Southwestern June 2015 Issue

Southwestern Edition

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VOL. 33 ISSUE 6 JUNE 2015

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Controversy Erupts Over Texas Bill 1628

by Stacey Phillips, Assistant Editor

A controversy has erupted over Senate Bill 1628, which recently passed the Texas Senate, that has likely implications for those in the collision repair industry. Some say Senate Bill 1628 is aimed to end “frivolous” lawsuits filed against insurance companies. Others warn that it will become harder to recover certain damages from insurers.

According to an article published

by Repairer Driven News on May 1, the bill might make it more difficult for property owners to sue insurance companies for unpaid claims as well as limit the amount they can collect.

“The bill was inspired by a boom

in property damage lawsuits over insurance claims following hailstorms in Texas, and collision repairers having their own battles with comprehensive insurers over hail might be able to relate to homeowner’s frustrations,” Repairer Driven News wrote in the article titled, “Texas homeowner hail lawsuit-restriction bill should worry collision repairers.”

The bill would establish a twoyear time limit on seeking claims. The Texas Tribune wrote in a recent article that policyholders would have to provide advance written notice, sign a statement attesting that damages occurred and show proof of damages beSee TX Senate Bill 1628, Page 38

Hundreds of Collision Students in Dallas, TX Attend Career Fair Facilitated by CREF

A NOLA body shop owner in eastern New Orleans was charged on May 15 by a state grand jury in the death of a man who was gunned down at his shop.

Woodrow Woodrow Johnson Johnson, 39, of was indicted by 1407 Linden St., an Orleans Parish was accused of grand jury on May killing Joshua 15 for second-deJackson on Feb. gree murder in the 5. He was charged Feb. 5, shooting with second-dedeath of Joshua gree murder.

Jackson, 29.

Jackson, 29, Photo Credit: OPSO was shot multiple times at the business in the 7500 block of Chef Menteur Highway, reported Jonathan Bullington, NOLA.com.

According to the police warrant, Johnson and Jackson had gotten into a confrontation at the shop

before the shooting. Jackson also sent Johnson a threatening message just before he was killed.

After a detective identified him as the subject, Johnson surrendered to police the same day.

Johnson’s attorney Cameron Mary said the incident was not a murder, reported Bullington.

Police found a 9mm pistol in his home, which matched the 9mm shell casings that were found at the scene of the crime.

Johnson had previously been released from the parish jail after posting a $200,000 bond, reported Bullington. On May 14, Criminal District Court Judge Arthur Hunter increased the bond to $1 million at Assistant District Attorney Abigail MacDonald’s request. This led to his rearrest.

Second-degree murder carries a sentence of life in prison with no parole upon conviction, reported NOLA.com.

TX Employment Bill to Be Heard in State Senate

by Stacey Phillips, Assistant Editor

In Texas, a state Senate bill relating to the classification of workers for

See Career Fair by CREF, Page 9

P.O. BOX 1516, CARLSBAD, CA 92018

More than 200 high school and college collision students in Texas attended CREF career fair

The event was held at the Service King Collision Repair Support Center in Richardson, TX. Berkshire Hathaway Automotive, Caliber Collision Centers, DentZone, and Oklahoma State University all participated in the event. Students had the opportunity to distribute their resumes, tour an in-production repair facility, view product demonstrations by 3M and Safelite AutoGlass, and those seeking employment had the opportunity to be interviewed. Due to the overwhelming success of this event, CREF is planning similar types of career day events across the country to help connect high school and college

Change Service Requested

Over 200 high school and college collision students from the greater Dallas, TX-area attended a career fair facilitated by the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) on Wednesday, April 15.

NOLA Shop Owner Indicted in Homicide

the Texas Unemployment Compensation Act is currently waiting to be scheduled for a hearing.

Sponsored by Senator Jose Rodriguez [D], Bill SB927 was introduced March 4 and referred to the Senate’s National Resources & Economic Development Committee March 9.

The bill states, “An individual performing a service for wages or under an express or implied contact

of hire is presumed to be an employee of the person for whom the service is performed.” This presumption may be rebutted if “…the individual’s performance of the service has been and will continue to be free from control or direction under the contract and in fact.”

The bill also proposes that the commission can assess a penalty of up to $200 against a person who fails to properly classify an individual as an employee or independent contractor.

The amount would be based on the seriousness of the violation, the history of previous violations and the effort.

The Texas legislative session ends June 1. Autobody News will keep readers informed about new developments with the bill. A copy of Bill SB927 is available online: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs /84R/billtext/html/SB00927I.htm

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

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COLUMNISTS Attanasio - Are You Prepared for Google’s Mobilegeddon? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Attanasio - Midnight Body Shops Come Out Into the Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Attanasio - resqme™ Vehicle Escape Tool and Related Products Have the Potential to Save Lives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Luehr - Mastering Implementation . . . . . . 34 Yoswick - CIC Panel Discussion on Electronic Parts Procurement Takes Unexpected Turns . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Yoswick - Multiple Parts Suppliers, Body Tech Shortage, M2 Closes, Allstate Challenges No. 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

NATIONAL 1919 Pierce-Arrow Wins Best in Show at Concours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 2016 KIA Sorento Receives NHTSA 5-Star Safety Rating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 AAAS Education Foundation Announces 2015 Scholarship Winners. . . . . . . . . . 12 Allstate Joins GEICO in Rate Increase as Margins Fall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 ARA Attends 2015 ISRI Annual Convention . 44 ASA Board of Directors Installed During Annual Business Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . 54 ASA Collision Leaders Hold Meetings on Capitol Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 ASCCA/CAA Joint Legislative Day Focuses on Minimum Wage/Taxes on Labor . . . 30 Axalta Introduces Cromax Mosaic™ Basecoat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Axalta Launches Online Learning Training Campus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Car-O-Liner® Names New Technical Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 CARSTAR Expands Insurance Relations Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 CCC Information Services Buys DriveFactor Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 CEI Names Bob Glose Senior Director of Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 CREF Receives Charity Navigator’s Highest Rating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 EPA Considers Banning or Restricting Degreaser Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 FL Bans Insurance Premiums Based

on Shopping Habits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Ford Issues Safety Recall for Upper I-Shaft Rivet Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Former Bricktown, OK Body Shop Sells for $8 Million. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 GM Reaffirms Commitment to Launching MyPriceLink. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 GM to Invest $1B to Expand and Renovate National Historic Landmark, the Michigan Tech Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Google’s Self-Driving Cars Have been Involved in 11 Minor Not-at-Fault Accidents in Past Six Years . . . . . . . . . 44 Lead Lawyer for MDL Plaintiffs in FL Discusses New Developments, ‘Bellwether’ Proposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Longtime I-CAR Executive Jeff Peevy to Lead Automotive Management Institute. . 53 Mike Anderson Says “Choose Your Destiny” at WIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Mitchell’s Q2 ITR Addresses Increase in Average Collision Repair Severity . . . . . 25 Mycrsmanager Management Software System Created to Save Shops Time & Money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Nationwide Advocates Automated Mobile Hail Estimating for Faster Hail Repair . . 44 New Chief Fume Extractor Protects Body Shop Technicians from Weld Fume Particulates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 NYSACTA and LIABRA Review Aftermarket Parts Bill During 2015 Lobby Day . . . . 36 OEMs Commit to Providing Training at NACE-CARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 PartsTrader 3.0 Released with Efficiency Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 PPG Show Truck Gets a Bold New Look. . 14 Pro Spot’s Virtual Welding Contest at Northeast™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Quik Video Technology Looks to Target Body Shops. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Record Revenue for CARSTAR in First Quarter of 2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Seneca, MO, Body Shop Flattened by EF-1 Tornado, Sustains Most Damage Recorded in County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Service King Launches Military Veterans Hiring Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Shawn Hezar Joins Caliber Collision as Senior VP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Sherwin-Williams Partners with Toyota for Estimator Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Sherwin-Williams Recognizes 2015 Nascar® ‘Fastest Lap’ Contingency Award Winners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Sixth Circuit Clarifies Proof Required to Show Below-Cost Pricing in Auto Parts Antitrust Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Society of Collision Repair Specialists Addresses IP Auto Renewal Clauses . . 48 Subaru Maker Reports Profit; More US Capacity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Takata Acknowleges 34M Defects, Struggles to Meet Air Bag Repair Demands . . . . . 50 The Martin Senour Company Announces 2015 Third Quarter Training Schedule . . 47 Turbo Charge Your Dealer Body Shop ROI— Dashboard the KPIs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Wallace State, AL, Collision Repair Students in High Demand as Industry Embraces Technological Advances. . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Wheelmaker Superior Moves HQ from Van Nuys to Detroit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 WI Repair Shop Owner Charged with First Degree Murder in Fatal Stabbing. . . . . . 14 WIN Congratulates 2015 MIW Honorees, Scholarship Recipients at Educational Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 WIN 2015 Educational Conference Addresses Wide-Ranging Industry Issues . . . . . . . 40

nado touched down at Highway 43, four miles south of Seneca at 12:51 AM. It tracked northeast until it lifted four miles west of Neosho at 1:01 AM. The tornado uprooted several trees, destroyed multiple outbuilding structures and blew off roofs on a few barns. Peak winds were estimated to be around 90 mph. Peak width was about 200 yards and total path of the tornado was 10.4 miles.

Newton County officials say J &

S Auto Services, located at the intersection of Highway CC and Norway Road, sustained some of the most severe damage in the county. It was completely leveled by the tornado.

Community members say it stood at this corner for years and they’re shocked to see it completely destroyed.

The news team ran into a man who was looking for his friend that owns the auto body shop to try and help him. The owner is believed to be Johnny Reffett of Neosho, MO, and the business location is 7060 Norway Rd in Neosho.

“To see Johnny’s business, like I said, to see anybody when you’re good friends business—just one day it’s there, it’s working. The next day it’s just completely wiped out by mother nature, it’s pretty devastating. And I know he’s going to need a lot of help within the next couple of weeks just getting things cleaned up,” says Rich McCready, who is friends with the

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 Sales Assistant: Louise Tedesco Art Director: Rodolfo Garcia

Allen Samuels Chevrolet. . . . . . . . . . 4 Axalta Coating Systems . . . . . . . . . 55 BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 39 Bob Howard PDC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Car-Part.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA). . . . . . . . . . . 37 Chevyland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Chief Automotive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Classic BMW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Dallas Dodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Dent Magic Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Don Carlton Auto Group . . . . . . . . . 36 Eco Repair Systems of North America, LLC . . . . . . . . . . 12 Equalizer Industries, Inc . . . . . . . . . 21 Finnegan Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge . . . . 2 Ford Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 45 Fowler Honda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 GlobalJig North America . . . . . . . . 23 GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . 43 H & S Autoshot Mfg. Co. . . . . . . . . . 9 Herkules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28-29 Huffines Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge Lewisville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

See EF-1 Tornado, Page 31

Serving Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico 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. ©2015 Adamantine Media LLC.

Autobody News

Southwest

REGIONAL 10 Arrested in Drug Sting at Shreveport Body Shop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Barn Finds in TX Estimated at $700,000 to be Auctioned at Indianapolis Motor Speedway June 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 CA, TX, FL, MI, and OH are the Top Five States for Vehicle Thefts with Keys Left Inside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Car Buyers Sue in LA Under “Lemon Law” . . 8 Gullo Toyota of Conroe, TX ‘3-Peats’ as National Toyota Certified Collision Center Triple Crown Winner . . . . . . . . . . 4 Hundreds of Collision Students in Dallas, TX Attend Career Fair Facilitated by CREF . . 1 Judge Orders Body Shop to Pay Owner of Special Needs Van $96K, Other Shops Step Up to the Job . . . . . . . . . . . 4 LCIA Chairman Guest Speaker at NWLCRA May 5 Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . 10 NABC Members Showcase Recycled Rides™ at Spring Industry Events . . . . . . . . . . . 21 NOLA Shop Owner Indicted in Homicide. . . 1 Refinish Distributors Alliance Holds Meeting in TX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Rental Car Business Named in TX Crash Suit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Sisk - TTDA and TIAA Host Expo . . . . . . . 10 Texas Bill 1628 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 TX Employment Bill to Be Heard in State Senate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

The National Weather Service has confirmed an EF-1 tornado touched down in Newton County the night of May 17 just east of Seneca, MO, according to Felicia Lawrence reporting for fourstateshomepage.com. The tor-

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Seneca, MO, Body Shop Flattened by EF-1 Tornado, Sustains Most Damage Recorded in County

Box 1516, Carlsbad, CA 92018; (800) 699-8251 (760) 603-3229 Fax www.autobodynews.com Email: news@autobodynews.com

Huffines Hyundai Plano . . . . . . . . . 20 Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers . 49 Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers. 41 Maaco Franchising LLC . . . . . . . . . . 8 Mac Haik Ford. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Martech Service Company . . . . . . . . 6 Mazda Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 48 Mercedes-Benz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Mike Calvert Toyota. . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Mitsubishi Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 33 North Freeway Hyundai . . . . . . . . . 34 Ray Huffines Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . 31 Reliable Chevrolet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 SATA Spray Equipment . . . . . . . . . . 5 Scoggin-Dickey Buick . . . . . . . . . . 35 South Pointe Chrysler-JeepDodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Toyota of Fort Worth . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Toyota of Laredo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 47 Urethane Supply Company . . . . . . 17 Valspar Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Volvo Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 53 Young Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

www.autobodynews.com | JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 3

Gullo Toyota of Conroe, TX ‘3-Peats’ as National Toyota Certified Collision Center Triple Crown Winner

Gullo Toyota of Conroe, Texas, was named the 2014 Toyota Certified Collision Triple Crown winner, for the third consecutive year.

Gullo first received this highest honor from Toyota Motor Sales, USA, in 2009 and again in 2012 and 2013.

The award is based on meeting Toyota’s highest standards for customer service and rigid criteria for productivity in numerous key areas of the collision business.

“As a group, the Toyota Collision Centers participating in the Toyota Certified Collision Center program excel in every measurable area including a high level of customer satisfaction. We are so proud of the entire Gullo team for again winning this award,” said Travis W. Rice, Gulf States Toyota ManagerCollision Operations. “All of us at Gulf States Toyota are very proud of the Gullo Collision Center achievement but more importantly, their commitment to taking care of Toyota customers at a time when they really need someone in their corner.”

“We have a great team of employees led by our Collision Center Director Mike Cortez. I am so proud of them and their accomplishment,” said Gullo Toyota Vice President and Gen-

eral Manager, Tony Gullo Jr. “As a family dealership, we care deeply about our associates—they’re all like our family here—and I guess the way we all pull together is represented by the longevity of so many of our employees in all phases of the dealership business.”

Gullo Toyota Team

“It’s humbling to again be recognized because of the level of ‘competition’ among all these outstanding Toyota collision repair facilities— more than 70—nationwide,” according to Cortez. “So many factors go into selection of this award: it combines shop management of parts, paint and labor; along with mandated annual employee training, ASE certification updates, and of course, meeting monthly and

annual forecasts. There’s also an extreme emphasis on customer satisfaction and this includes one-on-one follow-up calls with up to 35 percent of all customers we served in the past year.”

“Having owners such as Tony Gullo Sr. and Tony Gullo Jr., that support our team with all the best Toyota training and equipment available, is incredibly valuable,” added Cortez. “But I guess this all relates to how we do business here, how we stay true to our hometown values.

At Gullo Toyota, we understand it’s not only about numbers and repairs but how we take care of, and become the face of our customers and our overall community here in Conroe.

Cortez also noted, “This also relates to those companies with which we do business. Sherwin-Williams, for example, has provided us with outstanding service.” Tony stated, “We see them more as a partner than just a supplier. They’ve been active in our training, provided assistance with equipment, great paint and terrific color matches.”

Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes, a long-time partner with the dealership, congratulated the collision repair facility on its success within the industry.

“We are very proud to partner with a dealership that has been recognized as a leader in such a prestigious group, for a third straight time, and four times since 2009; well, it just speaks volumes of the dedication of all Gullo team members, and the Gullo family leadership,” said Glenn Lane, Director of Sales-Southwest, for Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes.

“To again win back-to-back after their strong performance in 2012 … this is quite an accomplishment. These four national wins in the last six years really shows Mike and his team’s commitment to quality and customer service. At Sherwin-Williams, we truly value our long-term relationship with the Gullo family and are committed to continue to support them in their pursuit of excellence.”

For more information on Gullo Toyota of Conroe, visit www.gullotoyota.com or call 1-888-483-0321.

For more information on SherwinWilliams Automotive Finishes, visit www.sherwin-automotive.com or call 1-800-798-5872.

Judge Orders Body Shop to Pay Owner of Special Needs Van $96K, Other Shops Step Up to the Job

A Travis County judge ruled on May 1 that the owner of an Austin body shop who kept a woman’s special needs van for more than nine months will have to pay more than $96,000 to the van’s owner.

According to lawyer Stephen Stewart, D-Town Body Shop owner Darren Wydermyer must pay $96,883.11 to Sarah Gaskins, a woman from Hutto whose special needs van stayed in Wydermyer’s shop for more than eight months.

Gaskins’ special needs van was damaged in a car accident in January 2014 when she lost control on icy roads. Gaskins’ son, Jacob, was born with cerebral palsy, and they relied on the van to take him anywhere he needed to go, including doctors’ appointments. Gaskins paid D-Town more than $15,000 in insurance money to repair the van.

Free

Gaskins finally got the van back in October, nearly 10 months after the accident, and it went to another body shop for repairs.

Austin Mobility Solutions, Eagle Transmission and Jose Flores with Jose Flores Collision & Sales finished the work on Gaskin’s van for free. Stewart said more than 50 percent of the repair work on Gaskin’s van was unfinished when they towed it from D-Town Body Shop. She finally got it back for good in February, just in time for her son’s birthday.

According to the Better Business Bureau, D-Town Body Shop has an ‘F’ rating and five complaints against the owner. The complaints allege repair issues. Most state that the repairs were not done as promised, finished properly or completed.

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Barn Finds in TX Estimated at $700,000 to be Auctioned at Indianapolis Motor Speedway June 12

A collection of rare cars stored inside a Texas barn is estimated to be worth nearly $700,000, reported the website inquisitr.com.

A man identified only as ‘Jack’ originally purchased the vehicles in the

1960s. The cars remained untouched for 40 years despite the owner’s plans to eventually restore them.

The vehicles include a 1908 REO Model G Boattail Roadster/Sedan Tonneau, a 1923 Milburn Electric Model

Motostalgia will be in charge of the June 12 rare car auction at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

A collection of rare cars found inside a Texas barn is estimated to be worth nearly $700,000. Photo Credit: www.inquisitr.com

27L, a 1932 Cadillac 370B V-12 Victoria Convertible, a 1933 Cadillac Model 370C V-12 Town Coupe, 1937 Kozy Coach Travel Trailer, and a 1938 Cadillac Series 90 V-16 Fleetwood Limousine—which was originally owned by the Wrigley family.

Examiner reports that the individual vehicles are worth between $45,000 and $350,000. The entire collection is estimated to be worth at least $700,000, according to Motostalgia auctions, which will manage the sale.

NY Daily News reported that the most valuable of the cars is the 1932 Cadillac Victoria Convertible, which is actually a prototype. Jack’s prototype has a V-12, while the more recent prototype has a V-16. It is estimated to be worth $350,000.

Jack’s 1923 Milburn Electric is one of the last fully electric vehicles manufactured by the company. It is worth an estimated $125,000.

The 1908 REO Model G, which is estimated to be worth $95,000, includes an interchangeable back seat and boattail. Jack’s 1933 Town Coupe is “one of only 952 built.” The vehicle, which still runs, is estimated to be worth $75,000.

Jack was hesitant to part with his collection, but eventually admitted he doesn’t have the time or energy to restore the rare cars, and decided an auction would be the best decision. He will, however, keep two of the rare vehicles in the garage. The rest will be auctioned off at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on June 12.

CA, TX, FL, MI, and OH are the Top Five States for Vehicle Thefts with Keys Left Inside

More and more drivers are making it easy for thieves by leaving keys inside their unlocked vehicles, according to a report in Insurance Journal.

A new report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) found an increasing number of thefts of vehicles with the keys left inside. For the years 2012 through 2014, at total of 126,603 vehicles were reported stolen with the keys left in the vehicle.

While overall vehicle thefts are declining, vehicles stolen with keys left inside are trending in the opposite direction. As a percentage of overall thefts, 5.4 percent of vehicles stolen (39,345) in 2012 had their keys in them. That figure rose to 6 percent (42,430) in 2013, and in 2014, it increased again to 6.7 percent (44,828).

To show the significance of these numbers, if the 44,828 thefts were removed from 2014’s reported estimated total of 659,717, the thefts would fall to 614,889. The last time national vehicle thefts were that low was 1966.

The top five states that posted the most vehicle thefts with keys during

this reporting period were California (19,597), Texas (8,796), Florida (7,868), Michigan (7,726) and Ohio (7,452).

The top five core-based statistical areas were Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV. (6,185); Detroit-WarrenDearborn, MI. (4,882); Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Ga. (3,234); Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD. (3,141) and New York-Newark-Jersey City (2,917).

Looking at day-of-week data, Saturday saw the most thefts with keys (19,147) followed by Friday (18,719) and Monday (18,647).

“Stealing a vehicle is very difficult with today’s anti-theft technology and leaving the keys in the vehicle is an open invitation for the opportunistic car thief,” said NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle.

Wehrle was not shocked by the numbers? “In fact, I’m sure the numbers are probably higher, because we are only able to determine the thefts where the car was recovered with the keys inside, or where someone admit-

ted they left the keys in the car or the ignition. Many times that is not admitted in the police report or the insurance claim,” he said.

He said NICB also see cases where the owner gives up the car by leaving the keys in it to allow it to be stolen. “Anyone who does that is com-

mitting fraud,” he said.

