Southeast Edition Florida Georgia Alabama Mississippi
29
YEARS
VOL. 1 ISSUE 12 FEBRUARY 2011
www.autobodynews.com ww ww.autobodynews.com
Southern U.S. Snow Storms Force Shop Closings Initially but Should Pay Back in Boosting Business A heavy snow storm passed through northern Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia January 5 through 7, originating in Arkansas. The snow storm brought heavy snow, blanketing the region in 4 to 10 inches in some areas. The snow was followed by sleet and freezing rain January 8, 9 and 10, which made for extremely trecherous travel conditions, power outages and school cancellations in the area. “We face a serious storm that will have an impact all across Alabama,” Governor Bob Riley said in a statement preluding the days of freezing
rain. He advised motorists to stay off the roads. A state of emergency was declared by Governors in Louisiana, Georgia and Alabama. Kendrick Paint and Body with locations in Aiken, SC; Martinez, GA; and Augusta, GA experienced increased traffic due to storm-related damage to vehicles after being forced to shut down all three of their locations on January 8 and 10. “The Augusta area rarely encounters closings due to inclement weather, as we rarely see snow,” said Kendrick’s
by John Yoswick
The 99–98 written vote followed a brief presentation by Ron Pyle of the Automotive Service Association (ASA), which owns NACE, in which he said that while ASA has and will continue to respect and participate in CIC, he hoped participants would recognize the economic importance Ron Pyle of ASA of NACE for ASA—and in turn for the industry—and vote to meet in Orlando. As he did at NACE last year,
See Snow Headaches, Page 12
January Collision Industry Conference Votes Very Narrowly in Favor of SEMA for Fall Meeting Participants at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) in Palm Springs, CA, in January chose by a single-vote majority to have this fall’s CIC meeting in November in Las Vegas in conjunction with the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show rather than the preceding month in Orlando with the International Autobody Congress and Exposition (NACE). The decision marks the second year CIC will meet in conjunction with SEMA. This year’s meeting will be split over two mornings, November 2 and 3.
See CIC to meet at SEMA, Page 13
In keeping with Autobody News’ goal and policy of representing all perspectives in the industry we introduce a new column called “The Insider” written by a P&C Insurance Executive. Although the writer wishes to remain anonymous, he will respond to serious questions and comments from readers.
Getting Past The Rhetoric—An Insurer’s Perspective On Steering by “The Insider”
Steering is an issue that has plagued the collision repair industry since the first insurance agent opened for business. No matter where you are located, you will find masses of body shop owners who emphatically state that steering is a major issue impacting their business. Ironically enough, even body shops that are deeply entrenched in direct repair programs insist that steering is an issue. Does someone who directly benefits from participating on a given insurance carrier’s direct repair program have a right to cry foul? I’m not sure you can find anything more hypocritical. Conversely, you will find relatively few insurance companies that
believe steering is an issue. In fact, some insurers might have you believe that steering is a word used only by disgruntled body shop owners who can’t get on a direct repair program. Other insurers would lead you to believe that steering is more rare than a unicorn sighting. Now that I’ve outlined a few of the perspectives from both sides of the industry, let’s place some framework with a few facts. First, steering does exist. It’s not a unicorn, a mirage, or the words of a disgruntled shop owner. It exists in many forms. But before you say, “Aha! I knew it,” let me explain. Although steering does exist, it doesn’t exist in the context that many of you reading this may See Steering, Page 25
Also in this issue... FACA Names New Director . . . . . . . . . . .p. 5
Sherwin-Williams Holds conference in Jacksonville, FL . . . . . . .p. 6
Lakeland, FL’s Ray Gunder Spearheads Successful Giveaway .p. 8
Mississippi’s Vehicle Legislation in 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 9
Client vs. Customer, The Marketing Difference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 18
Rich Evans Designs Challenger Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 28
Change Service Requested
P.O. BOX 1516, CARLSBAD, CA 92018
Presorted Standard US Postage PAID Ontario, Ca. Permit No. 1