Industry Insight with John Yoswick
—John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon who has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988. He is the editor of the weekly CRASH Network (for a free 4-week trial subscription, visit www.CrashNetwork.com). Contact him by email at jyoswick@SpiritOne.com.
3 Collision Repair Business Leaders Find Ways to Develop Positive Company Culture
Shop Showcase
Three auto body shop owners spoke thing,” Halcro said. “Everyone was during the recent Society of Col- doing their own thing and saying, lision Repair Specialists’ Repairer ‘That’s not my job.’ So we switched with Ed Attanasio Roundtable about their efforts to everybody to hourly, working out a build a positive culture within their pay plan that got them as close as we could to the flat rate that they had.” companies. Halcro said he tries to get out Bruce Halcro of Capital Collision Center in Helena, MT, said a to each technician’s work area every change in pay plans was one step he day to talk with them briefly. took a few yearswith ago. Ed Attanasio “Sometimes it’s about the car “We were paying flat rate, and it they’re working on, but most of the created more divisiveness than any- time it’s about family,” he said. “I think that’s an important connection to have with employees. I think how you treat employees, showing them that you value them, really builds a with Ed Attanasio culture.” One thing Halcro said has surprised him was the impact on his company’s culture he’s seen from its sponsorship this past year of a youth hockey team. Montana shop owner Bruce Halcro said “So we had our own section, with Attanasio sponsorship of a youth hockeyEd team has been a ‘Capital Collision section,’ at the good for team-building within his shop
Social Media for Shops
SEMA Show Goes On
games,” he said. “We actually hired a couple of the players to come in a couple hours a day, twice a week, to clean the shop, empty garbage. By the end of the year, almost our whole crew was going to these hockey games. By Wednesday, they all would be talking about who was going to the hockey game that Friday night. Honestly, that was one of the best team-building things that we’ve done, that’s been impactful for our youngest employees to some of our older ones.” Ron Reichen, owner of Precision Body & Paint, which is opening its fifth location in Oregon this year, said part of developing his company’s culture involves having second-year students from a local community college collision industry training program spend their threemonth co-op at one of his shops. “We try to have them touch
Media and Publicity for Shops
Gas Tax Shop Holiday Continued from Cover
each one of the different disciplines within that 90 days,” Reichen said. “So they get to see where their appetite might be. During that 90 days, they’re learning the culture. They’re learning to come to work on time, to keep their work area clean, to read the OEM repair procedures, to read
Oregon shop owner Ron Reichen said having students work in multiple departments during their first 90 days helps them learn the company culture
and follow the repair plan. They understand they’re part of a team.”
Strategies
with Stacey Phillips
consumers.” In mid-March, Kemp signed House Bill 304 to suspend the state tax on motor fuel through May 31. In May, the governor ex• Delivery to 100 Mile Radius of Naples tended the moratorium through with Stacey Phillips PARTS HOURS: July 14. PARTS DIRECT LINE: Georgia collects 29.1 cents a M-F 7am to 6pm 239-734-3215 2 3 39 9 734 734 3215 21 gallon on gasoline and 32.6 cents Sat 8am to 5pm Fax: 239-591-3051 a gallon on diesel fuel. Suspend5665 N. Airport Pulling Rd. / Naples, FL 34109 ing the gas tax represents a revenue loss of about $150 million to At Rick Hendrick Chevrolet Naples, $170 million per month. with Stacey Phillips we we’ e’re e ’re re re yyou yoour oneee-stop -sto stop opp ssho hop for for Meanwhile, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams has launched ads on gas station advertising screens to highlight her support for suspending the gas tax until the end of 2022. She contends Georgia hasStacey a “massive with Phillips budget surplus” because of federal American Rescue Plan funding.
Body Shops Giving Back
Ca C Call a l Us Us!! U
Tips for Busy Body Shops My SEMA
Shop Strategies UPDATED DAILY
www.autobodynews.com
with Victoria Antonelli
30 AUGUST 2022 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com
Parts
Choose Original MINI Parts. MINI of Charleston 1518 Savannah Hwy Charleston, SC 29407
855-831-0254 Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30-6 Sat 8-5 rhminiparts@hendrickauto.com
©2022 MINI USA, a division of BMW of North America, LLC. The MINI name, model names and logo are registered trademarks.