Leaving a vehicle running while running into a store or to warm it up before a chilly winter commute might make sense to an individual, but it creates a perfect moment for a car thief who looks for such an opportunity, NICB warns.

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Subaru Maker Reports Profit; More US Capacity

The maker of Subaru vehicles, Fuji Heavy Industries, reported a 21 percent surge in operating profit and surging sales delivered record earnings. The all-wheel-drive specialist also said it would meet its North America sales target five years ahead of schedule and speed up plans to increase local production capacity here. The U.S. alone accounts for about 62% of Subaru’s global sales.

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10 Arrested in Drug Sting at Shreveport Body Shop Nearly a dozen people are behind bars on various drug charges after a month-long undercover narcotics sting was executed at a Shreveport body shop on April 23. The shop was identified as 2 Fresh Customs located in the 3200 block of West 70th Street.

The Shreveport Police Department issued a news release stating: Just after 4:30 p.m. on April 23, 2015, agents with the Caddo-Shreveport Narcotics task force, along with federal agents from the United States Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force executed a search warrant at the 2 Fresh Customs body shop located in the 3200 block of West 70th Street. During authorities investigation, search warrants were additionally procured and served at Shreveport homes located in the 600 block of West 77th

Street, the 600 block of West 66th Street and a residence in Bossier City Louisiana on Minden Street.

In all, agents seized 120 Hydrocodone tablets with a street value of over $1200 dollars. Nearly 620 grams of high grade marijuana ($15,462.50), 131.35 ounces of Codeine Syrup ($800.00), 120 Ecstasy tablets ($1,200), and 3 grams of cocaine ($300.00) were also taken during the operation. A stolen Glock 9mm pistol, Glock .40 caliber pistol, along with a Ruger .380 caliber pistol were among the weapons seized in the operation. Agents seized $8, 131.00 in cash and took the following 10 suspects into police custody. Following their arrests, all persons were booked into the Caddo Parish Correctional Center.

A couple who bought a new car from Ray Brandt Nissan in Gretna claim the vehicle had severe defects they did not know about. Arthur Laurent and Hailey Laurent filed suit in the 24th Judicial District Court on March 30. They allege they purchased a 2012 Nissan Maxima on in 2012 for $39,247.91.

The plaintiffs contend that they began

to notice numerous defects in the vehicle’s electrical components, back-up camera, air conditioning and radio. The couple stated they took the vehicle in for repairs six times and it still has the same defects. The defendant is accused of breach of warranty and violation of the Louisiana Lemon Law, reported Kyle Barnett, louisianarecord.com.

Car Buyers Sue in LA Under “Lemon Law”

8 JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Sherwin-Williams Partners with Toyota for Estimator Training

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. and Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes announced the 2015 schedule for the annual Toyota Certified Collision Center estimating program, with SherwinWilliams continuing as one of the facilitators for the program’s training workshops. Conducted through the University of Toyota, the workshops will be held in Phoenix, AZ August 26 and Dallas, Texas September 22.

“Our Gulf States Toyota shops that have participated in the Estimating Solutions for Profit classes have averaged better than a $150 increase in their repair order value,” according to Travis Rice, Manager of Collison Operation for Gulf States Toyota.

The workshop, B005 Collision Repair Estimating, comprises real-world estimating scenarios and industry-specific issues pertaining to body shop operations and insurance company relations. Attendees who participate in this estimating program will get hands-on experience with the techniques, skills and information necessary to write and negotiate more accurate (and profitable) estimates.

For information, contact Toyota or visit http://www.sherwin-automotive.com/collision-repair/trainingsupport.

Former Bricktown, OK Body Shop Sells for $8 Million

Fred Mazaheri is continuing to expand his downtown holdings in Oklahoma with the purchase of the former Body Works shop at 100 S Charlie Christian Ave. and securing a contract to buy a lumberyard south of Lower Bricktown.

Mazaheri already owns the Power Alley Garage in Bricktown, and the former Bank of America drive-thru. He also owns property in the area known as Core to Shore that is west of the future park that the city has plans to build.

The $8 million sale of the Body Works shop by Pumpco was brokered

by Phillip Mazaheri, Paul Ravencraft and George Williams with Price Edwards, while Pumpco was represented by Mark Patton with Price Edwards.

Phillip said the Price Edwards investment team was hired to find an off-market site for a high-end, largescale development consisting of a few high-end hotels, multifamily development and a parking structure.

“We identified the former Body Works site about four months ago and the buyers quickly put the property under contract,” Phillip said. “This development will be a great addition to the development of East Bricktown.”

Continued from Cover

Career Fair by CREF

collision students to industry members in need of entry-level employees.

CREF Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode noted, “This career fair was a follow up to our Cars, Careers & Celebrities event that took place in Dallas this past August and the Education Foundation helped introduce collision students from five Dallas area schools to our August sponsors. It was great to see industry competitors come together under one

Foundation’s ability to not only provide collision school programs with support through industry donations, but also help connect students with entry-level employment opportunities within the industry.”

roof for the betterment of the collision students and the fact that students were hired through this event is proof of its success. It is our goal to replicate this career fair in markets around the country to showcase the Education

Trimble Tech High School (Fort Worth, TX) Collision Instructor Roger Alfaro noted, “This event gave my collision students a clear view of the fact that they are needed in this industry. They also saw that there are more types of jobs that are within the industry.”

Industry members interested in joining the Collision Repair Education Foundation’s supporters and assist high school and college collision school programs, should contact Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode at 847.463.5245 or Brandon.Eckenrode @ed-foundation.org.

CARSTAR has announced that it finished the first quarter of 2015 with revenue of $195.6 million, which puts it on track to outpace its performance in 2014.

Last year, CARSTAR delivered North American revenue of $712 million, up nearly 10 percent from $649 million in 2013, a record for the company. It also ended the year with same store sales in North America that were up 11.3 percent over the previous year.

CARSTAR saw a significant increase in insurance work during the first quarter of the year. In 2014, its insurance carrier volumes increased 11 percent over 2013, and it added 179 direct repair programs (DRPs) to its network, a trend continuing in 2015.

“There are several factors driving our growth this quarter,” said David Byers, CARSTAR’s CEO. “We’ve seen increases in repair volumes from the top 25 insurance carriers, driven by CARSTAR’s EDGE Performance platform and continued KPI performance. We are seeing higher repair values as consumers continue to purchase new cars. And, weather has played a role, with heavy winter storms throughout the country.”

Car-O-Liner® hired David Scribner as its Technical Director.

Scribner brings over 25 years of experience in product line management, product development, design patents and worldwide OEM homologations of automotive and heavy-duty truck service equipment.

His extensive background comes from prior executive positions held within Snap-On Equipment, Bosch Diagnostics and Hunter Engineering Company.

“His responsibilities as Technical Director will encompass broad areas related to leadership in our business growth and applied technologies to the automotive and commercial divisions within our subsidiary of the Car-O-Liner Company,” said Jeff Kern, President of Car-O-Liner, The Americas. “We are thrilled to have David join the team, helping to ensure our company’s expansion as we continue to serve our valued customers with technically correct, OEM-approved, total solutions,” Kern added.

For more information about Car-O-Liner, visit www.car-o-liner .com.

Record Revenue for CARSTAR in First Quarter of 2015

Car-O-Liner® Names New Technical Director

www.autobodynews.com | JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 9

TTDA and TIAA Host the 2015 Texas Tire and Automotive Expo

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

On April 16-18, the Texas Tire Dealers Association (TTDA) and the Texas Independent Automotive Association (TIAA) joined forces for the second year to host the 2015 Texas Tire and Automotive Expo at the Westin Stonebriar Hotel in Frisco, TX.

Alex Wellborn; Louie, Trey and Amy Sirianni, showing their Aggie pride

Chuck Space, Executive Director of TIAA, notes, “The purpose of the second annual Texas Tire and Automotive Expo was bringing together tire and automotive repair/collision owners for education, fellowship and networking. These events are important because successful business owners enjoy coming together to learn from each other and to see the latest

trends, equipment and supplies in the industry. The event was a success with more than 225 attendees and over 40 exhibitors.”

Gary Pundt, Hank Amor, Mike Van Den Berghe, David Bippert, Louie Sirianni, and Darla Pundt enjoy the networking opportunities at the 2015 Texas Tire and Automotive Expo

Louie Sirianni, President of TIAA, added, “Attendees learned a lot from the classes. Federated Insurance had a very interesting segment on hiring and retaining employees in the automotive industry. Attendees were also thoroughly entertained by a truly Texas competition called Armadillo Racing - you would have to attend to understand! This year’s event was fantastic. I think I speak for all that attended in saying this. The speakers,

LCIA Chairman Guest Speaker at NWLCRA Meeting

The Northwest Louisiana Collision Repair Association held its monthly meeting May 5 at 6:30 p.m. at Country Tavern Barbecue. The guest speaker was Derek Stubbs, Chairman of the Louisiana Collision Industry Association.

The meeting opened with a prayer and the reading of the AntiTrust Law, led by Northwest Louisiana Collision Repair Association President Ken Braswell. Randi and Abigail Shepherd followed with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Board member Bill Burnside of Colormaster then discussed his trip to the Southern Automotive Conference.

“The arrangement of vendor involvement was better this year than it had been in the past, but the attendance appeared to be down from last year,” said Burnside.

Burnside then went on to discuss the SkillsUSA High School division, which was held in southern Louisiana.

“Terrabonne Career and Technical High School did a great job hosting this year’s competitions,” said Burnside.

For automotive refinish, a young man from Houma took home first place and a student from Caddo Parish Career Center came in second.

A student from Bossier Parish School of Technology and Innovative Learning had the highest score for collision repair technology.

The open format of the meeting allowed Stubbs to take questions throughout the night.

“I want the association to be more than the recent suits filed regarding the collision industry,” said Stubbs. “My main goal is to find ways to keep the collision industry association growing on a state and local level.”

Kevin McClure of McLure’s Paint and Body then asked, “Why is there still no licensing requirement for collision centers? Licensing has been discussed before but never any action; what can be done on the state level?”

Stubbs announced that the issue will be addressed at a fundraiser held at the end of May. He added that Assistant Attorney General for Louisiana Randy Ishee may be someone that can help direct and/or guide with a current licensing push.

“In order for anything to get accomplished, education is the key,” said McClure. The meeting concluded at 7:30 p.m. NWLCRA is still looking for a June guest speaker, so contact Bill Burnside of Ken Braswell with suggestions.

10 JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

the networking, and yes, even the armadillo races made the 2015 event educational and memorable.”

The 2015 Texas Tire and Automotive Expo commenced on Thursday with the Annual Golf Classic.

Friday’s educational programming consisted of seminars on navigating the multi-generational workforce, business basics, labor laws and immigration, business succession, and what makes a successful business owner.

The General Sessions ended with Rapid Roundtables on a variety of important topics related to the industry, and the event concluded on Saturday with Keynote Speaker Jeff Crilley’s presentation on EXTREME Customer Service. During the event, Houston’s Tony Montalbano was awarded the 2015 Tire Dealer of the Year.

All involved were pleased with this year’s event. TTDA’s President, Jim Ramsey, stated, “I don’t know about you, but I love to listen to and learn from other people who are successful in business. Our speakers offered some great ideas that I will take back with me to my business. The Successful Business Owner panel alone was worth my attending.”

Though Space feels the program was great, he would like to see in-

creased attendance.

Sirianni concluded, “The classes get better every year, and this year was no exception. We expect to have a large attendance next year because of the location and speakers (to be an-

George Booth answers Ray Dunaway’s questions about OSM

nounced). These types of associationsponsored events are important because individual members have a hard time tracking every new law, rule and certification, but our association does a great job of informing us about these changes. It makes our industry better through information and, if necessary, action.”

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www.autobodynews.com | JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 11

AAAS Education Foundation Announces 2015 Scholarship Winners

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

Since 2005, the AAAS Education Foundation’s (AAASEF) Scholarship Program has provided deserving students with financial assistance. These scholarships are available annually thanks to the generosity of AAAS members and friends as well as the dedication of AAAS’s volunteers. Priority is given to association members, their employees and their family members who are pursuing a post-secondary education. Last month, AAASEF Chairman Clyde Darville of 3-D Service in Tampa, FL proudly announced the winners of the 2015 AAASEF scholarships for the 2015-16 academic year.

In order to receive an AAASEF scholarship, students must be sponsored by an association member. This year’s scholarship recipients are: Kyle Beasley of Honoraville AL; Lauren Lewis of Greenville AL;Patrick Rumore of Birmingham, AL; Cole Turner of Wetumpka, AL; and Alex Ward of Bainbridge, GA. AAASEF also awarded six memorial scholarships which are endowed by AAAS members, family and friends. This year, Justin Lee of Union Grove, AL and Whitney Nabors of Boaz, AL received the Stan Waits Me-

morial Scholarship, while the Gertrude Ellis Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Daniel Ellard of Mobile, AL and Olivia Kempwerth of Birmingham, AL. Rachel Berbert of Marianna, FL was awarded the Dick Bell Memorial Scholarship, and the recipient of the Al Hines Memorial Scholarship was Luke Liles of Tallahassee FL. In an effort to enhance and expand the capabilities of AAAS members, AASEF also reserves scholarship funds for association members and their employees who wish to further their education or enhance their skills through trade schools, junior colleges or OEMsponsored clinics. Because AAAS collaborates with the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) Scholarship Committee, students can be considered for the AAASEF and GAAS scholarships as well as other industry awards by completing one online application at automotivescholarships.com/ AAAS. Those interested in supporting the AAAS Education Foundation can make a tax-deductible donation to AAAS using the contribution forms under the Education tab at www.aaas.us. Donations can be mailed to AAAS Edcuation Foundation, 11245 Chantilly Parkway Court, Montgomery, AL 36117.

1919 Pierce-Arrow Wins Best in Show at Concours

A 1919 purple Pierce-Arrow Model 66 A-4 Tourer bought last year by Savannah philanthropist and businessman Robert S. “Bob” Jepson Jr. won Best in Show at the third annual Pinehurst,

gine with its 825-cubic-inch displacement was the largest engine made for automobiles at the time.

“I think it is the outlandish color that gets people’s attention—bright

Savannah philanthropist and businessman Robert S. “Bob” Jepson Jr.’s 1919 purple Pierce-Arrow Model 66 A-4 Tourer won Best in Show on Saturday at the third annual Pinehurst Concours d’Elegance in North Carolina. The car has previously won best in class at Amelia and Pebble Beach Concours

NC, Concours d’Elegance on May 2, reported the Savannah Business Journal.

“We are so thrilled that we came up here, just a beautiful part of the country,” said Jepson. “And what a bunch of beautiful cars that were here today.”

The 1919 Pierce-Arrow, which stands 7 feet tall at its highest point and weighs 7,000 pounds, was once customized for silent movie actor Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle. Its six-cylinder en-

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purple with white tires,” Jepson said.

“It’s what we call our ‘low profile car’… It gives you good exercise because it’s a beast.

“To turn it in any kind of tight configuration I feel like Popeye with these great big arms. … The public loves the car because it’s so outlandish.”

The vehicle enjoyed a total “nuts and bolts” restoration in 2007 by Lon Kruger of Scottsdale, AZ. It previously won best in class at Amelia and Pebble Beach Concours.

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Wallace State, AL Collision Repair Students in High Demand as Industry Embraces Technological Advances

Tim Grace has a list of collision repair job opportunities posted on his office window, ranging from businesses

and industries seeking employment from as close as Cullman, AL to as far away as Fort Walton Beach, FL. All have recently called Grace looking to fill employment gaps with potential Wallace State students.

“I’ve never had this many jobs available for students. It’s hard to fill all of the requests. Technicians are getting older and retiring and a lot of younger guys aren’t there to fill the holes,” said Grace, Wallace State’s Collision Repair Department Head.

“Technology is changing and the way we are doing things is changing. That keeps it from being a dead end street.

The need for strong technicians is getting greater and greater. The job field is very broad, and there are good wages to be made out there.”

Wallace State’s Collision Repair program consists of four semesters and is designed to train students to perform computerized estimates of repairs, repair and replace damaged

automobile parts using computerized measuring, frame repair and glass replacement to working with fiberglass and plastics and apply paints, waterborne, solvent and clear coat finishes.

Grace, who is in his 16th year with the Wallace State Collision Repair program, encourages all students in the program to become certified

not repairing them correctly. They are repairing them like they did in the 1960s and 1970s. Our metals have changed. Collision management has changed. The design of a car has changed. A lot of things are changing to make cars safer, and people need to be educated on those things in order to protect the occupants inside of a car,” Grace said. “For instance, a technician

through I-Car, the National Automotive Technical Education Foundation and Automotive Service Excellence standards.

New technological advances have affected many industries, and the collision repair world is no exception.

“Technology is growing so fast.

It’s hard for people to keep up, but we are embracing it. We have a lot of technicians repairing cars today who are

today has to be able to read all electrical components of a car. If you change a mirror or door handle, you have to tell the car that you put the new part on it. If not, that sets your service engine light on.”

According to I-CAR, the annual average salary for a technician in 2013 was $52,000. In addition, collision repair painters were making as high as $200,000 annually and body

“The need for strong technicians is getting greater and greater. The job field is very broad, and there are good wages to be made out there.”

—Tim Grace, Collision Dept Head

technicians were making as high as $100,000 annually. Certain shops were paying as much as $52 an hour for body repair and painting, $62 an hour for frame repair and measuring and $72 an hour for mechanical and electrical repairs.

Car Max, Joe Hudson’s Collision Center, Limbaugh Toyota, Earl’s Body Shop, Fontaine Trailer Company, Howard Bentley Buick GMC and Express Oil Change Tire Engineers are among the companies who have recently contacted Grace about filling potential job openings with Wallace State students.

Grace has recently added three short-term certificate opportunities for students. The short term certificates are refinishing (painting), structural (framing and alignment) and unstructural (body filler, working with metal parts). Grace is also planning to add an aluminum station to the shop.

Wallace State’s summer registration for collision repair and all other classes is currently underway.

For more information about the collision repair department, contact Grace at 256.352.8152 or at tim.grace @wallacestate.edu.

For more information about Wallace State, visit wallacestate.edu.

www.autobodynews.com | JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 13

WI Repair Shop Owner Charged with First Degree Murder in Fatal Stabbing

by Jennifer Fetterly, The Star

Two suspects have been charged in the stabbing death of a man whose body was found floating in Lake Mendota in Wisconsin.

Rudy Alberto Ramirez-Milan, 37, of Waunakee, admitted to investigators that he stabbed 23-year-old Jacob D. Payne on the evening of April 7 after

Rudy Alberto Ramirez-Milan, former repair shop owner in Waunakee, WI, allegedly stabbed Jacob D. Payne after RamirezMilan told him to leave his shop and Payne pulled a knife

Juan Aguilar-Vargas allegedly stabbed Jacob D. Payne in the throat after RamirezMilan had stabbed him multiple times in the shoulder. Both are being charged with first degree intentional homicide

Payne pulled a knife on him when he asked him to leave his auto repair shop in the 4000 block of Acker Road in the Town of Burke.

The two men struggled before Ramirez-Milan stabbed Payne in the left shoulder numerous times, before a third man, Juan Aguilar-Vargas, 27, of Madison, grabbed a second knife and stabbed the victim in the throat, according to a statement Ramirez-Milan made to investigators.

Authorities said the two men then used Ramirez-Milan’s gray Ford F150 pick-up truck to take the body to Lake Mendota, where they weighed it down with a chain and steel I-beam. A canoeist discovered Payne’s body 30 yards off the shore of Governor’s Island on April 11 in the afternoon.

After dumping the body in the lake, investigators said the suspects returned to the Acker Road property to clean up and dispose of the two knives used in the homicide as well as Payne’s cell phone and wallet.

Ramirez-Milan and Aguilar-Vargas were charged April 21 in Dane County Court with first degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse, facing life imprisonment if convicted.

Three other suspects—Saul R. Garcia-Rosario, 35, Elmer O. Ramirez-Milan, 37, and Erlin Y. Vargas, 28, all of Madison—were arrested on tentative charges of helping to dispose of Payne’s body. Elmer and

PPG Show Truck Gets a Bold New Look

PPG Automotive Refinish has repainted its popular show truck. The truck, a 75-foot 2016 Freightliner Cascadia tractor-trailer rig, now features a red, white and blue paint scheme reminiscent of the stars and stripes of the American flag.

“The PPG show truck represents our company wherever it travels,” said Cristina Fronzaglia-Murray, Manager of Marketing Communications, PPG Automotive Refinish. “We

PPG’s 75-foot 2016 Freightliner Cascadia tractor-trailer show truck was recently repainted

wanted it to be an absolute showstopper, one that clearly displays what our products can do. We also wanted the paint scheme to recognize and celebrate the freedom we have in this country—from the ability to pick the cars we drive to the color and paint we choose for them.”

Steve Breakfield and the team at Motorhead Racing and Design Co., Charlotte, N.C., came up with the design. Gerber Collision & Glass in

Grand Rapids, MI, was awarded the refinish project. Led by fleet operations manager Fred Honoré II and Chris Hansen, General Manager of the company’s Grand Rapids truck location, the crew stripped and sandblasted old paint off the trailer before using several premium PPG DELFLEET® Evolution products including F3995 Epoxy Primer, the FBC Basecoat System and F3921 2.1 VOC Clearcoat to achieve the bright, colorful finish.

“We were privileged to be a part of this,” said Honoré. “To be chosen

by PPG to paint its show truck, that’s a real honor. This is the kind of thing you tell your grandkids—that your work was respected enough by your paint supplier that they trusted us with a job as important as this. We loved painting this truck.”

Veteran PPG driver Chad Hook will drive the truck, which has a brandnew cab tailored to his requirements, to major custom car and truck shows sponsored by the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association, the National Street Rod Association (NSRA) and other automotive enthusiast groups.

