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VOL. 4 ISSUE 9 NOVEMBER 2013
NACE 2013 Proceeds As Expected, Eyes Turn to Revitalized Show in Detroit in 2014 To no one’s surprise, the 2013 NACE exhibition was a downsized event from previous years, but the Las Vegas-venue may have been the Mike Anderson most appropriate brought his tradelaunching pad for mark mix of humor, experience, consul- what is expected to tation, and evangel- be a revitalized ism to the NACE NACE event in Dekeynote address. troit next summer. Attendance has been down for the past three years, with a slight
uptick for the 2011 show in Orlando, FL. This year’s event saw another attendance dip, which ASA Executive Director Dan Risley says was expected. There were significant successes at the 2013 show such as a popular keynote by industry veteran Mike Anderson and the MSO Symposium which has been growing in attendance, Mike Anderson kicked off the 2013 NACE Expo with a keynote speech entitled “The Future Is Not Set in Stone” at the Opening General Session/Collision Industry Forum.
Anderson’s familiar audience engagement techniques were on display as he employed humor, moving personal annecdotes, and even his
Tourette’s syndrome ticks, as models and metaphors for perseverance, unity and action in the industry. See NACE 2013, Page 4
Autobody News is Proud to Welcome Readers in Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina This is our ASSOCIATIONS ISSUE covering local and national associations and regional events. See pp. 6, 17, 22, 24, 26, 38, 42, and 49.
NC Shop Won Short-Pay Arbitration in July, Have There Been Changes or Consequences?
Virginia Shop Owner Says Collision Repair is Easy Compared to Politics
In July 2013, Michael Bradshaw, VP of Operations at K&M Collision in Hickory, NC, was victorious in a courtordered arbitration against Nationwide for a short-pay lawsuit filed on behalf of a body shop customer. We wanted to know what’s happened since. The underpayments were determined to be reasonable and necessary repair costs, but the problem continues as Bradshaw reports that this issue is an ongoing and common with several specific insurers, including Nationwide and GEICO.
Throughout the years, body shops owners all over the country have run for political office and instituted changes at the local and national level. People have said that the skills accumulated while running a body shop can easily transfer into politics. By negotiating on a daily basis with insurance companies, coordinating literally thousands of details monthly and working with a crew consisting of a wide range of distinct personalities, collision professionals are well-suited for public office, according to Doug Conner, the owner of Conner Bros. Collision Centers in Richmond, VA., an MSO consisting of four locations. Conner, 69, started painting cars when he was 17 and worked for local car dealerships for roughly 15 years. He started his very own shop in 1976 with the help of his wife Jean and his brother Donnie, another painter. “I worked for another shop to learn the business and then got the nerve to start my own,” Conner chuckled. “We signed a three-year
Currently, Bradshaw is pursuing six short-pay cases against Nationwide, three against GEICO, and one against Allstate. Still, his pursuit of full payment has not yet impacted these insurers’ practices. Bradshaw notes, “they come out and refuse to pay for the same things they just lost. Their attitude is ‘sue us again,’ and I do.” On a positive note, Bradshaw says that some other insurers who are aware of his short-pay cases have “chosen to do the right thing and pay the full repair bill because they know they’ll get tied up in the same litigaSee Bradshaw Shortpays, Page 14
Change Service Requested
P.O. BOX 1516, CARLSBAD, CA 92018
by Chasidy Rae Sisk
by Ed Attanasio
lease and were just hoping to get some cars in here at the beginning. During the first six months, we didn’t know if we were coming or MSO owner Doug going, to be honConner served two est. Our original terms as a councilman in Richmond, location was 3,000 VA, and is proud of square feet. It was the things he did a long building, so for the city, even if we parked them though he ran into complacency and a side-by-side, we lot of red tape could maybe get a total of six cars in the shop at one time. But, eventually, we saved about $10,000 and purchased some land close to our original shop. After our lease expired, we built our first shop. We never needed to borrow any money, which was very fortunate.” Today Conner is semi-retired with his two sons Kevin and Alan running his shops, after serving two terms as a councilman of the ninth See Collision v Politics, Page 18
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