February 2017 Southwestern Edition

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YEARS

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ASA’s “How’s Your Business?” Survey Results Online The Automotive Service Association’s (ASA) “How’s Your Business?” survey for 2016 is now available online.

Designed to provide a snapshot of the automotive service and collision repair industry, the survey data captures how repair facilities fared last year in terms of sales, profits and other key elements of their daily business operations.

All ASA-member shop owners in good standing were given the opportunity to complete the survey about their business operations in the first six months of 2016, and the information participants provided offers some surprising new developments in the industry since the survey was last taken in 2014.

In addition, ASA updated the survey with questions in new categories that offer data covering hybrid vehicle service, emission-inspection programs and hours and types of training shops offer, including the amount of live vs. online training for owners, managers, technicians and adminis-

trative staff.

The survey also offers statements from participants indicating that, in general, business in the automotive service sector was up in 2016, but hiring and retaining qualified techs remains a challenging issue.

“Keeping up with the changes in the automotive service and collision repair industries is a full-time job these days,” said Tony Molla, ASA’s vice president. “The latest survey results only confirm that we are in a dynamic, technology-driven cycle that is changing the way business models are evolving, while reinforcing the need for qualified talent to continue building on the success our member shops report.”

The report is broken down by the Mechanical sector and Collision sector.

For additional information about ASA, including past media releases, go to www.ASAshop.org or visit ASA’s legislative website at www.TakingThe Hill.com.

According to a new AAA survey, two out of three U.S. drivers do not trust auto repair shops in general—citing overcharges, recommendations for unnecessary services and poor past experiences for their lack of confidence.

However, the survey also reveals that the majority (64 percent) of U.S. drivers have singled out an auto repair shop

that they do trust, suggesting that consumers have prioritized finding a reliable mechanic in an industry with imperfect reputation. AAA urges all drivers to identify a reputable repair facility well before one is needed.

“To minimize the stress associated with vehicle repair and maintenance, it

Most U.S. Drivers Leery of Auto Repair Shops

See Leery of Auto Repair, Page 10

VOL. 35 ISSUE 2 FEBRUARY 2017

More Than A Half Million Defective Airbag Inflators Remain Unrepaired In South Florida Alone Hundreds of thousands of South Florida residents are driving recalled vehicles with dangerously defective airbag inflators that could blast shrapnel into the passenger compartment upon impact. In response, dozens of civic and community leaders have joined together to launch an urgent, region-wide effort to get more than a half million unrepaired defective airbag inflators off the roads in Dade and Broward counties.

Certain Hondas and Acuras pose up to a 50 percent chance of producing a deadly explosion, prompting community leaders to call for action and commit to increasing awareness of dangerous recall.

While the recall affects vehicles from 19 automakers, drivers of some older vehicles face an even greater risk. These models include 2001 and 2002 Honda Civics and Accords, the

2002 and 2003 Acura TL, the 2002 Honda Odyssey and CR-V, the 2003 Acura CL and the 2003 Honda Pilot.

According to outgoing U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, “with as high as a 50 percent chance of a dangerous air bag inflator rupture in a crash, these vehicles are unsafe and need to be repaired immediately.”

At least 11 Americans—including one Floridian—have been killed by defective airbag inflators, and approximately 180 Americans have suffered serious injuries, including cuts or lacerations to the face or neck, broken or fractured facial bones, loss of eyesight, and broken teeth. The individual from Florida that died was driving an older, higher-risk vehicle.

In this and nearly all other cases in the U.S., the fatal airbag explosion was

by James Burns and Baker Donelson

tion proceedings brought by auto body shops in several states against many of the largest auto insurers in the nation. In each case, the auto body shops contended that the insurers had conspired to limit the reimbursement rates provided by the insurers for insured repairs. The cases were ultimately all consolidated before Judge Gregory Presnell (Middle District of Florida) as the In re Auto Body Shop Antitrust Litigation, and Judge Presnell subsequently dismissed the antitrust claims in most of the cases, many on a case-by-case basis, for failure to state a claim.

The plaintiffs in several of the dismissed cases filed appeals with the Eleventh Circuit, with the Parker case being the earliest appealed action. Because the dismissal in the Parker case was on procedural grounds, it does

See Airbag Recall, Page 6

Eleventh Circuit Refuses to Reinstate Dismissed Auto Body Shop Antitrust Case on Procedural Grounds In early December, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals issued a one sentence decision refusing to reinstate the plaintiff/appellants’ appeal in Parker Auto Body v. State Farm Automobile Insurance Company. The appeal had previously been dismissed by the Court based upon the appellants’ failure to file their case Appendix (the records from the district court that the appellate court reviews when considering an appeal) on a timely basis. As a result of the Court’s most recent ruling, barring a successful appeal to the Supreme Court—which would seem unlikely—the Eleventh Circuit’s refusal to reinstate the appeal brings an end to the case for the auto body shop plaintiffs in that case.

Notably, however, the Parker case is only one of a series of class ac-

See 11th Circuit Refuses, Page 16

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COLUMNISTS Attanasio - 66 Cars in 16 Years: The Benevolence Program at Mike’s Auto Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Attanasio - Are Green Shops Truly Green or are they Just Greenwashing? . . . . . . 48 Attanasio - How Will 3D Printing Affect the Collision Repair Industry?. . . . . . . . . 32 Chess - What To Expect from an OSHA Isocyanate and Lift Inspection . . . . . . . 36 Yoswick - Industry History Includes Diminished Value, Rating Insurers, a New Direction for CARSTAR . . . . . . . 34 Yoswick - OEM Summit Includes Discussion of Scan Tools, Collision Repair Training Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 NATIONAL 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division Introduces 3M™ Power Tools for Body Repair. . . . . 27 A New Life, a New Job: A Success Story for Syrian Refugee Family Living in Ottawa, Ont. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 ABRA Auto Body & Glass Announces Executive

Leadership Promotions and Appointment of Chief Operating Officer . . . . . . . . . . . 59 ASA Announces Dates, Location for 2017 Annual Business Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . 57 ASA’s “How’s Your Business?” Survey Results Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Axalta Announces its Automotive Color of the Year 2017 – Gallant Gray . . . . . . 56 Axalta Donates Liquid Coatings to Haitian Hurricane Relief Effort . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Cars We Remember: Reader Recalls Earl Scheib Paint Centers and Seeks Recommendation on Touch-Up Paint . . 26 Eleventh Circuit Refuses to Reinstate Dismissed Auto Body Shop Antitrust Case on Procedural Grounds . . . . . . . . . 1 Enterprise Rent-A-Car Supports Open, No-Cost Data Platform. . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 From SkillsUSA to WorldSkills, Cuesta College Graduate Shares Experience at Home and Abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 I-CAR Atlanta’s 8th Annual Golf Tournament Planned for April 26, 2017 . . . . . . . . . . 54 I-CAR launches Seven New Vehicle and Technology Specific Training Courses . 53 IGONC’s Triangle Chapter Enjoyed Xmas Celebration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Mitchell International Introduced as Newest SCRS Corporate Member. . . . . . . . . . . 54 Mopar Celebrates 80 Years . . . . . . . . . . . 52 More Than A Half Million Defective Airbag Inflators Remain Unrepaired In South Florida Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Most U.S. Drivers Leery of Auto Repair Shops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 National Auto Body Council Executive Director, Chuck Sulkala, Announces Retirement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 National Auto Body Council Launches Search Campaign For New Executive Director . . 52 NHTSA Ends Probe of Fatal Tesla Florida Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 NHTSA Opens Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan Investigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 OSHA: Fatal Injuries at Auto Parts Whse Preventable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Owner of PDR Company in Buffalo, NY, Says He Sees an Industry in Trouble . . 50 Phillips - Tracy’s Collision Center in NE Shares Insight About Building a Brand . . 22 Refinish Distributors Alliance Adds New Member . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Snapshot of The Collision Repair Industry— Executive Summary of the 2016 Survey . 44 Solera Holdings Inc. To Acquire Autodata . 45 Video Shows 2016’s Worst Red-Light Runners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 YANG Calls for Hosts for 2017 Meet-Ups. . 56

On November 30, 2016, the Arizona Department of Insurance Fraud Division arrested Gilbert Martinez, owner of Gilligan’s Auto Glass, on allegations of fraud schemes, insurance fraud, aggravated identity theft and theft.

The allegations involve Martinez’s unauthorized use of several insureds’ personal information, details of their auto insurance company and vehicle information, all taken from another glass company’s business where Martinez formerly worked.

Gilbert Martinez is alleged to have started Gilligan’s Auto Glass in June

Free

2016 and then allegedly reported false windshield-replacement claims to an insurance company posing as the insureds. So far, the investigation involves 33 known victims whose identities were used without their knowledge to make false claims. The insurance company paid out over $19,000 on the alleged false claims.

The investigation is continuing with the hopes of locating other victims and insurance companies involved. The investigation will be submitted to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office for prosecution.

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Publisher & Editor: Jeremy Hayhurst General Manager: Barbara Davies Online Editor and Copywriter: Deana Cacus Contributing Writers: Tom Franklin, John Yoswick, Janet Chaney, Toby Chess, David Brown, Rich Evans, Ed Attanasio, Chasidy Sisk, David Luehr, Stacey Phillips, Victoria Antonelli Advertising Sales: Joe Momber, Sean Hartman, Bill Doyle, Norman Morano (800) 699-8251 Office Manager: Louise Tedesco Sales Assistant: Jessica Day Content/Social Media Specialist: Cass Heckel Art Director: Rodolfo Garcia Graphic Designer: Michelle Lucas

Audi South Austin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Audi Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 35 AutoNation Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . 38 AutoNation Chrysler-Dodge-JeepRam NRH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 AutoNation Chrysler-Jeep-DodgeRam of North Phoenix. . . . . . . . . 14 Axalta Coating Systems . . . . . . . . . . 5 Bill Luke Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram. 24 BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 53 Bob Howard PDC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA). . . . . . . . . . . 29 ChemSpec USA, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Chevyland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Chief Automotive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Classic Auto Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Classic BMW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Dallas Dodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 DJS Fabrications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Dominion Sure Seal, Ltd. . . . . . . . . 26 Don Carlton Auto Group . . . . . . . . . 28 Eco Repair Systems of North America, LLC . . . . . . . . . . 19 ECS Automotive Concepts . . . . . . . 16 Equalizer Industries, Inc . . . . . . . . . 33 Eurovac, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Finnegan Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge . . . . 2 Flatirons Subaru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Ford Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 55 GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . 49 GYS Welding USA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Herkules Equipment Corporation. . 10

Serving Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico, Arkansas, Colorado, Arizona, Utah and adjacent metro areas. Autobody News is a monthly publication for the autobody industry. Permission to reproduce in any form the material published in Autobody News must be obtained in writing from the publisher. ©2017 Adamantine Media LLC. Autobody News Box 1516, Carlsbad, CA 92018; (800) 699-8251 (760) 603-3229 Fax www.autobodynews.com E-mail: news@autobodynews.com

Southwest

REGIONAL Arizona Glass Company Owner Arrested for False Insurance Claims and Identity Theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Body Shops Expect Increase In Business Following Oklahoma Snow . . . . . . . . . . 10 Cacus - NM Shop Painter Progresses to Celebrity Custom Builder via SEMA . . . 18 Collision Diagnostic Services in TX Welcomes New Project Manager and Sr. Recruiter. . . 8 Gerber Collision & Glass Opens Repair Locations in AZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Louisiana Body Shop’s Claim Against Insurance Industry Stalls . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Mitchell 1 Shop Management Workshop Coming to Scottsdale in April . . . . . . . . 12 National AutoBody Research Launches VRS Labor Rate Survey for Oklahoma, sponsored by Shawnee Paint . . . . . . . . 12 Oklahoma’s CareerTech Trains Both Current, Future Workers . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Phillips - AZ Shop Finds More Customers are Bringing in Vehicles for Post Repair Inspections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Phoenix SEMA Town Hall Scheduled for February 16 (SEMA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Service King Presents $100,000 to SafeHaven of Tarrant County, TX . . . . . . 8 Techs of Tomorrow: WI Native Discovers Passion for Collision Repair at UTI Houston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Utah’s 2017 Resolution: A Plan for Cleaner Air. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Indexof Advertisers

Contents

Arizona Glass Company Owner Arrested for False Insurance Claims and Identity Theft

Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30-31 Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers. . 50 Insta Finish Car Care . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Killer Tools & Equipment. . . . . . . . . 25 Mazda Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 54 Mike Calvert Toyota. . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Miracle System/Equipment Gateway, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Mirka Abrasives, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Mitsubishi Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 39 Nissan Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . 56 North Freeway Hyundai . . . . . . . . . 36 Polyvance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 PPG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Ray Huffines Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . 45 SATA Dan-Am Company . . . . . . . . 23 South Pointe Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge. . 8 Spanesi Americas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Subaru of Little Rock . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 57 Toyota of Laredo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 48 Valspar Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Wizards Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Yellow Jacket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Young Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

www.autobodynews.com | FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 3

Shop Showcase

Ed Attanasio is an automotive journalist based in San Francisco, California. He can be reached at era39@aol.com.

66 Cars in 16 Years: The Benevolence Program at Mike’s Auto Body with Ed Attanasio

When Mike’s Auto Body in northern California’s East Bay gave away its first car back in 2000, did they ever imagine that it would become one of the largest Benevolence programs of its type run by a single family-oper-

Veteran TeJae Dunnivant and her son received a 2014 VW Jetta from CSAA Insurance that was sponsored by the Blue Star Moms.

Dunnivart works at Cal Vet at the University of California, Berkeley, so her new vehicle will make life easier for herself and her son

ated body shop chain in the country?

Without fail, Mike’s Auto Body presents completely refurbished vehicles to deserving families and non-profit organizations from throughout the Bay Area, and this year, it marked its 16th straight year of involvement.

Last December, Mike’s Auto Body presented five vehicles to five deserving families at their new ADAC

the Beautiful” presented by the Prince Charles Pipe Band consisting of Steven McElhaney and Kristopher Muse.

Everything is donated, including the cars, parts, paint, mechanical inspections, tires, and one year of insurance. The body and paint technicians at Mike’s Auto Body donate their time and talents to make these cars look amazing. CSAA Insurance Group, Farmers Insurance, Safeco Insurance, State Farm Insurance and Enterprise Rent A Car participated in the company’s Holiday Benevolence Program this year.

“We feel very fortunate to be involved with such a wonderful program and are very excited to be able to give back to the community that has supported us for the past 44 years,” company owner Mike Rose said.

“Being in this business for that long, repairing the vehicles is the easy part; having to decide on a recipient is the part that’s hard. After receiving hundreds of applications over the years and reading the heartbreaking stories, we only wish that we could do more.

But hopefully with increased publicity of our Benevolence Program, other shops will adopt a similar program of their own.”

mine who was the most excited, the recipients receiving the car or the children receiving the bikes! The Christmas Spirit was in the air!”

Recipients for this year’s Holiday Benevolence Program included:

■ Connie Mendoza and her three children received a 2012 Chevy Cruze that Farmers Insurance donated, and the family was sponsored by the Hemophilia Foundation of Northern California. Mendoza’s youngest son has severe Hemophilia and this vehicle will help the family to get him to his doctor’s appointments.

■ Zanetta Fredericks and her daughter with one 9-month old daughter received a 2011 Honda Civic LX that State Farm Insurance donated and sponsored by St. Vincent de Paul.

Connie Mendoza and her three children received a 2012 Chevy Cruze that Farmers Insurance donated and the family was sponsored by the Hemophilia Foundation of Northern California. Mendoza’s youngest son has severe Hemophilia and this vehicle will help the family to get him to his doctor’s appointments

■ The Community Action North Bay non-profit organization received a 2015 Dodge Journey from Enterprise Rent A Car. This organization provides shared transportation to Veterans and affordable housing and supportive services to veterans through various programs.

See Mike’s Benevolence, Page 6

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Rose Duarte and her grandson received a 2010 Honda Civic that was donated by Safeco Insurance and sponsored by STAND For Families Free of Violence

Antioch location, making it their third Benevolence Presentation in 2016, which brought their grand total to 66 cars over 16 years.

The afternoon’s presentation opened with an invocation from Sal Contreras followed by a flag presentation by the Mt. Diablo JROTC Color Guard.

The national anthem was then sung by 2015 Benevolence Program Recipient April Dingle, followed by “America

Santa was a big hit with all of the children whose families received completely refurbished vehicles, complete with trunk loads of gifts and toys

Again this year, the Contra Costa Fire Fighters Local 1230, Fire Station 81, generously donated brand new bicycles for all of the children and grandchildren of the recipients. “They brought their fire trucks and fire engines and had them parked in our parking lot during the presentation,” Program Coordinator Sal Contreras said. “When they presented the bikes to the children, it was hard to deter-

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Continued from Cover

Airbag Recall

triggered by a minor collision that the driver should have been able to walk away from. Thousands of these higherrisk vehicles are still on the road in South Florida, but have yet to be been repaired.

The risk for serious injury or death is particularly acute in South Florida due to high temperatures and humidity that exacerbate the defect in the airbag inflator. A new community mobilization effort called “Airbag Recall: Miami-Dade” is educating the public about the magnitude of the recall and helping affected drivers schedule lifesaving, free repairs with local dealerships, where replacement parts are available for higher-risk vehicles. Similar community efforts are already underway in Texas, and are expected to expand into Broward County early this year.

In addition, as part of ongoing efforts to address this recall, on Dec. 9, 2016, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a new repair prioritization plan designed to accelerate the availability of replacement parts for vehicles impacted by the recall.

Local residents can find out whether their vehicle has a defective airbag inflator at www.AirbagRecall .com. If impacted by the recall, they can contact any of their automaker’s nearby dealerships to schedule a free repair. South Florida residents who may be waiting for replacement parts Continued from Page 4

Mike’s Benevolence

■ Veteran TeJae Dunnivant and her son received a 2014 VW Jetta from CSAA Insurance that was sponsored by the Blue Star Moms. Dunnivart works at Cal Vet at the University of California, Berkeley, so her new vehicle will make life easier for herself and her son.

■ Rose Duarte and her grandson received a 2010 Honda Civic that was donated by Safeco Insurance and sponsored by STAND For Families Free of Violence.

Each year, the collision repair industry as a whole comes across cars that are

for their vehicle, or who are not affected by the current recall, are also encouraged to call their local dealer and confirm their contact information is up to date so they receive recall-related updates going forward.

“As a life-long civil servant, I am deeply invested in the safety and security of our community. My office is committed to working with leaders from across South Florida to raise awareness about the gravity and magnitude of the airbag recall, and to ensuring all members of the community, including diverse, low-income and under-served populations understand how to get their defective airbags replaced for free.” –State Senate Minority Leader Oscar Braynon, District 35.

“Due to the lack of public transportation infrastructure in our communities, many hardworking Floridians must depend on their cars to survive.

The ongoing airbag recall demands immediate attention from residents across South Florida. We view safe, reliable transportation as a critical resource for all individuals. We urge all drivers to check their vehicle at www.AirbagRecall.com. This small step will help keep you, your family and other members of our community safe.” –Monica Russo, Executive Vice President of 1199SEIU United Workers East.

“In South Florida, many of us drive or ride in a car every day, several times a day. If your vehicle contains a defective airbag, this part of your daily life could threaten your life.