For a schedule and more information about PPG Automotive Refinish products, call (800) 647-6050 or visit www.ppgrefinish.com.

14 JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Rudy Alberto are brothers.

Authorities said they have recovered key pieces of evidence, including Payne’s shops, since the first arrests.

Payne was working as a drug informant for the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation and had reported buying cocaine from Ramirez-Milan two times over several weeks at the Acker Road address, according to the criminal complaint. Ramirez-Milan was charged last week with two felony counts of manufacturing/delivering cocaine in connection with two March incidents.

Authorities said Payne was living in his black BMW 528i on the Acker Road property with Ramirez-Milan’s permission, and that they had a “tumultuous relationship” but do not believe the suspect knew of Payne’s drug informant work.

Thank you to The Star for permission to reprint their article.

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Axalta Launches OnlineLearning Training Campus

To keep pace with changing customer demands and expectations and in anticipation of future trends, Axalta Refinish Training is launching the Axalta Learn-

ing Campus in North America, a new way to access training content and track progress. The Axalta Learning Campus will provide learners with the ability to register for traditional Learning and Development Center classes as well as provide links for eLearning, quick tiptype videos, webinars and more. It will also enable learners to select the content that is most important to them. The Axalta Learning Campus can be accessed at axalta.us website, under Products and Customers > Training or directly by logging onto http://www.axaltalearningcampus.com. Once on the Axalta Learning Campus, participants can create personal profiles and select the classes and eLearning modules for the products they use.

www.autobodynews.com | JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 15

Quik Video Technology Looks to Target Body Shops

by Stacey Phillips, Assistant Editor

A video technology currently being used at dealership service centers could potentially benefit independent body shops and insurance companies, according to the company’s COO Jack Gardner.

Quik Video, based in Quincy, Massachusetts, enables technicians to Jack Gardner, COO make and send perof QuikVideo, based sonalized videos to in Quincy, MA their customers via text and email that provide them with a visual on the repairs being recommended.

After launching Quik Video in October 2014, Gardner said service managers have found that it has saved them time and money and increased their Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) scores.

“Just as it has increased revenue in the service department it will do the same in the body shop,” said Gardner.

“Customers have the same lack of understanding when you explain recom-

mended repairs just like the service department. The customer simply has no frame of reference, but when provided with video proof and an expert analysis from a technician or body shop professional, they understand it.”

Although the product is primarily being used at dealerships, Gardner said they are looking at other applications, such as independent body shops and insurance companies. “We feel that insurance companies will embrace the

product as the video means they can approve the repairs in a timelier manner,” he said. “By having video reports, the need to have adjusters visit the body shop several times or at all on a claim is no longer necessary.”

He predicts that insurance companies in the United States will rely on video from the body shop, as they have done in the UK, to speed up the ap-

proval process and increase their CSI. Gardner has worked at all levels of the automobile industry including service, sales and OEMs. He said that over the years he has seen changes from the advent of the internet to the speed at which customers now demand information.

While working in Europe, he came across a system at a trade show originally adopted by BBC and the European Commission. It was used by BBC reporters to video news stories when cameramen weren’t available. The European Commission found it was helpful to record video conferences and speeches for viewers who couldn’t attend.

“I immediately recognized the opportunity this application would have in the automobile industry, given the lack of trust between the consumer and the dealer,” said Gardener. “Having been part of the industry during this period where the lack of trust was generated I saw this product being key to repairing and enhancing industry relations with the consumer.”

He developed a partnership with the manufacturer and worked with

seven full-time programmers to design the system for use in the automobile industry. “We had to devise a manner in which the system was easy

Kevin C., a master technician at Colonial VW in Westborough, MA, is making a Quik Video on a customer’s car after completing a complimentary safety check

to use. It had to be simple and require little or no additional work for dealer staff, and it had to be quick, thus the name Quik Video,” said Gardener.

When a customer drops off a car and meets with the service advisor, a video request is created with the repair order number, customer name, email and cell phone number. That information is automatically populated into an Apple iPod located in the service bay.

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car, he records his recommendations.

It takes a minute and 10 seconds to make and send a one-minute video.

A full reporting suite was built into the system so the dealer can monitor and track both increased sales and staff performance.

Some of the other features include: automated follow up on declined work, automated appointment reminders, daily, weekly and monthly reports, up sell reports, video proof of

is completed at what Gardner calls the “second opinion location.”

“We have proven with our system we can get that approval number of 34 percent up to just north of 70 percent,” said Gardener. He said this is measured by comparing the conversion rates from the prior month and the same month of the previous year.

He uses the acronym SUBB – the customer sees it, understands it, they believe it and they buy it.

completed work and video damage assessment on vehicles at check-in. Gardener said they maintain all videos on their servers so a dealer can retrieve prior videos at any time.

Gardner said when a multi point inspection is conducted on a customer’s car while in the shop studies have shown that nationally about 34 percent of the recommended repair is converted. The remaining 66 percent

Nigel De Silva, Service Manager at Infiniti of Norwood in MA, began using QuikVideo in October 2014.

“We now have a process that has full incorporated video production in our service department and I am happy to report that we are number one in the region across the board, said De Silva.

“In an age where technology is constantly evolving, having video in my service department without a doubt

“Just as [Quik Video] has increased revenue in the service department it will do the same in the body shop” —Jack Gardner, COO of Quik Video.

gives me an unfair advantage.”

In January 2015, Peter Slota also introduced QuikVideo to his service department. The service manager of Colonial Honda in Dartmouth, MA said he has found that, “It’s making us more money, providing transparency and building trust with our customers and based on the customer response I feel sure we will see an increase in our CSI scores.”

QuickVideo has mainly been used in the northeast part of the United States. With a head office in Boston, MA the company recently opened an office in San Francisco, CA and another in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The company offers a 90-day trial with a money-back guarantee. The monthly subscription rate varies between $795 and $1,295 per month and is based on the number of repair orders.

Gardner said that discussions are at an advanced stage with two OEMs in North America to introduce the product to their dealer network. Further plans include opening two new offices in Florida and Texas within the next six months.

More information is available online: http://qkvideo.com/

Rental Car Business Named in TX Crash Suit

An elderly Galveston County woman sued a rental car company, citing injuries she suffered in a crash in Texas.

Doris Templeton filed a lawsuit April 28 in Galveston County District Court, against Enterprise Rent-a-Car Co. and Enterprise Holdings Inc. According to the complaint, on April 26, 2013, Templeton, 76, was in a vehicle owned by the defendants on Pine Drive in Dickinson when “defendants’ employee was pulling out of the parking lot at the Enterprise location on Pine Drive and pulled into oncoming traffic across two lanes and hit a car.

Prior to the police arriving to take a report, Templeton, being an elderly woman with a prior leg injury, decided to move inside to where it was cooler.

Subsequently, the police officer did not include the plaintiff in her report, nor was Templeton asked if she needed to go to the hospital.”

The plaintiff cites personal injury to her shoulder, chest, leg and throat, past and future mental anguish, past and future pain and suffering, and gross negligence.

Templeton seeks between $100, 000 and $200,000, plus costs, reported Dan Harkins, setexasrecord .com

www.autobodynews.com | JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 17

Western Associations with Ed Attanasio

Midnight Body Shops Come Out Into the Light Just the other day, I was in a grocery store parking lot in San Francisco one afternoon when a kid approached me.

“Hello sir,” he said. “That’s a bad dent on your bumper there. I can fix it for you.” I laughed, but he didn’t smile in return. I realized he was serious. “Really, how old are you?” “10,” he replied.

I was about to ask him if he was I-CAR trained, but I resisted.

I know this industry is having problems finding good, qualified people, but this is ridiculous, I thought. Then, all of a sudden a car drove up and a gentleman (probably 35-40) looked at me and then nodded at the child. I figured out what was going on rather quickly.

It was sneaky, but impressive in a way. He’s using his child to get repair work, just like Tatum O’Neal in the classic film Paper Moon. O’Neal won the Oscar for her performance in 1973 and this kid was a pretty good actor himself. At least he was keeping busy, staying away from video games and learning some invaluable sales skills in the process; but did he know that his father was likely breaking the law?

My curiosity piqued now, I entered into a conversation with the gentleman.

He explained that he could fix my dents right there, quickly and affordably. The whole job would take less than an hour and I didn’t have to pay him until I was completely satisfied, he said.

“If you take it to a shop, you’ll have to pay the deductible, plus it could take more than a week and of course your insurance company will raise your rates,” he said. “I can make it look brand new for say, $250?”

He obviously didn’t realize that I’ve been writing about the collision industry for more than a decade now, but once I began peppering him with questions, he got nervous and starting getting back in his car.

“Are you using waterborne paint and how can you possibly match the color? Is the work guaranteed? (I pretty much knew that answer). Are you trained to do this type of work or are you a do-it-yourselfer? And isn’t it illegal to do the repair here in the parking lot?”

He looked down and said, “Are you a cop?” That made me laugh and I told him no. He seemed relieved.

I informed him that no thanks, I

don’t want you to fix my car, but can I ask you a couple questions? I told him that I don’t want to know his name, but that I’m curious about his business model and his interesting sales approach (we both laughed).

In short, he is 42 and has three children, including the diminutive salesman. He has been a body tech for 20-plus years and worked for a few shops I had heard of, including a large MSO. In 2008, when the economy imploded, he was laid off and that’s when he started doing freelance collision repair under the table and off the radar.

He was I-CAR Gold before his sudden retirement from the legitimate side of the industry, he said, so he’s not current on aluminum repair, but claims he can do just about anything that doesn’t require sophisticated equipment.

If a repair is more extensive, he doesPatrick Dorais, n’t need to do it in California BAR Chief a parking lot, he asks body shops explained, because and consumers to report any shop that he has a small shop is operating illegally, at his home (locaunder the table and/ tion withheld). or under the radar The next thing he told me was a shocker. “How much do you make,” I asked him? “A good week is $5,000 and the average is around $3,000,” he said. “One month I did $40,000 after a bad storm. It’s all mostly PDR and little dents. I’m good at plastic work and I can fix a bumper.

The shop would just replace it, but I can save it almost every time.”

I had heard for many years about the dreaded “Midnight Body Shop,” but this was in broad daylight and no one seemed to be sneaking around. So, I wanted to see if I could find another one of these fly-by mobile body shops and I only had to look as far as the Internet. I searched through Craigslist in my area under body shop repairs in the “Services” section, and came up with several dozen collision repair listings.

I responded to one that stated it had “very low, affordable rates—I can beat the body shop’s prices!”

After sending an email, my phone rang within 10 minutes. I immediately

18 JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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

explained to the caller that I was writing an article about under the radar, illegal, so-called midnight shops and did he fit into this category? Again, I told him I don’t want to know his name and after the call I will take his phone number off my cell. Initially, he said no, but after chatting for a few minutes, he agreed.

This man’s story was very similar to the one I heard in the parking lot. “I can make more money fast and I don’t have to answer to anyone except myself. I control the quality and I don’t have to wrestle with an insurance adjuster. I’m like the Uber taxi service— an alternative for people who don’t care if I’m licensed or certified—they just want a good job at a fair price and that’s what I give them.”

So, I asked Patrick Dorais, the BAR Chief of California what we can do as consumers to prevent these types of businesses from flourishing, without licenses or the proper insurance.

“This issue is something we continue to address, but we can’t do it alone,” Dorais said. “We encourage any shop or any consumer that suspects unlicensed activity to contact their local BAR field office and report their concerns so we can investigate these issues.

BAR utilizes two enforcement paths for unregistered shops, Dorais explained. “First, regulations for issuing citations took effect in October 2011, and BAR regularly issues citations to unlicensed facilities under this authority. Second, BAR continuously fosters relationships with district attorneys throughout the state in an effort to create support for criminal and civil filings against unlicensed facilities. In addition, BAR is exploring an industry suggestion to require regulations that providers of automotive repair services publish their registration numbering in all advertising. This will further enhance BAR’s ability to identify those who are engaged in unlicensed activity.”

www.autobodynews.com | JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 19

On Creative Marketing

Limited Growth? What To Do About It! with Thomas Franklin

Almost every shop owner I speak to tells me he or she wants more business. But when we start talking about business growth, I begin to hear reluctance. Too much growth means hiring more people, which means more paper work, more reports to the government, more insurance, and on and on. It also means more capital investment to cover additional equipment and to cover accounts receivable during the interval between the time parts are purchased and checks arrive for completed jobs. Everyone wants to grow in profitability, but very few want to face the costs and pains of growth.

In the end it all comes down to how much of a burning desire a shop owner or manager has to expand and grow his or her shop. When the shop owner began his or her shop many years ago, there must have been an intense drive to succeed. The growth must have been successful, perhaps doubling every few months, to bring the shop to the size it is today. So where did all of that enthusiasm go? It’s likely that some of our visions were unrealistic dreams that crashed when they met the reality of competition, government regulations, unreliable employees, unpredictable finances, faulty equipment, irrational customers and unrealistic insurance appraisers and adjusters. But if you’ve survived somehow you had enough enthusiasm, enough drive and determination to push on through those obstacles and continue to grow.

So now here we are today.

We’ve grown to a certain point, but

is there still enough drive and determination to grow more? Some of us have peaked and actually fallen back a bit. Others seem to have stagnated, staying more or less at the same point for years – maybe even enjoying the pause. And a few others continue to grow, but very slowly. But is that enough? Is the game still exciting?

Can we still fire up the troops with a vision of greater growth, more jobs, better pay, more recognition? Or has everyone settled into a mental rocking chair of comfort and complacency, just doing enough to get along – with no more challenge or “fire in the belly?”

“Stagnate” is defined as “Standing still; not flowing. Foul from long standing. To become dull or inert.”

Not a pretty picture! I’ve found that the shop owners, who somehow overcame the “stagnation trap,” were motivated by a greater purpose. I recall John, a Hispanic man who put three children through college and provided a good living for his family and employees working out of a small 12,000 square foot shop. Then he expanded into a 30,000 square foot former industrial park. John’s son Danny finished his degree in business and came on board to work with John managing the business. I was there the day they opened the new shop.

John’s eyes sparkled with the excitement of seeing a dream come true. No longer cramped in a tiny space, shuffling vehicles back and forth to get jobs out, John was thrilled with the opportunity to grow. His joy was in

GM to Invest $1B to Expand and Renovate National Historic Landmark, the Michigan Tech Center

General Motors, in a long expected boost for its research and development activities, will invest $1 billion to expand and renovate operations at its technical center in suburban Detroit. The plans for the 310-acre campus in Warren, MI, include new design studios and a multi-story IT building. The project also includes substantial renovations to existing r&d facilities, construction to accommodate additional testing areas and extensive office upgrades, GM said in a statement.

GM product chief Mark Reuss said work is “already underway” on the long anticipated project, which won municipal tax abatements in April.

“The need to attract high quality employees is the real need,” Reuss said.

“We're not here to be competitive, we're here to win. So when we do this in Warren, we’re not trying to compete, we’re trying to win.”

Work is set to wrap up by 2018.

The project is expected to generate about 2,600 new jobs once it is completed.

20 JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Tom Franklin has been a sales and marketing consultant for fifty years. He has written numerous books and provides marketing solutions and services for many businesses.

He can be reached at (323) 871-6862 or at tbfranklin@aol.com.

See Tom’s columns at www.autobodynews.com under Columnists > Franklin

the realization of his dream to provide his family with more.

Today the growth process has become more technical. Mastery of the new structural materials and computerized components of vehicles can determine a shop’s capacity for growth.

But it is still the owner/manager leader who determines the vision of the shop.

Getting technicians trained on the new processes will be a factor, but the real determinant may be the knowledge and skill of that leader.

To get growing again, and possibly regain some of that early enthusiasm, a shop owner and/or manager may have to consider improving his or her own knowledge and skills. At a recent autobody association meeting, a key speaker was from Universal Technical Institute, an educational institution that offers training in collision, automotive and diesel repair. One attendee at the meeting said he had hired about a dozen graduates and all were

able to do their jobs immediately.

Training for techs is readily available, but for up-to-date management skills the best choice may be the Automotive Management Institute (www.amionline.org). It was founded in 1989 to answer the demand for management education specifically for automotive service and collision repair professionals. The fields of study focus on five areas of business management: marketing and sales, operations and service, management and administration, financial management, and personnel and human resource development. Its accredited curriculum consists of more than 700 courses taught by more than 150 faculty members. Classroom courses range from 90-minute to five-day sessions. A core of self-study and on-line courses is also available. Upgrading the skills of the leader may well be the key to real shop growth in this age of rapid-fire technical advances.

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NABC Members Showcase Recycled Rides™ at Spring Industry Events National Auto Body Council (NABC) members showcased the organization’s signature Recycled Rides™ program at collision industry events across the country in April, highlighting the impact that reliable transportation provides for individuals struggling to rebuild their lives.

Rick Tuuri, Chair of NABC Recycled Rides, Leo Wasilewski of Gerber Collision-Douglasville and recipient Theresa Riggins

The April Recycled Rides events are among the 104 vehicles currently in progress or completed to date in 2015.

“We have already hit the 50% mark of last year’s total Recycled Rides and thanks to our members, are well on the way to surpass the number of vehicles donated last year,” said Rick Tuuri of AudaExplore, a Solera Company and the Chair of NABC’s Recycled Rides program.

The NABC’s Recycled Rides program brings together collision industry members to repair and donate vehicles to

individuals and service organizations in need. Insurance carriers, rental car companies, and salvage yards donate vehicles, which are then repaired as a volunteer effort by collision repair shops. Manufacturers and suppliers contribute to the effort by donating parts and materials.

Highlights of the NABC’s Recycled Rides events in April include: ● Collision Industry Conference in Atlanta where Gerber Collision and GEICO teamed up to donate a 2009 Honda Accord to a single grandmother, raising two young granddaughters. She had lost her job, her home and up until recently, was living in a Family Promise shelter. LKQ Corporation also donated parts and materials. ● Automechanika in Chicago where two Recycled Rides vehicles were donated to help give women a second chance to

Recipient Caress Pouncy is all smiles in her new Recycled Rides vehicle donated by CARSTAR of Mundelein, Illinois and Allstate Insurance

jumpstart their lives. A young woman who fell into trouble with school and the law as a teenager after the death of her parents, was selected as recipient for a 2010 Nissan Altima donated and repaired

by CARSTAR of Mundelein, Illinois and Allstate Insurance. With the support of the Women With Drive Foundation, which nominated her for the Recycled Rides program, she recently completed training to be a welder, joined a union and has a new job with a local construction company.

A second vehicle was donated at Automechanika to the nonprofit group Another Chance Outreach Center, based in Gary, Indiana, which provides support services and programs to veteran, battered, and ex-offender women. The refurbished 2006 Toyota Prius, donated and repaired by 1-Collision Schererville in Indiana and State Farm Insurance, will help the organization provide transportation to participants in the residency program as they transition back into independent living. ● The PPG Automotive Refinish Spring MVP Conference in Palm Desert, CA was the setting for a fourth NABC Recycled Rides presentation in April. Allstate Insurance and Ben Clymer’s The Body Shop teamed up to donate a 2009 Toyota Camry to a Coachella Valley single mother and her young children. PPG

Automotive Refinish donated paint and materials.

Vehicle titling and registration services were also donated by 1-800 Charity Cars for these events as well as many other Recycled Rides nationwide.

Participants in the Recycled Rides presentation – Ben Clymer, Jr., recipient Rosa Magana, Palm Desert Mayor Susan Weber, Bobbie Neff of Community Connect, Domenic Brusco of PPG Industries, and Rick Tuuri of AudaExplore, a Solera Company

“Recycled Rides is a life-changing experience not just for the recipient but for everyone who participated and contributed to these vehicle donations,” said Chuck Sulkala, Executive Director of the NABC. “We are very proud that through our Recycled Rides program, members of the National Auto Body Council demonstrate the professionalism and integrity of the collision industry by providing many struggling families with the keys they need to help improve their quality of life.”

www.autobodynews.com | JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 21

Social Media for Shops

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

Are You Prepared for Google’s Mobilegeddon? with Ed Attanasio

Technology doesn’t stand still and that’s why no one was surprised when on April 21, Google, the planet’s leading search engine, released changes to their algorithm giving mobile-friendly websites a boost on devices with smaller screens. It seems like an obvious move, but change is always painful and website operators don’t like surprises, so many of them are allegedly shocked and perplexed. But, the seasoned pros out there are prepared for what people are calling the “Mobilegeddon” and many have already adapted all or most of their clients’ web sites as they embrace this new regime.

Algorithm changes are never pretty, because businesses rely heavily on Google to send traffic to their websites. Google owns two-thirds of the U.S. search market, so when Google changes its code, companies have to move quickly to decipher and adapt to the new way of doing things. In 2011, a key Google algorithm change calculated to promote high-quality content caused the eventual ruin of several companies nationwide due to a significant dip in traffic and revenue.

Web developers and online marketers are understandably concerned about the change. The top spot on a search page characteristically attracts 20% to 30% of the page’s clicks while slots #2 and #3 generate 5% to 10% of the clicks. And if you’re not on the first page, you’re going to receive roughly less than 1% of users’ attention. In the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) world, Mobilegeddon is the Super Bowl, Masters and World Series all rolled into one. It’s a make it or break it moment for every business with a web site in search of a mobile presence.

Luke Middendorf, president of WSI Connect in Concord, CA is telling body shop marketing people to Keep Calm and Carry On when it comes to Mobilegeddon. “Google’s search engine is putting a new focus on mobilefriendly sites when it comes to their ranking algorithm,” he explained.

“This means that if your site is not mobile friendly it will rank lower, or perhaps not at all when it comes to customers using keywords to search for information. These changes will

allow customers to get the information they need from all of their mobile devices, but if your site is not mobile optimized (responsive) you may miss out on these customers’ business.”

Here’s everything you need to know about Google’s Mobilegeddon: Only smartphones will be impacted.

