March 2017 Southeastern Edition by Autobody News

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S. Carolina Tennessee Virginia West Virginia

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2017 Southern Automotive Repair Conference to be Held in Biloxi, MS, April 21–22 The 2017 Southern Automotive Repair Conference (SARC) will be held Friday, April 21st and Saturday, April 22nd at IP Casino, Resort & Spa in Biloxi, MS. According to event organizers, SARC’s purpose is to provide an annual industry forum for collision repair professionals in the Southeast region, where attendees can visit exhibits, receive important updates and information, stay abreast of new vehicle technologies, promote consumer safety, and succeed in the marketplace. Themes of the event include

OEM Perspective, Status of Independent Shops, Training in a Hi-Tech Age, and Innovative Resources. Conference hosts are the state auto body associations of Alabama (ALARISE), Georgia (GCIA), Louisiana (LACIA), Mississippi (MSCRA), and Tennessee (TCRA). These associations will have tables at the Conference to provide information and help exhibitors and attendees get the most from the Conference. Attendee Check-In and Registration begins at 11:00 am Friday morning. Friday morning pre-sessions with See SARC 2017, Page 19

Collision Repairers in FL Voice Their Concerns to Commissioner of Dept. of Agriculture Adam Putnam by Stacey Phillips

From January 26–28 in Tifton, Georgia, the National Auto Body Council (NABC) took the lead in sponsoring an onsite training class to lessen the amount of time it takes to extract an occupant from their vehicle in an ac-

Extrication training (file photo)

cident. Called the First Responders Emergency Extrication (F.R.E.E.) program, the course was created after much research by NABC, including multiple interviews with first respon-

by John Yoswick

Commissioner Adam Putnam of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

P.O. BOX 1516, CARLSBAD, CA 92018

See FL Concerns, Page 18

First Responders’ Emergency Extrication Program in Tifton, GA, Backed by NABC and AR Direct

der personnel for whom the class is intended. “When a firefighter thanks you for providing the training that makes their jobs easier it’s incredibly moving. First responders such as firemen require the most current vehicle information to be effective and save lives at the scene of an accident,” states Barry Barbee, Executive Director of AR Direct and a National Auto Body Council Board Member. “The course we delivered helps keep these individuals up to date, which is more important than ever given the rapid onslaught of advancements in vehicle design.” “Three days of absolutely some of the best training we have done. Thanks to Georgia Extrication and the National Auto Body Council for making this happen. Tifton Fire Department had 32 firefighters participating See Extrication Program, Page 12

CIC Panel Discusses Scanning, Need For Following OEM Repair Procedures

Change Service Requested

A group of industry stakeholders in Florida recently sat down with Commissioner Adam Putnam of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. During the hour-long meeting in January, repairers, suppliers, industry experts and consumers shared concerning issues regarding the collision repair industry. “We were able to express some serious concerns relative to consumer safety and economic well-being,” said Barrett Smith, owner of Auto Damage Experts (ADE). The 20 attendees

VOL. 7 ISSUE 13 MARCH 2017

The value of pre-scanning collisiondamaged vehicles was reiterated a number of times by panelists at the recent Collision Industry Conference (CIC) held this January in Palm Springs, CA. Jake Rodenroth of Collision Diagnostic Services (maker of the asTech remote scanning system), who said his company did just over 6,000 vehicles scans in December, cited an example of a vehicle problem found in a prescan that the shop—and potentially the vehicle owner—would otherwise not have known about. The scan showed one fault code, related to lost communication with the airbag control module, triggering the shop to check the instrument cluster. “What we found was pretty alarming,” Rodenroth said. “We found this had been a [used] car, and someone had

sewn a resistor into the wiring harness to cheat the airbag light from coming on.” Chuck Olsen of AirPro Diagnostics, another remote scanning service provider, said preand post-scanning removes liability issues for collision repairers and insurers. “I know the condition of the vehicle Chuck Olsen when it came in, and I know the condition of the vehicle when it went out, so [as the shop] it’s not going to be my fault,” Olsen said. CIC attendee Gary Wano, an Oklahoma shop owner, posed a realworld analogy for a question often discussed in the industry: Does an insurer owe for a scan if the scan reveals nothSee CIC Panel, Page 16

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

2 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Contents 2017 Skills USA North Carolina State

Championships for Collision Repair . . . 12

2017 Southern Automotive Repair

Conference to be Held in Biloxi, MS,

April 21–22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Auto Body Express Chosen Distributor

for Betag Flatliner in FL . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Auto Body Shops in MS Are Seeing an Increase in Business Due to Deer

and Prepares for Capitol Days and

2017 Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

AAPEX Announces 2017 Dates . . . . . . . . 68 AASP/NJ Announces 40th Annual NORTHEAST 2017 Educational

Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

AMi Launches New Online Courses . . . . . 67

AMi Launches Online Course: “Management’s Guide to

Scanning and New Technology” . . . . . . 62

Collisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Autologic Diagnostics Joins ASA as

University of North Florida to Promote

BASF Teams up With Driven to Cure. . . . . 50

Industry Jobs and Careers . . . . . . . . . . . 8

CIF Gives to Flood Victim in West Virginia. . 8 Collision Repairers in FL Voice Their

Concerns to Commissioner of Dept.

of Agriculture Adam Putnam . . . . . . . . . 1

Collision Safety Consultants Teams with Collision Repair Stakeholders for

Proper Repairs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Ex-Chesapeake Auto Shop Owner Rolled Back Odometers With Help of Norfolk

City Employee, Feds Say . . . . . . . . . . . 12

First Responders’ Emergency Extrication Program in Tifton, GA, Backed by

NABC and AR Direct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Mitchell 1’s Ben Johnson to Present Industry

Trends Session During 2017 ToolTech . . 6

NCACAR Chooses Board and Receives

Estimating Training at January Meeting. . 11

COLUMNISTS

Attanasio - Do 3 Things Right With Your Shop Marketing, Stick to Them and

Thrive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Attanasio - Supporting Orphans is Not Just a Cause, But a Way of Life for

Corporate Member. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

CARSTAR North America Announces

Expanded Leadership Team for 2017 . . 71

CCC Donates $4M+ in Software

Subscriptions to CREF . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

ChemSpec USA Launches New Website . . 66 Chief® Offers Chassis Liner® Frame Rack in Custom Packages for Heavy-Duty

Repairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

CIC Panel Discusses Scanning, Need For

Following OEM Repair Procedures . . . . . 1

CREF Announces Application for Ultimate Collision Education

Makeover Grants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

CREF Spring Career Fair Has Sprung . . . . 64 Driven Brands Charitable Foundation

Raises more than $650,000 in 2016. . . 66

Ford Vehicle Owners Can Easily Upgrade

2010–2016 Vehicles with Connectivity

Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Former TCAT Student’s Advice: “Have Confidence in Yourself, Or No One

Else Will”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Martin Senour Introduces Rustproof M/D™ . 71

National Industry Goodwill Tour Kicks Off

SkillsUSA Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

the Lefler Collision Family . . . . . . . . . . 44

Next Step Program Offers Young

Because It’s Encased in Foam . . . . . . . 60

OEM Diagnostic Scanning Positions

Attanasio - The Spira Saves Lives

Chess - Kool Tools 2016 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Phillips - NADA Kicks Off 100th Anniversary at National Convention and Expo in

“The Big Easy” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Phillips - Successful Female Shop Owner in OR Encourages Shops to Keep an Open

Professionals Scholarships . . . . . . . . . 68

Quick Reference Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

PPG Announces Key Advances in

Color Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

SCRS Releases Part 2 of 2016 OEM Collision Repair Technology

Summit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Mind, Have No Fear and Dive in . . . . . . 32

SEMA Scholarship Applications Due

Includes Concern About Refinish Materials

Snap-on Adds MODIS Edge to Diagnostic

Yoswick - Retro News: Industry History

Calculation, “Underwritten” Estimates. . 55 NATIONAL

AAAS Calls for Scholarship Applications

March 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Calculator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

UpdatePromise Unveils New Electronic

Publisher & Editor: Jeremy Hayhurst General Manager: Barbara Davies Online Editor and Copywriter: Deana Cacus Contributing Writers: Tom Franklin, John Yoswick, Janet Chaney, Toby Chess, David Brown, Rich Evans, Ed Attanasio, Chasidy Sisk, David Luehr, Stacey Phillips, Victoria Antonelli Advertising Sales: Joe Momber, Sean Hartman, Bill Doyle, Norman Morano (800) 699-8251 Office Manager: Louise Tedesco Sales Assistant: Jessica Day Content/Social Media Specialist: Cass Heckel Art Director: Rodolfo Garcia Graphic Designer: Michelle Lucas

Serving Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina 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. ©2017 Adamantine Media LLC.

Aerosol Refinish Solutions, LLC . . . 51 Aircat Pneumatic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Audi Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 38-39 Axalta Coating Services . . . . . . . . . . 5 BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 67 CarcoonAmerica Airflow Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA). . . . . . . . . . . 31 ChemSpec USA, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Chief Automotive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Coggin Deland Honda . . . . . . . . . . 44 Diamond Standard Parts, LLC . . . . 15 DJS Fabrications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Dominion Sure Seal . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Eckler’s Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Eco Repair Systems of North America, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 ECS Automotive Concepts . . . . . . . 28 Equalizer Industries, Inc . . . . . . . . . 14 Everett Chevrolet-Buick-GMCadillac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Ford Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 61 GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . 69 Gus Machado Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 GYS Welding USA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Hendrick Automotive Group . . . . . . 53 Hendrick Automotive Group of Charleston. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Hendrick BMW/MINI . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Hendrick Dodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Hendrick Kia Cary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Hendrick Kia Concord . . . . . . . . . . 54 Herkules Equipment Corporation. . 20 Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33, 34-35 Hyundai Motor America . . . . . . . . . 17 Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Insta Finish Car Care . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Jim Cogdill Chrysler-Dodge-JeepRam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Jon Hall Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Kernersville Chrysler-Dodge-JeepRam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Killer Tools & Equipment. . . . . . . . . 43 Lexus Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 60 Lusid Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Malco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Matrix Automotive Finishes. . . . . . . . 7 Mercedes-Benz Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 MINI Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 66 MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 41 Nissan of Richmond . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 O’Brien Hyundai-Subaru-Mazda . . 46 O’Reilly Auto Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Porsche Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 60 PPG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Radley Chevrolet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Reliable Automotive Equipment . . . . 6 Rick Hendrick Chevrolet Naples. . . 32 Rick Hendrick Dodge-ChryslerJeep-Ram. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Riverside Ford-Lincoln . . . . . . . . . . 42 SATA Dan-Am Company . . . . . . . . 21 Southside Kia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Spanesi Americas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 63 Tameron Hyundai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 UniCure Spraybooths . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Valspar Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 West Broad Hyundai. . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Wizards Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Yellow Jacket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Index of Advertisers

Auto Care Association Partners with

Laura Larson, Board Member for ICRA, showing off Autobody News at the Midwest Auto Body Trade Show. Story next issue. The Midwest Auto Body Trade Show is the largest and most comprehensive collision trade show in the Midwest. Auto body shop owners, auto body technicians, industry vendors, and collision repair leaders flock to this highly regarded February event. Sponsored by ICRA, the Midwest Auto Body Trade Show is open to the public.

Signatures Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Southeast

REGIONAL

Autobody News Box 1516, Carlsbad, CA 92018; (800) 699-8251 (760) 603-3229 Fax www.autobodynews.com Email: news@autobodynews.com

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 3

AASP/NJ Announces 40th Annual NORTHEAST™ 2017 Educational Program March 17–19 by Chasidy Rae Sisk

On February 1, AASP/NJ announced the agenda for its 40th Annual NORTHEAST 2017 Automotive Services Show to be held at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, NJ on March 17–19. NORTHEAST 2017 will begin with the 2017 East Coast Resolution Forum and Leadership Meeting on Friday afternoon, co-hosted by AASP/NJ and SCRS. This annual session provides an opportunity for industry leaders to conduct and discuss their shared concerns. Another highlight of the event will be AASP/NJ’s “Path to Certification,” a four-part exclusive panel discussion running Friday night and Saturday afternoon. The first session is “The Shop Owner’s Perspective,” moderated by former SCRS Chairman Gary Wano. On Saturday morning, Assured Performance’s Aaron Clark will moderate “The OEM Perspective (Non-Luxury Brands” with “Tooling and Equipment Consideration” being moderated by Kristen Felder of Collision Hub, and Clark will return to moderate the fourth segment, “The OEM Perspective (Luxury Brands).” Friday night’s offerings also include “Ford High Voltage Vehicle Components and Operation,” presented by Ford Motorcraft Technical Trainer Mike Brabble; “Supercharge Your Profits” by Jim Saeli of Management Success; and “Who Pays for What? Survey Results” with Mike Anderson of Collision Advice. Friday night will conclude with AASP/NJ’s yearly Exhibitor Appreciation Party. During the weekend, Accudraft will also be hosting National Sales Meetings for their distributors on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Sessions on Saturday commence at 8AM with a “Honda Technology/ Emerging Industry Trends,” presented by American Honda’s Chris Tobie and Susanna Gotsch of CCC Information Services. Beginning at 8:30AM, Jerry McNee and John Niechwiadowicz will share their estimating expertise during “Open Your Eyes… And You WILL Become a Game Changer!” which they will repeat later on Saturday afternoon. Also at 8:30AM, Larry Montanez of P & L Consultants will present “Proper and Accurate Blueprinting with Pre-Scan/Pre-Measure” with assistance from AsTech’s Jake

Rodenroth and Anthony Cetani of Metropolitan Car-O-Liner. At 10:30AM, Toyota Collision Repair and Refinish Trainers will present “Toyota OE Resources: Get Connected,” which will be repeated at noon on Sunday. “2020 – The Future of Staffing: Where Will You Be?” will be taught at 12:30PM by Mike Lanza of Sherwin-Williams Automotive. Montanez slides into the presenter position again at 2PM with “Take Back Your Business from the Rekey Process.” Saturday’s seminar end with Mike Anderson’s “100% Disassembly Best Practices” at 4-5:30PM. On Sunday morning, American Honda and Axalta Coating Systems will present “Information for Innovation” to ProFirst shops. At 9:30AM, Superare Marketing’s Tony Lombardozzi and Peter Abdelmaseh will present “Stop Playing by the Appraiser’s Rules,” followed by “Set Your Own Prices and Make Them Stick!” at 10:30AM. On Sunday, AASP/NJ will also hold its 9th Annual Family Day. During 2017 NORTHEAST, several demonstrations on the tradeshow floor are also scheduled with “Women’s Industry Network: Engaging Women in Collision Repair” at 11AM on Saturday. Michael Fiannazzo from Absolute Perfection Media will present “Customers Changing Buying Habits: Shifting Your Online Marketing into High Gear in 2017,” but the time has yet to be determined. The tradeshow portion of AASP/ NJ’s 2017 NORTHEAST will feature over 100 exhibitors, including 3M, Accudraft, American Honda, ASE, Axalta Coating Systems, BASF, CCC Information Services, Chief Automotive, DJS Fabrication, FinishMaster, ICAR, Jasper Engines, Nucar Wholesale Parts, Pinnacle Collision Repair Equipment, PPG, Sherwin-Williams, Valspar and many, many more. The tradeshow will also feature several special events: New York Yankee Sparky Lyle will be at the Flemington Car and Truck Country booth on Saturday from 10AM-12PM. Also on Saturday morning, BASF’s booth will provide a meet-and-greet opportunity with KC Mathieu of Discovery Channel’s “Fast N’ Loud with Gas Monkey Garage.” In honor of their 40th Annual NORTHEAST event, AASP/NJ’s booth will have a 2017 Harley Davidson Softail Slim motorcycle on display. The bike will be cus-

4 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

tomized by industry artists Nub of Nub Graffix and Javier Soto, available by silent auction throughout the course of the weekend.

Mike Anderson Returns for 2017 Collision Advice’s Mike Anderson to NORTHEAST 2017. Mike spends the year traveling coast-to coast educating collision repairers and will present two seminars over the weekend for the second consecutive year. Mike will debut a brand-new seminar, 100% Disassembly Best Practices, sponsored by Axalta Coating Systems, on Saturday, March 18 at 4pm and will also bring back his ever-changing “Who Pays for What?” Survey Results seminar (also sponsored by Axalta Coating Systems) on Friday, March 17 at 7:30pm. “It’s really a feather in our cap to be able to have Mike Anderson debut a presentation at the NORTHEAST show,” says AASP/NJ President Jeff McDowell. “The fact that he has chosen our show to do it truly humbles us. We are extremely honored.” 100% Disassembly Best Practices will explain why implementing a

100% disassembly process is critical to the success of your collision repair center. Not only can it help you improve your cycle time by ensuring all the parts are discovered and ordered up front, but it can also minimize your supplement ratio, which can affect your shop’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), as well as profitability. Complete vehicle disassembly also supports and complements the parts mirror matching process since all parts are off the vehicle, stored in one common location and available to compare with the new parts. On top of all that, it can also decrease the stress caused by last minute parts orders for estimators, technicians and parts personnel. So why do so many shops have trouble getting their estimators and technicians to buy-in and perform 100% disassembly? This class will explore the importance of creating a culture of doing things WITH your people, not TO your people and how to gain their support for the common goal of 100% disassembly. “Who Pays for What?” Survey Results explores the truth of who pays See NORTHEAST, Page 10

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www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 5

Auto Body Express Chosen Distributor for Betag Flatliner in FL

Auto Body Express, with seven stores in the greater Tampa Bay and Florida Suncoast region, was chosen the distributor of the Betag Flatliner. Manufacturer BETAG Innovation said, “The Flatliner is probably the most innovative and efficient steel and aluminum sheet metal repair system available on the market today. It was designed for the repair of small to medium collision damage on car bodies. The repair is done entirely from the outside, which makes dismantling or even replacement of panel Auto B entirely unneeded.” ABE President Robert Watson said, “Too many body panels are being replaced today. Many insurance companies are grading body shops on their repair versus replace ratio. With Betag’s product offering (we have the innovative tools to make these repairs efficiently) saving time and money.” Auto Body Express, a PPG Platinum Distributor for 30 years, supplies waterborne automotive paint featuring PPG’s waterborne and solvent borne automotive paint. In addition, ABE offers paints and coatings, abrasives, body fillers and accessories. See the full line of ABE products at www.abepaints.com/content /products-overview.

Mitchell 1’s Ben Johnson to Present Industry Trends Session During 2017 ToolTech Ben Johnson, director of product management for Mitchell 1, will present a session on “Industry Trends” as well as moderate a panel discussion on emerging technologies, during Equipment & Tool Institute’s (ETI) ToolTech conference on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Industry Trends session is scheduled for 1 p.m. and the panel discussion will take place at 2:15 p.m. In the Industry Trends session, Johnson will give an overview of the industry and speak on related topics as he explores the technologies being developed and released across the

globe. He will cover current and future technologies that vehicle manufacturers are investing in, key drivers for those technologies, as well as which technologies are gaining the most traction. Immediately following the session, Johnson will moderate a panel discussion, “The Effect of

Emerging Technologies on the After- diagnostic information, TruckSeries market,” with representatives from repair information for Class 4-8 trucks, diagnostic tool companies, national and enhancements to Manager™ SE, the industry’s leading shop account service providers management system. Johnand independent service son maintains several ASE providers. certifications and belongs to “I’m looking forward the Society of Automotive to presenting and particiEngineers (SAE) Internapating in the conversation tional. He is immediate past about trends and emerging president of the Equipment technologies in the after& Tool Institute (ETI) Execmarket during ToolTech,” Ben Johnson utive Committee and serves said Johnson. “This is a hot topic in the industry right now when on the Auto Care Association’s Techyou look at how the business of serv- nology Standards Committee and icing modern motor vehicles has chairs the multi-association Telematchanged dramatically in the last ics Task Force. ToolTech focuses solely on audecade with the growing population of ‘connected’ tomotive-related tool and equipment vehicles. It’s going to be a companies and the individuals at the lively discussion, with in- forefront of the industry and technodustry experts sharing their logical advances. Attendees come to experience and insights ToolTech to network with industry from a variety of perspec- insiders, peers, OEM personnel, and meet with key companies in the martives.” As director of product manage- ketplace. For more information on ment, Johnson is responsible for man- ToolTech or to register, visit http:// aging Mitchell 1’s portfolio of www.etools.org/ToolTech-2017. products for the car care industry. Since joining the company, he has For more information, visit www overseen the launch of Mitchell 1’s .mitchell1.com. flagship ProDemand® repair information product, SureTrack® expert-based

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CIF Gives to Flood Victim in West Virginia “The flooding is surreal, something out of a digital movie... but it’s all real. I know the images are all over the news, but it truly is hard for the human mind to grasp until you see it.” This is what the Collision Industry Foundation (CIF) heard from a local I-CAR volunteer when flooding hit West Virginia hard.

