Southwestern May 2016 Issue

Southwestern Edition Texas Oklahoma Louisiana New Mexico Arkansas Colorado

34

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Arlington, TX, Body Shop Owner Warns Consumers About Insurance Steering

by Amber Trent, Arlington Voice

One Arlington, Texas auto body shop owner is joining collision repair facilities nationwide in taking on insurance companies.

After an auto accident, car owners face navigating the options of what auto body shop to use. Many times insurance companies will offer a list of preferred repair facilities.

But according to Don Harris of Arlington’s G & M Collision Center, this type of steering from the insurance companies is not allowed.

The issue itself is not new. It dates

Don Harris, owner of G&M Collision, wants consumers to know they are not required to use an insurer’s “preferred provider” when it comes to auto repairs. Credit: Zack Maxwell / ArlingtonVoice.com

back to before the 1963 Consent Decree, which came from a court case.

The case originated from how insurance See Steering Warning, Page 21

Body Shop Owner in Arkansas Building ‘Great Wall of Van Buren, AR’

See Great Wall of Van Buren, Page 15

P.O. BOX 1516, CARLSBAD, CA 92018

A Van Buren auto body shop owner is building a large concrete wall on his property at the bottom of Log Town Hill to give the community a tidier appearance.

Tim Hazlewood, who co-owns Tim’s Auto Body at 17 Fayetteville St. in Van Buren with his wife, Jane, is in the process of constructing a 400 foot long concrete wall on the site of his shop facing south and east towards the nearby Old Frisco Train Station. Hazlewood said he conceived this project as a means to make Van Buren look nicer for people using the train station.

“We have a wrecked vehicle sitting on our backlot,” Hazlewood said.

“I do not want anybody to see anything but a gorgeous wall when they come in and out of Van Buren on that Excursion Train. The other thing is that I’ve been successful in Van Buren.

(The wall is) my way of giving back to the community.”

The project officially started in October.

The wall is being built with precast concrete Redi-Rock wall units that were prepared at Industrial Precast Inc. in Fort Smith, according to Hazlewood.

He received considerable assistance

Change Service Requested

by Thomas Saccente, Times Record

VOL. 34 ISSUE 5 MAY 2016

From Tiny Dallas Body Shop to 299 locations, Service King’s Made an Impact in 40 years

a hose from the business behind him to his bare-bones corrugated metal Forty years ago, Eddie Lennox would building on Hardwick Street. throw a piece of scrap wood onto the The nearest restroom was at a service station a block or two away.

“Most people wouldn’t even drive down there, it was so rough,” said Lennox, 62, the founder of Service King Collision Repair Centers. “I had four guard dogs killed in four years.”

But Lennox, who learned Founder Eddie Lennox didn’t even have running water in the basics of bodywork at the metal building where he started Service King. Today it Grady Spruce High School, has 299 shops in 23 states. Early on, he saw the trends of insurers steering the business and of industry consolidation. had dreams that no tin shed in Credit: Brandon Wade/Special Contributor a rough corner of Dallas could contain. fire in a 55-gallon oil drum to warm As Service King celebrates its his tiny body shop in West Dallas.

See Service King at 40, Page 18 If he needed water, he would run

by Terry Box, Dallas Morning News

March 23 D-FW Hailstorms May Have Damaged 50,000 Vehicles

cars and trucks at new-car dealerships, mostly in Plano and Lewisville.

Hundreds of homes sustained broSwirling bands of hail damaged an es- ken windows and skylights and damaged roofs. timated 50,000 vehicles in Collin, Mark Hanna, a spokesman for Denton and northern Dallas counties on the night of March 23, and the the Insurance Council of Texas, said the group is still gathering information from insurance agents and did not have a preliminary estimate of damage on the afternoon of March 24.

“I’ve talked to a half-dozen agents in the Plano area, and some say it looks as bad as the storm on March 16 in Tarrant County that caused $600 milMiles Johnson took photos of storm damage to his lion damage,” Hanna said. nephews car on Thursday in the 2300 block of Choctaw Drive in Plano. An early spring hailstorm in North Texas “Agents say they are just inunhas broken windows in some homes and vehicles. dated with calls.”

Credit: David Woo/The Dallas Morning News The storm system hit damage will probably keep area body Lewisville before moving east to Plano between 10:15 and 10:40 p.m. on shops filled for months.

March 23, National Weather Service The storms also broke windshields See March Hailstorms, Page 16 and dented bodies on several thousand

by Terry Box & Liz Farmer, The Dallas Morning News

Presorted Standard US Postage PAID San Bernardino, CA Permit #2244

2 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

COLUMNISTS Attanasio - Body Tech in Montana Paints a Second Career as an Artist . . . . . . . . 34 Attanasio - The Little Things Go a Long Way with Customer Service . . . . . . . . . 30 Phillips - CO Shop Manager Shares Thoughts on Aluminum Repair, OEM Certifications & DRPs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Phillips - Florida Body Shops Help Make Box Car Racing a Reality for Special Needs Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Phillips - Utah Shop Stresses Importance of OEM Certifications and Educating Customers About Parts Usage . . . . . . . 40 Yoswick - Anderson Shows NORTHEAST Shops How His “Who Pays for What?”

Surveys Can Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Yoswick - ASA Lobbyists, Allstate Acquires Sterling, Recycled Parts Market Share, Chinese OEMs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

NATIONAL A Double Standard for Setting and Raising Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 AASA Hosts Connected Cars Panel at Vision Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 AkzoNobel’s Acoat Selected Bodyshop Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 American Honda Joins ASA as Corporate Member. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Attanasio - Do Vehicle Wraps Make Sense for Your Shop? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Attanasio - Turtles, Dolphins, Gators, Oh My! FL Shop Steps Up to Help Non-Profits . 44 Attanasio - Women Shop Owners and Female Consumers Get Help from AskPatty.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Auto Care Association and ASE Recognize 2016 World Class Technicians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 BASF Named GM Supplier of the Year & Launches Norbin Brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 BASF’s Glasurit 90 Line Introduces

New Boosters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Caliber CEO Accepts Prestigious National Award in Support of U.S. Military . . . . . 12 Car-O-Liner Group Has New Website Updates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 CARSTAR’s Bob Keith Receives I-CAR Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Chief® Introduces Three New Tools for Collision Repair: New Welder, Rivet Gun and Debonding Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Collision Financial Services Offers 0% Loans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Communication Was Key at Mopar Masters Guild Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. . . . 53 CREF Board of Trustees & Executive Committee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 EMM Becomes ISO 9001:2015 Certified. . 48 ETI Hires Rick Matz as Technical Manager . 60 Farmers Insurance Launches All-New Claims Filing to Maximize Ease of Use for Customers Nationwide. . . . . . . 63 Herkules Adds Two New Lifts to BossLifts Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 I-CAR® Announces 2016 International Board of Directors and Executive Committee . 54 IPA’s® 12-Button Remote Control for the Super MUTT® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 ITW Evercoat Launches New Body Filler. . 56 Lang - Golden Oldie Vehicles Soar . . . . . . 50 Michigan Moves on Self-Driving Testing Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Mitchell Says Remember Your Forgettables . 63 NABR Launches VRS Labor Rate Survey in HI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 NACE 2016 MSO Symposium Agenda and Topics Announced, Held Aug. 11 in Anaheim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 NCACAR Meets for First Time and Makes Progress in Forming New NC Association . 14 New Auto Care Career and Education Award (ACE) Application Now Available . . . . . . 3 New Ideas from Technicians are Backbone of Killer Tools Unique Products. . . . . . . 57 New Location Opened by Collision Safety Consultants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 NHTSA Won’t Consider Takata Impact in Recalls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 PDA Expands Team with New CFO Appointment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Pliogrip™ 5770 Adhesive Recommended

by GM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Polyvance Finishes First Day of LeMons Race in AL, Releases New Plastic Repair Workstation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 PPG Refinish Continues Commitment to Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 RAND Corp. Report Says Calling Driverless Cars Safer than Human Drivers is Statistically Impossible . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Recap of Mitchell Industry Trends Report: The High Cost of High Tech . . . . . . . . . 63 SCRS Board of Directors Meeting Held. . . 61 Self-Driver Navigates Roads in Total Darkness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Service King Promotes Career Opportunities for Vets With ‘Mission 2 Hire’ Program. . 9 Sherwin-Williams Acquires Valspar for $11.3 Billion Creating Global Paints & Coatings Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Sherwin-Williams Launches New Custom & Restoration Websites. . . . . . 60 Tours Announced for NACE | CARS 2016 in CA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Toyota Establishes Third Autonomous Driving US Research Institute in MI . . . 22 Why Are Online Reviews Important to Your Auto Body Shop?. . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 WIN Elects Board Leadership for 2016-2017. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

The Auto Care Association is now accepting applications for a new award, the Auto Care Career and Education Award (ACE), to honor auto care companies that continually provide the culture for and facilitation of employee career development, and invest in employee education and training.

The ACE award, formerly known as the Head of the Class Award, recognizes three companies designated by total number of employees. The award winners will be selected by the Auto Care Association Education Committee.

“With the association’s emphasis on providing tools for career development and employee retention, the Education Committee decided to add a focus on employee career development to the award,” said Sue Kalish, senior director, education, Auto Care Association. “As employees grow in their roles and within the company, this in turn contributes to the success of the company. The ACE award will recognize companies for their commitment to providing opportunities for employees to increase their knowledge and improve skill-building, in addition

Publisher & Editor: Jeremy Hayhurst General Manager: Barbara Davies Assistant Editor: Stacey Phillips Online Editor: Victoria Antonelli Contributing Writers: Tom Franklin, John Yoswick, Janet Chaney, Toby Chess, David Brown, Rich Evans, Ed Attanasio, Chasidy Sisk, David Luehr Advertising Sales: Joe Momber, Sean Hartman, Bill Doyle, Norman Morano (800) 699-8251 Office Manager: Louise Tedesco Sales/Research Associate: Cass Heckel Art Director: Rodolfo Garcia

to providing the environment and culture for individual employee growth.”

Companies winning the previous Head of the Class Award noted that the recognition for their education and training program increased their reputation in both their employees’ and customers’ eyes. The companies used the materials, logos, promotion and other materials provided by the association for their own promotion campaigns.

To apply, use the online application form, available at: www.autocare .org/What-We-Do/ProfessionalDevelopment/Education/auto-carecareer-and-education-award/. The online application format enables applicants to enter, save and re-access text, attach sample pdf documents and include internet links. Applicants are encouraged to focus on their company’s career development, education and training story, and to outline their approach and return on investment.

Applications are due by May 20.

Winning companies will be notified in June. Winners will be recognized during Fall Leadership Days 2016 in Washington, D.C.

Audi South Austin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Audi Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 60 AutoNation Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Axalta Coating Systems . . . . . . . . . . 5 BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 61 Bob Howard PDC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Car-Part.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 CarstarAutomotive, Inc. . . . . . . . . . 19 Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA). . . . . . . . . . . 39 Chevyland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Chief Automotive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Classic Auto Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Classic BMW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Dallas Dodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Dent Magic Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Diamond Standard Parts . . . . . . . . 51 Dominion Sure Seal, Ltd. . . . . . . . . 15 Don Carlton Auto Group . . . . . . . . . 24 Eco Repair Systems of North America, LLC . . . . . . . . . . 35 EMM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Equalizer Industries, Inc . . . . . . . . . 41 Finnegan Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge . . . . 2 Flatirons Subaru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Ford Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 59 GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . 57 Herkules Equipment Corporation. . 21 Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-33 Huffines Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge Lewisville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Serving Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico, Arkansas, Colorado 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. ©2016 Adamantine Media LLC. Autobody News Box 1516, Carlsbad, CA 92018; (800) 699-8251 (760) 603-3229 Fax www.autobodynews.com Email: news@autobodynews.com

Southwest

REGIONAL 1 Hurt in Fire at Alternative Auto Solutions Auto Body Shop in Denver . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Aims Community College Automotive Students to Compete in National Competition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Arlington, TX, Body Shop Owner Warns Consumers About Insurance Steering. . . 1 ASA-CO Introduces Members to State Senator Laura Woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Body Shop Owner in Arkansas Building ‘Great Wall Of Van Buren’. . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Cambridge Automotive Group Acquires 2 Maacos in TX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Collision Pro RV and Truck Center in Lubbock, TX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Enterprise Meets Needs During TX Hailstorms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 From Tiny Dallas Body Shop to 299 locations, Service King’s Made an Impact in 40 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 HABA’s 2016 Body Shop Owner & Manager Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 March 23 D-FW Hailstorms May Have Damaged 50,000 Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . 1 National Group Joins Fight to Save Dallas Car Repair Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 NWLCRA Meeting Highlights: SKILLS USA, Conferences & 1CollisionNetwork . . . . . 6 PBES 2016 Conference Being Held in Denver, CO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Service King’s Mission 2 Hire Employs 100th Veteran in First Year . . . . . . . . . 38 Students Visit Garmat During Denver, CO Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

New Auto Care Career and Education Award (ACE) Application Now Available

Indexof Advertisers

Contents

Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers. . 46 Kia Elite Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers. 55 Lusid Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Mazda Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 58 Mercedes-Benz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Mercedes-Benz of Houston Greenway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Mercedes-Benz Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Mike Calvert Toyota. . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Mitsubishi Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 37 NACE / CARS Trade Show . . . . . . . 29 North Freeway Hyundai . . . . . . . . . 36 Orio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Pacific Produx Reps . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Polyvance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 PPG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Ray Huffines Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . 34 Reliable Automotive Equipment . . . 14 SATA Spray Equipment . . . . . . . . . 43 South Pointe Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge . 8 Subaru of Little Rock . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Subaru of Pueblo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 50 Toyota of Laredo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 52 Valspar Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Young Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 3

Self-Driver Navigates Roads in Total Darkness

A self-driving car has successfully navigated winding desert roads in complete darkness in trials in Arizona. The Ford Fusion Hybrid tipped around a closed circuit in the dark—with its headlights off. It could do so because of LiDAR technology—a series of sensors that make a 3D map of everything around but doesn’t rely on visible light.

Ford Fusion

Jim McBride, Ford technical leader for autonomous vehicles, says LiDAR “allows autonomous cars to drive just as well in the dark as they do in the light of day.” The car drove at night through the Arizona desert without human interference and with its headlights switched off, to test the limits of its artificially intelligent navigation system. The new LiDAR system is made by Velodyne, a company that Ford has been closely working with for a decade. These sensors shoot 2.8 million laser pulses per second, to scan the surroundings precisely. The car uses

high-resolution 3D maps in conjunction with the LiDAR sensors to pinpoint itself on the map, all in real time. In addition, the car also uses a conventional radar which gathers additional information and enhances the sensing capabilities of the vehicle.

Wayne Williams, research scientist and engineer at Ford said,” Inside the car, I could feel it moving, but when I looked out the window, I only saw darkness. As I rode in the back seat, I was following the car’s progression in real time using computer monitoring. Sure enough, it stayed precisely on track along those winding roads.”

LiDAR addresses the need to recognise objects, road signs and signals, which is especially difficult in the night.

Also, irregular signage standards and bad weather make it difficult for autonomous vehicles to perceive the road ahead. This LiDAR equipped Ford Fusion Hybrid can drive in practically any condition.The cost of these LiDAR systems are high at present, but Ford’s CEO, Mark Fields says the advancement in this technology and the downward trend of technology costs in general, will make it a viable option for full scale production cars in the future. For 2016, Ford plans to triple its autonomous car fleet, to 30 Ford Fusion Hybrids.

BASF Named GM Supplier of the Year & Launches Norbin Brand

BASF Automotive Refinish was named a General Motors (GM) Supplier of the Year for 2015 at an awards ceremony in Detroit, MI on March 10. Wayne T. Smith, chairman and CEO, BASF Corporation, accepted the award, which BASF has received 11 times since 2002.

“GM is an important customer for BASF and this award signifies the value of the relationship we have developed over the years,” said Smith.

“Working closely with GM colleagues, we integrate modern paint processes with special effect pigments and technologies to offer car buyers a wide array of colors and coatings for their vehicles.”

“We are focused on building positive supplier relationships, bringing new, customer-centric innovations to GM and being the OEM of choice among suppliers,” said Steve Kiefer, GM vice president, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. “The companies we recognize not only have brought innovation, they delivered it with the quality our customers deserve.”

The Supplier of the Year award winners are chosen by a global team of GM purchasing, engineering, quality, manufacturing and logistics executives

and selected based on performance criteria in product purchasing, indirect purchasing, customer care, aftersales and logistics.

BASF also announced the launching of Norbin®, a new brand of products, in the U.S. and Canada, on March 28. Norbin® primers and clears are now available for purchase through BASF distributors.

“Made with BASF technology and easy-to-use, Norbin is designed for the economy segment,” said Amy Kramer, BASF inside sales manager.

“Norbin allows our distributors to grow their business by targeting all segments of the automotive refinish market.”

“Customers will benefit from Norbin’s consistent quality and its competitive price,” said Gordon Erdelean, BASF market segment manager for Norbin. “First launched in Asia in 2015, Norbin uses urethane technology and joins the BASF family of refinish products, which includes Glasurit®, R-M® and Limco®.”

All Norbin products are a 4:1 mix ratio and do not require reducers. For information, visit basfrefinish.com/norbin or call 800-334-1400. You can also contact Mary Ann Short at (248) 9482253/ maryann.short@basf.com.

4 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Celphy Gets Pulled Over Dark Driving in AZ.

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www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 5

PBES 2016 Conference Being Held in Denver, CO

The Paint, Body and Equipment Specialists (PBES), a segment community of the Auto Care Association, announced that online registration is now available for its 2016 annual conference, May 10-12, at the Embassy Suites at the Denver Conference Center in Denver, CO. The 2016 PBES Conference theme is, “Differentiate to Win.” “The 2016 PBES Conference program is all about opportunities created from being different, both personally and professionally,” said Keith Bell, U.S. sales manager-east, AkzoNobel, and chairman, PBES Committee.

“We have added more networking, but also, whether in the panel discussion, keynote presentations or class breakouts, all facilitators will deliver to each attendee practical information to take back to their respective businesses.”

The conference education sessions offer up to .6 CEU credits awarded toward the AAP/MAAP designation from the University of the Aftermarket.

For the agenda, visit www.autocare .org/Events/2016-PBES-Conference.

Register online at www.autocare.org/ Events/2016-PBES-Conference. For information, contact Paul Fiore at paul.fiore@autocare.org or 301-6666664.

NWLCRA Meeting Highlights: SKILLS USA, Conferences & 1CollisionNetwork The Northwest Louisiana Collision Repair Association met at the Country Tavern Barbecue on April 5. The meeting was opened by Chris Shepherd reading the Anti-Trust law.

Shepherd reminded attendees about renewing membership dues and recommended going online to fill out the application form. Once the form is completed, you can print out the email and mail it with your dues, or bring it to the next meeting. I-CAR classes are also posted on the I-CAR web site through December 31, 2016. If you have any special request for an I-CAR class, contact Bill Burnside or Chris Shepherd.

Shepherd discussed the SKILLS USA high school competition that was held on April 7 and 8. There were 16 contestants, which was up from last year. Three were from Caddo Parish and two were from Bossier Parish.

One of the two Bossier Parish students received gold in the Automotive Refinish, and the other received gold in the Collision Repair Technology.

Caddo brought home one silver medal in Automotive Refinish. NWLCRA congratulated all of the students who competed. The post-secondary SKILLS USA competition was held at Northwest Louisiana Technical College on

1 Hurt in Fire at Alternative Auto Solutions Auto Body Shop in Denver

by TheDenverChannel.com

After a series of back-and-forth reports, Denver Fire says only one person went to the hospital because of a fire that ripped through an auto body shop in north Denver.

morning of April 1, the Denver Fire Department public information officer told Denver7 that paramedics took two people to the hospital. Then again around 8:30 a.m., Denver Fire corrected the number to say one person was hospitalized for smoke inhalation.

Alternative Auto Solutions in Denver, CO. Scripss Media, Inc.

The fire started around 9 p.m.

March 31 at Alternative Auto Solutions near 46th Avenue and Josephine Street, not far from the Purina plant.

This has been a fluid situation since the fire sparked. Denver Fire originally reported one person died and another was hurt in the fire. On scene the night of March 31, the department told Denver7 that no one died and one victim went to the hospital. On the

Denver Fire officials apologized for the confusion. The public information officer thought there was a missing person for a period of time but they have confirmed only one person was hurt.

The fire department hasn’t said what caused the fire.

We would like to thank The DenverChannel.com for reprint permission.

6 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

April 21.

Other business that was discussed included the upcoming ASE and ASA conferences. Shepherd is going to be attending the ASE conference, and Elissa Larremore is going to be attending the ASA conference.

They will give a recap of these conferences at following meetings after they have attended. Shepherd also talked about how Autobody News has been covering NWLCRA meetings in both their online and printed version.

“We are thankful to the Autobody News organization for their involvement in getting the news out about the collision industry and for covering our meetings,” said NWLCRA. Gary Weese, an instructor with the Caddo Career and Technology Center – Automotive took two students to a national competition. This event was held in New York and the students placed 9th in the nation!

Congratulations to Weese and his students.

The guest speaker at the meeting was Jim Keller with 1Collision Network. He stated that the purpose of 1Collision Network is to provide independent and dealer-owned collision repair businesses marketing, performance and administrative competitive busi-

ness advantages and solutions, a common brand affiliation and strategic partnerships, all designed for sustainable success in a rapidly-consolidating marketplace.

Keller said that by joining 1Collision Network, you will benefit from three main areas; marketing, performance and administration. Marketing involves insurance companies and agencies, fleets, consumers, web, social and digital media. Performance deals with operational system/SOP’s, analytics, management, purchase and procurement programs. The administration covers HR and talent acquisition, business acquisition, software and technology solutions.

