raid to negotiate his prices in order to make a sale. Being bilingual was definitely a plus too, he said. “People just assumed that I spoke only Spanish, so I would go with it,” he said. “But it gave me an advantage because I knew what they were saying. ‘See if he will take less,’ they would say, but once I started talking in English, they were a little surprised and I usually got my asking price.” With several of his sculptures displayed in his shop’s reception area, Vigiani is proud of his art and has no plans to stop doing it. “I have an abstract sculpture of a man reading a newspaper that our customers see when they walk in, and they always go right to it—they love it!” Although he does not have any plans to retire from the collision repair industry any time soon, Vigiani, 64, can envision a future involving his sculptures. “I love fishing and I love doing these sculptures, so both of those things will be on my to-do list when I finally step away from the business.”
Labor Rate, Tech Shortage, ADAS Panels Highlight Updated Educational Slate at NORTHEAST 2022 The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey (AASP/NJ) is excited to share its updated slate of educational programming for its flagship event, the NORTHEAST® Automotive Services Show, which will return live March 18-20 to the Meadowlands Exposition Center (MEC) in Secaucus, NJ. AASP/NJ is proud to announce the inclusion of several exclusive panel discussions, beginning with “The Continuing Tech Shortage: How Do We Fix It?”, which will be moderated by Michael Bonsanto of Passaic County Technical Institute and I-CAR and will include a number of subject matter experts: Brandon Eckenrode of the Collision Repair Education Foundation, Keith Egan of Betag North America, Josh Laurent of Automotive Business Management, Bart Mazurek of CCC Intelligent Solutions and Greg Settle of Techforce. A panel discussion on “Mastering the Appraisal Clause” provides NORTHEAST attendees with insights into this complex topic, shared by AASP/NJ Executive Director Charles Bryant, Robert McDorman of Auto Claim
Specialists, Barrett Smith of Auto Damage Experts, Inc. and John Walczuk of ZB Negotiations. This conversation, as well as the following two panels, will be moderated by industry veteran journalist Joel Gausten. “Labor Rate 2022 and Beyond: How to Get What You’re Worth” will feature panelists AASP/NJ President Jerry McNee, Lucky Papageorg of AASP/MA, Burl Richards of ABAT, Smith, and Sam and Richard Valenzuela of National AutoBody Research. Anyone curious about “The Future of ADAS” won’t want to miss the opportunity to listen to Nick Barbera of ADAS Diagnostics/Union Collision, George Lesniak of Autel, Eric Newell of AirPro Diagnostics and Frank Terlep of Auto Techcelerators, LLC, dive into the nuances of this complex, ever-changing topic. Timothy Morgan of Spanesi Americas, Inc. joins forces with BASF’s John Shoemaker to present “Beyond Blueprinting to Guiding the Repair Process.” Later on, Morgan will partner with Chuck Olsen of AirPro Diagnostics to educate attendees on how they can “Get it Straight to Calibrate.”
Gerry Bonanni of Ford Motor Company will discuss “Accessing Ford Repair Information, Collision Sectioning Procedures for Aluminum,” while Lee Rush of Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes will offer advice on “Managing the Customer’s Experience.” New Jersey shops also have the opportunity to qualify for their auto body license renewal certificate by attending “OEM Certification Success: Dos and Don’ts,” taught by Dave Gruskos of Reliable Automotive Equipment. “None of us know it all, but NORTHEAST gives attendees a great chance to learn something new that they can immediately implement to improve their businesses,” McNee said. “All classes are designed to educate attendees and give back to the industry. If you attend one class that helps your shop generate additional income or improve your business practices, it’s a win-win! We’re excited to see everyone at NORTHEAST in March!” To register and to keep up with the latest information and announcements related to NORTHEAST 2022, visit aaspnjnortheast.com. Source: AASP/NJ
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