True to its mission of ‘Bringing Awareness and Emergency Relief to Collision Repair Professionals,’ CIF was looking to help out. Lori Honaker, who works at the Greenbrier Collision Center, filled out the CIF application for assistance, sharing that she “Lost everything except a place to live, but it is badly damaged/destroyed. Anything will help to get us back up.” When CIF trustee Jordan Hendler reached out via phone, Lori told her what would be most helpful. “Her needs were mostly surrounding all of the appliances ruined by the

water; her washer, dryer, refrigerator, hot water heater and dishwasher were all ruined,” recalled Jordan. “Because a local Lowe’s employee stepped up to get her a big combo discount, we were able to help her replace all those things. It was a really big deal to her.” The Executive Board of CIF reviewed the situation and granted the $2,573 Lori needed to replace all those items. “That’s what CIF is all about: helping those within the Collision Industry that have experienced a catastrophic life event,” commented CIF Chair Bill Shaw. Heartfelt thanks go out to all CIF sponsors and donors of silent auction items, both of whom assisted in raising the necessary funds for the relief efforts. The Collision Industry Foundation is a 501(c)3 charitable foundation dedicated to raising, managing and donating funds while fulfilling the philanthropic goals and needs of the collision industry and the communities they serve. The foundation was established in 2001 to allow for taxdeductible contributions for industry projects such as Leave Something Behind and Crash Hunger. More information is available at www.collision industryfoundation.org.

Auto Body Shops in MS Are Seeing an Increase in Business Due to Deer Collisions

by Quentin Smith, WCBI

We’re in the heart of deer season here in the Magnolia State. Hunters are hunting and we’re seeing more and more car crashes that involve deer. Broken head lights, missing doors, and a missing bumper: all of these damages can be caused when a vehicle collides with a deer. “Deer are unpredictable; they can hit the front bumper and knock out a headlight, a grill, or they can start rolling down the side of the vehicle and deploy airbags, fenders, doors,” said Tom Cooper, co-owner of Bob’s Paint and Body. “They can actually take a vehicle and actually do so much damage that it becomes nonrepairable where it’s a total loss.” Cooper said as of late, they’ve seen a heavy influx of cars involved in deer collisions. “For the month of December, it was probably at least 40 to 50 claims that we handled,” he recalled. When these cars come in, the time table varies on when the driver will be able to get them back. “A lot of times if the vehicle is

damaged where it’s non-drivable, it actually takes about a four to five day process to get the estimate parts and get everything ordered for that.” Cooper explained. Depending on the extent of damage, the average repair on a vehicle like that is probably five to seven working days. Now if it’s extensive, it can be two weeks plus on the repair process.” Having to repair so many damaged vehicles results in overload for the mechanics. “When you get so much scheduled work on top of scheduled work, it puts the pressure on trying to keep the job on track, and with that the guy’s work overtime, they stay late at night, come in on the weekends,” he said. And sometimes that can be a lot to bear. “It’s a good bad problem,” said Cooper. “We got plenty of work; it’s just making sure we make the customer happy and get their vehicle back to them as soon as possible.”

We thank WCBI for reprint permission.

8 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Auto Care Association Partners with University of North Florida to Promote Industry Jobs and Careers

The Auto Care Association has announced that it is partnering with the University of North Florida (UNF) in Jacksonville as the next step in its program to engage and attract college-aged students. Auto Care Careers staff and member volunteers are working with UNF’s Coggin College of Business to promote the auto care industry as a highly desirable career choice. The Princeton Review has named the Coggin College of Business one of the nation’s “Best Business Schools” every year for the past decade. The centerpiece of the UNF outreach effort is an internship fair scheduled for Wednesday, March 1, 2017, from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. The association is coordinating efforts to represent the auto care industry at the fair and is looking for member companies to participate alongside the Auto Care Association. In addition to the internship fair, the association will host a lunch-andlearn mixer for UNF business school students on Tuesday, Feb. 28, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. This event gives the auto care industry unique access to

students who are actively seeking internship opportunities. Students from a variety of relevant majors will be present at all events, including accounting, economics, finance, financial services, international business, management, marketing, and transportation and logistics. Member participants will be encouraged to promote the merits of their companies, interview students and even fill open internship slots for summer 2017. This will be a very hands-on experience. There is no cost to attend this event. However, if companies would like to have their own table at the internship fair, there is a $150 fee. Members interested in participating in the UNF outreach program should contact Katy McQuiston at katy.mcquiston@autocare.org by Feb. 15, 2017. For more information, visit www .autocare.org.

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NORTHEAST

for what, based on quarterly surveys conducted by Mike and the CRASH Network, and will give attendees insight into how the project—which currently boasts more than 1,000 shop participants—helps identify where shops are succeeding in receiving proper payment for the work they perform. Pre-registration is required for these sessions, with limited seating! To register for 100% Disassembly Best Practices and “Who Pays For What?” Survey Results, please visit www.aaspnjnortheast.com/seminarsdemos.shtml. The 2017 NORTHEAST Automotive Services Show will be held March 17-19 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey. Registration is currently open at www.aaspnjnortheast.com. @AASP NJNORTHEAST / #NORTHEAST 2017.

AAAS Calls for Scholarship Applications and Prepares for Capitol Days and 2017 Conference by Chasidy Rae Sisk

As 2017 gets underway, the Automotive Aftermarket Association Southeast (AAAS) is busy gearing up for scholarship submissions, State Capitol Days and their 2017 Annual Conference and Trade Show.

Randal Ward, President of AAAS, said, “There are a lot of great things going on here at AAAS. We just hired a new Government Relations Director, and our political action committee is working harder than ever; it’s time for scholarship submissions, and we are going to have our inaugural AAAS Educational Foundation Silent Auction in June at our conference. This would be a fantastic year to travel to Sandestin and join us for our conference! Bill Hanvey is our keynote speaker, and our pre-registration numbers and interest are higher than ever.”

10 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

AAAS has begun accepting applications for their 2017 AAAS Education Foundation scholarships, which are available to AAAS members and their immediate families as well as employees of AAAS members and their immediate families. The deadline for scholarship applications is March 31, and those interested can apply online at www.automotivescholarships .com/AAAS. Ward noted, “The AAASEF scholarship fund was established in 2005 for the purpose of encouraging and financially assisting those individuals wishing to continue their education in college or technical training school. We are grateful to our membership for your generous donations, and last year, the AAASEF awarded 20 scholarships to deserving students. Please also consider making your taxdeductible contribution to AASEF to this great cause! With your help, we can build a program that will assist numerous deserving students.” AAAS hosted its first 2017 Capitol Day event in GA on January 11, when association members had the opportunity to meet with senators and legislators in Atlanta to discuss the issues impacting the automotive aftermarket industry in GA. AAAS will

host its AL Capitol Day on February 15 with the FL Capitol Days scheduled for March 14-15. Ward urged, “Take advantage of this opportunity to raise awareness of the issues your business faces while advocating for the automotive aftermarket industry in your state.” Additionally, AAAS is preparing for the 2017 AAAS Conference and Trade Show, which will be held at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort on June 8-11. The association is excited to host Keynote Speaker Bill Hanvey, President and CEO of the Automotive Care Association. Ward added, “In addition to the outstanding business session, you’ll be able to take advantage of our fantastic fishing and golf outings, world class beaches, shopping, fabulous food, and fellowship.”

For more information about the Association’s events and initiatives, visit www.aaas.us.

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NCACAR Chooses Board and Receives Estimating Training at January Meeting by Chasidy Rae Sisk

During the January 25 meeting of the North Carolina Association of Collision and Autobody Repair (NCACAR), the association voted for the executive board and board members at large, received estimating training, and learned about Astech’s pre and post scanning tools. Meredith Bradshaw, Vice President of NCACAR, noted, “I’m more than pleased at the turnout and the content of our meeting. Brian opened with an association update… where we are, what’s been going on behind the scenes, and what our goals are for the year and beyond. Ed Kizenberger, who is working as a consultant for us, facilitated the voting in of the executive board and the board members at large.” Based on a unanimous vote, Brian Davies was named association President, Bradshaw became Vice President, and Clint Rogers was named Secretary with Ronnie Pack serving as Treasurer. Board members at large were named as follows: Brian Shaw, Ronnie Walker, Jennifer Gardner, Augusto CarilloPerris, Darrell Langford and Casey Starnes.

John Shumaker, BDM at BASF, presented “Effective Estimating.” According to NCACAR Director of Membership, Josh Kent, “John Shumaker showed these shops what they were missing in regard to writing estimates. These vehicles are coming out with so much new technology that shops need to do their research so that

they are fixing these vehicles correctly, so we learned about pre and post repair scanning, which was really insightful. The next 10 years are going to change in more ways than the past 50 years have, and we have to be ready and prepared.” Next, Jake Rodenroth, Director of Client Services for Collision Diagnostics, provided insights on the AsTech tool and the importance of pre and post scanning. “The response to the meeting was extremely positive and made me realize even more the importance and the need of continuing education in our industry,” Bradshaw stated.

Kent was also pleased with how the meeting turned out, saying, “I thought this past meeting was a huge success. We hit on bullet points; the main one I wanted to see was education. I had a few shops come up to me and they said they learned more in one night than they learned in a whole year. This was encouraging, and it made our hard work worth it. The purpose of this association is not only to address issues with regard to the industry and what it is lacking in NC, but for the educational aspects. Brian Davies and Meredith Bradshaw have worked extremely hard and are setting the example to others on exactly how hard they are willing to go to help this industry and to show that, even though we have full-time jobs, we have to invest to bring change and to educate.” On February 22, NCACAR will host a High Strength Steel and Aluminum training class at K & M Collision in Hickory, NC, sponsored by GM and Parks Chevrolet. Due to significant interest demonstrated at the end of the January meeting, NCACAR also plans to hold an Advanced Estimating class, but the date and location have yet to be determined. NCACAR’s next meeting will be held on April 6th in Charlotte.

CCC Donates $4M+ in Software Subscriptions to CREF

CCC Information Services Inc. (“CCC”), through its partnership with the Collision Repair Education Foundation (“CREF”), donated more than $4 million in software subscriptions to qualified secondary and postsecondary schools in 2016. CCC and CREF offer CCC ONE® Estimating software at no cost to technical schools and colleges that have a qualifying collision repair program. Student and teacher recipients of CCC ONE software learn how to write estimates while examining damaged vehicles. The software package includes access to collision repair databases, digital imaging capabilities, and CCC ONE® Touch, a mobile estimating solution designed exclusively for tablets. “Educating the next generation of collision repairers is critically important,” said Mary Jo Prigge, president, Service Operations, CCC. “CCC is proud to work with CREF to provide collision repair schools with the industry’s most advanced software, giving them an opportunity to learn with the tools they will encounter once they start their careers.”

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 11

Ex-Chesapeake Auto Shop Owner Rolled Back Odometers With Help of Norfolk City Employee, Feds Say by Scott Daugherty, The Virginian-Pilot

Following an extended investigation, the owner of a now-defunct Chesapeake, VA auto shop has been charged with rolling back the odometers of more than 100 vehicles and selling them to unsuspecting buyers. Paul Robinson of Affordable Auto Body Repair is expected to plead guilty later this year. No hearing is scheduled. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Salsbury and defense attorney Andrew Sacks declined to comment. Court documents filed last week in U.S. District Court in Norfolk revealed the existence of the alleged scheme eight months ago when an accomplice was charged. Federal and state authorities have until now been tight-lipped about who they believed was behind it, though. They repeatedly declined to identify the establishment where the vehicles were sold. The scheme, according to court documents, involved Robinson and others rolling back odometers on dozens of vehicles and then securing fraudulent titles to cover up the fraud. They resold the vehicles at inflated prices from Robinson’s business on Queen City Road off Providence Road. William Childress, the executive director of the state board tasked with Continued from Cover

Extrication Program

and several received Instructor status,” said Bobby Bennett, Captain at the Tifton Fire Department. What a great week at the Tifton Fire Department! I looking forward to many more events like this one.” In attendance along with Barry Barbee and AR Direct’s Director of Operations, Dustin Wheeler, was Darby and Chance Veazey with State Farm, Interim Tifton City Manager Hunter Walker, Tifton City Manager Pete Pyrzenski, Barry Hopper with Hurst Jaws of Life Inc, Chief of Tifton Fire Department Mike Coleman who stated that it was “the most extensive and comprehensive training ever taught in extrication at the Tifton Fire Department.” Brandon Fletcher and Brock Archer with Georgia Extrication lead the training during the event. “At AR Direct we are committed to helping our community become a safer, better place to live,” added Barbee. “The feedback we received was extremely positive. It is my understanding this was the largest coordinated F.R.E.E. event to date and are

regulating new- and used-car dealerships, said Affordable Auto Body Repair had a “rebuilder” license with the Department of Motor Vehicles. That allowed the business to legally repair salvaged vehicles.

This s the former site of Affordable Auto Repair in CHesapeake. The shop’s owner, Palu Robinson, was charged last week in federal court with rolling back more than 100 odometers

But, Childress said, Robinson and his staff were not licensed to sell vehicles in Virginia. And, he said, they would have needed such a license to sell more than two vehicles a year. “We’re not showing anything,” he said. The alleged scam hinged on the assistance of a Norfolk employee who worked at a DMV Select branch in City Hall. Steven Bazemore of Virginia Beach provided Robinson and his staff new titles with fake odometer readings, court documents said. On average, the fraudulent titles

truly thankful for both State Farm and Geico Insurance for making this possible. We would be glad to host another one of these events as a way to further serve our locality. Please consider joining the National Auto Body Council and help save and change lives today.”

About FREE: The First Responders Emergency Extrication (FREE) program is a community awareness project whereby members of the NABC repair and donate total loss vehicles for first responder organizations in need throughout the United States. FREE promotes efficient motor vehicle rescue procedures for emergency personnel at the scene of an accident and is provided to participants free of charge.

About NABC: NABC is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the image of the collision industry. Our ongoing and continued success is a direct result of the efforts and support of our sponsoring companies and membership. Please contact NABC directly for membership information. Call 888-667-7433 (888-66PRIDE) or go to www.autobodycouncil.org

12 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

said the vehicles had 110,758 fewer miles than they actually did, the documents said. Bazemore cooperated with investigators. He was charged and pleaded guilty in May. He was sentenced in September to one year of house arrest. According to documents in Bazemore’s case, the dealership purchased the cars for an average of $1,131 and sold them for $3,818. Two of the vehicles broke down on the highway, and another failed a Virginia safety inspection. Other owners were saddled with high repair costs they might not have had to endure if they had purchased lower-mileage vehicles. In Bazemore’s case, documents referenced at least 76 vehicles. In Robinson’s case, documents reference more than 100. In May, a DMV spokeswoman would say only that the business with which Bazemore was involved was “no longer open.” Neighbors of Robinson’s old business said he shut down more than a year ago. According to Childress, Affordable lost its rebuilder license in January 2016.

We thank The Virginian-Pilot for reprint permission.

2017 Skills USA North Carolina State Championships for Collision Repair

Industry professionals are invited to attend the 2017 Skills USA North Carolina State Championships for Collision Repair. The championships will be held on April 27th at the

Greensboro Coliseum from 8:00am till 1:00pm. Admission is free. Anyone interested in becoming a judge, donor, or sponsor can contact collision contest chairperson Jim Brown at 336-334-4822 Ext. 50061. For more information, visit www .skillsusanc.org/state-conference.

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www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 13

Former TCAT Student’s Advice: “Have Confidence in Yourself, Or No One Else Will” by Victoria Antonelli

As Nancy McInerney approached her fourth and final year in a student teaching program, she realized her passion lay elsewhere. “I asked my brother if he thought I would be capable of handling colli-

Nancy McInerney poses for a photo on graduation day

sion repair,” McInerney said. “He let me work with him one day to see, and I loved it.” The Crossville, TN native’s interest in cars didn’t start there. “My dad always had me in the garage helping out with cars he worked on while I was growing up,” she added.

McInerney then decided to pursue a career in collision repair instead. She enrolled in the Auto Body and Collision Repair Program at Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Crossville (TCAT) in the fall of 2015. “I chose TCAT because it was close to my home, and also because I liked the environment when I attended their early childhood classes while in high school,” she explained. McInerney said the hands-on aspect of the courses interested her the most. “When I started teaching Nancy, I noticed right away that she had an eye for body work,” said Travis Hurd, who has been an instructor at TCAT for three years. “With every project I gave Nancy, she just kept getting better, and not because I was pushing her, but because she was pushing herself.” Hurd, originally from Fort Oglethorp, GA, teaches the following courses at TCAT: Orientation into Collision and Safety, Non-Structural, Structural and Refinishing. Despite McInerney’s love for collision repair and praise from her instructors, she said she did face adversity in the classroom. “There were preconceived notions about my ability to perform in the

14 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

collision repair industry as a woman,” she explained. “Not long after starting the class, my peers realized that I was a force to be reckoned with.” While at TCAT Crossville, McInerney earned the title Student of the Term, which includes a semester paid for by the school, participated in Skills USA, and received a $1,000 scholarship from the Women’s Industry Network (WIN) Foundation.

Since graduating with honors in December 2016, she has worked in the industry as a painter and body tech.

Nancy McInerney earned the title “Student of the Term” while enrolled in the Auto Body and Collision Repair Program

Nancy McInerney repairs a vehicle during one of her courses at TCAT Crossville

“I’m great at what I do and I love doing it,” she said.

McInerney advised other women interested in entering any male dominated industry to “have confidence in yourself or no one else will.” “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t,” Hurd added. “Every woman that I have ever had come through my class has excelled and was placed into a great job.” For more information on TCAT Crossville, visit tcatcrossville.edu.

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 15

to be paid for the process by insurers, requires a disciplined process. “You start with getting the customer’s authorization to obtain the ing wrong? Wano said a few weeks ago, data, taking photographs of the scan his son came home from school after tool on the car so you can prove to the hurting his knee playing basketball. As insurer or anyone else that you really the knee continued to swell, Wano took scanned the car,” he said. “Sometimes his son to an urgent care clinic, where, we even photograph the different he said, they checked his son’s tempercodes that come up on the scanner.” ature, heart rate and blood pressure, One challenge, he said, is that scan then decided an MRI was needed to detimes can vary widely from one vehitermine if his son had damaged his cle model to another. meniscus. The MRI showed no dam“And if you find fault codes, it age. leads to all sorts of questions,” he said. “The point I’m making is there “Sometimes the scan will point you in were all these diagnostic tests to de- the direction and give you some insight termine what happened,” Wano said. [into what needs to be done]. Other “And I can tell you from the [papertimes you have dig into it further.” work] I’ve received, the tests were all Others on the panel concurred charged out. Even though there was that there’s a need for training related no tear in the meniscus, the insurer to scanning. Mark Allen of Audi of would pay for that MRI because it was America said his company hasn’t yet a concern.” joined the nearly two dozen other auPanelist Chris Evans of State tomakers putting out position stateFarm called the analogy a good one. ments on scanning despite the need to “There was ‘technology’ in the ensure systems have been calibrated area of the damage, right,” Evans said and reset. of Wano’s son’s knee. “So it made “To pull codes sounds great, but sense to do everything that the doctors there’s a danger here,” Allen said. “If did.” someone goes in and does a pre-scan, Evans said he recently took his pulls the codes and clears the history, own vehicle in for collision repair, and we don’t know what happened to that a scan was involved in part car. We lose all the back-hisbecause one of the car’s adaptory on that car. You’re not tive headlights had to be rejust affecting the collision placed. world. You’re affecting any “Our developing posiof the campaigns we do to tion at my company as we try update those computer systo get our arms around this tems for the function of that is: Do what makes sense,” entire vehicle system.” John Eck Evans said. “In that situation, That segued the discussion the body shop did what made sense. into another related topic: the need for There’s technology there. There was shops to consistently use automaker an accident. It made sense in that sce- repair procedures. nario to do what they did.” “If you don’t use the [OEM] inforPanelist Darrell Amberson, vice mation together with the information president of operations for Minnesota- and results you get from the scan, based LaMettry’s Collision, said his there’s really not much sense in doing a company now scans virtually every scan anyway,” Olsen said. “The process car coming into their eight shops. isn’t just about scanning the car. It’s in“Right now we’re scanning over terpreting the results that you get from 1,000 cars a month,” he said. that scan, and then using the service inHe said that to do that well, and formation and procedures.” Continued from Cover

CIC panel

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16 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Panelist John Eck of General Motors noted that a survey of shops his company did last year found results similar to other surveys in terms of shops’ regular review of OEM repair procedures. “It’s less than 20 percent pulling repair procedures [for all repairs],” Eck said. “It’s unacceptable. There are no two accidents that are alike. We change repair procedures often. I understand the cost and the process and the payment issues [related to looking up OEM procedures]. But we’re talking about a safe repair. We have to work with the information providers to find better ways to make it easier, to provide the information to shops in a faster, more intuitive way.” State Farm’s Evans agreed there’s a need for more OEM scanning and repair information within the estimating systems. “I believe in the very near future, they are going to become a critical element in this whole process,” Evans said. GM’s Eck was asked if he has concerns about the industry being ready to repair the autonomous vehicles that are being developed. Eck said his concerns are more immediate. He said he re-

cently learned of a relative who had been in a vehicle accident, and he immediately began texting that person to find out who was doing the repairs, and suggesting questions to ask the shop. “We’re on the inside so we know what we really want [for them] out of that repair, and what may not happen,” Eck said. “I’m concerned about the vehicles being sold today, that the industry as a whole isn’t prepared to fix even today’s non-autonomous vehicles.” He said that obviously there are shops that have the training, equipment and information to repair vehicles properly, but “by and large, the masses” may be five or 10 years behind. Eck acknowledged his company needs to do more to educate insurers as well, pointing to Mercedes-Benz as a company doing that well. They’ve done a fabulous job with insurer training, so that insurers understand the type of vehicles their policyholders are owning,” Eck said. “We need to take those best practices and see how General Motors can improve information communication to insurance companies.” CIC’s next meeting will be held April 19–20 in Pittsburgh, PA.

