Signature Collision Centers Joins Forces with Crash Champions Crash Champions, a leading independent collision repair company, announced June 22 it has entered into an agreement with Signature Collision Centers, one of the largest family-owned, independent collision repair companies on the East Coast, by which Signature will join the Crash platform through a strategic transaction.
Following the transaction, Signature founder and CEO Charles “Chuck” Pipkin will retain an ownership stake in Crash and transition to a new role as an executive board member with the company, where he will work closely with Crash Champions founder and CEO Matt Ebert to continue growing the business at the national level.
“This partnership represents a collaboration between two of the leading names in the U.S. collision repair industry,” — Matt Ebert The newly combined company will operate under the Crash name and banner, creating a nationwide platform with 118 locations strategically located across 12 states and Washington, D.C. Headquartered in Annapolis, MD, Signature operates 24 high-performing locations across states throughout the greater Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, including Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, Florida and Washington, D.C.
“This partnership represents a collaboration between two of the leading names in the U.S. collision repair industry,” said Ebert. “Our growth strategy is rooted in identifying the right shops and owners who can be true partners and stewards of the Crash brand. This means not only creating near-term value when they join the company through a transaction, but creating long-term value through continued contributions as members of our leadership and own-
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ership teams. Chuck and his team are the ideal partners, and we’re excited to welcome them to the Crash family and extend our brand to the East Coast.” “This is a monumental moment for Signature, one that we’ve been working towards for a long time,” said Pipkin. “Since our founding in 2004, we have been committed to building this business with a very specific vision and set of values. As we looked to the future, it became clear that we needed to join forces with like-minded individuals in order to take our business to the next level and achieve the full value of our platform. “Our search for that partner started and ended with Crash Champions, which not only has the team and resources to accelerate our growth, but shares the same operational ethos and commitment to excellence,” Pipkin said. “This is the next logical step for our business, an exciting new chapter and an ideal opportunity to continue building our legacy under a new powerful name and brand.” This will be the 42nd successful transaction Crash Champions has
completed since July 2019. Through these transactions, Crash has transformed itself from a regional player operating eight locations in the greater-Chicago area to one of the fastest growing collision repair companies in America, with what will be 118 locations across 12 states―California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin, as well as Washington, D.C.―at the closing of this transaction. “We have enjoyed significant growth over the last two years by carefully planning and executing a national M&A strategy, including identifying the right targets, partnering with talented management teams and properly integrating each operation into our platform,” added Ebert. “Our pipeline for quality M&A remains strong, the Crash brand still has significant room to grow, and we look forward to continuing our marketplace expansion.” Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Source: Crash Champions
16 State Attorneys General Asks EPA to Hold All States to Emissions Rules The attorneys general of 16 states on July 6 urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to refrain from reinstating California’s waiver under the Clean Air Act which gives that state, and only that state, the authority to regulate which cars the rest of the nation drives. The attorneys general of Ohio, Alabama, Nebraska, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Kansas, South Carolina, Indiana, South Dakota, Texas, Kentucky, Utah, Louisiana, West Virginia and Mississippi sent a letter July 6 to EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan urging the agency to continue the policy under the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule. The letter argues the U.S. Constitution recognizes the states as equals, and does not give California special rights denied to every other state. Under the Clean Air Act, the prior administration created national standards for vehicle carbon emissions for model years 2021 through 2026, treating all states as equal sovereigns subject to one
federal rule. Recently, the Biden Administration proposed California, and no other state, should be given a “waiver” from national carbon emissions standards and allowed to set its own standards. The waiver, designed decades ago to allow California to manage its severe smog problem, has instead been used by California to target fuel efficiency and global warming. The letter sent by the attorneys general makes clear any attempt to restore California’s waiver is unconstitutional and causes harm to non-Californians, needlessly driving up the costs of new vehicles and allowing California to exercise power denied to every other state. “In this great union of sovereign states, the Golden State is not the golden child,” the attorneys general wrote. A copy of the letter to the EPA can be found at https://bit.ly/3wmywrE Source: Kansas Attorney General’s Office
autobodynews.com / AUGUST 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 51