Google’s search results on laptops and tablets will be unaffected by the new algorithm. But, it’s still a pretty significant deal when you consider the fact that mobile makes up almost half of all Google searches. Studies also show that 70% of all mobile searches are performed by users ages 18-30, a demographic almost every business is hungry for.

Relax – time is on your side. Your website people received a two-month warning in preparation for Mobilegeddon, so if they look surprised, don’t fall for it. Normally, Google doesn’t preannounce algorithm changes, but Mobilegeddon could have such a dramatic impact on mobile search results that they decided to give businesses a little time to get ready. Four months ago, Google released a “mobile-friendly” test that enables websites to see if their sites are equipped for the algorithm tweak. Mobile websites with clunky videos, sluggish mobile pages and blocked image files will suffer the wrath of Mobilegeddon.

Websites can adjust on the fly.

Unlike previous algorithm tweaks, websites can upgrade their “mobilefriendliness” at any time to appear higher in Google’s search results, so it doesn’t have to be done immediately.

Google also said that the algorithm tweaks will be rolled out over the course of a few weeks, so the changes might not be immediately noticeable anyway.

Some mobile-unfriendly sites could still get favorable search placement. Google’s algorithm judges sites based on numerous criteria, of which mobile-friendlness is just one. The company’s aim is to provide the most relevant results, even if it’s to a site that isn’t optimized for mobile.

Is this move to accommodate more mobility a timely re-adjustment by Google and how can it benefit body

22 JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

shops? “With so many new collision-related apps out there and the fact that more and more consumers are using their smart phones for everyday tasks, body shops can definitely get business from their mobile sites,” Angel Iraola an awardwinning site developer explained. “If you have a site or Angel Iraola, the app that will appear president at Net easily on someBusiness Consultone’s cell phone ing & Solutions in Santa Rosa, CA and for some reasaid that small son your competicompanies are tor hasn’t adapted paying way too to this new algomuch to switch rithm, then obviover to Google’s new mobile-centric ously you’ll capture algorithm, called that business and “Mobilegeddon.” they won’t. Or at the very least, you’ll get a soild shot at getting that vehicle. It may not become

a huge part of your sales and marketing efforts, but if you get 10-12 new customers every year, why not be prepared for Mobilegeddon?”

Iraola, the president at Net Business Consulting & Solutions in northern California was able to change all of his clients’ web sites to the new Google algorithm quickly and seamlessly, he said. “Some web developers are making mountains out of mole hills and overcharging small companies to changeover. I’ve heard crazy prices ranging from $1,500 to $2,000 and even more. That’s ridiculous and a complete rip-off. To convert your web site, it should not cost you more than $600-$700 and it shouldn’t take longer than 6-7 hours to complete the entire job.”

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www.autobodynews.com | JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 23

New Product Showcase

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

resqme™ Vehicle Escape Tool and Related Products Have the Potential to Save Lives with Ed Attanasio

Body shops and the collision industry in general have taken on the role of imparting useful safety information to its customers. If you’ve ever read a body shop blog, you will often find short posts like Leaving Kids Alone in Cars-Know the Risks and Consequences; I Put the Wrong Fuel in My Vehicle! What Should I Do?; Tire Safety Tips and 3 Misconceptions about Passing on the Road, for example.

But isn’t there a conflict of interest there, because body shops make money when people get into accidents, right? Bruce Miles, a blogger for the collision industry disagrees.

“Not really, because we know that people are going to get into accidents every 9–10 years like clockwork and that’s something we can’t control, like the weather,” Miles explained. “But, we don’t want drivers to get into bad accidents, because then obviously the cars will likely be totaled out by the insurance companies. And if the accident is fatal, well we want to help people to avoid that at all cost. So offering its customers simple common sense safety tips to avoid those big crashes is something the industry can do and should do, in my opinion.”

So, knowing that automotive safety is an important thing that body shops want to convey in their blogs and part of their overall message to consumers, I was intrigued when I encountered a company called resqme™ at the NADA Exposition in San Francisco, CA. a few months back. Located in Santa Barbara, CA, resqme invented and produces the resqme tool, a device that saves drivers’ and passengers’ lives worldwide.

This device was recently featured on 20/20 and the Today Show, as well in publications such as Autoweek, Consumer Reports and Popular Mechanics. More than 3 million drivers worldwide own one and now car dealerships, repair facilities and other automotive-related businesses are either giving them to their customers free or offering them for sale.

What exactly is the resqme tool and how does it save lives? It’s a window-breaker and seat-belt-cutter—an emergency tool for the safety of any

driver. In the event of an emergency and possible vehicle entrapment, the resqme tool holds a sharp blade to cut a jammed seatbelt and a spring-loaded spike to shatter the car window.

Designed in 2003, the resqme emergency escape tool has now saved more than 35 lives and probably more that have never been reported. After identifying a need for a portable and compact version, the resqme tool was developed and is now manufactured in the United States and distributed worldwide. Just last year alone, this amazing tool saved 16 lives, including three in submersion accidents: 10 in situations in which young children were trapped in a vehicle with the keys inside and three more rollover accidents where people were hanging upside in their vehicles.

Autobody News recently sat down with Laurent Colasse, the inventor of the resqme tool and the president of this 12-year-old company. “We’re proud of the resqme tool, because obviously we’re making a change and people can see that it’s saving lives,” Colasse explained. “People have escaped fires, rollovers, children locked in a hot car and of course submersions.

Prior to the invention of this tool, people were basically helpless, but now this device gives them a chance to make it out alive. They’re great for car dealerships and automotive repair businesses and for a nominal charge we can put their company name on the side of the device.”

The resqme tool became a national story after Ashley Neufeld, 21, along with two other friends from Dickinson State University in North Dakota died in a tragic accident in 2009.

Their SUV crashed into a farm pond in Stark County, ND, and submerged with the three young women still inside who were unable to escape.

As a result, in honor of Ashley, a foundation was created to raise funds with a customized resqme tool with her name to benefit local sports and also to help promote safety against car entrapment. “Knowing Ashley, it was an opportunity to provide a tool to a bunch of people, so that possibly it would never happen to another fam-

24 JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

ily,” said one of the foundation’s initiators.

This fundraiser was an unexpected success and quickly became an overwhelming experience as a pure expression of amazing solidarity in the community of Brandon, ND where Ashley grew up. Several thousand resqme units with the name Ashley Neufeld have been sold raising more than $56,000 to date.

In addition to the resqme tool, the company also manufactures several other lifesaving devices, Colasse said.

“We want our products to become a lifestyle for people who are socially responsible and want to stress safety for themselves and the people around them. That’s why we’re always looking to inventing other tools like the resqme original keychain car escape tool.”

Other products designed and sold by resqme include: alertme™ Lifesaver Alert: About

the size of a bluetooth earpiece and lightweight, less than an ounce, the alertme™ is the latest and safest lifesaver electronic device that helps prevent accidents caused by falling asleep behind the wheel. Its ergonomic design makes it very comfortable to wear and improves your vigilance on the road. protectme™ Pepper Spray: A handheld aerosol canister with maximum strength & UV marking dye that sprays an irritating formula in the eyes, nose and mouth of a person threatening your personal safety.

In response to their customers’ demands, resqme, Inc. has opted to co-brand with Sabre Red by offering the best compact pepper spray in the market place. The protectme™ pepper spray is an effective means of nonlethal self defense for people concerned with safety and security. Used by police departments, security agenSee Vehicle Escape Tool, Page 34

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Mitchell’s Q2 ITR Addresses Increase in Average Collision Repair Severity lifecycle the more opportunity the aftermarket has to replicate the part and the more potential salvages out there.”

Horn said what he found interesting was that the midcycle for the Camry was surprisingly still high, around 80 percent OEM utilization.

“The takeaway for shops is that it

robust new car sales, that lowers the value of the cars in off road today.” He In the latest edition of Mitchell’s Q2 Insaid there is a downward trend of the dustry Trends Report released in May, actual cash value of vehicles being apGreg Horn addressed the driving facpraised and repaired. tors behind rising collision repair costs.

“When you start to see falling acHorn, Mitchell’s VP of Industry Relatual cash values and rising repair costs, tions, looked at the increase in average that means that we’re going to see repair severity in terms more cars being totaled of an estimate, parts, out,” said Horn. “Ris“Rising costs and lower values labor, paint and materiing costs and lower valals. ues equal more total equal more total losses” Horn’s feature artilosses.” cle, “What’s Driving the This can be attrib—Greg Horn, Mitchell’s VP of Industry Relations.

Costs to Repair Today’s uted to more complex Top Selling Car,” examvehicles being built and ined four top-selling mid-size sedans in changes so quickly,” said Horn. “There added technology, which both add to the United States to find out if the design may be more alternative parts available the overall cost of the repair. lifespan of the vehicles affects parts uti- than there were the last time you reThe complete report is available lization and overall repair costs. paired that vehicle on the salvage side at www.mitchell.com/industry-trendsThe 2012 mid-size vehicles in- and on the aftermarket side. He said report. Mitchell will also host a wecluded a new Volkswagen Passat, a that by conducting a good diligent binar on June 2: Industry Trends Live. midcycle Toyota Camry, as well as a search of alternative parts, it could po- Horn will provide a deeper look into Ford Fusion and Chevy Malibu that tentially help shops repair more cars the trends, information and studies were both in the last years of their de- due to an increase in the parts supply. highlighted in this quarter's industry sign cycle. “We found that the vehicles The second quarter industry trends report. In addition, Horn will discuss that were the oldest had absolutely the report also included information about other current events of interest such as lowest use of new OEM parts,” said average length of rental, current events Google’s self-driving cars. “I think Horn. The new 2012 Passat had the in the collision repair industry and this industry is changing at a faster highest use of OEM parts and the highlighted new vehicle sales data. rate than I’ve seen changes in the 27 Camry had substantially more OEM “When you look at the big picture, we years I’ve been involved in it,” said utilization than both the Fusion and the process almost seven million estimates Horn. To sign up for the webinar, visit Malibu. “When it gets to the end of the a year,” said Horn. “When you look at go.mitchell.com/register.

by Stacey Phillips, Assistant Editor

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Refinish Distributors Alliance Holds Meeting in TX

RDA held their Spring Membership Meeting May 12 and 13 at the Hyatt Regency River Walk in San Antonio, TX. The two days included speakers, round table discussions and a trade show displaying the IMPACT Performance Products.

Keynote Speaker Jason Vines gave a presentation on, “If You Think You’re Immune to a Crisis, You’re Nuts.” Vines is former VP of Communications for Nissan North America, Ford Motor Company, and Chrysler.

Also speaking was David Roberts of Focus Automotive Services Group. Roberts spoke to the RDA members on Consolidation: “COPE, SURVIVE & THRIVE.” He co-founded Caliber Collision, the world’s first consolidator and now one of the “BIG Four” consolidators in the US. Those interested in joining RDA/ IMPACT should contact Robert McKenzie, Jr. 731-217-9081 or email robertemckenzie@me.com.

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Turbo Charge Your Dealer Body Shop ROI—Dashboard the KPIs

by Steven Feltovich, Manager of Business Consulting Services, SherwinWilliams Automotive Finishes Corporation

Why are key performance indicators vital signs that clearly display whether your business is performing or failing?

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are the gauges on the dashboard of your business. They provide the information necessary to identify changes or problems that can impact the business’s performance.

Key performance indicators are quantifiable measurements which should reflect the critical success factors of your business. Many facets of your business are measurable; however, because an area can be measured does not define that specific area as a KPI. Areas can be delineated as KPIs if, and only if, they qualify as having the single most important attribute of a KPI—they can be directly linked to the success of the organization.

It may be necessary to limit the number of KPIs in order to ensure that everyone within the organization remains focused on achieving the same goals and objectives. There are established industry-specific KPIs which are designed to provide leading information pertaining to operational performance and capacity utilization.

Review of the data from our most recent “Body Shop Analysis” reports reveals that many collision repair facilities demonstrate near best-in-class operational performance, but they fail miserably in capacity and equipment utilization. When we analyze the most profitable collision repair shops individually, we find that they hit KPI targets in both operational performance and capacity utilization. This fact clearly indicates that KPIs are included in the determining factors of your business’s profitability. The winners in the future of the collision repair industry will be those shop managers and owners who optimize their organization’s operational performance and facility and equipment utilization. Through targeting KPIs in these critical areas of the business, collision repair centers can maximize profit and minimize costs and expenses simultaneously.

Time is diminishing for those collision repair centers that are surviving on a daily basis by manipulating the business’s profit and loss statement.

When the business is under increasing pressure to make concessions with in-

surance companies, to control rising operating costs, and to perform more vehicle collision repairs at lower overall profit margins, management must become focused on driving down the business’s costs and expenses. But few collision repair businesses are managing the whole financial picture, which includes resolving issues with customers and insurance companies, managing receivables properly in order to limit exposure to a cash flow crisis, and securing daily working capital needs.

Effective and efficient operation of any business demands keen decision-making skills, which stem directly from a properly informed management team. It requires more than just monitoring cash flow and management accounts to increase profitability and cash flow; it takes intense evaluation of the key “drivers” of your business. These “drivers” are the areas which have major influence on your business’s success; we refer to them as key performance indicators.

Unfortunately, most of the businesses that we surveyed either are not tracking the right information or do not have accurate information necessary to make crucial business and financial decisions. Therefore, very costly mistakes are being made industry-wide during an uncertain economic time for our industry.

Body shop and fixed operations managers are making significant business investments without accurate data to support their investment initiatives. Many expansion and consolidation plans are being built on a false sense of business security, when in fact the business is vulnerable to financial collapse with the current business model. Hence, in the future, the strongest organizations in terms of financial fitness and operational optimization will have the opportunity to thrive while their competitors suffer from shrinking profits and lack of sales.

The collision repair industry still falls short of defining and measuring progress toward the most significant goals. Businesses tend to become overwhelmed with reaching the topmost speed and therefore neglect quality and accurate processes, which ultimately produce greater output performance. After you have established the right KPIs for your collision repair business, it will be easy to immedi-

26 JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

ately determine what is not performing well and what needs acted upon.

Some of the KPIs that we recommend for collision repair centers to monitor are as follows: ■ Average Repair Order (Dollar Amount) ■ Customer Closing Ratio ■ Sales per Estimator ■ Sales per Production Technician ■ Sales per Employee ■ Sales per Production Square Foot ■ Paint and Material Cost per Refinish Hour Sold ■ Gross Profit on Paint and Material Sold ■ Total Paint and Material Cost as a Percentage of Total Sales ■ Spray Booth Throughput ■ Metal Department Proficiency ■ Paint Department Proficiency ■ Gross Profit as a Percentage of Sales ■ Net Profit as a Percent of Labor Sold

KPIs are not the silver bullets that will give you instant success, but they are the crucial components that are often overlooked in business management. You

Welcome to the ALL NEW

can also use the KPIs as a carrot to inspire your staff. People can be motivated to reach those KPI targets that you have implemented within your business structure. Post the KPIs so that your staff can see their progress in the critical areas of the business; discuss the KPIs with your staff; set up incentives that drive the organization toward achieving the business’s goals.

From our research, many collision repair shops cannot recognize the real performance of their organization; they are driving the business at a high speed without any gauges on the dashboard to determine if they are capable of finishing the race. Extreme attention to the business’s financial performance, operational activities, and facility utilization will be necessary for those who plan to stay in the race.

KPIs are just one necessary component of the equation; you must still have a clear and realistic strategy and the right management team and process in order to have the winning combination for sustaining business success.

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What are crash parts? p Take a closer look. Your insurance coverage. g Choosing th he right bod dy sh hop. A All parts are not created equal. equal Co ollissio on 101. What’s a Great Info for Shops DRP and whyy sho sho ould I caare? re? Where Where d do o aairbag irbags come come ffro rom? m? C Counterfeit ounterfeit ai airbags - what you need to know. Take a closer look. What are crash parts?

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www.autobodynews.com | JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 29

Western Associations

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

ASCCA/CAA Joint Legislative Day Focuses on Minimum Wage/Taxes on Labor with Ed Attanasio

With major concerns about bills that can greatly impact their businesses, collision and mechanical repair companies came from all over the state to attend ASCCA /CAA’s Joint Legislative Day on April 14 in Sacramento, to meet with their local legislators and discuss two “hot button” bills, one that would extend a sales tax to labor operations and another that would increase the minimum wage in the Golden State.

Legislative Day speakers included Pat Dorais, chief of the Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR), to discuss provide the two organizations with an overview of recent BAR activities while praising the ASCCA/CAA’s ongoing relationship with the BAR and State Assembly Member Brian Jones.

Following a welcome from Steve Vanlandingham, ASCCA state president, everyone was briefed by Jack Molodanof, the lobbyist for both organizations, who taught the members about the correct protocol to be used

while meeting with their legislators or their representatives. Molodanof always opens with a joke or amusing anecdote, but then he’s all business. Coaching the members of ASCCA/CAA about how to approach their local representatives is always crucial and that’s why Molodanof always sets down the rules first.

Molodanof was happy with the State Assembly turnout, he said. “It Member Brian was a very successJones spoke to ful legislative day the ASCCA/CAA where the automomembers during their Legislative tive repair industry Day in Sacramento, converged on the CA on April 14 State Capitol and raised awareness and educated legislators and staff about the issues that directly impact their businesses. It was wonderful to see so many new faces at this year’s legislative day!”

CCC Information Services Buys DriveFactor Inc.

CCC Information Services Inc. (CCC) acquired DriveFactor Inc., a provider of a technology platform for insurance telematics. CCC, an SaaS technology provider to the U.S. auto insurance industry, said it will strengthen and extend DriveFactor’s technology to create the first full-service, open telematics platform for auto insurance.

“Steve McKay is an insurance veteran and telematics visionary. He, Mac Fraser, and the rest of the DriveFactor team have been pioneers in delivering a proven, device-agnostic platform for insurance telematics,” said Marc Fredman, Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy & Development, CCC. “DriveFactor’s technology provides superior flexibility and data quality for underwriting and marketing, and by integrating telematics data into existing claims operations carriers will have the first full-service solution to satisfy their policyholders and improve efficiency. We’re excited to welcome the DriveFactor team to the CCC family and look forward to working together to bring sustained innovation to customers.”

McKay said, “Telematics is rapidly evolving and holds enormous po-

tential for carriers to increase consumer engagement, strengthen loss ratios, and improve claims performance. To realize the promise of telematics and stay ahead of the curve, carriers will need to access an array of technologies–from OEM systems to device and service providers. A full-service, open platform delivers choice and scale to carriers as their needs in telematics grow and change.

I’m excited by the data, expertise, and network that CCC will bring to our customers.”

Fraser, Chief Information Officer, DriveFactor added, “CCC is a trusted partner to more than 350 insurance companies that rely on CCC to connect with their business partners and execute more than one million claims-related transactions every day. The combination of CCC and DriveFactor creates unmatched insurance, claims, telematics, and technology expertise that will enable us to deliver on near- and long-term opportunities.”

Terms were not disclosed by CCC.

30 JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

With more than 90 scheduled appointments throughout the Capitol’s offices all day long, ASCCA/CAA members broke into smaller groups to cover as much territory as possible. As members searched the hallways looking for politicians’ offices, body shop and mechanical shop owners were intently focused on meeting with their representatives to discuss the two main bills on their radar.

CAA Executive David McClune was pleased with the attendance and the fact that so many appointments were scheduled. “This is our big moment every year when we can meet with our political representatives,” CAA Executive David McClune said.

“We can influence these bills before they become laws and provide valuable feedback for our key decision makers, so we tell our members to seize the moment and make the most of it. Most importantly, we can provide them with a look into how our

members run their businesses and all of the factors that can affect them and their livelihoods.”

In addition to meeting with their legislators, a copy of the ASCCA Telematics Guiding Principles was provided to every congress or assembly person they visited. “Our members did an outstanding job communicating our concerns to our elected representatives,” Vice Chair of ASCCA Government Affairs Committee James Justus said. “A special thank you goes out to ASCCA member Jeff Stitch, who attended Legislative Day even though he suffered a heart attack two weeks prior to the event. Now that’s a dedicated member! Jeff also made a passionate talk about the importance of legislative day and why every mechanical and collision shop owner or manager should participate in communicating with the politicians who can greatly impact our future in this industry.”

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SB 8 (Hertzberg): Tax Reform-Extending Sales Taxes to Services This bill intends to expand the state portion of the sales tax to all services, including automotive labor, but excluding health care services; education services and businesses with less than $100,000 in annual gross sales.

The bill will have a disproportionate impact on low-income individuals, because they own older cars that require more frequent repairs. If passed, it will increase the cost of vehicle service and repairs making it less affordable for working families who require transportation.

Specifically, the passing of SB 8 will increase the cost for auto body repairs and may cause some vehicles that can be safely repaired to be unneces-

sarily “totaled”. When car repairs become more expensive due to more taxes, people will forego the repairs, leading to potential vehicle safety issues. In addition, this bill will encourage the underground economy and result in more “midnight body shops” that can charge less and thereby create an unfair advantage in the marketplace.

The ASCCA and CAA are both very concerned about this bill, even though it’s still a work in progress.

“There are some large gaps still in this bill and that’s why we’re taking a wait and see approach,” Molodanof said.

“It’s more of an intent bill and it’s not even close to being finalized yet, but we want to be involved in the conversation, because obviously this can affect our bottom line in a huge way.”

SB 3 (Leno): Minimum Wage: Annual Adjustment This bill would increase the minimum wage on and after January 1, 2016 to not less than $11 hourly; on and after July1, 2017 to not than less $13 hourly and thereafter commencing January 2019 based on the California Consumer Price Index. This bill would have additional burdens on automotive repair shops to pay employees double the minimum wage when employees are required to bring their own tools.