The good news is that getting your airbag inflator replaced is quick, easy “written off” by either the owner or the insurance company. Often times these are older vehicles that just need some mechanical and body work to get them back on the road and are perfectly safe to drive. Because we believe these cars are going to waste when there are people who really need them, we decided to do something about it.

Mike’s Auto Body’s Benevolence Program is a community relations program designed to generate goodwill at the local level while improving and promoting the image of the collision repair industry whose mission is to present refurbished “new” used cars to deserving individuals or organizations during the holiday season.

www.autobodynews.com

6 FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

and free of charge. All vehicle owners should visit www.AirbagRecall.com for information about any open safety recall on their vehicle and what they can do to have a defective airbag inflator replaced free of charge.” –State Senate President Pro-Tempore Anitere Flores, District 39.

“This recall threatens all members of our community – families, seniors, college students, children and others.

That’s why collaboration among diverse organizations, leaders and other concerned members of the community is critical to addressing this urgent public safety issue. Our organization is committed to supporting outreach efforts throughout South Florida, and to educating all local citizens about the simple steps they can take to prevent a deadly accident caused by a defective airbag inflator.” –Manny Hartman, President of the South Florida Chapter of the Labor Council for Latin American Achievement (LCLAA).

“The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is doing everything possible to make sure that there are no more preventable injuries or deaths because of these dangerous air bag inflators. All vehicle owners should regularly check their vehicles

for recalls and go get them fixed at no cost as soon as replacement parts are available.” –Dr. Mark Rosekind, NHTSA Administrator.

“Our call to action for drivers across South Florida is simple: check before you wreck. Even a minor fender bender can be fatal. It’s imperative—and easy—to look up your VIN now at www.AirbagRecall.com.” said John D. Buretta, Independent Monitor of Takata and the Coordinated Remedy Program.

MIAMI-DADE Airbag Recall: Miami-Dade comprises community organizations, public interest groups, private companies, elected officials, faith communities and other concerned parties unified in the effort to raise consumer awareness about the ongoing airbag inflator recall. Participants are committed to educating the residents of Dade County about the risks associated with defective airbag inflators, helping affected drivers schedule free repairs and accelerating recall completion rates in the area. To determine if your car has a defective airbag inflator, visit www .AirbagRecall.com and enter your vehicle identification number (VIN).

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Collision Diagnostic Services in TX Welcomes New Project Manager and Sr. Recruiter

CDS, the makers of the asTech™ scanning diagnostic device, announced on December 29 the addition of Denise Caspersen and Jose Jacob to the offices of Project Manager and Sr. Recruiter.

Caspersen, formerly with National Autobody Parts Warehouse, Inc. and the Automotive Service Association (ASA) has extensive experience working on automotive industry collaborations relating to process improvements, efficiency, strategic growth and plan execution. Caspersen’s automotive career began with industry and market analysis and expanded into a leadership role of volunteer collision related teams. Caspersen is a Master of Science graduate of Oklahoma State University and a recipient of the Most Influential Women in the Collision Industry Award (2008) and the WIN Cornerstone Award (2014).

Caspersen currently participates on the WIN Board of Directors as Immediate Past Chair.

“It’s an honor to join the CDS team and be a part of technology that sees what can’t be seen,” said Caspersen.

Jacob, formerly with Cox Automotive, has extensive recruiting experience working in various sectors of the industry including Korn Ferry, Nestle and the Mergis Group.

While at Cox Automotive, he increased the Rate to Hire by 80% by creating strategic recruiting plans to generate fresh, diversified candidates, which included college campus recruiting, LinkedIn Recruiting, B2B Recruiting, social media and a host of others. Jose is a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma and will be spearheading the Recruiting Department.

“I am excited to be part of such a dynamic team and an organization that is experiencing exponential growth. The possibilities seem endless!” said Jacob.

Doug Kelly, CEO of CDS, said, “The addition of Jose and Denise will help ensure we maintain the high level of service our customers have come to expect, even as we continue to rapidly grow the business.”

www.autobodynews.com CHECK IT OUT!

8 FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Service King Presents $100,000 to SafeHaven of Tarrant County, TX

Service King Collision Repair Centers, as part of the organization’s continued dedication to enriching local communities, recently presented a check in the amount of $100,000 to representatives from SafeHaven of Tarrant County, Texas. The presentation was made possible through con-

tributions raised from Service King’s annual DFW Golf Event hosted in October at Stonebriar Country Club in Frisco.

SafeHaven is the largest and most comprehensive agency in Tarrant County providing no-cost services to domestic violence survivors.

This month’s presentation marked Service King’s second consecutive

annual contribution to the non-profit organization, as the 2015 DFW Golf Tournament raised $70,000 for SafeHaven and its numerous support and shelter programs.

“We are elated to be the beneficiary of this year’s golf tournament,” said Kathryn Jacob, President and CEO of SafeHaven of Tarrant County. “This gift will provide safety and support to hundreds of families affected by domestic violence. Service King continues to set the standard for service in our community, and we are proud to consider them a partner.”

In 2015, SafeHaven provided protection to 664 women and 896 in emergency shelter. The shelter also provides domestic violence survivors with a variety of services and support aimed at establishing selfsufficiency. Through its housing programs, families are provided a secure environment while simultaneously obtaining life skills, education and improvised employment opportunities.

Service King operates more than 300 collision repair centers in 23 states across the U.S. For more information, visit www.ServiceKing.com.

Techs of Tomorrow: WI Native Discovers Passion for Collision Repair at UTI Houston Whitewater with an undeclared major.

“The university was great, just Ryan Mader didn’t discover his love not for me,” Mader explained. for cars and body work until his early After leaving school, he worked 20s. for a carpet cleaning company.

“I gained a lot of professionalism in the work field,” said Mader. “However, I didn’t feel like it was the job I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing.”

He said he then began researching different career paths to try and After graduating from Waukesha find something he would be more pasWest High School in Waukesha, WI, he sionate about. That was when he came attended the University of Wisconsin across the collision repair program at the Universal Technical Institute (UTI) Houston.

“I requested more information, and after speaking with my admissions representative, Rudy Perez, and my parents, we came to the conclusion that UTI Houston would be my best option,” explained Mader.

He said that his parents were confused at first, since he had never showed a significant interest in cars, but they supported his decision.

“My friends were all very After trying out a four-year university and working at a excited, as a lot of them are in carpet cleaning company, Ryan Mader gave collision repair a shot the automotive field or take inby Victoria Antonelli

terest in working on cars,” Mader added.

Mader started taking classes at UTI Houston in May 2016 and said he loves it so far, which truly shows in his academic and extracurricular performance.

“I joined the student council and currently serve as vice president,” he said. “I have also gotten perfect atten-

(test scores), professionalism (using proper safety equipment, coming to class in the proper uniform everyday), and attendance.

“UTI Houston emphasizes the importance of having good attendance, because a shop is not going to want to hire you if they can’t rely on you to show up,” he added.

Mader was awarded title SOC in Exterior Panel Alignment, Exterior Panel Replacement (Quarter Panels), Welding and Cutting, Refinishing 1, Power Systems and Controls, Steering and Suspension, and Exterior Panel Repair. He’s also had perfect attendance for two-thirds of his schooling and maintains a 4.0 GPA. “After graduation, I would like to move back to WisconMader found his true passion at UTI Houston. He plans sin and find a collision repair to graduate this May shop or dealership to work dance in all my classes so far, and have at,” Mader said. “Eventually, I would been named Student of the Course in like to write estimates for insurance seven of the 11 courses I’ve taken.” companies.”

Mader explained that in order to be He will be graduating in May 2017. named “Student of the Course” (SOC), a student must have the highest lab grade To learn more about UTI Houston, in class, and maintain at least a 90 per- visit www.uti.edu/campus-locations/ cent in the following areas: class grade houston-tx.

www.autobodynews.com | FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 9

Body Shops Expect Increase In Business Following Oklahoma Snow

by Tess Maune, News on 6

As snow fell on January 5 in Tulsa, OK and drivers headed out, the EMSA (Emergency Medical Services Authority) said it responded to 13 crashes throughout the day, a number they say is relatively low given the conditions.

and flipped on the Creek Turnpike near Yale.

“Truck began to lose all control and literally started sliding sideways,” Campbell said.

While the snow canceled some classes around town, it hasn’t slowed the crew at Peterson’s Auto Body Central near 41st and Sheridan.

Manager Joe Salerno said, “We’re ready for it. I got a really good team up here, so there’s nothing here we can’t handle.”

Manager Joe Salerno said, “We’re ready for it. I got a really good team up here, so there’s nothing here we can’t handle.”

Brian Campbell was involved in a crash Friday. He’s okay, but the same can’t be said for his pickup truck

But EMSA said there were likely many smaller crashes that weren’t reported, and body shops are getting ready for a big boost in business.

Briar Campbell was involved in a crash on Friday, January 6. He’s okay, but the same can’t be said for his pickup truck.

“I didn’t realize it was that slick,” said Campbell. “The truck is not in such good shape.”

His truck crashed into a light pole Continued from Cover

Leery of Auto Repair

is critical that drivers find an honest repair shop that they can trust with their vehicle,” said John Nielsen, AAA’s managing director of Automotive Engineering and Repair. “AAA found that one-third of U.S. drivers—75 million motorists in total— have yet to find a trusted repair facility, leaving them vulnerable when trouble strikes.”

With today’s cars collecting a variety of data about the health of the vehicle, drivers need a trusted repair facility more than ever. “Connected cars” with built-in diagnostic capabilities can alert drivers to vehicle trouble and help repair shops quickly and accurately address issues. Unsurprisingly, given concerns around data security, AAA found that the majority of U.S. drivers want the ability to direct their vehicle’s data to the repair shop of their choice – the trusted facility with whom they have built a relationship.

The top reasons that U.S. drivers do not trust repair shops are: ● Recommending unnecessary services (76 percent) ● Overcharging for services (73 percent)

“We see anything from, like I said, light fender benders to people rolling off the street and going into a ditch, people getting the underneath of their car tore up, bumpers ripped off,” Salerno said.

While the snow canceled some classes around town, it hasn’t slowed the crew at Peterson’s Auto Body Central near 41st and Sheridan

Salerno said they’re preparing for a big influx in business. The manager said he expects a big rush of cars impacted by the snow in the next few days.

● Negative past experiences (63 percent) ● Concerns that the work will not be done correctly (49 percent) ● Older drivers are more likely to trust auto repair shops than younger drivers. ● Baby Boomers are twice as likely than younger generations to fully trust auto repair facilities in general, with one-in-five reporting they “totally trust” the industry.

Baby Boomers (76 percent) are also more likely to have a chosen auto repair shop that they trust compared to Millennials (55 percent) and Gen-Xers (56 percent).

“As a service to our members and the general public, the AAA Approved Auto Repair program is designed to help drivers identify trustworthy repair shops,” Nielsen continued. “Facilities meet AAA standards by undergoing a rigorous investigation conducted by Automotive Service Excellence certified inspectors, including quarterly inspections and annual re-certifications that ensures high professional standards for technical training, equipment, cleanliness and customer service. Plus, if something does go wrong, AAA steps in to arbitrate any issues on behalf of its members.”

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He said his team is ready to help with whatever comes their way.

“We may end up working late, we may end up working weekends whatever we need to do to get the cars done,” he said.

Salerno said when all is said and done, he expects to see a 15 to 20 percent increase in business just from Friday morning’s winter storm.

We thank News on 6 for reprint permission.

Gerber Collision & Glass Opens Repair Locations in AZ

Gerber Collision & Glass has announced the January 13, 2017 opening of three collision repair centers and an active intake center in the Phoenix, Arizona area. The locations previously operated as Brighton Collision Center and began serving the community in 2005. “We are very

pleased to be adding these centers, which enhance our strong presence in the Phoenix area, one of the fastest growing regions in the country,” said Tim O’Day, president and COO of Gerber Collision & Glass.

“This increased footprint will help us better serve both prospective and existing customers, along with our insurance partners.” “It’s also important to note that with this acquisition, Gerber Collision & Glass now has over 400 locations in North America,” added Mr. O’Day. “This significant growth – more than double our store count at the beginning of 2012 – is a testament to the skill and hard work of our team to identify, acquire and operate high quality locations.”

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Phoenix SEMA Town Hall Scheduled for February 16 (SEMA)

SEMA invites industry professionals to its Town Hall Meeting in Phoenix, AZ, where members and prospective members will gather at Baer on Thursday, February 16, from 6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m., for an evening of networking with local industry leaders and the SEMA team.

SEMA’s Town Hall Meetings provide both members and prospective members with the opportunity to learn about the association’s current programs and objectives while networking with automotive aftermarket professionals from the same geographic region. These personal interactions give members a chance to share the business challenges and opportunities they face. As SEMA staff interacts with attendees, they also gain valuable feedback, which helps identify how current benefits can enhance members’ business operations to better meet their needs.

For more information on the 2017 Town Hall Series or to register, visit SEMA’s Town Hall Meetings website or contact Kristen Fregoso at 909-978-6681 or kristenf @sema.org.

National AutoBody Research Launches VRS Labor Rate Survey for Oklahoma, sponsored by Shawnee Paint

National AutoBody Research (NABR) has announced the December 19 launch of the Oklahoma VRS Labor Rate Survey, sponsored by Shawnee Paint.

The free online survey is available to all OK collision repairers on the NABR website.

The VRS Labor Rate Survey provides collision repairers with an independent, third party, trusted survey of labor rate data for the state of Oklahoma. The VRS reports the true, market-based labor rate ranges throughout the area, based on shops’ posted labor prices, not on an artificially defined single prevailing rate for all shops.

“When I saw the Variable Rate System with my own eyes, I was impressed and quickly jumped on board, as I was already very concerned about labor rates in this industry,” said Rick Stiles, president of Shawnee Paint.

“The VRS survey is an honest survey with a solid methodology and transparent data that everyone can

Mitchell 1 Shop Management Workshop Coming to Scottsdale in April

Mitchell 1 will hold this year’s first Shop Management Workshop, April 27-29 in Scottsdale, Arizona at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort. The training is designed for auto shop management software users who want to learn more advanced capabilities, shortcuts and new features to run their businesses more efficiently.

The two-day training session focuses on best practices and guides users through all levels of functionality of Mitchell 1 Manager™ SE and ShopKey Shop Management SE. Emphasis is on features in the 7.0 version of the software, but previous versions are also covered. Topics include program setup, inventory, reporting, scheduling, advanced transactions and aftermarket cataloging. A session led

by Mitchell 1 product managers will focus on helping automotive repair shops get the most value from their integrated repair information source, ProDemand®. Attendees will also learn about the Mitchell 1 SocialCRM shop marketing service during a casual evening reception. A practice lab equipped with computers and staffed by product specialists will be available throughout the event so attendees can practice and apply the skills they are

learning in the training sessions.

The workshop will be led by John Dwulet, senior product manager for Mitchell 1’s management software solutions, and Tim McDonnell, national training manager, who together have over 40 years of combined shop management system training experience.

Attendees can expect lively discussions on how to use the management system to energize their business, increase profits and boost productivity.

“This advanced training turns existing shop management system customers into power users who get the most out of their software and business,” said Dwulet. “The sessions will uncover strategies that attendees can use to compete successfully against dealerships, maximize their maintenance and repair opportunities, and enhance their relationships with customers.”

Attendees will be welcomed with a cocktail reception on Thursday evening, April 27. Workshop sessions run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30. The registration fee is $200 per attendee, plus applicable tax, and covers seminars, breakfast, lunch and refreshments each day.

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see. I am passionate about the collision repair industry, and I want to see my customers and all body shops succeed. This survey and the VRS system represent a real solution and a tremendous opportunity for Oklahoma shops and the industry. I hope all collision repairers get on board and support this effort.”

“We are thrilled to bring the Variable Rate System and the VRS Labor Rate Survey to Oklahoma,” said Sam Valenzuela, president of NABR. “Now, these shops can have the market data and online tools they need to help get paid what they are worth and get paid for more of the work they do.”

To the see innovative Variable Rate System for themselves, any collision repair owner or general manager may request a free, no-obligation

demo of the VRS to see firsthand how the system can help them charge and collect sufficiently profitable labor rates and get paid for more not-included procedures.

Oklahoma becomes the 17th state to launch the VRS Labor Rate Survey, joining other states currently running the VRS Survey including Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah.

Based in Shawnee, OK, Shawnee Paint is a supplier of automotive and industrial coatings, tools and equipment, and materials and supplies to the Oklahoma market. Family owned and operated for over a century, they serve automotive collision repair and service centers.

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Utah’s 2017 Resolution: A Plan for Cleaner Air

by Emma Penrod, The Salt Lake Tribune

Utah faces a host of environmental challenges in 2017, but state officials say they are making one their top priority: air quality.

The state may need new initiatives for reducing levels of small-particulate pollution, the culprit associated with Utah’s wintertime inversion troubles.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to reclassify three Wasatch Front counties — Salt Lake, Utah and Cache — as “serious” nonattainment areas, requiring stepped-up measures for cutting particulate emissions.

If the EPA proposal, which is up for public comment through Jan. 17, is approved, Utah will have to submit to federal authorities a new plan for limiting pollution before the end of the year.

While the federal Clean Air Act mandates Utah’s compliance — with threat of penalties for noncompliance — staving off sanctions isn’t the sole factor elevating clean air on the state’s priority list, according to Alan Matheson, executive director of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

“The priority is making sure that we continue to reduce our emissions, and ensure that we’ve got air that’s sup-

porting our health, economy and quality of life,” Matheson said. “We all know people who struggle when the air is poor, and addressing that challenge is far more motivation than legal penalties.”

very confident that the model is better than what we had before.”

Those models indicate that Utah County and Cache County are set to meet federal air-quality standards by 2019, assuming that emissions in those areas continue their downward trends.

But Bird said Salt Lake City will likely need additional emissions rules in order to meet the next EPA deadline. And it’s not yet clear, he said, what those new regulations might look like.

State officials intend to study no-nattainment areas across the country for strategies that might work here, he A pollution inversion over the Salt Lake Valley as seen said, and then present the ideas from an airplane returning to Salt Lake International for public input.

Airport Friday December 30, 2016. Credit: Chris Detrick, One possibility: requireThe Salt Lake Tribune ments or incentives for Utah Bryce Bird, director of the DEQ’s workplaces to reduce their workers’ Division of Air Quality, said the new commuting trips. air-quality plan — called the state imSuch programs would call on large plementation plan — is underway. So employers to help their employees get to far, he said, officials have improved the work without being the only occupants air-quality computer models that help in their vehicles during winter invershow how new regulations might affect sions, the Wasatch Front weather patUtah’s air. terns that make Utah especially prone to “We actually upgraded our whole accumulating unhealthy concentrations modeling system,” Bird said. “We’re of particulate pollution.

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Employers, Bird said, might consider organizing car pools, offering incentives for use of public transportation or allowing workers to telecommute.

“To be effective,” he said, “it would need enforcement or reporting, too. And that’s something we’d be discussing — how to quantify benefits and make [employer-based trip reduction] a permanent part of how we do business.”

Bird’s division hosted a symposium on employer-based trip reduction on Wednesday in hopes of kicking off the conversation.

Matt Pacenza, executive director of the environmental advocacy group HEAL Utah, said his organization plans to push for better enforcement of existing state air-quality rules this year.