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 17

Continued from Cover

FL Concerns

included Smith; Ray Gunder of Gunder’s Auto Center; David Stewart of Stewart Auto Repair; Charlie Rodriquez of Color Recon; Chance Smith of Crash Depot; and Attorney Brent Geohagan. Smith said two consumers also attended the meeting to share their experiences in regards to insurance denials and underpayments of recommended repair procedures and quality replacement parts. One of Smith’s consumer clients, Mrs. Orr, talked about the difficult time she had getting her car repaired and the re-repair that was necessary. “It was a battle every day for this consumer to get her car repaired properly,” said Smith. “She had made numerous complaints to the Department of Agriculture and the Florida Department of Insurance of which neither were much help to her.” A customer of Gunder’s Auto Center also attended the meeting and shared her story about the poor repair performed at an insurer’s Direct Repair Program (DRP) shop.

the insurer while leaving the consumer in a very vulnerable position. “We’re hopeful Florida state representatives will look into this further,” he said. “We also spoke about aftermarket parts usage and how they weren’t truly like kind and quality and not crash tested,” said Smith. David Stewart of Stewart’s Auto, along with his daughter Jenna, brought with them a box of thousands of pages of documented unpaid procedures his shop had provided the services but weren’t compensated. Smith said that the group shared with Commisioner Putnam that repairers Industry stakeholder met with Commissioner Adam are subsidizing some cusPutnam in January to discuss concerns about the tomers’ repairs virtually out collision repair industry of their pockets where there said the issue was that the policy now is no legal obligation to do so. states that the cost of repair or re“Unfortunately, there are a lot of placement that is owed is determined good quality, honest and ethical body by that insurance company wherein it repair providers who are doing that— states in part “as determined by us.” providing the best service they can to During the meeting, Smith said their neighbors and retaining their good they informed Commisisioner Putnam reputation for workmanship and qualthat this was not keeping with past ity and service in their communities policy wording as approved in Florida and the insurance companies are taking and places far too much authority over full advantage of that,” said Smith. One of the concerns the industry group addressed with Putnam was in regards to a revised automotive policy in Florida by one of the major national insurance carriers. The wording was somewhat changed and ultimately approved by the state of Florida. Smith

18 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

In most cases, he said consumers are unaware of what’s taking place. “The insurance companies literally save billions and the body shops are losing billions,” said Smith. “When the insurers refuse to provide payment for a procedure, some [repairers] are not providing it and the consumer may be placed in harm’s way and be totally unaware.” Smith said the commissioner listened intently and reviewed the provided materials. “He promised to look into his department’s performance in oversight as well as recent changes in auto policy provisions that may not be in the best interest of Florida policyholders,” said Smith. “Mr. Putnam’s time and attention was greatly appreciated and all are hopeful that something positive will result from this and future meetings.”

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Continued from Cover

SARC 2017

Assured Performance and Symach will begin prior to registration at 8:00 am. The Conference and Exhibits open at 12:30 pm on Friday and close at 9:00 pm. Friday includes afternoon classes followed by a Reception in the exhibit area from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. Saturday begins at 8:00 am with exhibits, demos, class offerings, conference presentations, and prize giveaways. A continental breakfast will be served and lunch will be provided. General Admission is $40 online and $50 at the door. This fee includes entry to the event, classes, and sessions as well as food and beverages, including drink tickets for the reception. A large number of exhibitors will participate, including national paint companies, major vehicle OEMs, PBE distributors, equipment and tool companies, industry service providers, and product innovators. There will be vehicles on the floor with demonstration areas available to sponsors and exhibitors. New exhibitors are being added daily. Check for updates on the SARC website.

Exhibitor set-up is Friday from 9:00 am to noon. A ‘Come & Go’ private lunch buffet will be served to exhibitors, sponsors, speakers, and SARC staff from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm before the Exhibition floor is opened to the public. All Exhibitors are asked to be set up no later than 3:00 pm on Friday. Speaker Brad Mewes with Supplement will present a look at the current state of the industry, the role of Wall Street financiers, other industries that have consolidated, the future of collision repair, and strategies that smaller operators can use to compete in this environment. Keynote Speaker Mike Jones is a dynamic and inspiring presenter who motivates high levels of leadership utilizing tools to develop untapped potential. Mike served 6 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, is an accomplished TV host and radio personality, flew a helicopter for the Houston police, and was a four-time recipient of the Houston Police Officer of the Year. Mike currently runs Discover Leadership Training in Houston, Texas.

Panels include: Panel 1: OEM Perspective Industry Panel with Mike Anderson/Collision-

Advice and representatives from AsTech, GM, Honda, and Nissan discuss topics important to distributors, shops, and consumers.

Panel 2: Successful Shops discussion with Mike Anderson/CollisionAdvice, David Luehr/Elite Body Shop Solutions, Brad Mewes/Supplement, and Jake Rodenroth/Collision Diagnostics

Panel 3: I-CAR 2017 presentation and discussion with I-CAR Instructors and Staff German Mejia, Caleb Mills, Tony Nethery, Patrick Porter, Dave Robinette, and Terry Ticel

Classes include: I-CAR: ‘Safety Shield Technologies’ a brand new 1 hour class module that will be presented to attendees. Individuals must register with I-CAR to receive credit.

Assured Performance: Special preconference session! Attendees will learn how to maximize benefits of being an OEM Certified Collision Care Provider, and also learn about tools to improve business. AsTech™: AsTech Remote Diagnos-

tic Device—Jake Rodenroth of Collision Diagnostic Services presents the innovative AsTech tool and process that remotely diagnoses vehicle issues and codes.

Management Success: ‘Super Charge Your Profits’ Learn the importance of having the right employees on your team, how efficiency & numbers make the difference, and what key ingredient sets you apart.

CollisionAdvice: ‘Positioning Yourself’ with Mike Anderson focuses on Sales & Marketing, Production, Accounting & Financing, and Human Resources for both shops and jobbers. All members of your team can learn and apply this material. Mitchell: Content to be announced shortly.

GM ‘Supplemental Restraints: Service and Repair’ covers the servicing of supplemental restraint systems. Topics include replacement of the SDM, inflators, passenger presence sensor, SIR coil, seat belt retractors and wire repair strategy. See SARC 2017, Page 30

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 19

National Events

Stacey Phillips is a freelance writer and editor for the automotive industry. She has 20 years of experience writing for a variety of publications. She can be reached at sphillips.autobodynews@gmail.com.

NADA Kicks Off 100th Anniversary at National Convention and Expo in “The Big Easy” with Stacey Phillips

by Stacey Phillips

Celebrating its 100th anniversary, the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) kicked off a series of year-long commemorative events at its annual convention and expo in New Orleans, Louisiana January 26 to 29. This is the 12th time since 1973 that the convention has been held in “The Big Easy.” An estimated 23,000 new car dealers, managers, automotive industry professional and exhibitors were expected to attend the four-day event.

Mitch Landrieu, Mayor of New Orleans welcomes attendees to the Big Easy

“It’s not every day that a national trade association reaches its 100-year anniversary, yet NADA is still as strong and relevant as the day it was founded,” said 2016 NADA Chairman Jeff Carlson. “NADA’s 100th mission for 100 years has been to represent local dealerships and our customers in Washington, DC, with a goal of keeping personal transportation affordable for everyone,” added Carlson, president of Glenwood Springs Ford and Glenwood Springs Subaru in Glenwood Springs, Colo., and co-owner of Summit Ford in Silverthorne, CO. “It’s an honor to serve such a respected group.” Founded in 1917, NADA formed when a group of local dealers set out to fight a new effort by Congress to levy a luxury tax on new automobiles. Thirty dealers from state and local associations traveled to Washington, DC, and set up base at the Willard Hotel. By convincing Congress that cars were not luxury items as they were classified, but instead were vital to the economy, the group prevented total factory conversion to wartime work and succeeded in reducing a proposed five percent luxury tax to three percent.

The incident was the first of many chapters where local dealerships fought to keep new vehicles affordable for their customers. For the past 15 years, more than 90 percent of all new-car and -truck dealerships in the United States have been NADA members. Prior to the start of the 2017 convention, the NADA Foundation donated $50,000 to the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, which supports organizations that create opportunities to inspire and mentor youth through culinary, nutrition and arts education with a focus on life skills development. “My wife Alden and I are delighted that NADA has chosen the Emeril Lagasse Foundation as a grant recipient in conjunction with their convention. This generous philanthropic gift will help us positively impact the lives of more children,” said Chef Emeril Lagasse, chairman and founder of the Emeril Lagasse Foundation. “Thank you for bringing your convention to New Orleans and for supporting the Emeril Lagasse Foundation.” Since its inception in 1975, the NADA Foundation has had a long history of providing financial support to New Orleans and the surrounding communities.

Carl Swope, TIME Dealer of the Year

“The NADA Foundation through amazing contributions from our dealer network has supported dealership families, military families and children in need from natural disasters and times of emergency, like hurricanes Katrina and Rita and most recently, the flooding in Baton Rouge,” said Annette Sykora, chairman of the NADA Foundation. “Through it all, NADA has been there to help.” “NADA was formed to make sure that entrepreneurs could open local dealerships and provide affordable cars and transportation to farmers, factory workers and people from all walks of life,”

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said 2017 NADA Chairman Mark Scarpelli. Scarpelli, who officially became chairman of NADA during the convention, is the president of Raymond Chevrolet and Raymond Kia in Antioch and co-owner of Ray Chevrolet and Ray Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram in Fox Lake, IL. During the convention, Scarpelli unveiled a new initiative designed to help local dealerships showcase the benefits they bring to their millions of customers, the 1.1 million dealership employees in the U.S., and communities across the nation. The initiative—MyDealership.org —utilizes videos, social media platforms and public service announcements to communicate the significant benefits of a strong and vibrant franchised dealership network. “There are five hallmarks of any local dealership in America today: We are local; We are modern; We are diverse; We save people money; And we

create great jobs,” Scarpelli told the audience at the convention. Scarpelli’s top priorities for 2017 include advocating on legislative and regulatory issues in Washington, D.C., promoting the consumer benefits of local dealerships, meeting with auto manufacturer executives, and getting the next generation of dealers involved in their trade associations and on Capitol Hill. “We’re advocating for clarity with the new administration and Congress, whether it’s related to auto financing, new tax proposals, vehicle recall policy or fuel economy rules,” Scarpelli said. “We’re concerned about vehicle affordability for consumers, period. We have to make sure we keep our customers top of mind when dealing with all of these issues.” Also during the convention, Carl Swope, president of Swope Toyota in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, was named See NADA 100th, Page 27

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 21

Shop Secrets and Strategies

North Dakota Collision Manager Explains How Processes From Bodyshop Revolution Helped with Better Cycle Time and Ensured a Better Product with Stacey Phillips

Fourteen and a half years ago, Randy Sattler came to work at Rydell GM Auto Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He had no background in the body shop industry and started out in the service department. After working in the service department for two years, he was asked to move to the body shop to learn how to

owner of the dealership to help build a successful body shop using specific processes based on the Theory of Constraints. These included some of the processes implemented in December 2014 from Bodyshop Revolution. Autobody News spoke to Sattler about the importance of setting up processes in a body shop and how it can help with better cycle time, build closer relationships with employees and ensure a better overall product.

Q: W

I came to work at Rydell from the A: trucking industry and had zero background in the body shop world.

A new body shop was constructed a little over 14 years ago

write estimates. Six months later, he was promoted to manager of the collision shop. He began working closely with the

ith no industry experience prior to joining Rydell, can you tell us about your background and how you became collision manager?

22 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

They had built this new building the year that I started in the service department. After two years, the manager of the body shop decided he was going to move into another Rydell store. They asked me if I would be interested in the job in the body shop, and taking this journey with them to see where we could go. I think they were looking for someone who didn’t have a background in the industry and had no misconceptions about it. The body shop has always intrigued me. I love cars so I said, “Why not.” Looking back on it now, I have to laugh. When I moved to the body shop, it was the week of 4th of July. I showed up Monday afternoon and I had Tuesday and half of Wednesday to learn how to write an estimate in Mitchell software before the only estimator left that Wednesday afternoon,…… permanently! Wes Rydell, the owner, took me under his wing and educated me. Here I am 12

years later still learning every day.

How has the shop utilized the Q: Theory of Constraints methodology? (Theory of Constraints is a method-

ology for identifying the most important limiting factor i.e. constraint that stands in the way of achieving a goal and then systematically improving that constraint until it is no longer the limiting factor.)

My first training on Theory of A: Constraints was reading an article called “Standing on the Shoulders

of Giants,” written by Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt. Eli was a very good friend of Wes Rydell. In the beginning, when Wes told him that he wanted to take this Toyota production system and build it into a body shop, Eli (from my understanding) pretty much told him that he’s nuts and it would be a huge challenge. See ND Shop Manager, Page 52

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 23

Shop Strategies with Stacey Phillips

Taking New Approach to Leadership at KS Body Shop Turned out to Be “Best Decision Ever Made” When Tony Adams was in high school, he began working at Weaver’s Auto Center where his dad was a technician. It was 1989 and Adams swept floors, took out the trash and enjoyed the time he spent with his father in the Shawnee, Kansas body shop. One day, the owner of the shop, John Weaver, put his arm around Adams and told him that if he wanted to run his own business one day, he would should him how. They became business partners in the mid-1990s and Adams is now in charge of the day-to-day operations. Autobody News spoke to Adams about how he has changed his leadership style over the years, and the effect it has had on the culture at Weaver’s Auto Center. The body shop owner has incorporated a servant-leadership philosophy and set of practices in his business and said it was the best decision he ever made. According to the Center for Servant Leadership, “A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong… The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.”

Q: I was talking to a great friend of A: mine—Dale Opeka who owns a couple of shops in PA—during a

What prompted you to make changes at your shop?

Twenty Group meeting in 2008. I was going through a difficult patch in my business, like we all go through from time to time, and he recommended that I call Kevin Wolfe from LeadersWay. Dale told me that I needed coaching. What I thought of as coaching was Little League. I told him that I didn’t need someone cheering me on—ra ra ra. I was hesitant to even call Kevin at first but Dale was really persistent and I finally contacted him. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. Kevin helped mold me into the person I am today and I am forever grateful for that. We spent about a year on the phone focusing on personal development. I started reading a lot. I was one

of those statistics you hear about people who never read another book after graduating from high school—that is until I started working with Kevin. He taught me that I had to exercise my mind. He had me start on a journey of understanding different concepts and challenged me. He also held me accountable as my coach. After about a

Weavers Auto Center in Shawnee, Kansas

year of working together, he came onsite and started helping me see some of the things we needed to do in terms of team development and collaboration.

What types of books did you read and how did they change your mindset? They were all universal to leadA: ership and understanding what that is. The first book he had me read is

the One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey. I still recommend it to people. It’s all about how we as leaders take on other people’s “monkeys” and we think we are trying to help. I remember in 2008 when I started working with Kevin, he said that I needed to read this book. I picked it up and it sat on my desk for a couple of weeks. Finally, it was a Saturday morning and I started reading it and the only difference between me and the guy in the book was there wasn’t a golf course across the street outside my window where I saw my employees playing golf while I was inside doing all of their work!

I began learning and understanding the different principles and philosophies around servant leadership.

Can you tell us about the differQ: ent types of leaders and how you have incorporated servant-leadership philosophies into your business?

24 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

I learned about three types of A: leaders: “do for,” “do to” and “do with.” I was the “do for” type. I

didn’t want my employees to work late and be here on Saturdays so I would do the work for them thinking that I was helping and protecting them. In this type of situation, at some point in time you get frustrated and irritated because you are the one who is doing all the work. Then you get mad and become a “do to” manager and say, “I’m not going to do this work anymore—you do it.” Afterwards, you feel bad about doing that and then you go back into that “do for” model. It’s a vicious cycle. It’s one of the things that Kevin really helped me understand and was one of the points of that first book when the manager meets the monkey. Afterward, I had several people in the office read the book. I wanted to make sure everybody understood where I was coming from and start ad-

dressing cultural development. If you take the word ‘cult’ out of culture without the negative connotations, at the end of the day what is a cult? It’s a group of people who are connected to a common leader, a common belief system and speak a common language. One of the first things we started working on was developing a common language. I couldn’t just come in and say, “OK, I’m not doing this for you anymore.” Instead, it was becoming comfortable saying, “If I have to do this for you, then I don’t need you,” and not coming from a place that was threatening by any means. It was understanding and sharing with employees that, “It’s not my job doing it for you; that’s why we hired you.” It’s a trap that I think a lot of managers and leaders get into. The place we want to be is “do with.” Let’s do this together and make sure you understand it before we just See New Approach, Page 26

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Continued from Page 24

New Approach

throw you in to sink or swim. We also learned the importance of having clear, written expectations of our employees and communicating those expectations. I realized that if I don’t know what to expect of my employees, how will they ever know? As owner of the company, I’m here to support the three leaders in the office, service department and collision center. I want to make sure they have everything they need to succeed so they can do the same thing for the people they serve and operate in the servant-leadership model.

Can you explain the difference Q: between managing and leading? In the past, I used the words A: synonymously but clearly they are two different things. Management

is about doing things right and leadership is about doing the right things. Managers are all about protecting the status quo and making sure that we always follow profit. It doesn’t leave a lot of room for growth, development

and ingenuity. However, leaders recognize they are there for their people. They ask questions like: How do we grow? How do we get better? Instead of saying, “just follow this process,” they ask, “Is this the right process to follow?”

to Coach U and received my coaching certificate and I’m now a certified coach. I like to teach and help other organizations with some of these same kinds of concepts around clarity and expectations and how to have difficult conversations.

It sounds like these learnings Q: changed the way you conducted your business. Can you tell us how it af-

fected the shop and the reaction from employees?