Keller also stated that the biggest challenge in the local market is finding qualified technicians. This is another area where he said 1Collision Network can help. By being a 1Collision facility, Keller said you will be given competitive solutions for thriving in a competitive marketplace. He will also be speaking at a collision industry event hosted by NACE on August 11 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. For more information, visit www.1collisionnetwork.com.

For more information, visit www .nwlcra.org.

www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 7

ASA-CO Introduces Members to State Senator Laura Woods

ally liked meeting the senator; I even had one attendee On Monday, March 14, the ASA-CO send me names of state rephosted a Learning Circle at Lake resentatives that they would Arbor Automotive & Truck in West- like to meet with in the future.”

Members came prepared with several topics to discuss with Senator Woods.

One of the most popular topics was how the abandonment of vehicles affects a shop.

Senator Laura Woods (center) with ASA CO members COLORADO According to Foster, “We had an intimate group, so atten- otherwise. Thank you, ASA Colorado, minster, CO. During this meeting, at- dees really got to know Senator for the jobs you provide to our cititendees had the opportunity to meet Woods of District 19 and ask ques- zens!”

ASA-CO’s Learning Circle forSenator Laura Woods of District 19. tions. Members also left with a better Kari Foster, executive director understanding of how to work with mat has proven very useful to members because it provides an opportunity to of ASA-CO, said, “The attendees re- their local state representatives.”

Senator Woods also en- gather together and it “empowers them joyed the meeting with ASA- to get involved with issues in their own backyard, issues that affect our industry CO members.

She stated, “I had a great and their shop every day,” Foster says. meeting with ASA Col- “It is important to bring our commuorado. They had some great nity together and to learn from one anlegislation ideas for a future other. The people who attended this session, and this is the value meeting left feeling like they could efof sitting down with differ- fect change in their own community ent industries to talk one on so the event was a success!” one. We learn what’s happening in your industry that For more information, visit www.asa Association members discussed industry concerns with Senator Laura Woods we couldn’t possibly know colorado.org

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

8 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Enterprise Meets Needs During TX Hailstorms

After a devastating hailstorm during the week of March 21, Enterprise Rent-A-Car worked with the insurance industry and local collision repair centers to meet the transportation needs of Dallas-Fort Worth residents in Texas. There are more than 525 Enterprise Holdings locations operating statewide and more than 180 in the Metroplex.

“We not only see it as our natural responsibility, but also part of our strategic alliance with cities and towns of all sizes,” said Brent Russell, Enterprise Holdings’ VP and general manager for North Texas.

“Because we fully understand how imperative affordable, accessible transportation is in today’s society, our network and fleet are specifically designed to meet the needs of consumers, insurance companies and public-policy decision-makers today and tomorrow.”

“With 30 repair centers located throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Caliber Collision shares Enterprise’s focus on complete customer satisfaction during the catastrophic hailstorms we’ve experienced over the past month,” said Mark Sanders, Caliber Collision’s president and COO.

Students Visit Garmat During Denver, CO Event

Over 200 tech students visited Garmat USA manufacturing facility April 14 for the Denver-based Cars Careers and Celebrity event. Much to their surprise, these students were also the first to witness the unveiling of Gar-

erated Drying System, Spin Board™ Rotating Tool Racks, Overhead Vacuum and Electrical Compressed Air System for Sanding Stations. The paint booths are outfitted with Garmat’s current line of waterborne solutions, lighting upgrades and paint booth accessories. The training center also includes a conference room that seats 60 people, with access to a private kitchen for catering needs.

The Collision Repair Education Foundation’s (CREF) Cars Careers and Celebrities Expo is an event designed to put college and high school Collision repair students in Tech students had the opportunity to see the the unveiling touch with possible emof Garmat USA’s new R&D and training facility ployers. The funds raised mat USA’s new R&D and training fa- through this event support local high cility. The facility has actually been school and college collision repair in place since Garmat’s inception in school programs and students.

Participating vendors at the Den1988, but has been recently renover event included: Allstate Insurance; vated to include new equipment.

The center features both a mod- Gerber Collision & Glass; Colorado ified and full downdraft paint booth CARSTAR Business Group; State with touch screen controls, Intelle- Farm Insurance; I-CAR; Aims Comaire® mobile station and new prod- munity College; ABRA Autobody & uct introductions. Among the new Glass; Safelite; Snap-On; and Caliber products were Garmat’s Arch Accel- Collision.

Service King Promotes Career Opportunities for Vets With ‘Mission 2 Hire’ Program

Service King Collision Repair Centers continued its effort to promote viable career opportunities to U.S. Armed Forces Veterans as CEO Chris Abraham hosted U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans Employment and Training (VETS) Michael Michaud on March 23.

(l-r) Chris Abraham, Service King CEO and Michael Michaud, U.S. assistant secretary of labor for Veterans Employment and Training (VETS)

The event took place inside Service King’s home office where Abraham and Service King teammates provided an overview of the organization’s ongoing Mission 2 Hire initiative, an effort that has recruited and hired 94 military veterans in 10 months. Meanwhile, Michaud and his team shared several insights into apprenticeships and programs that take proactive steps

towards employing veterans.

“It’s an honor to meet with Mr. Michaud as together we’re working toward ensuring our nation’s heroes are provided attainable career opportunities upon returning home from service,” said Abraham. “We’re incredibly proud of Mission 2 Hire and hope to take inspired steps forward to broaden its impact for our servicemen and women and their families across the U.S.” Service King’s Mission 2 Hire initiative publicly aims to combat the reported 500,000 unemployed military veterans currently looking for jobs.

Launched in May 2015, Service King is actively pledging and currently on pace to recruit and hire 500 veterans across its organization in five years.

Michaud was nominated to his current post by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate before being sworn in on Dec. 2, 2015. As the assistant secretary of labor for VETS, Michaud gives leadership to the agency responsible for preparing transitioning service members and veterans for meaningful careers.

Prior to his current role, Michaud represented the 2nd Congressional District of Maine for 12 years. During that time he served as the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.

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Phone: 888.886.3726 www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 9

National Group Joins Fight to Save Dallas Car Repair Shop

by Ken Kalthoff, NBCDFW.com

A Washington-based Libertarian group is standing alongside the owner of a Dallas auto repair shop as he fights a city hall effort to close his business April 7.

Hinga Automotive has been open in the 3500 block of Ross Avenue for 30 years and owner Hinga Mbogo wants to stay in business.

“I’m doing what I love doing and I’m supporting my family,” he said. “I have four guys that work for me and they have families that rely on their income.”

Dallas zoning laws removed auto repair as an allowed land use on Ross Avenue in 2005 in a city push to clean up the street leading into downtown.

Instead of the many car repair shops and sales lots, city leaders wanted to encourage new residential development and businesses to support new residents.

Neighborhood City Councilman Philip Kingston said Mbogo has already received two extensions on a 2010 deadline to close his auto repair business.

Kingston said the last extension came after Mbogo promised neighbors he would already be gone by now.

“And so to me the most salient point to me is that Mr. Mbogo made a deal that he has now backed out of,” Kingston said.

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month voted against Mbogo request to stay in business.

Now, the Washington, D.C. based Libertarian group Institute for Justice has launched a petition drive on the businessman’s behalf. The petition had more than 60,000 signatures Tuesday, more than 1,500 from Dallas.

“What’s happening here is he’s effectively forced to sell his business to a private developer and that’s not a legitimate government business,” said Garrett Atherton with Institute for Justice. “I would love to live next to an auto repair shop like this. It’s a good asset to have in the neighborhood,” he said.

Atherton said the group The owner of a Dallas auto repair shop fights city hall intends to deliver a printed in an effort to close his business copy of the online petition Large new apartments and town- at Dallas City Hall before the 1 p.m. homes that have been built on Ross city council zoning hearing. A large Avenue the past 10 years make the area crowd of speakers on both sides of more valuable than it was. Kingston the issue are expected at the meetsaid the businessman’s property can ing before a scheduled city council still be used for other purposes. vote on the future of the car repair “I am struggling to see his side shop. of the argument,” Kingston said.

Thank you NBC-DFW for reprint The Dallas Plan Commission last permission.

Aims Community College Automotive Students to Compete in National Competition

Aims Community College automotive students, Benjamin Falconer and Grant Kennedy, will be competing in the Automotive Refinishing and Collision Repair Technology competition at

Grant Kennedy (left) and Ben Falconer (right) won first place in the collision repair and refinishing competitions, respectively, at the Colorado SkillsUSA Competition

the national SkillsUSA Championships June 20-24 in Louisville, KY. Falconer is from Greeley, and Kennedy is from Hudson, CO. On April 7-8, a group of five students and Aims Instructor, Mike Hanscome, traveled to Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs, CO. where the students competed in the state SkillsUSA competition. Falconer won first place in the refinishing competition, and Kennedy won first place in collision repair.

Austin Grider placed second in the

refinishing competition.

“Our automotive program is a wonderful example of excellence in the classroom fostering opportunity for our students,” said Dr. Leah L. Bornstein, president of Aims Community College. “The skills and achievements of Ben, Grant and many other automotive students validate what business leaders can anticipate when they hire a graduate from our automotive program.”

Team picture (l to r) Alan Madrid, Austin Grider, Ben Falconer, Grant Kennedy, Mike Hanscome (instructor) and Frank Dabbiero

This will be the second consecutive year Falconer and Kennedy will attend the national competition. In 2015, Falconer won first place in the refinishing competition, and Kennedy was awarded eighth in the collision repair category at nationals.

10 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

New Location Opened by Collision Safety Consultants Billy Walkowiak, president & founder of Collison Safety Consultants, has announced the opening of his second associate location, which will be the company’s third location.

Collision Safety Consultants of Dallas Fort Worth will be located in McKinney, Texas. The owner is Kevin Blakely and the company will be headed up by territory manager Matt Loyd.

“The company will follow our corporate mission,” said Walkowiak.

“They will do diminished value reports, perform post collision repair inspections and total loss vehicle valuations. They will be advocates working with shops, vehicle owners, attorneys and consumers. They will also assist shops to improve quality control by advising them and helping them locate and perform proper repair procedures.”

Walkowiak said, “I’m very excited about our rapid growth. We are currently in negotiations for five other locations and we anticipate opening six to seven in the next six months.”

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CREF Board of Trustees & Executive Committee

The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) announced their 2016 Board of Trustees and Executive Committee as a result of their March 22 Board of Trustees Meeting. They are the following: Chair Stacy Bartnik, ITW Evercoat; Vice Chair Russ Hoffbauer, State Farm Insurance; Treasurer Jeanne Silver, CARSTAR Mundelein; Secretary Mary Mahoney, Enterprise Holdings, Inc.; Trustee-at-Large Tim Adelmann, ABRA Auto Body & Glass; Trustee-at-Large Mary Jo Prigge, CCC Information Services Inc.; Immediate Past Chair: Rick Tuuri, AudaExplore, a Solera Company; Board of Trustees: Jim Falteisek, 3M and Barry Roopnarine and Thomas A. Edison, CTE High School. As first female chair of the CREF board of trustees, Bartnik stated, “I am honored to have been elected as the chair of this great organization. We have a remarkable group of people making up our Executive Committee and Board of Trustees. I am confident that together we will continue the impressive work that has been done up to this point as we continue to support the future of our industry.”

WIN Elects Board Leadership for 2016-2017

The Women’s Industry Network (WIN®) announced on April 13 that four new members have been selected to serve on the organization’s board of directors. Joining the board to serve the organization for the upcoming term are: Jenny Anderson, Enterprise Holdings, Inc.; Denise Kingstrom, BASF Corporation; April Lausch, Faulkner Collision Center of Lancaster; and Debbie Menz, Axalta Coatings Systems.

The WIN board consists of various industry segments, including collision repair shops, suppliers, consultants, information and training providers and insurance companies. Board members may serve up to three two-year terms, working together to build the organization and foster an environment that encourages the education, recruitment, retention and networking of women in the collision repair industry. New board members will be introduced and officially welcomed at the annual WIN Educational Conference, “Power of the Past, Force of the Future,” being held May 2-4, at the Hilton Tampa Downtown in Tampa, FL. For information, visit www. womensindustrynetwork.com.

Cambridge Automotive Group Acquires 2 Maacos

Cambridge Automotive Group (CAG) announced on April 4 the acquisition of two Maaco licenses in Houston, Texas from former owners Dick and Jane Williams. With this transaction, CAG now owns 24 Maaco shops across the country.

“The Williams family built a great business with a solid foundation, and we’re excited to partner with Dick and Jane’s son Drew to continue their family’s legacy of strong operations,” said Ken Ratliff, co-president of CAG. This is CAG’s second transaction in Texas this year. In January, the business obtained a single Maaco shop formerly owned by Jim and Lindy Devitt.

“Working with the Devitt and Williams families through these acquisitions has been a pleasure,” said Simon Tisminesky, co-president of CAG. “We are grateful to them for helping us execute on our strategic growth strategy.”

CAG is actively seeking opportunities to partner with existing Maaco franchisees for future acquisitions.

www.autobodynews.com

HABA’s 2016 Body Shop Owner & Manager Event

Tuesday, May 10, is The Houston Auto Body Association’s (HABA) 6th Annual Body Shop Owner and Manager appreciation event. The association said they have a great time at the event every year and hope to see many new faces. For first time attendees, HABA said the appreciation event is a great way to meet the association members and to see what the association is about.

HABA is comprised of men and women who support their families and strive to properly repair damaged vehicles. Members and nonmembers are welcome at the event.

HABA requests that those planning to attend register in advance to ensure seating and dinner reservations. For more information and to register, visit bit.ly/habaevent. If you need help registering for the event, email bmember1@habaonline.org or call the 281-830-9612.

HABA would like to thank their current 2016 sponsors: Platinum Sponsors: Tasco Auto Color and Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes

Silver Sponsor: LKQ / Keystone Corp and Gladwin Paints

Caliber CEO Accepts Prestigious National Award Recognizing Company’s Support of U.S. Military

Steve Grimshaw, CEO of Caliber U.S. Veteran’s Initiative, Heroes On Collision, was one of five leaders rec- The Water, Adaptive Training Founognized with the prestigious America dation, Semper Gratis, and Support First Series (AFS) 5 Star Award for The Enlisted Project (STEP).

In addition, Caliber has develtheir corporation’s support of the miloped a collision repair military trainitary. ing program around the Grimshaw accepted the Veteran’s Opportunity To award on behalf of Caliber Work Act, training active Collision at the 2016 AFS duty service members prior Awards Ceremony and Nato separation. tional Security and EcoCaliber is actively nomic Symposium in Dallas, working with the military TX. at Ft. Bragg, North CarAs CEO, Grimshaw olina to recruit and train has spearheaded Caliber Collision’s efforts to sup- Steve Grimshaw, more than 50 active duty CEO of Caliber service members for Calport active military personCollision iber center manager, technel and military veterans across the U.S. through a variety of nician and customer service jobs in philanthropic and employment ini- 2016. Over the course of 2016, Caltiatives. Over the past four years, iber will also be expanding this proCaliber Collision has donated more gram to Ft. Hood and Ft. Bliss in than 80 vehicles, valued at approxi- Texas and Camp Pendleton in Calimate $800,000, through their Recy- fornia.

“On behalf of our more than cled Rides program to active service and military veterans across the U.S. 8,800 teammates, we are honored to Caliber also partners with a host of have the opportunity to recognize best-in-class military organizations and give back to the many military serving today’s active service per- heroes who have sacrificed and given sonnel and military veterans includ- of themselves to serve our country,” ing Carry the Load, Allies In Service, said Grimshaw.

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NCACAR Meets for First Time and Makes Progress in Forming New NC Association

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

On February 25, shop owners in North Carolina gathered at Dave & Busters in Concord for the inaugural meeting of a new association, the North Carolina Association of Collision and Auto Repair (NCACAR).

Although Jeff Franco, President of Elite Sales & Marketing Group, lives in Oceanside, CA, he has been active in several local associations and aided shops in coordinating the meeting. The current chief officers are Brian Davies, owner of Bodyworks Plus in Charlotte, and Josh Kent, Territory Manager for Elite Sales & Marketing Group in NC, who Franco says are “very passionate about this industry.”

For Davies, the goal in forming this association is “to create a group of individuals, owners and vendors that are truly dedicated to the continuous improvement of this industry in NC. I would like NCACAR to become one of the most progressive, innovative and professional associations in the United States, leading our industry with integrity by example. In

addition, I want to create a collective voice in our state that reflects the needs of all stakeholders involved: clients, shop owners, technicians, vendors and insurance companies.”

NCACAR’s first meeting attracted a full house with a mixture of shops and vendors from Charlotte, Newton, Shelby, Gastonia, Salisbury, Matthews and Monroe. Dealerships, DRP and non-DRP shops participated, as well as rental car vendors and PPG company managers.

Kent said, “Everyone mingled and got to know each other, and everyone looked to have a good time. Nobody was there to solicit anything; all were there out of support and because they want to be a part of this.”

After Phillip Torres read the Anti-Trust statement and other rules, Jeff Franco and Brian Davies addressed attendees, explaining the intention of the association’s formation which is “to bring change to this industry, to educate shops and the public on their rights, and to help promote safety and quality to collision repair.”

“There is a standard that needs to be upheld in this industry. We need

change, and there needs to be opposition when it comes to bills being passed.

Businesses need a voice, whether they are a non-DRP or a DRP shop. It shouldn’t matter how someone chooses to run their business, but it should matter what standards we ALL practice,” Kent explained.

Mark Tantillo of Certified Collision Services, who will likely be a member of NCACAR’s Board of Directors, said, “The benefit will be better trained repair shops across the state, not only in performing sound, quality repairs, but also for shops to better understand what our insurance partners desire to help facilitate some of the dayto-day struggles they are faced with. We hope to see the professionals in our state unite and set forth benchmarks for all to achieve a better, more efficient process for our mutual customers.”

Tantillo also said, “The event went very well with a better than expected turnout. We discussed the importance of developing an association for our state. Attendees were very responsive to the meeting and continue to stay involved by showing interest in the association’s progress.”

Kent has also spoken to attendees who enjoyed the meeting and plan to be involved with the association, but he admits, “Some are skeptical because of past efforts of trying to bring change, and lack of leadership derailed the efforts from what I understand. They also understand that change will come with shops coming together as a group and taking the proper steps in order to accomplish the things that need to get done.”

Still, Kent is optimistic that a new association can affect the changes that the collision repair industry in NC so desperately needs. “These changes have to come by taking the proper steps.

These steps come from forming an association, voting on steps to take, and having the right people who can help by being professional and can promote new legislation. We make change by numbers. Five shops aren’t going to make a difference, but 100 shops will. Shop owners and managers are ready for a NC association to take form and thrive.

They are frustrated but passionate, and we all believe the association can help.”

In addition to helping with legislative initiatives, Kent hopes that See NCACAR Meets, Page 16

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Continued from Cover

Great Wall of Van Buren

from independent construction superintendent Bruce Gammill, who was hired as the project’s manager and superintendent. Gammill said he met Hazlewood and was impressed by the scope of Hazlewood’s vision for the project.

“He showed me a concept drawing of the wall in his office,” Gammill said.

“He went about it backwards. Normally, you would go to an architect to get that done, but Tim had a vision, and he described it to an artist who turned it into a concept drawing. He showed me the drawing and he had all the equipment out on the property to do this and I told him, ‘I would like to help you with this.’”

Gammill’s duties have included figuring out the necessary amount of materials to complete the project and overseeing the day to day operations of its construction.

“I looked for something my entire construction career that would leave a legacy for my children and grandchildren in the future,” Gammill said. “That wall will be around for a hundred years or more.”

Gammill said once the wall is built, it will be stained to give it the appear-

ance of a natural rock wall. Hazlewood said electrical conduits have also been built into it so lighting can be installed at a later time. The engineering for the project is being handled by Wiley Smith of Sivell Engineering Services Inc., with Hazlewood also enlisting his family to help build it in various capacities. This includes his son, Shawn Villines, and his grandson, S.J. Villines.

Hazlewood said all the equipment

Shawn Villines operates the backhoe to help his father, Tim Hazlewood set a pre-cast concrete Redi-Rock wall unit, Saturday, March 12, 2016, on the wall under construction at the foot of Log Town Hill in Van Buren.

Credit: Jamie Mitchell, Times Record

for this project belongs to him, but he would like to thank Gary Crawford of Crawford Construction Co. for securing him a soil packing machine with which to build a suitable foundation for the wall.

“I paid him (for it), but I paid him nowhere near as much as I should have

paid him,” Hazlewood said. “He said, ‘As long as you’re improving Van Buren, use it.’ To me, it was a huge deal because I couldn’t overcome that hurdle. I had all the other equipment, but I needed that packer, and he not only said, ‘You could you use it,’ but he actually brought it to me.”

Another facet of this project is the construction of a gravel parking lot that will be built on the hill next to the auto shop. This will take the place of rental buildings that used to be on that property, which Hazlewood tore down in the spring of 2015.

“There were ten units altogether,” Jane Hazlewood said. “Really, the reason for the wall was to upgrade the corner (of Fayetteville Road and Knox Street). It’s a key focus when you come into town on the train, and we wanted to do something besides those old red houses with (the tenants’) laundry hanging on the front porch.”

A paved driveway leading up the hill into the proposed parking lot has already been built. This hillside driveway is behind the concrete wall and borders another, inner wall on the other side.

The inner wall is made of Keystone concrete blocks from ABC Block & Brick in Fort Smith and reaches around

the west side of the property facing the Van Buren Senior Activity Center.

Hazlewood said the inner wall is currently at 60 percent completion and will remain that way until he can come up with more money to finish it. He is currently focusing his resources on finishing the outer wall and parking lot.

Much of the funding for the project came from Hazlewood’s own pocket, with him borrowing the remaining money from Citizen’s Bank & Trust in Van Buren.

Hazlewood said he has so far received a very positive response from the public about the project.