For example, Pacenza said, Utah residents who live in the Wasatch Front nonattainment areas are already barred from burning solid fuels such as wood when the weather forecast calls for “mandatory action.”

But, he said, the state doesn’t have the resources to enforce that ban, and penalties are rarely applied. Likewise, the state has put in place a myriad of rules on emissions from businesses such as restaurants, dry cleaners and auto body shops. But again, he said, actual enforcement is sparse.

Louisiana Body Shop’s Claim Against Insurance Industry Stalls A lawsuit alleging that several insurance companies are pressuring auto body and repair shops to use substandard parts remains in stasis, according to a louisianarecord.com article. The case Parker Auto Body et al v. State Farm et al has stalled in the 11th Circuit Court. See cover story this issue.

In the case, the operator of Parker Auto Body in West Monroe, La. is suing State Farm Insurance and more than 50 other automotive insurance providers, alleging that they have joined together to leverage their collective market power and exert control over a large portion of the collision-repair industry. That in-

cludes fixing the cost of labor rates, controlling the cost of replacement parts, and forcing shops to use inferior or even dangerous replacement parts.

Additionally, the claim alleges the defendants are guilty of boycotting shops that are unwilling to comply with either their decision to control prices or their demands to use inferior and improper parts, and interfering with the plaintiff’s current and prospective business relations by intentionally misrepresenting and making knowingly false statements regarding the quality and reputation of the business.

“It’s an unfair practice and we

think vehicles should be repaired the way the manufacturer says they should be,” Matt Parker, the owner of Parker Auto Body, told the louisianarecord .com. “Every time you want to represent the consumer, the insurance company wants you to do things the cheapest way possible and the end result is not safe.”

Currently, Parker’s lawsuit remains in stasis, but the shop owner said there is still a plan to continue pursuing the claim.

For almost 60 years, Enterprise RentA-Car has partnered with collision repair centers and insurance companies to help customers whose cars have

rental process among insurance companies, auto repair centers and neighborhood branch offices to increase efficiencies as well as enhance data security and transparency overall.

As a result, Enterprise not only is committed to safeguarding the privacy of collision repair data, but also to supporting an open data platform in today’s highly competitive marketplace.

“We firmly believe models that

create barriers to vehicle and repair data could be detrimental to the industry,” said Mike Hawkins, Vice President of Business Development for Enterprise Holdings Inc., which owns the Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand. “That’s because everyone benefits from an open and level playing field when industry service providers and product suppliers are able to innovate by using industrygenerated data.”

Enterprise Rent-A-Car Supports Open, No-Cost Data Platform

been damaged or stolen. In fact, Enterprise has a history of providing innovative solutions and streamlining the

OSHA: Fatal Injuries at Auto Parts Whse Preventable

OSHA has determined an employee’s fatal head injuries were the result of a used auto parts business’ failure to follow required workplace safety standards, according to a report. The John’s Used Auto and Parts LLC employee was struck in the head by a chain “come-a-long” device as he attempted to inflate and mount a multipiece rim wheel on a vehicle. He died two weeks later from his injuries. The agency determined the company failed to provide adequate training and safeguards to protect employees while they serviced the wheels.

“This employee’s death was preventable. Servicing rim wheels such as these is dangerous, exposing employees to struck-by and other hazards. An employer must train workers properly and equip them to do this kind of work safely before they start the job. I urge all employers performing this type of work to review their operations and take the required corrective action, so no other workers are killed,” said James Mulligan, OSHA’s area director for Boston and southeastern Massachusetts.

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Oklahoma’s CareerTech Trains Both Current, Future Workers

by Kathryn McNutt, The Oklahoman

Producing enough workers who can do the job—today and tomorrow—is a challenge that keeps Oklahoma’s CareerTech system buzzing.

CareerTech looks at workforce needs from a company perspective to make sure workers are getting the training for high-demand, high-wage jobs, director Marcie Mack said.

“We get the opportunity to work directly with business and industry to ask what their needs are,” Mack said.

“How do we help train not only their current workforce, but how do we help prepare our students to be their future workforce?”

When a business puts in a new computer system, and its staff needs programming and application training, CareerTech can do that.

“It’s very important that we work at the speed of business,” Mack said.

“We make sure that we can turn the training they need in a timely manner because their business is going to continue on, and we want to make sure that we help them move forward.”

CareerTech also reaches out to those who are not yet employed or who are in low-paying jobs to help them to obtain the postsecondary creContinued from Cover

11th Circuit Refuses

not impact the other appeals. However, there is reason to believe that at least one of the other appeals may also be in procedural jeopardy. Specifically, in the Alpine Straightening Systems v. State Farm, et al. appeal, appellants (represented by the same counsel as the Parker plaintiffs) failed to file their Appendix in that matter on a timely basis as well. To date, no action has been taken by the Court in that action.

While the dismissal of the Parker case is certainly welcome news for insurers (as would be a dismissal of the Alpine Straightening case, should it

dential or certification needed to get a grader just starting to explore careers good job. to an adult looking to change careers.

“Our partnerships with business More than 56,500 registered users and industry are vital to ensuring work- have logged on to the free career planforce needs are met in our state,” Mack ning site. said.

It’s important to help individuals Citing projections that 77 percent currently in the workforce pipeline, of the state’s jobs in 2025 will require but equally important to continually education beyond high school, Gov. fill that pipeline, Mack said.

Mary Fallin announced a workforce “We provide students with an opinitiative last month called portunity for a career plan, an Launch Oklahoma. opportunity to look at what is The goal is to increase available here in Oklahoma the number of Oklahomans and what skill sets do you ages 25-64 who have postsecneed to obtain employment ondary education or training in that career field,” she said. from 40 percent to 70 percent CareerTech has career and — or about 600,000 more technology programs in 395 workers. school districts and cooperaMarcie Mack “The workplace is chantive alliance agreements with is director of ging rapidly with the growth the Oklahoma State Regents Oklahoma of technology, and it is vital for Higher Education.

CareerTech that today’s students possess High school students attend the skills to meet this reality,” Fallin technology centers at no cost, and said in the announcement. “Launch have the opportunity to obtain college Oklahoma will help ensure Oklahoma credit toward an associate degree as has enough workers with the right they obtain industrial credentials and skills to enter and succeed in the work- training. force.”

Health programs continue to be in CareerTech launched an online high demand, and companies always tool in 2015 called OK Career Guide ask for more truck drivers, welders and to help Oklahomans find out where machinists, Mack said. their career interests lie, from a sixthSince 2007, career academies have

occur), these developments do not yet bring the In re Auto Body Antitrust Litigation to a close. As noted above, there are several other appeals also currently before the Eleventh Circuit, some of which do not appear to suffer from the same types of procedural defects identified by the Court in Parker.

So, at least for now, at least some auto body shops may yet get their opportunity to have the Eleventh Circuit address Judge Presnell’s rulings on the merits. Stay tuned.

See previous analysis by same authors at http://www.jdsupra.com/ legalnews/auto-body-shop-antitrustcase-crashes-74579/ We thank the authors, Baker Donelson, and JD Supra for reprint permission.

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been offered to high school students in high-demand areas like pre-engineering, biomedical, gateway to technology and computer science.

The academies include a number of advanced placement courses that count for college credit for students who pass the test, said Paula Bowles, communications and marketing officer.

“There are so many more options for younger students now to explore things. It’s not just auto body or HVAC,” Bowles said.

People’s educational needs vary greatly, so CareerTech strives to be flexible, Mack said.

“As individuals come in, we can look at the educational experiences or skills they already have learned on the job to help them obtain credentials, certification in those areas to further their career,” she said.

A certification program may be six weeks long or the person may need a two-year program to achieve his or her goals.

“It’s not one size fits all,” Bowles said. “It’s what do you need to be successful in what you want to do, and we’ll try to help you get there.”

We thank The Oklahoman for reprint permission.

www.autobodynews.com | FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 17

NM Shop Painter Progresses to Celebrity Custom Builder via SEMA decades, Torrez has worked in a unique variety of industries. He labored in the James Torrez got the name for his New Mexico oil fields for five years shop from a naysayer. while also painting cars in the evening.

Torrez was working in a friend’s From there, he began a career in the pobody shop in 2006 when he first exlice department, working as an officer pressed the desire to open his own cusfor three years before joining the nartoms shop that would cater to celebrity cotics unit. clients. The staff promptly informed “But I was always painting,” Torhim that he was nuts. rez recalled. “Each night, until around midnight, I was at a friend’s body shop. On weekends and days off, I was always there, working on my cars or his cars.”

While part of the narcotics unit, Torrez raised his three sons as a single parent. He eventually realized that the stress of his job was infringing on his ability to be there for his kids, so Torrez elected Demented Customs owner James Torrez and his three to change course once more. sons. (l to r) Jaime, James, Christian, and Paul He worked at a friend’s body “Even though I came from nothshop doing collision repair work for a ing, I always thought that I was going while before deciding to open Deto do something or be something,” said mented Customs. His three sons— Torrez, who was raised on welfare by Jaime, Christian, and Paul—all work his grandparents. “So I didn’t care if in the shop with him, and each of them anyone thought it was a crazy idea. I is featured on Tackle My Ride. wanted a name for my shop that re“My kids have always been with flected that. ‘What’s another word for me in the shop,” Torrez explained. crazy?’ I asked. Someone suggested de“When J.R. (Jaime), my oldest, was mented. Immediately, I thought, ‘That’s ten, he and I did a crotch rocket tomy name.’” gether. I had him sanding and polishing the frame, and that bike was In addition to owning Demented actually featured in Super Street. It Customs in Hobbs, New Mexico, Torrez recently co-hosted reality series was the first Demented Customs proj“Tackle My Ride” on the NFL Netect that we worked on together. Ever work alongside former NFL linebacker LaMarr Woodley. In the unscripted show, Torrez and Woodley surprise diehard football fans with vehicle makeovers that ultimately bring them face to face with their NFL heroes.

Although he has been working on cars for decades, it wasn’t a straight shot to his own shop nor to television for Torrez, who made a few unusual detours along the way.

Torrez learned how to paint cars at age 19 when he approached the Former NFL linebacker LaMarr Woodley and owner of a local body shop and asked custom builder James Torrez on the set of for an unpaid apprenticeship. “I was Tackle My Ride painting a bunch of people’s stuff for free and just practicing,” Torrez said. since, he and I have worked on a lot “I was also doing car stereos and susof projects together. We were on the pensions. I wanted to do flames, but last season of Overhaulin,’ where we nobody there could do flames, so that’s worked side by side with Chip Foose, why I learned how to do them. From which was just unreal. We learned a then on, I pretty much painted them all lot!” the time.”

In addition to customizing cars Although he has painted cars for within his community, Torrez perby Deana Cacus

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forms work regularly for celebrities.

But initially, high-end cars and the clients who drove them didn’t exactly come careening into the shop.

Keith Jardin’s 1996 Ford Bronco, which was Torrez’ first celebrity build

Torrez’ work in celebrity customs essentially began at SEMA. He had heard about the Show and was curious as to how it might help him get his foot in the door. Upon doing some research, he was told by a fellow customizer that SEMA was a waste of time and that he shouldn’t bother with it. Fortunately, he ignored this advice and built a truck to showcase. There, a friend from House of Kolor introduced him to the staff of West Coast Customs. Torrez pointed out a few flaws in their work and was assured that celebrities didn’t notice flaws;

they simply wanted nice cars and were willing to shell out a lot of dough for them.

“I figured that was what I needed: customers that had money to work with,” Torrez said. “But I was going to take care of them. I wasn’t going to cheat them. Just because they were big name celebrities, I wasn’t going to charge them $200,000 for an $80,000 job. I wanted to be fair with them.”

Still, he was living and working in Hobbs, a lengthy ten-hour drive from Los Angeles. Accessing celebrities might be difficult due to the distance and his lack of connections. He used Myspace to contact Keith Jardin, a UFC Fighter. A wealth of celebrities were UFC fans, and it seemed like a great network to tap into. While working on Jardin’s 1996 Ford Bronco, Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans sent him a Lexus to install DVD monitors into, but Torrez ended up completing a full build.

Torrez showcased the Bronco and Lexus in 2008 at the UFC 100, seeing it as an ideal venue to meet additional UFC fighters. There, he made connecSee Propels to Celebrity, Page 21

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Propels to Celebrity

tions with people in the industry who would later introduce him to other celebrity clients. Skrape (real name Tim Katz), founder of sports clothing company TapouT, approached him to work on a ‘70 Suburban that he wanted to vinyl wrap and put a 350 motor in, but Torrez had bigger plans. He convinced Skrape to let him customize it on a much grander scale so that he could unveil it at SEMA 2009. He had a mere two months to complete the considerable amount of work required in time for the Show.

While exhibiting at SEMA, a conversation at the GM booth with Dr. Jamie Meyer—Performance Parts Program Manager at General Motors— and a lengthy negotiation for a LSX 454 motor that spanned several months led to a private party at the WIN Casino the Monday night before SEMA 2010.

Dr. Meyer assured Torrez that the two cars that he was customizing—’55 and ‘70 Chevelles—would be on display to unveil the LSX engines to GM executives at the exclusive event. The cars were a hit, and SEMA proved once

again to be a brilliant venue for making connections.

“I used SEMA to elevate me to different levels,” Torrez affirmed. “It’s really a good tool if people know how to use it correctly.”

Torrez raised his three sons as a single parent, and they all work on cars together at Demented Customs

A 2011 Twitter conversation with his friends from SEMA somehow came to involve luminous media personality and former NFL player Michael Strahan, who allowed Torrez to “audition” for him as a customizer with a GTO. In 2012, Torrez unveiled Strahan’s customized GTO at a TurboNetix booth.

Years later, his friendship with Strahan would aid him in being approached to

audition for Tackle My Ride. Even with Strahan’s reference, Torrez and his crew at Demented Customs had to work to beat out ten other shops to be the one featured on Tackle My Ride, which they ultimately did, and handily.

Tackle My Ride, which finished airing in mid-December, was warmly received by critics and audiences, and the exposure has brought business and esteem to Demented Customs. Moreover, Torrez and his family had a blast being part of it together.

“I can’t express how much I appreciate my sons and all of the help they give me at the shop,” Torrez gushed. “I couldn’t have completed any of my builds without them. In addition to being my sons, they are my teammates and best friends.”

Along with his family’s unyielding support, Torrez attributes his success to his mindset. “What I’ve come to learn is, to achieve greatness, you’ve got to be demented,” Torrez mused.

“Your ideas have to be so off the hook that to the average person, you appear crazy. But in your head, you’re completely focused on the end game. You know exactly where you’re going; you just have to keep working in order to get there.”

NHTSA Ends Probe of Fatal Tesla Florida Crash

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released its full findings following the investigation into last year’s fatal crash involving a driver’s use of Tesla’s semi-autonomous Autopilot feature.

The report clears Tesla’s Autopilot system of any fault in the incident, and in fact at multiple points within the report praises its design in terms of safety, and highlights its impact on lowering the number of traffic incidents involving Tesla vehicles overall. NHTSA notes that crash rates involving Tesla cars have dropped by almost 40 percent since the wide introduction of Autopilot.

It also notes that its investigation did not find any defects in the design or implementation of Tesla’s automatic emergency braking systems (AEB) or its Autopilot cruise features. The report also states that Tesla properly anticipated the potential for driver misuse in the design of Autopilot, studied those potential effects and incorporated it into the product’s final design before broad rollout. It’s essentially as good as result as Tesla can have hoped for from the U.S. traffic safety agency’s investigation.

www.autobodynews.com | FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 21

Shop Secrets and Strategies

Stacey Phillips is a freelance writer and editor for the automotive industry.

She has 20 years of experience writing for a variety of publications.

She can be reached at sphillips.autobodynews@gmail.com.

Tracy’s Collision Center in NE Shares Insight About Building a Brand with Stacey Phillips

As a second-generation body shop owner, Tom Tracy of Tracy’s Collision Center said he always dreamed about being a businessman. Since taking over the family body shop in Lincoln, NE, during the 1980s, the business has grown to include two shops and now employs 50 people. His sister is a partowner in one of the shops and two of his four sons are also part of the successful company. Autobody News talked to Tracy about the benefits of marketing and building a brand as well connecting with the community and others in the industry.

How did your family get its Q: start in the auto body business?

My parents started the shop in A: 1969 in Lincoln, Nebraska. They were from a small town about 25 miles

from here. My father was a bricklayer and he had a construction company. He decided to get involved in the body shop business. He thought it would be something that might supplement him during the winter because a lot of times in our locale usually the winter meant no work.

was during the recession and I was thinking about starting a different construction company, but the timing was

ally awesome because they were way ahead of us. It kind of blew me away in some ways because I always thought that everything made in America was supposed to be the best. I found out they were creating paint that was so much better than what we were producing here.

Early on, we started a relationship with the Sikkens paint company, AkzoNobel.

We got involved with Acoat The Lincoln, Nebraska business has grown to include two Selected, AkzoNobel’s busishops and now employs 50 people ness development program for wrong. I ended up telling him, “Well, the Sikkens brand. I had to buy the let me see what I can do with it.” paint from Kansas City because there That’s how my career in this industry was nobody around here I could purstarted. chase it from.

What were some of the What was the experience like Q: Q: changes you made when you with the 20 group you joined in began working at the shop? the mid-1990s and how can shops

A:

First of all, I wanted to be a businessman. I always had the dream of doing that. When I started managing the shop and improving the business, I looked at the way we were doing things and a lot of it didn’t make sense.

It reminds me of the Pink Floyd song, “Another brick in the wall.” I learned a lot about how to work by doing a repetitive type of job. One of the main things that I did was run the ground crew. The ground crew had to have all of the right things in place so that the bricklayers could actually do their jobs. If that didn’t Tom Tracy, owner of Tracy’s Collision Center, during a Recycled Rides event. The shop and its partners have work well, you didn’t go anydonated cars to deserving families in the Lincoln where so it made me think a community for many years through National Auto lot in those terms.

Body Council’s (NABC) nationwide project My father was a very supI went to school thinking I was portive person. He would allow me to going to be a contractor. My education do whatever made sense so we started was a combination of going to a con- making some changes. For example, we struction-type of technical training got involved in wheel alignment. We and working in the business. I had a also began using the 3M Ambulatory lot of good mentors along the way. My Revenue Management Software father was a good businessman but (ARMS) and bought what I believe was didn’t have much to do with the body the first downdraft paint booth in Neshop other than owning it for several braska. years. Back in the 1980s, we were deI had some early encounters bating if we should sell it or keep it. It with the Europeans and that was re-

22 FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

maximize their participation?

I was involved with a 20 group A: that had some really successful shops in it. That was great about Akzonobel. Most of their shops were really good players. Randy Stabler was in our 20 Group as well as shops from St. Louis, Wichita, California and Texas.

When we went to the 20 groups and the conference, I had some great experiences. I definitely have traveled as much as possible, especially the last 15 years. I learned a lot of things and met a lot of great people.

We would meet twice a year and have open discussions about a variety of things. I was in a multiple store group, and we were non-competitors for the most part. It was good information and you could see how you were doing compared to other people.

We would share financials as well as different ideas, such as marketing, equipment, new technology, HR concerns, how to deal with people and inSee Tracy’s Collision Center, Page 24

www.autobodynews.com | FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 23

Continued from Page 22

Tracy’s Collision Center

surance relationships. You just feed your mind and go through the equation and become a better strategist and a better thinker.