Absolutely. It started with me. A: One of the hardest things I think for people to understand, at least with

Since implementing changes at the body shop, Tony Adams said it has helped increase the volume of cars repaired

An industrial management style, which I had been using, is managing by fear, “I say jump and you ask how high?” The leadership style of the 21st century is about growing and supporting people and operating from a servant-leader mindset. Ultimately, I became passionate about that journey of self-discovery and I decided I wanted to do the same thing that Kevin did with me so I went

26 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

leaders at the top of their organizations, is that it’s always a leadership issue. Very rarely is it a people issue although I’m not saying that organizations don’t have some employees who have some bad behaviors. The biggest pill I had to swallow was my ego and recognize that I was the problem. It wasn’t my people who were the problem. It was me. Once I became clear on that, I had a conversation with everybody—sometimes daily. I told them, ‘This is the direction that we are going to go as a company and I know there are people

on my team who are not going to be here as we continue to move forward. I don’t know who those people are and I certainly can’t imagine losing anybody on my team but I’m not going to negotiate on what I want and expect. Some people are just going choose along the way that they don’t want to be part of this journey. And that’s ok too.’ For the employees, I think it was a mixed emotion of happiness and frustration. Some didn’t like it because there are people who take advantage and like a manager who does everything for them. The superior performers on the team loved it because they could see some of those poor performers out there and were glad that I was holding people accountable. The first major shift was understanding that we are an employee-first organization. My employees come first. I want to make sure they are happy, healthy and full engaged. If they are, they are going to be in a better position to take care of our customers. If our customers are happy, healthy and engaged in what we are doing in our business, then profits and revenue follow that. The way it impacted our organization is the teamwork we have now. It’s not uncommon to come into our busi-

ness and see three or four techs working on one car at a time. It has become a culture of collaboration and working together. They are making good, strong friendships within the organization. It’s not every man for himself. Everyone is after one common goal. We’re not just after the almighty dollar; we’re after something bigger.

How has it helped with the financial performance of the busiQ: ness?

I’m in a position now where I can do the kind of volume that takes most of my competition twice as many and sometimes three times as many administration staff to be able to Continued from Page 20

NADA 100th

the 2017 TIME Dealer of the Year. It is often considered the most prestigious honor a new-car dealer can receive. Swope was selected from a group of 49 nominees from across the country. Those who are nominated perform heroic community service and are strong advocates for improving the

do the same thing. If I can do something with one person that takes you two or three, you can’t compete against me and my operating costs are going to be less. We all know in this industry the profits are shrinking and administration work is rising. We now do things from a standpoint of how do we put people in positions of strength instead of always trying to fix what’s wrong with them.

What is your advice to other Q: shops looking to make a change? Start reading, learning and unA: derstanding that there are different ways to lead and talk and

communicate. There are many books on the subject. Our brain is a muscle just like any other muscle in our body and it will atrophy when we stop using it. When I go visit other shops and clients who I work with, it’s almost always the same thing. First and foremost, people are operating on assumptions rather than clear expectations. Number two, it’s always a leadership issue. I often recommend hiring a coach. Many shops will hire someone to market their business, to come and learn lean processes and how to revamp your administration scanning and filing. Why wouldn’t you hire a coach to help you with what you don’t know from a

leadership perspective? We’re learned a lot along the way about servant-leadership, behavioral science and having clear expectations. All these pieces have helped us create the culture we have now. The biggest thing in leadership is having the right heart and coming from the right place and understanding that you need to be there for your employees. Tony Adams is featured in the book The Secrets of America’s Greatest Body Shops, written by Dave Luehr with Stacey Phillips. It is scheduled to be released in early 2017. For more information, visit www .bodyshopsecrets.com or email dluehr @bodyshopsecrets.com / sphillips@ bodyshopsecrets.com.

world around them. (Autobody News will feature Carl Swope in the April issue of the magazine.) Sidney DeBoer, the executive chairman of Lithia Motors, Ashland, OR, and Amy Purdy, who overcame a partial leg amputation to become an award-winning adaptive snowboarder, brought the final general session of the NADA Convention to a rousing close. DeBoer, who is also dealer princi-

pal of Lithia Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, worked in many positions at the dealership starting as the office manager. His dad’s death in the late 1960s thrust him into the role of running the dealership. “I made 35 sales that first month,” he said, noting his dad had served as the chief salesperson prior to his death. “Those sales made me strong. They gave me the strength I needed to go on.” It was soon after that turbulent time

that DeBoer spearheaded the drive to take the dealership public. Today the company—now led by his son Bryan DeBoer—sells 30 brands in 153 stores located across 17 states. “People can do a lot more than they think they can,” he said. His company’s success “came about due to a decision I made one day after a tragedy. You can do anything anyone else can if you put your mind to it.”

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 27

Shop Services

Collision Safety Consultants Teams with Collision Repair Stakeholders for Proper Repairs with Stacey Phillips

what’s wrong the vehicle and then let Since Billy Walkowiak founded Colhim or her decide whether or not to lision Safety Consultants seven years ago, he has helped consumers, body take it back to the shop to repair it corshops, dealerships and even insurance rectly. “The consumer is ultimately companies with diminished value the vehicle owner, and the choice is claims as well as inspecting post-repair theirs,” he said. vehicles to determine whether they When the company was first eswere fixed properly. tablished in 2010, Walkowiak fo“It used to be that body cused mainly on diminished shops didn’t like Collision value claims in North CarSafety Consultants and they olina and South Carolina. were worried about what I was “The more I started doing going to do,” said Walkowiak, diminished value claims, the president of the North-Carmore I found out that conolina-based company. “I actusumers weren’t getting qualally have body shops now that ity repairs, and they were hire me to look at their cars to Billy Walkowiak, being taken advantage of by founder of Collision make sure they’re doing the Safety Consultants not only unscrupulous body right thing.” shops but by insurance comHe said over the last couple of panies,” he said. “They weren’t getmonths, one of the largest MSOs asked ting quality repairs and they weren’t him to inspect vehicles that were regetting paid what they should for paired by their technicians because their vehicle’s loss in value.” they didn’t think they fixed them corHe found he was getting 75,000 rectly and wanted a third-party opinion. to 100,000 hits a year on his website “The ones that care about their business from those who were interested in embrace me and the ones that don’t, what he was doing. Many consumers disgrace me,” said Walkowiak. were also reaching out to share stories His message to collision repairers about a bad experience with a body is to use OEM repair procedures and shop and wanted to know where they the proper equipment to ensure vehicould find someone to help them. cles are repaired correctly. “The cars Walkowiak would then contact a nowadays are so technical a lot of nearby body shop and ask to be his people don’t have a resistance welder eyes and ears. “I handled the paperor computerized measurement system work but I needed someone to physiand they are fixing hard hits,” he said. cally look at the vehicle because there “The vehicles are engineered today might be a bad repair,” he said. He now with such low tolerance you can’t fix receives about 15 to 20 requests per them if you don’t have the right equipweek. Most of these are asking how to ment.” overcome short pays when an insurHe said that shops often tell him ance company is not willing to pay for that they’ve been doing it a certain way the repair. for 40 years. “Well, these aren’t the Since first opening Collision Safety cars we manufactured 40 years ago,” Consultants, Walkowiak has extended said Walkowiak. his business to include total loss assessWhen a consumer brings in a vements. “A huge piece of business now hicle they are concerned about to his is doing valuations for consumers on business, he starts out by doing a free total loss where insurance companies visual inspection. “If it’s something are not willing to pay them a fair marcosmetic, we don’t make an issue out ket value,” he said. of that. That’s not what we’re looking “Now that I have four associate for,” he said. “We’re looking for things locations, it’s more evident to me that that can endanger the lives of the pasthe problem hasn’t changed,” said sengers of the vehicles.” Walkowiak. The first associate locaAfter conducting an inspection, tion opened in Scottsdale, Arizona in Walkowiak said they always give the March 2016. Locations in Texas and body shop the first opportunity to New Orleans soon followed that same make it right. He will show a customer year and one in Pennsylvania was es-

28 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

business was helping folks fight for their rights. We liked it very much!” They now focus on fighting for the rights of the policyholder either to get diminished value for the damage to the vehicle or the actual cash value for the total loss. “We have found that people simply accept the insurance company offer, leaving lots of value on the table—to the benefit of the insurance company, not them,” she said. When she talks to body New Orleans shops, she tells them that they Vera O’Brien and her hushave an ally when it comes to band Pat own Collision getting the insurance compaSafety Consultants of Southnies to pay them for their ern Louisiana and serve the work. The O’Briens mainly greater New Orleans area. fight for independent shops The O’Bri-ens were in the who don’t cater to big insurbumper reconditioning busi(r to l) Vera and Pat O’Brien with ance companies. “They only ness for more than 18 years. daughter Emma answer to their customer— “It was becoming eviwe like that,” said Vera. “We hope that dent that people were trying everythe public gets wise about their rights. thing not to file a claim for auto When they need a little muscle added damage,” said Vera. “We did research See Proper Repairs, Page 30 as to why that was and found that this tablished just recently in 2017. All of the locations work with multiple shops in their area of business to help ensure proper repairs, as well as assist customers with total loss value and diminished value. “It’s kind of like a value-added service that doesn’t cost the shop anything,” he said. “The shop is the one that gets the accolades.”

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 29

Continued from Page 28

Proper Repairs

to their fight, we’re here for them.” She said it’s an injustice that big insurance companies think they can get away with offering so little to the consumer. “The consumer doesn’t have to settle—they have the right to pick their own body shop, and to get what their totaled car is REALLY worth, and they have the right to go after diminished value,” said Vera. She said improper repairs are also a safety issue for families. “They don’t have to settle for less than proper repairs either. Big companies won’t give you this information; we have to dig it up and point it out and fight for it. That’s our public service!”

Pennsylvania In December 2016, John Hayduk decided to learn more about the possibility of opening an associate location in Pennsylvania. He traveled to North Carolina to train with Walkowiak in January 2017. By February 1, the business was up and running. “I have been following Billy for several years and I saw a great need in

the Philadelphia market and the surrounding area to protect the consumer from unsafe repairs,” said Hayduk, the owner and president of Collision Safety Consultants of Pennsylvania. In July 2016, he was approached by a lawyer about a client’s vehicle that was in two accidents while at a dealership. “I took the vehicle in and we did

John Hayduk, owner and president of Collision Safety Consultants of Pennsylvania

a disassembly,” said Hayduk. He found that the front cover was replaced; however, they did not replace the bumper reinforcement that was also damaged. The right side doors also needed to be replaced because the intrusion beams were bent. It cost $16,500 to make the corrected repairs. “The dealer has never said who fixed the car for them. In doing this, they put the client and her children and

30 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

anyone else riding in that vehicle in danger,” said Hayduk. “This was the catalyst for me to do something for the consumer.” Since opening his business, he has primarily focused on total loss valuations. In the first 14 days, they also dealt with some poor repairs and started to get referrals for diminished value claims. Prior to starting the Pennsylvania business, Hayduk was a retired policeman who worked as an estimator in a body shop as well as managed several shops. He has also been a manager of business development for an auto paint supplier. He has been a licensed appraiser since 1995. Hayduk tells body shops that he isn’t out to find a tape line or a dirt nib. Instead, his goal is to protect motorists from unsafe repairs. “The industry really needs to remember that our customer is the vehicle owner,” said Hayduk. “They are the ones who are counting on us to make sure their vehicles are repaired properly.” Contact Billy at Billy.collisionsafety@ gmail.com, or visit www.collisionsafety consultants.us www.collisionsafety consultants.com.

Continued from Page 19

SARC 2017

Dave Luehr: Discusses his forthcoming book, Secrets of America’s Best Body Shops and presents inspiration to shops, along with tips on how any shop with the right attitude and resources can excel and succeed.

Symach: Fix Line information session presented by Osvaldo Bergaglio and Chad Seelye covering innovative equipment and processes that cure paint in seconds and yield significantly reduced touch times for all repairs. Discussion includes methodology used to develop new body shops worldwide. (Classes are free, unless specifically noted otherwise) Conference M/C: Robert McKenzie, Refinish Distributors Alliance. Conference Facilitator: Mike Anderson, CollisionAdvice. For more information, visit www .southernautomotiverepairconference .com.

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www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 31

Shop Secrets and Strategies with Stacey Phillips

Successful Female Shop Owner in OR Encourages Shops to Keep an Open Mind, Have No Fear and Dive in Camille Eber began working at her time in many ways; they were founding parent’s Oregon body shop, Roth & members of our state association, AuMiller Autobody, in 1986. Just three tobody Craftsman Association, and dad years later, her dad decided he was helped shape an estimator training and ready to sell the business and Camille certification program within the associbecame the new owner. Since ation. They were one of the then, she has added a minorfirst shops in Portland to have ity partner, become affiliated the equipment needed to rewith the Fix Auto Network pair unibody vehicles. They and grown the collision repair also attended a lot of training facility, which includes two and the first few years of locations, Fix Auto Portland NACE. East and Fix Auto Gladstone. I worked only a year with Camille Eber, mom before she passed away, Autobody News spoke to owner of Fix Auto Portland East and Camille about her experiences and after that dad lost his over the years as a woman Fix Auto Gladstone focus and initiative with work. in Oregon shop owner in a male-domiIt was a few very difficult nated field as well as the challenges of years. working in a family business, and why My nephew, William Bray, starshe decided to become part of a netted hanging out with me as a youngster work of shops. and would come with me to the shop on Saturdays while I caught up on suppleWhat are some of the challenges ments. He would do all kinds of odd you have encountered being part jobs to earn a buck—entering labor of a family business and how have you control cards (for job costing), cleaning dealt with them? in the shop, cutting the grass and weeding. When he graduated high school, Our business, Roth & Miller Au- we had been experiencing growth in tobody, was started in 1946 by volume so I taught him estimating and Chet Roth & C.E. Miller. My folks, how to negotiate with insurers (which Jim and Doris Eber, purchased it in he did much better than I ever have). 1963. He’s a very goal-focused guy and When I joined the business with wanted to spread his wings. my folks, I was untainted by the ways We often found ourselves butting of insurer/shop relations. I was optiheads and arguing. He even gave his mistic about being paid for what we did notice once to go work for our largest when we did it, and I believed I could competitor and I made a promise to eliminate the friction of getting paid, make him a partner to keep him from even though my folks told me how it leaving. Due to many, many things, it was. I only needed to educate myself took me much too long to fulfil that and approach it in a different way. This promise. I credit my involvement in a was not always the case, and in many DuPont (now Axalta) Business Council ways not much has changed between group facilitated by Mike Anderson, shops and insurers since that time. and Mike being my accountability partI also saw an opportunity to imner within that group, as the fuel that prove our accounting (my college focus prompted me to finally execute that had been business and accounting) and promise to make my nephew William a our system was archaic when I got minority partner in 2012. there. Mom was the business bookThe relationship with my nephew keeper and she had continued the syshas not been easy and this is welltem the previous bookkeeper had set known by many of our colleagues and up. She was very resistant to making friends. We are polar opposites. He is any changes to the system. In hindsight, an extrovert and I am introvert; he is mom was already very sick and we just goal-focused and I have an overarching didn’t know that her tiredness and idea of how I want things to go. He sometimes feeling exhausted was an illwants autonomy and I want control. ness. The tension in our relationship has freMy parents were ahead of their quently gotten in the way—until re-

Q: A:

32 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

cently. We contracted with a husband and wife coaching team and their ideas and methods mesh well with our Discover Leadership training and my individual work with a personal coach. Trying to work together has cost a ton of money over the years, but working with this couple since June of 2016 has parted the “Red Sea” for us. I was on my last straw with our working relationship (which made our family relationship awful, too). If this round of coaching didn’t yield different results than all the other stuff I’d paid for and saw as a panacea at the time, something very different and likely unpleasant would need to happen. I am very happy I gave it one more go—like my heart told me to do—despite the majority of people familiar with the situation encouraging me to cut ties.

What is it like to be a successful Q: woman shop owner in a male-

dominated field?

Growing up, I was always a bit A: of a tomboy with an interest in cars, and playing with my younger

brother in the dirt with cars and trucks was the norm. I even recall a time when I was about 15, he would have been 11, and we had a grand time one fall afternoon outside in the dirt building Tonka truck-sized roads and maneuvering our cars and trucks along them. I think my interest in cars was also a way to connect with my dad. I started working full time for my folks in 1986 and a year later my mom, who was my dad’s business partner and the glue of the business, passed away unexpectedly. I was tossed into a role that I had to step up to and fulfil, and do so expeditiously, in terms of education and action. My mom was my dad’s support system and he rather crumbled after she died and although he was See Have No Fear, Page 42

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Freeway Honda

Classic Honda

B ir m in g h a m

O r l an do

800-987-0819 205-949-5460

888-893-4984 407-521-1115

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5 greg_thomas@freewayhondaal.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-4 parts@classichonda.com

Jerry Damson Honda

Coggin Deland Honda

Hu n ts vi lle

D e l an d

800-264-1739 256-382-3759

800-758-0007 386-626-1811

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

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

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7:30-4 robbutton@rickcase.com

Ed Morse Honda

South Motors Honda

FL O RI D A

AutoNation Honda Clearwater Cle a rwa t er

R i v i e ra Be a ch

800-232-1098 561-844-8089

888-792-7189 954-763-7157 Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5:30 rguido@holmanauto.com

Rick Case Honda Davie

877-544-2249

M ia mi

888-418-3513 305-256-2240 Dept. Hours: M-F 8-7 mfranceschi@southhonda.com

888-205-2564 727-530-1173

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 7:30-5 tonyrocha@edmorse.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5; Sun 10-3 santosr1@autonation.com

Headquarter Honda C l e r mo nt

Carey Paul Honda

AutoNation Honda Hollywood

800-497-2294 407-395-7374

770-985-1444

Ho lly wo o d

800-542-8121 954-964-8300 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-5; Sun 9-5 hernandeze@autonation.com

Braman Honda of Palm Beach

S ne ll vi ll e Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-6 gperkins@careypaul.com

Hendrick Honda Bradenton

Ed Voyles Honda

877-706-2021 941-752-2123

M ar i e tta

800-334-3719 770-933-5870 Direct

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-7; Sat 8-4 Kris.kitzman@hendrickauto.com

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

888-479-0695 561-966-5185

Hendrick Honda Daytona

Gerald Jones Honda

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

800-953-4402 386-252-2301

G re en a c re s

D a y to n a Be ach

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

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

Honda Mall of Georgia Bu f ord /G win net t

678-318-3155 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-5 cdunlap@penskeautomotive.com

Milton Martin Honda Gain esv ille

770-534-0086 678-989-5473 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6 robertthomas@mmhonda.com

Nalley Honda

GEOR GIA

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-7; Sat 8-5 pepe.guevara@headquarterhonda.com

B ra de n to n

Du lu t h

A ugus ta

800-733-2210 706-228-7040 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 tdunn@geraldjoneshonda.com

Un ion City

866-362-8034 770-306-4646 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-7; Sat 8-5 hondawp@nalleycars.com

Southern Motors Honda Savann ah

888-785-8387 912-925-1444 Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-5 angela@southern-motors.com MI SS IS SI P P I

Patty Peck Honda Rid g elan d

800-748-8676 601-957-3400 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 pmartin@pattypeckhonda.com

AC U R A AL AB A M A

FL O RIDA

GEOR GIA

GE OR G I A

Jerry Damson Acura

Duval Acura

Jackson Acura

Hu n t svil le

Ja ck s o nvi ll e

Ro swe l l

Savann ah

800-264-1739 256-533-1345

800-352-2872 904-725-1149

877-622-2871 678-259-9500

800-347-0596 912-232-3222

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

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 Cecil.adams@duvalacura.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7:30-6 kmcmillan@jacksonacura.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 travis.morrison@southernmotors.com

Rick Case Acura

Nalley Acura

F o rt La u de rda l e

M ar i e tta

800-876-1150 954-377-7688

800-899-7278 770-422-3138

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

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-5 byoung@nalleycars.com

FL O RI D A

Acura of Orange Park J ack so n vi ll e

888-941-7278 904-777-1008 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-8; Sat 7-5; Sun 9-3 msweeney@acuraoforangepark.com

34 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Southern Motors Acura

N O . CA RO L IN A

Flow Acura Win st on -Salem

800-489-3534 336-761-3682 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-1 www.flowacura.com

NO . C AR O LI N A

NO . CAR OL INA

TEN NE SS EE

V IR GIN I A

Apple Tree Honda

Vann York Automall

Bill Gatton Honda

As he v ille

High Point

Br is to l

Stau n ton

800-476-9411 828-684-4400

336-841-6200

800-868-4118 423-652-9545

800-277-0598 540-213-9016

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 8-1 hondaparts@billgattonhonda.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 9-5 bwimer@myvalleyhonda.com

Wolfchase Honda

West Broad Honda

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4 appletreeparts@hotmail.com

Crown Honda Southpoint Du r ha m

855-893-8866 919-425-4711 Dept. Hours: M-Thu 7-11; Fri 7-6 Sat 7-5; Sun 11-5 www.southpointhonda.com

Hendrick Honda Ch a r lo t t e

800-277-7271 704-552-1149 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 rob.thomas@hendrickauto.com

Leith Honda Ra le ig h

800-868-6970 919-790-8228 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7:30-5 parts@leithhonda.com