“People have teased me about building ‘The Great Wall of Van Buren,’ but it was a positive tease,” Hazlewood said.

Hazlewood estimates the outer wall and parking lot will be completed before summer, and that he will spend at least $350,000 by the time the project is finished. The outer wall itself is almost complete.

“I love to work,” Hazlewood said. “To me, I can’t wait until the day is over with where I can get out there and work on that wall. To me, it’s not work. It’s fun.”

Thanks to the Times Record for permission to reprint this story.

www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 15

Continued from Cover

March Hailstorms

meteorologist Dennis Cain said. The precipitation varied widely, he added.

There were reports of pea-size hail in Grapevine, 2-inch hail in Plano and hail the size of a half dollar in Flower Mound.

The National Weather Service had several high-wind reports — there was a 75-mph wind gust near the CoppellIrving city limits on the night of March 23. Collin County was hit with high winds, too. Cain said they destroyed a barn and blew debris into power lines in Murphy.

Cain said the overnight storm system is not unusual for this time of year.

“A strong upper-level system that had a lot of energy in it pushed a cold front through,” Cain said. “We were very windy, so it brought a lot of gulf moisture up.”

An EF-0 tornado was recorded in Haslet on the night of March 23, causing roof damage to buildings.

Storms are coming to North Texas about every five days, Cain said.

Damage at dealers At least 5,000 new and used vehicles were damaged at car dealerships in Plano, with much of it focused along Plano Parkway and Preston Road.

At Toyota of Plano, for example, 600 vehicles were damaged, and at least 100 of them might have to be totaled, said Rusty Gentry, general manager.

“We got hammered,” Gentry said.

“We’re doing an inventory now of the damage, but we’ve got cracked windContinued from Page 14

NCACAR Meets

NCACAR will provide education to North Carolina shops. He and Davies are working hard to ensure the association will be successful at offering benefits to its members. “Guests in the industry will come to speak, and shops will be able to ask questions that they haven’t been able to without the proper connections. Vendors, such as paint suppliers, rental companies, waste management and insurers, could help bring discounted services to members which helps with continually rising prices. It also allows shops to come together to learn from one another to have better businesses.”

The association is writing and re-

shields, dented hoods and roofs.”

The dealership will buy inventory from other dealerships and is purchasing extra used vehicles to supplement its inventory.

“Life goes on,” Gentry said. “We’ll survive. We’re still selling cars.”

The dealership was the thirdlargest auto retailer in Collin County last year, selling more than 3,500 vehicles, according to the The Freeman Auto Report.

Nationwide Insurance even sent a new high-tech mobile assessment van to Lewisville on March 24. The vans greatly speed the estimate process, a Nationwide spokeswoman said.

The insurance company already had one of its Automated Mobile Hail Estimating Units in Arlington to deal with damage from last week’s storms in Tarrant County.

Nationwide customers can drive their damaged vehicles into one of the vans, which use high-definition computer technology to scan the vehicle and map out the damage in about 10 minutes.

Plano-based Huffines Auto Group estimated that 3,000 new and used vehicles were damaged at two of its dealerships in Lewisville and three in Plano.

But the hail didn’t break or crack many windshields, and much of the body damage can be repaired with paintless dent removal, group CEO Ray Huffines said.

While the dealership works to settle with its insurance company, it will offer deals on the damaged vehicles, which can be repaired or left as is but sold at discounts.

“It could have been a lot worse,” viewing bylaws with assistance from Jeff Franco and WMABA’s Jordan Hendler. Once they are complete, NCACAR will vote on adopting the bylaws and then file for their 501C and federal ID. They’ve purchased a website domain, www .ncacar.com, and hired Absolute Perfection media to create the website. They’ve also established a Constant Contact account to facilitate communication with their membership, and Davies is working with a local marketing design company to create a logo for the association.

Tantillo pointed out, “The state of NC has been and is still going through major growth. The days of the past need to remain in the past, and we all must embark on the developmental importance of our futures.”

16 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Huffines said.

Likewise, Five Star Ford, which is a few blocks east of Huffines’ Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram dealership, had about 1,000 vehicles damaged, most of them relatively lightly.

“It’s all [paintless dent removal] from what I could see,” said general manager Brian Huth. “There may be a couple that need panels, but I think most of it will be PDR.” As PDR workers set up tents at the dealership to begin repairs — using rods and other tools to tap light dents out — Five Star will be selling cars and trucks, some of them still wearing hail dimples.

“A lot of people are looking for a deal, and if they can get one on a new vehicle with warranty, they might not care about a few little dents,” Huth said.

Overflow of business Richardson-based Service King, one of the largest collision repair groups in the U.S., expects all of its 34 shops in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to soon be filled with hail-damaged vehicles.

Jeff McFadden, president of Service King, said the hail damaged 248 cars that couldn’t be squeezed into garages and bays at nine Service King

shops.

“The real hot spots are all in Plano — Park and Preston, Coit and Preston,” McFadden said. “We got a little bit in Lewisville. But, really, we have not been hit this hard since ’03.”

He estimated that 30,000 vehicles in Tarrant County were damaged by the storm last week and another 50,000 got hit the night of March 23.

“With gas prices low and people driving more, our stores were real busy to start with,” McFadden said.

Although the heaviest damage was focused in the Plano area, customers’ vehicles may need to be diverted to other area shops after the Plano shops get full.

“This will fill all of our shops in the area, probably through the summer,” he said.

Because of the volume, many damaged vehicles will be scheduled for repairs and put back on the road if they are safe to drive.

“You can be looking at a one-day repair if the damage is light,” McFadden said. “If it’s heavy and involves replacing the roof, windows and other panels, it could be a lengthy repair.”

We would like to thank The Dallas Morning News for reprint permission.

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Continued from Cover

Service King at 40

40th anniversary this year, the company he built owns 299 shops in 23 states, has more than 6,000 employees and expects revenue to top $1 billion this year.

It is the fourth-largest chain in the collision repair industry.

“I say it all the time,” Lennox said recently from a contemporary fourthfloor conference room at Service King’s corporate headquarters in Richardson. “I can’t believe how lucky I have been.”

Lennox, who also enjoys playing golf, retired in 2012. He’s on Service King’s board of directors but no longer has an active role in running the company. His business is changing, though.

Although small, independent shops still account for most of the 34,000 businesses in the fragmented collision repair industry, big chains like Service King and Lewisvillebased Caliber Collision appear to be the models for the future.

“All of a sudden now, a guy with two sons and his wife running things up front, there’s no way,” said Scott Shriber, publisher of Body Shop Business in Akron, Ohio. “The business has really become complicated for small shops.”

Fewer shops In the last 15 years, the number of body shops in the U.S. has dropped by at least 30,000, Shriber said, as operating and capital costs continue to rise.

Insurance companies largely control the business now and tend to steer customers to shops that can make repairs for the lowest costs, which favors chains with their greater volumes and efficiencies of scale, Shriber said.

At the same time, car crashes in the U.S. have been in a slow, steady decline.

Though the total jumps up temporarily in some years, mostly because of weather, it fell from 6.3 million wrecks in 2003 to 5.6 million in 2013, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

And the amount of safety equipment in cars that led to the decline— systems like anti-lock brakes, automatic braking and lane departure warnings—increases annually.

All of those factors, in turn, have resulted in consolidation and, more recently, buyouts of the bigger chains by

private equity firms, which occurred at Service King.

“If you can take the fat out of the middle—and private equity groups are good at that—you can get some decent margins,” Shriber said. “Wall Street and private equity have decided that the collision repair business is worth looking at.”

The Washington-based Carlyle Group initially bought a majority of Service King in 2012, selling most of its stake to the Blackstone Group in a deal in 2014 that The Wall Street Journal said was valued at $650 million.

Things were a lot less complicated in 1976, when the 23-year-old Lennox borrowed $10,000 from a neighbor in Garland — a retired Dallas city bus driver — to buy the shop in West Dallas.

“I told my neighbor, ‘You may be crazy,’” said Lennox, who was married, had one child and another on the way. “‘I have no idea what’s going to happen.’”

What ensued were 60-hour workweeks and lots of hustling up business.

Sometimes Lennox repaired hard-driven used cars for the small dealers on Ross Avenue.

“I would do the whole side of a car, taking dents and dings out for $85,” he said. “I had to do things cheap, and I learned.”

He also sought business from Lone Star Gas, which had a huge fleet of vehicles often in need of body repairs.

Eventually, a few insurance companies heard about the kid in West Dallas, and, while they weren’t the force they are today, they sent business his way.

“I was at $10 an hour—half what dealers or big body shops did,” said Lennox, who still owns 7 percent of Service King.

Within four years, Lennox had four shops and kept nurturing his burgeoning links to insurance companies.

“That was where the business was, not in competitively bidding against other shops,” he said.

The growth got an additional push in 1980 when Lennox bought some of Lone Star Gas’ old fleet vehicles and put them at his shops as free loaners to customers.

“This was before insurance companies paid for rent cars, and those cars allowed people to bring their cars in right then and not have to schedule time off or do it when they could get a ride to work with someone,” Lennox said.

“They were 7-, 8-, 10-year-old cars but were good, reliable transportation.”

18 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

As insurance companies learned of Lennox’s fleet of loaner vehicles, which would grow to about 100, they began informally referring customers to Service King because of the convenience.

“That was really a period for us to get out of the mom-and-pop, singlestore mentality,” he said.

Key hires In a seemingly innocuous move in 1988, Lennox hired Jeff McFadden as a service adviser at the Service King shop in Carrollton. By that time, the business had grown to six collision repair centers.

Seven years later, he hired McFadden’s good friend from Bryan Adams High School, Chris Abraham, as a service adviser at the Plano shop.

Both young “shop guys” proved their worth. Today McFadden is president of Service King and Abraham is CEO. “We are unique because we have shop guys running the business, and through a lot of the years, the company was run by three guys from DISD,” said McFadden, 48.

By the time the Carlyle Group bought a majority stake in Service King in 2012, the company had ven-

tured outside Texas for the first time to purchase some shops in Phoenix and had grown to 47 locations.

Within a year, flush with cash from Carlyle, Service King had 100 shops, acquiring facilities in Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Nevada. In 2014, Service King bought Sterling Auto Body Centers for an undisclosed amount in what was described as the largest acquisition in collision repair history. The deal was for 62 shops in 16 states.

Blackstone bought Service King after the Richardson-based company had tripled its revenue in two years.

Despite some clouds on the horizon, Abraham, the CEO of Service King, believes the industry remains “wide open.”

“There’s still a lot of opportunity,” said Abraham, 49. “All of the big four [collision repair] companies combined control less than 14 percent of the industry. There’s still a huge runway for growth.”

The company will be making that trip without Lennox’s active involvement.

He and wife Lisa own a home in Turtle Creek and a ranch in Whitney.

See ??, Page ?

See Service King at 40, Page 22

www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 19

20 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Polyvance Finishes First Day of LeMons Race in AL, Releases New Plastic Repair Workstation

Polyvance, formerly Urethane Supply Company, completed the February 2016 24 hours of LeMons race at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

“This was a fun team-building exercise for our company,” said Polyvance President Kurt Lammon. “The 24 Hours of LeMons is all about mak-

The Polyvance race team during the LeMons Race at Barber Motorsports Park

ing real racing affordable by limiting the price of the car to $500, excluding safety equipment.”

The Polyvance race car, bought from company employee Fortunato Ruiz, was a 1997 Nissan 200SX that had been damaged by a tree that fell on it in the tornados that struck Rainsville, Alabama on April 23, 2011.

“The car was a real trooper,” said

company Vice President Keith Lammon. “It had nearly 200,000 miles on it and the compression was so low you could turn the engine over by hand with the spark plugs in. We had to weld the front bumper with our nitrogen plastic welder and fabricate a rear window out of acrylic since the tree busted it out.”

The Polyvance race team finished in 52nd place out of 93 cars, and would have placed in the low 40s except for a CV joint that went bad on the morning of March 13.

“Luckily the local parts store had an axle on the shelf, so we dove in there and fixed it and were back on the track in an hour and a half,” said manufacturing employee Mason Martin.

“It was a setback in terms of our finishing place, but it added to the team-building experience, for sure,” said Kurt.

“Our most important modification was the brakes,” said Scott Bixler, Polyvance’s R&D and tech support manager. “We swapped the stock brakes, which looked like they should have been on a golf cart, for some big Wilwood brakes with four piston calipers. They lasted the whole weekend with no fade.”

Polyvance’s race car survived the weekend unscathed, so the team is

planning to contest the 24 Hours of LeMons race at Carolina Motorsports Park in September as well. “This was a super-fun event, and I’d encourage our industry peers—manufacturers, body shops, or distributors—to get out

The new 6075 Bumper Mate 2 from Polyvance

there and race with us,” said Kurt.

“We haven’t got the money to sponsor NASCAR teams like some of our esteemed peers, but I guarantee we had more fun than they did writing their checks!”

For more information on the 24 Hours of LeMons series, visit www .24hoursoflemons.com Polyvance also announced a new plastic repair workstation. According to a company press release, “The new Continued from Cover

Steering Warning

companies were affecting customers and manipulating the competitiveness of this area of the auto industry.

“The 1963 Consent Decree prevents all auto insurance companies that were involved in the settlement from directing or influencing any person to do business with a damage appraiser,” said Congressman Joe Barton, who serves the 6th District of Texas.

What came from the decree was the consumers’ option to choose a repair center.

“I support a free market and parties’ ability to execute transactions according to their negotiated terms,” Barton said.

However, some insurance companies are attempting to use preferred repair center lists again and even encouraging the use of after-market parts, according to Harris.

“After-market parts don’t always fit and they’re not [always] crash tested,” Harris said.

But he added that he hears that after-market parts are the same as genuine parts from the automakers all the time.

6075 Bumper Mate 2 from Polyvance makes it easy for a repair technician to hold floppy plastic bumper covers solidly in place so repairs can be made most efficiently. One technician can fixture the bumper and do the needed repair work without any additional help, maximizing the shop’s productivity.”

Weighing only 12 pounds, the Bumper Mate 2 is constructed in the USA of a plywood table top and aluminum extrusions. It can be folded open and rested on top of a common folding work stand. The aluminum extension arms support the ends of the bumper and the cutouts in the table top make it easy to secure the bumper cover using spring clamps or bungee cords.

The table can be dropped down with the extension arms resting on the chains to support the bumper in a facedown position so work may be performed on the backside of the bumper easily. The rectangular cutouts in the table top allow for awkwardly shaped headlights to be stabilized as well.

The 6075 Bumper Mate 2 is available from auto body jobbers and equipment distributors around North America.

Suggested list price is US$425.00.

Questions? Contact Kurt Lammon at 800-633-3047.

Harris wants to make sure his customers, and any car owner, has a choice and get the best service and parts. He is taking part in a lawsuit to help re-enforce the 1963 Consent Decree.

With more than 21 years of experience, Harris has seen how things have changed in the industry and says it has changed heavily in the last 10 to 12 years.

Harris had tried to aid a petition to the White House called Enforce Safe Car Repairs to Save Lives. The aim of the petition was to have the Justice Department enforce the Consent Decree. Harris aided the petition through trying to raise awareness through an email sent out earlier this year, which explained the petition and the reason for it.

However, the petition didn’t get the needed signatures in time.

Harris said he doesn’t think they’ll try the petition again. One reason for his view is the challenge of getting signatures, because most people don’t know about the Consent Decree.

At the end of the day, it’s still about the customers and quality work for Harris.

“I refuse to have an unhappy customer,” he said.

Thanks to the Arlington Voice for permission to reprint this article.

www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 21

Toyota Establishes Third Autonomous Driving US Research Institute in MI Dr. Gill Pratt, CEO of the Toyota Research Institute (TRI), announced on April 7 that Toyota will establish its third TRI facility in the U.S. The new facility will be located in Ann Arbor, near the University of Michigan (U-M) campus where it will fund research in artificial intelligence, robotics and materials science.

Joining the TRI facility established last January in Palo Alto, CA working with Stanford (TRI-PAL), and in Cambridge, MA working with MIT (TRICAM), TRI-ANN is scheduled to open in June and target a staff of approximately 50.

“TRI was drawn to Ann Arbor because of the strength of the university; the utility of Mcity and the Mobility Transformation Center which we currently sponsor; the promise of the future American Center for Mobility at Willow Run; and the proximity to, and synergies with, our two well-established Toyota Technical Centers nearby,” said Pratt.

The Toyota Technical Centers have been conducting research in the area of autonomous cars for more than a decade.

A group of about 15 team members will transfer to the new TRI-ANN facility when it opens. U-M Professors Ryan Eustice and Edwin Olson are joining TRI-ANN as the area leads for map-

ping/localization and perception, respectively. Both will be based at the Ann Arbor office, and will retain their U-M faculty positions.

“Sensor hardware and algorithms are improving at a tremendous pace.

TRI researchers will push the frontier even further, with the goal of providing safer vehicles and more helpful robots in the home,” said Olson.

Eustice added, “Ann Arbor is a fantastic location for TRI to expand its autonomous driving efforts. We will benefit from Toyota’s existing team and U-M’s research talent and facilities where we can perform extreme-limit testing in a wide variety of environments.”

Although the focus of each of the three facilities will be broad, each will feature a different core discipline.

TRI-ANN will focus primarily on fully autonomous (chauffeured) driving. TRI-PAL will work on what may be termed “guardian angel” driving, where the driver is always engaged but the vehicle assists as needed. TRICAM will dedicate a large portion of its work to simulation and deep learning.

With initial funding of $1 billion, the Toyota Research Institute has four mandates.

First, it will strive to enhance the safety of automobiles with the ultimate

Michigan Moves on Self-Driving Testing Facility

Michigan is making a bid to retain its title as the auto capital of the world, even as the industry turns more toward connected and autonomous vehicles.

The former Willow Run General Motors powertrain plant in Ypsilanti Township is becoming a development and testing site for autonomous vehicles called the American Center for Mobility, the first facility of its kind in America that brings together government, industry and academia on the technology.

The state of Michigan is expected to provide $20 million in funding toward the $80 million development of the Willow Run site, which is a joint initiative between the Michigan Department of Transportation, Michigan Economic Development Corp., UM, BLM and Ann Arbor Spark. The center will feature a 2.5-mile loop that will serve as a simulated highway with ramps, bridges, merge lanes, signs, changes in elevation and potentially a curved tunnel, Maddox said. Vehicles will be able to travel at highway speeds up to 80 mph.

It will also feature a large configurable intersection and areas to simulate urban, suburban and commercial area (a mall or freight center) as well as an offroad section for possible military vehicles.

In May, Ann Arbor Spark was awarded a nearly $250,000 grant to develop a plan for the center at Willow Run. The grant was awarded as part of a program by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

In Michigan it is legal to test driverless-cardriverless cars on public roads under Public Act 231 and Public Act 251, both of which were signed in 2013 and went into effect soon thereafter. Referred to as “automated motor vehicles” under the law, in order to operate them (for the purpose of testing and refining the technology), here are some of the guidelines which govern the use of self-driving cars in MI:

● Autonomous vehicles must be properly insured under the no-fault law; ● Transporters of these vehicles must carry the requisite public liability and property damage insurance; ● The vehicles can only be operated by designated individuals authorized by the manufacturer of the technology; ● The person operating the self-driving vehicle must be present and must be able to take control of the vehicle at all times; and ● The human operator must also be properly licensed to operate a motor vehicle in MI.

22 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Continued from Page 18

goal of creating a car that is incapable of causing a crash, regardless of the skill or condition of the driver.

Second, it will work to increase access to cars for those who otherwise cannot drive, including seniors and those with special needs.

Third, it will help translate Toyota’s expertise in creating products for outdoor mobility into products for indoor mobility; moving people and goods across the country, across town, or across the room.

Finally, TRI will accelerate scientific discovery by applying techniques from artificial intelligence and machine learning, particularly in the area of materials science. Using computation and machine learning, it hopes to accelerate scientific discovery in this area, lowering costs and improving performance of future mobility systems.

TRI is also pursuing collaboration with other automakers, IT companies, suppliers, research labs and universities to jointly develop autonomous technologies.

“Where we need autonomy to help most is when the driving is difficult,” said Pratt. “It’s this hard part that TRI intends to address. Toyota’s goal is safer mobility for all, at any time, in any place, and the tremendous improvements in quality of life that such universal mobility can bring.”

Service King at 40

They also have an apartment on a residential ship called The World that cruises to various spots on the globe.

They have five kids and three grandchildren.

“I was like a pro athlete,” Lennox said. “I knew the way things were changing. I felt like I had my day. But Service King can do this for a long time.”

Thanks to the Dallas Morning News for permission to reprint Terry Box’s article.

Collision Pro RV and Truck Center in Lubbock, TX

Joe Dalton, Collision Pro owner, is building a new collision repair store at 11812 Slide Road in Lubbock, Texas. The business will be called Collision Pro RV and Truck Center.

Dalton and his team will offer collision repairs on RVs and semi-trailer trucks. Staff will also offer repairs on cars and trucks similiar to the ones offered at the 3412 W. Loop 289 location. The new store will be more than 20,000 square feet.

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www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 23

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.

ASA Lobbyists, Allstate Acquires Sterling, Recycled Parts Market Share, Chinese OEMs with John Yoswick

20 years ago in the collision repair industry (May 1996) At the 1996 Automotive Service Association annual convention in Washington, D.C., the association brought together a panel of attorneys to address complex but critical questions, such as if preferred provider networks a violation of antitrust laws.

Don Randall, who retired in 1993 as ASA lobbyist and legal counsel, moderated the discussed and reminded ASA members that it is often difficult to provide “black and white” responses on legal issues.

“The law is not an exact science,” he said. “It is an ever-evolving, live institution.

Randall asked the panel: Do laws allow insurers to establish direct repair programs, or could such relationships be seen as an illegal “tying arrangement,” tying the purchase of a policy to the consumer’s agreement to use certain shops for repair?

