Prestigious Awards Announced at Collision Industry Red Carpet Awards Breakfast During SEMA 2022

By Stacey Phillips

Autobody News

Members of the collision repair industry gathered at the Collision Industry Red Carpet Awards Breakfast on Nov. 2 during the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, NV.

Prestigious awards and recognitions were given out by the Collision Industry Electronic

Commerce Association (CIECA), the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF), Greco Publishing, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR), the National Auto Body Council (NABC) and the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS).

“This awards breakfast is important for our industry… and I appreciate the companies, organizations and individuals who have supported this effort,” said Jeff Peevy, the master of ceremonies and I-CAR’s vice president of technical products, programs and services. “It’s a beautiful and very respectful thing that we do to make this industry better for the future generations coming.”

The event was sponsored by participating organizations.

Pictured, left to right, are CIECA Chairman Phil Martinez; CIECA Chairperson’s Award recipients Gene Lopez of Seidner’s Collision Centers and Frank Terlep of Opus IVS; and CIECA Executive Director Paul Barry

CIECA

CIECA Chairman Phil Martinez, senior technical consultant at Mitchell International, announced CIECA’s awards.

Three Architecture Committee members received an Outstanding Contribution Award for working on the next generation of collision industry standards—CIECA API Standards (CAPIS). They included Committee Chair Dan Webster from Enlyte, Andy Bober from Entegral and Mike Hastings from Car-Part. com.

Gene Lopez, of Seidner’s Collision, and Frank Terlep, of Opus IVS, received a Chairman’s Award for extraordinary leadership cochairing the Emerging Technologies Committee, which has spun off several other committees to develop standards.

Enterprise Holdings was named CIECA’s Company of the Year. “The company chosen this year truly supports CIECA and its mission in many more ways than just volunteering on committees,” noted Martinez, who recognized Kim DeVallance Caron for her dedication.

CREF

Brandon Eckenrode, managing director of CREF, announced Rod Habel, director of training for Sherwin-Williams, received a Fueling the Future Award, which recognizes an individual or company that has gone above and beyond helping the collision repair school program students and instructors.

“He has always been there for schools and students across the country,” said Eckenrode.

Two instructors shared what Habel’s support has meant to them and their programs. Jay Abitz from Freedom High School in Wisconsin said the generous donations from Habel and Sherwin-Williams have really changed the trajectory of their program.

Kenny McMillian from Kennedy King College in Illinois also shared his sentiment. “I would like to express my special thanks and gratitude to Rod

Habel and all he has done for our program at Kennedy King College over the years, as well as everyone at Sherwin-Williams who embraced our collision program,” he said.

Bill Condron, left, recipient of the I-CAR Jeff Silver Memorial Award, with I-CAR CEO and President John Van Alstyne, right

Greco Publishing

Mike Anderson from Collision Advice received Greco’s Publishing’s Industry Icon Award. “Our inaugural industry icon award winner is known locally, regionally, nationally and globally as the ‘go to’ in collision repair,” said Alicia Figurelli, Greco’s Publishing’s senior vice president.

“My dad passed away in May and this is a memory of him,” said Anderson. “He helped me understand what quality was and customer service, and I’m grateful for that.” He added he was truly humbled and grateful for the award.

I-CAR

I-CAR’s awards were announced by John Van Alstyne, CEO and president. Bill Condron at Sawgrass Ford received the Jeff Silver Memorial Award, named after the industry leader who was considered the

pioneer of I-CAR Gold Class and Platinum recognition programs.

“Just as Jeff showed the difference one person can make, our award recipient believes there is something he can do about the pervasive talent shortage,” said Van Alstyne. “He’s made it a personal mission to recruit new talent in the industry he loves. Just as important, he takes the time to nurture the newcomers and support the continuing professional development of everyone he works with.”

Eveland Bros., Collision Repair, Inc., a family-owned and operated operation, received the Russ Verona Memorial Award.

“Our award-winning collision repair center invests heavily in the education of its staff who hold I-CAR Platinum credentials and are certified by ASE and dozens of OEMs,” said Van Alstyne. The business has adhered to I-CAR’s Gold Class standard continuously since 1993, making it one of a very small group of shops in the country to reach this milestone.

Pictured, left to right, are Barry Dorn, Dorn’s Body & Paint; Dale Matsumoto, Auto Body Hawaii; Toby Chess; Danny Gredinberg, Database Enhancement Gateway, and recipient of the SCRS 2022 March Taylor Kina’ole Award; and SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg

NABC

Rather than handing out awards, NABC President and CEO Bill Garoutte gave accolades to those in attendance and those who weren’t. “Our mission and vision are to make the collision industry the best it can be and put on its best face for the communities where we live and work,” said Garoutte.

SCRS

During the last presentation of the morning, Danny Gredinberg, administrator of the Database Enhancement Gateway (DEG), received the 2022 March Taylor Kina’ole Award. It was presented by Aaron Schulenburg, executive director of SCRS; Barry Dorn, vice president of Dorn’s Body & Paint; Toby Chess; and Dale Matsumoto, president of Auto Body Hawaii.

“This is a very special, meaningful award for all of us,” said Schulenburg.

When March passed away, Schulenburg said it was important this his legacy of Kina’ole—doing the right thing at the right time for the right reasons—was honored, acknowledged and rewarded. It also became a mantra for SCRS and many others.

“True Kina’ole really happens naturally. It has a deeper meaning,” said Matsumoto. “It doesn’t happen in your head. It happens here… in your heart.”

Chess, the 2021 recipient of the March Taylor Kina’ole Award, said March was a great mentor and stood for what Kina’ole is. March regularly arrived at his shop at 5 a.m. to communicate with the information providers on times that were not right in the database.