“We are obviously opposed to this bill, because it could literally cripple small businesses, including automotive repair companies,” Molodanof explained. “The bill would have significant ramifications on automotive repair shops because automotive re-

Continued from Page 3

nado hit last night. They waited about 15 minutes inside for the storm to pass.

Once they got out, they saw a lot of their property had been damaged. The roof of their home was exposed. There were uprooted trees in their front yard, their garage was damaged, along with the pool, and two barns. Cheryl Gilbert says she didn’t want to get out of bed last night, but is glad her husband in-

sisted they go to the shelter.

“When you hear the warnings, take heed. Because you never know when it’s going to turn into something.

You know, just that fast, everything was blown. So, it’s like I really hope people pay attention when they hear the warnings,” said Cheryl Gilbert, a longtime Seneca resident whose home also received tornado damage.

EF-1 Tornado

owner of J & S Auto Services.

Just a few hundred feet from a flattened auto body shop is a family home that sustained severe roof damage and damage to a lot of their other property. The Gilbert Family ran to their storm shelter just before the tor-

RAY HUFFINES

pair employers are required to pay employees double the minimum wage when employees are required to bring their own tools. It means going from the current $18 an hour ($9/hr. is the current minimum wage) to $26.00 an hour ($13/hr. minimum wage under SB 3) and that is a huge cost increase for shops. With other costs increasing all the time for shops, including increased worker’s compensation rates, increased energy costs and increased costs associated with the Affordable Care Act, this is just another thing for business owners to deal with and that’s why we oppose it.”

Axalta Introduces Cromax Mosaic™ Basecoat

Axalta Coating Systems has introduced a solvent-borne basecoat that enables shops to stay with a solventbased system and be ready for applicable VOC regulations in most U.S. air districts and Canada. Available in a wide choice of solid, metallic, pearl and special-effect colors for spot, panel and overall repairs, the company said it provides outstanding coverage, color match and blendability. For more information, visit www.axalta.us/mosaic.

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www.autobodynews.com | JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 31

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.

CIC Panel Discussion on Electronic Parts Procurement Takes Unexpected Turns with John Yoswick

It was a panel discussion quite unlike any other in recent Collision Industry Conference (CIC) history, with panel members and CIC attendees questioning one another’s motivations and even clashing over what the topic of discussion was supposed to be.

“Well, that didn’t quite turn out as I expected,” CIC Chairman Randy Stabler said at the conclusion of the CIC “Parts and Materials Committee” panel discussion in Atlanta. “We’re going to circle around and try to ensure that we come up with content that’s more meaningful and effective.”

The panel was organized and moderated by committee chairman John Bosin of I-CAR and was billed as a discussion of the inefficiencies within the current parts procurement environment.

“Randy’s over-arching goal [as CIC chairman] is he absolutely wants to drive inefficiencies out of the industry,” Bosin said as the discussion kicked off.

Indeed, there was some discussion of that during the 90-minute session, with panelist Jeanne Silver of CARSTAR Mundelein in Illinois noting that in order to be most efficient, any parts procurement system must be fully integrated with her shop’s computerized management system.

“Every time you go outside of your business management system, you’re actually using seconds and minutes, and in my world, every minute counts,” Silver said.

Silver also said because some of the auto recyclers she has done business with in the past do not participate in the electronic parts procurement system she uses, the pool of quality used parts she has to choose from is diminished. And previously when she always ordered from a particular representative at a recycler, she said, that person knew her expectations for quality; now someone else at that recycler may handle her electronic parts order, she said, and may ship a part her shop won’t accept.

But in part because few of the five panelists – three of whom had not previously participated on a CIC panel – had much if any experience with electronic parts procurement systems other than PartsTrader, the conversation turned almost entirely into a dis-

cussion of the merits and weaknesses of that particular program and State Farm’s implementation of it.

Panelist Clint Rogers, a secondgeneration North Carolina shop owner who said he had not used any other electronic parts procurement system prior to PartsTrader, said he now uses it to order parts for all his shop’s jobs, not just State Farm jobs.

“It’s more efficient. It’s a better mouse-trap. That’s the reason I haven’t been resistant to it,” Rogers said. “In my case, it’s been a good thing.”

Rogers acknowledged PartsTrader is not “100 percent perfect.” He pointed to problems with its export feature designed to update parts pricing but that has been found to make other unwanted changes to estimates. He said he also would like to see the system better integrated with OE Connection’s CollisionLink OEM parts program.

“This is more an endorsement for the electronic process than it is the PartsTrader application, per se,” Rogers said. “It’s just the old ways, the phone calls, the faxes, not only are inefficient, but there’s no accountability. When you do it electronically, no longer can your parts man tell you, ‘I ordered that four days ago,’ when he didn’t. I can pull it up and see he ordered it yesterday.”

Rogers said State Farm deserves credit for pushing shops to order parts electronically.

“As an industry we weren’t driving that change,” Rogers said. “Let’s be honest, guys, no one was pushing the electronic thing until State Farm came along. They’ve introduced something that can help us. Are there problems?

Yes? And does anyone like the idea of having anything shoved down their throat? No. But if you set that aside and give an electronic system a chance, I think you’re going to find there’s some very good qualities that are better than the old system. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Is it better than calling and faxing?

Of course.”

But panelist Ron Reichen of Precision Body & Paint in Beaverton, Ore., disagreed sharply that shops hadn’t already been moving to electronic parts ordering before State Farm began mandating use of PartsTrader.

“We were using electronic parts

32 JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

ordering eight or 10 years ago,” Reichen said. “So it wasn’t new to us. To say that I needed somebody else to come in because I wasn’t doing that?

Maybe the rest of the industry needed that help, but we did not.”

At that point, 35 minutes after the panel discussion began, CIC attendees took to the microphone, often criticizing the direction the discussion had taken.

Andy Ingalls of Gerber Collision, for example, asked why the panel was not discussing any of the other — in his opinion, superior — electronic parts procurement systems available.

Stabler also urged the panel to focus on how they measure the effectiveness of these programs, regardless of which program they use.

Aaron Schulenburg, executive director of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS), pointedly asked Rogers if PartsTrader had paid him to be at the meeting. Rogers at

first said he didn’t appreciate Schulenburg’s “accusational tone.”

“I think you’re trying to make a point that I’m getting paid to be an endorser, and I think you’re way off base,” Rogers said. “Frankly, I don’t appreciate it. I came down here to speak for the PartsTrader guys, but not from the aspect that I’m up here to give you a commercial. I’m giving you my honest experience with the product. Will I endorse a product for someone when the product is helping me? Absolutely. I don’t think there’s anything underhanded.”

But Schulenburg pressed back.

“My question is: If a product endorser paid you to be in the room, and you’re endorsing it, and the rest of the panel isn’t being paid to be in the room to endorse other [products], I think there’s something disingenuous to the audience about that,” Schulenburg said.

Rogers then acknowledged that See CIC Panel Discussion, Page 34

www.autobodynews.com | JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 33

Lean Operations

Mastering Implementation with David Luehr

David Luehr is the owner of Elite Body Shop Solutions, LLC, a collision business consulting firm based in Nashville, Tennessee. He is a 30 year veteran of the collision repair industry.

David is an expert in Body Shop Operations and specializes in Lean, and Theory of Constraints methods. Email him at dluehr@msn.com

Has this ever happened to you? You have just returned from an amazing workshop that gave you a great idea on some new lean concept. Let’s say, how to meticulously disassemble a vehicle so that you can capture 100% of the damage at the beginning of the process. You are excited because your shop has been having too many problems on Friday afternoons with parts that were missed on the estimate and this new process of fully disassembling the vehicle will surely solve that! All that’s left to do is go back to your shop and announce to your staff that this is how we will be performing “teardowns” from now on.

However, as you explain the new process to your crew that morning, instead of excitement you are instead met with resistance. “I don’t know boss, I don’t think we have the time!” or “If we take the car apart like that, we won’t remember how to put it back together!”

So without hesitation, you counter with

a well-timed verbal volley that is surely to convince the crew to your way of thinking. You offer up all the benefits of meticulous disassembly, you explain that it will make them more money, and make their lives easier, and then finally they say, “Okay boss, we’ll do it.”

You have won! You secretly pump your fist, and then congratulate yourself on your massive persuasion skills!

A couple days later you are walking around the shop and you notice that one of the cars in the lot still has all the trim on the blend panel. “Hmmm” you wonder? Then you see a technician performing a plastic repair on a bumper, but all the grills and fog lights are still in it? “What happened” you think to yourself, “I just got through telling these guys to do a meticulous disassembly and only two days later they seemed to have completely forgotten my eloquent speech!” What happened?

The answer to this question is significant indeed! Learning how to

Continued from Page 24

Continued from Page 32

cies, and individuals concerned with security and self defense. prepareme™ Lifesaver Kits: All kits come with a combination of basic first aid and some safety tools including the award winning resqme tool available in all styles. The kits are designed for drivers, parents, hikers, etc. around the globe to be prepared for most any emergency situation. Each kit has a unique combination of tools to allow for a wide variety of protection and preparedness. defendme™ Personal Alarm: This self-defense tool allows the user to sound a 120db siren when threatened by anyone and can be carried easily on a keychain, backpack, etc.

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PartsTrader had paid for his flight to the meeting in Atlanta.

“If what you’re saying that someone paying $200 for my flight here is me getting paid when I take a day off of work to come down here, I think that’s kind of silly, Aaron,” Rogers said. “Two hundred dollars and now I’m a paid endorser? Let’s be serious.”

The panel discussion continued but only occasionally focused on inefficiencies in the current parts ordering environment. After the meeting, Stabler and Bosin said they’d not known PartsTrader had picked up Rogers’ travel expenses, although Bosin said a PartsTrader representative on the CIC committee had suggested Rogers when Bosin was looking for shop owners to be on the panel.

Stabler said steps would be taken to avoid any such issues in future CIC presentations. Bosin said he plans to present his own look at inefficiencies in electronic parts procurement at the next CIC meeting, being held July 21 and 22 in Detroit in conjunction with NACE.

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motivate and enable people to change their actions is likely the most important skill one can acquire. I am not talking about cheesy persuasion tech-

niques, I am talking about understanding the forces that have been used for both good and evil that have both shaped our world or simply allowed leaders to overcome resistance in collision shop change initiatives or implementations.

Truth be known, most of us are

only familiar with one method of influence, our mouth. Verbal persuasion is the most popular form of influence because it’s convenient and it actually works a great deal of the time. At least with easy stuff. For resistant problems and resistance to change, verbal persuasion rarely works!

Whenever someone is asked to do something, there are only two basic drivers used to decide whether it gets done or not. 1. Can I do it? (Do I have the ability?) 2. Will it be worth it? (Am I motivated?) To address these drivers there are six sources of influence that are either working for you or against you. The book “Influencer” by authors Grenny, Patterson, Maxfield, McMillan, and Switzler gives the reader an amazing look at how these six sources of influence have been used by influence masters to overcome some of the world’s most pervasive problems.

Here are the six sources, but as you can imagine there is not room in this article

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to discuss all of them.

I recommend you pick up a copy of this book, but to give you a small taste of its content, we will take a brief visit to Source One – Personal Motivation.

How do we make the undesirable desirable?

Your “yes” means nothing if you can’t say “no.” There can be no commitment if there is no choice.” - Peter Block When you force someone to say yes to your attempts to sway them by using techniques such as nagging, begging or using your authority, you may indeed get a yes, but not the kind of yes that will get you lasting change.

For someone to fully buy in, they must have the opportunity to decide for themselves. So how do you do that and in turn make what seems undesirable more desirable?

When it comes right down to it, we often want the same things. We may have opposing views of how to achieve it, but when it comes to the final result of the change initiative we usually all want it. The problem when it comes to ordinary verbal persuasion methods, is that the whole time we are talking and forming your arguments, the resistant audience is not really listening to you,

because they are busy unconsciously forming their own counter-arguments.

When you say “Hey guys I figured out

a bunch of extra free stuff in another weak attempt to make the owner rich!”

A technique that works quite well

a way we can streamline our processes and make more money doing it!” They instead hear, “Hey indentured servant, I have figured out how to make you do

is what therapists have been using for years called Motivational Interviewing. Assuming you have a level of trust established, you can sit down

with your resistant body man and explain to him that our goal is to eliminate the missed parts problems that we are plagued with. I am pretty sure he won’t argue with that! You now have a common goal. You then ask him how the problem affects him. Ask, “What do you think are the benefits of changing?” By engaging your people in discussion where they feel they can contribute to solving the problem, they are much more likely to not only agree to the change, but to help design how it will take place.

I hope that this article gives you the comfort in knowing that you are not alone in your challenges to create lasting change and successfully implement better processes in your shops. Methods such as lean have been around for quite a while, but unfortunately only a few lucky ones have figured out how to have real success with it. By learning modern leadership skills such as communication and influence strategies you too can become an Implementation Master.

If you would like help implementing, learning the six sources of influence or any other leadership skills, please contact me at david.luehr@elite bodyshopsolutions.com for a free no obligation consultation.

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NYSACTA and LIABRA Review Aftermarket Parts Bill During 2015 Lobby Day of all the bills of concern with supporting documents and talking points.

On April 2015, representatives from In addition to briefly discussing each the New York State Auto Collision bill, Madeiros offered lobbying advice Technicians Association (NYSACTA) to aid attendees in their endeavors. The and the Long Island Auto Body Relegislators’ lobbying packets contained pairmen’s Association (LIABRA) travOEM bulleting, letters from coneled to Albany to lobby their state’s sumers and pertinent news articles, as well as a CD featuring informative videos, including Anderson Cooper’s report on “Auto Insurers Accused of Pushing Cheap and Sometimes Dangerous Repairs.”

These packets were designed to aid the collision repair representatives in their discusCollision repair representatives from NYSACTA review sions with legislators. lobbying materials Before attending their schedassemblymen and senators. These repuled appointments, Kizenberger reresentatives included Ed Kizenberger, viewed A2880, an aftermarket parts bill Executive Director of both associawhich would require insurers to distions, Ed Kizenberger Jr., Director close the type of parts they pay for to Paul O’Connell, Director Joe consumers. It would also prohibit the Stelmokas and Hank Hancock. At use of anything except OEM parts on 8AM, they were joined at the Legislative Office Building by over 40 NYSACTA members from all over the state, coming from Syracuse, Utica, Albany, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Rochester, Buffalo, Binghamton, Newburgh, New York City and the five boroughs. These representatives from the collision repair industry met with lobbyist Pam Madeiros and the staff from Pam Madeiros and Ed Kizenberger discuss the associations’ proposed legislation with the group Greenberg Taurig LLC, NYSACTA’s Lobby Law Firm. vehicles that are two years old or newer.

The event began with Madeiros He also discussed A6684, a parts prodistributing the schedule containing curement bill intended to prevent insurmembers’ appointed meetings with ers from mandating a particular vendor local representatives and reviewing from whom shops can purchase parts each group’s lobbying schedule. She and materials. As he discussed each bill, also provided members with lobbying Kizenberger answered members’ quespackets for both themselves and the tions about the proposed legislation and legislators with whom they met; conlobbying. tained within each packet were copies Beginning at 9AM, participants met with local legislators and their staffs to teach them about the collision repair industry and how their support of the bills would positively affect the daily lives of consumers and shops.

Responses were favorable with many legislators and their staff due to their own experiences with claims, while others confessed to being completely dissatisfied and Ed Kizenberger reviews the CNN special with participants disillusioned with insurers’

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

36 JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

tactics that forced them to use aftermarket parts or pay the difference for OEM parts.

Madeiros, Kizenberger Jr. and Mike Orso, President of NYSACTA, met with the Leaders of the Senate and Assembly, the Attorney General’s office and the NCOIL President.

In the morning, Hancock, O’Connell and Stelmokas had an appointment with Assemblyman Murray and Senator Flanagan which resulted in both legislators agreeing to sponsor bills A2880 and Attendees meet with Assemblyman Murray who agreed A6684. Hancock, O’Connell, to sponsor both bills Stelmokas, Kizenberger and One NYSACTA member re- Madeiros also had a very productive counts, “As soon as we opened up meeting with Robert Farley, Senior with a comment regarding a particu- Counsel for Senate Majority Leader lar insurance company’s tactics, Dean Skelos. staff members themselves would As the day concluded, participants break into a story of how they were gathered at the Legislative Office given a deceptive referral by their Building’s cafeteria where Kizenberger insurance company and though they noted, “Our lobbying campaign was a ‘had to’ go to the insurer’s recom- huge success. Support for our bills on mended shop.” aftermarket parts disclosure and parts The 2015 Lobby Day was very procurement were met with great unproductive and successful. While derstanding and acceptance. In addimembers were encouraged to join tion, our meetings with members of the other members’ meetings if their Attorney General’s office were very schedule permitted, Kizenberger, encouraging.”

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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.

Multiple Parts Suppliers, Body Tech Shortage, M2 Closes, Allstate Challenges No. 1 with John Yoswick

20 years ago in the collision repair industry (June 1995) Shop owners at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) in Hawaii expressed concerns regarding the number of part vendors that are being listed on a single, insurer-generated estimate.

“It’s creating a tremendous burden on the repairer to follow up on the parts specified that are coming from different suppliers that have been searched by the computer system,” Kansas shop owner Bill Eveland said.

“We have to make multiple calls to check the availability, we have them shipped only to find out that they’re COD, and then we find out in some cases that they’re the wrong parts and have to be returned. It’s happening more and more, and we’d like to have it addressed.”

Eveland said he has received estimates with as many as nine different part suppliers designated – some from hundreds of miles away from his shop.

“We’re left either trying to find the parts locally at the same price or making multiple calls, buying them all over the country, and it’s getting out of hand,” he said.

– As reported in The Golden Eagle. It’s an issue that, 20 years later, hasn’t gone away, and now it’s sometimes shops, struggling to meet insurer

Continued from Cover

made intentional misrepresentations to policyholders. That means insurance employees will be free to lie and cheat without fear of legal action. In other words, when it comes to protecting Texans from big insurance, your state's taxpayer-funded courtroom doors will be closed.”

The Houston Auto Body Association (HABA) is encouraging shops to contact the House Insurance Committee members and ask them to vote against passing the bill. “Its title of bill is misleading and the real intent is to restrict our rights and protect the insurance industry,” HABA recently said.

The website listing the Texas House of Representatives committee members is: http://www.house.state.tx .us/committees/committee/?committee =320 Sponsored by State Senator Larry Taylor, the bill was introduced to the Senate Business and Commerce Committee on March 12. It was approved by the Senate on April 30 and sent to the House Insurance Committee on May 4. Before the bill becomes law, it must be debated, passed in the state House of Representatives and signed by the governor.

TX Senate Bill 1628

fore being allowed to sue for deceptive acts or unfair claims handling.

The newspaper said the bill would also offer certain new immunity protections to insurance agents and adjusters who are named in lawsuits and lower the penalty that insurance companies face for late payments.

“Democrats and trial lawyerbacked groups have adamantly opposed the measure, arguing that it takes away property owner rights that have been enshrined in Texas insurance law for decades,” Jay Root and Julián Aguilar wrote in The Texas Tribune article, “Senate Bill Makes it Harder to Sue Insurers.”

Those against the legislation warn that filing an insurance claim could become much more cumbersome if the bill becomes a law, according to Brett Crandall of valleycentral.com.

In an article written by Alex Winslow in the Houston Chronicle, he said, “Unbelievably, this bill could also grant full legal immunity to adjusters, agents and other insurance-company representatives, even when they have

15 years ago in the collision repair industry (June 2000) The next time you are trying to hire a technician to fill an opening at your shop, think about the 12,251 applicants - all with recent hands-on work experience in shops - who are no longer working as collision repair technicians.

According to a recent study, every year more than 12,000 techs - almost 6 percent of the technician workforce - pack up their tool boxes and head off for other careers. That doesn’t include the 2,100 who retire, or the 5,250 who take other jobs (as estimators, for example) within the industry. That’s just the technicians who deIn 1995, Kansas shop owner Bill Eveland was among those cide for some reason that the expressing concerns about the growing number of parts collision repair industry isn’t suppliers being listed by insurers on a single estimate for them. demands, that may list a high number Those numbers, from an I-CAR of parts suppliers on a single estimate. Education Foundation study released

38 JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

last year, go a long way in explaining why a lot of people are talking about a ‘technician shortage.’ The problem, it seems, is not just one of attracting more young people into the trade, but of keeping more technicians working in the trade throughout their productive years.

There’s a common misperception in the industry that the technician workforce is aging. So few new techs are entering the industry, one posted message online claimed, that the average age of technicians is 53. In fact, the I-CAR Education Foundation study found the average age is under 36 – lower even than the national workforce average age.

But there is a sharp decline in the number of technicians over 40 years old – much worse than the rate of decline of males in this age group in the general workforce. Reducing that decline – by keeping experienced techs working longer – could greatly reduce

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the “technician shortage,” and at the same time make the industry much more appealing to the young people it also needs to attract.

– As reported in Autobody News.

The numbers have improved somewhat since then. In a similar study in 2013, the I-CAR Education Foundation reported that 6,928 technicians (4 percent of the total) left the preceding year for jobs outside the industry. The average technician age in 2013 had risen to just shy of 39 years old.

10 years ago in the collision repair industry (June 2005) Stuart Burns said there was occasional discussion around the M2 water cooler about how the company was doing, but it wasn’t until April 1 of this year that he really put much stock in it.

“Some of the folks who’d talked to the paint and parts guys said they’d heard we were behind in paying the bills, but I didn’t think it was to a point where I needed to worry about it,” said Burns, a former technician (who didn’t want his real name used) with the California M2 chain of shops in California. “I looked at the stream of work

we had coming through this place, and I had a hard time believing they could be losing money.”

