, owner of Body Best Collision Center in Sonoma, CA, and founder of Wheels to Prosper, notes that it is “mind-blowing to be able to change people’s lives in this type of way” and wonders “how big it could be if we got all the shops in the country involved?”

This year, Body Best awarded their car giveaway vehicle, a 2004 Saturn L300, to Irene Morgan. DiGiulio’s son, Chance, helped Body Best’s technician with the body repairs as his senior project, which his father proudly reports received a grade of “A”.

In 2010, DiGiulio took a public relations class at Management Success, and he admits “I didn’t realize how important it was until I took the class.”

When the topic of car giveaways came up, DiGiulio thought it seemed like a practical way of giving back to the community. His friend, Jody Gatchell who owns A & J Collision Repair in Conway, AR was involved with a sim-

ilar concept through Recycled Rides, and when DiGiulio saw an emotional video about a giveaway recipient, he knew he had to do it.

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

After acquiring information about the program from Gatchell, including how to organize a car giveaway, DiGiulio began planning Body Best’s first Car Giveaway with the initial intention of donating two to three vehicles yearly. Rather than choosing a person in need, DiGiulio put together a committee to choose a winner, enlist-

ing the aid of a diverse panel of public officials and community leads to select a deserving individual. Early on, DiGiulio decided to choose winners who deserved a vehicle, rather than simply donating to someone in need, because “need is always there,” he explains. “We wanted to help people who help others. Everyone has to do their part, and this is my way of volunteering. By helping this person, he or she can help so many others.”

Gatchell suggested Wheels to Prosper as the name for DiGiulio’s giveaway, and Management Success advised DiGiulio to secure the name and website, helping him build the site. The idea behind Wheels to Prosper was to establish a program to help shops begin the process of sponsoring car giveaways, and when he pitched the idea for a national giveaway to 30 shops in hopes of getting more interest in the program, 11 shops signed up that same day. “We laid out some parameters and established a process, including marketing – there’s a lot of marketing you can do for free because people want to help,” DiGiulio states.

In the four years since its inception, Wheels to Prosper has increased to include 34 shops donating around 25 cars annually, but the program is growing consistently; DiGiulio hopes, by next year, 100 shops will participate in Wheels to Prosper’s annual giveaway because “Jody and I cannot do as much alone as we can when we involved the entire industry. Wheels to Prosper is all about telling shops how easy it really is.”

Though Wheels to Prosper is expanding to include non-Management Success shops, shops interested in participating in the program need to acquire approval from DiGiulio and the program’s administrator, Jim Anderson, because they want to elicit involvement from shops committed to giving away at least one car each year.

Anderson, owner of Anderson Automotive in Marion, IA, did a giveaway called “Wheels of Change” several years before DiGiulio began his program, but Anderson joined Wheels to Prosper’s board as their administrator because he wanted to be part of something bigger.

See Annual Giveaway, Page 48

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Northeast Associations with Chasidy Rae Sisk

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

AASP-MA Opens Sponsor Registration for 2014 Casino Night and More for Fall 2014 On Saturday, November 15, AASPMA will be holding their 2014 Casino Night at the Gillette Stadium Putnam Club, located at 1 Patriot Place in Foxboro, MA. In anticipation of this exciting event, the association has begun soliciting sponsorships from vendors and other industry participants who are interested in marketing their services at their Casino Night.

“As AASP-MA’s most popular event among our members, we want members to feel appreciated for their continued support and participation,” states Executive Director Jillian Zywien, “and [this event] is the perfect way to show how thankful we are for all their efforts throughout the year.”

This year’s Casino Night will offer new and exciting experiences for AASP-MA members, including “exclusive stadium tours, priceless scenery, an expanded gaming experience, and a few additional surprises that will be revealed at the event,” Zywien hints. “We have also improved the opportunities for our valued vendors and sponsors. There will be opportunities to advertise in the end zones, on the ribbon screens surrounding the stadium, and in our NEW electronic ad book which will be displayed on several television screens inside the club. Potential vendors and sponsors can contact the association to learn more about our new advertising and sponsor packages.”

AASP-MA has developed 16 sponsorship packages from which vendors can choose for their 2014 Casino Night, with package prices

ranging from as low as $500 all the way up to $7500 for the Tournament Sponsor Package. The benefits of each sponsorship package vary based on donation amounts, but most packages include links to the sponsor’s website from the association’s site as well as some sort of display of the company’s signage or distribution of their promotional materials at the event.

Zywien looks forward to AASPMA’s 2014 Casino Night and their change of venue. “We sought to create an event that members could be proud of and also be excited to attend and bring guests. Over the years, the event has continued to grow, and though we looked at several venues that would accommodate our expansion, the Putnam Club was hard to beat.”

While AASP-MA puts a lot of effort into providing training and educational opportunities, “Casino Night provides a rare chance for our members to relax and enjoy spending time with their significant others, employees and fellow shop owners,” Zywien states. “Events like these are what create a strong and united community.

This opportunity gives all of our hardworking members a night to remember. Sometimes, it’s all about fun and camaraderie.”

Zywien encourages anyone interested in attending or sponsoring AASP-MA’s 2014 Casino Night to register on their website as soon as possible since the association anticipates a sold-out event.

In addition to their 2014 Casino

Continued from Page 18

Farm’s mission to serve the needs of its customers, and our long, proud history of achievements in advancing vehicle safety. We are reviewing the lawsuit and will have more to share soon.”

Luedke also pointed toward a State Farm website that outlined the auto insurer’s involvement in advancing safety issues including the fact that State Farm is a Founding member of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

A PDF copy of the lawsuit can be found searching this story title at www.autobodynews.com.A PDF copy of the lawsuit can be found at: www.autobodynews.com.

LA AG Files Suit

to State Farm under the assumption that the insurer will take care of them if an accident occurs. This simply isn’t happening. Quite frankly, State Farm has been there for State Farm, not the Louisiana consumer,” Caldwell stated.

State Farm responded to the suit saying it does not reflect its history of advancing automotive safety. According to State Farm spokesperson Dick Luedke, answering a question by a trade media source, “The description in this lawsuit is not in line with State

34 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Night, AASP-MA has several more events as well as association meetings planned for this fall. On Friday, September 5, the MidState Chapter will hold their annual BBQ at the Hudson Elks in Hudson, MA. Zywien says, “last year’s event was a huge success.

This fun-filled family event will feature children’s raffle prizes, games, entertainment and great food provided

by Firefly’s BBQ. Proceeds from the event help to fund out Tool Grant which is awarded each year to deserving vo-tech students pursuing a career in the collision industry.”

On Friday, September 26, the Western Chapter of AASP-MA will host their annual Clambake at the Polish-American Club in Feeding Hills, featuring a giant raffle, shop owner prizes and a 50/25/25 raffle. Zywien encourages collision repair professionals to support the industry by registering for this exciting networking opportunity.

AASP-MA will hold their fourth quarter Statewide meeting on Tuesday, September 9 at the Doubletree in Westboro. The meeting will feature a panel of experts on aluminum vehicles and repairs, including Larry Montanez of P&L Consulting, I-CAR’s Jason Bartanen, and a representative from Ford Motors who will provide a demonstration. Zywien is “really looking forward to the meeting because I know our members are eager to learn more about repairing these new vehicles, the potential costs of additional equipment requirements and training programs for their technicians. Our events committee is constantly asking for members’ feedback on educational programs, and we encourage you to offer suggestions about what you’d like to see.”

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National Associations with Ed Attanasio

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

How Can I Squeeze More Out of My SEMA Experience?

Trade shows are huge right now and that’s why SEMA is more popular than ever. If you’ve ever attended one of these events, you know they’re frenetic, fun, packed full of things to do and your time is usually limited. So, that’s why we’re offering some invaluable tips about how to take full advantage of any trade show, but specifically the upcoming SEMA show, in Las Vegas November 3-7.

When the economy took a hit in 2008, many body shops started dialing down their participation in industry conferences, but now that the economy seems to be a little healthier, this is a smart time to re-engage. The main question for any business owner considering SEMA is this –will the money and staff that I will invest into a show like SEMA really pay off in the long run?

After discussing the “SEMA Experience” with collision professionals from all over the country for at least

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

ers getting wiped out at the tables and other foolishness were probably halftrue when originally told and undoubtedly pure fiction by now.

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

36 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

current and prospective vendors and to learn about new technologies or products that will influence your future.

The first step is to make a list containing your goals with realistic objectives, while determining the costs involved. For example, you may want to visit a dozen equipment companies, paint companies and other suppliers. If you’re going to be at the show for three days, you will obviously need to visit at least four every day, pacing yourself and hydrating continually.