“I’m not sure we have an answer to that now,” George Slover, an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division, said. “All that the antitrust statute says about this is one sentence: no contracts, combinations or conspiracies in restraint of trade.”

David Snyder, an attorney with the American Insurance Association, said he felt the law was more clear on insurance programs.

“These types of plans have already been repeatedly challenged in federal and state courts, and repeatedly upheld under the antitrust laws,” Snyder said.

– As reported in Collision Expert

15 years ago in the collision repair industry (May 2001) Allstate acquisition of Sterling Collision Centers, a consolidator with 39 collision repair shops in seven states and nine metropolitan areas sent shockwaves across the industry much like State Farm’s non-OEM parts verdict.

“It will change the industry, one way or the other,” predicted John Rattan, a multi-shop owner in Dallas, Texas. “If Allstate succeeds, you’ll probably see other consolidators sell-

ing out. If they don’t buy or open any more shops, it will answer the question once and for all about insurers owning body shops.”

to a low of 9.2 percent in 2000).

Porter said in order to increase the use of recycled parts, an automated approach to sourcing those parts is necessary, to provide immediate availability and condition information and to reduce the number of contacts to individual recyclers by shops and insurers. Convincing shops to use more of the parts, he said, will require helping shops identify “best in class” recyclers that use systems to ensure on-time delivery of the correct part in the described condition.

In 2006, Don Porter was a national claims consultant with – As reported in Autobody State Farm and a speaker at the Automotive Recyclers News Association event. He retired from State Farm in 2012, Spending on recycled parts and in 2014 became CEO of the United Recyclers Group peaked at just over 14 per– As reported in Autobody News cent (of total dollars spent on parts) in It’s not clear the question has been an- 2001 according to data from Mitchell swered once and for all, but a 2003 International, then has drifted downlaw passed in Texas prohibiting in- ward back to between 12 and 13 persurers from owner body shops there largely put the brakes on Sterling’s growth as an Allstate subsidiary. Sterling added fewer than two dozen shops in the 13 years it was owned by Allstate, though it did double its sales to about $200 million by 2014 when it was acquired by Service King. Rattan remains CEO of The Body Shop, a 3shop operation in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area.

Don Carlton ACURA OF TULSA

10 years ago in the collision repair industry (May 2006) Don Porter, a property and casualty claims consultant with State Farm, kicked off the morning session of the Automotive Recyclers Association Mid-Year Business Development Conference outlining his company’s interest in increasing the amount of salvage parts used in repairs—and what he believes individual recyclers and their industry as a whole can do to increase their sales of parts for use in collision repair.

Based on his company’s numbers, recycled parts as a percentage of total parts sales has remained stagnant – at between 12 and 13 percent—from 2003 through 2005, while the aftermarket segment is rebounding to reach a similar market share (after declining

24 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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cent, just as it was when Porter spoke at the recycler event. (Non-OEM parts, on the other hand, have increased steadily to a account for more than 16 percent of total parts dollars.)

Porter retired from State Farm in 2012, and in 2014 became CEO of the United Recyclers Group.

5 years ago in the collision repair industry (May 2011) Speaking at an industry event, Greg Horn of Mitchell International offered a look at some of the vehicles that Chinese automakers—a number of which have plans to enter the U.S. market— currently produce.

Horn said Great Wall Motors is predicting a U.S. launch in 2015, following the model used by Kia some years ago, with sales in several states and entry into the rental fleet. The company will use feedback from that limited launch to make improvements See ASA Lobbyists, Page 41

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Social Media for Shops

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

Women Shop Owners and Female Consumers Get Help from AskPatty.com with Ed Attanasio

When a car needs repairs, it’s likely that retail market by educating business a woman will be bringing it into your owners and repair professionals to the shop. Those numbers have climbed needs of their women customers. over the years and now the experts For consumers, the AskPatty.com claim that 73% of all automowebsite is a safe and reliable tive repair customers are fesource for expert automotive male. In 2012, there were advice and research. For auto more women than men with dealers, tire dealers, collision driver’s licenses for the very centers, auto service and refirst time. On top of that, pair centers, the AskPatty.com women have become more Certified Female Friendly® program is designed to train savvy consumers and can’t be Jody DeVere and certify automotive retail bamboozled anymore with established and service centers including technical terms and industry AskPatty.com a body shops, on how to attract, speak. decade ago to help women as body sell, retain and increase loyIn addition, the automotive repair world now has shop professionals alty with women customers. and also as The idea is that knowledge is more female shop owners, consumers of empowering and by doing a techs and estimators than automotive repair better job, more and more ever, but there is still much services women will be able to sucwork to do and that’s why ceed in a male-dominated industry.

AskPatty.com was created to help.

Jody DeVere is the CEO of With its headquarters in Thousand AskPatty.com and the founder of the Oaks, CA, AskPatty.com, Inc. aims to organization. She’s anationally-known revolutionize the women’s automotive

26 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

expert on social media marketing to women as well as being a renowned journalist, car care expert and safety spokesperson within the automotive industry. Her life’s mission is to promote, mentor and support automotive careers for women and she speaks to groups including the American Car Care Council, Mercedes-Benz Corporate, the National Automobile Dealer Association (NADA), National Independent Automobile Dealer Association (NIADA), Car Care Council Women’s Board and the Association of Automotive Internet Sales Professionals.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, AskPatty.com was started by DeVere when she saw a problem and began looking for a viable solution.

“There was such a disconnect between qualified women and automotive businesses such as car dealerships, service departments and collision centers, for example,” DeVere said. “So, back in

2005 when I was at SEMA, I began to formulate a program to help women in this industry. I knew it had to be built on education, interactive training and it had to have a certification module.”

With more women working in a wide range of other professions, DeVere knew that the auto repair industry needed to catch up. “After talking to literally thousands of women, I found out that they were so discouraged by the prospects of getting hired in this industry, that they weren’t even applying. So, we decided to flip the script and become a champion and advocate for women in these fields. For women in the automotive industry, we often serve as the first point of contact for those who are seeking the very best in car sales and service across the United States and Canada.”

The AskPatty.com Certified Female Friendly® program enables women and female-owned businesses to improve their skill sets and increase

their revenues, DeVere explained.

“For body shops, we teach women professionals about how to enhance their customer service through a series of internet 3.5-hour classes.

There are 18 different modules and all of them are designed specifically for the automotive industry. It isn’t just testing either, we also provide training, interactive teaching and personal coaching. When it comes to succeeding in a retail culture— whether it’s a tire store, an aftermarket parts distributor, car dealership or a large collision center—there are many skills that are universal and will work in all these environments.”

When women join AskPatty.com, they also get an opportunity to send questions to a panel of female automotive experts, access to a certified female-friendly automotive retailer search database of car dealers, tire dealers, collision centers and service and repair centers, as well asa wide range of educational webinars and other helpful information through the organization’s blog, according to DeVere.

The message behind AskPatty.com is that women need to stick together and by doing so, they can revolutionize

the consumer experience for female consumers while becoming better owners and employees. “At AskPatty.com, we have a two-pronged mission and a big part of that is helping female consumers to become more informed and savvy about all things automotive,” DeVere said. “We want them to have a positive experience every time they take their car in for a repair. It’s still a male-dominated industry, but the game is changing, so we need to be as educated as we can as customers as well as owners and managers. In the old days, the men would take the car into the shop, but those roles have now changed and are constantly evolving.”

What will AskPatty.com be doing in 10-15 years, when more and more women are in upper management positions with automotive-related businesses? “We’ve created a lot of trust with our members and women in general, by being transparent and proving that we really care about women, as both automotive professionals and consumers. So, I believe that the next decade will be amazing for women in this industry and that’s why we’re looking forward to helping them and enabling them to be even more effective and successful.”

Mercedes-Benz of Houston Greenway

Sherwin-Williams Acquires Valspar for $11.3 Billion Creating Global Paints & Coatings Co.

The Sherwin-Williams Company and The Valspar Corporation announced on March 20 that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Sherwin-Williams will acquire Valspar for $113 per share in an all-cash transaction, or an enterprise value of approximately $11.3 billion.

John G. Morikis, president and CEO of The Sherwin-Williams Company, said, “Valspar is an excellent strategic fit with Sherwin-Williams. The combination expands our brand portfolio and customer relationships in North America, significantly strengthens our Global Finishes business, and extends our capabilities into new geographies and applications, including a scale platform to grow in Asia-Pacific and EMEA. Customers of both companies will benefit from our increased product range, enhanced technology and innovation capabilities, and the transaction’s clearly defined cost synergies. We have tremendous respect for the expertise and dedication of the Valspar team and we are excited about the opportunities that this combination will provide to both companies’ employees. Sherwin-Williams will continue to be headquartered in Cleveland and we intend to maintain a significant presence in Minneapolis.”

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Gary E. Hendrickson, chairman and CEO of Valspar, said, “We are pleased to announce this compelling transaction, which delivers immediate and certain cash value to our stockholders. We believe that Sherwin-Williams is the right partner to utilize our array of brands and create a premier global coatings company. The combination of Sherwin-Williams and Valspar will benefit our customers, employees and other stakeholders. We are confident this transaction will create opportunities to accelerate many of the operating initiatives already underway at Valspar. We look forward to positioning Valspar to enter its next phase of growth and success and to working closely with Sherwin-Williams to seamlessly close this transaction. Together we will continue to build on the solid momentum our team has worked so hard to create.”

The transaction is expected to close by the end of Q1 calendar year 2017, and is subject to the approval of Valspar shareholders and customary closing conditions, including the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the U.S. HartScott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and regulatory approvals in various other jurisdictions.

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Parts Director: Margaret McNulty Mercedes-Benz of Houston Greenway - Parts 3900 Southwest Freeway // Houston, Texas 77027 Hours: M-F 7am - 7pm // Sat 8am - 5pm www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 27

Shop Strategies CO Shop Manager Shares Thoughts on Aluminum Repair, OEM Certifications & DRPs with Stacey Phillips - ASSISTANT EDITOR

Autobody News spoke to Jeffery Thompson, the production manager at Phil Long Collision Center in Colorado Springs, CO. He shared his thoughts about aluminum repair, OEM certifica-

Phil Long dealerships throughout Colorado and New Mexico.)

How long have you been certiQ: fied by Mercedes and Audi, what did it entail and what is the ben-

hicle to the customer quicker, thus reducing cycle time and creating a happier customer in what is a very trying time to some people. It returns the

efit to your shop?

We have been certified for sevA: eral years by Mercedes Benz and Audi in the repair of these vehi-

The front of the Phil Long Collision Center building in Colorado Springs, CO

tions and being part of a DRP. Established in 1945, the dealership shop has 37 employees. Although they repair all makes and models of domestic/imported cars, trucks, vans and SUVs, Phil Long primarily focuses on Mercedes Benz, Audi and Ford aluminum trucks.

cles. We were certified through our dealer partners and through Mercedes Benz USA and Audi. In 2014, when Ford introduced the Aluminum F-150s we knew that we needed to be onboard and took the opportunity to get the necessary training to allow us to be the only certified Ford aluminum repair shop in the area. The process of being certified ensures that you follow the manufacturers’ tolerances and specific equipment that is needed in order to make the proper repair.

What prompted the decision to Q: get certified in Ford aluminum What are some of the advantages you have found being a repair and what did it entail?

Q: DRP shop as well as some of the issues We are aligned through a net- you deal with?

A: work of dealerships, both new As a DRP for our insurance and used vehicles. Two of these locaA: partners, you have the ability tions are Ford dealers, and who better and the trust to move forward with the to repair your vehicle than the techni-

cians who are trained by the factory in proper procedures. It also really helps to service what you sell. (There are 13

repair without needing to wait for an adjuster to arrive to look at the vehicle. This allows you to return the ve-

Auto Care Association and ASE Recognize 2016 World Class Technicians

Of the more than 840,000 automotive technicians working in the United States, 12 outstanding individuals have qualified for the prestigious 2016 World Class Technician Award.

The Auto Care Association and National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) work together to recognize these professional technicians who have tested and obtained ASE certification in 22 specialty areas during the 2015 test administrated by ASE. The 2016 World Class Technicians are: Chris Alexander, Tunnel Hill, GA John Bridgwater, Castro Valley, CA Michael Corbett, West Jordan, UT Daniel Doherty, Springfield, PA Byron Enders, Crestview, FL

Andrew Harrison, Mechanicsville, MD Brian Hutson, Fort Smith, AZ David Jones, Danville, VA Kevin Lang, Manchester, MD Jesse McCurdy, North Las Vegas, NV Susan Schalk, San Diego, CA Daniel Wolak, Elk Grove Village, IL Since the World Class Technician recognition was established 30 years ago, only 1,914 technicians have been honored. Recipients receive a special certificate signed by the presidents of ASE and the Auto Care Association and embroidered shoulder insignia.

Additionally, their name is perpetually inscribed in an honor book located in the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, MI.

28 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

A view of the waiting area for Phil Long Collision Center

customer to a sense of normalcy. Another benefit of being a DRP is a marketing relationship. The insurance partners help market your business in order to satisfy theirs.

What are some of the compoQ: nents of your shop that contribute to its success?

By having certified and knowlA: edgeable technicians, you can achieve the ultimate goal of providing

world-class service for the customer, your insurance partners and the dealer networks. We strive to ensure that each customer is happy to the best of our ability, whether that is from the waiting room in the office to the guys that wash up a vehicle to return to the customer. We want them to be pleased with our service.

From your experience over the Q: years, what advice can you share with readers?

Listen to your technicians, for A: they are the ones who work on the vehicles on a daily basis and know the brands inside and out. This is how you provide world-class service.

Jeffery Thompson, production manager at Phil Long Collision Center, can be reached at 719-667-2900.

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Media and Publicity for Shops The Little Things Go a Long Way with Customer Service with Ed Attanasio

Nancy Friedman is known throughout the country as the Telephone Doctor, but she is also a keynote speaker for large automotive companies and a customer service consultant for big corporations. She takes businesses of all sizes that are dropping the ball when it comes to basic customer serNancy Friedman (aka “The Telephone vice and turns them into thoroughbreds.

Doctor”) works with automotive Her clients include companies to CCARSTAR, Big improve their O Tires, Goodyear, customer service Tire Pro, Midas, and many other well respected automotive companies around the country.

We sat down with the doctor recently to discuss customer service in the collision repair industry and ask her why so many shops are ailing and need a little CSI therapy.

Q:

How can a company and its employees turn bad customer service into great customer service?

It takes practice like anything A: else. But if your shop can embrace an atmosphere where the cus-

tomer is #1 without exception, it will quickly become part of the culture and ingrained in your company. But they have to buy into it and you have to create an environment that encourages and rewards good customer service.

One of your cardinal rules of Q: customer service is called “People Before Paperwork”. Can you elaborate?

As we all know in the collision industry, the insurance compaA: nies started insisting that the shops do

the lion’s share of the paperwork required with every repair. This has added 2-10 more hours to the process on each and every car, depending on whom you talk to. Now, this deluge of paperwork can be a problem for employees who aren’t adept at multi-tasking.

I heard one estimator say, “I wanted to deal with the customer but I felt as though I needed to finish the pa-

perwork on this other job first.” Well, that’s a big mistake. Multi-tasking is part of the job and it’s unacceptable to ever make a client wait due to paperwork.

Don’t ever tell a customer, “Sorry, this paperwork has to go out right now.”

Another mistake. You’ve just told the customer that you’re not a priority. If you’re under the gun with a looming deadline, how is that the customer’s concern? In the corporate world, they call it “job shifting” and it’s something I teach people how to avoid.

When someone walks into your place of business, or calls you while you’re working on something, drop everything for that person. Remember, paperwork can wait, people should not.

We’ve all been abused when we go shopping and get ignored by clerks, so we know how that feels. Let’s not abuse our own customers and live by this simple rule: People Before Paperwork.

In a busy body shop environment, some estimators and oQ: ther office people make mistakes by

hurrying. Plus, they make the customers feeling uneasy, with all of the rushing around. How do you teach people to stay calm even when they’re overloaded?

It’s human nature. We rush when A: we’re busy and that’s when we make mistakes. By being short with

customers or rushing them through the process, even if you do a good job, they will be left feeling intimidated and you won’t see them coming back. Take it easy. Remember, speed is not success!

Trying to be “done” with a customer as quickly as possible is seen as being rude and uncaring. Take your time with each and every contact. Hey, everyone’s busy! That’s what it’s all about. Being busy does not give you carte blanche to be rude. Remember, you meet the same people coming down, as you do going up. They’ll remember you. (What’s worse than being busy? NOT being busy.)

Q:

Another problem is when body shop people talk to customers using industry terms that they can’t possibly understand. How can that be fixed?

30 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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

Ever get a report from a comA: pany and not understand it?

Some companies have jargon that

makes the CIA wonder what’s up.

Granted, today’s customers are much more savvy about cars and collision repair. But focus groups prove that most of your clients don’t know what severity is or the difference between an OE and an aftermarket part. So, always be very careful not to use your own company jargon on your customers. You and your employees may understand it very well, but the customer may not. And you’ll only cause a lot of unnecessary confusion.

Spell things out for your customers.

Don’t abbreviate. Remember, don’t use collision industry language on civilians, because in most cases, it will only confuse them.

And whatever happened to all Q: of the little things that used to go such a long way when it came to

customer service? Like saying thank you and smiling?

It’s so true! We need to remember that ‘Thank you’ and ‘You’re A: welcome’ are beautiful words. The cus-

tomer cannot hear them too often.

However, if you’re telling your customers to “have a nice day,” please say it with meaning! I recently had a checkout clerk tell the floor to have a nice day. She wouldn’t look at me. Make eye contact when you’re saying something nice. Also, smiling goes a long way and can really make a customer comfortable quickly. Lead with a smile and you can’t go wrong and you’ll stand out from all of the frowners out there! It will also earn you many classic customer service points as a result. The customer needs to know that you want to work with them, no matter who they are, so smile and be friendly with everybody through the door and watch how positively they will respond.

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Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 www.bankstonhonda.com

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Benson Honda

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877-941-6513 512-443-4300

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-12 hondaparts@bensonhonda.com

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844-453-5594 432-334-6632

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Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-12 april@kellygrimsley.com

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

Honda of Frisco Fr isc o

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

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

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

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

Fowler Honda N o r ma n

888-715-3197 405-573-5719 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-9; Sat 8-4 parts@fowlerhonda.com LOU IS IA NA

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

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800-943-4227 504-368-5687 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-5:30 parts@superiorhonda.net

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

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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

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800-575-3553 512-401-5976

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Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 jraygo@mcdavid.com

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

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

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

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 8-4 joe_benson@pikespeakacura.com www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 33

Day Job/Night Job Body Tech in Montana Paints a Second Career as an Artist with Ed Attanasio

Mark Robbins, 57, has been a body technician most of his life and he loves every aspect of it, but his real passion is art—from airbrush cre-

Twenty-five artists were chosen to paint these five-feet-tall Grizzlies for the city of Cody, WY and Mark Robbins, a body tech at Blue Body & Paint in Billings, MT was honored to be involved

ations to elaborate tattoos and all the way to painting sculptures of some of the West’s most beloved wildlife.

Working at Blue Body & Paint in

Billings, MT, Robbins calls himself a “starving artist,” although he has sold some of his work and has a few pieces on display in art galleries, as well as on people’s bodies in the form of tattoos.

Robbins found his artistic muse all on his own and has never taken an art class. “Everything I’ve learned in my life is self-taught,” Robbins explained. “I wanted to learn how to do airbrushing, so I just started doing it. I love to paint different things and explore new methods, because that’s the part I really enjoy. The art is a great release for me and therapy, in a way.

Every time I get an idea about how to paint something, it’s exciting, and then when I see the finished product, it’s very satisfying.”

In the old days, all of the work was done by hand, but now technology has changed that, Robbins said.

“When I first started airbrushing, it was very popular and everyone was

either doing it or trying to do it. It was time-intensive and projects might take days or weeks. But, now with stencils and vinyl graphics, they can do it in hours. The finished product isn’t any-

Preparing a Grizzly Bear for paint

where as good, because it lacks depth and ends up looking like a decal. For people who want fast and inexpensive that works, but I tell them I don’t do that.”

Robbins will paint anything— trucks, muscle cars, classic vehicles, vans, motorcycles, even furniture and

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34 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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

t-shirts, just to name a few. He also does glass etching for local businesses in Billings and there are also a few people walking around town with tattoos that he designed.

Robbins said he always “messed around with oil paints” and enjoyed drawing as soon as he was old enough to pick up a crayon. But, doing murals on cars didn’t happen until a school buddy asked him to put a medieval scene on his ride.

“He had a 1967 Pontiac LeMans and it was turquoise,” Robbins said. “I painted a dragon with a castle in the background on the big hood of that car and after I finished it, I said wow—I can do this. After that, I go a lot of offers and started doing murals for people all over town. I did a lot of El Camino tailgates back then with scenes with pirates and castles in the clouds, for example.”

After refining his processes, Robbins’s creations became more involved

and intricate. “I free-hand the illustration, then outline the entire image in white paint. Then, I fill in the colors and the details by misting colors over

Robbins was also commissioned to paint four sculptures of Big Horn Rams for the National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Association in Dubois, WY

the top of it. It really stands out and the colors pop, because of the white undercoat. That’s how I get that 3D effect that people really seem to like.”

Robbins has always been enamored with the art of the late artist Frank Frazetta, who was an American fantasy and science fiction artist, noted for comic books, paperback book covers, paintings, movie posters, LP record album covers and other media. Best known for painting dragons, muscle-bound warriors and semiclad women, Robbins has done his share of Frazetta-inspired art over the years.