Burns’ view of the situation changed dramatically in April when, a day after hearing M2 would be bought out by another consolidator, he found out his paycheck had bounced. The purported sale fell through, the doors at the 27 M2 shops were locked with as many as 2,000 in-process vehicles inside, and hundreds of employees found themselves with bounced paychecks for two or even three weeks of work. Estimates on the amount that suppliers and vendors were out end in the word, “millions.”

There’s plenty of finger-pointing when it comes to placing blame for M2’s demise. What seems clear is this: Caliber Collision Centers in late March announced that it intended to acquire the M2 chain of shops. As those negotiations broke down in mid-April (Caliber’s Den Pettigrew said it just didn’t have enough time to complete its due diligence), M2’s major creditor, GE Capital, froze the company’s accounts and locked the shop doors in an effort to secure its investment (reportedly close to $5 million).

How good or bad a thing the M2 collapse is depends on who you talk to. At a sealed bid auction of M2 assets in late April, some of the former owners were able to get back in the collision repair business for a fraction of what they sold their businesses for to M2 just a few years ago. Given that M2 wasn’t the first consolidator to implode, it serves as a good reminder to shop owners to get as much cash, and retain as many real assets (i.e., real estate), when selling a business as one can. Accepting stock in the future success of the larger company as full or partial payment seems particularly risky in this industry.

– As reported in Collision Repair Industry INSIGHT, June 2005.

5 years ago in the collision repair industry (June 2010) Allstate will have to replace several years of losses in market share with annual growth rates of 7 percent if it is to meet its goal – outlined in an internal memo obtained by Crain’s Chicago Business – to replace State Farm as the nation’s largest home and auto insurer within 10 years.

Analysts say the goal could lead to Allstate acquisitions or a price war

similar to one in the industry a decade ago.

No. 2 Allstate’s total annual premiums dipped 2.5 percent last year, compared to a 1.4 percent gain by State Farm. But Allstate, which controls 10.7 percent market share (compared to State Farm’s 18.1 percent) has some room to cut premiums; its loss ratio (amount paid out in claims compared to premiums received) last year was 58.7 percent, one of the best among the Top 10 insurers, while State Farm’s 72.9 percent was the highest.

– As reported in CRASH Network (www.CrashNetwork.com), June 21, 2010. Rather than moving up to rival State Farm in terms of market share, Allstate has lost yet more ground since 2010. Geico blew past Allstate in 2013 to become the second-largest auto insurer; last year Geico had 10.7 percent market share, exactly what Allstate had in 2010. No. 3 Allstate had 9.9 percent market share last year. No. 1 State Farm continues to hold its own, with 18.7 percent market share last year, even more than it had in 2010.

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WIN 2015 Educational Conference Addresses Wide-Ranging Industry Issues

by Chasidy Rae Sisk, stories and photos

On May 4–6, the Women’s Industry Network (WIN) held their 2015 Educational Conference, “Connect to Cultivate,” in Washington, DC. The social unrest and riots led to a last-minute change of venue from Baltimore to

Susanna Gotsch (l) receiving the Cornerstone Award from WIN Chair Denise Casperson.

Gotsch also presented a data-driven analysis of the economy, industry and insurance markets

Washington, but WIN’s Conference Committee was able to change the venue with just three days’ notice. It was clearly successfully executed as the 2015 WIN Conference boasted the highest attendance to date with 191 participants.

As a first time attendee I was impressed with the welcoming nature of this group and especially their positivity. They made me feel like a part of this amazing industry more thoroughly than ever before.

The first day’s presentations “Change Makes Me Happy... Or Is It the Other Way Around?” by Paul Gange and Jeff Peevy’s “The Sustainable Competitive Advantage” were praised as extremely interesting and informative.

On Tuesday morning, WIN members started early in support of WIN’s Scholarship Industry Walk with Renee Ricciotti as event emcee and BASF as sponsor. Professional headshots were taken during the breaks as a service to members. Mike Anderson of CollisionAdvice.com presented “Choosing Your Destiny,” sponsored by Enterprise.

Susanna Gotsch of CCC Information Services Inc. then presented “Smart Connections: What the Future Holds for Our Industry.” Acknowleging the general recovery of the US economy bolstered by an average of 246,000 jobs added monthly in 2014.

Even though miles driven dipped during the recession, 88.7% of employed individuals still commute to work in a privately owned vehicle. More driving results in more accidents.

Gotsch touched on the likely pos-

Mike Anderson Says “Choose Your Destiny” at WIN

CollisionAdvice.com’s Mike Anderson was the keynote speaker at WIN 2015. Anderson energetically hopped onstage to begin a highly entertaining, interactive presentation filled with personal anecdotes ranging from uproariously comical to tearfully touching.

Attendees shouted, danced and sang at various points during Choosing Your Destiny: The Three C’s of Life. Choices.

Chances. Changes. Throughout his presentation, Anderson interwove anecdotes about his challenges having Tourette syndrome.

Anderson talked about how he joined his father’s collision repair shop after returning home from the military.

After taking the shop over, he abided by the philosophy “you don’t steal fish

from someone else’s pond.” Instead of recruiting employees from other shops, Anderson found people from overseas through an AIPT program, and he also invested heavily in Skills USA and in women as he looked to the industry’s future. Anderson was well-known for his skill in estimatics and DuPont Performance Coatings (now Axalta) enlisted his aid to teach classes, launching his career in consulting. Anderson sold his shops and founded CollisionAdvice.com, an on-site consulting firm for shops. He also facilitates 20 groups in the US and Canada, so he spends much of his time traveling and speaking on industry issues. “I’m not married and I don’t have kids; I decided this industry would be my legacy.”

This legacy includes providing opportunities for the next generation through Skills USA as well as by promoting opportunities for women. Anderson said, “A big problem in this industry is a lack of trust. We spend a lot of money on checks and balances, but in order to put this industry back in good standing, we need to regain trust.”

Anderson praised WIN’s effort to encourage, develop and cultivate opportunities to attract women to the collision repair industry. On behalf of CollisionAdvice.com, he donated $1000 to

40 JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

sibility of a shortage of qualified repair technicians and the introduction of autonomous vehicles. In terms of accident frequency trending, she predicts slow but steady shifts.

Gotsch also pointed how insurance has changed in the last 10 years: how it’s written, marketed, sold and priced has all changed. Auto claim severity trending is up about 3% per year, while claim frequency has also risen by 3.5% annually. Gotsch credits this to the increased frequency of storms that leads to the necessity for repairs.

Gotsch examined increases in auto sales and the impact of regulatory changes on the repair process. Over 90% of new vehicles sold in 2014 contained at least one part constructed with lightweight material, just one fact leading to increases in vehicle complexity. A lot more happens with these cars when they’re in the shops in terms of technological advances in safety features and programming. She noted, “The auto segment is dealing with the transition from a primarily mechanical-based industry to a software-based industry.”

Gotsch predicted, “While collision avoidance is ultimately a good thing, it will force shops to adapt to the new market to stay afloat. The market will see fewer but more expensive repairs.”

New vehicle sales have returned to pre-recession levels, Gotsch stated, and the average age of repairable vehicles has increased and is now reaching a plateau; however, there is no foreseeable plateau in the average age of total loss vehicles. Average repair costs have risen over the past four quarters, and due to OEM price-matching programs, OEM parts are seeing increased utilization.

Meanwhile, labor rates have increased moderately, as vehicle scrap rates have fallen. In closing, Gotsch noted that we are living in a “100-year-old ecosystem that’s screaming for change and technology. There’s potential for continued change, but we need to be able to adapt.

There are a lot of changing features and changes in the marketplace, but the marketplace is healthy and growing.”

The Annual Membership Meeting, led by WIN Chair Denise Caspersen reminded attendees that the organization’s mission is to provide education, offer networking opportunities and to recognize leaders. She introduced WIN’s 2015 Strategic Initiatives, which include growing the WIN network and building the organizational capacity necessary to better serve their growing network.

Next, Caspersen introduced WIN’s Board members for 2015-16. WIN’s Executive Committee for 2015–16 will in-

WIN’s Scholarship Industry Walk. He employs four women full-time whereas his two part-time employees are both male. When he owned a shop, he did not participate in DRPs, but as a consultant, “I found that there are quality DRP shops and non-DRP shops that perform poor quality repairs; I’ve also met ethical insurance people who want to do the right thing. I realized that I was wrong because I was judgmental. The first step to Choosing Your Destiny is to own your stuff, be transparent and admit when you’re wrong. WIN encourages positive dialogue, but you have to choose to be positive every day.”

Anderson believes that most people in life settle for less because they’re scared of change. “People often think they’re not worthy, but life is too short.

You have a right to have your needs met. Too many people look at change in terms of cost instead of gain, but most people only use 10 percent of their potential, which means they’re leaving 90 percent on the table!”

Anderson believes it’s time to gather statistics on women in various fields, and he challenges I-CAR to undertake the initiative. He insists that men and women have the same capabilities. “It may not be the easiest path, but you can accomplish anything with

determination; it’s not the strongest opponent who wins but the one with the strongest will.”

Anderson encouraged attendees to get out of their comfort zones. “Don’t worry about what others think. Worry about your character, not your reputation. Your character is who you are, and your reputation is who others think you are. If you’re trying to pretend that something else is holding you back, stop it!”

Recalling his fear to ask girls to dance at school events in his youth, Anderson admitted that fear was the only thing holding him back, and he urged the audience to let go of that fear because “the fear is worse than what really happens. You can’t innovate from within your comfort zone—the magic happens when you step outside of your comfort zone.”

“Ignore critics. Most people take themselves out of the game before even trying because they listen to their negative internal dialogue, which prevents them from seeing the opportunities in front of them. The only thing standing between you and your goal is the story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it,” Anderson admonished.

“Quit telling yourself you’re not worthy because you ARE!”

See WIN, Page 52

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www.autobodynews.com | JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 41

Continued from Page 40

WIN

clude Denise Caspersen as Chair, Petra Schroeder as Vice Chair and Melissa Miller as Administrative Vice Chair.

Beverly Rook-Twibell will serve as Treasurer with Jessica Rob acting as Secretary. Margaret Knell is WIN’s Immediate Past Chair.

WIN’s Cornerstone Award is designed to recognize the efforts of a member whose actions and unique contributions demonstrate her commitment to the WIN mission and vision and who also sets an example for others. This year’s winner was Susanna Gotsch, a popular choice.

Ruth Weniger of Powerful Business Strategies LLC then led an exercise on the Value of WIN. Weniger asked attendees to share the value they get from WIN. One attendee noted, “This is where I come to get my inspiration.”

Caspersen asked WIN members to consider joining the association’s committees. 357 members have been added so far this year, compared to 371 at the end of 2014. Updates were provided by the Marketing and Communications, Scholarship, Sponsorship, Governance, Nominating, MIW and Industry Outreach Committees.

Attendees then proceeded to two of

three 30-minute sessions. The first option was “Feedback: Giving and Receiving”

by Marianne Godwin and Mary Yama of Mitchell International. Noting that most people are terrified of feedback because it’s rarely good, Godwin stated, but, “Feedback is a gift. If it’s given in the right manner, something can happen.”

Giving quality feedback includes behavior and its impact. Next, perspective, and then a suggestion or request.

After demonstrating, Yama and Godwin asked attendees to practice in pairs.

Chair Denise Capersen introducing WIN’s 2015-16 Board to Conference attendees

“Reality Marketing” with Cheryl Senko of PPG Industries reviewed the general small business environment and your customer’s perspectives, opinions, challenges and pains. Defining your ideal customer and considering solutions to the inconvenience, loss of vehicle value and use, and unexpected expenses. Reality Marketing develops compelling “headlines” to address the customer’s discomfort and your solutions to create an emotional

OEMs Commit to Providing Training at NACE-CARS

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Nissan, Toyota, and Volkswagen will provide training at NACE | CARS in Detroit on July 21 to 25. Several of these companies will be using this year’s show as a platform to launch new training programs.

“The support and participation of the car manufacturers is a significant and a historical development.

Although they’ve provided training in the past, the industry has never experienced so many classes being introduced for the first time at one event. Service and repair professionals will benefit from attending, learning directly from the car manufacturers on how to repair the cars of today and tomorrow,” sys Dan Risley, ASA President & Executive Director.

The OEMs have an opportunity to serve several segments of the automotive industry at one event. Leadership representing the collision, service repair, and insurance markets will be in attendance to gain insight on the latest in carbon fibre, high-strength steel, and aluminum repair, as well as service ready information and telematics.

In addition to exhibit floor displays and demonstrations, several of

connection. Building on the description of the ideal customer, headlines capture the essence of what you can do for your customer by featuring what makes your business remarkable.

The third breakout session was “Bridging Silos: Using Marketing Concepts to Attract, Retain and Grow Talent” with Sandra Herron of MiddlEdge, Inc. A WIN member survey of the most pressing issues identified: 1) aging workforce and a lack of younger, trained employees; 2) finding skilled, trained technicians and

the car manufacturers will display new model vehicles. Attendees can expect to see presentations, seminars, and training on the most up-to-date OEM technologies. Many of the OEM training programs are complimentary with the purchase of an Expo Pass.

OEM training sessions include: ■ GM New Vehicle Technology ■ 2015 F-150 Repair Information ■ Toyota Presents: Repair Planning the Toyota Way ■ Volkswagen Presents: Service Ready ■ Honda Presents: Service Ready ■ I-CAR: 2015 Ford F-150 Structural Repair Training Course ■ Aluminum Repair on the Corvette Stingray Three new courses are also debuting at NACE | CARS: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Presents: Carbon Fiber, Honda & Acura High Strength Steel Repair and GM Presents: Cadillac CT6 Collision Repair.

A statement from show management says this level of training and information exchange is unique to NACE | CARS 2015 and offers owners, management, and technicians an opportunity to gain repair knowledge important to their businesses.

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42 JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

reinforcing a pride in their craft; 3) employee involvement; and 4) retaining quality employees.

Herron believes applying marketing tools to HR challenges is logical because employee behavior mimics consumer behavior and customer satisfaction is closely correlated to employee satisfaction.

Good marketing begins with good research. Listening to the workforce also allows for decision-making based on

facts, rather than intuition and feelings.

Herron explained segmentation which is the art and science of grouping customers with similar needs and preferences, as well as targeting, the process of identifying niches with specific, actionable needs and preferences. Positioning is the process of branding the organization in the mind of the target market.

Herron explained how marketing people use the “marketing mix” to build capabilities for delivering on the customer promise, and this consists of produce, price, placing and promotion.

Because marketing people know that both markets and consumer expectations change, they stay on top of trends. Likewise, when it comes to collision repair industry businesses interested in attracting and retaining quality employees, it’s important to heed relevant trends, such as learning opportunities, salary data and competitor benefits.

WIN held their Gala Dinner and Most Influential Women Award ceremony on the last evening. On Wednesday morning, Sean Carey of SGC Management Consultants Inc. presented Connected Cars/Connected Claims followed

by Ruth Weniger’s Time Management ‘There’s No Such Thing.’

As the 2015 WIN Educational Conference concluded, all in attendance seemed in agreement that the event was successful, informative and inspirational.

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WIN Congratulates 2015 MIW Honorees, Scholarship Recipients at Educational Conference

On Tuesday, May 6, WIN ended their day of educational training with a Gala Dinner and Award Ceremony in recognition of their 2015 Most Influential Women (MIW) honorees and 2015 scholarship recipients. After dinner, where photos of past and present MIW honorees were prominently displayed, WIN members and guests gathered to toast WIN as association Chair Denise Caspersen emphasized the importance of recognizing women in the industry.

2015 scholarship recipients. (l to r) Shelby Woods, Faith Schoovaerts, Leni Casares, Claudia Felici, Corina Rutland

Beverly Rook-Twibell and Petra Schroeder, Scholarship Committee Co-Chairs, then recognized WIN’s 2015 scholarship recipients. Jasmine Herrera from Main East High School received the scholarship for a second-

ary school. Also absent from the event were post-secondary scholarship recipients Kayla Adams of TN College of Applied Technology and Maria Carmen Mendez from Universal Technical Institute. Post-secondary scholarship winners were: Shelby Woods from Southwestern IA Community College, Faith Schoovaerts of Washburn Tech, Lake Technical Center’s Leni Casares, Claudia Felici of TX State Technical College, and Corina Rutland from Moultrie Technical College.

WIN Sponsorship Chair Susanna Gotsch and Marcy Tieger reminded everyone that MIW began in 1999 under Akzo-Nobel. Emphasizing the importance of networking, Gotsch admitted that women generally aren’t as effective at this as men, “but MIWs don’t have that problem. Effective leaders engage with each other in a way that inspires ideas.”

The first 2015 MIW recognized was Cheryl Boswell of DCR Systems LLC. She recognized her father as her inspiration. Lauren Fix, the Car Coach, was honored next, and she urged attendees to “Remember: nothing can stop you but yourself.” Lisa Siembab of CARSTAR and Executive Director of ASA-CT said, “there are no shortcuts to anyplace worth

going.” Ruth Weniger said she wanted to be “someone who is leaving something good behind.”

Caspersen again thanked attendees as the evening resumed with cocktails and socializing. WIN’s 2015 MIW awards were sponsored by ABRA Auto Body and Glass, AkzoNobel, AllState, AudaExplore, Enterprise, Nationwide, CCC Information Services, Mitchell,

MIW winners with event announcers. (l to r) Marcy Tieger, Cheryl Boswell, Lisa Siembab, Ruth Weniger, Lauren Fix, Susanna Gotsch, Denise Caspersen

OEM Collision Repair Roundtable, PPG, Safelite Solutions, SCA Appraisal Company, and Valspar Automotive.

WIN also acknowleged its returning board members include: ● Amy Nuttall, USAA ● Beverly Rook-Twibell, Safelite So-

lutions ● Denise Caspersen, National Autobody Parts Warehouse ● Jaclyn Byers, Estimatics Team Manager, State Farm Insurance Co. ● Jessica Rob, Business Service Development Specialist, Akzo Nobel Coatings, Inc. ● Katie Henwood, Axalta Coatings Systems ● Margaret Knell, I-CAR ● Marie Peevy, Owner, Automotive Training Coordinators, LLC. ● Melissa Miller, CARSTAR Franchise Systems ● Michelle Sullivan, Akzo Nobel Coatings, Inc. ● Nina Pedraza-Zinna, Director of Field Operations, SCA Appraisal ● Petra Schroeder, Axalta Coatings Systems ● Shellie Andrews, Dana’s Collision ● Susanna Gotsch, CCC Information Services ● Terri Neely, Nagy’s Collision Centers ● Trish Gould, Controller/Human Resources, Keenan Auto Body New board members were introduced and officially welcomed: ● Cheryl Boswell, DCR Systems ● Yen Hoang, UYL Finishing

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Nationwide Advocates Automated Mobile Hail Estimating for Faster Hail and Dent Repair In the aftermath of an auto hail claim, one of the most frustrating matters to deal with is the waiting and wondering.

Nationwide says it has found a way to put customers’ minds at ease by introducing a quicker and more accurate way to estimate hail damage—Automated Mobile Hail Estimating. The program was piloted last year after a catastrophic event and will be rolled out across the country as an optional service in the coming months. Nationwide is the first carrier to implement this program as part of its claims strategy.

“This is a game-changing innovation that could significantly set the standard for how the industry identifies and estimates hail damage,” said

Patrick Burnett, Nationwide associate vice president of material damage claims. “Our goal is to make the vehicle repair process as painless as possible by providing our customers with quick, accurate vehicle repair information on their time.”

The technology uses a number of state-of-the-art high-definition cameras and proprietary software to provide a number of advantages, including: Mobile location – The new tool is a mobile unit that is pulled with a truck and may be set up and operational in almost any environment within a few hours of reaching the site.

Improved accuracy – State-ofthe-art cameras quickly and precisely

identify size of dents on a panel and extent of damage. The tool can count and differentiate the various sizes (nickel, dime, etc.) and then creates a splatter diagram of the vehicle showing each dent.

Documentation – The information and splatter diagram, which can be compiled into a user-friendly report for customers, can be preserved and compared to any future claim.

Simplicity – Nationwide is working toward system integration, which will allow hail data to feed into its estimating system, mitigating the work associated with taking a report and manually entering damage information into a separate estimating system.

Expedited estimates – Enhanced

accuracy in identifying damage means a reduction in supplemental estimates and total reduced time. The actual scanning process takes minutes, and the back-end printouts are available in less than 10 minutes significantly reducing the amount of time and resources necessary to finalize a complete hail estimate.

“We implemented Nationwide Automated Mobile Hail Estimating with the customer in mind,” added Burnett.

“Nationwide’s decision to offer Nationwide Automated Mobile Hail Estimating confirms our commitment to the needs and concerns of our valued customers and improves the Nationwide On Your Side experience.”

Sixth Circuit Clarifies Proof Required to Show Below-Cost Pricing in Auto Parts Antitrust Case An antitrust attorney, D. Gil Schuette with law firm Butler Snow has reported that a recent Sixth Circuit decision clarified the minimum standard a plaintiff must meet to prove a claim of below-cost pricing under either the concerted or independent antitrust provisions of the Sherman Act. In Superior Production Partnership, d/b/a/ PBSI v. Gordon Auto Body Parts Co., Ltd; Gordon Auto Body Parts USA Corp., No. 13-4466, Gordon Auto Body Parts (“Gordon”), a Taiwanese company, was an early entrant to the US market for replacement truck hoods. Superior Production Partnership (“PBSI”) eventually entered the market for certain replacement hoods but found that it could not match the prices

of Gordon or several other Taiwanese firms. Believing that Gordon and the other firms were conspiring to drive it out of business, PBSI brought antitrust claims against Gordon.

The district court granted Gordon’s motion for summary judgment after resolving several discovery disputes and a key Daubert motion. On appeal, the Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court’s discovery rulings and affirmed the summary judgment because it agreed that PBSI failed to make any showing that Gordon’s prices were below an appropriate measure of cost.