To decide if SEMA is right for you and your business, ask yourself these questions: ■ Is SEMA going to offer you the most cost-effective way of sourcing products, services and information in the collision industry?

■ Is SEMA the best forum for you to keep up- to-date on the collision industry’s newest technologies, state-

of-the-art products, innovations and new developments in your market?

Are you going to encounter a highly targeted audience of your fellow industry professionals?

■ If your answer is yes to more than one of these questions, SEMA is probably a slam dunk for you, your manager and even other members of your crew as well.

Peter Macillvray, VP of Communications and Events for SEMA, offered some helpful tips about how to squeeze the most out of your SEMA experience. “We’re extremely vested in making sure that all of our attendees and exhibitors will leave here with a year’s worth of new business ideas. We’re committed to doing everything we can to bring value to your time here at SEMA. We want you to make more money by using what you’ve learned at SEMA, so that’s we’ve created a whole range of things to make it happen.”

Everyone’s goal at any trade show is different, so the first thing you need to do is define what success means for you at SEMA. Before you jump in, make a list and plan your show. “We call it ‘shaping’ the show and it’s so valuable,” Macillvray said.

“Too many people jump on a plane and don’t register until they get here and then start wandering through the aisles without any real plan. Time is so precious and by aimlessly walking around you’re losing opportunities.

Being prepared at any trade show or industry event is imperative, so map it out and don’t leave anything to chance.”

To get more out of your SEMA, take a few classes and learn things you can take back to your business.

“We have top companies that have partnered with us on these classes,” Macillvray said. “We’ve got some of the world’s top experts on things like marketing, technology and management. Everything taught at SEMA is created with two words in mind— useful and relevant.”

If you’re looking for cutting-edge products and equipment that can help your shop and make your life a little easier, SEMA is the place to be. “This show is always about unveiling new technology and we’re proud to lead the way,” Macillvray said. “Our New Product Showcase is always a huge attraction and a great place to get an overview of what’s new. Many products that have won awards at past

SEMA shows are now used by body shops all over the world and the first time anyone saw them was here at SEMA.” SEMA has two ways to help you as you navigate through the show— by calling on their popular Pocket Guide, available almost anywhere at SEMA, as well as by using their 2014 SEMA app, available for free at any Apple Store or online, sponsored by Showcase.

“We have been fine-tuning our app over the years by listening to our customers and we believe it’s stateof-the-art,” Macillvray said. “It contains some planning tools that can really help you to get more out of the show while also allowing you to stay in the loop about the show yearround. Lots of people walk around with the app open on their iPads and iPhones and refer to it during the entire show. We want to offer every tool we have available to us to help you, and that’s why we’re heavily involved in social media. You can like us on Facebook, connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. We have the largest social media following of any automotive show in the world.”

MA Auto Insurance Rates Climbing 5 Years After Deregulation

Auto insurance rates that fell sharply after deregulation in Massachusetts are climbing again.

The Boston Globe reports that five years after the state began to allow insurers to set their own rates, the average premium was about the same as it was before the change.

According to figures from the state Division of Insurance, premiums dropped about 12 percent between 2007 and 2009 to a statewide average of $861, saving the average motorist about $122 per year.

By 2012, the average premium was back up to $974, only $9 less than what it was before deregulation. 2012 was the most recent year that statistics were available.

State officials say deregulation has helped consumers by offering more choice. The number of companies offering auto insurance in Massachusetts has nearly doubled.

www.autobodynews.com CHECK IT OUT!

www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS 37

Social Media for Shops

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

with Ed Attanasio

Is Your Reception Area Making a Good First Impression?

I was recently at a body shop that does amazing work, garners incredible customer reviews and skillfully fixes nearly 200 cars monthly. All of the shop’s techs are dressed in clean uniforms and you could eat off the shop floor. But, then I took a look at their reception area and it’s an OMG moment. Ugly yellow walls covered with greasy handprints; one little table that looks like it was pulled out of the Titanic; magazines from 2010; a coffee machine covered in what looks like mud and an old, beat-up sign on the wall that the guys from American Pickers wouldn’t even want.

My first reaction was shock. Why does this shop work so hard to provide amazing customer service, maintaining a professional image with a highly-trained staff and then they badly fumble the appearance of their reception area (or some call it a “waiting room”), the only part of their shop that customers will definitely see?

lision Specialists in Randolph, NJ hired Aurora Kitchens and Interiors of Somerville, NJ to completely re-do their reception area in 2011. It won a design award in the National Association of Remodeling’s annual contest in 2012, according to Kelley Evens, the owner and chief designer at Aurora Kitchens and Interiors.

“The owner of Towne Auto wanted to provide his customers with a different experience than is usually found in auto body shops,” Evens said. “A comfortable, upscale waiting area for customers was top priority.

Other amenities on the owner’s wish list included a television viewing area, a working area with free Wi-Fi for customers, a gourmet coffee/tea center, an inviting reception desk, an area for insurance adjusters to speak with clients privately, multiple employee work stations and beautiful restrooms.”

Figuring out how to keep the waiting room clean in an auto body shop environment was one of the biggest challenges. “Collision technicians often track oil and grease from the shop into the waiting area when they are speaking with customers,” Evens said. “The key was a durable yet attractive concrete floor with a multi-sized tile pattern, some texture and a VictorEric Design in Vancouver, British Columbia designed color variation from gold to this high-end reception area for B&D Autobody & Glass, terra cotta. Cleaning is a also in Vancouver breeze with just water and a Think about it. Collision repair is mop. To make the seating area more one of the only industries in the world inviting, a multi-colored jewel-toned where your average customer is un- rug was used to anchor the space. A happy before they even interact with brown leather sofa and gold leather you. They’re looking for reasons to chairs were grouped for seating. take you off their list, in some cases, Their colors complement the so why give them any ammunition? A concrete floor and area rug.” body shop’s reception area should be While many auto body shops have comfortable, clean and inviting, but so a single unisex restroom, which is often many of them just don’t make the dark and dingy, the owners at Towne grade. So, we found three examples of Auto insisted on separate restrooms, body shops that understand the im- each modern, clean and well-lit. “We portance of a waiting room that fits the achieved this through the use of mirrors aforementioned qualities. They see the and artwork, with warm paint colors to value in making a good first impres- keep the restrooms from feeling cold sion, because like the old deodorant and sterile,” Evens said. “The combicommercial used to say, “You may nation of bold colors, wall art and acnever get a second chance.” cent pieces created exactly the effect Towne Auto Restoration & Col- that the owner was trying to achieve.”

38 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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

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

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

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“B&D Auto body is the preferred auto body shop of the Vancouver MINI Cooper Club – they are factorytrained for repairing MINI’s and are used exclusively by MINI Yaletown for body work. That being said they wanted to update their look to suit their new clientele. We wanted to design a waiting area for our client that offered style and comfort, and one that conveyed organization and efficiency. We took a blank concrete canvas and chose to create a cool vibe with bold colors of grey, black and white. We custom fabricated a table topped with glass with a base of stacked tires, added colorful automotive themed artwork and threw in accents of chrome and silver. This is not your ordinary auto body shop. Customers don’t even mind waiting.”

Our third example of a well-received reception area that is both cool and comfortable was designed for Uptown Auto Body in Oakland, CA by Ace Architects, also located in Oakland. Ace’s Co-Owner Lucia Howard loved working on the design and dealing with the shop’s owners Lisandro Allende and Giovanna Tanzillo was a creative and enriching experience, she said.

“Giovanni’s idea behind this project was to create a space where people could forget that they were in a body shop,” Howard explained.

“Both owners collect art, so they wanted art to play a role. We were also interested in using car images in the overall look, because Lisandro is a big car guy and loves racing cars.

We wanted to inject a ton of their personality into the reception area and I believe that’s what we achieved. We also wanted it to be open, so that when customers enter, they can also see part of the offices, so that they don’t get that stifling feeling. We didn’t want the customers to feel like they were being stored off in some room waiting for their car. When you sit in this reception area, there is so much happening throughout the room that you don’t’ even have a chance to be bored.”

So, maybe it’s time to take a longer look at your reception area.

When was the last time you did anything to it? It’s all about what the public sees and perceives, so if you do A+ work, but your reception area is getting low grades from the people who matter the most, a makeover might just be money well-spent.

Seven Charged with Utah Automotive Glass Repair Fraud The Utah Insurance Department’s Fraud Division has charged the owners of Pleasant Grove-based Quick Fix Auto Glass and T&R Auto Services, as well as several employees, with various forms of fraud.