After tasing some success with his art, Robbins got hooked and now he hopes to make it part of his eventual retirement plan. “I’m not really thinking about retiring right now, but when I do, I at least have something to do with my spare time. The art has changed my life, because now whenever I look at any piece of art, I see things that I did not see before, like certain colors or shading or shapes, whatever.”

With five grown children and five grandchildren and a wonderful wife who supports his art, Robbins is happy, but he still wants to take his art career further, if he can. “I’ve been married for 35 years now and my wife Robyn has supported me every step of the way,” he said. “She

always encourages me to do more art and take chances with it. I have sold a few pieces and now I want to sell more. Every time I do a mural or a

Robbins loves trying new things, including window etching for his friends and customers

tattoo, I get excited. Seeing the finished product is so satisfying—it’s just like painting a car and knowing that you did a great job!”

In 2012, Robbins was able to use his artistic skills for a higher cause when he was asked to paint three sculptures of Bighorn Rams.

“They gave us the money for the paint and supplies and then let me go at it. It’s great knowing that one sits in the National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Association in Cody, WY. Then later, I did the same for a series of Grizzly Bears for an art collective project that also took place in Cody, WY. Twenty-five artists were chosen to paint these five-feet-tall

Grizzlies, so it was an honor to be included.”

These animal creations brought Robbins some national acclaim and his role as the painter in each case was satisfying, he said. “If I can use my artistic abilities to help the community in any way, I’m willing to do it. “It has been a great experience painting these sculptures, so who knows what’s coming next?”

Whatever the future does hold for Mark Robbins, it will undoubtedly combine collision repair, art, philanthropy and more for this Renaissance man. “I want to keep doing everything and creating art is a big part of that,” Robbins explained. Maybe one day he will be able to shed the title of “starving artist” and replace it with “fulltime professional artist,” so stay tuned.

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www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 35

Why Are Online Reviews Important to Your Auto Body Shop? during his presentation.

Over the last few months, he has Every month, nearly 10 million con- found that review sites now occupy 40 sumers search online for auto body re- to 80 percent of all first page links. pair shops and related services. One of With an abundance of different the first things they see are online re- review sites on the web, businesses views. might wonder what review sites are Whether your organizathe most important to focus tion has two, 200 or 2,000 on. “The review sites that locations, Frank Terlep, consumers use the most and see the most and know the founder and CEO of eMarmost are the ones that matter keting Sherpas, said that online reviews are extremely the most,” said Terlep. important to your business.

Some of the more popular From his experience over the ones he mentioned include Frank Terlep. years, he said they can imYelp, Google, Yahoo!, Bing, File photo. prove customer engagement, Facebook, Citysearch, Yela company’s brand and increase on- low Pages and Judy’s Book. line referrals.

What steps should a business put He cited data collected from the in place to get more online reviews?

Bazaarvoice network in 2015, which “Just ask!” said Terlep. “If you said a business with one review can want to get reviews, you need to let experience a 10 percent increase in the customer know that reviews are sales, a business with 50 reviews can important to your business.” He said have a 30 percent increase and busi- it’s also important to make it easy and nesses with 200 reviews can see a 44 convenient for consumers to give you percent increase. a review and let them know which Terlep recently held a webinar dissites you would like to get the reviews cussing the importance of online reon.

by Stacey Phillips, Assistant Editor

“Eighty-eight percent of connected consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from people.” — Frank Terlep

views and offered tips on how to have your business appear on page one of a Google, Yahoo! or Bing search in your local market.

Terlep said that 88 percent of connected consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from people and 90 percent said that positive online reviews influence their buying decisions.

In 2015, a company named Review Inc. surveyed 1,000 consumers and found that consumers trust online reviews much more than any other marketing and advertising mediums, including websites, newspaper, television and the yellow pages.

“A brand is no longer what we tell consumers it is – it is what consumers tell each other it is,” said Scott D. Cook, the founder of Intuit and a board member of eBay and P&G. “But the sad news is that 87 percent of small businesses like most of you on this call don’t really have a formal process in place to ask for and capture online reviews,” Terlep said

He suggested using signage, POS materials, verbal requests, delivery handouts, email, your website, Facebook, mobile apps and in some cases, in-house kiosks.

He strongly recommended that a delivery review request handout be given to a customer when their vehicle is delivered.

Another effective way he found to ask for online reviews is by sending an email or text. Currently, the average open rate for an email is 18 to 22 percent; while a text has a 98 percent open rate and is usually read within five minutes.

When asking for a verbal review, Terlep said there are eight must dos: 1) Always get permission before sending a review request.

2) Ask at the peak of your customer’s happiness with your service.

3) Let your customer know that you’re asking for a “favor.”

4) Let your customer know how long this will take.

5) Let your customer know how you

36 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

benefit from their favor.

6) Get your customer’s primary email address.

The Review Engine software delivers reviews and reporting for businesses

7) Tell your customer how much their offering to write a review means to you.

8) Tell them that you’re looking forward to reading their review.

Terlep stressed the importance of responding to every review. Not only is it great for SEO (Search Engine Optimization), he said it demonstrates to the consumer that the reviews really are important to your business. eMarketing Sherpas specializes in

digital marketing solutions for the collision repair industry. The San Diegobased company developed the Review Engine product in 2015, with the intent of helping businesses build, promote, protect and manage online reviews and reputation.

The Review Engine software delivers reviews and reporting for businesses and can be set up to import a company’s estimating management software into their platform. It also integrates with more than 100 social media and review sites.

Other features include customized review request delivery handouts and automated email and text review requests. eMarketing Sherpas offers a free demonstration of the product.

“Because we use so many different tools and techniques to request and capture online reviews, your business can expect to see a 100 percent to 300 percent increase in the number of online reviews your business receives,” said Terlep.

For more information, call 858547-8697, email sales@emarketing sherpas.com or visit http:www.emarketing sherpas.com.

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www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 37

Chief® Introduces Three New Tools for Collision Repair: New Welder, Rivet Gun and Debonding Unit 1) Three-Phase, High-Amperage MIG/ MAG Welder Chief has expanded its line of inverter synergic pulse MIG/MAG welders to include its first three-phase, high-amperage model, the MultiMig 621. The MultiMig 621 can be used to weld and braze aluminum, galvanized sheet metal, stainless steel and high-strength steel.

“The MultiMig 621 is a great choice when welding certain thick structural aluminum components,” explains Mickey Swartz, director of global product management for Chief parent company Vehicle Service Group (VSG). “It is also ideal for inverter pulse brazing because it can operate at a lower temperature, with better temperature control, to protect the material characteristics of high-strength steel and any anti-corrosion coatings.”

Like all Chief MIG/MAG welders, the MultiMig 621 features the synergicpulsed technologies required by most OEMs for aluminum welding. The MultiMig 621 has a double pulse feature that allows the weld to cool slightly during the low frequency operation. This reduces the chance of drips. It also reduces deformation on thin pieces while providing full penetration on thicker sheets.

The MultiMig 621 comes loaded with a large number of synergic programs that preset welding parameters so technicians can start welding immediately. Multiple programmable options, such as crater fill and hot start, are also available to customize the welder’s operation to meet specific customer needs, working conditions and technician preferences.

The MultiMig 621 is multi-input line voltage capable: It can run on any voltage from 200 to 480 volts. It features Integrated Power Factor Correction (PFC) technology to reduce energy waste. The welder is equipped with a built-in cart that includes storage space for a gas cylinder.

New Chief® Heavy-Duty Rivet Gun Pierces Usibor® and Other HighStrength Steels Chief’s new Heavy-Duty Rivet Gun puts out almost twice the force of the company’s standard rivet gun, enabling collision repair technicians to use it to install rivets in even the strongest steels, including Usibor®. The Heavy-Duty Rivet Gun is approved by Mercedes-Benz.

“The new Chief Heavy-Duty Rivet Gun was developed to meet MercedesBenz specifications, including being able to pierce Usibor,” explains Mickey

Swartz, “This is our strongest rivet gun, with a compression force of 22,000 lbs. vs. 12,000 lbs. available from our universal PNP90 rivet gun. While our universal rivet gun can be used on virtually any current automotive application, the Heavy-Duty Rivet Gun is designed for the next wave of vehicles that will incorporate even more high-strength steel.”

The Chief Heavy-Duty Rivet Gun uses the same pneumatically driven hydraulic pump and pressure intensifier as Chief’s standard PNP90 rivet gun,

(l to r) Kristen Simpson, President Simpson Communications, Vulcan Debonding Unit, David Fischmer, Marketing Manager Vehicle Services Group (VSG) for Chief Automotive

but adds a few more built-in features.

The Heavy-Duty Rivet Gun includes a retract feature and a dial to adjust the output working pressure. The mobile hydraulic tool not only outputs 10 metric tons of compressive force, it also gives 8 metric tons of tension force to hydraulically retract the punching tool from metal sheets at the push of a button. The dial provides infinite adjustment of the working pressure so the output force can be controlled to the desired level.

With a small adapter set that reduces the output pressure, the HeavyDuty Rivet Gun is backwards compatible to the PNP90, so shops that already have mandrels for the standard gun can use them with the Heavy-Duty version. The Heavy-Duty Rivet Gun can be used to install self-piercing or flow form rivets and to punch holes.

Because the Heavy-Duty Rivet Gun is larger than the standard model in order to deliver higher power output, Chief is offering it with a cabinet equipped with a boom to help reduce technician strain and fatigue.

Put Down the Chisel: New Chief® Vulcan Adhesive Debonding Unit Uses Infrared Heat to Separate Aluminum Panels As automotive OEMs incorporate more aluminum, high-strength steel, carbon

38 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

fiber and other “exotic materials” into their vehicle designs, they are also using new methods to join these materials together. Structural adhesives are used extensively in vehicles designed with aluminum, but are also becoming increasingly popular with OEMs in the manufacture of traditional steel-based vehicles.

Repairing collision damage to areas built with structural adhesives can be challenging. The most effective method technicians currently have to separate bonded pieces of aluminum is to manually chisel them apart. This approach is not only physically tiring, but involves considerable risk of damage to the panel being removed, as well as the surface behind it. For panels made of carbon fiber, the only option is to grind through layers, releasing harmful carbon fibers if the dust is not properly captured. That’s where the new Chief Vulcan Adhesive De-bonding Unit (ADU) comes in.

The patent-pending Chief Vulcan ADU is the first product specifically designed to break the bond of structural adhesives in automotive applications.

The Vulcan ADU uses infrared radiation technology to quickly heat the surface to a temperature where the first layer of glue underneath releases cleanly—in as little as 20 seconds. With the adhesive bonds broken, the technician can then easily separate the materials with less risk of damage to either piece. The epoxy remains smooth and hard, not sticky, leaving behind a clean work surface. The Vulcan ADU can be used on any vehicle surface, including aluminum, carbon fiber and steel.

“The need to meet 2025 CAFE standards is driving automotive manufacturers to explore an incredibly wide range of materials, joining methods and other light-weighting technologies in a relatively short period of time,” says Swartz. “As a result, the collision repair industry is innovating like never before to develop new tools, equipment and repair techniques. The Chief Vulcan Adhesive Debonding Unit is a solution to an issue that wasn’t important just a few years ago. But as OEMs incorporate glue and epoxies into their manufacturing processes for more and more vehicles, collision repair shops need to be equipped to efficiently separate those bonded components to properly repair the vehicles.”

Applying heat is a proven method for releasing adhesives, but although there are several options available for traditional steel panels, tight tempera-

ture control is needed to not overheat high-strength steels. Aluminum is more challenging because it dissipates heat very quickly and requires a lot of input energy: more than is found in traditional induction heaters or heat guns.

The Vulcan ADU uses very short waves of infrared radiation to quickly produce up to 600 degrees of heat concentrated at the surface of the material being treated. Even though the unit produces very high output temperature, the lamp’s handles and sides remain cool to the touch for safe operation and prolonged lamp life.

The Vulcan ADU has three modes of operation.

1) Manual: Pulling the trigger will produce whatever level of power the technician set until the trigger is released.

2) Automatic: The technician sets both a set point temperature and the power level, and the unit will control to that level while the trigger is pressed.

3) Programmable: The technician can set up to five steps including a specific temperature and how long the Vulcan should stay at that temperature.

To learn more contact your local Chief distributor or call (800) 4459262. Chief is also active on Twitter, twitter.com/ChiefAutomotive and Facebook, www.facebook.com/Chief Automotive. For video, visit chiefauto motive.com/video-library.

Service King Employs 100th Veteran in First Program Year

Service King Collision Repair Centers® announced that the organization has successfully recruited and hired more than 100 military veterans and family members in less than 12 months through the Mission 2 Hire campaign.

Service King’s Mission 2 Hire initiative officially launched in May 2015 with the goal of recruiting and hiring more than 500 military veterans and spouses in five years. With this recent milestone, the ongoing effort is officially on pace to surpass its original pledge. “The Service King family is united in our effort to create and provide career opportunities for our heroes who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces,” said Chris Abraham, Service King CEO. “Today is a very proud moment for our Mission 2 Hire initiative.

Military veterans and their family members, by nature, possess the very skillsets and core values we aim to harvest at Service King. We’re proud to open our doors and actively promote career opportunities to our heroes as the Service King Family of Repair Centers continues to grow across the U.S.”

www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 39

Shop Strategies with Stacey Phillips - ASSISTANT EDITOR

Utah Shop Stresses Importance of OEM Certifications and Educating Customers About Parts Usage Karl Schmidt has managed Go Collision Repair’s body shop in Salt Lake City, Utah since 2007. The familyowned business was founded by Karl Otto Schmidt in 1936, and is currently owned by Walter Schmidt. Autobody News spoke to Karl about the importance of OEM certifications and how he educates customers about the difference in parts.

Can you tell us about Go ColliQ: sion Repair and your primary area of focus?

Our shop, including our sister What is the importance company Schmidt Signs, has of having OEM certifiA: Q: been in business for more than 70 years. cations and what was entailed

With almost 30 employees, we strive to do what is best for the customer, despite the insurance companies’ demands. We have tailored to fleets and their refinish needs for years as many customers utilize custom paint and graphics as part of their identity.

During the past eight years, we have added about 5,000 square feet to the body shop, dedicated just to cars, giving our operation about 11,000 square feet total space. Our main focus has always been graphics and painting but now In addition to collision repair, Go Collision focuses on we are proud to be one of Salt graphics, lettering, pinstriping and bedliner, as well as light repair and full refinishing on heavy haul equipment Lake City’s premiere shops

Pliogrip™ 5770 Adhesive Recommended by GM

Pliogrip™ 5770 impact resistant adhesive from Ashland has been recommended to auto body professionals by General Motors (GM) to repair impact-resistant joints in frame rail assemblies, strut tower assemblies, and other body structures that have critical strength requirements. It is one of only three adhesives on the GM recommended list provided to the auto repair industry. Per GM’s guidelines, when an impact-resistant adhesive is removed or damaged, it must always be replaced with an impact-resistant adhesive. If another adhesive is substituted, the vehicle is not considered “returned to pre-accident condition,” which may compromise safety and its ability to be driven. Pliogrip™ 5770 adhesive can be used to meet the repair standard. The adhesive can be used to bond replacement body panels such as strut towers, frame rails, rocker panels, and body side and rear end panels in place of, or in conjunction with, mechanical means of attachment such as screws or rivets. Professionals should always refer to O.E. replacement procedures for proper attachment methods. Visit www.ashland.com to learn more.

and one of the very few that have chosen to become certified by various OEMs.

American Honda Joins ASA as Corporate Member

The Automotive Service Association (ASA) has announced one of its latest corporate members: American Honda.

Gary Ledoux, assistant national manager for American Honda, said, “ASA is a big supporter of the auto repair industry, and especially the collision repair side of the business, so we are pleased to be able to support and help them in their work.”

Dan Risley, ASA president/executive director, also commented, “American Honda has been a longtime supporter of the industry and ASA. Its leadership is in sync with ours, and as a result, the relationship continues to grow to the benefit of the automotive service and collision repair industries and ASA members as a whole.”

To learn more about ASA’s corporate membership program, contact Dan Risley at danr@asashop.org.

SEARCH FOR US ON

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Autobody News

40 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

to get certified?

The OEM certifications are not critical…

A: yet. However, if you can’t

The family-owned business in Salt Lake City, Utah was

qualify for them now, you founded by Karl Otto Schmidt in 1936 will not be in business in the do them.’ Technology is changing and next five years. Cars are becoming so I want to be on top. We are not perfect, complex and we need to be tooled for the proper repair. In our quest to be- but we are progressing. come OEM certified we have invested In addition to collision repair, in some tooling and training that are what other services do you expensive, but it is needed to help enoffer and how does this complement sure air bag timing and proper repair.

I know it is not business as usual your collision repair shop? even though many would love to tell In addition to collision repair, customers they have been doing rewe offer graphics, lettering, pinpairs for ‘20 years and I know how to

Q: A:

striping and bedliner. We also do light repair and full refinishing on heavy haul equipment. Customers always ask why we also focus on signs and graphics as it seems unusual, but it is all about the fleet and our ability to serve them. It has worked well for us being a one-stop shop.

question. I need to start off by saying that we are not a DRP for any insurance company. I let customers know

A:

During the past eight years, Go Collision has added about 5,000 square feet to the body shop

We have been known to give away items on our website, but that is such a small part of the importance of the web site. It is really only to grab the customer’s attention when they have questions about getting their repairs done.

How do you educate your cusQ: tomers about the difference between OEM and aftermarket usage?

How do I educate my cusA: tomers?

Wow, that is a big

Q:

Is there anything additional you would like to share with readers about your business or the industry?

Utah is really hurting when it A: comes to consumer protection and the insurance commissioner’s

I noticed that you were having a contest to win Q: free Utah Jazz tickets with a

customer's repair. Have you offered contests in the past and what is the benefit of doing this for your business?

out for them.

some of the schemes the insurance company is going to do to help mitigate the claims. I tell them that I work in their best interest and not for the insurance companies. I also let them know about our relations with the parts manufacturers and how they like to help, which ensures customers have OEM parts on their cars.

I spend time letting consumers know that insurance wants to mitigate claims, and sometimes does not represent what is truly best for the consumer, or their vehicle. Consumers like knowing that someone is looking

stance on who is important to protect.

The insurance is well represented in Utah and that is not a good thing. I do know we as body shops need to do more together to help our industry both as a group and at the state regulation level.

For more information, contact Karl Schmidt, manager at Go Collision, at 801-486-0193.

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Continued from Page 24

ASA Lobbyists

before selling on a broader scale.

Horn said the expected low cost of early Chinese vehicles in this country will likely lead to more totals than repaired vehicles. But the success of any of the Chinese automakers here will largely be dependent on their ability to set up the replacement parts infrastructure that is needed, Horn said. Sterling Motors and Daihatsu, he said, failed largely because a lack of parts availability led to repair delays and total losses.

“The folks that have the best infrastructure for supporting their brand will be the Chinese brands that survive going forward,” Horn said.

– As reported in CRASH Network (www.CrashNetwork.com), May 30, 2011. Despite Great Wall Motors’ optimism five years ago, it has yet to sell a vehicle in the United States.

The company has been plagued in recent years with quality issues, recalls and unpopular models, but it remains China’s largest sport utility vehicle maker.

www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 41

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.

Anderson Shows NORTHEAST Shops How His “Who Pays for What?” Surveys Can Help with John Yoswick

About 37 percent of shops who bill for “masking the vehicle for priming” say they get paid by insurers for this operation “always” or “most of the time” – yet about an equal percentage of shops say they have never asked to be paid for this not-included operation.

That’s one of the survey findings that Mike Anderson told attendees at the NORTHEAST trade show in New Jersey in March that he was most surprised about as he continues to conduct a series of four different “Who Pays for What?” surveys nationally in conjunction with CRASH Network.

“Every time you prime, you have to mask, utilizing labor and materials,” Anderson told a packed seminar room at the trade show. “I was very surprised to see so many shops were not even charging for this. Almost 40 percent of shops said, ‘I’ve never even asked for it.’”

The seminar was one of the first times Anderson has focused an entire presentation on his “Who Pays for What?” seminars, which began last year. Each of the four surveys – one is conducted each quarter – ask shops for their billing practices in terms of about two dozen not-included operations. For each procedure, shops are asked to describe how often they are paid, by each of eight insurers, whether it is “always,” “most of the time,” “some of the time,” or “never.”

The masking question was included on the refinish-related survey that took place in February this year, but the other surveys focus on body labor operations (that survey took place in April), frame and mechanical operations, and aluminum repair and shop supplies (the latter two surveys will next take place later this year).

Anderson’s seminar at the trade show highlighted some of the results of past surveys, which are available online. (Anyone who takes one of the surveys automatically receives that survey’s findings for free.) As with masking for priming, for example, Anderson said nearly 40 percent of shops reported being paid always or most of the time to match the original OEM texture of chip/gravel guard.

“The three estimating systems all clearly say that when you get paid to

do gravel guard, that does not include the additional labor required to match the OEM texture,” Anderson said. “So if your painter has to go out and play with it, and get a spray pattern set-up, etc., that can take a long time, right?

That’s not included.”

Anderson said this year’s refinishrelated survey specifically asked shops that have never asked to be paid for this process why they haven’t. More than 82 percent said they either were not aware it was a “not-included” operation or just never thought to charge for it.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m not saying that insurance companies are

more likely to be paid for not-included operations. “I’m all about doing a safe and proper repair. Whatever your business model is irrelevant to me. But what I can tell you is DRP shops clearly are getting paid for more procedures than non-DRP shops.”

He said the aluminum survey asked shops not only about their labor rates for aluminum work but also how much they invested in training, equipment and other costs to become OEMcertified for aluminum. He said some survey respondents said that adding up those numbers made them realize their labor rates were inadequate.

always going to pay you for every single thing,” Anderson said. “But at the end of the day, if you want to get paid more, you have to first ask. It’s a Biblical principle: ‘You have not because you ask not.’”