After an involved discussion concerning various discovery disputes, the Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court’s admission of Gordon’s expert

Google’s Self-Driving Cars Have been Involved in 11 Minor Not-at-Fault Accidents in Past Six Years

Google’s self-driving cars have been involved in 11 minor accidents over the past six years, the company acknowledged. The cars were being tested on roads and highways in California.

According to the Associated Press, Google released the number on May 11, after AP reported the tech giant had notified the state of three collisions involving its selfdriving cars had occurred since September—at which point the permits for testing on public roads required all accidents to be reported.

“Not once was the self-driving car the cause of the accident,” Director of Google’s self-driving car Program, Chris Urmson, said in the report.

Urmson wrote in a web post that all 11 accidents involved light damage and did not result in any in-

jury, adding that the incidents occurred over 1.7 million miles of testing, almost 1 million of which were covered in self-driving mode.

AP could not verify Google’s comments about the fault and nature of the accidents. According to the report, Google did not release documentation, and the California Department of Motor Vehicles cited confidentiality when approached for details. The agency has licensed 48 of the test cars, AP reports.

Nevada, Michigan and Florida have also passed laws permitting the testing of self-driving cars on their roads, according to the report. AP says regulators in these states are unaware of any accidents.

44 JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

report and the rejection of PBSI’s expert report on the grounds that PBSI’s expert report: (1) would not assist a factfinder in determining Gordon’s intent under the Sherman act, and (2) relied on an inapplicable predation test – the “no economic sense” test. Essentially, PBSi’s expert report replaced the mandatory “price-cost comparison” with vague references to “predatory intent.”

As it turned out, PBSI’s inadmissible expert report proved fatal to its claims. The Sixth Circuit reasoned that PBSI, without the benefit of its expert opinion, had “little to support an essential part of its case.” The key takeaway from this case is that some form of a “price-cost” matrix along with evidence that shows “sales below cost” is essential to get past a defendant’s motion for summary judgment.

ARA Attends 2015 ISRI Annual Convention

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

On April 21-25, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) held their 2015 Annual Convention in

Vancouver, Canada. The Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) was represented by their CEO Michael Wilson and President Ricky Young. Wilson notes, “The event went very well and was well-attended by recyclers of all trades, including many automotive recyclers and ARA members.”

Lauded as the largest gathering of recycling professionals in the world, the ISRI convention provided professional automotive recyclers with the opportunity to attend various educational seminars on critical

issues impacting the scrap recycling and automotive recycling industries.

In addition to general business topics like managing employees, ARA members took particular interest in sessions pertaining to the scrap metal market, problem of metals theft, exports and interactions with law enforcement.

Wilson explains, “Participation in the ISRI Conference is important to ARA and ARA members for many reasons. Many professional automotive recyclers also operate scrap metal processing arms of their business and interact daily with ISRI member companies. Legislation often has an impact on both industries as well.”

Young and Wilson also met with ISRI leaders to discuss ways that the associations can collaborate to benefit both industries. ARA’s exhibit on the trade show floor promoted their upcoming 72nd Annual Convention, scheduled for October 7-10 in Charlotte, NC as a means of encouraging scrap recyclers to attend this fall’s event, creating even greater cooperation between the two industries.

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Lead Lawyer for MDL Plaintiffs in FL Discusses New Developments, ‘Bellwether’ Proposal

by Stacey Phillips, Assistant Editor

Autobody News recently spoke to John Eaves Jr. of Eaves Law Firm about the recent developments with the antitrust multidistrict litigation taking place in Florida, in which body shops across the country are alleging “steering” and other retaliatory practices by the nation’s top insurers.

Eaves is the lead attorney for the plaintiffs on the case: A&E Auto Body, Inc., et al vs. 21st Century Centennial Insurance Company, et al.

He said that during their regularly scheduled monthly hearing in May, Florida Magistrate Judge Thomas Smith suggested preparing a “bellwether” case to move the lawsuit along faster. Typically, in a bellwether trial the judge and parties select a representative sample from the parties involved to move the overall litigation toward a resolution.

The Jackson, Mississippi-based firm is currently preparing a motion to implement this type of trial. Eaves explained that this often happens in a mass torte case and will speed things up tremendously. After this is imple-

mented, Eaves will continue to file cases brought on by body shops in additional states and a court date will be set.

In the meantime, the firm has been collecting affidavits and specific information from body shops and former adjusters across the country to include as part of the injunction they are filing.

“We’ve been getting additional details from the shops; those kinds of details that show the collaboration within the insurance industry in order to oppress the shops collectively,” said Eaves. “We are 90 percent prepared to file an injunction to stop the steering and retaliatory practices of those body shops that we represent.”

He said that any shop owner or employee that has proof or evidence he or she would like to share can be added to this injunction, whether or not Eaves Law Firm is representing them.

“We still want all we can get to make this a clear case to truly show the judge at the next phase what the shops are enduring,” said Eaves. Originally filed in February 2014, the an-

Service King Launches Military Veterans Hiring Initiative Service King announced the launch of a long-term veterans hiring initiative Mission 2 Hire.

The Mission 2 Hire initiative is a pledge by Service King officials to hire at least 500 U.S. Armed Forces Veterans, their spouses or active duty personnel within the next five years.

The figure equates to about 10 percent of Service King’s current staff across its network of more than 235 collision repair facilities in 21 states.

“By nature, military personnel posses some of the most valuable skillsets that we look for in our hiring process,” said Service King CEO Chris Abraham. “U.S. Armed Forces veterans and their family members have bravely served our country and fought for our freedom. Now, it’s our turn to serve them as they make the difficult transition to civilian life.”

As part of the initiative, Service King is partnering with USAA and Hiring Our Heroes as well as other veteran assistance programs across the country to promote career opportunities for military veterans in the industry. Service King’s initiative launched as an extension of private equity investor Blackstone and its Veterans Initiative, which aims to hire a total of 50,000 veterans across

its portfolio.

“Service King’s Mission 2 Hire initiative is a strong step forward in promoting valuable career opportunities for our military veterans and their spouses,” said Sandy Ogg, Operating Partner, Blackstone. “Service King offers a wealth of career paths in the automotive repair industry that coincide with the very skillsets that so many veterans already possess.

This long-term commitment, in conjunction with Blackstone’s very own Veterans Initiative, is poised to make a difference in the lives of thousands of our military heroes.”

Service King also launched a new website, www.Mission2Hire.careers, specifically tailored to military veterans and their families. Service King will also celebrate current military veterans and their families on the official company blog, The Service Advisor, and across its social media channels throughout the month of May. For information, visit: www.Mission2Hire.careers or www.

ServiceKing.com.

titrust suits were consolidated in August and now more than 500 auto body shops in 36 states are part of the multi-district litigation.

Earlier this year, Judge Gregory Presnell had dismissed a large portion of the federal lawsuits without prejudice, meaning they can be re-filed. This was followed by a dismissal of cases in Louisiana, Tennessee and Utah in April.

Eaves is currently rewriting the lawsuits to include more specific information from the shops.

Another recent development occurred in April when defendant Old Republic Insurance Company moved for entry of sanctions, including an award of attorneys’ fees and expenses against the plaintiffs for “…asserting frivolous claims unsupported by existing law and lacking in evidentiary support and for engaging in vexatious litigation for the improper purpose of harassing Old Republic and needlessly increasing the cost of litigation,” according to court documents.

In response, the plaintiffs stated that the “Defendants Motion for Sanctions is without legal or factual merit.

It is effectively a regurgitation of ar-

guments previously made and already ruled upon by the Court. The Motion fails to put forward any facts or authority to establish the allegations against Defendant are frivolous. Denied by Defendant? Yes. Frivolous?

No.” The plaintiffs went on to request that the Motion for Sanctions be denied.

Regarding Old Republic’s Motion for Sanctions, Eaves said “We don’t believe there is any merit. We have a good cause, and a good case and that is a standard defense attorney tactic that’s used. I think you’ll see pretty soon that the judge will not honor that request.”

Old Republic is represented by Fox Rothschild LLP and lawyers for the insurance company did not respond for comment.

No decision had been made by Judge Presnell as of press time.

The next regularly scheduled hearing for the multi-district lawsuit is Friday, June 5.

Anyone with information that would like to share with Eaves Law Firm, should contact steve@eaves law.com

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The Martin Senour Company Announces 2015 Third Quarter Training Schedule

The Martin Senour Company announced its 2015 third quarter training schedule, with courses running from July 1–September 30. Training courses emphasize painter certification and maximizing shop profits, and will be held at Martin Senour training facilities nationwide.

Martin Senour Automotive Finishes Director of Sales Jeff Hartl noted that the brand’s training sessions are designed to help shop owners, managers and technicians better execute environmentally responsible practices and improve their repair techniques with today’s innovative painting systems.

Hartl also pointed to Martin Senour’s highly successful showing at the recent NAPA EXPO in Las Vegas, NV. “More than 100 collision repair facility owners, managers and techs, along with a large number of our existing and prospective jobbers, all learned how to best maximize their profits while increasing productivity and repair quality using Martin Senour products,” he said.

In particular, Martin Senour professionals will teach the following course topics during the third quarter of 2015: ● Pro//BASE™ Refinish System Painter Certification ● VORTEX® Waterborne Painter Cer-

tification ● Estimating Solutions for Profit ● Color Adjustment and Blending ● Improving Workshop Efficiency ● Achieving Service Excellence ● Fleet FGP ● Jobber Level 1 A complete listing and schedule of the 2015 third quarter Martin Senour training schedule, course descriptions and training center locations is as follows: Atlanta 7/13/2015, Painter Certification, 3 days

7/13/2015, Color Adjustment and Blending, 3 days

7/16/2015, Estimating Solutions for Profit, 1 day

7/17/2015, Improving Workshop Efficiency, 1 day 7/17/2015, Achieving Service Excellence, 1 day

Chicago 8/3/2015, Pro//BASE™ Refinish System Painter Certification, 2 days 9/14/2015, Painter Certification, 3 days

Dallas 9/14/2015, Painter Certification, 3 days Philadelphia 7/20/2015, Fleet FGP, 3 days

7/23/2015 Pro//BASE™ Refinish System Painter Certification, 2 days 9/14/2015, Fleet FGP, 3 days

9/17/2015, Pro//BASE™ Refinish System Painter Certification, 2 days

Reno 7/6/2015, Vortex® Waterborne Painter Certification, 3 days 7/13/2015, Jobber Level 1, 4 days 8/31/2015, Fleet FGP, 3 days

9/14/2015, Vortex® Waterborne Painter Certification, 3 days 9/28/2015, Jobber Level 1, 4 days

For more information regarding the Martin Senour training or its paint products, visit the training section at www.martinsenour-autopaint.com or call 1-800-526-6704.

FL Bans Insurance Premiums Based on Shopping Habits

Florida’s top regulator is barring insurers from charging consumers more not because of their risk or their driving records—but their shopping habits.

A state memo deals with “price optimization,” which can mean charging higher premiums to consumers considered less likely to shop around.

Florida is the fourth state to ban price optimization, following Maryland, Ohio and California, according to a consumer group that pushed for the move.

“Most Americans are required by law to buy auto insurance and by their mortgage company to buy homeowners insurance, and it is terribly unfair and entirely illegal for insurance companies to vary premiums based on whether or not they are statistically likely to shop around,” said J. Robert Hunter, director of insurance for the Consumer Federation of America and former Texas Insurance Commissioner. “It is the obligation of Insurance Commissioners to protect consumers from this kind of price gouging, and we applaud Commissioner McCarty for his action.” Insurance groups said there is no universal definition of price optimization.

GM Reaffirms Commitment to Launching MyPriceLink

GM announced on May 12 that the company is still committed to its collision parts initiative, MyPriceLink.

MyPriceLink is a free automated “real time” pricing program devel-

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In November 2014, GM announced the implementation of MyPriceLink. A week later, the company delayed the launch based on industry feedback and said it was going to work on enhancing and streamlining the workflow for all collision industry partners.

Since then, the company has gained feedback from industry players including the GM Dealer Network, information providers, dealer management systems, independent

body shops, collision associations and insurance providers.

In addition, GM has been working with industry estimating suppliers such as AudaExplore, CCC Information Services and Mitchell International to integrate with MyPriceLink.

In the interim, GM has continued to publish list prices for collision parts.

The company said the next step prior to launching the product is a market test planned at various locations this summer.

“We are taking this step to ensure MyPriceLink, when launched, will be an integrated technology solution that the collision industry will be able to use with minimal disruption to their existing workflow,” GM said in a press release.

“GM appreciates the industry interest and support MyPriceLink has received and looks forward to announcing the official industry launch of MyPriceLink in the near future,” the company added. “GM is committed to improving and streamlining processes that allow us to provide our customers with original parts, ensuring proper fit, function, safety and appearance, and returning their vehicle to pre-accident condition.”

www.autobodynews.com | JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 47

Society of Collision Repair Specialists Addresses IP Auto Renewal Clauses During the association’s open board meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) announced communication efforts on behalf of the industry to address automatic renewal terms with information service providers (IPs) AudaExplore, CCC and Mitchell. SCRS had fielded concerns from different members in varying areas of the country who were involved in complications surrounding the automatic renewals of their contracts. As a result of these conversations, SCRS posed the following questions to the IPs: The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) has received communication from our membership surrounding some of the standard terms and conditions found within your company’s license agreement. Specifically, there has been concern expressed surrounding the “evergreen” clause found in the terms of the agreement which commits the enduser to a perpetually renewing contract, unless the end-user provides written notice ninety (90) days prior to the conclusion of the existing term.

SCRS, and your customers who have expressed concerns over the term condition, both understand the value of auto-renewal terms and commitments, and have no objection to the ongoing use of auto-renewal language. However,

CREF Receives Charity Navigator’s Highest Rating

For the second consecutive year, the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) received Charity Navigator’s highest rating for sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency. Charity Navigator has awarded the CREF an “exceptional” ranking of four stars out of a possible four, demonstrating adherence to good governance and fiscal responsibility. The CREF awarded nearly $14 million in support to high school and college collision school programs in 2014, with 94 cents of every dollar donated being returned to this group.

CREF Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode noted, “It is important for our donors to know that their support is being responsibly allocated to collision school programs in need. We are extremely pleased to receive the Four Star rating for the second consecutive year and this will display to both current and prospective donors that our organization is one of the best in the country.”

For info on Charity Navigator, visit www.charitynavigator.org. For info on CREF, contact Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode at 847463-5244 or Brandon.Eckenrode@ ed-foundation.org.

transparency between end-users and their service providers is important to our membership and we believe, to your full customer base.

We are writing to better understand the reasoning behind your existing contract renewal process, and to inquire whether your company would consider adoption of a more proactive notification system prior to auto-renewal.

With terms often extending for lengthy periods of time, many business owners do not have recollection of the exact date that the current term expires, or the date by which they have a duty to opt-out of the renewal if they so desire. It is our belief that your company would provide a great service to the industry by providing a written notification prior to the deadline for notification, reminding clients that their current contract term is ending, and that their subscription will be automatically renewed unless they provide written response within a defined period of time.

This notification would seemingly protect your interest in a newly renewed contract term, and would provide the end-users the opportunity to responsibly manage their account. We understand that contracts between the service provider and the user are individual business agreements, but we hope that

Shawn Hezar Joins Caliber Collision as Senior VP

Caliber Collision Centers announced that Shawn Hezar, former owner of three California collision repair locations, has joined the company as Senior Vice President–Strategic Accounts.

Caliber Collision recently acquired Hezar’s three California collision repair locations in Covina, Huntington Beach and Upland.

“We are extremely excited that Shawn has agreed to join Caliber’s Executive Team,” said Steve Grimshaw, Caliber Collision Centers’ CEO. “Shawn’s 30 years of hands-on industry experience will be invaluable in driving Caliber’s strategic partnership programs.”

“Joining Caliber represents a wonderful opportunity to help drive the company’s carrier relationships to the next level through innovative, next generation strategic partnership programs,” stated Hezar, former owner of Platinum Coachworks, Apex Auto Body and Alpine Collision Center.

Hezar returns to Caliber Collision after being a member of the management team from 1999-2003.

Hezar’s collision repair experience includes operations to client services to OEM certifications, as well as numerous startups in the industry.

48 JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

your company sees equal value in providing transparency in the transition between contract renewals. If there are reasons you are unable to adopt a more transparent notification process, we ask that you justify that reasoning so that we can pass that on to our membership.

As a result of the inquiry, AudaExplore provided a return letter advising that “beginning June 1st, 2015, all new contracts for repairers will continue to have an evergreen clause,” but “subsequent renewal terms will only be for one year, regardless of the initial term length.” The company also committed to apply this policy retroactively to existing client contracts on a case-by-case basis, and to research a potential future solution to facilitate an automated notification of an upcoming renewal.

CCC’s written response highlighted the benefits of the auto-renew feature, and pointed out existing language within their standard master license agreement where “there is a provision that provides [their] customers an opportunity to communicate their intent to not renew the agreement.” It was their position that “this provision provides an appropriate mechanism for both parties to manage the contract renewal process.”

Mitchell responded via email concluding that while “there is no contracting

process that will delight every customer, we believe our current approach to autorenew at like term serves the needs of our broad and diverse customer base well with the smallest amount of service disruption possible.” Further email communications to elaborate on their current process resulted in a response stating “all of [Mitchell's] contracts have an autorenew clause. That clause does allow the shop to cancel with notification at their renewal date. [Mitchell's] current process does not include a renewal notification.”

“Part of SCRS’s purpose is to advocate for better business conditions on behalf of our membership,” shared SCRS Chairman Andy Dingman. “When there are broad sweeping policies in place that could be adjusted to better serve our industry, we see value in identifying and seeking improvement. We are pleased that with at least two of the three IPs the communication resulted in either an improvement in the renewal approach or clarification that options exist for the consumer to avoid auto-renewal altogether, should they desire.”

SCRS urges collision repair businesses to pay close attention to terms and commitments of all contracts prior to entering into any agreement. For information or to join SCRS, contactinfo@scrs.com or visit www.scrs.com.

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MyCrsmanager Management Software System Usable Over Smartphone Devices

by Stacey Phillips, Assistant Editor

After investing four years creating and beta testing a management software system for the collision repair industry, Robert Williams recently launched MyCrsmanager (CRS). Williams, the owner of Foxwood Collision Center in

Fresno, CA, said his intent was to build a system that would offer administrative staff a user friendly program to improve communication with customers and vendors, as well as help shop owners better manage their businesses in order to save time and money.

“CRS is intended to be used for more than just a management system.

We have a manager and customer app for the iPhone and android devices so you can actually run your business from anywhere,” said Williams. “My ultimate goal is to get body shops to realize there is an alternative to what they’re used to.”

First introduced in November 2014, MyCrsmanager software is a cloud-based program that imports estimates from CCC, ADP and Mitchell, allowing the user to price, order, receive and return parts and supplies directly online. Customers receive real time status updates automatically as technicians log in and out of the stages of production.

Using the CRS apps, supplements and delays can be sent to customers for signatures or as customer updates from an administrative PC, tablet and/or smart phone. Each CRS customer has

his or her own web page tracking the repair from start to finish, with the capability of storing photos and videos.

Williams said there are many ways to use the program and allow a shop owner to save hours of time on the phone with vendors, car rental companies and customers.

“The program is designed to send notifications via e-mail, text and/or phone messages to the customer prior to the scheduled appointment, throughout the repair, and after the repair is complete,” he said. Rental car companies receive a notification prior to the customer picking up a rental car and a notification when the customer vehicle has been picked up, with complete timeline documentation within every customer RO. Parts and supply vendors receive pricing requests, electronic orders and returns, which Williams said virtually eliminates the need to call vendors.

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Williams said one of the key features of the software program is its own internal accounting module, eliminating the need for an additional accounting software system. The accounting module fully integrates with QuickBooks and has been adapted for MSO operators. “The program captures and financially evaluates every aspect of every repair,” he said.

It electronically sends initial and follow up insurance notifications to the customer as well as automatically reaching out to a potential customer at designated intervals by e-mail and text in an attempt to close a sale.

The employee time clock not only tracks in and out times and production stage, but also allows the employee to schedule vacations, PTO and internally message administration.

The shop calendar documents upcoming customer arrivals, estimator, technician and admin appointments. The

program includes a department value summary with a breakdown of every department percentage of in process sales. A consignment paint cabinet module notifies the vendors directly of inventory count.

Bringing About Change Williams was running Foxwood Collision out of a 7,000 square foot location when he was presented with an opportunity to purchase an old theater for his business in 2003. After a year of remodeling the 24,000 square foot space, he relocated in 2004.

After the move, Williams said his business grew from earning $100,000 in 2005 to nearly $500,000 by 2008.

“When doing all of this volume, the software programs on the market couldn’t fulfill my needs as a body shop owner,” said Williams. “What I tried to do is write a lot of this stuff out and put in on boards in the shop … to manage the business and make it operate more efficiently and have the customer more involved.”

The business owner began to implement various methods to better communicate with his customers. He said that with the amount of cars they were working on at that time the employees sometimes had to move vehicles to a different dealership to work on the repairs before bringing them back.

An issue came up when Williams was driving a Camero to a muffler shop and happened to see the owner of the vehicle who wasn’t aware his car had been removed from the premises.

After that experience, Williams set up a white board in his shop and asked employees to write down every time a vehicle leaves the shop. He wanted to improve the way he gave consumers a status report on their vehicles.

Williams was finding that these challenges were slowing down his cycle time. With 40 bays and 60 employees running three shifts Williams said, “I had to find a better way.”

Then in 2008 the industry implemented changes that affected his business. One of these was that insurance companies began conducting thirdparty surveys and enforcing them. “If you weren’t in the top tier, they would put you on hold so you wouldn’t get that work and other shops would,” said Williams, who was a DRP for several insurance companies during that time.