We left that group a few years back. Later, I became interested in what PPG was doing with their Green Belt training, which was more instructional, and I ended up moving to that group. I also sent about 15-18 of my employees.

What approach do you take Q: when it comes to customer service?

Our customer focus for the most A: part is: be friendly, be kind, be good. We try to make sure that our cus-

tomers are going to come back. A few years ago, we were introduced to Steve Schoolcraft from Phoenix Solutions Group at an AkzoNobel conference. I gave it a lot of thought, and we started a relationship with him.

That really helped how we delivered cars and engaged customers. He would come twice a year to Lincoln and would have dinner with our office personnel to talk about our results. We were already doing well, and I think we started to do a better job. It’s one of many things that ended up helping us in our marketplace.

What practices have you emQ: ployed at your shop that have helped you stand out from the compe-

tition?

I think what makes us unique is A: we work really hard to market our business. I’ve been mainly engaged

in marketing for the company since I started working as the CEO and had a lot of good mentors, whether they were from radio or television.

I went to several marketing events that were put on by either the television or radio industries. During one of the most effective events I attended, they said you have to advertise like Coca-Cola. The whole nature of that statement is to break it down and say, “If I follow these basic advertising theories, something good is going to happen.” I agreed with that and we established a different campaign.

Then we came up with a slogan, “Thanks Lincoln.” Part of that came

from an idea that hatched from Steve Schoolcraft about how you should be thanking your customers. It became a huge success.

What it did was it brought to life repeat customers and all of the good will

ment your shop has initiated?

Through our AkzoNobel 20 A: group, we challenged each other to donate a car. This was before Recy-

cled Rides started, which we were part of later. This last December, we gave away our 21st and 22nd cars at an event.

Five years ago, we started a relationship with the Lincoln Children’s Museum and built what we refer to as our third location. In an area of the museum called Tiny Town, they have Tracy’s Collision Center where kids can practice tuning up a car and Employees from Tracy’s Collision Center demonstrate the applying paint. shop’s estimating process

we had going for us. It was just phenomenal what came from that. We’ve been busy pretty much for as long as I can remember.

What advice can you share Q: with others in regards to marketing?

I think that one thing that a lot of shops haven’t focused on A: enough in the past is marketing and

building a brand. When you have to write a check to build a brand, sometimes it’s not that easy to do but you have to pound the drum. Sometimes major media, whether it be television or radio, is about the only way you can enough attention to build that brand.

You need to figure out how to do that efficiently and you have to stay engaged in it long enough to make it work for you. Once you do that, you have a lot of marketing power.

It’s like snowball rolling down a hill. Once you get it big enough, and you’ve been doing it long enough, your brand is established.

I think it’s important to drive people to your website too. We’ve done more of that in the last couple of years.

It’s where people can learn more about what you are doing. It makes a difference. People might spend five or six minutes on your site and then they will have an idea about what they are getting.

In marketing, if you think about what we are selling as a body shop, it’s about trust. When you can build that kind of trust, I think people really care about that.

What are some of the unique Q: types of community involve-

24 FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

We made some television commercials to support the museum and bring awareness to the exhibit. I had two different customers tell me that they came to the shop because they took their grandkids to the Children’s Museum and they were so impressed we would support the museum with an exhibit they decided this is where they wanted to get their car fixed.

We also became involved in a community action group called Lin-

coln Lancaster Community Action.

They manage Head Start and a lot of other government programs. That has been a great relationship. We started a Head Start classroom with our name on it last year, which has been kind of fun.

Community involvement does a lot of good for your employees because it gives them a chance to give of themselves and their talents. We’ve done it for a long time so it’s something they look forward to. Our goal with the car giveaway is to change somebody’s life and I think we’ve been able to do that.

For more information, visit ttracy @tracysbodyshop.com.

Read more about Tom Tracy’s story in regards to building a brand and connecting with the community and industry in The Secrets of America’s Greatest Body Shops, written by Dave Luehr with Stacey Phillips, scheduled to be released in early 2017.

For more information, visit www .bodyshopsecrets.com or email dluehr @bodyshopsecrets.com/sphillips @bodyshopsecrets.com.

www.autobodynews.com CHECK IT OUT!

Everything needed to start repairing aluminum today!

ART38

www.autobodynews.com | FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 25

Cars We Remember: Reader Recalls Earl Scheib Paint Centers and Seeks Recommendation on Touch-Up Paint

by Greg Zayla, Arkansas News

Hi Greg, I appreciate all of your Q: columns on the old cars. I’m an older car and truck enthusiast and I re-

member fondly all those great Earl Scheib car painting television commercials and newspaper advertisements.

Back then, Earl Scheib could paint any car for only $29.95 and have it ready in one day! I’d love your memories of Earl Scheib. I know getting a car painted costs a lot today, but I do see some Earl Scheib paint centers are still in business.

Also, I have a 1959 Chevy pickup that I’m going to need some help with finding the correct touch-up paint. Any recommendations? Yours truly, Carl R., email from New York.

Carl, thanks much for your letter. Believe it or not, I had a A: very close friend named Woody Hat-

ten who died way too soon while editor of a custom car magazine in 1989.

He was in the middle of a great career.

It turns out my friend Woody worked for Earl Scheib near Alexandria, Virginia in the 1970s, and he was also known nationally for his work in

Let me explain.

Earl Scheib opened his first paint center in Los Angeles back in 1937. The business grew quickly after World War II and Scheib even expanded his shops into Europe by 1975. Scheib also grew to own a subsidiary that produced his own brand paint, so things were going good. He initially started his ads at $19.95 for a complete paint job, then $29.95 and then the price went up as the years went by. He even offered “medium” and “premium” paint jobs for additional money.

However, when it came to quality or lack thereof, Earl Earl Scheib paint centers located across America were Scheib’s famous reputation popular beginning in the late 1930s to the 2000 decade, came more from his large where you could get a car painted for a very low price. newspaper ads and 60-second This 1960 era advertisement state for $29.95, Earl will television commercials than paint your car including doorjambs and wheels. Today, his automotive paint jobs. independent Earl Scheib paint and collision centers still exist. Credit: Former Earl Scheib paint centers Woody Hatten told me As for the Earl Scheib Paint Cen- quality wasn’t usually in his formula as ters, to make a long story short, there Scheib promised same or next day servare no longer any original Earl Scheib ice and utilized what he called a propaint centers, but there are many in- duction line painting system. As one dependent Earl Scheib centers still in employee striped, a second masked, a third sanded while a fourth sprayed the business as you note.

Super Stock & Drag Illustrated magazine as a drag racing writer and photographer. Notable is that Woody Hatten was also the elusive and always unnamed “Agent 1320” for Super Stock magazine for many years.

26 FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

paint...all as quick as possible. Scheib’s goal was at least five or six cars every day per center.

Woody said that although Scheib’s company wasn’t the most respected paint center nationwide by the “real” paint and custom body centers, Scheib’s was the place to go if you wanted a lower-level paint job. Woody also tipped me that if you did a little prework yourself, like removing side stainless trim, hubcaps, car logo letters and then cleaned it up, you got a better paint job as more time was spent applying the paint. In the end, Woody summed that an Earl Scheib paint job was a good example of “getting what you paid for.”

Scheib died in February 1992 and his official Earl Scheib paint centers lasted until July 16, 2010. After that— and a most notable move I might add— the company rewarded its Earl Scheib shop managers with the opportunity to become small business owners. Specifically, the company offered them the rights to purchase all the equipment and fixtures in their shops and, most important, use the Earl Scheib name for their own business.

Many managers took advantage

and agreed to the terms, resulting in today’s independent Earl Scheib paint centers. These modern Earl Scheib centers now offer decent paint jobs at still attractive pricing and most of today’s Scheib shops also offer custom painting, collision repair and pin striping. Thus, the employees who took a chance and went into business have now upped the value of their shops and

AutomotiveTouchup has every paint code known in the industry if you seek a correct touch up paint for your vehicle. From a 1991 Yugo to a 1959 Chevy pickup, this company can send you a correct paint code match.

Credit: AutomotiveTouchup

added some needed quality to the Earl Scheib reputation.

As for a touch-up paint recommendation, there are many companies that provide good touch-up paint for cars and trucks. However, the company I use is called AutomotiveTouchup. All

you have to do is go online and enter your car’s year, make and model and then select your paint code from the information and color links listed.

It’s truly effortless, as Automotive Touchup will then ship whatever you need directly to your home with all necessary supplies. I’ve used their products on my 1999 BMW, 1994 Trans Am, 1980 AMC Concord and 1959 Edsel with great results as the colors match perfectly. Pricing starts at $9.95 for a small touch-up bottle for those little rock chips or small fixes.

You can also order a bevy of quality paint products in all sizes for smooth application and long-lasting results.

AutomotiveTouchup also offers body and bumper repair products, sanding supplies and spray can triggers. Check them out at automotivetouchup.com and get started. (Disclaimer: I’ve never received anything free from AutomotiveTouchup or even a discount on their products.)

In all fairness, remember there are many places you can acquire touch-up paints, like Touch Up Direct, Auto Zone, Advance Auto, NAPA and the many other auto centers that cater to car enthusiasts. We thank Arkansas News for reprint permission.

3M Automotive Aftermarket Division Introduces 3M™ Power Tools for Body Repair 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division has announced a new line of pneumatic tools for cutting and grinding designed with the auto body worker in mind.

The 3M™ Power Tools for Body Repair were designed to complement the 3M™ Cubitron™ II line of cutting and grinding abrasives portfolio.

The offering of five new 3M power tools includes the 3M™ File Belt Sander (18”), 3M™ Mini File Belt Sander (13”), 3M™ Cut-Off Wheel Tools (3” & 4”) and 3M™ Pistol Grip Sander. The tools feature a sleek new composite body and exceptional quality designed for maximum performance with the 3M™ Cubitron™ II line of cutting and grinding abrasives.

The 3M™ Power Tools feature: -Unique ergonomic design specifically for body worker applications and automotive substrates -Light-weight and durable composite body for user comfort -Sleek body design to access hard-toreach areas -Engineered and priced for the collision repair industry -Improved safety guard on cut-off wheel tool -Variable speed for optimal finish

-Affordable pricing with exceptional value “Vehicle dis-assembly, particularly with today’s advanced substrates, creates a tremendous challenge for standard tools and abrasives,” said Dale Ross, U.S. Marketing Operations Manager for 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division. “By developing high-power, high-performance tools designed to work with our unique 3M Cubitron II abrasives, we can provide auto body workers the ideal solution for tacking these tough tasks, all at a great value.”

The 3M™ Cubitron™ II portfolio of purple abrasive products has quickly become the preferred solution for cutting through paint, welds and metals.

And they cut 30 percent faster and last twice as long as other premium abrasives. The 3M™ Cubitron™ II abrasive products feature precision-shaped grain technology that form sharp peaks that easily “slice” through paint and filler, even high-strength steel and aluminum.

As the triangular shaped ceramic grain wears, it continuously fractures to form sharp points and edges that slice cleaner and faster, stay cooler, last twice as long and leave a consistent finish.

For more information, visit http:// 3mcollision.com/products/tools.

www.autobodynews.com | FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 27

Product and Process

Stacey Phillips is a freelance writer and editor for the automotive industry.

She has 20 years of experience writing for a variety of publications.

She can be reached at sphillips.autobodynews@gmail.com.

AZ Shop Finds More Customers are Bringing in Vehicles for Post-Repair Inspections with Stacey Phillips

Last November, a 2011 Toyota Camry was brought into Coach Works Auto Body for a post-repair inspection. Matt Radman, the manager of the Mesa, AZ, facility, said it was the worst repair job he had seen out of all the vehicles in the shop brought in for similar rea-

The 2011 Toyota Camry the day the accident occurred

sons. According to reports, the Camry had been taken to another direct repair facility several times, but wasn’t repaired properly.

As a small shop that completes approximately 100–150 vehicles a year, Matt said Coach Works is finding an increase in the number of customers bringing in their vehicles for post-repair inspections. He estimates out of the 18 that he has worked on over the last year, over half of them had serious issues. “We have been finding this problem has really been coming to light the last few years,” said Matt.

often been falsely accused of doing things to a vehicle brought in for a post repair inspection to portray the shop that initially repaired the vehicle in a negative way. This is why Coach Works began taking videos of the tear down process for vehicles needing a post repair inspection, including one of the 2011 Camry.

Working with Collision Safety Consultants, Matt said they noticed right away during the post repair inspection of the Camry that there was misalignment in the gaps for the right front fender and an aftermarket part was used. After removing the weather stripping and the kick panel on the vehicle, he said the biggest thing that stood out was that there were still drill holes in the inside of the vehicle.

“Whoever fixed the vehicle beforehand, they drilled it from the outside going in and they didn’t fully plug weld the rocker panel from the inside and out,” he said. “There was exposed metal.”

Billy Walkowiak, the founder of North Carolina-based Collision Safety

An extreme close up in the middle of the windshield pillar where they sectioned the outer skin and inner structural hinge post. In addition, there were raw exposed welds with no corrosion protection

Don Carlton ACURA OF TULSA

918-627-6457 Fax

888-550-7278

Member of the Tulsa Parts Connection

Picture shows the section point between the “B” and “C” pillars on the rocker. Matt said the direct repair facility didn’t follow proper sectioning procedure guidelines. In addition, there was no corrosion protection in the inside cavity and a sleeve was used

“What’s really scary is that there are shops that do 10 times more repairs than we do and unfortunately we are finding these really grossly substandard repairs from a lot of different people,” said Matt. “There are techs— and sometimes shops don’t even know it—who are taking shortcuts that could ultimately kill people.”

He said that Coach Works has

The center “B” pillar posts where the paint and body work was grinded away shows area of improper sectioning point

Consultants helped confirm what had been found. Walkowiak provided Coach Works with the proper repair procedures from Toyota using infor-

28 FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

mation from ALLDATA. “That’s how we determined that the vehicle was improperly fixed,” he said. “If body shops would access OEM procedures, and use them, they could make sure they are doing a proper and safe repair,” said Walkowiak. “I would say that 75 percent of the vehicles that I inspect are structurally improperly repaired.”

Matt said Coach Works takes pride in repairing vehicles to pre-accident condition utilizing OEM parts and procedures. He said he approaches every job like he is repairing a vehicle for a family member. “Nothing is going to leave that I wouldn’t put my own mother or daughter in,” he said.

Specializing in collision repair, classic restoration and custom fabrication, Coach Works Auto Body was established in 1986. The independently-owned family business is currently run by Matt’s mother, Marina See AZ Shop Finds, Page 33

Don Carlton

HONDA OF TULSA

918-392-9665 Fax

800-722-2379

Member of the Tulsa Parts Connection

Excellent service Competitive pricing

Knowledgeable staff First class service

4905 S. Memorial Dr. Tulsa, OK 74145

4141 S Memorial Dr. Tulsa, OK 74145

Parts Hours: Mon-Sat. 7:00am - 6pm

Parts Hours: Mon-Sat. 7:00am - 6pm

Parts Manager: Diane Finch acuraparts@doncarlton.com

Parts Manager: Nick Young hondaparts@doncarlton.com

www.doncarltonacura.com

www.doncarltonhonda.com

www.autobodynews.com | FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 29

H ON DA TEX A S

Bankston Honda L e w is v i l le

800-344-8611 972-219-0021 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 www.bankstonhonda.com

Benson Honda S a n A n t on io

800-727-8705 210-340-0831 Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-12 hondaparts@bensonhonda.com

Cleo Bay Honda K i ll e en

877-253-6229 254-699-2478 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 parts@cleobay.com

Honda Cars of McKinney M c K in n ey

972-569-4276 972-569-4222 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-5 Gene.chenault@hendrickauto.com

Honda of Frisco F ri s c o

866-442-2711 972-731-3176 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7:30-5:30 cedgar@mcdavid.com

AC U RA TEX A S

Autonation Acura Leag u e Cit y

800-749-6227 713-371-4700 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7-5 hoehns@autonation.com

David McDavid Acura Aus t in

800-575-3553 512-401-5976 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 jraygo@mcdavid.com

David McDavid Acura Plan o

972-964-6044 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 dgrajczyk@mcdavid.com

30 FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Please contact these dealers for your Honda or Acura Genuine parts needs.

T EX AS

TE XAS

LOU IS IA NA

AR IZ O NA

Wholesale Parts Direct

Walker Honda

Au s t i n

A l exa nd r i a

Tu c s o n

866-392-1313 512-392-1313

800-234-4441 512-458-2910

318-448-8255 318-445-6677

800-461-6744 520-202-5770

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 9-5 csmith@hondasanmarcos.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6 sales@wholesalepartsdirect.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30 hondaparts@walkerautomotive.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 8-4 robertevenson@chapmantucson.com

Honda of San Marcos Sa n Ma rc os

Howdy Honda A us ti n

877-941-6513 512-443-4300 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-3 partsmgr@howdyhonda.com

Kelly Grimsley Honda Od e s sa

844-453-5594 432-334-6632 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-12 april@kellygrimsley.com

Russell & Smith Honda Ho u s to n

800-833-0180 713-663-4266 Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 7-4 ggregory@russellsmith.com

Rusty Wallis Honda Da l las

O KL AHO MA

Don Carlton Honda

N EW MEX IC O

Tu l s a

A l bu qu erque

800-677-6632 505-260-5002

Fowler Honda No r m a n

866-369-5376 405-573-5719 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-9; Sat 8-4 parts@fowlerhonda.com LO UI SIANA

Superior Honda

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8:30-5 Jscott@garciacars.com

Av o n d a l e

800-350-6537 623-463-4380 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-9; Sat 7-6 gluna@earnhardt.com

C OL OR AD O

Fisher Honda B ou l de r

800-274-0985 303-415-1528 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-2 parts@fisherauto.com

Honda of Greeley

Harvey

G ree l e y

800-943-4227 504-368-5687

888-903-1101 970-506-2795

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-5:30 parts@superiorhonda.net

Earnhardt Honda

Garcia Honda

800-722-2379 918-622-9670 Dept. Hours: M-Sat 7-6 hondaparts@doncarlton.com

Chapman Honda

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-7; Sat 8-4:30 parts@hondaofgreeley.com

877-466-3272 214-328-3891 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 darryldotsy@rustywallis.com

T EX AS

LO UI SIANA

Mac Churchill Acura

Acura of Baton Rouge

Fo r t Wo r t h

B a to n R o u ge

888-824-9634 817-806-0571

866-733-2861 225-756-6166

Dept. Hours: M-F 6-7; Sat 8-5 jguin@macchurchill.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 dlavigne@acurabr.com

Sterling McCall Acura

Walker Acura

Ho u st on

M e ta i r i e

713-596-2337 713-596-2338

800-359-8555 504-465-8555

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-7; Sat 7:30-4 rkahl@sterlingmccallacura.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-2 parts@walkeracura.com

O K LAHO MA

CO LO RADO

Don Carlton Acura of Tulsa

Pikes Peak Acura

Tu lsa

C o l o ra d o S p r in gs

888-550-7278 918-664-2300

800-456-9568 719-955-1715

Dept. Hours: M-Sat 7-6 acuraparts@doncarlton.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 8-4 joe_benson@pikespeakacura.com

C OL OR AD O

U TAH

Flatirons Acura Bo ul de r

800-648-4488 303-442-1767 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 8-5 parts@flatironsimports.com

Jody Wilkinson Acura Salt Lake City

800-234-0875 801-323-0492 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 rick@jodywilkinson.com

Mike Hale Acura

AR IZ ON A

Acura of Peoria Pe o r i a

866-347-4507 623-792-2559 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7-5 dcavanaugh@vtaig.com

Murray

800-292-4595 801-263-0202 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 7:30-5 pgoold@mikehale.com

www.autobodynews.com | FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 31

Shop and Product Showcase How Will 3D Printing Affect the Collision Repair Industry? with Ed Attanasio

We all know that 3D printing has arrived, with more and more companies jumping onboard and developing this burgeoning technology. Almost every day, there is news about something that has been created using this amazing technology. Recently, a Chinese company 3D-printed an entire two-story house and another one is making huge parts for the new Boeing 777 using 3D printing. 3D printing has been a hot topic for over a decade or more, but its origins actually go back to the late 1980s. At first, the technology was designed for manufacturing companies to save time and money while making prototypes, but they soon realized that they could make anything.