Tyson Brown, owner of Quick Fix Auto Glass LLC, was charged with racketeering and insurance fraud. He was also charged with eight counts of identity fraud. Four of Brown’s sales employees were also charged with identity fraud and falsification of insurance claims. The case is pending. Tyson Weber, owner of T&R Auto Services, has pled guilty to third-degree felony insurance fraud and three counts of thirddegree felony identity fraud.

“Brown and Weber, along with their sales employees solicited rock chip repairs by going door-to-door and using other means of contacting owners of vehicles in need of rock chip windshield repairs,” according a statement by the Utah Insurance Department. “They advised vehicle owners that they would take care of the claim with their auto insurance company without cost to the vehicle owner.

“After obtaining the auto owners’ insurance information and other personal information, Brown, Weber

and their employees contacted the insurance companies by impersonating the policyholders in order to obtain payment for the windshield repairs,” the statement continued. “In cases where multiple rock chips were repaired, the agents kept the insured’s information and filed follow up claims without the insureds knowledge, days, weeks or months later.”

The defendants allegedly filed more than 1,600 glass repair claims with Farmers, Allstate and Progressive. The insurance companies paid Quick Fix Auto Glass and T&R Auto Services $102,000.

CIC Selects Randy Stabler as New Chairman as of Jan.

Collision Industry Conference (CIC) Administrator Jeff Hendler announced on Tuesday, July 29, that Randy Stabler, owner of Pride Auto Body in Van Nuys, CA, will succeed State Farm Claims Consultant George Avery as CIC chairman.

Avery will officially pass the gavel to Stabler at the CIC scheduled at the SEMA Show in November, as that will be Avery’s last official CIC as chairman. Stabler will then handle CIC chair duties for 2015, starting in Palm Springs, CA, in January.

California Insurance Firm Pays Settlement With Buckets of Coins

An insurance agency settled a lawsuit with a Los Angeles man by dropping off buckets full of thousands of quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies, his attorney said Wednesday.

Andres Carrasco, 76, filed a lawsuit in 2012 against Adriana’s Insurance Services, a Rancho Cucamonga-based company.

The East Los Angeles man alleged that during an argument over why the company had cancelled his auto insurance, an agent assaulted him by physically removing him from the office.

The agency reached a settlement in June and last week delivered partial payment in the form of a check, but also tried to leave buckets of loose change in his lawyer’s East Los Angeles office, attorney Antonio Gallo said.

Gallo said he refused to accept the delivery because he couldn’t verify the amount in the buckets. But, he said, the cash was left the next day when he was at court.

His assistant said eight people came in “and just dropped it off in the lobby,” Gallo said.

Gallo, who wouldn’t disclose the settlement figure, estimated there may be $20,000 or more in coins.

“There’s maybe 17 buckets of coins,” he said. “They probably (each) weigh anywhere between 70 to 100 pounds. I’m assuming, because I can’t lift them.”

One bucket is entirely full of pennies, he added.

Gallo said he didn’t think the payment was illegal in California but it is unique.

“It’s insulting to my client. He’s 76 years old, he just had a hernia operation.

Come on,” Gallo said. “He feels that he wasn’t treated as a human being.”

“I am disappointed by the way Adriana’s treats their customers and the elderly,” Carrasco told KNBC-TV. “We might be poor, but we are people too.”

A call to the insurer’s attorney, Edvin Flores, wasn’t immediately returned.

Gallo said he has been in contact with the agency’s attorney and would like to see the insurer issue a check for the rest of the settlement and take away the coins by Friday. Otherwise, he will have to hire someone to count the stash.

“If the money’s short, then we’ll probably go back into court” to ask for the full amount, along with the cost of counting the coins “and hopefully some sanctions,” Gallo said.

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Northwest Associations with Chasidy Rae Sisk

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

ASA-NW Members Enjoy Summer Retreat During the weekend of June 19 through 22, ASA-Northwest held their Semi-Annual Summer Retreat and Management Conference at the Red Lion Hanford House in Richland, WA. The four-day event featured educational seminars, industry roundtable discussions, networking opportunities and general fun for all present. Jeff Lovell, President and Executive Director of ASA-NW, noted that the event went very well with around 80 participants, though this year’s retreat was smaller than in the past were attendance was closer to 100 individuals, a fact he attributes to many graduation ceremonies taking place that weekend.

On Thursday, attendees had the option of enjoying a free day or playing golf with their peers, and those who chose to golf seemed to immensely enjoy the day in the sunshine.

Later in the day, a group of ASA-NW members traveled to the Bombing

Range Sports Complex in West Richland for their “Hogs & Dogs” event where over 2000 motorcycles were on display.

sues in the industry as well as their biggest challenges. Lovell shares, “most agreed that finding good technicians is one of the biggest challenges currently facing the automotive industry today. Our members shared information on how they advertise for employees and where technicians come from. Another topic was the challenge of running a family-owned business; how do you fire your son? Being the boss can be tough on families!”

During the roundtable disRick White of One Eighty Business Solutions presents cussions, the Ascettes played Communicating for Success a game of croquet in the courtOn Friday, the group gathered for yard, and in the evening, the Cool their Board of Directors meeting Desert Nights event allowed attendees where conversations ensued about the to enjoy two hours of classic cars cruising past the hotel. From 9-11PM, the association in general and their financial plans, followed by a Mechanical evening concluded, as did all others during the trip, with ASA-NW’s Hosand Collision Roundtable which alpitality Suite, allowing members to inlowed members to discuss common is-

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On Saturday morning, Rick White of One Eighty Business Solutions presented a seminar, approved by the Automotive Management Institute (AMI), entitled “Communicating for Success.” Lovell states, “the seminar was great, and everyone loved Rick… He praised ASA-Northwest as one of the most fun associations he gets to work with!”

When the group gathered for lunch, Joel Baxter, Past Board Chairman, presented plaques to Brian and Zoya Johnson as well as ASA Honorary Member Ron Willand. Current Chairman Todd Black also presented the “Hunt Endowment” to Travis and Renee Mosley of My Auto Pro. That afternoon, ASA-NW members gathered for a productive General

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

nated by Jude and Lindsy Larson of CompTrek Consulting, Brian and Jen Smith of Gig Harbor Automotive, Beven Weeks of ICM, Mark and Sara Simons of Rolf’s Import Auto Service, Bryant and Melissa Kelley of Valley Automotive Electric, Janel Black of Unlimited Services, and Janae Schindler of Rod’s Japanese Auto Care. Between the live auction and the raffle, the Ascettes raised over $2300 towards their scholarship fund.

ASA-NW is grateful to the members who took time from their busy schedules to make ASA-NW members enjoyed a weekend filled with the event such a success. socializing and discussions Lovell believes everyone had such as croquet and ladder ball. Dura great time networking and dising the barbeque, the Ascettes auc- cussing the issues, and he looks fortioned off a “Pamper Yourself” basket ward to the next retreat this winter. donated by the Ascettes, a two-person fishing trip donated by Scott and ASA Northwest Rachael Tveten, and a Butter Pecan 7403 Lakewood Drive W, Suite 7 cake donated by Casey Hall; the cake Lakewood, WA 98499 was so popular that a second one was 253-473-6970 also auctioned off, to be supplied at a www.asanorthwest.com later date.

At the Hospitality Suite later Satwww.autobodynews.com urday evening, the Ascettes held their CHECK IT OUT! raffle prize drawings with prizes do-

2015 F-150 Repair Parts Will Be Sold To All Body Shops Ford Motor Co. says it will sell body repair parts for the 2015 F-150 to all body shops, even ones that have not been certified to fix the aluminumbodied pickup. Ford will package each replacement part with the instruction sheet from the factory repair manual that dealers use, Paul Massie, Ford’s powertrain and collision product marketing manager, said at NACE. The instructions will spell out such things as how to apply the structural adhesive and which type of rivets to use to affix a repair part to the vehicle. The aluminum F-150 requires special tools, facilities, technician training and repair procedures, and some Ford dealerships’ body shops are not making the investment to repair the pickups.

Massie said less than half of Ford’s 3,000 or so dealerships have body shops, but that is not expected to affect F-150 customers who need accident repairs. He said Ford is working to ensure that getting the 2015 pickup’s body repaired will be no different for customers from getting mechanical work done. “The independent body shop training is the same for Ford and Lincoln dealer body shops,” Massie said. He spoke to independent repair shop owners and Ford dealers here at the collision repair and service convention, NACE|CARS 2014 Expo &

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

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Judge Denies Ford’s Motion to Dismiss ABPA Lawsuit Recent recommendation by U.S. Magistrate Judge Mazzant affirms the Automotive Body Parts Association’s standing to bring suit seeking to overturn Ford design patents.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Amos Mazzant issued an opinion that a motion to dismiss by Ford in the case, Automotive Body Parts Association, v. Ford Global Technologies, LLC., should be denied. In its motion to dismiss, filed in February, Ford sought to have the case dismissed arguing the ABPA did not have standing to “… assert a claim for declaratory relief on Ford’s design patents.”