McKenney-Salinas Honda G as t on ia

888-703-7109 704-824-8844 x 624 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30 parts@mshonda.com

Metro Honda I nd ian Trail

866-882-9542 704-220-1522 Dept. Hours: M-F 6:30-6:30; Sat 7-4 www.copytk.com

N O . CAR OL IN A

Hendrick Acura

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-3 SO . CAR OL INA

Breakaway Honda G re e n vi l l e

800-849-5056 864-234-6481 Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-5 fmarshall@breakawayhonda.com

Midlands Honda C o l u m bi a

877-273-4442 803-691-8585

Valley Honda

Ba r tle t t

Rich m on d

800-982-7290 901-255-3780

800-446-0160 804-672-8811

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7 ekerr@wolfchasehonda.com

Dept. Hours: M-Thu 7:30-6:30; Fri 7:30-6; Sat 8-3; Sun 11-3 wbhonda@aol.com

VIRGINIA

Checkered Flag Honda No r fo l k

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-4 www.copytk.com

800-277-2122 757-687-3453

Piedmont Honda

Dept. Hours: M-Sat 7:30-6 honda.checkeredflag.com

A n de r so n

800-849-5057 864-375-2082 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 swhite@piedmontcars.com TE NNES SEE

Airport Honda Alcoa

800-264-4721 865-970-7792 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6:30; Sat 7:30-5 parts@airporthonda.com

AutoNation Honda West Knoxville

Colonial Honda C he ste r

800-564-9836 804-414-1960 Dept. Hours: M-F 8-7; Sat 8-4 rreese@i95honda.com

Hall Honda Vi rgi ni a Bea ch

800-482-9606 757-431-4329 Dept. Hours: M-F 8-7; Sat 8-5 fox@hallauto.com

K n ox v i l l e

Hendrick Honda Woodbridge

800-824-1301 865-218-5461

703-690-7777

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6 rossd1@autonation.com

Wo o db ri dge Dept. Hours: M-Fri 7-6 Sat 8-5; Sun 10-4

VI RG INIA

Karen Radley Acura

Ch a r lo t t e

Woo d br i dg e

800-768-6824 704-566-2288

800-355-2818 703-550-0205

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 justin.taylor@hendrickauto.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 8-3 coreythompson@radleyautogroup.com

Leith Acura

Radley Acura

Ca r y

F a l l s C hu rch

800-868-0082 919-657-0460

800-550-5035 703-824-5785

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

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-6; Sun 10-5 jimgraf@radleyauto.com www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 35

Hey Toby! Kool Tools 2016

with Toby Chess

Four years ago, Kye Yeung, owner of European Motor Car Works, and I walked the floors of SEMA again looking for new products that most of us never get a chance to see. When we made a presentation at the Collision Industry Conference, the presentation became an instant hit among the audience. So for the fourth year in a row, we walked the floor at SEMA looking for things that were unique and would make life in the body a little easier. It should be noted that we are not endorsing these products and there other manufactures that make similar items and you should take some time to search them out. Moreover, we purchased all but one of the items and we checked them out before we presented at the SCRS open board meeting and the Collision Industry Conference. I might add that there will be a video presentation and it can be accessed at SCRS.com. Let’s look at an out first item:

Toby Chess is an I-CAR program instructor, Training specialist, and former salvage yard operator. Toby is universally known in the collision industry for his work with first responders and advocacy for body shops and consumers. He can be reached at tcspeedster@gmail.com

that you want to check to see if an intrusion beam inside a damaged door needs replacing. Punch a hole and cut out a section for inspection. Available from Amazon.

This will save a lot to sanding time on the repaired tab. Available from Amazon.

The next item is a hand seamer.

The next item I found was a steel cutoff wheel from Alpha Professional Tools (800-648-7229).

Hand Seamer

Steel Cut-off Wheel

Portable Nibbler

A Portable Nibbler by Malco. This part fits on any battery operated electric drill. It will cut sheet metal up to and including 18 gauge steel. Let say

The tool is ideal for forming a tab on a broken bumper. You can use adhesives or plastic weld the broken tab, followed by the hand seamer to “squish” down the tab to the proper thickness.

Alpha® Ultracut ABM Series is designed for use on most popular pneumatic cut-off tools which are widely used in automotive body shops. Unlike regular abrasive cut-off wheels,

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

• A massive 179 square feet of filtration area. • Two huge input filters (over 36sf ) clean the air going through the Workstation.

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

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

• 13’x11’—Parts, pieces and motorcycles. • 30’x14’—Any full size vehicle. • 35’x16’x12’5” tall—As above but also Sprinter vans, small boats, and smaller RVs.

• 60’x16’x12’5” tall—Full size RVs, boats, large trucks, etc. Lighting: LLighting: Ligh ghtiing g:

• Four large clear windows provide ample lighting. • Additional stand lights can be placed outside the booth.

36 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

A Smart Solution. The The Carcoon Car arco co oon on America Am A meric rica Workstation Wo orksta atio on works work wo orks ks the the he same sam sa me and and just ju ust as effectively eff ffecctivvely as as a cross-flow ccrros rosss--fl flow flo fl w paint paiint booth. ootth The Th T he Carcoon Ca C Carrco oon America oo Am me erricca Workstation Work W Work kstation kst ation n is is EPA E A Certified. Cer fi C fie ed Ideal Ideall for fo or the the busy bus b sy body b dy bod dy shop-mobile sh p-m mob bile technician/smaller techn tech hn nician/smaller nici ian n/sma aller shop sh hop ho p with w th limited lim l mited facilities. fa facil cilliti ities. es

866.910.0899 www.carcoonworkstation.com

the Alpha® Ultracut doesn’t change diameter during the cutting operation. It will maintain maximum cutting depth throughout its life. The Ultracut was made with the highest quality diamond grits allowing you to cut multiple layers of different materials while assuring a fast, clean cutting experience. The company states that the blade will outlast an abrasive cutoff wheel ten to one. Both Kye and I have used it and it does last a lot longer than a conventional cutoff wheel. Comes in 3 and 4 inch diameters.

Moving on, the next item is a leatherlead shot dolly bag from S & H Industries (800-253-9726).

Shot Loaded Dolly Bag

The shot loaded dolly bag is one of the best tools for replacing a door skin. Steel dollies are too rigid and will

cause some damage, even in skilled hands. If you don’t want to end up repairing hem flange damage, don’t damage the flange edge. Use a shot loaded dolly bag – a leather bag filled with lead shot. This dolly is heavy, but conforms to the shape of the outer door skin, whatever that shape. It absorbs the energy and does not rebound on the door skin. If your tech is placing bondo on the outside of the edge of the new door skin, switch to this dooly and the need for bondo will be eliminated. This dolly is also an excellent tool for repairing aluminum.

Another item that helps eliminate repair/removal damage is a laser weld cutter. From Reliable Automotive Equipment (800-328-7855)

Laser Weld Cutter

What is a laser weld?” A laser weld is a narrow high in-

tool box from Camel Grinding Wheel Inc or CGW.

tense heat source that is used in welding steel and aluminum The main advantages to be gained through the use of laser welding include low distortion, single sided access, high torsional stiffness of components, and cost savings through elimination of other manufacturing operations. Most of the applications to date have focused on welding of steels but there is a growth in confidence in laser welding of aluminum alloys. In the past these welds were ground off using a cutoff wheel or a grinding disc, which could lead to damage of the underneath metal layer. Laser weld cutter have a depth of cut, guide rods, and multiple width cutters, that allow the tech to remove only the laser weld and not the underneath metal. I recently used one on a roof of a Ford Aluminum Body F150 and the tool really made the removal operation clean and quick. I found another item that should be part of your aluminum

Flap Disc for Aluminum

Traditionally, to remove excess aluminum weld material, you would use either a high aluma burr or 50 grit grinding discs. These two products will cause collateral damage to adjacent surfaces if you get off the weld. It is recommended that you remove excess weld, but stop grinding so that the weld is slightly above the surface of the surrounding aluminum. New switch over to 80 grid DA sandpaper at low speeds to finish the operation. The CGW for aluminum is completely different. The CGW 4.5” x 7/8” T29 A3 Flap Disc for Aluminum keeps work material cool and prevents loading See Kool Tools 2016, Page 46

The right part makes the difference.

URCE O S S T R A PA YOUR KI

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www.southsidekiajax.com jneeley@southsidekia.net Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-7pm; Sat 8am-4pm 9401 Atlantic Blvd • Jacksonville, FL 32225 www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 37

Audi dealers strive to make you an Audi Genuine Parts fan

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Alabama

Audi Melbourne

Audi Birmingham

Melbourne 888.554.3115 321.956.1959 Fax M-F 7:30am-5:30pm

Irondale 205.986.7410 205.986.7438 Fax M-F 7am-6pm; Sat 8am-4pm daniel.williford@audiofbirmingham.com www.audiofbirmingham.com

Audi Naples Audi Huntsville Huntsville 256.724.3499 256.721.4066 Fax M-F 7am-5:30pm; Sat 8am-2pm ihagler@hileyhuntsville.com www.audihuntsville.com

Florida Audi Jacksonville Jacksonville 866.413.8557 904.565.2216 Fax M-F 7am-7pm; Sat 8am-5pm cdrake@audijax.com www.audijax.com

38 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

parts@audimelbourne.com www.audimelbourne.com

Naples 866.267.0060 239.643.8582 Fax M-F 7:30am-6pm Sat 7:30am-3pm tcanglin@audinaples.com www.audinaples.com

Audi North Orlando Orlando 407.643.2980 407.206.9565 Fax M-F 7am-6pm vswany@audinorthorlando.com www.parts.audinorthorlando.com

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Installing Audi Genuine Parts from an Audi dealer is priceless to your reputation and your customers peace of mind. Order Genuine Audi Parts from these select dealers: Audi Pembroke Pines

Georgia

Flow Audi

Virginia

Pembroke Pines 888.434.2756 954.620.2036 Fax M-F 8am-5:30pm; Sat 8am-2pm

Audi Atlanta

Winston-Salem 336.761.3698 336.723.6911 Fax M-F 7:30am-6pm; Sat 8am-1pm

Audi Virginia Beach

notto@holmanauto.com www.audipp.com

Audi West Palm Beach West Palm Beach 561.615.4175 561.615.4179 Fax M-F 7:30am-6pm wholesaleparts@audiwpb.com www.parts.audiwpb.com

Prestige Audi North Miami Beach 305.952.5952 305.944.4009 Fax M-F 8am-6pm; Sat 9am-1pm amartinez@prestigeaudimiami.com www.prestigeaudimiami.com

Atlanta 770.454.5951 678.547.0984 Fax M-F 7:30am-7pm; Sat 8am-4pm audi1parts@jimellis.com www.jimellisaudiparts.com

mmueller@flowauto.com www.flowauto.com

Virginia Beach 757.687.3488 757.687.3490 Fax M-F 8am-6pm audi_parts@checkeredflag.com www.audivirginiabeach.com

So. Carolina No. Carolina

Audi Columbia

Flow Audi

Audi Asheville

Columbia 888.418.8940 803.754.5840 Fax M-F 7:30am-6pm Sat 7:30am-3:30pm

Charlottesville 434.951.6160 434.293.5151 Fax M-F 7:30am-6pm; Sat 8am-1pm

Asheville 828.232.4002 828.350.3560 Fax M-F 7:30am-5:30pm Sat 8am-4pm www.audiasheville.com

skirby@jimhudson.com www.audicolumbia.com

Audi Cary

Tennessee

Cary 877.204.5449 919.469.1431 Fax M-F 7:30am-6pm; Sat 8am-5pm

Audi Knoxville

parts@leithimports.com www.audicary.com

spalmer@flowauto.com www.flowaudicharlottesville.com

Knoxville 800.382.2787 865.251.3227 Fax M-F 7:30am-5:30pm brianmaillet@harperdealerships.com www.audiknoxville.com

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 39

Media and Publicity for Shops

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

Do 3 Things Right With Your Shop Marketing, Stick to Them and Thrive with Ed Attanasio

I had a baseball coach in high school who used to say, “Do three things right!” His theory was that the human brain was adept at handling three things simultaneously, but more than that and it would struggle. So for a hitter, he would say, think about these three things: 1) Keep your eye on the ball 2) Don’t move your head and 3) Finish your swing. But if you add in a lot of other things to think about while at the plate—not moving your feet; keeping your knees bent, etc.—it will only confuse you and keep you from doing the first three things right. Or at least that’s what my coach thought. Unfortunately, I couldn’t hit a slider (or a curveball), but his advice stuck with me, and today, I often put his three-point plan into practice in my

these be examples of major corporations that tried to do too much all at once? Maybe or maybe not—but at this point I’m rolling, so I’m going to stick to my theory of doing things threefold for maximum results. The first thing you need to do— whether you’re a one-man shop with one bay or an MSO with 300-plus locations—is determine your path and goals with your marketing efforts. Concentrate on the audience you want to cater to—either the insurance companies or consumers. Once you can make this decision, the subsequent ones should follow more easily. The average shop in the U.S. is more than 80% dependant on DRPs for their revenues, so if you determine that the three things you want to do right might fit into that cate-

business and writing. I strongly believe that many people in this industry are skilled at multitasking, but sometimes they “pile on,” and that’s when the problems begin. A body shop has thousands of moving parts, and a lot of things have to happen in perfect order for a repair to go right. If you’re not dealing with a deluge of paperwork (which is increasing all the time), communicating with customers, DRPs, vendors and, of course, employees—on top of fixing a car without affecting your cycle time—it can be overwhelming to say the least. If you’re most concerned about getting the cars out, marketing isn’t going to be a priority, and I understand that. But by doing it in small increments and concentrating on just three things, you’re more likely to thrive rather than just survive via your marketing. It makes sense to do three things right, as opposed to doing a dozen things ineffectively. Very few companies can do it all, and that’s why they stumble sometimes. Remember HP’s TouchPad, New Coke, the Ford Edsel and McDonald’s Arch Deluxe? Could

gory, there are a wide range of options. To retain its DRPs and interact regularly with the insurance agents that they work with, shops often produce and disseminate e-mail newsletters to keep them in the loop; set up social media platforms that are just for them; hold regular classes and other events for the agents and create special sections of their websites to accommodate and communicate with their DRPs. If you are a shop that is more concerned about catering to the consumer, then there is an entirely different approach with many more options. Social media, e-mail marketing, broadcast advertising, community outreach, online advertising, outdoor advertising, blogging—there are literally hundreds of things you can do. So pick three and work them for a while. After you see some real progress, maybe change the plan a little bit and alter your marketing goals? Things change quickly in the marketing game, so always be open to new marketing methods and approaches. Many successful shops beat the other guys down the street by embracing things such as

“It makes sense to do three things right, as opposed to doing a dozen things ineffectively.”

40 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

online advertising and blogging before they become another flavor of the moment. For a shop that hasn’t done any significant marketing in the past, it’s a big and exciting world out there. My first piece of advice is to take baby steps initially and don’t take on too much at first. Pick three things and put some resources behind them and commit to them for the duration. How long should you stick with these three things before evaluating and re-shuffling them or abandoning them altogether? Too many shops have unrealistic expectations about the results of their marketing. They will do a blog, for example, to boost their rankings on Google, but after 1–2 months, they aren’t happy with the results, so they bail. All of the work they’ve done up to that point has disappeared and now the blog sits there dormant and without any new content. They don’t realize that an

out of date blog can actually hurt their Search Engine Optimization (SEO) due to inactivity. Pare down your marketing efforts and concentrate on three things to achieve your goals and create new business. Stick with all three (one year at least) and you will see the benefits gradually and organically. Don’t try to do it all when it comes to marketing, but make the three things your priorities. There are a lot of shops out there that do incredible work and garner top reviews from their customers and insurance partners, but unless they are marketing continually, no one will likely know. You can’t rely on the old “word of mouth” anymore, so focus and specialize with your marketing endeavors and thrive in a highly competitive market. By working on three things and making sure you do them effectively, you will succeed and watch the numbers grow over time.

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www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 41

Continued from Page 32

Have No Fear

physically at work for an additional three years, he was not always mentally at work. Often times he would leave for several hours, which left me holding down the office, answering the phone, preparing estimates and negotiating with insurers at a moment’s notice while also juggling the management of production and employees in the shop. When dad asked me at the beginning of 1989 if I wanted to buy the shop, I recall having no fear and no thoughts about it seeming odd or being an unusual challenge because I was female in a male-dominated industry. It was not until recently that I even brought into my awareness the innate mental differences between men and women. Once in a while, I would ask myself if X is happening because I’m female or if that adjuster treats me the way he does because I’m female. But generally speaking, I have not and do not play a card that has said, “It’s because I’m female.” I have always had male friendships, with some of my most treasured and dearest being male friends. I have

no problem being the only woman at the table, which happens less often today than it did 20+ years ago; it seems normal. Friends and colleagues know me, I believe, for my passion (which if you don’t know me can look like anger or hostility), willingness and ability to say some hard things in front of others. I’m called to and counted upon to review

What advice can you share with Q: other women (and men) in a similar situation or those who are thinking

about becoming part of the industry?

If you are female and you have interest in our industry—dive in, A: head or feet first, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you learn what you need to learn to be successful—that’s no dif-

Roth & Miller Autobody joined the Fix Auto Network of body shops in late 2008

complex documents or concepts because I am extremely detail oriented and have an innate ability to see how one thing here can impact another over there.

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ferent, male or female, in my opinion. For me, that was to seek out mentors (male or female), learn from others, keep an open mind and acknowledge “I

don’t know what I don’t know.” Also, be willing to be vulnerable and admit when you don’t know (because you can always learn it or find it, etc.). I always thought that I could learn from the experience and vision of others. Learn to trust what your body tells you about situations. I could have learned this much sooner, but as I mentioned, you don’t know what you don’t know. I was an excellent estimator and a mediocre negotiator. Those are different skill sets and as an industry we often latch those together with a padlock and throw away the key. I believe this can be detrimental to our business and our people, but sometimes it’s all we have to work with, or we think it’s all we have available. I have the mentality that I can best my best every day—some days progress is better than others, but I choose to rise and shine versus to lie down and fail. I have a strong sense of duty to give back to the industry, to seek continuous improvement in operations and the resources we use to help us, such as software. I enjoy serving and have done so through voluntary committee work such as I-CAR focus committees, software advisory boards, local college adSee Have No Fear, Page 56

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Shop Showcase

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

Supporting Orphans is Not Just a Cause, But a Way of Life for Lefler Collision Family with Ed Attanasio

The collision repair industry gives back in a big way, and certain body shops are well-known for their philanthropy and kindness. They give cars away and sponsor things like food drives, car washes and other fundraisers for local charities and more. Many of these shops have been doing these types of things for so many years that it’s practically in their DNA, just like fixing cars.

were like, and we were terrified by what we saw,” Lefler said. “So we decided to sponsor three orphans, but when we started getting letters from them and learning their stories, we knew we had to do more.” One day, Jimmy’s wife Stephanie came into his office and announced that God was calling them to go to Myanmar. “So I looked at my cell phone and there were no messages from Him there,” he said. “I jokingly asked my wife, ‘Are you sure?’” When most husbands get a “honey do list,” it says things like clean up the garage or wash the car, but this particular request was going to involve a 30 hour+ travel period, including one 16-hour flight to reach their destination, and Jimmy wasn’t enamored with the idea initially. Jimmy Lefler with Yin Yin Khin and Sophia during his “First off, I had to look at a recent and 11th trip to Myanmar map to find Myanmar,” Lefler While most shops reach out to help said. “I am not a really adventurous their respective communities, there is person in general. I hate camping and one third-generation MSO that is I can’t stand living out of suitcases, so changing the world with its generosity I figured I would go the first time and and commitment to making a change. that would be it.” But after seeing the orphans and Jimmy Lefler, the owner of Lefler Collision and Glass, with three locations in victims of human trafficking firsthand Indiana and one in Kentucky, embarked in Myanmar, Lefler realized that this eight years ago on an amazing journey was going to be a little more than just to help people in Myanmar (formerly a two-week vacation. “Like Michael Burma). Anderson from Collision Advice alLefler, his family and some of his ways says, ‘We didn’t know what we crew work closely with an organization didn’t know,’” Lefler said. “These called Uncharted International that has people were so wonderful and so 12 orphanages with more than 600 orgrateful [that] it just melted my heart. phans in Myanmar; a home for elderly widows; a human trafficking recovery center; and The Loom House, which provides jobs for the children that grow up in the orphanages and for women who, without a job, would end up in horrible situations to provide for themselves and their families. Josh Lefler manages the company’s Evansville Maxwell For his 11th time, Lefler location. He has been to Myanmar five times to volunteer traveled to Myanmar right at The Loom House after Christmas last year for two weeks. They were embarrassed to receive our It has become his annual pilgrimage, help, but we were right in there doing but how did it all begin? manual labor with them and I think “At my church in 2008, they show- they respected that. What they give ed us what the conditions in Myanmar back to us in immeasurable. They

44 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

have become our family.” During his first trip, Lefler was helping people with things he knew nothing about, but it did not dissuade him for a second, he explained. “They wanted to raise pigs and chickens, but they didn’t know about the business

side. Planning, rotating, feeding, selling—I had to teach them all of that and I knew nothing about pigs or chickens! So I did my research, and then when we returned, I was more prepared. One of the villagers wanted to raise fish, so I researched the process and advised him to dig a pond. When I returned the 6 months later, I was amazed at the two ponds he had dug by hand. They were 20 ft. long, 30 ft. wide and three feet deep and I was shocked that he did it all by himself. So now he’s raising fish.” Lefler focuses much of his attention on The Loom House, which enables orphans who age out of the orphanage to have careers in which they can (l to r) Jimmy Lefler, Assistant Production Manager flourish and have pride. It has Max Carnahan and (front) Megan Williams, Director of also provided employment to Marketing at Lefler Collision and Glass, who utilize their women who otherwise would marketing skills to help Jimmy with the branding and See Not Just a Cause, Page 50

progression of the Loom House goods

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Continued from Page 37

Kool Tools 2016

making it the ideal option for softer material jobs. This flapper disc is constructed on heat treated polyester backing and features Blue-Fired premium aluminum oxide grains with a calcium stearate coating. This unique combination of A3 Material with calcium stearate coating can become liquefied under the heat of friction, lowering the materials temperature and preventing loading. In addition the T29 flap disc for aluminum oxide is constructed with the flaps at an 8 degree angle providing greater surface contact and aggressive use.