Indeed, 3D printing is going to be huge, and especially in the automotive sector. A recent report entitled “Executive Analysis of 3D Printing in the Automotive Industry” from Frost & Sullivan stated that 3D printing will generate $4.3 billion in the automotive

Ed Attanasio is an automotive journalist based in San Francisco, California. He can be reached at era39@aol.com.

industry by 2025, which includes the aftermarket.

So here comes the Divergent Blade, a 3D-printed car that was unveiled recently at the LA Auto Show.

The prototype, made by San Francisco– based startup Divergent Microfactories, is constructed on a chassis using a combination of 61 pounds of 3D-printed

weigh 1,388 lbs, as 3D printing will reduce its overall weight by as much as 90%. As carmakers doggedly try to get their vehicles lighter to meet CAFE standards, 3D printing is making a major impression on companies such as Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Porsche, among others.

The Divergent Blade is a sensa-

aluminum “nodes” connecting to 41 lbs. of carbon-fiber tubing that are not 3D-printed. Purportedly, the Divergent’s chassis will weigh 100 pounds, compared to a regular chassis weighing roughly 1,000 pounds. It can be completely assembled in 30-40 minutes, according to Divergent Microfactories.

When the Divergent Blade’s is fully assembled, the entire vehicle will

tion and indeed a game changer. Many car experts and Silicon Valley types say that a deluge of highly-innovative 3D-printed vehicles will be flooding the market within 2-3 years. So the big question is this—how will this new, exciting technology affect the collision repair industry? Will it help body shops, or will it eliminate jobs, as more machines start to replace techni-

“3D printing, if you haven’t heard, is here, and it is getting more mainstream and affordable day by day.” — Taylor Moss

32 FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

cians? How will the OEs react, and maybe even more importantly, how will the insurance companies respond when shops start printing out parts?

Taylor Moss, the CPO at Estify, Inc., published an article online a while back in which he described his take on how 3D printing will impact the collision repair industry, and he has some intriguing ideas to share.

“3D printing, if you haven’t heard, is here,” Moss wrote. “And it is getting more mainstream and affordable day by day. And this tech innovation can pay big dividends to collision shops willing to jump on this new technology.

This will enable technicians to print the fasteners, rivets, bolts, screws, clips, retainers, and any other small parts that hold up jobs. But that is just the beginning.”

3D printing would be ideal in situations where OEM specification rivets, screws, clips and retainers aren’t immediately on-hand and could delay the

completion of a repair, Moss claimed.

“Typically, repairs get held up by the smallest and seemingly most insignificant parts, and the ability to 3D print those parts on site would work wonders. It would allow delays in deliver-

body panels and structural pieces too?

There most likely will be a day when you can print all the parts you need for a repair right onsite. And what will that do for efficiency and cost when shipping is eliminated, the need to carry inventory for parts dealers is unnecessary, and the parts can be printed for use when the vehicle is ready for the parts?”

Moss also outlined several ways that 3D printing will enhance shop workflows, including reducing cycle time, cutting average rental days, reducing downtime, saving money on cheaper parts, eliminating incorrect parts orders that cause returns and delays The Divergent Blade, made by San Francisco–based startup Divergent Microfactories, is a 3D-printed car and ensuring OEM standard that has gained national attention after appearing at fit and form on parts used in the LA Auto Show recently repairs. ing vehicles to shrivel and diminish, The Divergent Blade has us imagquicken the cycle times, cut rental days ining a world where cars are 3D-printed and make employees more efficient in microfactories all over the planet and during their workday—all great fruits instead of ordering a part for one, you of 3D printing.” simply print it out. Embrace it, because In the very near future, Moss en3D printing is going to be a reality in visions companies using 3D printing to body shops soon—right alongside selfmanufacture larger parts for body driving cars, paint booths that talk and shops. “If we can print the small stuff other incredible innovations that will that’s needed, why can’t we print the improve the industry.

Continued from Page 28

AZ Shop Finds

Radman. His sister Nicole works in the business as well as his brother Nick.

During the inspections, the technicians at Coach Works first look under the vehicle at the pinch weld seam at

The upper part on the roof area on the “B” pillar, which Matt opened and found the the high strength steel inner structural support was cut, replaced with a used salvage part and welded together. Matt said in the event of a subsequent accident, if the components were hit on that same side, the vehicle safety systems would be comprised and could cause serious injury or death to the occupants

the bottom of the rockers. When there is structural damage, Matt said the shops will clamp the pinch welds on the unibody or chassis frame, which will leave marks from where the clamps cracked,

pinched or caused damage to the surface.

Next, they look at the outside body panel and determine if OEM or aftermarket parts were used and how they line up. Finally, they evaluate the weather strip molding.

Matt said that in 2004, another Camry was repaired the same way as the one recently brought into the shop.

Two years later, the vehicle was Tboned on the same side it was fixed and decapitated.

His hope is that some type of regulatory committee is instituted for the collision repair industry that can take action against individual shops that constantly repair vehicles improperly.

Matt has found that it’s a big industry problem. “It’s harder to get a license and be registered to be a barber,” he said. “A technician doesn’t have to be licensed to repair a vehicle.”

Matt said there are many shops like his that attend continuous education through the year and have OE certifications. However, he said, “If you don’t follow what the manufacturer says, you are not only putting yourself and your company at risk, but the lives of the people who are driving the vehicles.”

www.autobodynews.com | FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 33

Historical Snapshot

—John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon, who has a body shop in the family and 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.

Industry History Includes Diminished Value, Rating Insurers, a New Direction for CARSTAR with John Yoswick

committees.

20 years ago in the collision repair “We did bury it a couple years industry (February 1997) “This isn’t a club; it’s a business,” back, but the discussion has been to put CARSTAR President Lirel Holt said it into several committees so we can get of new directions the collision repair several perspectives,” CIC Chairman franchisor is pursuing.

Lou DiLisio said. “I think the fire has Those new directions include an died down a little bit from where it was increased emphasis on company-owned a couple years ago, so now we wouldoperations as opposed to the n’t just be adding fuel to that conversion type the 8-year-old fire but addressing a very real corporation has been pursuissue.” ing. Conversion franchising, A significant portion of meaning the signing up of exthe next CIC meeting in isting shops, has brought the Nashville, TN, has been set group to more than 300 shops aside for discussion of DV, since Holt founded CARSTAR from which a CIC task force In 1997, Lirel Holt in 1989. That figure includes was the president on the issue may be estabsome 30 shops in Canada. lished. of CARSTAR, the “Acquisition of shops by “I think collision repairers collision repair CARSTAR has been in the franchise company think it’s an insurance issue,” mix from day one,” Holt said. he founded in 1989; Georgia shop owner Gene he left CARSTAR in “But we’re now just begin- the late 1990s and Hamilton said at CIC. “I proning to buy company stores to today is co-founder mise you, it’s coming right fill areas where we can’t get a straight at us just like a freight and CEO of suitable conversion. We need MotionU, an online train. Everything you read calendar of the coverage to bring brand says [the State Farm settleautomotive events awareness up, and we’re gainment of the Georgia lawsuit] ing the capital and the experience to do will cost $250 million. Well, $50 milit.” lion of that is going right to the lawyers – As reported in Parts & People. who will propagate it right back into Just a few years later, CARSTAR other lawsuits in all kinds of different abandoned its emphasis on corporate- areas of the repair process.” owned shops, selling many of those – As reported in Autobody News. shops back to franchisees and returning to primarily a conversion-franchise 10 years ago in the collision repair model. It took CARSTAR almost 20 industry (February 2007) years, until 2016, to reach the 500- State Farm and several smaller Northshop mark, with much of that growth west-based auto insurers remain among coming in Canada, where the company the best at taking care of their customers now has about 250 shops. after an accident. And some of the companies best-known for their tele15 years ago in the collision repair in- vision commercials – including Progressive and GEICO – are among the dustry (February 2002) Diminished value is back on CIC’s worst. radar screen.

That was the finding of a new surCollision Industry Conference vey of businesses that interact with (CIC) leaders and participants several auto insurers on behalf of vehicle-ownyears ago decided that diminished ers every day: Oregon collision repair value (DV) – the issue of whether a shops. vehicle’s value is decreased after it has “Collision repair shops on a daily been wrecked and repaired – was not basis see how various insurance coma topic that would benefit from dis- panies take care of Oregon drivers after section and discussion at the conferan accident, so we felt it was worthences. But at CIC’s annual planning, while to ask how they rate the various just days after State Farm announced a insurers,” said Barbara Crest, execu$250 million settlement of a class active director for the Northwest Autotion DV lawsuit it lost in Georgia, DV motive Trades Association (NATA), was being assigned to several CIC which conducted the survey of Oregon

34 FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

shops. “We believe their views will be helpful to insurance companies and consumers.”

The survey asked shops to grade the Top 21 auto insurers in the state in terms of as to how well that company’s “policies, attitude and payment practices ensure quality repairs and customer service for Oregon motorists.”

The association conducted a similar survey in 2004, allowing for some comparisons of how shops’ views of insurers have changed.

Crest pointed to a number of items of interest in the findings of the latest survey: ● Although State Farm remains the only insurer to receive an overall grade of A-, three Northwest insurers – North Pacific, Oregon Mutual and Mutual of Enumclaw – were once again the only three to receive grades of B or B-. ● Four companies received below-average overall grades of D+ or

lower. These companies were Farmers, GEICO, Progressive and Safeco. ● Allstate showed the most improvement from the 2004 survey in which it was ranked 19th with a grade of D+. This year, Allstate received a grade of C and moved up to be tied for 14th. ● Progressive became the first insurer in the survey to receive a D-, replacing Farmers Insurance at the bottom of the ranking. ● In most cases, the grades given a particular insurer from shops involved in that insurer’s direct repair program (DRP) were higher than those given by shops that are not part of that DRP. This was particularly true with GEICO, USAA, Unitrin and California Casualty, whose DRP shops gave them grades of B or better while non-DRP shops gave these same insurers grades of C+ or lower. But even Farmers’ “Circle of Dependability” See Industry History, Page 41

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Toby Chess is an I-CAR program instructor, Training specialist, and former salvage yard operator.

Toby is universally known in the collision industry for his work with first responders and advocacy for body shops and consumers. He can be reached at tcspeedster@gmail.com

Hey Toby!

What To Expect from an OSHA Isocyanate and Lift Inspection with Toby Chess

You are sitting at your desk and an OSHA inspector walks in and wants to discuss your isocyanate protection program and inspect your lift. The first request by the inspector will be to see your respirator fit test for all your required employees along with their medical questionnaire. By the way, it is September 2016. You tell him that you have not done the fit test this year (needs to be done yearly), but you will get to it when you have a chance. You will be issued a citation for $7500 and that is just the start of it. There are examples where OSHA fined a facility over $10,000.00 for not furnishing the proper respirators and not having done a fit test.

Starting in June of 2013, OSHA was given a mandate to determine isocyanate protection in the collision industry and part of the mandate, an OSHA inspection could inspect for isocyanate protection without a complaint. They could also inspect to see

that any lifts/hoists in a body shop have been inspected. Again inspection without a complaint. So what are isocyanates, where are they found in the body shop and what PPE is necessary for isocyanate protection?

Isocyanates are powerful irritants to the mucous membranes of the eyes and gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts. Direct skin contact can also cause marked inflammation. Isocyanates can also sensitize workers, making them subject to severe asthma attacks if they are exposed again.

There is evidence that both respiratory and dermal exposures can lead to sensitization. Death from severe asthma in some sensitized subjects has been reported. Workers potentially exposed to isocyanates that experience persistent or recurring eye irritation, nasal congestion, dry or sore throat, coldlike symptoms, cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, or chest tightness should see a physician knowledgeable

in work-related health problems.

Isocyanate exposure generally occurs through inhalation and/or dermal routes. Depending on the isocyanate type and the application method, there may be significant exposure potential from either, or both, of these routes and this should be considered in the risk management approach.

Inhalation exposure can occur when isocyanates are present in the workplace air, either as a vapor or an aerosol. In some instances, airborne isocyanates can be present in both of these forms simultaneously.

Aerosols can be generated by deliberate means, such as spraying, or inadvertently when isocyanates are mechanically agitated or vigorously disturbed. For example, fine aerosol particles will be generated when liquids are brush applied or poured from one vessel to another. However, the amount of aerosol generated in this way will usually be much lower than

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from spraying processes. Where solid isocyanates are handled, there is potential for airborne dust to be generated.

Dermal (skin) exposure can occur wherever there is potential for workers’ skin to come into contact with isocyanates. The main mechanisms by which dermal exposure to isocyanates occur are: ■ Direct contact with workers’ skin

■ Deposition of aerosol from the air onto workers’ skin

■ Splashing, during pouring or mixing activities for example.

■ Handling contaminated items such as tools or used personal protective equipment (PPE) ■ Contact with contaminated surfaces, such as control panels or process plant,

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These filters have a black ring to distinguish it as a vapor cartridge.

There is a third cartridge that is

during maintenance Isocyanates are found in virtually any two part products, such as bondo, seam sealers, plastic two repair and primers and clear coats. What are the necessary Personal Protection Equipment items for isocyanate protection?

Gloves, Goggles, paint suits and respirators. Let’s look at respirators.

There are two types: particulate and vapor. Particulate respirators have fine mesh screens that trap various size particles that pass thru the microscopic holes. Some examples of particulates would be weld thru primer, aerosols products, and welding fumes to name a few. These filters are pink in color.

Vapor respirators have charcoal

both a particulate and vapor all rolled into one filter. These are pink and black.

All of the above filters have an

inside the cartridge that absorbs the vapors as they pass thru the filter.

hour limit and should be changed on a regular basis. I perform annual respirator fit test and give my shops a book that contains the medical exams,

respirator fit test and a page for each employee log that dates when the cartridges have been changed (a game changer when and OSHA inspector walks into shop and wants to see your records). It should also be noted that it is a large OSHA fine if a respirators is not stored in a protective container when not in use.

Another area that OSHA is ac-

tively looking at is repairable crystalline silica.

Crystalline silica is found in sand blasting and rubbing compound.

3M states in Section 8 for their

SDS sheet for Ultra finishing Rubbing Compound you should avoid breathing of vapors, mists or sprays. Avoid breathing of dust created by cutting, sanding, grinding or machining.

Select one of the following NIOSH approved respirators based on airborne concentration of contaminants and in accordance with half face piece or full-face air-purifying respirator with organic vapor cartridges and P100 particulate prefilters.

OSHA states that the final rule takes effect June 23, 2016 after which industries have two years to comply.

In other words, your person who polishes the vehicles with cutting compound needs to was a proper respirator See OSHA Isocyanate, Page 38

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Continued from Page 37

OSHA Isocyanate

and also has a medical questionnaire filled out along with a respirator fit test. I would recommend that you make sure that your tech is in compliancy now and not wait. Another new rule took place last year is the GHS rules (the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals or GHS) on labeling effective June 1, 2016. Employers need to update all work place labels. The label pictured is courtesy of Kent Automotive.

The above pictured label is now

needed on all products that need a work place label.

Body Shop Transfers Chemical from larger container to a smaller one, a work place label is required* Here is what OSHA has stated

about the new work place labels and SDS sheets. “Labels: All labels will be required to contain four elements: a pictogram that conveys the specific hazard a chemical may present, signal words that specify the level of severity of hazard, a hazard statement that assigns a class and category to the chem-

ical, and a precautionary statement that advises how the chemical should be handled to reduce the risk of injury.

Safety Data Sheets: SDS sheets will all need to follow the standardized 16-section format.”

Here is a partial list of the top 5 OSHA Violations in 2015: #2 Violation. Hazard Communication (1910.1200) - 5,192 Citations About The Standard: Hazard Communication standards address chemical hazards produced or used in the workplace, and governs how those hazards are communicated to workers through things like labels, safety data sheets and classification standards. Recent updates in Hazard Communication standards aligned OSHA’s standards with the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) standards already used internationally.

When the new updates began going into effect in 2013, many businesses did not properly implement revisions or train employees on the new standards. Most violations, though, were due to employers not having a written hazard communication program at all, or not providing training and information on hazardous chemicals to workers. #4 Violation. Respiratory Protection (1910.134) - 3,305 Citations About The Standard: Employees who work around harmful dusts, fogs, fumes, mists, gases, smokes, sprays and vapors are at risk of very dangerous occupational diseases if precautions are not taken to protect their respiratory systems.

OSHA’s Respiratory Protection standards set expectations for control measures, respirator use, cleaning and repair, written programs and worker medical evaluations, and these citations are most frequently issued for medical evaluation requirements, implementation of a written respiratory protection program and fit testing.

What does this mean collision shop employer? An unlabeled container falls into the Serious Violation—Each Unlabeled material is subject to a $1500 fine beginning 8/1/2016. Furthermore, Other-ThanSerious Violation, a violation that has a direct relationship to job safety and health, but probably would not cause death or serious physical harm. OSHA may assess a penalty from $0 to $1,000 for each violation. The agency may adjust a penalty for an Other-

38 FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Than-Serious violation downward by as much as 95 percent, depending on the employer’s good faith (demonstrated efforts to comply with the Act), history of previous violations, and size of business.

Serious Violation — A violation where there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result. OSHA assesses the penalty for a serious violation from $1,500 to $7,000 depending on the gravity of the violation. OSHA may adjust a penalty for a serious violation downward based on the employer’s good faith, history of previous violations, and size of business. Last topic I would like to discuss is MSDA to SDS. June 1, 2016 – By this date employers should be fully compliant with HazCom 2012. That includes making

any necessary updates to their HazCom program, training employees on any newly identified chemical hazards (identification of new hazards is likely during the reclassification process chemical manufacturers undertake), and updating safety data sheets libraries and secondary labels. I have included a SDS Check List for Compliance.

The following checklist will help to ensure you comply with the rule: ● Obtained a copy of the rule. ● Read and understood the requirements. ● Assigned responsibility for tasks. ● Prepared an inventory of chemicals. ● Ensured containers are labeled. ● Obtained SDS for each chemical. ● Prepared written program. ● Made SDSs available to workers. ● Conducted training of workers. ● Established procedures to maintain current program. ● Established procedures to evaluate effectiveness.