On November 25, 2013, the ABPA filed the lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas against Ford Global Technologies, LLC seeking to have design patents for body parts ruled invalid. Ford Global Technologies is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company that manages intellectual property and technology commercialization for Ford Motor Company. The complaint seeks to have the court declare Ford Global Technologies’ design patents invalid and permanently enjoin the company from enforcing automotive body repair parts patents against ABPA members.

In the motion to dismiss, Ford cited that no company members of

ABPA joined the suit, and that the suit was actually counter to the interests of LKQ Corporation, an ABPA member, and since 2009, “…exclusive licensee of Ford design patents, including the six design patent in suit for the automotive aftermarket.”

Comment on the issue in his Report and Recommendation denying the motion, Judge Mazzant states, “The ABPA has met this low threshold to show that the interests it represents are germane to the purposes of the ABPA organization. For example, if the named patents are rendered invalid and/or unenforceable, then all ABPA members can sell these parts without obtaining a license from Ford to do so. This is certainly relevant to the ABPA’s objectives to promote fair and honorable trade practices between the membership and its customers and to discourage unfair competition and violation of business customs and usages of the trade.”

The Judge continued, “The Court finds that under both views, the ABPA has established that the alleged conflict in this case should not defeat associational standing. Ford asserts that the interests of the ABPA in this litigation are at odds with the interests of its member LKQ, the exclusive licensee of the six design patents at issue in this litigation.

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Under the first view, this conflict of interest would not defeat standing, and could instead be resolved by the ABPA’s internal procedures for removal of a member for conduct that “is detrimental to the interests and purposes of the Corporation.”

Mazzant continued, “Further, LKQ has an interest in the patents as the exclusive licensee and could intervene to advance its interests against the association’s position on the merits, if necessary.”

Mazzant noted that the ABPA argued that the litigation is not directly adverse to LKQ’s interest because if the litigation is successful, LKQ may continue to sell the products and will no longer have to pay licensing fees to Ford for the use of the patents. The ABPA further notes that LKQ’s benefit of selling these products exclusively is to the detriment of the other members of the ABPA. The ABPA contends that this litigation was properly authorized in accordance with its procedures Parties to the suit have days after service of the magistrate judge’s report, to file specific written objections to the findings and recommendations of the magistrate judge.

The APBA lawsuit is the latest in series of litigation stretching back to the mid-2000s. In December 2005, a suit

was filed by Ford with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) claiming that certain aftermarket parts violate patents held by the automaker. Keystone Automotive Industries, Inc., now part of LKQ Corporation, was identified as a respondent in that action.

Ford’s patents were upheld and in April 2009, Ford reached an agreement with LKQ Corporation to settle litigation filed by Ford over collision parts. As part of that agreement LKQ agreed not to challenge the validity of Ford’s design patents and, in exchange, LKQ would become the only distributor of non-OEM collision parts covered by Ford patents.

In early July, LKQ Corporation announced it has entered into a Patent License Agreement with Chrysler Group LLC that grants LKQ a license under certain Chrysler design patents in connection with LKQ’s distribution and sale of aftermarket collision parts in the United States. As part of the agreement, Chrysler will dismiss the complaint it filed in January 2014 against LKQ alleging that the distribution of certain aftermarket parts by LKQ infringed Chrysler’s design patents relating to its Dodge Ram pickup truck.

Further details about the agreement and its terms and conditions are confidential.

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Western Associations with Chasidy Rae Sisk

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

ASA-AZ Serves a Big State with Diverse Interests As the sixth largest state in the nation, Arizona is home to over 6.5 million citizens and over 6.8 million registered vehicles. With such a large population and such busy roadways, it is no surprise that there is an overwhelming number of collision and mechanical repair facilities scattered throughout the state, and all those independent businesses need a collective voice.

That’s where the Automotive Service Association of Arizona (ASA-AZ) comes in!

Incorporated in 1976, ASA-AZ was founded on the concept of establishing collaborative efforts amongst automotive service professionals from all across AZ. As a state affiliate, the association shares the same mission as ASA-National which is “advancing

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

Rubio assumed the role of ASA- to the creation of the association’s colAZ’s Executive Director in 2002 while lision division.

As a registered lobbyist, Rubio monitors legislation that may have an impact on the automotive industry.

When action is required on a legislative bill that may have a negative effect, members of ASA-AZ receive alerts requiring that they contact their legislators to share their views, and the association works with other small business organizations to strengthen their position. In 2012, ASA-AZ successfully defeated a bill that would have forced body shops to absorb the cost associated with vehicle storage in many situations.

Though ASA-AZ is not currently working on any legislation, Rubio plans to continue monitoring introduced legislation in January when the new session begins. She notes “ASA supports legislation that protects the consumer’s rights in the full repair process of their vehicle, both mechanical and collision related.” ASA-AZ monitors national legislation as well, and Rubio shares

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their stance on several current matters: “Though the Right to Repair no longer seems to be in the forefront for mechanical repairers, we continue to work with NASTF to ensure that information for repairing vehicles is available.

[Concerning PartsTrader and other insurer-mandated parts procurement systems], ASA-AZ believes that the insurance companies should stay in the business of insurance and leave all aspects of the repair process to collision repair professionals.”

In addition to providing legislative representation, ASA-AZ members receive discounts from various industry vendors, and the association also provides members with opportunities to interact with their peers in both educational and purely social situations. Some of the association’s current goals include providing ongoing activities for their membership to network and encourage all chapters to conduct monthly activities. Rubio says, “what would an association be without any fun? Our annual convention – Sunrise – offers everything: education, resources and lots of fun.

Next year’s event is already on the calendar for June 19-21 at the Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino. We are

looking to bring in a great line-up of speakers; there will be lots of learning, but also time for fun!”

At the State Office, Rubio collaborates with ASA-AZ’s Board of Directors to coordinate the technical, collision and management training that the association offers to their

Rubio poses with ASA-AZ Board of Directors

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

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In addition to reviewing and upgrading their website, one of ASAAZ’s current projects entails forming Automotive Roundtables for their various chapters. Rubio states, “these are forums that allow business owners with single operations to discuss the day-today challenges and identify solutions.”

Unfortunately, recent increases in the number of multi-shop operations in the mechanical industry and consolidators buying out collision repair shops has reduced the number of independent automotive businesses in AZ, creating a challenge for ASA-AZ to maintain operations. Another concern Rubio has noticed on both sides of the industry is “the lack of qualified young technicians. The current workforce is getting older, and there are not enough upcoming technicians in the field to replace those who will be retiring. We have not yet addressed this issue, but we have begun to discuss it as an association.”

As an affiliate of the national association, ASA-AZ offers both ASANational and state only benefits to their members, including partnering

with various vendors, or associate members, to provide the utmost customer service to members. “We encourage our associate members to attend the local chapter meetings and build relationships with the local shop owners, managers and technicians,” Rubio says. “It’s a business of relationships, and the sales will come when the need arises. We have a strong support network of vendors in this industry that offer great products and services, and we want to make sure that they too are educated and understand the industry.”

Through training, representation and member benefits, ASA-AZ continually seeks ways to improve their communication and outreach to member shops, but Rubio encourages “nonmember shops to join us and learn what ASA is about. We are a network of like-minded independent owners who are looking for ways to provide outstanding customer service to the motoring public.”

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

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Continued from Page 30

Annual Giveaway

Participating shops pay a one-time fee for inclusion on Wheels to Prosper’s website, but this provides a place to promote their business as it generates traffic back to the shop’s website; DiGiulio estimates receiving around 100 visits to his shop’s website annu-

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

ally through the link from Wheels to Prosper. He states, “it demonstrates that you actually care about the community. It’s a little about business but not really – it’s mainly about how many people are impacted by the donation.”

Wheels to Prosper does not hold any type of contest to determine their

winners. Instead, they solicit stories from community members about a person who deserves to win the car giveaway, and a panel of judges reviews the stories to select a winner.

“The difference between Wheels to Prosper and other giveaways is that it’s about who is deserving,” DiGiulio explains. “There’s always a need, but we want to help someone who is helping the community, so our winners are always majorly involved with volunteering efforts.”

In May 2011, DiGiulio held his first giveaway, awarding a car to a five-person family run by a local woman who is very active in her community. “She always thinks of everyone before herself. Even though she didn’t have the means to buy a car, she was still actively volunteering in the community, so we rewarded her efforts by giving her a car which allows her to help others even more.”