In response, he began investigatSee MyCrsmanager, Page 51

www.autobodynews.com | JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 49

Sherwin-Williams Recognizes 2015 Nascar® ‘Fastest Lap’ Contingency Award Winners

Each year NASCAR Contingency sponsors award prize money to NASCAR teams via per-race and year-end postings.

● Daytona 500 (Daytona Int’l Speedway): Carl Edwards No. 19 car, Joe Gibbs Racing

● Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500 (Atlanta Motor Speedway): Denny Hamlin No. 11 car, Joe Gibbs Racing ● Kobalt 400 (Las Vegas Motor Speedway): Kyle Larson No. 42 car, Chip Ganassi Racing

Sherwin-Williams is in its second year as a Contingency Sponsor in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Touring & Weekly Series.

“Today, more than a dozen NASCAR teams currently use Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes,” said Bobby Moody, Director of Motorsports for Sherwin-Williams.

● CampingWorld.com 500 (Phoenix International Raceway): Matt Kenseth, No. 20 car, Joe Gibbs Racing

The Sherwin-Williams FastestLap Contingency Award awards the eligible driver who turns the fastest lap of each NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race throughout the season. Each week the award winner receives $5,500 per race and then a check for $100,000 is presented to the overall winner at the end of the season.

Sherwin-Williams is the ‘Official Paint of NASCAR,’ as well as the ‘Official Automotive Paint’ and ‘Official Transportation Finishes of NASCAR.’ Last year Matt Kenseth, driving the No. 20 Toyota Camry, won the Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap annual award and the $100,000 in prize money. He was honored at NASCAR’s Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon in Las Vegas, Nevada. With the 2015 racing season well underway, NASCAR and Sherwin-Williams announced the first 10 weekly winners of the ‘Fastest Lap Award’ which include:

● Auto Club 400 (Auto Club Speedway Fontana, Calif.): David Ragan No. 18 car, Joe Gibbs Racing

● STP 500 (Martinsville Speedway) Denny Hamlin, No. 11 car, Joe Gibbs Racing

● Duck Commander 500 (Texas Motor Speedway) Jamie McMurray, No. 1, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates

● Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up to Cancer (Bristol Motor Speedway) Matt Kenseth, No. 20 car, Joe Gibbs Racing

● Toyota Owners 400 (Richmond International Raceway) A.J. Allmendinger, No. 47 car, JTG Daughtery Racing ● Geico 500 (Talladega Superspeedway) Carl Edwards, No. 19 car, Joe Gibbs Racing

According to a recent report in the Journal Sentinel, in Wisconsin, as in many cities throughout the country, car owners are being told that there are no parts available to complete repairs.

Just a few weeks ago, the NHTSA reported that nearly 90 percent of vehicles with defective Takata air bags had not yet been fixed. The administration considered taking additional, aggressive steps to speed up the process.

The NHTSA has the authority to require more manufacturers to produce the air bag inflators, but has never used it.

Honda—the automaker most affected by the recalls—assured the administration it had already made agreements with additional air bag suppliers like AutoLiv to bump up production. Still, it takes time to make the adjustments needed at the manufacturing level to produce the required volume of additional parts.

In Wisconsin, Toyota is putting car owners’ names on a waiting list, to be

50 JUNE 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

● Joe Gibbs Racing ● Richard Childress Racing ● Roush Fenway Racing ● Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates

● Michael Waltrip Racing ● Furniture Row Racing ● Front Row Motorsports

● Germain Racing ● JTG Daugherty Racing ● HScott Motorsports ● BK Racing

For more information about The Fastest Lap Award presented by Sherwin-Williams, visit NASCAR.com at http://www.nascar.com/content/nascar The Sherwin-Williams Fastest-Lap Award /en_us/sprint-cup-series/specialgoes to the eligible driver who turns the awards/sherwin-williams-fastestfastest lap of the race. The award winner lap.html. will receive $5,500 per race and $100,000 For more information about the at the end of the season NASCAR Contingency Award pro“The 30-plus drivers who now gram visit http://www.nascar.com/ use Sherwin-Williams have more than en_us/sprint-cup-series/special200 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series vic- awards.html. tories between them and Register make up a Your Email For morefor information Our about Shervirtual “who’s who” of motorsports’ win-Williams Automotive Finishes, or finest finishers.” the brand’s motorsports program, visit The roster of NASCAR motor- www.sherwin-automotive.com or call sports teams using Sherwin-Williams 1-800-798-5872.

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Takata Acknowleges 34M Defects, Struggles to Meet Air Bag Repair Demands

Takata Corp. has acknowledged that its airbag inflators in nearly 34 million vehicles are defective—a decision that sharply expands the scope of the airbag crisis and could prompt one of the largest recalls for a safety defect in U.S. history.

Tataka’s acknowledgement marks a reversal from its long refusal to declare that its inflators are defective.

Nonetheless, Takata is having a hard time keeping up with demand for air bag replacement parts. Though the company has refused to expand previous recalls that focus only on hot and humid parts of the country, car manufacturers like Honda and Toyota have broadened their recalls to include other states, writes Eric T. Chaffin in the blog legalexaminer.com. That means millions of vehicles require new air bag inflators—those parts deemed defective by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA).

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notified when the parts become available. President of the Automotive Dealers Association of Mega Milwaukee noted that because Takata had such a majority of the air bag market, they haven’t been able to keep up with demand. Still, he recommended that people get their name on the list rather than wait, to expedite repairs once the inflators arrive.

Takata and many auto manufacturers have focused on repairing vehicles in more hot and humid areas of the country. Takata’s tests on the malfunctioning air bags seemed to reveal that hot weather and high absolute humidity, along with age, were factors increasing the risk that the air bags would explode upon deployment, sending shards of metal and plastic into the interior of the car and potentially seriously injuring and even killing occupants.

That means people in Wisconsin and other cooler, dryer areas may be

waiting six months to a year to get their vehicles fixed. This has left drivers confused as to the best course of action.

Some have considered shutting off their air bags, but that hasn’t been advised as air bags typically do save lives, and the recalls do not mean that every air bag will explode.

For now, drivers are advised to turn passenger air bags off if there are no other passengers in the vehicle.

Honda Moves to Increase Repairs Despite the slow process of repairing the air bags, Honda has recently launched an ad campaign encouraging car owners to get their vehicles in for repairs, though the campaign has so far been limited to hot and humid areas.

Honda has announced that those customers who cannot get their vehicles fixed will be offered “transportation alternatives,” which may include loaner or rental cars.

8

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2016 KIA Sorento Receives NHTSA 5-Star Safety Rating

Kia Motors America’s (KMA) 2016 Sorento CUV has received the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) 5-star overall safety rating. Built in the U.S. at Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG)*, Sorento is

Kia’s most capable CUV ever, yet still offers customers the tremendous value Kia is known for,” said Orth Hedrick, Vice President, Product Planning. “Meant for customers with active lifestyles, Sorento is the perfect getaway vehicle for adventurers and families on the go, and they can feel confident knowing their vehicle scored a 5-star NHTSA rating–the highest rating achievable from NHTSA.” The structure increases torsional rigidity by 14 percent over the 2015 Sorento. The unit-body consists of 53-percent Advanced The all-new KIA Sorento 2016 received a 5 star safety High Strength Steel, a rating from the NHTSA 115 percent increase KMA’s best-selling CUV, having over the previous model. Liberal apsold more than 100,000 units each plication of industrial strength adheof the past five years, and offers a sives, the use of dual-seal lip joints long list of standard safety features as well as large diameter and laser and an expertly engineered body welding techniques combine to make the 2016 model. structure.

“NHTSA’s recent 5-star rating of the 2016 Sorento is a testament to Kia’s commitment to safety. The www.autobodynews.com Sorento is all-new for 2016 and is

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CEI Names Bob Glose Senior Director of Operations

The CEI Group, Inc. (CEI), a fleet driver management company that provides automotive accident, safety and risk management services, has named Bob Glose the Senior Director of Operations.

Glose has 13 years of diverse experience at CEI, spread over two terms of service. He began in 1997 and served as manager of network and infrastructure in the IT department, before leaving in 2000 for a five-year stint as head of IT security for an insurance company.

Most recently, Glose had served CEI as manager of client services before being named operations director. As senior director of operations, he will be in charge of the activity for all operational departments and lead the initiatives for expanding specialmarket programs.

“Bob is an experienced fleet professional who has distinguished himself in service to CEI customers and our organization,” said Wayne Smolda, CEI's president and chief executive officer.

“This latest proGive us your opinion on motion is a testament to his leadership as well as his contributions to our operating committee and strategic planning teams.”

CARSTAR is expanding its insurance relations team to service its growing relationships with insurance carriers.

The company said that record sales in 2014 and marked growth in DRP partnerships have led it to proactively seek new senior team members across the country.

“There is pronounced growth with our insurance carriers, and we want to make sure we are developing our insurance relations team to meet that growth and provide the highestquality service to them,” said David Byers, CEO of CARSTAR. “As the needs for DRP programs evolve, we are working to be ahead of that curve with our advanced technology, repair performance and experienced insurance staff.

The MSO network is currently seeking qualified senior-level insurance professionals with experience in claims management, DRP management, KPI programs and excellent customer service.

Qualified applicants can submit resumes to Willie Ramirez, Vice Presmatters affecting the industry. ident of Human Resources for CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts, via email at wramirez@CARSTAR .com.

write us! publisher@autobodynews.com

Continued from Page 49

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ASA Collision Leaders Hold Meetings on Capitol Hill Automotive Service Association’s (ASA) collision leaders met with their members of Congress and staff to discuss the impact of Most Favored Nation (MFN) clauses in direct repair agreements. ASA members gave real-life examples of the effects of the MFN clause on collision repair shops, as well as consumers, and asked lawmakers to con-

sider options to stop the use of MFN clauses. ASA leaders emphasized the U.S. Department of Justice’s history with the MFN clause, citing the example of its lawsuit against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan in 2013.

ASA President Dan Risley said, “We continue to educate policymakers about the negative impact of MFN

clauses on consumers and small businesses. We were pleased with the interest in this issue on Capitol Hill. It’s important to keep the lines of communication open between repairers and congressional representatives. We made useful contacts and look forward to working with Congress in the future.”

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l to r) Jeff Lovell, Ed Cushman, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), and Joel Baxter participate in ASA’s Lobby Day activities

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Longtime I-CAR Executive Jeff Peevy to Lead Automotive Management Institute I-CAR announced on April 27 that Jeff Peevy, Senior Director Segment Development – Collision Repair & Field Operations, has been recruited to lead the Automotive Management Institute (AMI) as its next presiJeff Peevy dent. His last day with I-CAR was May 15.

The opening created by Peevy’s departure is not expected to be immediately filled.

Peevy has been associated with I-CAR for nearly 25 years. He joined the organization in 1990 as a committee member, served as an instructor and rose to become a top regional manager, leading the South Central Region for six years.

In 2006, Peevy was promoted to National Field Operations Manager and then joined I-CAR’s leadership team in Hoffman Estates to head Field Operations in 2007, later becoming senior director, managing both Field Operations and the newly formed Collision Repair Segment

team since 2012.

“The I-CAR ecosystem will miss Jeff, and at the same time, we also are thrilled that he is taking on a new challenge that will also serve the interests of our industry,” said ICAR CEO and President John Van Alstyne. “While Jeff has played a key role helping drive positive change at I-CAR over the past several years, this commitment transcends Jeff—customer focused continuous improvement is now part of our DNA at I-CAR. We wish Jeff well and look forward to exploring possible synergies with AMI that will benefit the collision repair industry, especially in new curriculums such as our new Production Management Role, which will be launching later this year.”

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New Chief Fume Extractor Protects Body Shop Technicians from Weld Fume Particulates

On April 24, Chief Automotive Technologies introduced a heavy-duty weld fume extractor. The new fume extractor collects weld fumes at their source.

The fume extractor is part of Chief’s product line expansion into “fusion” products. The fusion group includes a new rivet gun as well as a full line of spot and MIG/MAG welders that had previously been marketed under the Elektron brand.

“Welding and brazing produce toxic fumes that can be harmful to the technician operating the welder or those working nearby,” said Bob Holland, Director The Chief FE7 Fume of Collision in Extractor helps North and South protect body shop America for Chief technicians from parent company weld fume particle Vehicle Service Group (VSG). “Continued exposure can lead to illness, lost time and worker’s compensation claims. Some facilities utilize overhead vacuum systems to clean the air, but the new Chief fume extractor offers superior protection by capturing weld fumes before they reach the

EPA Considers Banning or Restricting Degreaser Use

On March 30, the EPA announced it is seeking input from small businesses, non-profit organizations, and local governments to formulate a potential rule on the use of Trichloroethylene (TCE).

According to the EPA, “TCE is used primarily as a solvent to remove grease from metal parts … closely associated with the metal and automotive industries.”

Specifically, the EPA will examine the risks resulting from the manufacture, processing and distribution in commerce, and use of TCE, as well as its manner of disposal.

Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act, all agencies are required to establish a Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) Panel for rules that may have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.

The SBAR panel will include federal representatives from the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and EPA. The EPA is currently seeking Small Entity Representatives (SERs) to consult the SBAR on the impact of the potential rule on their industry or community. Visit epa.gov/rfa/tsca-6a-tce .html for information.

technician’s breathing zone.”

The Chief fume extractor uses an electric motor to draw weld fumes through a cylindrical arm that leads to a large ProTura® Nanofiber cartridge.

The filter offers a MERV 15 efficiency rating. MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) ratings vary from 1 to 16, with higher ratings indicating greater efficiency in trapping airborne particles. The filters in the Chief fume extractor provide the ultimate combination of high efficiency, low operating costs and longer filter life. A built-in pressure gauge on the fume extractor shows when the filter should be replaced, and the machine’s “Quick Seal” door release provides fast filter removal and maintenance with no tools required.

While traditional fume extractor arms are made of plastic tubing, the Chief fume extractor’s arm is manufactured of powder-coated aluminum with cast aluminum joints. The sevenfoot arm holds a bell-shaped extraction hood with an integrated 360-degree handle, and an ember catcher prevents hot particles from reaching the filter.

To learn more, visit www.chief automotive.com/OnOurLines/ or call (800) 445-9262.

Ford Issues Safety Recall for Upper I-Shaft Rivet Issue

Ford Motor Company is issuing a safety recall for approximately 12,300 2015-model Ford F-150 vehicles in North America for an upper I-shaft that might have been riveted improperly, potentially causing it to separate. If that happens, it could result in the loss of steering control without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.

Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries, but is aware of one report of loss of steering believed to be related to this condition.

Affected vehicles include certain 2015 F-150 vehicles built at the Kansas City Assembly Plant from March 19, 2015 to March 21, 2015 and certain 2015 F-150 vehicles built at Dearborn Truck Plant from March 21, 2015 to March 30, 2015.

There are 12,328 vehicles that might be affected in North America, including 8,963 in the United States and federalized territories, 3,348 in Canada and 17 in Mexico.

Of those, 6,722 vehicles are unsold, meaning 5,606 vehicles are in customer’s hands.

Dealers will inspect the upper Ishaft assembly and replace it if necessary at no cost to the customer.

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PartsTrader 3.0 Released with Efficiency Features

PartsTrader® announced May 5 that it has started rolling out its PartsTrader 3.0 release. “The release of PartsTrader 3.0 is a major step in the evolution of the application. The features contained in this release continue to move both our repairer and supplier users to greater efficiencies in the parts procurement process and the new reports being added will provide managers with tools that help them better understand their business,” said Margaret Ho, Director of Product Management & Integration for PartsTrader.

Major highlights of this release include a re-designed Quote Selection Tool, enhanced management reporting and inventory quoting capabilities. The Quote Selection Tool has fewer steps needed to select the quote. This release includes new management level reports. The first phase of the time saving inventory quoting system to be rolled out is the Hotlines Automatch integration for recycled parts suppliers, soon to be followed by the DMI data platform integration for OEM dealers. Suppliers will be able to quote far more efficiently than traditional phone or fax based methods.

Pro Spot’s Virtual Welding Contest at Northeast™

Pro Spot International hosted a virtual welding contest to educate attendees and bring attention to the importance of training at this year’s AASP Northeast™ Show held in Secaucus, NJ, in March. Ron Olsson, president of Pro Spot International, explained that teaching welding can be difficult, and as with all technical skills, practice is required. Pro Spot designed the simulator to cover a variety of weld techniques and applications to fully simulate today’s demanding collision repair environment and learn what their strengths and weaknesses are. The competition was judged by averaging each participant’s scores in the speed, work angle, arc length, straightness, travel length, stickout and defects. This year’s winner was Anthony Dworniczak, of Mario’s Complete Auto and Collision Repair in Philadelphia, PA. Dworniczak was awarded a new big screen TV. “We really want to work on education and training within the industry as well as introducing the technology to more schools,” said Ashley Olsson, Communications Director for Pro Spot. “Providing solutions that allow technicians to constantly improve their skill is extremely important to our company.”

Wheelmaker Superior Moves HQ from Van Nuys to Detroit

Superior Industries International Inc., a longtime aluminum wheel manufacturer led by former Visteon CEO Don Stebbins, is relocating its global headquarters from California to suburban Detroit. The move from Van Nuys, CA, to Southfield, MI, just north of Detroit, will result in the loss of about 50 managerial and clerical positions in California, the Los Angeles Business Journal reported.Superior is the largest manufacturer of aluminum wheels for passenger cars and light-duty vehicles in North America. The company operates five manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and Mexico that employ approximately 3,000 people.

Superior plans to invest up to $2.5 million and create 75 jobs. As a result, the company has been awarded a $900,000 Michigan Business Development Program performancebased grant. Michigan was chosen over competing sites in Texas and Tennessee. The city of Southfield is providing support to the project in the form of expedited permitting through the city’s building department. California’s loss is Michigan’s gain with 75 new jobs along with the $75 million investment expected.

ASA Board of Directors Installed During Annual Business Meeting The Automotive Service Association (ASA) held its annual business meeting April 21 at the Westin Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, VA. The week kicked off April 20 with a welcome reception sponsored by Feder-

“I am very excited about where ASA is going. We’re in the midst of reorganizing our business model, and we are building up our industry relationships and want to get more members involved in the association,” said Seyfer, whose father, Don Seyfer, served as chairman of ASA from 1996-1997.

Following the board and committee meetings, attendees enjoyed a private tour of George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon. At the conclusion of the tour, the group shared dinner and honored outgoing ASA Chairman Darrell AmberAttendees of ASA’s recent annual meeting in Washington, son, AAM, for his service to D.C., enjoyed a private tour of George Washington’s ASA. home, Mount Vernon Dan Risley, ASA Presiated Insurance. On April 21, there dent/Executive Director said, “With were association meetings in the more than 40 years of experience in morning, including a closed board of the collision industry, Darrell brought directors meeting and an affiliate di- valuable insight to the leadership of rectors meeting, followed by a lunch- ASA during his two years as chaireon. In the afternoon, ASA members man. We remain profoundly grateful attended an open board meeting, fol- for his contributions to ASA, as well lowed by the swearing in of a new as the automotive industry in its enchairman and other board members. tirety. We wish him all the best in his Donny Seyfer, AAM, Seyfer next endeavor.”

Automotive, Wheat Ridge, CO, is The Automotive Service AssociASA’s new chairman. ation’s new board of directors began

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their term at the close of the annual business meeting. Serving two-year terms on the board are Seyfer; Darrell

ASA’s new board of directors, who were installed at ASA’s recent Annual Board Meeting in the Washington, D.C., area. Front row, from left to right: Bill Moss, AAM, secretary /treasurer; Donny Seyfer, AAM, chairman; Roy Schnepper, AAM, chairman-elect; Darrell Amberson, AAM, past chairman.

Back row, from left to right: Ed Cushman, AAM, general director; Scott Benavidez, Collision Division director; and Bob Wills, AAM, Mechanical Division director

Amberson, AAM, LaMettry’s Collision Inc., Minneapolis, MN, as immediate past chairman; and Roy Schnepper, AAM, Butler’s Collision Inc., Roseville, MI, as chairman-elect.

Bill Moss, AAM, EuroService Automotive, Warrenton, VA, a former general director, was nominated to serve a one-year term as secretary/treasurer.

Allstate Joins GEICO in Rate Increase as Margins Fall

Allstate Corp., the largest publicly traded U.S. seller of car and home insurance, said it’s raising rates for drivers after profitability declined at its namesake auto unit. Allstate joins Berkshire Hathaway Inc.’s GEICO in lifting rates after margins worsened. First-quarter underwriting income for Allstate auto fell 48% to $144 million, the insurer said.

“We didn’t make as much money in auto insurance this quarter, in part because of weather, in part because we have to adjust prices, reflecting economic activity,” Allstate Chief Executive Officer Tom Wilson said in a conference call.

He said customers have been driving more miles as the economy improves, increasing the number of claims. Allstate recently extended its share price loss to 4.4% this year.

The average premiums paid by customers have been “steadily increasing,” Matt Winter, Allstate’s president.

In addition to the Allstate brand, Wilson’s company also sells coverage through the Esurance and Encompass units.

Ed Cushman, AAM, C&H Foreign Auto Repair, Spokane, WA, was elected to serve a two-year term as general director. Moss’s move into the secretary/treasurer role leaves a general director vacancy that will be filled at a later date.

Bob Wills, AAM, Wills Auto Service, Battle Creek, MI, begins the second year of his two-year term as Mechanical Division director; and Scott Benavidez was elected to a two-year term as Collision Division director.

Risley also serves on the ASA board of directors in an ex-officio capacity.

ASA’s next national event is the NACE | CARS 2015 expo and educational conference in Detroit, MI July 23-25, held in conjunction with several other industry events throughout the week. For more information, visit www.CARSevent.org and www.NACE expo.com.

To learn more about ASA, visit www.ASAshop.org or call (817) 5142900.

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