I realize that our days in the body shop business are filled with many major concerns (where do I find new techs for instance), and a work place label is not at the top of the list, but large OSHA fine can be devastating.

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From SkillsUSA to WorldSkills, Cuesta College Graduate Shares Experience at Home and Abroad

by Victoria Antonelli

At the age of five, Daniel Lehmkuhl started working on cars with his father, who is an automotive instructor at San Luis Obispo High School.

“I always loved taking things apart and putting them back together, like my mother’s kitchen appliances,” he joked.

(middle left to right) Chase Trayal, Daniel Lehmkuhl, and Kyle Claypool for Team USA at the WorldSkills Americas in 2010

Lehmkuhl said the automotive industry has given him the opportunity to put his passions into practice.

“As I grew up, I found a satisfaction not only in fixing something that was broken, but also taking something that was old and restoring it to its original beauty and function,” he explained.

After graduating from high school,

the San Luis Obispo native attended the University of Nebraska Lincoln. But after a year, he said he didn’t feel comfortable being so far away.

“Cuesta College was the natural choice when I returned because it offered a combination of high quality education and affordability that was unbeatable,” he said.

Lehmkuhl fine-tuned his craft at the California community college from 2009 to 2011.

“I loved all of my automotive classes,” he said. “They offered me opportunities to learn new technology and systems on cars, while also giving me a chance to practice the hands-on side of things.”

Lehmkuhl also gained experience while competing at multiple SkillsUSA and WorldSkills competitions.

“I first learned about SkillsUSA when I was in high school,” he said.

“My father is an advisor for the chapter and he was training students every year for the Automotive Technology competition.”

After hearing his father talk about it and watching students compete for years, Lehmkuhl finally got his chance.

“I earned a bronze medal at the state competition my first year,” he said.

Lehmkuhl said he competed in SkillsUSA on a local and state level four times and on a national level three times. Twice he continued on to the international WorldSkills competition.

Daniel Lehmkuhl greets students in Brazil at the WorldSkills Americas in 2010

“One of my favorite things about it is getting to compete against the highest skilled competitors from across the country and even the world,” he said. “Not only that, but also learning about their backgrounds, their stories, and their lives at home was a fantastic cultural experience.”

“I have friendships that I have made all across the world as a result of some of these competitions,” Lehmkuhl added.

When comparing experiences at

the WorldSkills in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2010 and London, England in 2011, he said he found the former to be more challenging.

“The competition in Brazil was conducted entirely in Portuguese, and the amount of time that we had to prepare was extremely limited,” Lehmkuhl explained. “All of the vehicles that were used in the competition did not exist in the United States.”

He said he had to use an interpreter and a Portuguese to English dictionary to decipher the tasks, work instructions, and technical materials that were provided.

“The weather in Brazil was hot and humid as well, which added an additional difficulty to the competition,” Lehmkuhl recalled.

“There are six competition stages that take place over the course of three days, and each stage was three hours long.”

Despite the challenges, he earned a silver medal.

“The event in London was much larger and more organized,” Lehmkuhl explained. “There were over 40 competitors from all over the world, com-

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peting at a level that I had never seen before.”

According to the California native, the London WorldSkills had seven stages that were three hours long, completed over a course of four days.

“The sheer size of the WorldSkills Event is mind-boggling, and it was a true delight to participate in,” he said.

“The competition was fast paced and fierce.”

Daniel Lehmkuhl competing at WorldSkills London in 2011

Lehmkuhl said he placed 5th in London. He was judged on the following tasks, which were similar for both WorldSkills events: ■ Engine Mechanical- disassembly,

inspection, perform precision measurements, repair problems, and reassemble an entire engine by hand, no power tools allowed ■ Gasoline Engine Performancediagnose, troubleshoot, repair, and perform specified measurements on a vehicle with approximately nine planted faults ■ Diesel Engine Performance- same as above but on a diesel engine vehicle ■ Chassis Alignment and Steeringperform a computerized 4-Wheel alignment inspection and adjustments and perform replacement of damaged components to repair alignment issues ■ Body Electrical- perform diagnosis, testing, repair, and precision measurement of a vehicle’s body electrical systems and repair approximately 10 hidden faults ■ Brakes- perform diagnosis, repair, and component replacement as well as precision measurements on a vehicles braking system and repair approximately six hidden faults ■ Manual Transmission- disassemble, inspect, perform precision measurements, component replacement, and reassemble a manual transmission gearbox, all by hand See SkillsUSA to WorldSkills, Page 49

Continued from Page 34

Industry History

shops gave the insurer relatively low scores, and Nationwide’s “Blue Ribbon” shops actually gave the company lower grades than shops not on the program.

– As reported in Parts & People.

When NATA conducted a similar survey in 2015, Oregon Mutual and Mutual of Enumclaw earned the top spots, while State Farm slipped into a tie with USAA for the No. 3 slot. Progressive continued to improve, getting a C+ in 2015, while Farmers and Geico remained in the bottom three among the insurers. More than 1,200 shops participated in a recent similar survey conducted nationally by CRASH Network; results from that survey are expected soon.

5 years ago in the collision repair industry (February 2012) Speaking at a recent conference, David Strickland of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said his agency will decide next year whether to mandate vehicle-tovehicle communication technologies

in new cars to improve crash avoidance.

“We have been working on this notion for over a decade,” Strickland said, according to the Detroit Free Press. “We really do feel very bullish on the prospect of getting it on the ground.”

Strickland said such technology could address up to 80 percent of crash scenarios.

But even with such mandates, it can take decades before new safety features are in 95 percent of vehicles on the road, according to a recent report from the Highway Data Loss Institute. It won’t be until 2016 that 95 percent of vehicles have front airbags, for example, and until 2028 for side airbags.

– As reported in CRASH Network (www.CrashNetwork.com), February 13, 2012. It wasn’t until this past December that federal regulators announced a proposed regulation that would require that automakers begin phasing in the vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology within two years; four years after the regulation is finalized (expected in 2019), every new car sold would have to have a V2V system.

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Industry Insight

—John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon, who has a body shop in the family and 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.

OEM Summit Includes Discussion of Scan Tools, Collision Repair Training Costs with John Yoswick

The “OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit,” hosted in November by the Society of Collision Repair Specialists, gave representatives of the automakers an opportunity to weigh in on a variety of topics raised by collision repairers.

A panel of OEM trainers, for example, was asked what shops should look for in the technicians they choose to send to OEM training. Some of their answers were surprising.

“The main thing that I notice is technicians who come to training who don’t have basic computer skills,” Mike Kukavica of Porsche said. “They really need to be able to get to the workshop manuals. It’s not a paper book any more. They have to be able to use a computer. They need to be able to look things up.”

Shawn Hart, a trainer with Audi of America, said some students show up with little understanding of why they are even there.

“They’ll say, ‘My manager just said here’s your ticket, you’re going to training,’” Hart said. “That happens quite often.”

He said shops should make sure technicians are really interested in the particular training being offered; he recalled one student who was told by his employer he was going to training to become the shop’s aluminum technician even though that wasn’t the type of work the technician wanted to do.

“If they’re passionate about something, they’ll learn it,” agreed Rick Miller of Jaguar Land Rover. “They’ll really get engaged.”

The panel was also asked what the automakers are doing to curb the expense of OEM training for shops.

“It depends what your definition of ‘high cost of training’ is,” Kukavica said, noting that Porsche training is included in the company’s shop certification fee. “You just have to bring the people to us, and we have two different training locations where you can do that. So we really try to keep the burden both for equipment and training as low as we can. We’ve been charging the same fee for the nine years the program has been going on.

We haven’t raised it. I don’t know if that’s going to change, but we’re re-

ally trying to do the best we can.”

Miller pointed out that Jaguar Land Rover has I-CAR conduct its training in the United States, and that the cost for that “went down, not up, after 13 years, which is very unusual.”

James Meyer, senior collision repair trainer for Toyota Motor Sales USA, said anyone who has been to one of his company’s training facilities has to recognize the automaker isn’t even recouping its investment in those centers from training fees. He said he thinks the real expense of training for shops is not class fees, but the lost productivity while technicians are away.

“That’s an expense of any training, OEM or otherwise, unless you’re training in your shop, and we’ve found that not to be a very good atmosphere for training,” Meyer said.

In-shop training, he said, can be hampered by limited equipment or by technicians interrupted for production-related issues.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the panelists raised some concerns about shops relying solely on third-party sources of OEM repair procedures and not checking OEM information directly.

Miller said a shop once called him trying to find rivets using an outdated part number from a third-party information source.

“It’s not up-to-date and sends them down rabbit-holes they might not need to go down, and wastes time,” Miller said.

Audi’s Hart agreed that “a lot of times there’s information, fairly important information, that may be missing,” in such third-party sources.

Kukavica said other sources of OEM information “are a god-send if you have no other access” to repair information.

“But at the same time, they’re trying to recreate a database that is updated continuously,” he said. “There’s always some time lag. It’s really important to have the latest information if you can.”

Meyer raised similar concerns.

He said a collision repairer back in August was talking to him about some wording in a Toyota procedure that was helping the shop negotiate better.

“I said, ‘I don’t think we would

42 FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

have ever written that,’” Meyer said.

“But he sent me the bulletin, from another information provider, and it was a bulletin of ours that was changed or edited, and [he had] the original one, not the revised version. So the information might not be up-to-date or accurate.”

Another panel of during the summit offered their views on the pros and cons of collision shops buying OEM versus aftermarket scan tools. John Hughes of Fiat Chrysler argued that OEM tools tend to be updated more frequently.

“We update it every week,” Hughes said of his company’s scan tool, noting that it could be months before such changes are incorporated into aftermarket tools, and that some minor changes that may only affect a few hundred vehicles might never be incorporated into those tools.

Jason Gabrenas, national diagnostics trainer for Snap-on, acknowl-

edged his company does regular updates to its vehicle communication software app two times per year. But he and Bob Pattengale of Bosch both said that although an OEM tool may make sense for a brand of vehicle a shop is specializing in, a quality aftermarket tool is generally sufficient.

“Let’s say you get a particular late-model car and you just don’t have the feature [needed] in your [aftermarket] scan tool,” Pattengale said. “If you have a J-2534 (compatible) device, you go to a website, you download the diagnostic software that you need, paying for a 2-day or 3-day subscription for under $100, you solve the problem, you put your J-box away and move on. You don’t have to buy the whole [OEM] scan tool and own it for life.”

Gabrenas said the likely lifespan of any tool should also be a factor in a shop’s purchase decision; he said See OEM Summit, Page 45

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Snapshot of The Collision Repair Industry—Executive Summary of the 2016 Survey

by Collision Repair Education Foundation and I-CAR

Background Previous surveys, conducted every three years, confirmed the need for a continual supply of qualified entrylevel technicians, while also showing changes concerning business operations and the collision repair technician workforce.

A similar survey was completed in 2016 to continue monitoring trends and provide data to support effective strategies and decision-making on the structure and scope of collision repair school programs at all levels.

Sample An online survey was set up to collect

number of technicians increased significantly.

The percentage of small shops (with annual sales under $300,000 ) has declined significantly since 1995, while the share of large shops (over $1 million) continues to increase.

The overall average for square feet of production space has again grown, along with a higher average number of technicians and support employees reported. In 1995, one in five shops reported more than six technicians. In 2016, it is more than one out of every two shops (52%).

Those in business five years or less has decreased from 1995 (14.2%) to 2016 (4.3%), resulting in an increase of the overall average of number of years in business.

Above the entire adult population, ninety-four percent of technicians are high school graduates.

Businesses responding to the survey report that sixtyeight percent of technicians participated in I-CAR training in the last two years. Thirty-six percent reported some OEM training.

Compensation Compensation plans have remained consistent, with just under half (48%) based on flat rate (commission) plans.

Although there is a wide distribution, annual income tends to increase

with shop sales volume. Income figures shown below are for production

technicians over 20 years old.

According to survey respondents, average income for production technicians rose from $52,997 in 2013 to $53,857 in 2016, competitive with similar skilled trades and higher than most.

Twenty-eight percent reported earnings of $70,000 or higher, showing an attractive earning potential as a collision repair technician.

Benefits Benefit packages offered to today’s collision repair technician workforce show little change from previous survey data, except for a significant decrease See Snapshot, Page 46

This survey was conducted by the Collision Repair Education Foundation

information about both the business environment and the technician workforce. Announcements were made in leading publications, on appropriate websites, and to repair associations inviting collision repair businesses to complete the survey.

Over 630 collision repair businesses responded, representing over 4,500 technicians and a wealth of data.

The same electronic survey system was used for direct analysis with the 2013 Survey and a few interesting comparisions to prior year surveys.

Complete data history is available in the full report.

Business Statistics While the total number of collision repair businesses increased slightly, the

Current Technicians Average technician age has increased to almost 41 years old, rising about 13% since 1995. A particular concern for this industry is the growth in the percentage of technicians over 50 years old.

Hiring from another shop is still the largest source of technician hiring (49%) and is down from sixty-one percent in 2013. Just over twenty-five percent were hired from a non-automotive industry or as their first job, higher than in 2013 (20%). Over eleven percent were hired from a related automotive industry.

Respondents indicated that 36 percent of their technicians had some level of pre-employment technical education.

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Solera Holdings Inc. To Acquire Autodata Solera Holdings Inc., a global leader in data and software for the automotive, home ownership and digital identity management ecosystems, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Autodata, a leading provider of technical information and knowledge solutions for the automotive service, maintenance and repair (“SMR”) industry.

“Throughout a car’s life, there are over 54 transactions that occur between motorists and automotive businesses,” said Tony Aquila, Solera’s founder, chairman and CEO. “One of Solera’s missions is to digitize the vehicle ownership ecosystem by developing cognitive applications that not only power connectivity and engagement, but also proliferate awareness and transparency across the entire automotive lifecycle.”

Founded in 1975, U.K.-based Autodata has evolved from publishing iconic DIY manuals for car enthusi-

asts and garages, to delivering fully digital cloud-based diagnostics and repair intelligence for professional mechanics. Powered by data from 136 vehicle manufacturers covering more than 40,000 models worldwide, Autodata’s solutions today are deployed by more than 90,000 repair shops in more than 40 countries for best-in-class coverage, accuracy, reliability and efficiency, according to the company. Autodata has been owned by Bowmark Capital and Rothschild & Co’s Five Arrows Principal Investments since 2014.

“Solera’s proprietary ‘Invent & Acquire’ strategy drives both the innovation and proliferation of our data and software platforms,” said Aquila. “The acquisition of Autodata will not only complement our expanding/existing suite of digital SMR solutions, such as Identifix and Inpart, but will also accelerate the expansion of Solera’s asset protection and risk management solutions in emerging and maturing markets across the globe.”

As technology continues to rapidly drive complex automotive designs, vehicle repair shops increasingly demand sophisticated digital

Continued from Page 42

solutions that can enable and sustain efficient aftermarket operations with the highest levels of customer satisfaction.

“Today’s motorists expect automotive service professionals not only to understand every vehicle make and model, but also to provide a faster and more accurate service at highly competitive prices,” said Rod Williams, CEO of Autodata. “Joining the Solera family will not only amplify Autodata’s ability to meet the growing needs of the industry, but will also provide our customers and partners with access to Solera’s highly innovative mindset and forward-thinking solutions.”

“Vehicles are not only being driven longer than ever before, but are becoming more technologically advanced and digitally sophisticated,” said Aquila. “The SMR industry must be prepared to manage this evolution in mobility with the right mindset, equipment and training. Solera’s integration of Autodata will accelerate delivery of the data and software that the global SMR marketplace needs today, as well as the innovative technologies and solutions that the industry will need tomorrow.”

OEM Summit

Snap-on generally supports its tools long after it stops selling any particular model.

Doug Kelly, CEO of Collision Diagnostic Services, agreed that “OEM tools change a lot more often,” and thus may have a shorter useful life than aftermarket tools. But “to keep up with the 2016 and 2017 vehicles with all this new technology, I honestly don’t know how a repair shop would start if they aren’t using factory tools,” he said.

He said his company’s remote scanning service via its “asTech” tool, however, prevents a shop from having to invest in either OEM tools that more quickly become outdated or in aftermarket tools that are not as comprehensive nor as frequently updated.

“By delivering the [scanning] service as opposed to the technology, we eliminate the need to have to worry about what version [of scan tool is needed],” Kelly said. “We sell a device that [remotely] connects [the vehicle in your shop] to our OEM scan tool and…our trained technicians.”

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industry and, while disruptive to an individual shop, does not increase or decrease the pool of available technicians.

Industry turnout decreases the in health care coverage. number of working technicians avail1n 1995, nineteen percent of busi- able. In the last 12 months, approxinesses reported no benefits offered mately one in sixteen collision from this list. Those offering no bene- technicians (6.2%) left the trade, similar to the 2013 Survey.

Some technicians (1.9%) left their job for a different position, but are still working in an automotive business.

Other technicians (2.6%) left the collision repair industry completely. In addition, 1.6% of technicians retired from the workforce.

The survey asked about how many open technician positions the shop has cur(Other trades source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) rently. Unfilled entry-level needs averaged 0.9 technicians per shop, while unfilled experienced technician needs averaged 1.7 per shop.

Continued from Page 44

Snapshot

fits have declined in every year the survey was done, showing less than three percent offering no benefits in 2016.

Technician Turnover Approximately one of every seven technicians (14.5%) left their jobs within the last year, similar to the results found in 2013 (13.9%).

Half of all reported technicians have been with their current employer for 5 years or less, similar to previous surveys. Those staying on the job for over 20 years has increased each year to over ten percent in 2016.

Similar to 2013, of those who left their jobs, over half (57%) left for another shop. This is turnover within the

Entry-Level Technicians Three out of five shops reported hiring at least one entry-level technician during the previous 12 months.

The most effective recruitment method reported was asking vendors, followed closely with contacting a technical school directly and

posting jobs online. General career fairs showed low effectiveness as ranked by respondents. Collision repair specific careers fairs were launched by the Education Foundation in 2016 to further increase success rates.

Almost three out of four respondents (72%) identified one collision repair school in their area and almost one of every two (48%) identified a second one. Sixty-nine percent rated their schools as Good or above. Of those who have hired from these schools, almost all (93%) would hire more.

46 FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Over one in three (37%) reported at least one employee was on a school advisory committee, significantly higher than twenty-nine percent in 2013.

Training Programs Survey respondents indicated which tasks they would expect a technical

school program graduate to be able to perform with very little supervision.

Respondents chose an average of 9.2 tasks, higher than in 2013 (8.3 tasks).

The top four requested tasks remained the same, as they have since 1995. Electrical Repairs is still the least See Snapshot, Page 50

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Media and Publicity for Shops Are Green Shops Truly Green or are they Just Greenwashing? with Ed Attanasio

I have often seen signs at body shops consumers are now opting to buy prodtouting that they are a “100% Certified ucts and services from green companies, Green” and proudly exclaiming things because they believe in making our like “We Use Only Waterborne Paint” planet a better place to live. Customer with Stacey Phillips or “We Save Energy” or “We Recycle” reviews show that indeed that people and in most cases, I don’t doubt these will gravitate toward shops that recycle claims. But within the last few years, I or use waterborne paint, for example.” have heard more and more about shops If too many shops start greenthat aren’t truly as green as they claim, washing, it could adversely impact the yet they aren’t afraid to tell the world collision repair industry nationwide, that they are. with Stacey Phillips Schillinger said. “Some shops are sinGreenwashing, also known as cere in their efforts and want to make “green sheen,” is a form of deception a positive impact by becoming enviwhere companies falsely promote the ronmentally friendly. But there are perception that an organization’s prod- shops out there that have figured out ucts, claims or policies are that making the public think planet-friendly. It’s greenthey’re green can be just as with Stacey Phillips washing when a company or beneficial. The most harmful organization spends more reeffect of greenwashing is that sources claiming to be “green” it takes away from those through advertising and marshops investing in true energy keting than actually impleefficient and eco-friendly immenting business practices that provements.