Gatchell held his giveaway in July 2011, and DiGiulio held a second giveaway that same year. Afterwards, they decided to choose a consistent date for the annual giveaway, electing the last Saturday in July at 12PM CST. Ultimately, the goal is for all

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Wheels to Prosper shops to hold their annual giveaway on the same day each year.

While the participating shops acquire the giveaway vehicles through various means, Wheels to Prosper requires the donated vehicle to be in good shape with less than 100,000 miles on it in hopes of servicing the winner for at least five years without any troubles. DiGiulio’s first giveaway was a salvage loaner with low mileage, and for his second giveaway, he purchased a vandalized car that just needed a new paint job. No matter how the vehicles are acquired, the Wheels to Prosper shop makes any collision and mechanical repairs necessary before donating the vehicle to their deserving new owner.

Thus far, nearly 50 cars have been given away through Wheels to Prosper with a few more giveaways scheduled to take place in October. A film company is currently in negotiations to develop a 12-part miniseries on a shop sponsoring a giveaway, and DiGiulio is optimistic about the publicity that such a program would provide for Wheels to Prosper. www.wheelstoprosper.org

Man Charged in Fatal Hit-andRun on Long Island

A man is charged with vehicular manslaughter after a hit-and-run crash killed a pedestrian on Long Island.

Nassau County police say Cosmin Florea hit Donald Mooney around midnight Friday as Mooney crossed Main Street in Port Washington. The 49year-old Lynbrook man was pronounced dead at North Shore University Hospital around 4:20 a.m.

Saturday. Police say Florea’s 2010 Ford Fusion was stopped in Queens around 12:45 a.m. They say the vehicle had windshield and front end damage.

The 34-year-old Baldwin man is also charged with leaving the scene of a fatality and driving while intoxicated.

He’s scheduled for arraignment Sunday in Hempstead. Information on his lawyer wasn’t immediately available.

Cape May, NJ, Awards Contracts to Body Shops

Cape May County in NJ has awarded open-end contracts to Eddie’s Auto Body Shop, Inc. Dan’s Auto Body and Rio Auto Body Inc. to perform auto body-collision repairs for countyowned light, medium and heavy-duty vehicles. Contracts are for two years, until Aug. 17, 2018 with two additional one-year contract extensions.

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Northwest Associations

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

with Ed Attanasio

MCRS Lobbyist Represents Collision Repairers in Big Sky Country

Drew Geiger, 44, is the chief lobbyist for Communication and Management Services in Helena, MT. He’s been a lobbyist for more than two decades and began working for the Montana Collision Repair Specialists (MCRS) seven years ago, representing the organization in the Capitol and acting as a watch dog as he steadfastly keeps an eye on proposed bills for its membership.

Geiger’s connection to the collision industry goes all the way back to his high school years, he explained.

“The body shop guys in high school kept my $500 car on the road, so I’ve been indebted to this industry ever since then.”

Geiger respects the collision repairers he works with at the MCRS, he explained. “The board at MCRS is a very mature group consisting of very successful body shop owners. You could take this board and give them another business and within six months, they’d

be running it successfully. They’re sharp business people who started out working on cars, but then they took it to the next level by understanding how to run a successful business. It’s been a good relationship, because they seem to like my counsel and we’ve been able to achieve some good things over the years. We’ve gotten some bills passed that have helped the collision indusDrew Geiger is the try significantly in chief lobbyist for Montana and so it’s Communication and worked very well.”

Management ServGeiger has been ices in Helena, MT. He’s been a lobbyist stressing from day for more than two one that body shops decades and began are good employers working for the and important conMontana Collision tributors to the Repair Specialists economy in Mon(MCRS) seven years ago tana. “Back when I

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started with MCRS, I did some research and found out that body shops in Montana pay 30% above the state average in wages and give the majority of their employees health care,” Geiger said “So, we’ve really tried to communicate to the legislature and the public about the industry in general. A proposed bill might be opposed by the insurance industry or have proponents, but we want to show that we have a broad public interest when we walk into the state Capitol to start talking about legislation, and we’ve been successful at doing that.

“We also stress the level of professionalism in this industry,” he said. “When a customer’s car is in the shop, the insurance company obviously plays a role, but ultimately, the body shop professionals are the ones that are saying, not only are we going to get you your car looking fine, but it’s going to be performing the same way it did when it was towed in here. There’s a huge public

safety component here as well, and we stress that. The point is that body shops are main street businesses and my clients are fixing their neighbors’ cars. We have more deer than people here in Montana and almost all of our legislators have been in a deerrelated accident, so our body shops have helped them more than once, in some cases.

We stress all of this, because we want to illustrate that we’re a useful industry that helps the public and that’s what legislators respond to.”

There have been some big wins for the MCRS and Geiger since he began in 2007, he said. “The most significant bill we’ve encountered during the seven years I’ve been in this position was HB 265, sponsored by Representative Gordon Vance, which prohibits the insurer from disregarding cost items identified by an estimating system. In some states, this same bill is 500 pages long, but here in Montana

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it’s basically one sentence: ‘An insurer may not unilaterally disregard a repair operation or cost identified by an estimating system that the insurer and the auto body repair business have agreed to utilize.’ It doesn’t get easier than that, does it? We had some major push back from the insurance side on this bill.

In the end, it’s a David vs. Goliath situation here. You have a larger industry being told by a smaller industry that we need to sit down and negotiate and you can’t tell us what to do, essentially. It took a couple sessions, but the legislature ultimately said that it shouldn’t be a problem for us to sit down with the insurance companies and work it out. It impacts the body shop, but if you’re a customer and it’s your car being repaired, you want your car back in that same condition. But, if procedures are denied by the insurance company, how can you be sure what’s being done and what isn’t being done? So it’s absolutely a consumer protection issue and that’s why it passed in 2011.”

Geiger is also concerned with steering practices in Montana, he said.

“Steering is absolutely a problem here

in Montana and an ongoing issue. If the insurance companies could take it off the books, they would do it absolutely. So, we have to be vigilant when it comes to steering. Our Insurance Commissioner Monica Lindeen is absolutely open to working with us and she’s had an open door policy since day one.

She’s pro-consumer and has been good for the collision industry in Montana. She knows many of our board members by name and we hold regular informal meetings in her office all the time. My office is two blocks away and I see her at the grocery store, which is definitely an advantage of working in a smaller state like Montana.”

One of Geiger’s jobs is going through each and every bill with a fine tooth comb. “Our legislature meets every other year for four months and there are roughly 2,000 bills that get thrown out there,” he said. “So, I have to read through all of them, to make sure they don’t contain anything that can negatively impact the collision industry in Montana. My MCRS members don’t have time to read 2,000 bills every year and that’s one of the main things that we provide.

Knowing how to act while working with the legislators in Montana is important, Geiger said. “With 2,000 bills in play, you want to have a presence but you don’t want to be pushy.

You want to maintain a fine balance between being around and being engaged, but you also want to be respectful of the fact that these legislators have to study, decide and vote on 2,000 bills.

You have to learn the process and the protocol if you want to get things done.

You don’t want to go in there and make demands and stomp your feet. You have to be professional and pragmatic with your presentation if you even want to be considered.

The people I work with at MCRS get it and understand that and I think that’s why we’ve had so much success.”

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Robbery Video Released of East Coast Auto Parts in Bridgeport, CT

Bridgeport police have released new video of an armed robbery at an auto body shop earlier this week. Investigators say two men held up East Coast Auto Parts on River Street Tuesday. Police say the suspects had all six employees on the ground with their weapons aimed at them. They also stole $4,500 from a car’s glove compartment. The video then shows a delivery truck driving up to the shop. When the driver sees what’s going on, he backs up and hits one of the suspects, causing a gun to fire. The suspect then limps across the yard. Bruno Soares, co-owner of the shop, says the other gunman is seen getting out of his partner’s car and running away with the money. The suspects were last seen running toward the Pequonnock River. Police searched the river and have several strong leads.

They say they hope to make an arrest soon. The owner says he saw a man on a moped casing out the business on several occasions before the robbery. Police are asking anyone with information to call them.

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Parts Hours: Mon-Fri: 7:30-6:00; Sat: 8-4 email: Ifsparts@fitzmall.com 905 North Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg, MD 20879 www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS 51

Lean Operations

David Luehr is the owner of Elite Body Shop Solutions, LLC, a collision business consulting firm based in Nashville, Tennessee. He is a 30 year veteran of the collision repair industry.