The picture is a practice weld from the I-CAR Aluminum Certification test. It took less than 30 seconds to remove the weld. Notice that the adjacent metal is smooth and not gouged up if a 50 grit grinder was used. I used a scotch brite flat disc next and I will explain about the tool in the next paragraph. Available online from a number of outlets.

Moving on to the next tool, a scotch brite flap disc from Sait.

V Fine-Blue-Aluminum

Stainless Steel, High tensile steel, NonFerrous Metals—Available On-line. I switch to the V fine flap disc and finished dressing the weld. It took less than a minute and the results were fantastic.

ness. The machine would make adjustments for voltage and wire speed. At SEMA 2016, ProSpot International demoed their multi voltage MIG WelderPR-205 MV.

Let’s shift gears now and look at welding.

Medium-Gray-Steel

SAIT Sand-Light Flap Discs, Durable Material, Suitable for Surface Preparation/Cleaning/Finishing applications. Longer Lasting Layered Flaps create a cushioned design which provides a better finish. Use for Ferrous Metals,

Up until recently, Miller Electric had a multi volt welder. The Millermatic 211 could be plugged into 220 single phase or 110 volts. The machine would read the input volts and make the necessary adjustments. On the auto set mode, you set the wire diameter and metal thick-

Multi Voltage Mig Welder

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Like the Millermatic 211, the machine comes with a pigtail that allows you to go from 220 volt plug to 110 volt plug. It also has stick weld option. You set the thickness in MM and you are off to the races. Remember; always do test welds prior to welding on a vehicle. Another nice feature about this machine it has an Adjustable Slope & Burn Back Time: The Slope adjusts the response of the motor at start-up ensuring a clean start to the weld. Burn Back Time maintains power to the torch after the motor stops ensuring a clean end to the weld. I have used this welder and it is a really nice piece of equipment. Now you have two choices for a multi volt machine, Miller or ProSpot.

The next small tool is a magnetic flasher light holder from Killer Tools (800-369-4262).

This holder has a magnetic base with a scratch protection surface on the bottom along with a “goose neck”. I use these when I conduct the I-CAR MIG Certification test. Having light on the weld prior to striking an arch, give the tech better control when he/she is welding especially in an overhead position. It should be noted that the

The Nebo 250 is two lights in one. A flash light and a work light.

An additional feature is the base of the light has a magnet.

Magnetic Flasher Light Holder

stand does not come with a flash light.

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repair visibility. It is also has a rheostat so that you can vary the intensity of the light. Curtains are great way to controlling cross contamination (steel and aluminum particles) as well as dust from sand. A better way of controlling bondo dust is with a vacuum system, but you need to understand the health hazards of bondo dust. The application of filler material can expose you to some hazardous materials if you do not take appropriate precautions. Most body fillers contain a solvent called styrene. As the filler dries, styrene is released to the air and you can breathe it. It has a characteristic sweet smell at low concentrations and a sharp disagreeable odor at high concentrations. Exposure to styrene can cause respiratory irritation. It may also damage your liver and possibly cause cancer at very high levels of exposures not usually found in autobody shops. Styrene can also be absorbed directly through the skin if you come in direct contact with the uncured filler. In some people, direct contact with the filler may cause skin rashes and repeated exposure may increase your sensitivity. See Kool Tools 2016, Page 48

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and cleanly with water. Available from Kent Automotive.

Continued from Page 47

Kool Tools 2016

Sanding paint and filler material creates a lot of fine dust that is easily inhaled and can irritate your breathing tubes and eyes. The dust may contain hazardous substances as well, such as lead, chromium, and the abrasives from sanding disks. This dust can be harmful if inhaled or ingested. I am not suggesting that anyone eats the dust on purpose, but it can easily stick to your hands and face, and if not thoroughly washed off, will contaminate your food, drinks and cigarettes. At even very low levels of exposure, the toxic metals in this dust can cause serious health effects and body workers performing these tasks without precautions have exceeded the exposure limits for these hazardous materials.

The Kool Tool from SEMA 2016 is a Sanding work Station from Tool Shaver (714-974-2531)

This sprayer is from FBS Distributors (613-224-0685). The spray nozzle adjusts from a fan to stream is chemically resistant to all chemical used in the body shop environment.

High-Performance Scuffing Agent

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the bondo dust and having everything at your fingertips, will improve your repair cycle time.

Here are a couple of additional new and different sanders from R&H Products (360-687-978).

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the paint. It’s a high-performance scuffing agent that enhances paint adhesion by ensuring cleanliness and consistent surface profiling. As an industry trusted product for cleaning and abrading plastic bumpers as well as preparing blend and hardto-reach areas, Scuff Stuff offers superior workability and rinses off easily

Super Sprayer

The last item is an 8MM drill bit extender from Dent Fix Corp. (800-5231751).

8mm Drill Bit Extender

When access is limited or obstructed either by a structural member or other component, we have a solution. DF-1600K The Extender is a spot weld drill bit extension that adds 6_ inches of length, letting you get to those deep and hard to reach spot welds. The plastic sleeve protects any nearby structures from damage & cables from getting tangled. You can stabilize the drill point by holding here. The drill bit is held in the holder with a set screw, which allows for a replacement bit.

NISSAN OF RICHMOND Sanding Work Station

This sanding station has it all. The cart comes with the tool box, twosided aluminum extruded wall and product holders. You add a vacuum unit, sand paper, chemical and sanders. The sanders are on the other side of the cart. They (for demonstration purpose) include air operated vacuum DA sanders from Dynbrade and vacuum sanders from Eurovac. You will reduce

Dynabrade 6” DA Vac. Sander. 800-828-7333

6004 Series True Flex Sanders: Automatically conforms to curves. Easy 1 handed operation Designed for exceptional final finish on body filler & primers Available with Plexiglass base or MORE durable Spring Stainless Steel Part# 6004 Plexiglass base Part# 6004S Spring Stainless base True Flex Foam Blocks: Rugged dense foam sanding block with “Tough” Dual texture surface for easy removal of sandpaper & added durability. Easily flexes to follow even the most demanding curves. Flexes for concave & convex curves. Different textures on each side for fast & finish sanding. Again, available from R&H Products.

Kye is using this next product in his shop. I might add Kye tests out a product thoroughly before he will use it or endorse it. Presta Scuff Stuff is a prep that gives superior adhesion to

48 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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Continued from Page 44

Not Just a Cause

have ended up in very unfavorable situations. “Unfortunately, without The Loom House opportunity, their chance of becoming victims to false promises from human trafficking scavengers are high,” Lefler explained. “They promise them work abroad and sell them into tragic and inescapable slavery, and it happens every day. So The Loom House takes them out of that life and gives them a chance to support themselves.” The young ladies that work at The Loom House sew, knit and make blankets, jewelry, silk scarves, makeup bags and dresses for sale worldwide. Of every dollar that comes in, 90 cents goes to the employees of The Loom House. When Lefler began to collaborate with and coordinate the processes within the The Loom House in 2009, the operation made around $8,000, but last year it brought in almost $100,000 thanks to the purchases of many in the collision community. Now, the Leflers bring an entire group along with them to Myanmar.

“My twin 17-year-old girls made their fourth trip in December,” he said. It has changed their whole perspective on life. “My Axalta Jobber, Bill Payne, started going with me in 2010, and now he sponsors his own orphanage and has taught them how to fix and maintain all

The Loom House in 2016, including all of the girls with (l to r) Max, Megan, and Jimmy

of their transportation vehicles including their van and motorbikes, allowing them to have consistent transportation. I have taken three marketing staff members to assist in branding and marketing The Loom House products. My son, who manages our Maxwell shop in Evansville, has been three times, and

BASF Teams up With Driven to Cure

At its automotive refinish team meeting earlier this month, BASF presented Andrew Lee, president & CEO of Driven to Cure (DTC), and his father Bruce Lee, chairman, treasurer & secretary of DTC, with a check for $10,000. Immediately following, BASF announced its new DTC Promotion, “Paint with a Purpose.”

BASF presents a $10,000 check to Andrew Lee (second from right) for Driven to Cure. With Andrew are (left to right) his father, Bruce Lee; BASF Refinish Vice President, Marvin Gillfillan and BASF Refinish Marketing Head, Dan Bihlmeyer

Andrew Lee was diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer, HLRCC, in 2015 at the age of 19. With the help of his father, Lee is living his dream as the owner of a 2015 Nissan GT-R, which they rebuilt and painted orange, the color representing kidney cancer. The color is a unique mix of

my wife works with medical teams and teaches educational programs in the areas of health, hygiene and family planning.” In addition to supporting and enabling these orphanages and setting up The Loom House for ongoing produc-

BASF Glasurit basecoats, now named Glasurit DTC Orange. Through the “Paint with a Purpose” promotion, the Glasurit DTC Orange is now available to order through BASF. All proceeds of the paint sales will be donated to DTC. After painting cars with the unique mix, builders are asked to send photos to refinish_comm@basf.com to be posted on BASF social media. “Driven to Cure’s mission is to raise awareness about rare kidney cancers like HLRCC. With our new amazing Glasurit orange color on the Driven to Cure Nissan GT-R, which is the color for kidney cancer, we are doing just that,” said Lee. “When starting Driven to Cure, I never thought we would have a relationship like this with such a great company. We are so proud of the BASF team for supporting Driven to Cure and for joining forces with many in the car community who already support us. We are all Driven to Cure!” Since building the GT-R, Lee has been traveling to car shows spreading the word of kidney cancer and raising money. Thus far, more than $200,000 has been raised. For more information, visit www .basfrefinish.com.

50 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

tion, the Leflers welcomed a young woman from Myanmar into their home in Indiana a while back. “Elizabeth Thang is the daughter of Rebecca and Peter Thang, the founders and leaders over the Love Children Home Christian orphanage network,” Lefler said. “Elizabeth has

lived with my family for almost two years and is studying to get her bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Indiana,” he said. “She is working on an International Business degree and looking forward to returning to Yangon, Myanmar to make a difference in the newly open democratic country. She is a 4.0 student on the Dean’s List and is deeply involved with the work at Uncharted local headquarters, the summer program for international students department for the school and she is a foreign exchange student ambassador for incoming freshmen from around the world.” Lefler is already planning for his 12th trip to Myanmar at the end of 2017. “I am planning a trip for up to 12 people later this year,” he said. “My goal is to coordinate a team of people in the collision and related industries with an interest in making a difference in the lives of people looking for a ‘hand up’ not a ‘hand out.’ People think that one person can’t make a difference, but all they need to do is make one trip with me; I can show them that through love, knowledge and a little sweat, one person can change the futures of many. It’s a cumulative effect.”

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216.600.9005 www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 51

Continued from Page 22

ND Shop Manager

When Rydell constructed the new body shop building a little over 14 years ago, it was set up with the theory of constraints in mind. Once a car is introduced into production, it never has to go outside of the building. One of our goals is to always work towards consistently working on a particular car. It was easy when there were just a few technicians but now that we have 20, it becomes more of a challenge every day. Every once in a while we have to go back and reread the article and make sure we’re true to what our constraint is in the shop. Early on, we realized in most cases when people in the industry talk about “lean” or “theory of constraints” they are typically talking about the paint booth being the constraint. What we have learned is the painting of the repair is really the most consistent part of the repair. We focused on the metal side of the repair because when we stepped back and looked at why our metal techs would have to stop and re-start a repair, until the vehicle moves to the paint side, the majority of the variables always came prior to the paint process. Supplements, missed parts, wrong parts, parts broken during disassembly, hidden damage, panel written to repair when it needs to be replaced and even the wrong tech working on a job. These are all typical variables that always cause techs to start and stop on a repair long before the vehicle ever moves to the paint department. We found that until we removed all these constraints, there was no way that we could ever get constant work flow. Once we stepped back and tracked all these variables, and realized just how much of an impact it was having on our performance, we knew we had to focus on eliminating them. Our first step was realizing that it all starts with the estimating process. When we started tracking the stops and their causes, we learned that we needed to look at the quality of the estimate and mapped vehicle that we were giving our technicians. We also realized that we were really not taking advantage of our tech’s abilities. To get the best out of them, you have to give them the best chance to win. I think a huge milestone for us was when we realized that if we looked at tech’s stops and starts as a fail the same way that we look at when a customer comes to pick up their vehicle, and we missed something, which we always look at as a fail, the impact is the same. The techs

having to stop because of a poor estimate was the same fail as when a customer came to pick up their car and they found something wrong. We are significantly better today than when we started two years ago, and we know we still have many improvements that we need to do to even make us better. Our whole process has been designed around focusing on eliminating as many situations that prevent a car from not being continuously worked on when released for repairs.

What is the benefit of continuous Q: workflow? 1: Performance from better cycle A: time and hours per day. When a technician does not have to constantly

start and stop on a repair, he can focus and concentrate on his work. This allows for better repairs and more consistency in their performance. They earn more money, are much happier and their quality of work improves dramatically. 2: Better performing body shops that are in the DRP world understand the importance of performance. It gives them the ability to receive more cars from insurance companies. Our shop, like thousands of other shops, typically processed work the same way because “it’s all we know” and “because that’s how we’ve always did it!” I believe the collision repair industry is changing; there are many new repair processes and opportunities for repair shops to improve their performance. They can have a process in place that allow them to better repair vehicles and know that those repairs are done correctly, become faster and ultimately become a more profitable shop. 3: When we talk about continuous workflow, it means that after the technician gets a vehicle into his stall for repair, our goal is that he is working on that one vehicle from the time that he starts in the morning and until he completes it or punches out for the day. We don’t allow him to work on another vehicle until it moves to paint, then typically, we’ll have that technician look at his next job while the other car is in paint and he might do some pre-staging, pull his parts, etc. Our cycle time for going through the paint booth is about 52–53 minutes with a gas catalytic robot. The vehicle is not on the paint side very long, so the repairing technician will get his repair back for reassembly typically within 60 to 75 minutes. We truly work at getting four hours a day on every car that we repair that has 4.0 or more repair or refinish hours.

52 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

What were some of the changes Q: you implemented at Rydell when you began using the processes from Bodyshop Revolution?

When Bodyshop Revolution came into our world in 2014, it was a A: huge culture change. Prior to this, we tried

many different stages and types of blueprinting and mirror matching of parts, etc. but we couldn’t get our processes consistent to the point where we didn’t have what we call “process evaporation.” We’d implement a new process, it would work well for a couple of weeks, maybe even a few months, but as time passed, we would see this process evaporation and after a period of time, we seemed to fall back to our comfort level of doing things the old way. What we found was we didn’t have a good set of ground rules or a good solid outline to follow that allowed us to monitor these new processes and be able to follow up correctly when they seemed to fail. In many cases, we had good training and we knew what we wanted to accomplish, but we just seemed to always chase success. Once we found and were trained on Bodyshop Revolution’s Vehicle Damage Assessment (VDA) process, it was a HUGE change on how we assessed ve-

hicle damage. We had to change our thought process on how important estimating the vehicle was, and how it affects the complete repair. We had to understand how important accuracy of the estimate really was and also the importance of how we map our vehicles, and ultimately, the biggest reality was how we needed to looked at the value of our metal and paint technicians. We all know that starts and stops in this industry are a given. With the VDA, our goal is to eliminate as many of these starts and stops as possible. We know we can’t stop them all, but if we can get better at determining the why of these stops, we can get better with our repair performance. Any time a technician has to stop working on a vehicle, we consider that a fail the same way as if a customer up front comes to pick up a vehicle and notices something that isn’t properly repaired. The culture for us became that we looked at our technicians as customers of the estimating process and that anytime they had to leave their six-foot repair circle—the area around the repair that they are working on—that it is a fail. Once we had the VDA in place, our first true success and example or what we See ND Shop Manager, Page 56

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—John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon, who has a body shop in the family and has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988. He is the editor of the weekly CRASH Network (for a free 4-week trial subscription, visit www.CrashNetwork.com). Contact him by email at jyoswick@SpiritOne.com.

Historical Snapshot with John Yoswick

Industry History Includes Concern About Refinish Materials Calculation, “Underwritten” Estimates 20 years ago in the collision repair industry (March 1997) The estimating system providers agreed that the formulas they offer for calculating blending time (painting a portion of an adjacent panel for color matching) are not designed to be used when estimating spot painting (blending within a repaired panel). The panelists were also asked whether shop compensation for paint materials would be calculated differently in the future. Sherwin-Williams’ Bruce Cooley said there is nothing logical about the current system, in which materials compensation is based on the number of refinish hours. “If someone was painting a room in your home on an insurance claim, I’m sure the materials required to paint that room would be basically based on the size of that room,” Cooley said. “Boy, I wish we could catch up with that in the automotive trade business.”

– As reported in The Auto Rebuilder. Twenty years later, the majority of the industry continues to use the refinish hours as the multiplier of the refinish materials rate. A 2016 “Who

In 2007, Ohio attorney Erica Eversman argued that insurers could be in breach of the insurance contract if they make a practice of deliberately not including on an estimate all of the repairs necessary to restore the vehicle

Pays for What?” survey (www.crash network.com/collisionadvice) found that only about 19 percent of shops use a materials calculator/invoicing system; more than 60 percent who do, however,

reported they are paid “always” or “most of the time” based on that materials invoice from the top eight largest insurers.

15 years ago in the collision repair industry (March 2002) Principle has influence only when the public is watching. Otherwise, money rules. The insurance lobby knows this and applies it expertly. What other explanation would there be for bills that would limit the use of non-OEM parts on late-model vehicles languishing in one state legislature after another over the last six years? The insurance lobby would have us believe that instead of enhancing consumer choices, the bills ensured a monopoly for the car companies. Hogwash. The insurance lobby seems to have forgotten that the customer is the care owner, not the insurance company, and without these bills becoming laws, owners have no choice about what

goes on their recently-purchased cars. They get what the insurance company dictates. – from a column by industry writer Tom Slear published in Autobody News.