The automotive Steven E. diminish environmental impact. services industry is risking the Schillinger is the withorStacey Phillips president of GRCFalsely claiming impossibility of all shops being Pirk Management plying that a shop is helping placed in the same category and has witnessed the environment has become and the public confidence in more and more widespread in the automotive green being diminished. shops that falsely service industry. Using lowIf you’re truly a green shop claim that they’re green, which is emission products such as and your competitors are waterborne paints does not called greenwashing greenwashing, fear not, benecessarily savewith energy – the real cause there is good news on the way.

Victoria Antonelli source of environmental pollution. ReThe U.S. Environmental Protection alize that while there are few, if any, Agency is now getting involved, with a perfectly green shops in the world, mandate to manage carbon as a polluthere are shades of green. Figuring out tant. And the U.S. Federal Trade Comwhere a shop falls in the range of enmission is taking a close look at the vironmental positives or negatives is standards for “green labeling.” the trick to identifying a true green In simple terms, if you’re telling the shop from a greenwashed one. world that you’re green, you better prove Steven E. Schillinger is the pres- it and back it up or risk your reputation, ident of GRC-Pirk Management, an not to mention fines and penalties for accredited independent auditor for getting caught. “Whether you are a manU.S. Energy Policy Act Performance ufacturer, supplier or service provider in Rating Method (PRM) for green certithe automotive industry, be savvy about fication and monitoring and he often what you say and do,” Schillinger said. speaks to industry groups about green- “Ask yourself these questions when you washing. He helps body shops to save advertise ‘going green.’ You owe it to substantial amounts of money through yourself, your customers and the envienergy rebates and also works with ronment for that matter; make sure that shops that have been caught violating green claims can be backed up with certheir local environmental regulations. tification and facts about efficacy.”

Schillinger has seen greenwashing J.R. Hubbard is the owner of Sein many forms, but the bottom line is lecta Auto Body in San Francisco, CA. that it’s fraud. “Body shops all over the His shop has won several sustainabilcountry have realized that there is real ity awards and is a B Corp company, value in being a green business,” the only collision repairer in the counSchillinger said. “A growing number of try that has met the rigorous standards

Shop Strategies

Body Shops Giving Back

Ed Attanasio is an automotive journalist based in San Francisco, California. He can be reached at era39@aol.com.

of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency to attain this designation. As a truly green shop, Hubbard gets a little irritated when he sees other shops greenwashing. “I see it a lot, actually,” he said. “I won’t name them, but there are a few that actively advertise claiming that they are a green business when they are not. These shops know that being green will bring them more business, especially in the Bay Area, where people respect it and will flock to that.”

In some cases, it’s too easy for shops to greenwash, Hubbard said.

“Shop owners or managers will take a sustainability class offered by one of the paint companies, for example, and then all of a sudden they’re a green shop.

They get a certificate and they put it on the wall and then advertise it on their web site, but that’s as far as they go.”

Marie Kuykendall, the owner of Kuykendall’s Collision Repair in Sunnyvale, CA does not tout the fact that her

Tips for Busy Body Shops My SEMA

shops are all-in when it comes to being green, because she feels it is her responsibility to her family and her community.

“I live two blocks from the shop and my family works here, so it’s important for us to be a green operation,” she said. “We don’t have any plaques on the wall and we don’t advertise it because we don’t think it’s anything special. We have been here for 35 years and we started recycling back then. We don’t wash our cars here, we take them to a car wash and we do everything possible to be environmentally responsible in every way we can.”

Kuykendall hopes that collision repairers who are deceiving their customers should stop the practice or pay the price. “If shops are saying they’re green and they are not following through, they should be cited for that.

There is a lot of competition here in Silicon Valley, so I guess everyone is looking for an advantage. But to mislead the public, that’s just wrong.”

Shop Strategies

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A New Life, a New Job: A Success Story for Syrian Refugee Family Living in Ottawa, Ont.

Continued from Page 41

It’s been a pivotal year for a Syrian family living in Ottawa. A new country. A new language.

And now, a new full-time job for the father, pursuing his passion working with cars.

“Cuesta College played a big role in my SkillsUSA preparation,” said Lehmkuhl. “They not only provided automotive classes, which taught me skills that I used during competitions, but they also facilitated training and practices for me to prepare for the competitions both nationally and internationally.”

He now works as a Parts and Service Director at Alfano Motor in San Luis Obispo.

Lehmkuhl stressed the importance of community college, and advised students who are interested in attending one to “not let pressure from friends or family get them down.”

“I think there is an unfair expectation put on young people in our country to rush into a four year college before they know what they want to do with their lives,” he explained. “Community college programs offer the opportunity to gain valuable education, and try out different real-life skilled trades without spending a fortune.”

To learn more about Cuesta College, visit www.cuesta.edu.

by Joanna Schnurr, CTV Ottawa

Nabil Al-Dabei at work in Bemac Auto Body shop

The thousands of Syrian refugees who have arrived in Canada have faced many struggles. Perhaps one of their biggest right now is finding work.

For Nabil Al Dabei, the stars have aligned with a little help from some friends.

After fleeding his home in Syria, Al-Dabei is at home in an auto body shop in west end Ottawa, doing what he has always loved to do.

“Working good, every day,” says Nabil Al-Dabei, in his broken, newly-

acquired English.

We first met Al-Dabei and his family a little over a year ago. They had recently arrived in Ottawa, sponsored by a group through St. Basil’s parish.

While Nabil was not proficient in English, he was certainly proficient at fixing banged up cars.

So one member of his sponsorship group hooked him up with the owners at Bemac Auto Body on Clyde Avenue for one day a week about 14 months ago.

“You could tell from the first month that Nabil wanted to work,” says Marianne McLean, with St. Basil’s Refugee Committee, “He had worked all his life, and he had started work at 10.”

That one day a week turned into a full-time gig.

“Nabil has turned out to be an exceptional worker; great to have around the shop,” said Jamie Scace at Bemac Auto Body. “His craftsmanship is probably one of the best in the shops.”

The owners of Bemac say they are so impressed with Nabil, they wish there were more autobody “artists” like him.

“He’s an excellent worker, Nabil,” said Gaetano Frangione with Bemac, “and I always say I wish we could get at

SkillsUSA to WorldSkills

least another 10 employees like Nabil.

The new generation today, nobody wants to learn the trade where they’re going to get their hands dirty.”

It is the opportunity that thousands of Syrian refugees in Canada are hoping for. Their financial support, either through the federal government or private sponsorship, is running out.

And many worry what happens after that, when they must either support themselves or apply for social assistance.

Jamie Scace with Bemac offers this advice for other businesses: “You know, open your doors. They want to work.”

This job has given Nabil a sense of accomplishment and pride. And it’s offered him a chance to work on his English.

“Thank you for every people help for me, for children,” he said. “Thank you Canada.”

We thank CTV Ottawa for reprint permission.

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Owner of PDR Company in Buffalo, NY, Says He Sees an Industry in Trouble

by Ed Attanasio

Glenn Kumm, 61, has been working in the collision industry for more than 40 years and by adapting to changes in the market and reinventing himself more than once, he has survived both good and bad times. As a result, he has been able to make it in a highly competitive environment, but not without many trials and tribulations along the way.

The owner of Scratch Busters in Buffalo, NY, Kumm is troubled by things such as under-the-radar shops, underpaid body techs, rampant steering, a lack of qualified personnel and that talented people are gravitating away from the collision repair industry, he said.

Hiring good employees is probably his #1 concern. Kumm has had his share of bad technicians who simply don’t want to work, he said. “The bottom line is if you don’t have pride in your work, it’s evident and the finished product will be substandard,” Kumm said.

The problem is compounded because the insurance companies won’t pay body shops sufficiently on repairs, Kumm says. “The insurers don’t give us enough time to fix these vehicles, so Continued from Page 46

Snapshot

expected skill.

New tasks added for 2016 were Perform Diagnostic Scan, Repair Aluminum Dents, and Aluminum Welding.

All are in the bottom half of expected task proficiencies.

Conclusions ● The collision repair industry is predominantly independent businesses that have increased slightly in number while also increasing in average size, number of employees, and sales volume.

● One of every two shops reported six or more technicians and the industry total number of production technicians has increased overall.

● The average age of technicians has again risen and is now almost 41 years old.

● Average technician income has again increased, is still higher than most comparable trades, and has almost one of every four earning $70,000 or more.

we’re constantly struggling with that.

They tell me it will take 2.5 hours to prep, tape, paint and re-assemble a panel and I know that it’s going to take more like four hours and I’m fairly confident that they know that, too. That panel could be in bad shape and it may take more time, but will the insurance company adjust for that and give us some additional time? No.” A shop that wants to do top-tier, high-quality work is at a disadvantage from day one, Kumm explained. “One of the main issues is that the insurance companies don’t consider us skilled workers, and in the end, they have us by the short hairs. Our labor rate has been stuck at $46 per hour for many years and that’s where they want it to stay. These big insurers spend millions and millions on advertising, yet they want to cut corners when their customers get into accidents. There is one word to describe it: greed.”

16 years ago, Kumm changed his business model and started doing Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) after finding a new way to fix scratches easily and quickly. “I worked with a chemist to find a better solution and we developed

a system that requires minimal sanding and zero buffing. There is so little clear coat on these cars now that if you sand too much, you’re done. With my system, we are experts at blending clear and doing touch-ups that are dead-on.”

With four decades under his belt, Kumm realized a few years ago that his days of hard, physical labor were no longer a reality. “Once I turned 50, my body started to feel the wear and tear of this business,” he said. “I had to get one of my shoulders replaced and it’s now all made of steel. I have a herniated disk in my back and arthritis in all of my joints, left shoulder and hip. All of these things are related to all of those years of working on cars.”

What would Kumm tell people interested in a career in collision repair?

“I get calls all the time from young people asking me how to get into the business and I tell them this is not a great career to get into, honestly. In a body shop, you will never make a fair wage, because there are too many forces preventing it from happening. They’re now raising the minimum wage, which will not help us, because we can’t afford to pay these entry-level people more than

what they’re making now. If someone wants to work in automotive repair, I tell them to get into the mechanical side, because those people are paid better than body techs.”

With an average wage for collision technicians starting at $15 and maxing out at around $20 in the Buffalo area, more and more young candidates are looking elsewhere, Kumm said. “To be honest, the really good ones are starting their own shops, because they want the control and they can’t find good people either. In this market now, it makes more sense for these people to start their own shops, if they have the right attitude and are willing to work long hours.”

After painting a dire picture of the future of the collision repair industry, does Kumm know where it’s headed?

“We need more people in this industry who are proud of their work, like ourselves, and can take on the insurance companies,” he said. “And we need highly-trained techs to work on these cars, so that we can demand more money and get it. If we can achieve those two things, everyone can win— consumers, insurance companies and body shops.”

● Collision repair businesses have decreased healthcare benefits since the last survey.

● Technician turnover (within the industry) has increased slightly while technician turnout (leaving the industry) has decreased slightly. Retirements have increased.

● Three out of five shops reported hiring at least one entry-level technician in the past year.

● Of those businesses that have hired from a collision repair school program in their area, almost all would hire again.

● Participation on technical school advisory committees has again increased (from 29% to 37%) over the past three years. ● Expectations for collision repair skills of technical school program graduates have remained steady over the years with Prep for Paint, R&R Bolted Parts, Repair Steel Metal Dents, and Detailing still the top four tasks.

50 FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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www.autobodynews.com | FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 51

IGONC’s Triangle Chapter Enjoyed Xmas Celebration

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

On Tuesday, December 13, the Triangle Chapter of the Independent Garage Owners of North Carolina (IGONC) held its annual Christmas party in a private room at the Peddler’s Steak House, a favorite dining spot for many in Raleigh, NC. According to IGONC Executive Director Bob Pulverenti, “This

December gathering is just an opportunity to enjoy old friends and a great meal.

Our attendance increased this year, allowing us to use the entire back room area, giving guests more space to mingle and socialize.” Pulverenti continued, “This year’s dinner was very nice. It’s always good to get to check in with everyone on a more personal level, meeting their family and sharing stories outside of the shop environment. This event, in particular, is a great way for like-minded business owners to spend some time together relaxing and to swap ideas, industry events and industry news.”

Mopar Celebrates 80 Years The Mopar brand, born on August 1, 1937 as a contraction of the words “Motor Parts,” celebrates 80 years in 2017, marking an amazing evolution over eight decades. First introduced as the name of a line of antifreeze products, the Mopar brand has since transformed to encompass total service, parts and customer care for FCA vehicle owners around the globe.

“The Mopar brand holds an unparalleled place in the automotive world, possessing name recognition, scope of service and passionate enthusiasts unmatched by any other service and parts organization in the industry,” said Pietro Gorlier, Head of Parts and Service (Mopar), FCA – Global. “From humble beginnings as a simple name for antifreeze products, now the Mopar brand reaches customers in over 150 markets offering parts, service and innovative care throughout the whole customer journey.”

After its introduction in 1937, the Mopar brand quickly began to stand for more than just antifreeze. The brand made a name for itself in the muscle-car era of the 1960s, cementing a legacy on the streets and at the dragstrip that by decade’s end would have owners referring to their vehicles as “Mopar” cars.

Over the last decade, Mopar has pegged the needle in its push to transform into a global service, parts and customer-care brand for all FCA vehicle owners. In 2008, Mopar Express Lane service, offering fast oil changes and more, was introduced at dealerships, with more than 1,000 operational today in the United States, and more than 1,750 open in more than 20 countries around the world.

Construction is in progress on two new Mopar Parts Distribution Centers (PDCs) in the United States, adding to the brand’s current network of more than 50 PDCs established to service the more than 500,000 products in the Mopar portfolio.

In the last decade, Mopar has blazed a trail with a number of industry firsts, including the first smartphone vehicle-information apps, in-vehicle wireless charging and factory-connected tablet technology in the service lane via Mopar wiADVISOR. The Mopar brand also introduced a series of limited-edition Mopar vehicles built at the factory, beginning with the Mopar ‘10 Challenger. A new special-edition Mopar vehicle has been introduced each year since, the most recent being the Mopar ‘16 Ram Rebel, with 3,650 limitedrun Mopar vehicles sold since that first

in 2010.

On the product side, in conjunction with the Jeep® brand, Mopar created a new Jeep Performance Parts line to deliver trail-ready parts to offroaders. In late 2016, new Mopar Crate HEMI® Engine Kits were brought to market, enabling enthusiasts to drop modern HEMI power into classic, 1975 or earlier rides.

Celebrating 80 Years of Mopar Throughout 2017, the Mopar brand will mark its 80th year with a large slate of initiatives, including limitededition anniversary vehicles, 80th anniversary-themed service, parts and customer-care offers for customers, special merchandise, events, celebrations and much more.

The year-long celebration will kick off at the 2017 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, January 8-22. Befitting the brand’s global expansion, media and industry leaders from around the world will have the opportunity to experience the start of the Mopar brand’s year-long birthday party and view the 80th anniversarythemed Mopar Garage NAIAS display.

For more information, visit www.mopar .com.

National Auto Body Council Launches Search Campaign For New Executive Director

The National Auto Body Council (NABC) is launching a search campaign for a new Executive Director, following the recent announcement

by NABC founder and current Executive Director Chuck Sulkala of his intention to retire by the end of 2017.

“Our Board of Directors is looking for a candidate who shares our passion and commitment to collectively leverage our industry resources to make a positive impact in local communities across the country,” said Domenic Brusco, NABC Chairman. “Over the past two decades under Chuck Sulkala’s leadership, our membership has grown exponentially. We look to our new executive director to capitalize on this momentum, provide the leadership and support to our growing network of members as they implement NABC

initiatives that help change and saves lives for thousands of individuals nationwide.”

According to Brusco, the executive director position reports to the NABC Board of Directors and works collaboratively with the Board to implement NABC’s strategic annual goals. Responsibilities include oversight over NABC’s daily operations, membership, fundraising, marketing, finance and revenue growth. A detailed Executive Director Position Description is available on the NABC website.

Deadline for submissions is March 31, 2017. Interested candidates should email resumes to Mike McManus at NABC office, (m.mcmanus @autobodycouncil.org) with copies to Nick Notte (Nick.Notte@i-car.com) and Renee Ricciotti (rcricciotti@ mmm.com), co-chairs of NABC Personnel Committee.

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52 FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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I-CAR Launches Seven New Vehicle and Technology Specific Training Courses

I-CAR® has released seven new onehour online courses as part of its new Vehicle and Technology Specific Training curriculum portfolio.

The courses include three that are Nissan/INFINITI specific, a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Collision Repair Overview, a course on calibration of front facing cameras and front radar, an introduction to diagnostics and scan

tools, and a new one-hour online version of the 2017 edition of I-CAR’s popular vehicle technology and trends course.

All seven courses are offered online and have been specifically designed to provide collision repair technicians with cutting-edge knowledge that targets today’s innovative vehicles.

The three Nissan/INFINTI courses are:

Safety Shield Technologies (NI001E01) – Nissan’s Safety Shield Technologies are a suite of advanced safety features that are designed to

provide an extra set of eyes for the driver and help reduce response time in braking situations. This course provides detailed explanations of how to identify if a vehicle is equipped with Safety Shield Technologies, how the systems function, what parts are associated with each system, what kind of damage is typical when the systems are involved in a collision and what procedures are required when parts are removed or replaced.

Nissan Repair Considerations (NI002E01) – This course familiarizes the technician with the vehicles that make up the Nissan model lineup. Additionally, it looks at how to access the repair procedures required for quality repairs. Students will become familiar with the unique repair considerations that are required by Nissan.

INFINITI Repair Considerations (NI003E01) – This offering is designed to provide technicians with specific details on vehicles in the INFINITI model lineup. Students will learn about required repair considerations that are unique to INFINITI, as well as how to access specific repair procedures.

Other new courses include:

Calibration of Front Facing Cameras and Front Radars (VT200E01) – Systems that require either a front facing camera or front millimeter wave radar are intricate and procedures for repairing them are complex. Students will learn what is involved with calibrating these two advanced electronic systems.

Introduction to Diagnostics and Scan Tools (VT210E01) – Students will gain knowledge on the differences between certain electrical troubleshooting tools, when OEM scan tools are required, and how they can most effectively handle their diagnostic needs.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Collision Repair Overview (VT205E01) – The course provides an overview covering everything from FCA’s rich repair history to their position on modern repair issues including their position on cold straightening, partial replacements, types of specified joints for repair, and pre- and post-scans for collision repair.

Vehicle Technology and Trends (VT017E01) – This course covers new features and collision repair procedures for 2017 Model Year vehicles, both foreign and domestic. Technology high-

lights include composite reinforcements, a battery-powered GMA pulse welder and resistance spot riveting.