David is an expert in Body Shop Operations and specializes in Lean, and Theory of Constraints methods. Email him at dluehr@msn.com

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

In the collision repair business, the only time the shop makes money is when the technician is actually working on the car. So for a shop to optimize profitability, systems must be put in-place to ensure that wasteful delays are eliminated. Some of the more common delays are.

■ Techs wandering around looking for parts, fasteners, or information ■ Missing, damaged, or incorrect replacement parts ■ Waiting for approval and parts on supplemental (missed) damage A great way to reduce or eliminate such delays is through the process of damage analysis or “blueprinting.”

Blueprinting is one of the most important processes a shop can implement to reduce or eliminate delays and can have a dramatic effect on important KPIs such as cycle time, customer satisfaction and profitability.

The Goal of this Article Blueprinting is not a new concept by any means, but many shops still fail at either successfully implementing it, or if they have implemented it they are not getting the results they expected.

My goal is to guide the reader through some reasons why shops fail at Blueprinting and then in part two give some proven simple techniques that are being used by shops that do have successful Blueprinting programs.

Why Shops Commonly Fail at Blueprinting We Make it Too Difficult for the Real World When lean concepts including Blueprinting were first introduced to our industry, the initiatives were often led by well-intended paint companies that had over-complicated curriculum.

Lean was the “new kid on the block” and came with all the bells and whistles; in many cases, too many bells and whistles. When concepts such as these are taught to us by people from the manufacturing industry from a 30,000 foot level, many of the basics were over-looked or misconstrued. So as the years progressed, most people stopped doing Blueprinting, a lucky few figured out better and simpler ways of performing it. Those that were successful

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

Lack of Visual Mistake Proofing Systems As someone that has been teaching Blueprinting for many years, I hear excuses all the time why damage was missed during Blueprinting. The one that kills me is “We are only human.”

Tell that to a surgeon or a Blue Angels pilot some time. The point is, that yes, we are human, so in order to be successful at Blueprinting, we have to put systems in place that make mistakes VISIBLE so that we can catch them before it’s too late. This is an old trick introduced by Japanese manufacturers.

This mistake proofing is a technique called “Poka Yoke.” So if you want to have a successful Blueprinting program, mistake-proof it by using some of the “Poka Yoke” techniques in this article.

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

Technicians are hired to Repair Vehicles, Not Write Supplements To this day, most shops continue to ask their body technicians to perform a teardown and then write a supplement. This IS NOT Blueprinting!

Please keep in mind that the only time a shop is making any money is when the technician’s hands are touching the car. So if we ask them to perform supplement writing for us, not only are we inviting problems with esti-

52 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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

A Common Misconception Having a dedicated Blueprint Analyst or Department always causes bottleneck delays The reason that many say that they don’t like having a dedicated Blueprint Department or Analyst is because it often causes a bottleneck and delays.

All the repair jobs have to go through one resource, so by definition the Blueprint guy is a bottleneck, but here’s what some people don’t understand.

Every system is going to have a bottleneck that dictates the shops throughput

ability and that is okay, the problem is that shops continue to bring all their work in on Monday. If smarter scheduling was practiced, the bottleneck will manage to produce the needed amount of work. This misunderstanding of production management is another main reason people abandon their Blueprinting attempts. In the real world, even when using good scheduling habits, bottlenecks do become a problem at times. When Blueprinting starts getting behind schedule, it is extremely important to stick to the program with discipline and not abandon it. Instead additional resources or extended hours may occasionally need to be dedicated.

In next month’s continuation of Better Blueprinting by David Luehr, we will discuss how to setup a proper Blueprinting area regardless of the size of your shop, and then we will discuss some great techniques that will allow you to get consistent and positive results with your Blueprinting efforts.

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Midwest Associations with Ed Attanasio

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

ICRA Lobbyist Defends Rights of Iowa Body Shop Owners

R. Scott Weiser, 58, is the lobbyist for the Iowa Collision Repair Association (ICRA) and works closely with the organization’s Executive Director Janet Chaney to act on behalf of its members throughout the state.

Weiser established Capitol Strategies Group, Inc, (CSG) in 1998 and seven years ago he began working with the ICRA. He has been a registered lobbyist with 33 years and CSG is a full-service lobbying, consulting, and advocacy company providing services at the statehouse in Des Moines, Iowa and in Washington, D.C.

Q: Some lobbyists are attorneys, but others are full-time lobbyists and not lawyers. Which are you and describe the difference?

A: I am not an attorney. Some lobbyists are lawyers and some aren’t. Attorneys are usually seeking negotiated outcomes, but when you’re an advocate like I am, you don’t always get negotiated outcomes. There are winners and losers, so it’s an interesting dynamic. Sometimes we’re for something or opposed to it and that’s all there is to it. There’s no room for negotiation when it comes to many of these situations, especially in the collision industry. So, that’s how a lobbyist can differ from an attorney.

Q: What do you do specifically for the ICRA? A: I represent a wide range of business groups here in town. I took on the ICRA as a client several years ago because I like these people and I’ve stayed with them because I really enjoy working with them. They’re hard-working honest folks and top business people and not afraid to fight, so I enjoy working on their behalf at the State House.

The ICRA has recently had some successes and that’s really important to any association in terms of building membership and visibility and tracking other winners. We had a tax issue here about three years ago now. Our body shop guys were one of the last businesses in Iowa that were still being taxed on the products they use on their repairs. In other words, tape and putty and fillers and other ancillary products

that they need in order to complete the work for their clients was being taxed.

They were paying six per cent on that and we were able to secure an exemption for them for the past three years. That was a nice rallying point for our members and I think our R. Scott Weiser group is stronger is the lobbyist for now than it has the Iowa Collision been in years beRepair Association cause of that vic(ICRA) and the president of Capitol tory. We got that Strategies Group, handled and it’s Inc. in Des Moines, definitely a shot in Iowa the arm for the collision industry in Iowa, because now the body shops can take the six per cent and put it in their pockets.

Q: Is it difficult for the body shop owners in Iowa to be heard by their legislators?

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

Q: What are some of the hotter issues right now for you and the ICRA? A: During this past session, we introduced some legislation after carefully looking at some other states to see what they’re doing and how they’ve had successes. So we looked at a couple of issues, one of which involves the use of aftermarket and recycled parts in repairs and the other concern is with short pay. It was our first shot out of the box addressing the short pay issue and it wasn’t as fruitful as we imagined. We have a very large insurance presence here in Des Moines.

We’re second only to Hartford, Connecticut for insurance company head-

54 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

quarters, so we’re very insurancefriendly here. Almost all of the insurance companies are right here and of course they show up at the State House whenever you introduce a piece of legislation and they tend to have data–lots of data.

On top of that, we currently have one of the lowest auto rates in the nation here in Iowa, so we began to testify. The problem is that when our members are asked to testify on something such as short pay, for example (involving what we believe includes things such as safety issues and other issues) we don’t have any data on our side. We’re giving them individual stories from our members and they’re valuable, but here in Iowa it’s difficult to pass bills without the data. Our members are pretty sophisticated over here and they work it pretty hard. So, right now we’re regrouping and during this past year, we’ve been working pretty hard to capture and quantify

short pay issues that are going on right now in the collision industry in Iowa.

We’re going to have some good, solid, well-supported and documented cases of short pay and will be able to go toe to toe with the insurance companies.

We’re going to professionalize our approach more, so by owning the data that we’re assembling it’s really going be a key thing for us here.

Q: What are the main issues surrounding short pay?

A: Well, first off–the consumer is being short changed here—the customer is not being made whole.

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

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National Associations with Chasidy Rae Sisk

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

IADA Holds 46th Annual Conference, Hopes to Attract New Members Although the Independent Automo- dees were very pleased with both the tive Damage Appraisers Association location and the agenda. Our event alwith Raeways Siskfocuses on education and train(IADA) was forced to Chasidy move the location of their 46th Annual Vehicle ing as well as being a social event for Repair Conference to the Lord Bal- members and guests, and it is importimore Hotel, located at 20 West tant because it provides members with Street, Baltimore MD 21201 at the an opportunity to train and remain a last moment, the conference was viable force in the industry. This year, successfully held on June 18-20, our conference exceeded expectations.

2014 as “an educational tool for our We try to build on what we learned in with Ed Attanasio members and the industry,” John the past to make our next event even Williams, Executive Vice President more dynamic.”

Registration for the conference of IABA explains. “For guest speakers, we have experts in various fields began on Wednesday, June 18, at 1PM relating to current methods of repair and continued until 6PM when IADA as well as what to expect from man- held their Welcome Reception folAttanasio ufacturers in thewith future.Ed Our expec- lowed by exhibitor showcases which tations for this event are to promote concluded at 9PM. After breakfast on our association and members as pro- Thursday morning, IADA President fessionals committed to exceeding Leo Maki’s Welcoming Address served industry expectations as well as pro- as the opening to the event.