The surveys compare the payment practices among the largest eight auto insurers nationally, and also show how responses vary by region. The survey have continued to draw responses from an average of more 700 shops each time, Anderson said.

“It’s one survey response per shop, so that’s 700-plus shops each time, not like some other surveys that might include responses from 10 people from one shop,” Anderson said.

He said the surveys ask shops to also report what direct repair program affiliations they have, and the findings have fairly consistently shown that direct repair shops are paid, overall, more frequently for “not-included” estimate items than are non-DRP shops.

“I’m not pro-DRP, I’m not antiDRP,” Anderson said, noting that he’s faced some skepticism from those who are surprised that DRP shops appear

“What we realized is that when some people were setting their rates, they were just grabbing some number out of the air without ever having done a financial analysis on it,” Anderson said.

He said his overall goal with the surveys is to raise awareness of operations shops may be doing but aren’t charging for. He said he hopes over time have the surveys find that the percentage of shops billing and being paid for the procedures increase.

But he acknowledged that awareness is only part of the issue; the second-half of his presentation at the NORTHEAST show focused on how shops can successfully negotiate for whatever procedures from the surveys they are regularly doing.

“I mean this in love. I’m not here to make any enemies. I want you to be successful. But honestly, the majority of body shops use the insurance companies as an excuse for their ignorance and lack of knowledge,” Anderson said. ‘They say, ‘The insurance company won’t pay for it,’ when the reality is they didn’t even know they could charge for it.”

42 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Anderson recommended that shops start with one or two of the items at a time, focusing on including them on estimates on jobs when the procedure is being done, and being prepared to support why they should be paid for it. He said shops should have documentation from the automakers or paint companies showing the procedure is needed; documentation from the estimating systems showing the procedure is not-included and whether there is a formula for calculating the labor time for it; and an understanding of what the procedure is worth.

“You have to figure out what your labor is going to be and any materials you’re going to use,” Anderson said. “I can’t tell you what to charge.

But the time you charge should reflect how long it takes the average technician to gather up their tools, equipment and supplies and perform the task in a safe and proper manner, and then return their tools and equipment.”

He said shops rarely do the research to gather the documentation they need to confidently make their justification for the charge. Anderson said each of the survey reports includes suggested resources shops can use in this process.

“The only thing that matters if you want to get paid for something is what you can prove, substantiate and justify,” Anderson said. “That’s all that matters. Your opinion means absolutely nothing.”

Shops interested in being notified about upcoming surveys, or in getting results from previous surveys, can visit: https://www.collisionadvice.com /survey As is generally the case, Anderson’s presentation at the NORTHEAST trade show won him new fans in the industry.

“I’ve been attending these seminars for over 50 years, and this is the single-most compelling session I’ve ever attended,” Mike Porcelli of Central Avenue Collision in Glendale, N.Y., told Anderson during the question-and-answer session.

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www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 43

Turtles, Dolphins, Gators, Oh My! FL Shop Steps Up to Help Non-Profits

by Ed Attanasio

Body shops are asked to clear coat and/or paint all the time for charitable causes and many of them are sculptures of animals. This movement began back in 1986 when fiberglass lions were painted in different colors and staged throughout the city of Zurich, Switzerland.

JR Nocera is the owner Supreme Auto Collision in Naples, FL. When asked to clear coat 50 sculptures of Loggerhead sea turtles for a community art project called Turtles on the Town he said yes

Two years later, the lions were replaced by cows. The “CowParade” later became a hugely successful international public art exhibit that has been featured in major cities throughout the world. These sculptures of cows were decorated by local artists, and distributed in public places such as train stations, museums and parks.

Since then, cities all over the world have gotten involved in these art projects to protect wildlife and raise money for animal preservation.

In almost every case, they feature artwork and designs specific to the local culture, as well as city life and other relevant themes. After each exhibition in each city concludes, the statues are auctioned off and the proceeds donated to charity. From Bears in Berlin to Crabs in Baltimore; Buffaloes in Buffalo, Sharks in San Jose and Cats in the Catskills, these animal sculptures are now in the thousands.

So, when a Florida body shop owner was asked to clear coat 50 Loggerhead sea turtles for a good cause, he wasn’t surprised, because he had already painted statues of dolphins, gators and pelicans for other exhibitions.

The owner is JR Nocera, and the shop is Supreme Auto Collision in Naples, FL. To say the least, Nocera has never had any problems sticking his head out of his shell and telling the world about his 60,000 sq. ft. shop that takes up an entire city block. So, he

surely wasn’t going to hide in the sand when he was asked to paint 50 turtles gratis for the Turtles on the Town, a public art project and fundraiser on display in Naples and throughout Collier County.

Supreme Auto Collision is a onestop shop, with a mechanical repair division, a car detailing department, a trim shop and even a Vespa scooter dealership in addition to being a body shop that fixes 200-300 cars every month while maintaining 13 DRPs. The shop is known for working on high-end vehicles, specifically Bentleys, Audis, BMWs, and Aston-Martins and is aluminum-ready, with its own separate clean room.

With 30 employees, including his two nephews, Nocera, 48 is a secondgeneration shop owner with a son (age 10) who will hopefully get into the business one day.

“My dad had a shop and we had a lot of mechanics in my family,” Nocera said. “My father still works here at age 73 and my brother Jimmy also works here. I started when I was 16 and quickly I knew that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. Most kids at age 16 don’t know what they want to do, but I had my path right then and there. I hope my youngest can get into this industry one day, because I know that my daughter isn’t at all interested, which is fine.”

fiberglass-reinforced polyester from an original bronze sculpture, and they stand about five ft. tall. It takes a community of many different people and

All of the turtles will eventually be auctioned off to benefit three local non-profit organizations

organizations contributing different things to make a project of this size happen. Among those contributing were 50 patrons who gave $5,000 each to sponsor a turtle. While many of

these patrons are businesses that have their sponsored turtles on site for the public exhibition, other patrons are individuals and those sculptures are on exhibit at area parks and non-profits.

Even though his shop is busy all the time, Nocera took the time to clear coat all of the 50 turtles, with the product donated by Axalta, the paint he uses on every vehicle he repairs.

“It lays out real sweet,” Nocera said. “Those artists put so much time into these amazing creations, so we made sure that we did a great job for them. It was a team effort and all of our people stepped up. This is like the fourth time we’ve been asked to do something like this and each time I just can’t say no.”

Without compromising his cycle time, Nocera called upon his crew to work a little overtime and get the turtles ready to roll onto the streets of Collier County.

“They came out beautifully and we’re happy that we were able to be part of this community effort. I don’t know what they’re going to ask us to paint next–vmaybe manatees? Whatever it is, we’ll be there!”

MIKE CALVERT TOYOTA www.mikecalverttoyota.com

The 50 turtles were molded of fiberglassreinforced polyester from an original bronze sculpture, and they stand about five ft. tall

All of the turtles will be auctioned at a gala later this Spring, with proceeds to benefit the three non-profit organizations involved in the exhibition— the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, the Community Foundation of Collier County and the United Arts Council of Collier County. The project began as a way to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the community foundation, but once the project grew, more people swam into the project.

The 50 turtles were molded of

44 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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Media and Publicity for Shops

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

Do Vehicle Wraps Make Sense for Your Shop? with Ed Attanasio

You’ve seen them everywhere and the graphics are pretty spectacular. Food trucks, large 16-wheelers, vans of all sizes and cars of every type now have advertising messages that entice viewers. Some people have allowed companies to put their logos on their daily

green alien with a spaceship that’s damaged. “An Out of This World Body Shop” is the shop’s slogan emblazoned on the car. And in Bluffton, SC the Carriage Shoppe has a wrap on a van that is a real attention-getter, because from a distance the vehicle looks badly damaged. But, when you get a little closer, you can see that it’s just a very deceptive (and creative) wrap.

Creative Colors Studio in Burnsville, MN has been creating award-winning vehicle wraps that drive business since 1998, according to the company’s founder The King of Wraps in San Jose, CA did this wrap that tells Jeff Volino. “We sit down a story and uses humor to promote the Waffle Roost in with every client and create northern California the image that they want,” he drivers and paying them handsomely said. “The graphics and the message for doing so and this movement is have to go hand-in-hand or they growing fast. won’t work. We want to tell a story, Body shops all over the country instead of just sticking your logo on have invested in car wraps to push the side of a van.” their brands and gain valuable expoAfter the staff at Creative Colors sure. They’re like moving billboards, Studio comes up with a design everyexcept you don’t have to rent them one is happy with and a price they can once you’ve put them on your vehi- all afford, the installation process is cles. So, the real cost is only the initial fast and drama-free, Volino said. investment, but the big question is— “Without damage to the car, we simdo vehicle wraps pay for themselves ply adhere the wrap to the vehicle over time and do they actually attract customers?

It’s all about ongoing branding and continually getting your name out there to the community. If you get vehicle wraps put on your delivery vans, will people see them and flock to your shop? Not likely, but the advertising message on your vans, in conjunction with your other marketing efforts, will eventually Simple, understated vehicle wraps are ideal for businesses make your shop’s name a that want to spread the word without them being too household word. So, when elaborate someone gets into an accident, they will think of you instead of quickly. We can even safely cover the your competitor down the road. glass and windows, allowing individInteresting and fun vehicle wraps uals inside the vehicle to see out while seem to garner the most attention. those outside are shown your logo or Collision Specialists in McAllen, TX company’s message. Vehicle wraps has a car wrap that features its logo can pretty much meet any budget and breaking through a wall of concrete. we’ve gotten very good at doing efOffutt Collision Repair in Bellevue, fective partial vehicle wraps to cut NE has a wrap featuring a cute little down the cost.”

46 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

The King of Wraps in San Jose, CA is well-known for its high impact advertising car wraps. Owner Magno Lopez started creating and installing wraps for a wide range of Silicon Valley companies 13 years ago.

“Our motto is maximum impact with tremendous results, Lopez said.

“A full wrap commands attention and turns your vehicle into a powerful moving billboard. It doesn’t matter what angle it is viewed from, because peoples’ eyes will always be drawn to it.”

If you’re intrigued by the idea of putting vehicle advertising wraps on your delivery fleet or your companies cars, consider the pros and cons first. For $500-$5,000 a car wrap can be as simple and direct or as intricate and involved as you desire, but make sure it’s within your budget and keep your expectations realistic. If you think the wrap will

have the phone ringing off the hook within a few weeks, think twice.

With any sign or message on your vehicles, there also comes a level of transparency and accountability. Since wraps are a moving advertisement for your business, a bad driver can bring

Some wraps include window wraps, like with this one for Auto Body World in Erie, PA

you unwanted attention. And if one of your vehicles possibly gets into an accident—get ready for some more adverse feedback.

The positive aspects of using car wraps for your marketing and advertising are numerous. A vehicle wrap is a far more effective tool than a basic

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magnetic sign. In fact, most magnetic signs look cheap, to be honest. In addition, a wrap can convert any vehicle into a billboard. You wouldn’t be allowed to put a sign in front of a restaurant or a store, but if you’re stopped in their parking lot you don’t need a permit or permission to wave your company’s flag.

And finally, wraps are removable, so if you change your name for whatever reason, you won’t have to get the vehicle re-painted. Wraps offer flexibility and some shops will change them every 2-3 years, in order to stay fresh while conveying a new message.

You can design a wrap to target a specific demographic--such as women, millennials, senior drivers and even young drivers.

Some shops use their wraps to

convey a safety or community-related message. One shop used their vehicle wraps to communicate anti-texting and other distracted driving warnings to the public and another shop promoted the local schools and Little Leagues through their wraps.

But, the bottom line is this—do vehicle wraps ever lead to new customers? The answer from Offutt Collision Repair in Bellevue, NE is an emphatic maybe. “I don’t think anyone has ever come in here and said that a car wrap brought them here,” Carissa Williams explained. “They all work together in a marketing and branding plan, so to track the results is a little difficult to do. But, it’s all about getting the shop’s name out there and for that purpose they do a very good job.”

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IPA’s® 12-Button Remote Control for the Super MUTT®

IPA announced its new 12-Button Remote Control that is now available with the Super MUTT® trailer tester line. The #MUT-RM12 12-Function Remote allows complete and comprehensive trailer testing from over 200 ft. away. It also the manually, automatic or remote testing of all electrical circuitry, air brakes, and access ABS codes. The 12-Button Remote mirrors the onboard features of the Super MUTT®. Remote-controlled testing and diagnostics allow the Super MUTT® to guide a technician through 91 critical points of inspection and testing. Testing Mode assesses the trailer’s electrical circuitry to identify wiring problems often missed during routine inspections. If a problem is found (i.e. shorted, crossed, open circuit, or bad ground), the Super MUTT® shifts into Diagnostic / Pulsar® Mode. In the case of a short circuit, Pulsar® Mode will continue to monitor circuit condition, applying current every three seconds for continued circuit testing. Once the short is found and repaired, the Pulsar® feature will restore current to the circuit. For information on the Super MUTT® Deluxe or IPA’s Trailer Tester line, visit www.ipatools.com or call 888-786-7899.

PPG Refinish Continues Commitment to Training

PPG Automotive Refinish will offer an expanded array of classes throughout 2016, with subjects ranging from basic and advanced product line training to custom painting techniques, business management, shop operations and customer service.

“PPG’s commitment to training is the strongest in the industry,” said Randy Cremeans, PPG director of training. “We understand that training is a continuous process; it’s never complete, especially with the ongoing changes we see in this industry.”

Courses will be available in 16 state-of-the-art PPG Business Development Centers in the United States and Canada. Specific locations are being upgraded with new equipment and remodeled to accommodate the increased demand.

PPG trainers will also travel to numerous vocational schools, PPG distributors and other PPG-affiliated locations across North America.

For more information about PPG Automotive Refinish training classes, schedules, locations and course descriptions, call (800) 6476050 or visit www.ppgrefinish.com

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7802 Broadway • Galveston, TX 77554 www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 47

A Double Standard for Setting and Raising Rates

by Richard Valenzuela, CEO, National AutoBody Research

First, a reminder: National AutoBody Research (NABR) is an independent, third-party research, technology and consulting company that provides trusted, objective market-based labor rate data, and whose primary concerns are for the care, safety and welfare of the crashed vehicle consumer. NABR does not have a personal stake in the important issue of setting and raising prices (i.e. premiums or labor rates) for either the insurance or collision repair industry. However, as an independent observer, we see a double standard that exists between insurance companies and collision repairers about when and how much labor rates can be increased.

When we say “double standard,” we mean a rule or principle that is applied differently to different groups of people when it should be applied the same.

Why are labor rates a concern to NABR? For us, it all comes back to the proper care of the consumer. We believe labor rates are the “lifeblood” of the auto body shop. Without healthy labor rates, collision repairers are less able to generate sufficient profits to reinvest in people, training, equipment and certifications. Limited resources can adversely impact their skill and ability to repair today’s vehicles, which increasingly includes new technology, manufacturing techniques and advanced materials. This in turn may seriously jeopardize consumer care and safety, which is irrefutably unacceptable.

Thus, NABR believes that it crucial that collision repairers raise rates when the demands of business conditions and sound economic standards merit the increases in order to maintain a sufficient and necessary profit. However, our research shows that as a group, collision repair rates often have not even kept up with the rate of inflation. At the same time, insurance companies’ premiums have continued to increase.

The obvious question is why are insurance premiums rising, while collision repair rates remain relatively stagnant (and in some cases even drop)?

With insurance companies routinely charging higher premiums, why do they continually fight against collision repairers raising their rates? We suggest it is because there exists a double standard for raising rates that is followed by many insurance companies. I’ll il-

lustrate this with an example involving Allstate Insurance.

From a recent article in the collision industry press, we’ve synthesized Allstate’s standards for raising insurance rates: 1) Raise rates when profit margins aren’t acceptable 2) Raise rates on a market-by-market basis 3) Raise rates for an appropriate and acceptable return to investors 4) Raise rates even when the inflation rate is 0 5) Raise rates quickly when costs increase to recover those costs quickly 6) Raise rates as long as necessary and as justified by market and economic factors Overall, we find these principles to be very logical, acceptable, and consistent with many for-profit corporations. However, the analysis of these six standards begs a question: Why are collision repairers not provided the same prerogative to raise their labor rates by applying the same standards?

Here is a clear case that a double standard exists. I will elaborate on a couple of these to further make the point.

1. Allstate raises rates when profit margins aren’t acceptable. Another recent article draws attention to Allstate’s four-part “comprehensive program” to improve margins. Among the areas of emphasis are cost trends causing Allstate to take a harder look at costly auto claims. Given increasing cost trends that Allstate and other insurers are experiencing in auto repairs, the insurer is making a heightened focus on both effectively and efficiently managing claim-loss costs, and leading to an increased denial of claims. Why? Because as is true in any business, as costs increase and rates remain the same, the result is an unacceptable decline in profit margins. Have collision repairers experienced any cost increases and profit erosion over the last several years? Of course! By the insurer’s own logic and behavior, they ought to accept repairers raising rates to earn acceptable, necessary, and sufficient profit margins, but in true double-standard fashion, they often don’t.

2. Allstate raises rates quickly when costs increase to recover those costs quickly. Auto claims displaying higher crash frequency and severity seem to be driving Allstate’s margin woes.

“About a year ago, actually, the frequency and severity started to take off,”

48 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

CEO Tom Wilson said. “… [And] when you have a rapid spike in costs like that, we need to obviously recover those costs quickly.” Here lies another Allstate double standard. Has any shop had a cost increase in their paint or materials recently? Of course! So by the insurers’ same logic and behavior, they ought to accept a shop raising their prices to recover these costs quickly and maintain profitability, but again in true double standard fashion, they often don’t.

But what profit margins should shops shoot for? What really should be the labor rate for their individual shop?

If they experience a five percent increase in expenses, what new labor rates should they charge to keep profits even? What would minimum labor prices be for a shop if they just kept up with inflation over the last 10 years?

This is where the Variable Rate System (VRS) comes in. Through the VRS national database of marketbased posted (or retail) labor rates (not discounted rates), key shop characteristics (such as training, equipment and certifications), a collection of pricing tools and exercises, and NABR consulting, shops can get a much better handle on their labor prices to help get

paid what they’re worth. Shops that actively use the VRS in their business are having the most success collecting the right rates for their shop.

In the end, the VRS enables a winwin solution for all stakeholders. While it’s not a magic wand or an easy button, the VRS is a compelling, innovative solution to proper pricing in the collision repair industry and light years ahead of the double standard that exists today between insurers and collision repairers.

Contact us and see for yourself.

Allstate has a proven history of protecting and serving its customers.

Allstate’s pricing has been and continues to be determined by risk and costs.

We continuously update our pricing so we can make sure customers benefit from the most advanced approaches and as a result, our prices are highly competitive and fair.

Allstate provided the following statement, “Allstate has a proven history of protecting and serving its customers. Allstate’s pricing has been and continues to be determined by risk and costs. We continuously update our pricing so we can make sure customers benefit from the most advanced approaches and as a result, our prices are highly competitive and fair.”

Police: College of Southern Idaho Student Stole, Pawned More Than $9,500 Worth of Auto Body Tools

that he believed several tools that had been pawned belonged to the college.

When the instructor inventoried A man who police say is a student at the program’s tools, he realized they the College of Southern Idaho’s Auto were indeed missing several of the Body Technology program tools that were reported is charged with stealing and stolen, court documents pawning more than $9,500 said. worth of mechanic’s tools Police found that Kassfrom the school. ner was the person who Police say James Lopawned the tools at Magic gan Kassner, 24, of Twin Valley Pawn and also disFalls stole a $1,700 vehicle covered he pawned tools at scanning tool, a $235 wrench, Washington Street Pawn, James Logan two $350 battery chargers Canyon Pawn and Pawn 1, Kassner. Credit: and 16 multi-meter tools Courtesy Twin Falls court documents said. Preranging from $400 to $675. sented with a list of the County Jail Kassner was arraigned stolen tools and where they April 4 in Twin Falls County Magis- were pawned, Kassner admitted to trate Court on a felony count of grand taking the tools. theft by disposing of stolen property.

A warrant was issued for KassAn instructor at the CSI auto ner’s arrest March 9 and was served body program called police in De- Monday. He’s being held in Twin cember to report the possible thefts, Falls County Jail in lieu of $25,000 court documents said. The program bond and a preliminary hearing is directors did not know the tools were scheduled for April 15. missing until a pawn shop employee, who was also a student of the auto We thank Times-News/magicbody program, called and reported valley.com for reprint permission.

by Alex Riggins, Times-News/ magicvalley.com

www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 49

Golden Oldie Vehicles Soar

by Jim Lang, Lang Marketing

Golden Oldie Vehicles Soar “Cars and light trucks 15 years and older will be the fastest growing vehicle age group in the U.S. over the next four years (2016 through 2019). More than 11 million light vehicles 15 years and older will be added to the nation's VIO (vehicles in operation) by the end of 2019, an unprecedented 17% surge.”

“Rapid growth of older vehicles will influence four key aftermarket dynamics: parts proliferation, product volume, where vehicles are repaired and the product brands used to repair them.” – Jim Lang

Older Vehicles On The Rise Virtually all VIO (vehicles in operation) net growth in the U.S. over the next four years (2016 through 2019) will be generated by vehicles 15 years and older.

This boom in the oldest segment of the vehicle population reflects the increasing life-span of vehicles on U.S. roads. Improved vehicle design, advanced engineering and more durable materials combine to extend the operational life of cars and light trucks produced since the mid-1990s.

Longer Vehicle Life Despite record gains in annual vehicle sales over the past six years, vehicle scrappage rates remain low relative to the historic surge in new vehicle sales.

Although new car and light truck annual sales rose 70% between 2010 and 2015, the annual rate of light vehicle scrappage has trended downward.

The high costs of vehicle replacement and moderate gas prices at the pump are helping to keep older vehicles (which often are less fuel efficient than newer models) on the road longer, increasing their population.