10 years ago in the collision repair industry (March 2007) The causes and concerns about “underwritten” initial estimates were the focus of a recent panel discussion including shops, insurers and attorneys. “It could be a breach of the insurance contract with the insured if an insurance company is making a practice of deliberately not including (on an estimate) all of the repairs necessary to restore the vehicle,” Ohio attorney Erica Eversman of Vehicle Information Services, Inc., said in her opening statement at the discussion, held in Phoenix. “I don’t see any value to the (insurance) company that would be the

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motivation for doing that,” George Avery, national claims consultant with State Farm, responded, pointing out the risk any such an insurer would be taking. The panel discussion was prompted by a report by the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) “Anti-Fraud Committee” last year. In what the committee acknowledged was a non-scientific study, 266 claims submitted by collision repair shops showed an average supplement of nearly $2,400 on initial insurer-prepared estimates that averaged $1,640. The committee subsequently received documentation on more than 700 claims, with the average difference between initial insurer estimate and final repair still remaining above $2,400. The panel discussion in Phoenix was not CIC-organized but was prompted by those who wanted to see more analysis of the subject following the CIC committee’s work. Some of the main points raised by those participating on the panel. • Attorney Eversman said that in addition to breach of contract, insurers could potentially be engaging in consumer fraud if they are training adjusters to not include on initial estimates

“items that would be obvious to an experienced collision repairer as necessary.” She believes the problem stems not from policies set in place by top executives at insurance companies but more at a local level where adjusters and appraisers may be rewarded for keeping severity down. • Bill Graden, a State Farm attorney, agreed that any insurer deliberately underwriting estimates would be risking not only accusations of consumer fraud but also charges of bad faith which can lead to significant punitive damages. These risks provide ample disincentive to underwrite initial estimates, he said. • State Farm’s Avery said insurers are aware of the risk they would be taking if they were to engage in the types of practices Eversman describes. He said that underwriting initial estimates also raises an insurer’s costs because of the resulting supplements. “We try to get everything we can on the estimate because the next time you have to go out (because of supplements) means extra steps, extra time, extra man-power to get those things done,” he said. • Roger Wright, manager of material damage and direct repair programs for AIG, said his company

believes in giving appraisers adequate estimating training because a poorlytrained adjuster is as likely to “overwrite” as “under-write” an estimate. He used an analogy of a light bulb that is broken inside a paper bag, however, to explain that initial estimates may not include damage that can’t be seen; you may be pretty sure the bulb is broken, he said, but if you can’t see it, you don’t know whether it’s a 60-watt bulb or 100-watt bulb so how can you accurately include it on an estimate? • Darrell Amberson, president of Lehman’s Garage, a six-shop collision repair business in Bloomington, Minn., and national director of the Collision Division of the Automotive Service Association (ASA), said that not all insurers act the same, but that he believes some deliberately underwrite initial estimates. He cited an example of an insurer not including refinish labor time on salvage parts because the part might already be the right color. – As reported in Collision Expert. 5 years ago in the collision repair industry (March 2012) Preliminary data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners indicates the Top 10 auto insurers con-

tinued to gain market share as a group in 2011. The Top 10 insurers accounted for close to 70 percent of the market last year, compared to 68.1 percent in 2010 (and up from about 59 percent in 2000). In terms of market share growth, GEICO (No. 3) was the big winner with just over 9 percent market share, up from 8.5 in 2010, continuing to fuel speculation that it could pass Allstate (at 10.3 percent last year) as early as 2013 to become the second-largest auto insurer. Progressive (No. 4) and USAA (No. 6) also gained one-fourth of a point of market share last year. Nationwide (No. 8) and American Family (No. 10) saw the largest decline in market share among the Top 10. As reported in CRASH Network (www.CrashNetwork.com), March 26, 2012. GEICO indeed passed Allstate in 2013 to become the second-largest auto insurer, having outpaced even fast-growing Progressive (No. 4, still trailing Allstate) over the past decade. USAA most recently passed Farmers (No. 6) and Liberty Mutual (No. 7) to become the fifth-largest auto insurer. Nationwide (No. 8), which was the sixth-largest auto insurer in 2005, has continued to lose marketshare. Original BMW Parts

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Continued from Page 42

Have No Fear

visory board, Fix Auto Market Leaders board and subcommittees, being active in local and national associations and holding board positions there, proofreading and offering expertise input to an industry journalist and an industry consultant. I say all of this because I recommend to any one in any industry: be involved in shaping your future. Regardless of your industry role, there is a place for you to serve—just do it, or start it! Sometimes, time adjustments and stepping back will be necessary as we have to keep our own ship afloat to help others.

Why did you decide to become of the Fix Auto Network Q: part Continued from Page 52

ND Shop Manager

call continuous workflow was a Cobalt repair. This happened on a Wednesday; the vehicle was a front-end hit with nine and a half hours of total repair work, metal and paint time. The tech started on it after his morning coffee break, about 9:15 a.m. and we were able to call the customer a little after 4:30 in the afternoon and he was here at 5:30 picking up his vehicle. That was a huge win for us, and that one repair helped all of us understand what we were really trying to accomplish—continuous workflow on a vehicle. Typically, in some shops they may have a different tech for each of the following: taking the car apart, fixing it, prepping it, refinishing it and putting it back together. For some shops, this works great; for us, it did not. We spent too much time going back and forth and too many hands touched the vehicle; we wanted to simplify this. Many of Bodyshop Revolution processes aligns with the theory of constraints. We would not be where we are at if we would not have had the Bodyshop Revolution process come in. It enhanced what we were trying to do with continuous workflow and made it tenfold easier. We’ve tweaked it to where it makes sense for us but the core values and some very specific ground rules are still in place today as they were two years ago when we first started.

How did you get from where you started until now?

and what are some recommendations for Independent shops in this industry that are looking to grow?

We joined the Fix Auto Network A: of body shops in late 2008, after a five-year stint with CARSTAR. We

had a chance crossing of paths with another of the Fix Auto Network shop owners, and franchised as a charter franchisee in December 2011. Although we are affiliated with Fix Auto, we still operate as an independent shop. Being part of the Fix Auto Network has provided us with business connections we struggled maintaining as a single shop owner, provides networking opportunities with performance-based forward-thinking shop owners I have found to be some of the best-of-the-best operators in the US and beyond, and al-

I have read a lot of books, visited a lot of shops and became inA: volved with a Twenty group through our

paint company. Fortunately, it had some very high performing body shops that I was able to tour and see their processes. I realized that there are other people out there doing the same things we’re doing now. They’re not necessarily exactly the same but ultimately they’re doing things to make themselves a better shop and that helped provide the fuel for me to want to be like them. A lot had to do with the management staff. It goes back to the owners making the commitment. When things didn’t go the way we expected, we talked about it and tried to figure out why it didn’t work. One of our greatest assets is that our owner is always committed to trying to be the best. He taught me that you are going to fail and when you fail, fail hard and fail early so you can move on and start making progress. That failure is an opportunity to learn. We have far surpassed our goals that we initially talked about 12 years ago. Now our goals have changed because we have achieved these things and learned that as good as we are today we can become even better. Now the hard work really begins with fine tuning the process.

How have your employees dealt with the changes over the years and what advice do you have for other shops in terms of building better employee relations?

The most important part of the puzzle is the employees here.

56 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

lows for broad and rich joint marketing and advertising campaigns. For me, aligning with Fix Auto has provided opportunities that I would not have had without their brand and the other owners in the network. This industry has phenomenal human beings that make for phenomenal operators and operations. I feel honored to be in the room with many of the best-of-thebest men and women. If I’m struggling with something, there is always someone a phone call away that will take time to listen and give me their opinion or advice—this can be priceless. My advice is to align yourself with people that challenge you professionally and personally, give back to your industry and community and treat your teammates with respect. Never ever give up on your passions,

your education, your business and your industry, and learn to understand yourself—what motivates you, deflates you, lifts you up and feed you what you need to get up and forge ahead every day. One of the best things I’ve ever done is investing in the development of ME, and especially working with a personal coach the past four plus years that challenges everything about me. I highly recommend it! Camille Eber is featured in the upcoming book The Secrets of America’s Greatest Body Shops, written by Dave Luehr with Stacey Phillips. It is scheduled to be released in early 2017. For more information, visit www .bodyshopsecrets.com or email dluehr @bodyshopsecrets.com / sphillips@ bodyshopsecrets.com.

It’s fun and impressive to talk about how we’ve grown over the years but the reality is what we’re doing here is a byproduct of a commitment from not only management but also from the employees. There are about five of us who have been together about 12 years. The employees are the people who deserve the credit because they

didn’t give up. Change for people is very very hard and I am forever indebted to the people who were there during these changes. One of the most valuable lessons that we have learned through all this is when we decide to either change a process or implement a new one, we See ND Shop Manager, Page 64

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Gene Bilobram has been an automobile physical damage appraiser more than 25 years. His insights are useful tools in the often challenging process of reimbursement on new and non-included procedures. His company, Lacey Appraisal Service Inc. is a physical damage appraisal, consultancy and manufacturers’ rep firm serving the collision repair and insurance industries. He can be reached at 609-384-8093 or laceyappraisal@aol.com to discuss the latest in postcollision diagnostics and receive an updated PDF version of the CHART. As Manufacturer’s Representative for Collision Diagnostic Services, Gene will explain the many benefits of the award winning and patented asTech™ remote vehicle diagnostic solution for today’s collision repair professional.

58 MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 59

Shop and Product Showcase The Spira Saves Lives Because It’s Encased in Foam with Ed Attanasio

Imagine a vehicle that is completely encased in protective foam, so that when it collides with a pedestrian, cyclist or other vehicle, it bounces off and minimizes impact. Remember those old bumper cars at carnivals and fairs? Look ahead 10-20 years from now and think about a world where self-driving vehicles simply bounce off of each other, thereby reducing severity, saving lives and changing the collision repair industry as a result. The inventor of this vehicle is Lon Ballard of San Diego, CA, and he calls it the Spira4u. It is a three-wheel motorcycle for two people with a plastic and fiberglass chassis encased in eight inches of foam up front and four inches on both sides. It looks like something out of the old Jetsons cartoon, yet with a certain sense of style. In fact, Ballard’s slogan for the Spira is “Soft, Safe, Sexy.” Available in either two versions— gas-powered and electric—the Spira

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

has a range of 200 miles (gas) and 140 miles (EV) with top speeds of 50 mph and 80 mpg with the gas version and a top speed of approximately 75 mph

Ballard sees a definite need for a vehicle like the Spira now and in the future. “In 1920, only two billion people roamed this planet, and now, seven billion people want vehicles,” Ballard said. “The pollution and material production will sicken us. Vehicles are already the #1 killer of people in the prime of their lives (ages 540). The Spira weighs less because it contains fewer parts, which means it uses less energy to build it and operate it. The Spira can travel 300,000 miles on the energy that is used to build a regular car!” The Spira uses an innovative honeycomb core board Lon Ballard of San Diego, CA invented the Spira4u, a that was first mass produced in three-wheel motorcycle for two people with a plastic 2011 in Germany and then and fiberglass chassis encased in foam later in China in 2014. The embedded glass fibers in the honeycomb with its electric cousin. Both are amazingly lightweight at 440 lbs. (gas) and bend in a crash to absorb energy, Ballard said. “Carbon fibers would be much 550 lbs. (EV).

more expensive while only a little stronger. Also, carbon fiber’s rigid stiffness makes them brittle. Several molds cracked as we learned how to produce the largest Expanded Polypropylene (EPP) panels around. We call it ‘Styrofoam on steroids.’ Even first graders are smarter than car companies, as they all protect eggs with foam and cardboard in a drop test instead of heavy metal cans like we drive.” Several patents have been awarded on the Spira, and others are pending in several countries. “We hope to license our technology and production techniques to others at a low cost to promote safety safe applications for the Spira by sharing our trade secrets and test results,” he said. “We hope to someday be affiliated with or set up a nonprofit organization to promote safer auto designs.” By breaking the Guinness World record with the EV Spira (555.6 kilometer single trip on a single charge by

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going 775.8 kilometers) it proves that lightweight technology can achieve three things—energy saving, safety and strength. “Car designers have focused on passenger safety while neglecting pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicyclists,” Ballard said. “If the auto companies take responsibility for their cars being the number one killer of people

Foam is the future, and Ballard isn’t soft-pedaling its importance to our next generation vehicles. “Our patent pending technology can revolutionize the way vehicles are designed and produced,” Ballard said. “The Spira uses reinforcing fibers and plastic to provide a strong protective cage covered with soft foam all over the entire vehicle. It’s 100% recyclable and can be completely replaced for around $400. Foam can be substituted for steel in cars for a more cushioned impact just as foam has replaced leather soles on most shoes and sandals. Foam protection on the outside of autos is needed because over half of vehicle deaths in large cities and developing counThe Spira uses reinforcing fibers and plastic to provide a strong protective cage covered with soft foam all over the tries are pedestrians and moentire vehicle. It’s 100% recyclable and can be completely torcyclists.” replaced for around $400 The shape of the Spira is from crashes and pollution, their designs also designed for safety in mind. “The will then change for the better. I say that pointed front decreases air resistance all of the distracted drivers out there, inand makes for a smaller target,” Ballard cluding the texters, drunks and potheads said. “In a crash it is best to deflect and don’t kill. It is the car designs that do it. roll, as in judo. The design choices were The foam Spira is designed to increase to fit a safe yet efficient shape around safety for the pedestrian, bicyclist, mothe people and the mechanics. Styling torcyclist and passengers—people that came secondary to achieve a sleek effithe car designers have all ignored.” cient shape while using lightweight,

built some in the Philippines and now we’re building them in China. For all of the lightweight parts and batteries for the Spira, we buy them in China and the quality is outstanding.” Ballard knows that for wider acceptance, he will need to develop a 4wheel Spira and that is why he’s currently working on a prototype. “All of the credits and rebates from CARB aren’t available with a 3-wheel vehicle, but by adding that fourth wheel, people who buy them will be able to save roughly $8,000-$10,000 through state rebates and federal tax credits. Since I can make the car for that, maybe I should just give The Spira has started production in China due to the them away?” wide availability of motorcycle parts, and the company’s Ballard is currently seeking business plan is to also license production worldwide global/ local suppliers, deallard. “In the future, this patent pending ers and manufacturers to share in his foam technology can be utilized in all dream of producing efficient, light and sizes of vehicles to enhance safety and safe vehicles. The Spira has started fuel consumption.” production in China due to the wide Designing and building the Spira availability of motorcycle parts, and has been an international journey, to the company’s business plan is to also say the least. “In 2008, I built my first license production worldwide. Will car one in Thailand, but the government dealerships and consumers start foamthere outlawed it, because it has three ing at the mouth when they see the first wheels,” Ballard said. “So, then we 4-wheeled Spira? Only time will tell.

flexible, energy absorbing materials. Thought was also given to what will happen to the components in a crash.” The high mpg and low cost should entice drivers to take a step down from their luxury vehicles to save fuel and help the environment, according to Bal-

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PPG Announces Key Advances in Color Tools PPG has announced that it has developed several key advances in its array of color software and hardware tools. The news was delivered by Denise Lu, PPG global marketing director. While specifics are still under wraps, Lu indicated that dramatic enhancements to the company’s PAINTMANAGER® color management software, RAPIDMATCH™ X-5 spectrophotometer and TOUCHMIX® color retrieval system are clear expressions of PPG’s commitment to maintaining its leadership position in automotive refinish color technology. “We have been working on critical initiatives that will elevate our color tools to a whole new level, all to the benefit of our customers,” said Lu. “Those individuals who attended the SEMA show and saw our video about color tools have an idea of what’s coming. Our color management, identification and retrieval products are already highly efficient and accurate; they’re in daily use in collision centers around the country. Now we’re giving these products advanced features and capabilities to make automotive refinishing even easier, more productive and more quality-focused.” The advanced tools will be part of a new Color Solutions product line

branded XI. “XI means excellent, innovative, exciting, intuitive and exceptional, all key attributes for this line of tools,” Lu added. “We firmly believe that our customers will quickly see and embrace the value of XI products, and we are proud of bringing 25 years of consistent, reliable color matching technology to the refinish industry.”

The first of the three initiatives, the TouchMix XI computer, was released this month in the U.S. and Canada. Exclusive to PPG, this robust Windows OS computer provides a secure and compact solution for the most demanding environments. Second is the PaintManager XI program software. It will be rolled out across the U.S. and Canada this spring and introduced to additional markets soon thereafter. This next-generation software features numerous process improvements and a more intuitive workflow to help managers oversee the productivity and profitability of their paint mixing operations more ef-

fectively. The new software also provides greater opportunities for collaboration. Rounding out the trio of new tools is the RapidMatch XI spectrophotometer. This third-generation spectrophotometer was designed exclusively for PPG to significantly advance collision repair. The innovative spectrophotometer combines eleven color angles and five texture angles for a total of sixteen geometries powered with six blue-enhanced LEDs, making it the most advanced technology in the industry today. Technicians will be able to benefit from the five texture digital color images that provide real-time paint surface viewing. In addition, the intuitive touchscreen user interface captures vital job details with Wi-Fi connectivity directly to the PaintManager XI software. PPG’s extensive reflectance data and color image database will help provide the added confidence required in match rating and texture information. Details about the new color products will be released in a few weeks. For more information, call 800647-6050 or visit www.ppgrefinish .com.

Part 2 of 2016 OEM Collision Repair Tech Summit

During the OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit at the 2016 SEMA Show, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) led several sessions with a focus on emerging trends in vehicle technology. On February 2, SCRS launched a second video that captured discussion about scan tools and options, in a segment on Restoring Vehicle Functionality through Electronic Technology and Diagnostics. While the first segment featured representatives from leading automakers who discussed the positions they have released and the responsibilities expected of the collision repair providers, part 2 features tool and solutions providers discussing the options available to the industry. The conversations cover different mechanisms available to the collision repair community, and unique challenges and advantages associated with the process of documenting the restoration of the technological elements in the vehicle. After watching these videos, individuals interested in training on the topic can find more information in I-CAR’s recently released Introduction to Diagnostics and Scan Tools (VT210E01). To view the video, visit www.scrs.com.

AMi Launches Online Course: “Management’s Guide to Scanning and New Technology”

The Automotive Management Institute (AMi) has announced the launch of its latest online course, Management’s Guide to Scanning and New Technology.

According to the Institute, the 108 minute online course covers essential information needed by collision repair managers to make decisions about scanning and other new technologies. Each module offers a management perspective on:

● What it means to scan

● Types of scans

● Types of scan tools

● OEM positions

● OEM vs. Aftermarket

The modules also identify resources and include printable content and ma-

terials. AMi Vice Chairman and President of Operations for LaMettry’s Collision, Darrell Amberson, stated, “This course provides a wealth of information for those needing to make decisions for their repair businesses. It organizes the information in a way that makes it understandable.” The course is the result of industry collaboration from industry experts and shop owners from across the country. Available only in the AMi online format, it can be paused and revisited at the user’s convenience. This course will provide two credit hours toward all AMi professional designations, including Accredited Automotive Office Manager (AAOM), Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM), Accredited Master Automotive Manager (AMAM) and upcoming Accredited Collision-Repair Estimator (ACE) and Accredited Master Collision-Repair Estimator (AMCE). To learn more about this course and management perspectives on future hot topics, sign up at www.ami signup.org or visit the AMI website at www.AMionline.org.

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National Industry Goodwill Tour Kicks Off SkillsUSA Week To kick off SkillsUSA Week, celebrated during the second week of February each year, executive director Tim Lawrence and director of business partnerships and development Christa Floresca visited five of SkillsUSA’s finest partners to thank them for their support. Their tour began at the headquarters of IAA in Chicago. President and CEO John Kett, along with executives Don Hermanek and Rita Figi, welcomed the SkillsUSA team. They explained their business model and talent needs for their national operations. IAA employs over 2,000 people nationwide and exceeds $2 billion in annual revenue. IAA supports a number of SkillsUSA programs, and some new initiatives will be rolled out in the near future. SkillsUSA presented IAA with a recognition plaque. Sam Bottum, chief marketing officer and vice president for Snap on Incorporated, then joined the SkillsUSA team in downtown Chicago to visit Campbell & Company, where they met with communications strategists Christina Black and Andy Bromwell. They are working with SkillsUSA on a national messaging strategy that is focused on fundraising as well as better

ways to describe our mission and programs. This work is being funded by a grant from Snap-on, and Sam serves on the SkillsUSA board of directors. Their next visit was with Greg Palessour, vice president of marketing for Klein Tools in Lincolnshire, IL. Klein provides tool prizes for stu-

dents and teachers. They discussed a strategy to bring Klein to a higher level of support and ways to create a talent pipeline. The SkillsUSA team then flew to Los Angeles for a meeting with Toyota Motor Sales, a loyal partner for 29 years. They were welcomed by Rick Lester and met with SkillsUSA Foundation member Dave Zellers, national technical training manager Greg Bryan and general manager Rose Bauss. They were introduced to

ND Shop Manager

Continued from Page 56

Toyota Foundation manager Michael Medalla and presented an overview of SkillsUSA’s mission and core programs. They discussed how Toyota and SkillsUSA might work together on skills gap issues and STEM education. A follow-up meeting will be scheduled to further discuss the partnership with the Toyota Foundation and Toyota Motor Sales. The team presented a SkillsUSA Champion award to Toyota for its longstanding support. The final stop of the first Goodwill Tour of 2017 was at the offices of mikeroweWORKS in Santa Monica, CA. The team met with president Mary Sullivan and Jade Estrada, director of operations and business affairs. The mikeroweWORKS Foundation has pledged up to $100,000 in scholarships for 2017, the seventh year of the partnership. Mike and his team pledged to assist SkillsUSA with public relations as they address the critical need to educate parents, counselors and communities about the opportunities in the skilled and technical workforce. SkillsUSA presented an appreciation plaque with a photo of the 2016-17 national officer team to show the student connection that is created by our work together.

will include any staff that will be touched by the change. We will sit down and talk about what it is we want to change or try, explain the why… and then listen to what their thought process might be. They deserve the opportunity to express their concerns and know how the change or new process might affect them and possibly their paycheck. Another important thing to remember is any process change or shop repair experimentation can never come at the cost of the employees. We’ve always tried to take care of our employees and I think that is why they’ve stayed here, and are still as committed today to get better as they were when we started this journey. All of us are in it together and we are all committed! Randy Sattler is featured in the book The Secrets of America’s Greatest Body Shops, written by Dave Luehr with Stacey Phillips, scheduled to be released in early 2017. For more information, visit www.bodyshopsecrets .com or email dluehr@bodyshopsecrets .com / sphillips@bodyshopsecrets.com.