IADA planned an exciting agenda viding our members an educational filled with informative seminars led by and social venue to network with with Ed Attanasio nine industry leaders. Around 8:30AM, clients.”

According to Williams, “atten- the educational seminars began with

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Wayne R. Schaumburg’s “An Illustrated History of Baltimore,” followed by “Best Claims Practices” which was presented by Harvey Lightstone, Vice President of the Directory of Claims and Risk for Management Claims Professionals Liability Insurance Company. Before lunch, Jim Aulby, Vice President of Claims Protective for Sagamore Insurance, discussed “Heavy Equipment Estimating.”

The seminars resumed at 12:45PM with the Highway Loss Data Institute’s Senior Vice President Kim L. Hazelbaker’s “New Technology of Electronics in Vehicles.” Thursday’s lectures concluded at 4PM with “Investigating Fuel System Contamination” as presented by Jeff Lange, President of Lange Technical Services LTD. Attendees then enjoyed a twohour break which gave them a chance to visit exhibitors before attending the President’s Reception and dinner banquet.

On Friday morning, Dan Oscarson, Vice President of Global Marketing Insurance Auto Auctions, explored “Marketing Salvage in a Global Economy.” He was followed

by CIECA Executive Director Fred Iantorno’s “Getting It Done for the Industry.” The final presentation, “Aftermarket Truck Parts,” was led by Donald B. Cameron, President and Founder of Dawson Truck Parts.

After their closing remarks, IADA’s conference culminated with their membership meeting.

“Our 46th conference went well, even after facing the challenge of relocating to the Lord Baltimore Hotel at the last moment due to unexpected issues with the hotel we had contracted with. Our conference has always focused on education and training; this year was no exception!” Williams recalls, “our conference started with an excellent presentation by a local historian speaking about the history of Bal-

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timore, and attendees were amazed to learn how Baltimore’s history helped shape many industrial and cultural advances we enjoy to this day. Attendees were given a glimpse of future vehicle technology as well as a look at the past to learn how far vehicle technology has progress and what to expect in the future.”

In regards to the valuable information provided at the conference, Williams also notes that “a presentation on Global Salvage was of great interest to learn how salvage vehicles are being purchased in the US, then shipped in cargo containers with available parts to repair included with each vehicle. Vehicles that would not be put back on the road are repaired in many third world countries due to cheap labor and a shortage of vehicles. Vehicles we take for granted are a luxury in many countries since few have options such as air or other power options.”

IADA was first founded in 1947 as the Independent Appraisal Plan (IAP) with a mission “to offer an unbiased automotive specialist appraiser to assess vehicle damage and establish a fair cost of repair,” Williams recalls.

That same year, IAP was approved by

the Association of Casualty and Surety Companies and the National Association of Mutual Companies. In 1964, the IAP reorganized and was reborn as the IADA, a national not-for-profit trade association.

Currently, IADA has 98 members in 43 states who employ more than 600 appraisers in over 400 service locations. Over the past 15 years, membership in IADA has increased around 15%. Williams details their membership process: “in order to apply for membership, applicants are required to have five years’ experience in the industry and owned and operated an appraisal firm for the past two years.

We conduct a background investigation on all applicants, followed by a site inspection requiring the applicant to prepare a professional damage appraisal. Our Board of Directors then vote on the applicant.”

Though obtaining membership to IADA seems somewhat involved, the cost-savings benefits offered to members makes it well worth the effort. For starters, E&O/GL insurance is provided under a blanket policy and is included in membership dues with no additional charge. Members receive discounts on estimating soft-

ware from all three providers plus discounts on CarFax, NADA Online and Old Cars Price Guide reports.

IADA members are also listed on the association’s website as well as in their annual service directory, around 7000 copies of which are distributed throughout the industry. In addition to the national marketing supplied, members have the opportunity to attend IADA’s national conference which provides them with useful educational seminars as well as the chance to network with other IADA members.

Still, IADA strives to continually add new member benefits in their efforts to attract new members. They also continue to promote educational and training seminars at regional and national events. The association works toward securing new business for their members by “upholding the integrity of the association and being consistent with our honesty policy to enhance our position with the public, insurance industry and automotive repair businesses,” Williams explains. “Our current goal is to recruit new members who have an interest in joining a professional organization dedicated to serving the industry with truly ‘Trained Professionals.’ Our

members take pride in delivering professional, unbiased damage appraisals.

Our goal is to treat the consumer the way we would expect to be treated if we had a claim.”

Regarding challenges currently facing the industry, Williams notes, “DRP programs have impacted our volume of business to a great degree.

While DRPs may be a good concept for smaller losses, I feel some carriers’ attempts to completely control the repair process, no matter how large or small the loss, is a mistake. Having owned and operated an appraisal firm for 24 years, I enjoyed a great working relationship with repair facilities.

Preparing an accurate appraisal and securing an agreed price with a reputable shop is quickly becoming a lost art. The industry is losing qualified appraisers at a rapid pace. Many of our members had second, third and fourth generation family taking over their businesses, but we are no longer seeing as much of that.”

IADA Association PO Box 12291 Columbus, GA 31917 www.iada.org 800-369-4232

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www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS 57

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

by Ed Attanasio

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

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

bitious task of creating new, fullyfunctional concept cars based around a different theme during each episode.

One by one, designers who fumble their role during each weekly build will be sent home by the judges until

one lone Motor City Master will remain. The winner gets $100,000, a new 2014 Camaro Z28 and becomes a Chevy ambassador for the carmaker.

Hosted by Brooke Burns, Motor City Masters features an impressive panel of industry expert judges, including Jean Jennings and Harald Belker and joined by celebrity guest judges including actress Melissa Joan Hart, actor Jesse Metcalfe, Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz, baseball great David Justice and former NASCAR driver Robby Gordon.

Celebrity automotive fabricator, painter and designer Rich Evans is the owner of Huntington Bodyworks and a veteran of reality television. Evans was initially hired by Bunim/Murray to be an automotive producer for the series.

His main role was to recruit build techs for the show, in order to work with the 10 featured car designers as they compete in two teams to create a pair of concept vehicles per episode. The one

Early reviews for Motor City Masters have been uneven

This is what Neil Genzlinger, TV critic for NY Times.com wrote about the show: Last week TruTV unveiled Motor City Masters, which tells two lies right off the bat. First, it’s not so much a reality show as an extended commercial for Chevrolet, and second, it takes place mostly in Los Angeles, though Detroit presumably could have used.

Chevrolet and the rest of General Motors have, of course, been struggling with an image problem lately, and in the series premiere last week, when the contestants were offered a choice of redesigning one of three Chevys— a Malibu, a Cruze or an Equinox— you half-expected the cars to be whisked away by the recall police before the contest could even begin.

Anyway, the show features the usual forced collaborations and simmering tensions as personalities emerge and clash. It’s also, let’s face it, primarily of interest to people who subscribe to car magazines, because few others will be transfixed by discussions about rocker panels or mirror size. In the end, there are only so many things you can do with four wheels with a box for passengers, and over the past century or so, most of them have already been done.

David Hinckley, TV critic at the New York Daily News wrote: Call it “Project Runway” for gearheads.

At the start of “Motor City Masters,” a competition reality show in which contestants design cars, you kind of wish one of their tasks might be restoring some sense of style to the design of everyday automobiles. Turns out that’s a little too much to ask in an age when ordinary cars are mostly designed for safety and fuel efficiency, which actually aren’t bad goals.

Instead, “Motor City” has its 10 contestants design more exotic specialty machines, like a movie car, a NASCAR entry or something to showcase Hot Wheels.

That said, it’s a surprisingly instructive show, walking us civilians through the process of designing a car and reminding us function often has to trump form.

In standard reality fashion, contestants are divided into two teams and given a ridiculously short amount of time to complete a formidable task. Still, we learn some basics, like the difference between customizing a single car and creating concepts for a line of cars.

We also realize how much an item like the wheels, which we often assess for their own look, depend on other parts of the car.

At the very least, it’s fun to watch car fanatics play with their own life-size toys.

58 SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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

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

nated from Motor City Masters and sent home with nothing more than memories.

As Evans got more and more involved in the show, he realized that being an off-screen producer wasn’t going to cut it, he explained. “I could

not just sit there on the sideline without getting hands-on during these builds,” Evans said. “I jumped in and helped both teams during the builds, to make it fair, because obviously it’s a competition and there’s a lot on the line. So as a result, I am also a lead auto tech on the show. With a large crew this is an incredible undertaking and I’m happy to be involved in the series.”

