Southwest Edition Texas Oklahoma Louisiana New Mexico
29
YEARS
VOL. 29 ISSUE 2 FEBRUARY 2011
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Southern U.S. Snow Storms Force Shop Closings Initially but Should Pay Back in Boosting Business An unusually heavy snow storm passed through northern Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia January 5 through 7, en route from Arkansas. The storm dropped a suffocating snowfall, blanketing the region in 4 to 10 inches in some areas, forcing many body shops and other businesses to close. The snow was followed by sleet and freezing rain January 8, 9 and 10, which made for extremely treacherous travel conditions, power outages and school cancellations in the area. “We face a serious storm that will have an impact all across Alabama,” Governor Bob Riley said in a state-
ment preluding the days of freezing rain. He advised motorists to stay off the roads. A state of emergency was declared by governors in Louisiana, Georgia and Alabama. Kendrick Paint and Body with locations in Aiken, SC, and Martinez and Augusta, GA, experienced increased traffic due to storm-related damage to vehicles after initially being forced to shut down all three of their locations on January 8 and 10. “The Augusta area rarely encounters closings due to inclement weather, as we rarely see snow,” said Kendrick’s
by John Yoswick
be split over two mornings, November 2 and 3. The 99–98 written vote followed a brief presentation by Ron Pyle of the Automotive Service Association (ASA), which owns NACE, in which he said that while ASA has and will continue to respect and parRon Pyle of ASA ticipate in CIC, he hoped participants would recognize the economic importance of NACE
See Snow Headaches, Page 14
In keeping with Autobody News’ goal and policy of representing all sides of the collision industry, we introduce a new column called “The Insider” written by an Auto Insurance Executive. Although the writer wishes to remain anonymous, he will respond to serious questions and comments from readers about insurance issues.
January Collision Industry Conference Votes Very Narrowly in Favor of SEMA for Fall Meeting
Getting Past The Rhetoric—The Insurer’s Perspective On Steering
Participants at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) in Palm Springs, CA, in January chose by a singlevote majority to have this fall’s CIC meeting in November in Las Vegas in conjunction with the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show rather than the preceding month in Orlando with the International Autobody Congress and Exposition (NACE). The decision marks the second year CIC will meet in conjunction with SEMA. This year’s meeting will
Steering is an issue that has plagued the collision repair industry since the first insurance agent opened for business. No matter where you are located, you will find masses of body shop owners who emphatically state that steering is a major issue impacting their business. Ironically enough, even body shops that are deeply entrenched in direct repair programs insist that steering is an issue. Does someone who directly benefits from participating on a given insurance carrier’s direct repair program have a right to cry foul? I’m not sure you can find anything more hypocritical. Conversely, you will find relatively few insurance companies that
See CIC to meet at SEMA, Page 22
by “The Insider”
believe steering is an issue. In fact, some insurers might have you believe that steering is a word used only by disgruntled body shop owners who can’t get on a direct repair program. Other insurers would lead you to believe that steering is more rare than a unicorn sighting. Now that I’ve outlined a few of the perspectives from both sides of the industry, let’s place some framework with a few facts. First, steering does exist. It’s not a unicorn, a mirage, or the words of a disgruntled shop owner. It exists in many forms. But before you say, “Aha! I knew it,” let me explain. Although steering does exist, it doesn’t exist in the context that many of you reading this may See Steering, Page 29
Also in this issue... TDI Issues Report on DRPs p. 4
Okla. Insurance Commissioner Names Staffers . . . . . .p. 6 Lubbock, TX, Goes After Uninsured Drivers . . . . . . . . .p. 8 Louisiana Repairer Association Helps Tech School . . .p. 16 Gonzo Weaver Gets a POS at a Whole New Level . . . .p. 20 San Antonio’s Skip’s Paint & Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 27
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