“When he got up to 200 of them, he said, ‘I can’t do this anymore. They are coming in faster than I can handle,’” recalled Chess. That was the birth of the DEG.

When announcing the award recipient, Dorn said Gredinberg is tireless with the DEG, just like March, getting up early and staying up late to do the right thing for those who don’t have a voice. “[Danny] has shown us time and time again that he cares and he cares selflessly about what goes on and he embodies what Kina’ole is.”

“I love giving back because there was a time when I needed help and I was reaching out to resources that were available through the DEG,” said Gredinberg. “I’m very fortunate to be part of a great industry that has given me so much.”

Autobody News

COVERAGE

and calibration software platform. He also authored a book, “Auto Industry Disruption, Who and What is Being Disrupted and What to Do About It.”

In October, Auto Techcelerators was acquired by Opus IVS™, a global diagnostics, ADAS calibration, programming and on-demand remote support company.

At the 2022 SEMA Show held in November in Las Vegas, NV, Terlep was honored for his hard work and dedication over the years. During the event, he was inducted into the Hall of Eagles, the collision industry’s Hall of Fame; received a SEMA Best New Product Award in the category of Collision Repair & Refinish; was given a Chairperson’s Award for co-chairing the CIECA Emerging Technologies Committee; and was named chairman of the Collision Industry Conference (CIC).

Autobody News recently had the opportunity to ask Terlep about his accomplishments and what he attributes his success to.

Frank Terlep was inducted into the Hall of Eagles, the collision industry’s Hall of Fame, during the SEMA Show

Q: What prompted the sale of Auto Techcelerators to Opus IVS and how will this impact Auto Techcelerator’s focus?

A: The sale to Opus IVS started with a phone call from Brian Herron, the CEO, inquiring if we had an interest in selling our company. After multiple phone calls and a trip to the Opus IVS office, it became apparent that our organizations had many synergies and business opportunities if we integrated Opus IVS solutions with our technologies. Based on the synergies and opportunities, the decision to sell the company to Opus IVS was easy.

I think the acquisition will allow Opus IVS to make a much bigger impact on the industry when it comes to ADAS services, calibrations and validation. When we combine our technologies, we hope to deliver a single end-to-end diagnostic, ADAS, calibration and validation platform that everyone in the automotive, collision, glass, truck and insurance companies can benefit from.

The acquisition will also allow us to expand the sales and marketing of our existing Auto Techcelerators CoPilot suite to existing and future Opus customers in North America, the UK and Australia.

Q: With the sale of the company, what will your new role be?

A: My new title is vice president of ADAS solutions. My focus will be on designing, developing and delivering this platform. It will also include educating the industry on the importance of proper diagnostic, ADAS, calibration and validation processes and documentation.

Based on previous experiences with Auto Techcelerators and other corporations, I am sure I will be involved in other aspects of the company, such as business development, marketing, sales, etc. I want to help the company and its employees be successful.

Q: Congratulations on the awards you received during the SEMA Show, including being inducted into the prestigious Hall of Eagles. Only a few distinguished individuals receive this honor for their contributions toward the betterment of the industry. What do you attribute your success to?

A: Humbled… honored… thankful… When I started in this industry in 1984, I had no idea my “collision industry adventure” would take me to where I am today. When I look at the names of previous inductees, I never thought my name would be added to this list of industry icons. I am thankful and blessed to have met thousands of great people in this industry who have had a positive personal and professional impact on me and allowed me to learn from them.

I attribute my success to hard work, perseverance and always striving to “do the right thing,” as well as listening and being willing to help anyone who needs it.

Q: What was your reaction to receiving the SEMA New Product Award for Test Drive Co-Pilot?

A: I was at dinner with some of my new Opus teammates when I was told. As you can imagine, I was shocked, excited, happy and satisfied! I had to call Jordan Hendler, the administrator of CIC, at 8 p.m. the night before the CIC meeting to reschedule my committee presentation the next morning so I could attend the SEMA Awards Breakfast and receive the award.

When someone like me invents something from an idea and receives this type of award, it validates all the blood, sweat and tears it took to launch a product like Test Drive CoPilot.

It was also very satisfying to have Test Drive CoPilot receive runner-up in the new ADAS Product Category, be selected as a top five finalist in the SEMA Launch Pad competiton, and receive the SEMA Global Media Award.

Q: What is the importance of being involved as the co-chair of CIECA’s Emerging Technologies Committee and helping to create new standards for the collision industry?

A: Being co-chair of the Emerging Technologies Committee with Gene Lopez from Seidner’s Collision allows us to “see around the corner” on what and potentially how “the next big thing” will affect our industry and how CIECA needs to get involved. CIECA plays such an important role in data and technology and I believe the Emerging Technologies Committee plays a critical role in helping CIECA understand and prepare for future Q: As the new CIC chairman, what is your goal during your term and what are you most excited about?

A: I am humbled and honored to be selected as the next CIC chairman for 2023 and 2024. I know I have a lot of big shoes to fill but I am excited about the opportunity. Darrell Amberson, the past chair, really raised the bar, so I hope to raise the bar even further. I am most excited about my opportunity to lead an organization and work with committed people who can positively impact the collision industry.

I have a few goals and objectives during my term. This includes continuing to “raise the bar,” as past chairs Jeff Peevy and Darrell Amberson have done over the past four years. I would also like to position CIC as THE industry event to learn from, contribute to, participate in, network, challenge industry norms, debate, have fun and leave each meeting wanting to come back. I will challenge “the body” to become more engaged, more vocal and, when appropriate, more provocative. Overall, I want to leave CIC better than it was when my term ends.

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