EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

By the time you read this message, Industry Week in Richmond will be in the immediate rear view; as I write, I’m gearing up to head to what I’m certain will be a packed week of industry unity, valuable meetings and two days of tradeshow the likes of which we’ve never seen in our area. If you were in attendance, I’m sure you’ll agree that even the best Zoom meetings, conference calls and emails simply cannot compare to all you took in April 12-15. The buzz leading up to Collision P.R.E.P. at the Southeast Collision Conference and SCRS/CIC events in Richmond tell me that the industry is back in a big way.

To those of you NOT in attendance...where were you?

If you’ve been paying attention to my Executive Director’s messages for the past few months, you have heard me talking up the importance of this week and what it means to all of usespecially you. I gave plenty of heads up, reminding you to get your affairs in order. I wasn’t joking when I said lightning was striking with SCRS, CIC and WMABA’s Collision P.R.E.P. all coming together, and concluding with the Southeast Collision Conference. It is a huge deal to have all of these entities and events happening under one geographic “roof” so to speak, and we simply do not know when - or IF - it will happen again in a place so central, so accessible, so EASY for you to attend.

Collision P.R.E.P. education provides national-level training in a local environment, and in this case it was literally dropped on your doorstep. Are you concerned with charging appropriately for repairs? You should have been here. Do you need help preparing for all the changes hitting repairers coming down the pike, and right now? You should have been here. Are you worried about the tech shortage? You should have been here. Do you need more tools, equipment, products for the shop, or simple camraderie with the movers and shakers in the industry? You should have been here.

I have a great feeling about the Industry Week I’m heading in to, and I applaud all of you who have invested the time in your business and yourself to be part of it. I can’t wait to share all of the fantastic things that happened in the June issue of Hammer & Dolly, but even our exclusive coverage can’t take the place of experiencing it live. So if you missed it... I don’t know how else to say it. You should have been here. H&D

Jordan Hendler (804) 789-9649 jordanhendler@wmaba.com

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Celebrating Future Collision

Professionals at Maryland SkillsUSA

On March 24-25, the Maryland SkillsUSA Collision Repair, Automotive Refinishing and Collision Damage Appraisal Competitions were held at the Center of Applied Technology North in Severn. Congratulations to this year’s winners!

Collision Damage Appraisal Winners

First Place: Megan Workley

(Center of Applied Technology North; Severn)

Second Place: Ryan Tucker

(Dr. James A. Forrest Career & Tech Center; Leonardtown)

Third Place: Damien Bruce

(Center of Applied Technology North; Severn)

Collision Repair Winners

First Place: Robert Walker

(Frederick County Career & Tech Center; Frederick)

Second Place: Allen Koon

(Center of Applied Technology North; Severn)

Third Place: Kevin Bowman

(Frederick County Career & Tech Center; Frederick)

Automotive Refinishing Winners

First Place: Falcon Wilmot

(Center of Applied Technology North; Severn)

Second Place: Jeffrey Paules

(Washington County Tech High School; Hagerstown)

Third Place: Kyleigh Bennett

(Dr. James A. Forrest Career & Tech Center; Leonardtown)

According to one of the Maryland SkillsUSA Chairs, Matt Pratt, “We had a lot of talent this year with around two dozen competitors, which is more than we’ve had in a few years.”

“SkillsUSA is a great opportunity to get the industry together –body shops, insurance companies and individuals from all different areas of collision repair – to check out the incoming talent,” Jaime Shewbridge, the other chair of Maryland SkillsUSA, added. “Body shop owners and technicians get so busy in the business that they’re not always looped into what the schools need, so this involvement often incentivizes them to go out and help a local school.”

Of the 46 judges that participated this year, 52 percent were returning judges who had participated in previous years. “I have a base group of people I can count on year after year, and we even get some recruiters which makes for a smoother transition for the students,” Shewbridge said. “The competition is rewarding for both sides because it’s also a wonderful experience for the students. They’re put in a position where they have to perform under pressure, and they’re always so proud of themselves when they do a fantastic job. At the end of the competitions, the judges provide feedback, and the students get the chance to ask questions of industry professionals to learn more about their future trade. And the winners receive a bunch of great prizes on top of all that!”

Industry professionals encourage the next generation.

The generosity of this year’s sponsors actually allowed for one lucky teacher to receive some wares. “At the end of the event, we wrote down the names of all the teachers who participated during both days of the competition, those who stayed until the very end to support their students, and then we drew a winner. The instructor from Dr. James A. Forrest Career & Tech Center walked away with a box filled with all sorts of consumables and supplies.”

The MD SkillsUSA organizers expressed their thanks to the following companies for donating supplies and sponsoring the event: AutoNation Collision Center, AutoPlus, Bar Harbor Auto