Evans set up the show’s garage where the auto-designers compete, coordinated the build-techs’ work schedules and oversaw every build, as he played an integral role as the show’s automotive producer. He also enjoyed the competition and was happy to be working with the best-of-the-best. “It was fun to watch the build techs interacting with the auto-designers and helping them on these builds,” Evans explained. “We have some of the best build techs from across the country on the show and I know, because I recruited them. This show really tests the limits of these designers’ expertise and creativity and that’s why people will want to watch it.”

See Motor City Masters, Page 62

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www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS 59

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

by Ed Attanasio

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

ality series that pits 10 mega-talented designers from different parts of the automotive industry against each other week after week in the ambitious task of creating concept cars based around a different theme.

One by one, designers who fumble their role during each weekly build will be sent home by the judges until one lone Motor City Master will remain. The winner gets $100,000, a new 2014 Camaro Z28 and becomes a Chevy ambassador for the carmaker.

Bortles is a 33-year veteran painter, the owner of Crazy Horse Custom Paint in Waxhaw NC and an

author of seven books about automotive painting and airbrushing techniques. Known as a leader in custom hot rod and motorcycle paint, Crazy Horse Painting has been producing show winning and road worthy paint jobs for 33 years. Known as the “Queen of Flame”, Bortles has won numerous awards for her work including some of the top custom painting awards in the country. In 1998, 2005, and 2012 her work won Best Motorcycle Paint of the Year and in 2006 she won PPG’s Top Five Most Outstanding Paint Award.

Bortle’s paint work has been featured in Street Rodder, Hot Rod Milestones, Hot Rod, and other automotive publications. Her paintwork has appeared in nearly every bike magazine and on the covers of many magazines, including American Iron, Easyriders, VTwin, Biker, In the Wind, Auto Graphics. Her custom chopper was featured on the cover of Easyriders in Sept 2004, making her the first woman to have her own personal bike appearing on the cover.

ABN interviewed Bortles the morning after the world discovered

that JoAnn had been eliminated during episode #3 of Motor City Masters.

She sounded a little down, but appreciative of the fact that she was asked to be on the reality series.

“Yes, it was frustrating, but a lot of good things have come from it,”

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

Bortles said. “My approach to my work is by always focusing on the future, so I’m not going to dwell on what happened on Motor City Masters.

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

What was her overall impression of Motor City Masters in general? “I love reality television personally and I

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selves to the limit, both mentally and great thing in my career. You physically. We had very little sleep always have to keep your feet during each build, so we were always on the ground so that you can a little on edge and cranky. I pushed be prepared for what’s comthe people in my team as much as I ing around the corner.” could, but one guy walked out of the You can meet JoAnn Borpaint booth after making one little tles at SEMA this year at Hysuggestion, so it was the battle of egos pertherm’s booth and also pretty much. If I had fought more, I some of her work will be on think I would have had a mutiny. display at the PPG booth.

When I paint a car or a motorcycle at This is her 10th anniversary my shop, it’s pretty much me and my Judge Jenn Jennings (left) discussed her team with Bortles of attending SEMA shows, during episode #3 of Motor City Masters people, so I’m not used to the type of she said. “SEMA is all about drama I encountered on Motor City the networking and I have and they chose me, so it means a lot.” made some amazing contacts there Masters.”

Bortles was energized by the ex- over the years, so I am anxious to It was a short run, but a great one for Bortles on the perience on the reality series and is make new friendships while re-conseries, she explained. “This now looking for more exciting proj- necting with old friends at SEMA this was the opportunity of a life- ects. “I look back at all the work I’ve year.” time, so when they asked me done and I think—wow I did this?” to be on the show, I jumped she said. “It’s a great feeling. I feel the same way for about Motor City Masters. on it. My attitudeRegister is always goYour Email Our for it. I don’t see how it can’t Camilo Pardo, a car designer on the help my business, because show, said something and I totally now I’ve been seen by a agree with it—‘Shut up and let your Be Seen by Our Readers! whole new audience. It’s a re- work speak for itself’ and that’s what CALL Advertising Sales at: sume builder and that’s im- I do. I let my body of work speak for Bortles made her case about the truck her team designed portant, because all of it itself and if people can see that I am on episode #3, without success, as she was voted off at fortheir Ourvision, then that’s ableEmail to share works together to Register support and Your the conclusion of this episode of Motor City Masters advertising@ @autobodynews.com com strengthen the brand—my the right customer for me. I try to stay we had build techs to help us. It was brand. Literally thousands of people humble because once I start thinking www.autobodynews.co www.autobodynews.com om that I’m all that, I might miss the next exhausting and we were pushing ourapplied to be on Motor City Masters always watch Project Runway and Best Ink,” she said. “This show is different in that you break into teams.

The team dynamic is a tough one, because you have a lot of very different people from different backgrounds and you have to put them together and hope they’ll work well together in a stressful situation. So, it was 100 times tougher than I thought I would.

It got pretty intense out there in the design studio and some people walked out and there was a lot of arguing. On top of it, we had to do much of the physical work ourselves, even though

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SCRS Announces Repairer-Driven Education at SEMA The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) launched their first iteration of the Repairer Driven Education series at the SEMA Show in 2010, and with annual adjustments to the format and content it has become one of the most comprehensive programs of collision repair education being offered to the industry. This year, one of the most noticeable new developments to the SCRS program is the launch of the very first issue-specific, collision repair industry forum that will be featured on Wednesday, November 5th, and titled as the OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit.

“There is really no topic more captivating of everyone’s attention right now than the rapidly changing landscape of automobile technology, and how it is driving adaptation in the collision repair marketplace,” shared SCRS Chairman Ron Reichen. “It is a topic that has broad-reaching impact on everyone in the industry and it was important to both SCRS and SEMA to develop a forum that would address the significant interest from all who are making the investment to join the industry in Las Vegas this fall.”

“We are really excited about how this program has come together, and the unique nature of the participants, “added SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg.

“We have speakers coming in from all over

the world, and participation from a wide variety of well-respected automakers such as Ford, GM, Toyota, Tesla, BMW, Audi and Mercedes - but we will be hearing from representatives that we often don’t have a chance to interface with.”

The panelists represent companies with rich histories of producing sophisticated structural designs and technological advancements, and will be bringing technical insight into the design, architecture and development of their vehicles, and how advancements in those areas intersect with the repair process. The discussion will fittingly be moderated by Jason Bartanen, Director of Industry Technical Relations for I-CAR, and one of the lead representatives from the training organization involved in their work as an “OEM linking pin.”

The program will also include separate panel discussions with representatives from certified repair facilities, equipment suppliers, certifiers/auditors and special presentations from the aluminum and steel industries.

“SCRS really crafted a completely unique networking and learning forum with this event, and we are convinced it will put repairers in an interactive environment with subject matter experts that simply can’t be found in any other event,” added Peter MacGillivray, Vice President, Events and

Communications for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA). “As a show organizer, we are keenly focused on how to enrich the attendee experience, and this partnership with SCRS continues to deliver toward that objective.”

“Every participant in this industry can benefit from better insight into how vehicles and materials are evolving, what that means in the repair process and what will be expected of those who are performing these repairs,” added Schulenburg. “The future of our collision repair industry is highly skilled professionals, working on highly sophisticated automobiles that require the industry to embrace the necessary investments in training and equipment; but also relies on informed business owners who understand how to define for themselves what a sustainable and successful business model to support that investment looks like.”

The OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit is made possible through support from PPG Refinish Products, Ford Motor Company, BASF, Toyota Motor Sales and The Hertz Corporation.

For more information about SCRS’ Repairer Driven Education (RDE) series, and to register for the OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit and other RDE sessions, please visit: www.semashow.com/scrs.

NICB Warns Consumers That Thieves Use Scanner Boxes

Recent news reports detailing the theft of personal items from locked cars by criminals using high-tech electronic devices may be alarming, but the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) says car owners can take some steps to protect themselves.

The key-less entry feature on newer cars is a popular advancement that lets drivers unlock their cars with the simple click of a button on a key fob using radio frequency transmission. The technology also helps prevent drivers from locking their keys in the vehicle.

Not surprisingly, thieves have found a way to partially outwit the new technology using electronic “scanner boxes.” These small, handheld devices can pop some factorymade electronic locks in seconds, allowing thieves to get into the vehicle and steal personal items left inside.

“Our law enforcement partners tell us they are seeing this type of criminal activity and have recovered some of the illegal devices,” said NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle. “And unfortunately, some of these devices are available on the Internet.”

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Continued from Page 58

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