Since 2013, average pump prices have annually declined, reducing the financial incentive to replace older gas guzzlers with new, more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Golden Oldies Dominate VIO Growth Virtually all car and light truck VIO growth on U.S. roads between now and the end of 2019 will be generated by the surging population of vehicles 15 years and older.

This historic increase in the number of older vehicles will influence

four key aftermarket dynamics: parts proliferation, annual product volume, where vehicles are repaired, and the product brands used to repair them.

Parts Proliferation Rises With cars and light trucks lasting longer and the older-vehicle population rising, Manufacturers, Distributors, and Retailers must maintain parts inventories for older vehicle age groups for much longer than they ever have before.

This is increasing parts proliferation as parts for new vehicles are being added to inventories at the same time that parts for the large and growing group of vehicles 15 years and older must be maintained At the end of 2015, there were approximately 66 million light vehicles at least 15 years old in the U.S. By 2019, the number of cars and light trucks 15 years and older will climb more than 17% (up 11 million) compared to 2015.

Aftermarket Volume Grows Older cars and light trucks use more aftermarket products per-mile than younger light vehicles. Rapid growth of this high-age vehicle group will boost aftermarket product volume, especially with the recent surge in annual miles driven (2015 total mileage rose 3.5%).

cars and light trucks. Aftermarket brands are generally less expensive than OE brands both in the DIFM and DIY markets.

Six Major Takeaways ■ Cars and light trucks 15 years and older will comprise the fastest growing vehicle age group in the U.S. over the next four years. (2016 through 2019).

■ Virtually all the growth in VIO (vehicles in operation) over the next four years will be generated by the oldest vehicles aged 15 years and up.

■ The growing number of older vehicles on U.S. roads demands that Manufacturers, Distributors, and Retailers maintain inventories of parts for older vehicles over a much longer time than ever before, increasing parts proliferation.

■ Since older vehicles use more aftermarket products per-mile than younger cars and light trucks, growth of vehicles 15 years and older will boost aftermarket product volume.

Independent Repair Outlets Boosted Fast-growing older vehicles are adding to the repair and maintenance volume of Independent (non-Dealer) outlets, as older vehicles are disproportionately taken to Independent outlets for repair rather than to Vehicle Dealers.

Aftermarket Brands Gain Strength The growth of older vehicles (15 years and up) is positive for aftermarket brands (as opposed to OE brands) for two reasons.

First, older vehicles have a disproportionate share of their repair and maintenance performed at Independent (non-Dealer) outlets which generally use aftermarket brands to repair these older vehicles.

Second, aftermarket brands are used with much greater frequency than OE brands for older-vehicle repair because owners of these vehicles are generally more cost conscious than consumers with newer model

50 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

■ Independent (non-Dealer) outlets will benefit from older vehicle growth, since consumers are much less likely to take them to Dealers for repair (because of higher prices) than they are to take them to Independent (non-Dealer) repair outlets.

■ Owners of older cars and light trucks are more cost conscious about vehicle repair than are owners of latemodel vehicles. This will boost sales of aftermarket (non-OE) brands, which are generally less expensive then OE brands.

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www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 51

AASA Hosts Connected Cars Panel at Vision

The Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) held a panel on connected cars and the aftermarket during its annual Vision Conference. The panel discussed the future of vehicle-to-vehicle communications, the independent aftermarket supplier’s role with advanced vehicles and how the diagnostics community can better prepare for these advances. Panelists included: Nat Beuse, associate administrator, Vehicle Safety Research, National Highway Traffic Safety Administra-

tion (NHTSA). Donny Seyfer, AAM, chairman, Automotive Service Association (ASA) and co-owner of Seyfer Automotive Inc. Xavier Mosquet, senior partner and managing director, Boston Consulting Group. David Williams, senior planning manager, Marketing & Strategic Planning, DENSO. Following the panel, Seyfer said, “Emerging vehicle technologies continue to generate a high level of interest from industry leaders and policymakers alike.”

RAND Corp. Report Says Calling Driverless Cars Safer than Human Drivers is Statistically Impossible

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says more than 90 percent of car crashes are caused by human errors such as driving too fast, alcohol impairment, distraction and fatigue. NHTSA officials have said driverless cars could eventually lead to zero traffic fatalities, but RAND’s report calls that impossible given number of miles driven.

How safe can autonomous vehicles be, given the statistics?

The RAND report answers: “The answer is crucial for developing sound policies to govern their deployment.

One proposal to assess safety is to testdrive autonomous vehicles in real traffic, observe their performance, and make statistical comparisons to human driver performance. This approach is logical, but it is practical? In this report, we calculate the number of miles that would need to be driven to provide clear statistical evidence of autonomous vehicle safety. Given that current traffic fatalities and injuries are rare events compared with vehicle miles traveled, we show that fully autonomous vehicles would have to be driven hundreds of millions of miles and sometimes hundreds of billions of miles to demonstrate their safety in terms of fatalities and injuries. Under even aggressive testing assumptions, existing fleets would take tens and sometimes hundreds of years to drive these miles —an impossible proposition if the aim is to demonstrate performance prior to releasing them for consumer use. Our findings demonstrate that developers of this technology and third-party testers cannot simply drive their way to safety. Instead, they will need to develop innovative methods of demonstrating safety and reliability. And yet, it may still not be possible to establish with certainty the safety of autonomous vehicles. Therefore, it is imperative that autonomous vehicle regulations are adaptive—designed from the outset to

evolve with the technology so that society can better harness the benefits and manage the risks of these rapidly evolving and potentially transformative technologies.

Key Findings ● Autonomous vehicles would have to be driven hundreds of millions of miles and sometimes hundreds of billions of miles to demonstrate their reliability in terms of fatalities and injuries. ● Under even aggressive testing assumptions, existing fleets would take tens and sometimes hundreds of years to drive these miles—an impossible proposition if the aim is to demonstrate their performance prior to releasing them on the roads for consumer use. ● Therefore, at least for fatalities and injuries, test-driving alone cannot provide sufficient evidence for demonstrating autonomous vehicle safety. ● Developers of this technology and third-party testers will need to develop innovative methods of demonstrating safety and reliability. ● Even with these methods, it may not be possible to establish with certainty the safety of autonomous vehicles.

Uncertainty will remain. ● In parallel to developing new testing methods, it is imperative to develop adaptive regulations that are designed from the outset to evolve with the technology so that society can better harness the benefits and manage the risks of these rapidly evolving and potentially transformative technologies.

“Our results show that developers of this technology and third-party testers cannot drive their way to safety,” Nidhi Kalra, co-author of the study and a senior scientist at RAND, said in a statement. “It’s going to be nearly impossible for autonomous vehicles to log enough test-driving miles on the road to statistically demonstrate their safety, when compared to the rate at which injuries and fatalities occur in human-controlled cars and trucks.”

52 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Collision Financial Services Offers 0% Loans

In today’s collision repair industry environment, there is increasing pressure for customers to bear a greater financial burden for collision repair services. After-insurance deductibles, short-pays, balance billing and uninsured events are creating customer responsibilities that can easily reach into the thousands of dollars.

“Payment arrangements are growing exponentially and maintaining these arrangements are no longer cost effective for collision repair facilities.” – Jeff Steigerwald, CPACollision Financial Services Payment Plans are designed to be an integral part of a collision center’s overall collection process. They work in concert with each shop’s current payment alternatives and business office operations. CFS customized programs relieve financing burdens and the billing and collecting effort of customer payable balances. CFS programs are offered to any customer identified by a CFS shop client as having the willingness and ability to pay, but needing additional time to do so.

● 0% Vehicle Repair Loans up to $2500.00 ● No credit check – guaranteed credit

approval ● Affordable payments - up to 2 year payment plans ● No pre-payment penalties CFS will fully assume the management of your current and future in-house customer payment plans.

This option allows bodyshops to generate an immediate influx of cash while CFS takes over the dayto-day billing, collection and customer interaction for these plans.

There is an increase in customers’ out-of-pocket expense and an increased burden on collision centers to offer customers creative payment alternatives. Today’s leading collision business focusing on increasing profits need to work with a creative partner to offer multiple payment options to their customers, including longer term payment plans.

CFS provides a superior system to manage and collect the customer pay portion of collision repair bills.

CFS’s system creates customer focused payment plans that are implemented while measurably improving a collision center’s collection performance.

For more information, please visit www.info@collisionfinancial services.com

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Communication Was Key at Mopar Masters Guild Annual Meeting in Las Vegas

by Stacey Phillips, Assistant Editor

Parts and service directors across the country gathered in Las Vegas, Nevada March 29-April 1 for the Mopar Masters Guild (MMG) annual meeting.

Susan McDaniel, newly elected president of MMG, said that communication was the main item on the agenda.

(l to r) Rick Cutaia, Susan McDaniel, Don Cushing

“We wanted to build a solid, up-todate database and get as many people involved as possible so that we could have great discussions about the current state of our businesses and help each other grow,” said McDaniel, who is the parts director at Bill Luke Dealerships in Phoenix, Arizona.

With record attendance of 36 members, the group shared ideas and best practices during the four-day meet-

ing, which was held in conjunction with the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) annual convention.

Mopar is the parts, service and customer care organization within Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Established in 1992, the MMG’s motto is “The exchange of information by like-size dealers in a non-competitive environment.”

McDaniel said the goal is to strengthen themselves as managers in order to deliver the best service to customers.

She said their conquest program still remains strong, referring to the FCA Match the Estimate – Price Matching Program. (FCA was formerly known as the Chrysler Group.)

“Our collision shops present a copy of their original estimate and we can match the price to ensure that their customers receive quality OE parts on their vehicle,” she explained. “FCA is more competitive with their pricing than ever and driven to learn new ways to be even stronger in the marketplace.”

Some of the highlights during the annual meeting included presentations from FCA/Mopar executives and supporting vendors. “We pride ourselves on building strong relationships with

our vendors to help each other grow,” said McDaniel.

The third day of the meeting— March 31—began with a tribute to one of the MMG members who recently passed away. The guild celebrated the

(l to r) Tiny Bubbles, Barbara Davies, Tony Strongarm

life of Crete Colby, on the day that would have been his birthday.

Elections were also held on March 31 and the following individuals began their two-year terms: President Susan McDaniel – Bill Luke CJDR; Vice-President Andy Reed – Autonation; Treasurer J.D. Ipsen – Ken Garff W. Valley CDJR; Secretary Matt Jarvis – Bald Hill DCJR

The week ended with a reception on April 1 themed “Gangsters and Flappers.” Members had the opportunity to dress up in their favorite costumes while discussing the previous few days of presentations.

MMG will be celebrating its 25th anniversary beginning January 24, 2017. Two days later, they will hold their next meeting in New Orleans, LA, January 26-29.

Until then, MMG plans to focus on its membership drive and community outreach programs throughout the year. McDaniel said the hope is to increase membership to 50 by next January.

McDaniel encourages those who qualify to be Mopar Master dealers and have not yet been contacted to call her at 602-336-1557 or email smcdaniel@billluke.com. A list of qualifying dealers are listed on the Dealer Connect website (dealerconnect.com >>Home Page> 2016 Dealer Recognition Programs> Mopar Masters Tracking).

For more information about the Mopar Masters Guild, visit: mopar mastersguild.com.

Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Mopar and SRT are registered trademarks of FCA US LLC.

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www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 53

Body Shops Giving Back with Stacey Phillips - ASSISTANT EDITOR

Stacey Phillips is the assistant editor at Autobody News magazine.

She has more than 20 years of experience writing for a variety of publications. She can be reached at sphillips@autobodynews.com.

Florida Body Shops Help Make Box Car Racing a Reality for Special Needs Children Imagine a child not being able to participate in a sport because of a disability. John Bomm from Sunshine State Superkids has taken on the mission to change that by giving special needs children the opportunity to experience box car racing. He called on the support of local body shops in Florida to help turn this dream into a reality.

John Bomm from Sunshine State Superkids said the first race is planned for September 24 in Orlando

Hepler’s Auto Body in Kissimmee, Shamrock Auto Body Collision Pros in St. Cloud, Francisco’s Custom Body Shop in Lakeland and Orange Buick GMC in Orlando offered to paint box cars for upcoming races in the Sunshine state.

Bomm said that he and his family have participated in box car racing for years and wanted to share their love of the sport.

In March of 2015, they took part in a race for special-needs children in Florida. After watching how much the children enjoyed the experience, Bomm said he decided to dedicate his time to plan these types of races. This led to the formation of Sunshine State Superkids in 2015, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to hosting free box car races.

Although Bomm said there have been some delays getting started, he is still working hard to get the project off the ground.

The first race is currently schedule say what you do, do what you say.” for September 24 in Orlando, Florida.

He also stressed the importance of Other races are planned for October 15 helping the local community and givin Winter Garden, November 19 in St. ing back, especially during tough times.

Cloud, and December 10 in Plant City.

“When the economy hit like it did, we All funding comes from sponsorall have to be in it together,” said Hepships and donations and Bomm, as the ler. race director, is currently reaching out In addition to supporting local to local businesses for support. churches and single moms, Hepler is Artois Cabinet Company built president of the rotary club. “We just four of the wooden cars that will be try to help out as much as we can to used in the races. Constructed without give back. That helps also with your an engine, Bomm said it’s like drag reputation in the community.” racing downhill.

About 10 miles away, another body The cars are specifically built for shop offered to lend a hand. Shamrock special-needs children. They have two Auto Body Collision Pros in St. Cloud, seats—one for a child driver (10-18 Florida painted four of the race cars. It years old) and the other for a special took four of his 22 employees about two needs passenger (7-18 years old). Helweeks to get the job done. Owner Mike mets are provided for participants and safety harnesses are inside all of the cars.

The first four cars were painted by East Ridge High School’s body shop class.

Bomm then reached out to Bobby Hepler, owner of Hepler’s Auto Body, to paint one of the wooden cars. It was brought in without wheels or a steering wheel. Hepler said it took about 20 hours to sand the car, seal it and paint it. He worked with two other employees in his shop after- Shamrock Auto Body Collision Pros in St. Cloud painted four hours and on weekends to of the race cars complete the job.

Reilly Sr. said his team decided to paint “We do a lot of things here for the cars in the likeness of Batman, Capcharity as far as painting different tain America, Hulk and Iron Man. things,” said Hepler, who has owned Reilly purchased the collision rehis shop for 10 years. “I enjoy the op- pair business 16 years ago. Showing portunity to do that.” support of the local community has alWhen asked what it takes to be sucways been an important goal of the cessful in a small town, he responded, family-run business.

“Do good quality work, reputation, and “Ever since I came in here, this

I-CAR® Announces 2016 International Board of Directors and Executive Committee

I-CAR announced its 2016 International Board of Directors and Executive Committee following its annual membership meeting in Orlando, Florida held during in March. The board of directors is comprised of representatives from each of the following six industry segments collision repair; insurance; OEM vehicle manufacturers; equipment, tools, and supplies; education, training, and research; and related

industry services. James Roach (American Honda Motor Company) will lead as chair of the Executive Committee. In addition, the following will serve on the Executive Committee: Timothy O’Day, Gerber Collision & Glass (vice chair); Chris Evans, State Farm Insurance Co. (treasurer); Mark Woirol, TechCor (secretary); Ron Vincenzi, Oakland Auto Body, A Cooks Collision Company (member-

54 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

at-large); Eugene Scambray, Copart (member-at-large); and Joseph Laurentino, National General Insurance Company (immediate past chair). The remaining directors include – Mark Algie, 3M; Mark Allen, Audi of America; John Donley, IAnet; John Eck, General Motors Company; Jim Guthrie, Car Crafters Inc.; Tim Hession, GEICO; Robert Hills, Universal Technical Institute

town has been very good to me. My big thing was always to give back,” said Reilly. “I always set aside x amount of dollars per year to make sure I could give back to the community. I work on that very hard.”

Francisco’s Custom Body Shop in Lakeland was involved in prepping and custom-painting three cars, which took about three weeks.

“To me, it’s very important to support the community that has faithfully supported me and helped my business grow to what it is today,” said Steve Francisco, owner of Francisco’s Custom Body Shop.

The small family-run business was established in 1988 and has grown to include 13 full-time employees, many of whom have worked there more than 10 years. “We were very interested in this project as many of us enjoyed soap box derbys in our youth and wanted the disabled children to experience the same enjoyment we had,” said Francisco. “We also like supporting youth sports, 4H and pageants. We enjoy encouraging and supporting the youth in our community.”

Bomm’s ultimate goal is to hold eight racing throughout the year during the cooler months. He would also like to add “old school-style racing” and allow kids to build cars out of materials found in their garages.

He said few people can afford to go out and purchase a $1,000 car and a trailer to haul it, as well as pay for registration and travel fees. By holding these races, Bomm said it gives special-needs children the opportunity to experience first-hand what racing is all about. “Giving back is a big thing,” said Bomm.

“Everything I do is for children.”

For more information, contact John Bomm at: sunshinestatesuperkids @gmail.com.

(UTI); Richard Perry, Chief Automotive Technologies; Roy Schnepper, Butler’s Collision Inc.; Randy Stabler, Pride Collision Centers Inc.; Kyle Thompson, USAA; Marcy Tieger, Symphony Advisors LLC; Rick Tuuri, AudaExplore–a Solera Company, Education Foundation Representative; Gary Wano, GW & Son Auto Body, Inc.; and Michele Wyatt, Mutual of Enumclaw Insurance Company.

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(281) 983-1437 Fax www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 55

NACE 2016 MSO Symposium Agenda and Topics Announced, Held Aug. 11 in Anaheim

Details have been announced for the 2016 MSO Symposium, taking place during NACE | CARS on Thursday, August 11 in Anaheim, CA. The sought-after program will cover business growth, M&A, private equity, insurance and industry trends, management-focused topics, industry trends and market intelligence. The Symposium features support from several sponsors, including Car-O-Liner, Axalta, AkzoNobel, Arrowhead Insurance, AudaExplore, and Celette.

Now in its 6th year, this popular and exclusive event draws attendance from dynamic and fast-growth multishop operators throughout the collision repair industry. This year, the Symposium incorporates a broader group of collision repair executives, allowing more inclusivity for some of the best operators in the collision repair industry.

The MSO Symposium will open on Thursday, August 11 with a private luncheon at noon and conclude with a private reception at 6:00 pm.

The agenda-at-a-glance: 1:00pm – 1:30pm: Industry Update PRESENTER: Vincent Romans, Founding Principal & Managing Partner, The Romans Group 1:30pm – 3:00pm: Insurer Panel MODERATOR: Marcy Tieger, Sym-

ITW Evercoat Launches New Body Filler

ITW Evercoat announced the launch of Evercoat Commercial Ultra™ Body Filler, which has been developed to meet the needs of large industrial and commercial vehicle manufacturers including ambulance, fire truck, bus and train manufacturers. Evercoat Commercial Ultra Body Filler has been formulated to have a 10-minute work time and can be sanded in 30 minutes, allowing technicians to mix, spread, and work large quantities of body filler at one time. Evercoat Commercial Ultra can also be mixed with other Ultra products to meet customer requirements such as viscosity and cure times. “Until now, large industrial and commercial users have had to adapt existing products to meet their production requirements,” said Marvin Gillfillan, VP and general manager of ITW Evercoat. “Evercoat Commercial Ultra was developed in cooperation with industrial users to meet their exacting needs. Evercoat Commercial Ultra is available in one gallon containers (Part # 100181) and three gallon pails (Part #100183).

For information, visit www .evercoat.com.

phony Advisors LLC. PANELISTS: Russ Hoffbauer, State Farm; Clint Marlow, Allstate; Chris Andreoli, Progressive 3:00pm – 3:30pm: A Capital Markets View of Collision Around the World PRESENTER: Rex Green, Managing Director and Global Co-

Head of Automotive Aftermarket Investment Banking at Jefferies LLC 3:45pm – 5:15pm: MSO Panel MODERATORS: John Walcher, Veritas Advisors, Inc.; Dave Roberts, FOCUS Investment Banking LLC. PANELISTS: Jeff Middleton, Exhibition Automotive CARSTAR; Jake Nossaman, Collision Work; Jim Keller, 1Collision; Darrell Amberson, LaMettry’s Collision; Jim West, CARSTAR Collision Care Centers; Twila Harris, Auto Art; Rick Wood,

Herkules Adds Two New Lifts to BossLifts Line

Herkules Equipment Corporation has two new vehicle lifts. The BossLift VLA06 provides pneumatic lifting power, while the BossLift VLH01 is the low-profile hydraulic lift offered by the vehicle lift line. Previewed at the SEMA Show last November as the T515, the VLA06 leverages the airbag technology of the company’s popular T200 (now VLA03) lift to offer a straight vertical lift with a raised height of up to 29 inches by using two platforms, each 31 inches by 67.5 inches, placed on each side of the quick lube pit. The VLA06 has a lift capacity of 10,000 pounds, and a lowered height of 4.25 inches. The company’s low-profile hydraulic lift for shops, the VLH01, was previewed last spring in prototype form as the T260. Like the VLA03, the VLH01 offers a straight vertical lift with a raised height up to 32 inches on two platforms, each 19.25 inches by 53.5 inches, with a lift capacity of eight thousand pounds (8,000 lbs.) and a lowered height of 4.625 inches. “Leveraging the technology and capabilities of our VLA03 lift, we developed two alternatives that offer similar functionality with the different capabilities our customers find valuable,” said Todd Bacon, Herkules president and CEO.

56 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Cooks Collision 5:15pm – 6:00pm: OE Panel MODERATOR: Russell Thrall, CollisionWeek PANELISTS: John Eck, GM; Jeff Hilton, Toyota; Gary Ledoux, Honda; Mark Allen, Audi.

Beginning in 2015, the MSO Symposium added an advisory board to ensure the sessions are a direct fit for the audience. The advisory board works diligently to build the most competitive and insightful program possible for the industry each year.