CREF Spring Career Fair Has Sprung

The Collision Repair Education Foundation kicked off their spring career fair schedule on February 3rd in Des Moines, IA. The event will soon be followed by at least 11 additional sched-

uled career fairs. To ensure the best student participation possible at these events, the Education Foundation will be partnering with ASE/NATEF, who will be inviting their collision and automotive school contacts as well. Through this partnership, attendance is anticipated to double in some markets in 2017 due to the inclusion of automotive/mechanical students. Spring 2017 Initial Collision Ca-

reer Fair: ● Des Moines, IA – February 3rd ● San Diego, CA – March 9th ● Houston, TX – March 22nd ● Dallas, TX – March 23rd ● Phoenix, AZ – April 15th ● Pittsburgh, PA – April 19th ● St. Louis, MO - April 21st ● Chicago, IL –May 2nd ● Madison, WI – May 3rd ● Denver, CO – May 8th ● Seattle, WA – Tentatively scheduled for week of May 8th ● Nashville, TN – May 17th Locations and dates for the Fall 2017 career fairs will be announced later this year. Companies interested in participating in these events should contact Education Foundation Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode at (847) 463-5244.

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Driven Brands Charitable Foundation Raises more than $650,000 in 2016

The Driven Brands Charitable Foun- ities like Snug Hugs for Kids. In addation (DBCF) raised more than dition, DBCF believes in honoring $650,000 in 2016 and its fundraising our veterans and giving back to the efforts have now surpassed more than brave men and women who fight for $1.5 million since it was established our freedoms through programs like in 2012. The Foundation, working in NABC Recycles Rides, Wounded conjunction with over 2,500 Driven Warrior Project and Hope for WarBrand franchisees, vendor partners, riors. customers and employees, looks to Driven Brands family of automonot only change the lives of children tive aftermarket brands including Take and families in need but to support 5 Oil Change®, Maaco®, Meineke Car Care Centers®, Merlin 200,000 Mile local community initiatives in the www.autobodynews.com ® , EconoIT Lube N’ Tune®, Pro neighborhoods its businesses serve Shops CHECK OUT! Oil®, CARSTAR®, Drive N Style® and across the U.S. and Canada. “We continue to benefit from 1-800-Radiator & A/C®, raised the our vendor partners, franchisees and funds at National Conventions and employees’ support, awareness and during several events throughout the commitment,” said Noah Pollack, year including golf tournaments, colExecutive Vice President and Gen- lection drives, charitable walks, silent eral Counsel for Driven Brands. “As auctions and most importantly, in-store we grow all of our brands, and expand promotions. The Foundation also receives a into new markets and new segments, To advertise the Foundation remains a constant fo- tremendous amount of support from its Advertising Sales at: invendor partners and customers, cus and source of cohesion and pride.” call the Round It Forward program DBCF supports several organi- cluding 800-699-8251 zations like the Children’s Miracle that rounds up customer purchases to dollar and in-shop collecNetwork Hospitals including the the neareste-mail: advertising@autobodynews.com Levine Children’s Hospital, Chil- tion boxes. For more information, visit dren’s Hospital in New Orleans, www.autobodynews.com Boston Children’s Hospital, Cystic http://www.drivenbrandscharitable Fibrosis Canada and other local char- foundation.org.

ChemSpec USA Launches New Website

ChemSpec USA, LLC. has announ- Tammy Anderson, Marketing ComBe Seen by Our Readers! ced the launch of its new website. munication Manager for ChemSpec The company is encouraging CALL USA. “The new website allows Advertising Sales at:us to its customers and guests to visit provide accurate information in a www.chemspecpaint.com. The site more, timely manner.” includes information about the company and its products and offers a advertising@autobodynews.com A few website features include: user-friendly experience that is now ● Mobile Responsiveness www.autobodynews.com faster and easier to navigate. ● Convenient forms to request product information, as well as product demos, or assistance from various departments

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UpdatePromise Unveils New Electronic Signatures Feature

UpdatePromise, a communication and information technology provider to insurers and repairers in auto-service related operations, recently re-

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AMi Launches New Online Courses

The Automotive Management Institute (AMi), the industry’s leading nonprofit provider and collaborator of administration and management education for automotive collision and mechanical service repair professionals, announced the addition of several

new online courses for the collision repair segment. These newly released courses provide credit toward the organization’s Collsion Repair Segment certificates and professional designations. They include the following: ● Customer Service Certificate

● Accredited Automotive Office Manager (AAOM) professional designation

● Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) professional designation

● Accredited Master Automotive Manager (AMAM) professional designation

Autologic Diagnostics Joins ASA as Corporate Member

● Soon to be released Accredited Collison-Repair Estimator (ACE) and Accredited Master Collision-Repair Estimator (AMCE) professional designations.

The new online courses include: ● Frank Terlep’s How to Market, Sell and Service Today’s “Connected Customer” ● Daren Fristoe’s Effective Interviewing Techniques

● Daren’s Fristoe’s Managing Conflict ● Steve Beck’s Time Management

These courses are part of a growing list of over 100 online courses hosted by the Automotive Management Institute’s “MyAMi” Learning Management System. The catalog of online courses include course content from other well-known industry professionals such as Mike Cassata, Mark Claypool and Frank LaViola. In addition to online courses, AMi recognizes over 250 live instructor-led courses being taught across North America for AMi credits. Original BMW Parts

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The Automotive Service Association (ASA) has announced one of its latest corporate members: Autologic Diagnostics. Corporate membership provides an opportunity for companies to expand their relationships with ASA and its leaders in the collision repair and automotive service segments of the industry. Autologic Diagnostics, based in the United Kingdom and the United States, is a worldwide provider of the first and only fully integrated, cloud-connected aftermarket automotive diagnostic system, Autologic Assist, which helps technicians and automotive service facilities quickly identify faults in vehicles and repair cars faster. “The members of ASA are precisely the audience that stands to benefit the most from learning more about the many advances of our Assist solution and how it could change the way they do business and improve productivity and efficiency, while also increasing both profitability and annual revenue,” said Kevin Finn, di-

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rector of strategic partnerships. “While partnering with ASA allows Autologic to share its expertise with the industry, it also affords the company the ability to learn significantly more about the changing dynamics of the automotive repair marketplace and allows us to stay on top of the cutting edge of change and advancement occurring industrywide. This is very valuable to our growing global enterprise,” Finn commented. Tony Molla, ASA vice president, welcomed the partnership with Autologic and said, “We are pleased to add Autologic to our growing list of corporate members and look forward to working with them to help our members stay abreast of the latest technology, as it relates to improving productivity, accuracy and diagnostic capabilities within their individual repair and collision shop enterprises.” To learn more about ASA’s corporate membership program, visit www.ASAshop.org or contact Dan Risley, ASA president and executive director, at danr@asashop.org.

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including trucks, trailers, buses and recreational vehicles. The pulling system is built on a multiuse platform so it can be customized to meet any heavyduty shop’s needs for less than the cost of a rail system. “The Heavy-Duty Trucker is built to repair everything from a half-ton pickup to a triple-rail cement truck, and everything in between,” said TJ Schultz, Chief northern division sales manager. “For shops that focus on any variety of repairs, including trailer roll-over work, axle corrections, trailer re-crowning, passenger buses, or other specialties, we can provide an enhanced, affordable pulling

package to meet the need.” Available in 32-foot, 40-foot or custom bed lengths, the versatile Heavy-Duty Trucker frame rack can do it all with a fast and easy-to-use system. It features a drive-on deck that provides excellent access to the vehicle being repaired. Removable drive on ramps and nonskid treadways allow for easy loading of the vehicle to be repaired. The bed is also plumbed for air in multiple locations to speed prep time. The modular design of the Heavy-Duty Trucker allows for precise holding, pulling and pushing anywhere around the bed, providing technicians with a wide variety of options to bring larger vehicle frames back into alignment. It is available with four, six or eight seven-foottall cab towers, providing 360-degrees of pulling with 25-tons of pulling power, and two pulls per tower. Lasercut tie-downs are located in the inner and outer portion of the treadways, and there are center hold pockets for additional tie-downs and anchoring. A jacking beam allows for pushing up on frames. For more information, visit www.chiefautomotive.com/ChiefHD/Heavy-Duty-Racks/Heavy-DutyTrucker.

www.autobodynews.com | MARCH 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 67

CREF Announces Application for Ultimate Collision Education Makeover Grants The Collision Repair Education Foundation has announced that the application for their Ultimate Collision Education Makeover school grant is now available for high school and post-secondary collision school programs. The Makeover grant program is in its ninth year. Instructors are advised to begin the application early and industry professionals are encouraged to get involved with the Makeover grant by working with their local school’s collision instructors to help them apply. The winning schools will be announced during the SEMA show in Las Vegas, NV in October. Awards of up to $50,000 will be given. The Ultimate Collision Education Makeover school grant application is available online and is due by Thursday, June 1, 2017. Industry members are encouraged to work with their local collision school programs to ensure they apply by the deadline. “School collision programs are facing tremendous budgetary pressure,” said Melissa Marscin, Director of Grant Programs for the Foundation. “It is difficult for many to maintain their program at current capabilities, no less increase their abilities and improve the training they deliver to the industry’s fu-

ture workforce. The Makeover grant program is designed to help collision schools get the much needed tools, equipment and supplies they couldn’t get otherwise and increase their capabilities. Last year, every school that applied received some level of support through both grants and in-kind donations.” The Makeover grant program incorporates the “Collision School Career Readiness Benchmark” that the Foundation launched last year. Under the new program developed by the Foundation, schools are classified into three tiers: ● Tier 1: Advanced, ● Tier 2: Proficient, or ● Tier 3: Developing

The designation will be determined by the Foundation based upon information provided by schools about the capabilities of their program detailed in the Collision Repair Education Makeover grant application. The criteria for each level includes the number of hours of instruction, curriculum in place, along with what tools, equipment, and supplies a school uses to prepare their students for employment in the collision industry. If there is something that a school

Next Step Program Offers Young Pros Scholarships

The Young Auto Care Network Group (YANG) and the Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association (AWDA) will offer young industry professionals the opportunity to experience up-close how the Auto Care

Association and various aspects of the industry work through participation in the Next Step Program. The Next Step Program offers future leaders in the auto care industry the opportunity to become involved in the industry and trade association by receiving scholarships to attend the Auto Care Association’s Spring Leadership Days, held May 35, 2017 at the Grand Hyatt Regency in San Antonio, Texas. “As young people become more connected and involved in the industry, they are more likely to build longlasting careers in auto care,” says Bill

Hanvey, president and CEO, Auto Care Association. “Future involvement and leadership are the ultimate goals of the Next Step Program.” At the Auto Care Association Spring Leadership Days, Next Steppers will have the chance to participate in committee meetings and networking events with veteran industry leaders. Ten Next Steppers will receive a scholarship of up to $1,100 to offset most expenses for travel and accommodations to, from and during the event. Most meals are also included. Interested applicants must be a member of YANG and employed by a member company of the Auto Care Association. The official application is available on the Auto Care Association website, www.autocare.org/What -We-Do/Professional-Development /YANG/the-next-step-program/ or by contacting Courtney Hammer at: courtney.hammer@autocare.org. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2017.

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needs to advance to the next level, the Education Foundation’s grant application will allow a school to request that particular item. The goal is to help every school acquire the resources to eventually achieve a Tier 1: Advanced school designation. Schools at Tier 1 status can request support for items that further advance their program. The organization’s Board of Trustees Selection Committee will select the winners of the awards and determine what items off the wish lists each school will receive. Since 2009, schools have been able to apply for the Ultimate Collision Education Makeover Grant to get much needed tools, equipment, and supplies for their school. Over $4 million in cash and in-kind donations have been given out to schools as a result of the grant, and over 25,000 collision students have been impacted by the program. Industry members interested in getting involved with the Foundation and joining its efforts to support the future of the collision industry should contact Foundation Director of Development, Brandon Eckenrode at 847463-5244 or Brandon.Eckenrode@ed -foundation.org.

AAPEX Announces 2017 Dates

AAPEX 2017 will take place Tuesday, Oct. 31 through Thursday, Nov. 2 at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas.

Online registration will be available in May 2017. Buyers who would like to be notified when registration opens can sign up on the AAPEX website, www.aapexshow .com/reginq. For hotel reservations, buyers and exhibitors are encouraged to use OnPeak, the event’s official hotel partner, for the lowest rates at conveniently located hotels in Las Vegas. Reservations can be made now on the AAPEX website. AAPEX 2017 is expected to feature more than 2,200 exhibitors and 45,000 targeted buyers. Approximately 160,000 automotive aftermarket professionals from more than 140 countries are projected to be in Las Vegas during AAPEX.

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Snap-on Adds MODIS Edge to Diagnostic Calculator CHECK IT OUT!

Snap-on has added its MODIS™ Edge combination full-function scan tool and scope/graphing meter to its diagnostic calculator feature available on the Snap-on website at http:// diagnostics.snapon.com. This online tool helps automotive repair technicians and shop owners determine how much profit they could be making by using a Snap-on diagnostic

The MODIS™ Edge from Snap-on

platform. The diagnostic calculator is available for use in the United States, Canada, Ireland, Netherlands and the United Kingdom. “With the addition of MODIS Edge to our diagnostic calculator, technicians and shop owners can easily see the value of investing in our latest integrated diagnostic system,” said Mark Schaefer, director of marketing, Snap-on Diagnostics.

“The diagnostic calculator will give users a thorough breakdown on how profitable MODIS Edge could be for their shop, based on how it would be used. Fast and easy-to-use, the diagnostic calculator is another great reTo our advertise source to help customers grow theircall business.” Advertising Sales at: To find the user’s potential return 800-699-8251 on investment, the diagnostic calculator asks ae-mail: few simple questions advertising@autobodynews.com such as how many times a week does the shop connect to a vehiwww.autobodynews.com cle, how many service/health checks does the shop perform each week and what the shop charges for these services. The user then indicates which diagnostic tool they either own or are looking to purchase. Lastly, the user enters their name and Be Seen by Our Readers! e-mail address to receive a customized message about their potential CALL Advertising Sales at: profit breakdown, based on the answers given. In addition to MODIS Edge, the diagnostic calculator also includes VERUS® Edge, SOLUS™ advertising@autobodynews.com Edge and ETHOS® PRO. www.autobodynews.com To learn more about Snap-on diagnostic solutions, talk to a Snapon Franchisee or other sales representative or visit www.diagnostics .snapon.com.

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CARSTAR North America Announces Expanded Leadership Team for 2017

SEMA Scholarship Applications Due March 1

CARSTAR and guide the continued delivery of the collision industry’s highest-quality repairs and customer satisfaction for its consumers in the U.S. and Canada. Dean Fisher will assume the role of Chief Growth Officer for CARSTAR North America, working to help CARSTAR hit its target of 100 new stores for 2017. Leveraging his wealth of industry knowledge and experience, Fisher will be focused on building the CARSTAR franchise footprint in new markets across the U.S., as well as advancing significant development initiatives. He, along with Sam Freeman, Vice President of Development, will work

The SEMA Memorial Scholarship offers dozens of awards ranging from $2,000 to $3,000, with a $5,000 award going to the top student. Scholarship applications for the 2017 SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund are due March 1. The SEMA Memorial Scholarship program offers financial assistance of up to $5,000 to help foster the next generation of automotive aftermarket industry leaders and innovators. Students can apply for the scholarship at www.sema.org/scholarships. Scholarships are available in a variety of categories, such as accounting, sales and marketing, and engineering. Dozens of awards ranging from $2,000 to $3,000 will be given out, with a $5,000 award going to the top student. The program also includes a loan forgiveness aspect that offers financial awards to employees of SEMA-member companies who have completed and are paying off a loan for a program of study at an accredited university, college or vocational/technical program within the United States. For more information about the program, please contact Juliet Marshall, SEMA manager of education projects, at 909-978-6655 or julietm@ sema.org.

CARSTAR North America has announced the expansion of its corporate support team in the wake of its growth and North American integration in 2016. According to the company, the organizational changes will support the operations, development, training and marketing for

as a united team to meet the company’s growth goals. Melissa Miller has been promoted to Vice President of Operations for CARSTAR North America and will oversee all of CARSTAR’s operations in both the U.S. and Canada. Miller’s promotion will ensure the brand leverages its best practices, volume and quality at all of its more than 500 locations. Also promoted are John Burns, National Director of Operations in the U.S., and Ryan Anderson, National Director of Operations, in Canada. Their focus will be to implement the North American CARSTAR Operational strategy through the leadership of their Area Managers of Operations. Anderson will maintain vision and guidance of the Learning & Development actively building resources for the U.S. and Canada. Burns will maintain his focus with the Multi-Store Operators and Accelerated EDGE Performance Team Deployments. Both will focus on delivering the performance and profitability goals of franchise and insurance partnerships. Hannah Ross has been pro-

Ford Vehicle Owners Can Easily Upgrade 2010–2016 Vehicles with Connectivity Features

According to Ford, millions of current customers stand to benefit from Ford SmartLink, a technology that enables connectivity features normally only available on new modem-equipped vehicles. Using a simple device that plugs into the OBD II port below the steering wheel, Ford SmartLink will give customers who own 2010 – 2016 model year Ford and Lincoln vehicles that are not equipped with a modem access to: ● Smartphone-based remote start, lock and unlock ● 4G Wi-Fi hotspot capable of accepting up to eight devices ● Vehicle health and security alerts ● Vehicle location assistance “Ford SmartLink will surprise and delight owners of recent modelyear vehicles by adding some of today’s most popular connectivity features,” said Stephen Odell, executive vice president, Global Marketing, Sales and Service. “Offering it through our dealerships is another way to keep us connected with our

customers and earn their loyalty.” SmartLink can be obtained at Ford and Lincoln dealerships beginning this summer. With more than two years of research and development invested, the Ford SmartLink team of engineers, in collaboration with Delphi Automotive and Verizon Telematics, have ensured the technology will work seamlessly with Ford and Lincoln vehicles. “From security to performance, we’ve conducted extensive testing and made a number of improvements to ensure Ford SmartLink enhances the customer experience for our owners,” said Raj Nair, executive vice president, Global Product Development, and chief technical officer. “We are thrilled to offer this level of convenience and connectivity to our existing customers, extending the value of their vehicles and giving them just one more reason to love their Ford and Lincoln vehicles,” Nair said.

moted to Director of Marketing for CARSTAR North America, overseeing all marketing efforts for the CARSTAR brand. Ross will lead the amazing growth for the brand and its franchisees for both Canada and the U.S. With this move, Jennifer Benner has been promoted to Marketing Manager and will directly report to Ross as a part of the CARSTAR North America marketing team. Benner’s focus will be on the daily management of both national and regional marketing initiatives for CARSTAR Canadian franchise partners and continuing the success of its Shine Month outreach program. Bethany Pugh has been promoted to Driven Brands Communications Supervisor, focusing on the internal communications efforts for CARSTAR North America and the Driven Brands Corporate office.

by SEMA Editors

For more information, visit www.car star.com.

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