“Vehicle manufacturers are continuing to innovate with regards to the technologies and materials that are going into their new models,” said Josh McFarlin, I-CAR director of curriculum and product development. “The need for, and the value of, I-CAR training to the industry continues to increase.

We are committed to working with the OEMs so that we are able to deliver the most relevant courses possible, and help repair facilities and technicians by providing the information and knowledge they need to perform complete, safe, and quality repairs. As repairs become more vehicle specific, the industry will find that our new Vehicle and Technology Specific Training curriculum offering is both relevant and complementary to I-CAR’s core training programs.”

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www.autobodynews.com | FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 53

Mitchell International Introduced as Newest SCRS Corporate Member The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) is pleased to announce that Mitchell International has pledged their support as the newest Corporate Member.

“Our goal is to make our customers successful, and when we do, we become successful,” shared Mitchell VP of Sales & Service Jack Rozint.

“Our customers in the collision repair business are experiencing change at a rate that is unprecedented, and we want to work hand in hand with the groups that are best positioned to help those businesses adapt and succeed.

The mission and vision of SCRS says it all—SCRS educates, informs, and recognizes best in class performers— all of which serves to improve the industry.”

Mitchell International has over 70 years of history in the repair industry. Glenn Mitchell first founded the company to use his technical knowledge, repair expertise and ability to connect pieces of information to simplify complex processes. The initial product was designed to meet the practical demands of the automotive industry, delivering the industry’s first functioning car parts replacement resource for collision-damaged vehicles.

The focus on simplification, efficiency

and access to accurate information drove Mitchell’s entry into the collision repair market and then into auto physical damage claims.

“There is actually a great deal of history of involvement from Mitchell,” explains SCRS Chairman Andy Dingman. “At the onset of the Corporate Membership program in the 1980s,

Mitchell was one of the first companies to offer their support, recognizing the positive impact that was possible from a repair market that was led by an effective association.

With a focus on the future, and the demands presented by modern-day automotive technology, Mitchell has expressed a keen interest on being an active participant in market solutions.”

I-CAR Atlanta’s 8th Annual Golf Tournament Planned for April 26, 2017

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

The I-CAR Atlanta Committee has scheduled its 8th Annual Golf Tournament for Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at the Golf Club at Bradshaw Farm in Woodstock, GA. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Collision Repair Education Foundation.

On April 26, registration will begin at 8:30 with the 19th Hole Experience and the Putting Contest taking place from 8:30 to 10:30AM. The Tee Off on Eric will take place from 9-10AM, and the 2nd Annual Helicopter Ball Drop will occur at 10:30AM; for $10 per ball, participants receive a chance to win $2000, and the winner does not need to be present to receive the grand prize.

The golf tournament will begin at 11AM with a shotgun start. Lunch will be served on the course at the turn, and at 5PM, attendees can par-

ticipate in the 19th Hole Experience Playoff. Dinner will be served at 5PM with awards and raffle drawings at 6PM. Raffle and Mulligan packages will be available for purchase on the day of the event.

Registration is open until March 29th at a cost of $125 per individual golfer or $500 for a team of four. Registration includes 18 holes of golf, range balls, cart fees, three drink tickets, the putting contest, the 19th Hole Experience, golf ball launcher, custom glove fitting, lunch, reception dinner, and a goody bag.

The I-CAR Atlanta Committee is also seeking event sponsors with opportunities ranging from a $100 bronze tool grant up to the $8000 platinum sponsorship opportunity.

For more information, visit icaratlanta golf.weebly.com.

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“We support the industry achieving better outcomes that include quality/safe repairs and improved customer service in an environment where the parties work together cooperatively,” added Rozint. “We at Mitchell are proud to support SCRS, and its principles of working together and inspiring positive advancement in the collision repair industry.”

Mitchell’s growth and expansion into new markets has been driven by the company’s practice of proactively seeking opportunities to provide additional value to its customers. The company marked its 70th year with notable acquisitions and several new key customers.

SCRS appreciates the support of Mitchell International. “We’re pleased to have the continued involvement that reflects the early days of the association, while looking forward to the future of the industry,” says SCRS Executive Director, Aaron Schulenburg. “Membership often leads to ways of collaboratively addressing the needs of the industry to provide solutions, and we look forward to those opportunities.”

For more information, visit www .mitchell.com.

Video Shows 2016’s Worst Red-Light Runners

American Traffic Solutions (ATS), a manufacturer of road safety cameras, wants drivers to see their compilation of the worst red-light running crash videos of 2016 and realize they are too dangerous to ignore. “Seeing is believing, and ATS urges drivers to watch this public service video and recognize the danger red-light running presents,” said Liz Caracciolo, ATS Safety General Manager.

“Every day in the United States, drivers running red lights cause an average of two fatalities and more than 340 injuries. When drivers ignore a red light, they put themselves and innocent pedestrians, motorcyclists, bicyclists, other drivers and passengers at great risk. ATS urges all drivers to choose safety over recklessness and stop on red.” The video, compiled from ATS red-light safety cameras in operation in communities throughout the country, is available for viewing at https://www .atsol.com/2016-worst-red-lightrunners. “The collisions captured by our road safety cameras can be avoided. For your own safety, ATS encourages all drivers to abide by traffic laws and stop on red,” Caracciolo said.

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www.autobodynews.com | FEBRUARY 2017 AUTOBODY NEWS 55

Axalta Announces its Automotive Color of the Year 2017 – Gallant Gray

Axalta Coating Systems has announced its Automotive Color of the Year 2017: Gallant Gray. According to a statement from the company, “This luxurious color is enhanced by blue and silver flakes that produce a unique sparkle effect and dark undertones that enrich the finish, adding sophistication.” A year-long Color of the Year celebration will commence with a variety of events during the 2017 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) Preview Days in Detroit, including a video reveal at the EyesOn Design awards program on January 10, 2017. The color will also be prominently featured at the Axalta-sponsored Charity Preview on January 13, 2017, which raises funds to support services for children. Daily inspirations, coupled with extensive research, helped Axalta color designers and product experts select Gallant Gray as the Automotive Color of the Year. A high percentage of the market is interested in a neutral palette and adding slight hints of hues can add life to these colors. “At Axalta, we monitor automotive trends and forecast how color tastes are changing in the automotive market,” said Nancy Lock-

hart – Axalta Global Color Marketing Manager. “We are pleased to partner with automakers by using our coatings to give their vehicles beauty and character, and we’re confident customers will appreciate Gallant Gray. With hints of blue and green, it exemplifies modernity and elegance. Taking everything into account, we think Gallant Gray is the new silver.” Axalta’s recently released 2016 Global Automotive Color Popularity Report, which documents vehicle color trends by geography, showed a rise in the popularity of gray shades around the world.

Neutral colors have dominated the market over the last ten years. Although white and black maintained the top positions worldwide, gray is now tied with silver for third place at eleven percent. Gray leads silver in popularity in Europe (by six percent), North America (five percent), and South Korea (seven percent). Gray is most popular in Europe (17 percent), North America (16 percent), South Korea (19 percent), and India (12 percent).

Axalta’s Global Automotive Color Popularity report is in its 64th consecutive edition. For more information, visit www.axalta.com/color.

NHTSA Opens Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan Investigation The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation on December 20 after

the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received 141 reports of sudden, unexpected increases in stopping distance in model year 2007 through 2009 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan vehicles.

The cause of the problem is believed to be the Antilock Braking System (ABS) Hydraulic Control Unit (HCU). Some of the complainants report that after an ABS type braking event—caused by braking on slippery surface, a rough or uneven surface, a manhole cover or similar irregularity in the roadway— the brake pedal goes soft, frequently described as “going to the floor,” and the amount of force required by

the driver to stop the car increases significantly. In some cases, the driver is unable to stop within their desired stopping distance. Complainants have also reported going past the expected stopping points for stop signs or red lights, and some have reported being out into the flow of traffic before being able to bring the vehicle to a stop.

It is believed that the ABS HCU experiences an internal malfunction which causes an inability to maintain required braking pressure.

Reports allege that the condition can continue for some time until it corrects itself, but will then reoccur if another ABS type braking event happens while other reports indicate that the replacement of the ABS HCU corrects the problem.

ODI has associated three crashes with this condition. A Preliminary Evaluation has been opened to assess the scope, frequency, and safety-related consequence of the alleged defect.

YANG Calls for Hosts for 2017 Meet-Ups

The Young Auto Care Network Group (YANG) of the Auto Care Association is currently taking applications for companies to host a Regional Meet-Up in 2017. Since

YANG started the Regional MeetUp program, there have been more than 20 meet-ups across the United States, designed specifically for young professionals in the auto care industry.

These local events were launched in June 2015. All young professionals, both members and nonmembers, under the age of 40 in the industry are encouraged to attend these events for in-person networking without having to travel far from home. There is no fee to attend.

The next YANG Regional Meet-Up is scheduled for Feb. 10,

2017 from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. in Grand Rapids, MI. This event is hosted by Auto-Wares and is being held in conjunction with the Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper Tech Expo.

YANG members will receive complimentary access passes to the show floor on Friday night.

The three-hour event includes a welcome address from Todd Leimenstoll, president, Auto-Wares; networking; opportunity drawings and more. Interested attendees should RSVP to a particular meetup location at www.autocare.org/ yangevents.

Dates are limited, so companies interested in hosting a meet-up are encouraged to sign up early. For information on what it takes to be a host, visit http://autocare.org/WhatWe-Do/Professional-Development /YANG/host-a-regional-meet-up/.

For more information on the YANG Regional Meet-Up program, visit www.autocare.org/yang or contact Katy McQuiston at katy.mcquiston @autocare.org.

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Axalta Donates Liquid Coatings to Haitian Hurricane Relief Effort Axalta Coating Systems donated a 20ton container of liquid coatings to help rebuild homes in Haitian villages devastated by Hurricane Matthew. The shipment, which is equivalent to 3,602 gallons of paint and valued at $33,000, arrived in Haiti the week of January 9 and was received by Maxima S.A., a Haiti-based woodworking company.

The donation will cover more than 1.4 million square feet of surface area.

“Haiti is one of the most vulnerable nations in the world in the face of natural disasters, including most recently Hurricane Matthew, which has left families and whole communities devastated,” said Michael Cash, Axalta senior vice president and president of the company’s industrial coatings business. “We are very fortunate that the products we make every day can, in some small way, help the families and communities in Haiti recover. We are thankful that our donation will help the country continue to rebuild, and we are grateful that FAMIS, one of our longest standing customers, shares this same energy to help our neighbors in Haiti.”

Maxima S.A. delivers starter homes to rural Haitian families suffering from natural disasters including the 2010 earthquake and now those affected by the recent damage from Hur-

ricane Matthew. A single housing kit covers 250 square feet, is hurricanecertified to withstand 108 mph winds, and has been tested and approved in Haiti. The coatings donation from Axalta will be used to cover the exterior of 5,600 Maxima starter homes.

“We’re so grateful for the donation from Axalta of liquid coatings for our starter homes,” said Stefan Vervloet,

president of Maxima S.A. “Haitians are eager to rebuild, and we’re happy to partner with an organization that can help bring healing to a community recovering from Hurricane Matthew.”

The 20-foot container of coatings was coordinated and shipped from Miami, FL by FAMIS, Inc., the foremost industrial finishing supply distributor throughout the southeast.

“There was no question about helping with this project. We said ‘yes’ before we even had all of the details; that’s

how much we believe in Axalta and the philanthropic work they do,” said Mario R. Hernandez, vice president of FAMIS, Inc. “Our family-owned company was happy to help Axalta, Maxima, and the Haitian people,” he said. Various colors of solvent-based anti-corrosive and decorative coatings, water-based decorative paint, water-based sealer and fast dry alkyd paint were shipped to help the reconstruction of Haitian villages.

Axalta is committed to helping sustain communities through partnerships and initiatives that connect to the nature of its business as a technologybased manufacturing company. In addition to three key areas of support (education with a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics or STEM focus, sustainability initiatives, and community service where employees and customers live and work), Axalta also partners with companies and institutions that share an interest in safety and health, environmental stewardship, and quality products and services.

For more information about Maxima S.A.’s Haiti Housing Fund, visit www.maximahaiti.com.

For more information about Axalta, visit www.axaltacoatingsystems .com

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ASA Announces Dates, Location for 2017 Annual Business Meeting

The Automotive Service Association (ASA) will hold its next annual business meeting April 24-26 at the Magnolia Hotel in Denver. The event will kick off with a Welcome Reception on Monday evening, April 24 at 6 p.m. All ASA members are invited to attend an open board meeting Tuesday, April 25, from 1-5 p.m., where there will be a swearing-in ceremony of the board of directors for 20172018. Prior to the open board meeting, there will be a luncheon for all attendees. Following the open board meeting, there will be a by-invitation-only recognition dinner. On Wednesday morning, April 26, the Mechanical and Collision Operations Committees, as well as the Automotive Management Institute’s (AMi) board of directors, will conduct their meetings. A group event will be planned for the afternoon of April 26. The attendee registration fee for the ASA Annual Business Meeting is $99.95, which includes the Monday night reception and Tuesday luncheon. Housing and transportation arrangements are the responsibility of each attendee. More details, including online registration, will be coming soon. Visit www .ASAshop.org/annualmeeting for general information on the event.

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National Auto Body Council Executive Director, Chuck Sulkala, Announces Retirement Chuck Sulkala, founder, first president, and executive director of the National Auto Body Council (NABC) announced his retirement on January 3, effective the end of 2017.

According to a statement from the NABC, during Sulkala’s tenure over the past 22 years, the National Auto Body Council has become the leading voice to highlight the professionalism and integrity of the collision repair industry through community service involvement.

“I am humbled to have been a part of the National Auto Body Council history,” said Sulkala. “It is incredible to think that this started out as a conversation with Tim Rooney, formerly with I-CAR, and Scott Biggs, with Body Shop Video at the time. It is amazing to see how it has now become a powerful force in improving the image of the collision repair industry. I will miss working with my colleagues and the NABC board to continuously improve the state of the entire collision repair industry.

“After 50 years in this industry, I gency Extrication (FREE™) which am also hoping to enjoy what life has provides invaluable opportunities for to offer. I’m looking forward to spend- first responders to practice life-saving ing some more quality time with my skills on complex late model vehicles. wife Linda—although she will still be involved with the Recycled Rides pro- • Partnering as a business advocate with gram—but with 6 children and 9 AT&T’s It Can Wait campaign to focus grandchildren, frankly, I would like to awareness of the dangers of texting also try and make up for all while driving through the the many nights and hours Distracted Driving Initiative. away from all of them as well. Of course, I am also • Exponential membership looking for more time to growth, with more than 2,000 enjoy our second home in shop locations, numerous inMaine with both family and surers and vendors representindustry friends as well,” Suling all facets of the collision kala said. industry.

Chuck Sulkala Under Sulkala’s leadership, NA-BC’s member network of Other accomplishments since the collision industry companies and pro- NABC was founded in 1994 include: fessionals have united to collaborate on community service programs that • Fundraising support for Ronald Mchelp change and save thousands of Donald Foundation and Ronald Mclives across the country. These include: Donald Houses across the country.

• Introduction of NABC’s Recycled Rides™ program in 2007, which has resulted in nearly 1300 vehicles valued at $17 million donated to individuals and service organizations in need of reliable transportation.

• The unique First Responder Emer-

Refinish Distributors Alliance Adds New Member The Refinish Distributors Alliance (RDA) has added a new member, HiLine Distributors, with headquarters in Honolulu, Hawaii. With this addition, RDA continues to grow their membership across 27 states.

Hi-Line has been in business since 1985 and is based out of Honolulu. Gregg Schneider is the owner and manages the daily operations. The company provides PBE services and products to Oahu and all of the surrounding Hawaiian Islands as well as Guam, American Samoa, and Saipan. They operate a central warehouse in Honolulu and carry the Axalta line of automotive finishes (solvent and water based).

“Schneider is no stranger to the PBE industry and knows many of the RDA members,” a statement from the company read. “He is supported by what is arguably the best sales, marketing, technical and operational

staff on the islands. He is looking forward to networking and exchanging best practices with the members which are the best and most innovative, forward-thinking independent distributors in the industry.”

“We are excited to have HiLine Distributors [as] part of the RDA/IMPACT organization,” said Robert McKenzie Jr., executive director of RDA. “Hi-Line exemplifies what our group is all about: Premier PBE Distributors providing exclusive networking, products and services.”

RDA/IMPACT is the largest national group of refinish jobbers dedicated to providing quality services and products to their collision shops. RDA has 20 members, representing over 200 locations. Members currently service over 4,000 collision centers throughout the United States.

Those interested in joining RDA/ IMPACT should contact Robert McKenzie, Jr. directly at (731) 2179081 or robertemckenzie@me.com.

For more information, visit www .rda-impact.com.

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• A “Leave Behind Program” where the Collision Industry at every CIC meeting would take a collection and give the funds to a local Children’s hospital.

• Raising over $60,000, along with manpower from the Collision Industry during a CIC week in Kansas City to

build a house for Habitat for Humanity.

• Raising over $625,000 for Camp Mak-a-Dream in Montana, which provides a cost-free, medically supervised camping experience for children with cancer. Funds were used to build a Health Center named after the Collision Industry and to purchase a new, handicap-accessible bus.

“We will certainly miss Chuck at the National Auto Body Council, but his legacy will live on through the solid foundation he built for this wonderful organization,” said Domenic Brusco, Senior Manager for Industry Involvement at PPG Automotive Refinish and NABC Chairman.

“Chuck’s upcoming retirement marks the end of a dynasty,” added Nick Notte, immediate past chairman of the NABC. “All of us who have been fortunate enough to work with and get to know Chuck over his five decades in the industry recognize him as the iconic figure that is tough on the outside, but with a warm heart that will melt those snowy Boston winters.

I don’t know anyone who has done more for our industry.”

For more information, visit www .NationalAutoBodyCouncil.org.

ABRA Auto Body & Glass Announces Executive Leadership Promotions and Appointment of Chief Operating Officer

ABRA Auto Body & Glass recently announced that it has added three key executive leadership roles to help execute its national growth strategy.

James Kessler has been appointed to the newly created position of chief operating officer. Kessler joins ABRA with substantial experience in the automotive space, spend-

ing 17 years in several senior leadership roles at Pep Boys. Most recently, Kessler served as president & COO for various private equity backed growth companies where he lead operations through remarkable revenue and market share gains.

Scott Krohn has been promoted to the newly created position of chief process & quality officer.

His responsibilities will be to ensure ABRA remains an industry leader in customer satisfaction, innovation,

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process improvement, and implementing best-in-class practices to address growing vehicle complexities. He previously held the role of ABRA’s executive vice president of operations.

Toan Nguyen has been promoted to the newly created position of chief information & strategy officer. He will continue to lead ABRA’s critical technology area in addition to building the company’s analytical growth roadmap and corporate strategy. He previously served as ABRA’s chief information officer.

ABRA’s president and chief executive officer, Ann Fandozzi, commented by saying, “I am thrilled to announce the appointment of these three talented leaders to their new roles. Each of them have outstanding performance records and an unwavering passion for the industry. Their knowledge and clear vision for ABRA’s future will be instrumental in our long-term growth.”

ABRA’s current portfolio includes 335 locations in 25 states with more than 5,000 employees.

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