Advisory board members include: Randy Stabler, President, Pride Collision Centers, Inc.; Erick Bickett, Owner, Fix Auto; Marcy Tieger, Principal, Symphony Advisors, LLC.; Mike LeVasseur, Director of Corporate Development, ABRA Auto Body & Glass; Dave Roberts, Managing Director, FOCUS Investment Banking, LLC.; Tim Adelmann, Executive Vice President, ABRA Auto Body & Glass; Russell Thrall III, Publisher & Editor-In-Chief, CollisionWeek; Chris Abraham, CEO, Service King; Scott Benavidez, Owner, Mr B’s Paint & Body Shop Inc.; Tony Molla, Vice President, ASA; Courtland Gates, President, Vesper Investment Com-

pany; Mark Sanders, President & COO, Caliber Collision Centers; Darrell Amberson, President of Operations, LaMettry’s Collision; Larry Siembab, Sr. Director of Insurance Relations, CARSTAR; Tim O’Day, President & COO, Gerber Collision & Glass; John Walcher, President, Veritas Advisors, Inc. The closed and exclusive half-day program is limited to qualified multishop owners/operators, large independent shops planning for growth or divestiture, and insurance professionals.

No other event offers this level and diversity of repair training while bringing together all facets of the automotive industry like NACE | CARS. Targeting business owners, management and technicians, this conference & exposition brings together all market segments for the latest and most comprehensive repair solutions, services, education, products and technology.

Make your plans to attend NACE | CARS 2016 in Anaheim and find additional information at www.NACE expo.com or www.CARSevent.com.

For information on booking exhibit space or sponsorships, contact Robert Martin at robertm@stonefort group.com or 832-646-0176.

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BASF’s Glasurit 90 Line Introduces New Boosters

BASF’s Glasurit® 90 Line automotive refinish introduced eight new Color Advance Boosters that increase efficiency and performance for challenging red, blue and green colors, according to a company press release. The boosters provide a higher pigment concentration to reduce the number of coats required to achieve a flawless repair.

“Our Glasurit chemists developed these boosters to significantly improve hiding and still provide a high quality Glasurit finish for many tri-coats, metallics and vivid colors,” said Shefali Cromer, Glasurit market segment manager for BASF. “The boosters can reduce base consumption by up to 50 percent, resulting in lower film thickness, faster drying and reduced process times.”

The Color Advance Boosters are available in three red, three blue and two green boosters. When added to the Glasurit 90 Line toners they enable a more even application and harder curing, allowing for better ease-of-use, improved tape resistance and easier sanding, according to the company.

See http://www.refinish.basf.us /GlasuritColorAdvance

New Ideas from Technicians are Backbone of Killer Tools Unique Products

by Stacey Phillips, Assistant Editor

With an interest in the collision repair industry and a background in inventing and marketing products, Gerry Trueit began selling tools from shop to shop about 16 years ago.

He and his wife, Maggie, and their dog, Ruby, drove a motor home throughout the United States selling an Eagle dent removal machine. After selling nearly 3,000 units, he said they gained a reputation for providing “Killer Tools.”

This led Trueit and his team to form Killer Tools and Equipment Corp.

“When we developed a tool for putting on door skins pneumatically, we were selling so many we could no longer go on the road and settled down to manufacturing and shipping,” he said. Since incorporating the company in 2002, they have sold more than 30,000 of these tools.

Their products come from the ideas of those currently working in the collision repair industry and Trueit said that every tool is unique in its design.

“We are very fortunate to be in a unique position by having original tools, thought up by collision technicians and designed and built by us,” said Trueit.

He said collision technicians can be quite hard on their tools so everything has to be rugged.

“I want to make sure that our brand is known for quality first and the service to back it up,” said Trueit.

Killer Tools, based in Orangevale, California, has seven employees and offers more than 30 products through mobile jobbers, paint stores and warehouse distributors.

The company recently introduced the following four tools for the industry: ART55 Cordless Tool Garage: allows you to store cordless tools in your tool box or on the side of your tool box. Powerful magnets hold unit to any steel surface without falling.

ART88 Corner Pocket: a powder-coated steel peg board attaches to any tool cart to create vertical space for organizing your tools and tapes, etc. Comes with six steel peg holders.

ART44X The Painter’s Helper: Heavy duty Truck Mirror Support holds over 10 lbs. Attaches to any steel surface with powerful magnet and exclusive “load extender.”

ART81X Heavy Duty 1/2” Impact Support: Quality anodized aluminum support will hold over 10 lbs with exclusive “load extender.”

Several of Trueit’s technicians, many who were referred by jobbers or friends, have received royalties for helping to design his products.

One technician has earned more than $250,000 over the last 10 years.

Trueit said the company decided to reward them with $1,000 each for their part in sharing ideas for any tool they produce.

“Collision technicians are independent thinkers and have always had to design something new to complete a task,” said Trueit. “That is why I enjoy this industry. I feel connected.”

For more information, contact Gerry Trueit at 800-369-4262 or killer toolsandequipment@gmail.com or visit http://www.killertools.com/.

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www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 57

NABR Launches VRS Labor Rate Survey in HI

In March, NABR announced the launch of the Honolulu VRS Labor Rate Survey, sponsored by the Automotive Body & Painting Association of Hawaii (ABPAH).

The online survey is free for all Hawaii collision repairers and can be found at https://www.surveymonkey .com/r/hivrssurvey2 The VRS Labor Rate Survey provides collision repairers with an independent, third-party, trusted survey of labor rate data for all of Honolulu County (the island of Oahu). The VRS reports the true, market-based labor rate ranges throughout the area, based on shops’ actual prices, not on an artificially defined single prevailing rate for all shops.

“The insurance industry has always reimbursed customers for the ‘prevailing’ or average shop rate,” said Van Takemoto, ABPAH board member and owner of Island Fender in Honolulu. “But with today’s complex vehicles, you need shops that have invested in the equipment and technical training to become certified repairers.

These are not average shops, they are best-in-class repair facilities.”

“All collision repairers are not alike,” said Sam Valenzuela, president of NABR. “Shops that make

PDA Expands Team with New CFO Appointment

Jennifer Salazar joined Property Damage Appraisers’ (PDA) C-suite leadership team as chief financial officer. “Jennifer is the perfect addition to PDA’s family,” said Tom Dolfay, CEO of PDA. “She has experience across diverse industries including media, nonprofits, oil and telecommunications and in various roles such as accounting, IT, operations, planning and analysis as well as strategic development and execution. Her background adds a different perspective and allows the company to tap deeper into what’s important to customers.”

Salazar is responsible for aiding PDA’s executive team in developing, implementing and executing PDA’s strategic business plan. She directs all strategic and tactical matters as they relate to responsibility for profit and loss management. She is also responsible for the finance department, including accounting, financial reporting, cash/treasury, accounts payable, accounts receivable, fixed assets, risk management and employee benefits.

To learn more about PDA, visit http://www.pdacorporation.com/.

huge investments in training, certifications, and state-of-the-art equipment deserve to get paid accordingly with sufficiently profitable labor rates. The VRS reveals that market prices for high-line collision repair facilities are higher than other facilities that don’t make these investments. In addition, other repairers who aspire to become better trained, certified, and equipped are now more enabled to do so, because the VRS can help them earn the rates and ROI they need to grow and prosper.”

Hawaii is the 15th state to launch the VRS Labor Rate Survey, joining other states currently running the VRS Survey including Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Utah.

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.

For information, contact Valenzuela at 602-466-1900 / Sam@National AutoBodyResearch.com or visit www .NationalAutoBodyResearch.com.

AkzoNobel’s Acoat Selected Bodyshop Network

2016 marks the 40th anniversary of the AkzoNobel’s Acoat Selected network of premium body shops. AkzoNobel pioneered the idea of a premium body shop network in the 1970s when it established Acoat Selected as a business improvement program for customers of Sikkens, one of AkzoNobel’s premium vehicle refinishes brands. Its members, which include both independentlyowned body shops and body shop groups, are recognized as repair industry leaders, advancing their own performance and that of the industry as a whole. Today, Acoat Selected is an international organization with a multiple country and regional networks working to strengthen vehicle refinishing businesses across the globe. Over the years, members have benefited from training on the latest technology and processes, meeting key industry partners and work providers, as well as sharing valuable knowledge and experiences, according to a company press release.

For information, visit http:// www.acoatna.com/. To register for an Acoat Selected Business Services class, visit www.akzonobeltraining .com.

58 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Tours Announced for NACE | CARS 2016 in CA

NACE | CARS announced on April 12 details for destination tours during the event this August 9-13 in Anaheim, California. These tours have been organized to give attendees the opportunity to experience historical automotive venues, as well as top regional attractions, at a reduced rate while in town for NACE | CARS. Tour opportunities include: Peterson Automotive Museum – One of the world’s largest automotive museums, featuring over 100 vehicles on display in its 25 galleries with the remaining half of the collection is kept in a “vault,” located on the basement level of the building.

The Marconi Automotive Museum – Opened in 1994 by Founder Dick Marconi, the Marconi Museum houses an impressive, $30,000,000 collection of historical, exotic, highperformance and classic cars.

Universal Studios Hollywood – Go behind-the-scenes of the world-famous Studio Tour to explore real film sets where Hollywood movies are made. From magical spells to magical creatures, from dark villains to daring heroes, it’s all here at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™.

The Best of Los Angeles – L.A., Hollywood & Beaches Tour – Get ready to experience a day of fabulous

facts, fun trivia, and famous locations that make L.A. one of the most exciting cities in the world. Famous locations include Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, The Walk of Fame, Beverly Hills, Sunset Strip, Santa Monica and Venice Beach!

Orange County Beaches – From Laguna Beach to Huntington Beach, enjoy an endless array of beach activities, shopping and dining, or simply relax and soak up the sun.

Disneyland® Resort Theme Park – An exclusive link to discount tickets will be available after the conclusion of the registration process for NACE | CARS training, education courses, or expo passes. Please note: these specially-priced tickets are intended only for guests participating in NACE | CARS. Only the registered attendee is permitted to purchase tickets from this discounted ticket store link, and they can purchase up to six tickets maximum. We reserve the right to contact the ticket purchaser to request event registration confirmation.

For more information, visit www .NACEexpo.com or www.CARSevent .com For information on booking exhibit space or sponsorships, contact Robert Martin at robertm@stonefort group.com or 832-646-0176.

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www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 59

CARSTAR’s Bob Keith Receives I-CAR Award

CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts congratulated Bob Keith for being recognized by I-CAR as the recipient of their annual Founders Award. The award was given based on his dedication and service to ICAR at the recent 2016 I-CAR Volunteer & Instructor Conference held in Orlando, Florida.

Keith is a member of the CARSTAR corporate team, serving as senior director-operations training, as well as the owner of four CARSTAR locations. He also has a long history of dedicated service to I-CAR, having held several leadership positions in the organization.

“It has been an honor to serve with some of the best minds in the industry who regularly take off their stripes in order to make sure that ICAR meets its vision that every person in the collision repair industry has the information, knowledge and skills required to perform complete, safe and quality repairs for the ultimate benefit of the consumer,” said Keith.

“We are fortunate to have someone with Bob’s experience as part of our team,” said Michael Macaluso, president – CARSTAR North America.

ETI Hires Rick Matz as Technical Manager

The Equipment and Tool Institute announced Rick Matz joined the organization as the technical manager.

Matz will help manage the ETI TEKNET Library, including helping member companies understand the library and the data in it, and also helping to track down information from OEMs that may be missing. Matz will also be responsible for developing and gathering technical information and articles for the institute’s publications, coordinating the meeting activities of vertical groups and the technical committee, representing ETI in its cooperative efforts with other trade associations, and serving as the ETI representative at key SAE and ISO committee meetings that affect tool and equipment design and manufacturing. “Rick will bring us additional technical resources with his extensive background in automotive communications. His recent experience with our expanding telematics space is a big plus for our membership.

With Rick’s addition, ETI will be much better outfitted for the challenges ahead,” stated Greg Potter, ETI’s executive manager. For details about ETI, contact Jessie Korosec at 248-6565085 or e-mail: jessiek@etools.org.

Sherwin-Williams Launches New Custom & Restoration Websites

Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes recently launched two new websites focused on their color expertise within the custom and restoration market segments, according to a company press release. These websites give the public an inside look at industry partnerships, visuals of color, and application tips designed to improve a technician’s knowledge.

Sherwin-Williams classic “Speed Shapes” that continually rotates to showcase how the color changes as a vehicle travels through different light.

This website provides search and customization features that allow users to pinpoint the exact color code desired.

To inspire sharing pictures of cars, Sherwin-Williams also created a Killer Paint Job gallery. This gallery allows users to submit pictures and details of their Sherwin-Williams-painted vehicles. They are then showcased on the site and are searchable with the associated color.

The second new website launched was an entirely new featured section of the Sherwin-Williams launched a Color Visualizer website sherwin-automotive.com as well as a Custom & Restoration website website. The Custom & The first new website launched Restoration website (http://www was an online Color Visualizer (http: .sherwin-automotive.com/custom //sw-rodandrestocustomcolor.com/). vrestoration/) now features details Following the success of the Rod & about exclusive Sherwin-Williams Restoration Color Collection, which color programs and gives behind-thewas introduced in 2014, Sherwin- scenes insights from their media cenWilliams took the 200+ colors within ter. Within the media center, they the collection and created one of the document step-by-step details of industry’s first color tools, mimicking project vehicles they sponsor as well as blog-like articles answering some the movement of a vehicle.

Each color was applied to one of of the most sought after questions.

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NHTSA Won’t Consider Takata Impact in Recalls The chief U.S. auto safety agency says it won’t take Takata Corp.’s financial viability into account when it decides whether to expand further the largestever auto safety recall, Bloomberg news has reported.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will focus solely on safety, as it must under U.S. law, the agency said in a statement.

NHTSA is reviewing the findings of three investigations into Takata’s airbag ruptures while the recalls are under way, it said. Those probes attempted to determine the root cause of the airbag failures, and the review could be the basis for future decisions related to the recalls.

“NHTSA makes recall determinations based on safety, and safety alone,” agency spokesman Bryan Thomas said in the statement. “The agency will take all appropriate actions to make sure airbags in Americans’ vehicles are safe.”

Takata’s costs could add up to $24 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter, or four times more than Tokyo-based company’s annual revenue. The figure is about $7 billion more than Jefferies Group LLC estimated in a February report. Takata said in a statement it’s still investigating the root cause and can’t accurately project its final costs.

Takata’s share price has plunged 49 percent this year.

Automakers including Honda Motor Co. have recalled more than 19 million vehicles equipped with Takata airbags, the largest automotive safety recall in U.S. history. The airbag inflators can explode, sending shrapnel into the passenger compartment. More than 7.5 million inflators have been replaced, including 5.4 million by Honda, according to the agency.

NHTSA has said Takata airbag inflators have caused nine fatalities in the U.S. by rupturing and spraying plastic and metal shards at motorists. The regulator is investigating all Takata inflators that use a chemical propellant that’s been banned from future models and is giving the company until as long as the end of 2019 to determine the root cause of the flaw or prove the inflators are safe.

Moisture seeping into Takata’s inflators was determined to be the reason Takata airbags have ruptured by Orbital ATK, a researcher hired by a coalition of automakers that announced its findings last month. Challenges with determining root cause of the rupture issue have held back automakers and the supplier from deciding how the companies will divvy costs.

Car-O-Liner Group Has New Website Updates

Car-O-Liner Group announced an updated design to their website, www.car-o-liner.com. The group includes Automotive, Commercial Vehicle and Training Solutions.

Automotive Solutions for collision repair, branded Car-O-Liner, include frame benches, anchoring and fixturing, 3-D data and digital measuring systems, joining, welding, advanced materials and work management solutions. Commercial Vehicle Solutions for the heavy vehicle industry are branded TruckCam, the largest global supplier to OEM assembly plants, specializing in axle, wheel alignment, lane departure and radar calibration systems. Aftermarket collision repair equipment and wheel alignment are branded Josam. Training Solutions for both automotive and commercial are branded Car-O-Liner Academy. “We are excited to see the expansion of our company into related market segments, strengthening our brand while reinforcing our total solutions in terms of products and customer support around the globe,” said David Scribner, technical director, Americas of Car-OLiner.

SCRS Board of Directors Meeting Held

On April 19, SCRS held an open board meeting in Seattle, Washington. The meeting was open to everyone wishing to learn more about the current state of the association’s activities and pressing industry topics.

Attendees were not required to be a member of SCRS to participate.

In addition to the regular committee reports, and updates of ongoing work SCRS is engaged in on behalf of its membership, the agenda featured another live education committee presentation led by committee chairman, Kye Yeung. The topic focused on understanding and identifying how energy flows through modern-day vehicles during a collision.

Identifying structural misalignments and related damages as a result of energy transfer is a key component to restoring a vehicle to its pre-loss condition and a contributing factor in many post-repair inspections. Immediately following the meeting, SCRS invited active members of the association to cast their votes in the board of directors annual election process.

As Autobody News went to press, there were four open board seats. Check autobodynews.com to find out the results.

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Recap of Mitchell Industry Trends Report: The High Cost of High Tech Mitchell recently released its first quarterly Industry Trends Report of 2016. The focus was on “The High Cost of High Tech.” Author Greg Horn analyzed repair cost inflation rates as reflected by total loss frequency, rising insurance rates and repair order costs.

The following is an excerpt from the webinar Q&A. The full recording can be found on www.autobodynews .com.

Do you think crushed metals salvage value can hit rock bottom, and if so, will they rebound?

When we talk about the bottom and crushed metal, salvage values are at a 10-year low, about $60 per ton. And that is influenced primarily because of the recession we’re experiencing in China.

China was taking a lot of our scrap. That was the biggest market and that is down and it’s really dried up the shipping of crushed metal overseas. If you’re an insurance company, you’re seeing a big decrease in the overall salvage crisis. That’s because the bottom has really dropped out. When key currencies like the Chinese Yuan and Euro rebound against the U.S. Dollar, we will begin to see salvage values rise.

What will Bluetooth keys and a cellphone do to salvage values?

Brilliant question. Yeah, I think what will happen is you’re going to have to have some sort of a valet key in order to be fully functional. Because, again, I think what we have is a problem with

The interesting thing is if you look at the 2016 Volvo S60 Inscription, that is actually fully assembled in China now so that is really the first Volvo to come in from China. And the smaller size Buick SUV is now officially coming in the spring of this year, so those are

the Bluetooth app. Again the phone dies or you lose your phone or what have you, there’s going to have to be some sort of fully functional valet key or fully functional fob that you would have to sell with the vehicle.

two of the first Chinese vehicles. The Volvo is here and the Buick is coming in the next few months.

What’s the percentage of total loss vehicles compared to all estimates written?

It is right around 16% to 16.5% in the U.S. across all estimates written. And that is increasing as we see a softening of the actual cash value of the vehicles being appraised.

Any update on the Chinese vehicles coming here?

Do you anticipate more auto manufacturers will move to highstrength steel similar to what we’ve seen on the Honda Civic?

Absolutely. As we are in our first year of the new CAFE standards, 2016 was the standard that passenger cars have to achieve 39 miles per gallon, or the car manufacturer has to pay fines back to the federal government. We’re going to see common, high-volume cars get these types of high-strength steels in them that will definitely add to repair costs overall.

Are Honda Civic rockers high strength steel also?

Yes. If you look at the roof and the B pillar, you can see that those are ultrahigh-strength steel. And then you look at where the B pillar goes into the center rocker, which they are not an ultrahigh strength but high-strength steel.

So there are some requirements when you come to applying heat to the lower part where the B pillar meets the center rocker. So while the 1,500 MPa hot stand has to be replaced in its entirety, there are straightening and heat application limits on the 550 and 650 MPa steel as well.

So it’s going to be a complicated repair. It’s absolutely imperative that a collision repairer refer to Mitchell TechAdvisor to make sure that they’re doing repair in accordance with the Honda technical bulletins. That is a great add on to your RepairCenter or WorkCenter Appraisal system because while you’re in the estimate you don’t have to leave the estimate to get out and look up the repair procedures.

You can just right click and refer to the full repair procedures for that piece while you’re in the estimate.

See more at: http://www.mitchell .com/news/id/1382#sthash.Onv9Cg2t .dpuf

Farmers Insurance Launches All-New Claims Filing to Maximize Ease of Use for Customers Nationwide

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Farmers Insurance®, one of the nation’s largest multiline insurer groups, has announced the launch of the company’s all-new Enterprise First Notice of Loss (EFNOL) system to provide customers with a single platform to

for our customers and agents,” said Keith Daly, chief claims officer for Farmers Insurance. “EFNOL reinforces our commitment to investing in new technology to enhance our customer experience and makes it much

more easily capture new loss information and advance the claims process.

By accessing EFNOL through Farmers.com, Farmers Personal Lines customers can now report a loss and schedule needed services such as rentals, emergency services, and more.

When the loss reporting process concludes, the system delivers a summary of key information, including selected repair facilities, the assigned claims representative’s contact information, and any scheduled services, to the customer’s computer or mobile device.

Customers also can work with their local Farmers Insurance agent to access EFNOL together to report a claim.

“The new platform is a big win

easier for customers to report a claim and have up-to-the-minute insight into the progress of their settlement.”

Designed with customer-ease top-of-mind, the EFNOL platform provides a streamlined process for customers who want to keep their agent involved in the claim process or who are looking for a self-service option through Farmers.com. For Farmers agents, the new platform allows them to easily report a loss, secure pertinent loss details, and help set up services for Farmers customers.

For more information about Farmers Insurance, visit Farmers .com, Twitter and Instagram, @We AreFarmers, or Facebook.com/ FarmersInsurance.

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www.autobodynews.com | MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 63

64 MAY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com