Marblehead Collision/Swampscott Collision

Celebrating Students: SkillsUSA Returns to Massachusetts

On April 30, the SkillsUSA Championships returned to Massachusetts in full force with the first live event of its kind since 2019. Held at Blackstone Valley Regional Technical High School in Upton, the competition gave vocational students across the state – 50 percent of whom were females this year – an opportunity to showcase their skills and shine in a welldeserved spotlight. The students performed remarkably well in light of the restrictions in time allowances (shorter than the normal event) due to COVID-19.

The SkillsUSA Championships’ automotive-related categories yielded the following winners:

Automotive Refinishing Technology

Gold: Benjamin Judson (Blackstone Valley Regional Technical High School; Upton) Silver: Alecia Slappey (Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School; Bourne) Bronze: Leah Weinrich (Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School; Danvers)

Collision Damage Appraisal

Gold: Ryan Lynch (Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School; Bourne) Silver: Ariana Lourie (Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School; Danvers) Bronze: Cameron Champoux-Legrand (Greater Lowell Regional Technical High School; Tyngsborough)

Collision Repair Technology

Gold: Lauren Lynch (Blue Hills Regional Technical High School; Canton) Silver: Anthony Divoll (Montachusett Regional Technical High School; Fitchburg) Bronze: Payton Hartshorn (Blackstone Valley Regional Technical High School; Upton)

All Gold winners in these categories will move on to compete in SkillsUSA’s National Leadership and Skills Conference, which will be held virtually later this month, with localized hands-on elements for select competitions.

Industry judges and volunteers Tom Ricci (chairman), Sed Cabral, JR Force, Seth Elie, Marc Petraglia, Ryan Sarsfield, Bob Waldron and Louis Tabicas oversaw this year’s Massachusetts SkillsUSA Collision Repair Technology and Collision Damage Appraisal Competitions. The Auto Refinishing Competition saw participation from judges and volunteers Ken Robbins (chairman), Michael Levy, Mike Comtois, Steve Vanderbeek and Pat Carroll.

Special thanks to the following sponsoring companies: Body & Paint Center of Hudson; Don Kennett, Inc.; BASF; and Empire Auto Parts.

SkillsUSA is a nonprofit partnership of education and industry founded in 1965 to strengthen the nation’s skilled workforce. For more information, visit skillsusa.org.

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Photos courtesy of SkillsUSA and Tom Ricci

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Marblehead Collision/ Swampscott Collision

Neighboring towns Marblehead and Swampscott have one thing in common: Each is home to a family-owned/operated, reliable collision repair facility offering quality repairs with a focus on protecting the consumer.

Both Marblehead Collision and Swampscott Collision succeed through the dedication of AASP/MA member Don Dowling and members of his family.

Don got his start in the business back in 1998 by working at Swampscott Auto Body, the facility owned by his father, Bob.

“I started after graduating high school,” Don recalls. “I was there for about a year and a half when a guy in the office quit. [My father] threw me in there and said, ‘You are running the shop!’”

After later spending a few years working as an independent appraiser in addition to a stint with Ira Motor Group, Don saw an opportunity to open a facility in Marblehead when a building became available for purchase. He approached his father about partnering in the venture. He agreed, and the father-and-son team opened Marblehead Collision in 2011. Six years later, Don expanded by reacquiring the Swampscott location that his father had previously owned.

Don and Bob own Marblehead 50/50, while Bob also works as a technician. Don is the sole owner of the Swampscott location. Keeping it in the family, Don’s wife, Laney, does the marketing for both shops.

Looking back on his career choice, Don is glad he wound up being in business with his father, as the experience brought them closer together. They have achieved steady growth over the years and currently work with a team of 20 employees between the two locations. Although the pandemic brought along hardships, Don is pleased to report that there were no layoffs at either facility.

Producing quality work is the number one priority at both operations.

“We have to produce that type of quality, because if you do something wrong, word gets around. So, we strive only for quality work and excellent customer service. There’s a reason we have a oneto-one ratio of office staff to technicians; we want the customer to be happy, and we want to do the job right.”

The biggest change Don has seen over the years is the lack of substantial change to the state’s consumer reimbursement rate.

“It blows my mind that the reimbursement rate was $35 when I got into this. It’s gone up like five dollars in the last 20-plus years, and we are doing a lot more work in the office than we did 20 years ago. Back then, I was a kid running the office, and five people were on the floor; now, I have six people in the office and six on the floor. The overhead has gone up, but the reimbursement rate has not. We do so much more of the insurers’ work now from an administrative standpoint; everything they used to do, we do now.”

Since he’s been a member of AASP/MA, Don has found a place to go for information and resources, which he is so grateful to have.

“It’s good to know that you are not alone. Before the association, I was all alone. I didn’t know what to do all the time. When something came up, I didn’t have someone to turn to. It’s nice to know others are there, and it’s good to learn from the team.”

Last fall, Don was elected as an Affiliate Director to the AASP/ MA Board of Directors, representing Zone 4.

“I’m trying to do my part [...] There are so many shops in Massachusetts; it’s difficult to get us all on the same page. The group we have with the Board is making a difference. We don’t want to be the problem; we’re here to be the solution. I like that mentality.”

Bob and Don Dowling: A family tradition of professionalism.

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Relief from Fees: Overcoming the Credit Card Crunch

Running a collision or mechanical repair facility is a costly endeavor, but sometimes its most seemingly innocuous expenses are the ones that lead an otherwise profitable business towards financial disaster if it’s not careful.

In an industry used to dealing with always escalating overhead, credit card processing is one expense that many accept as a way of life. However, these fees can easily add up to a major economic headache.

“Merchants are getting hammered by processing fees, especially with everybody using rewards cards,” Bill Mullen, owner and president of ZeroCreditCardFees.com, observes. “Auto body shops and automotive service departments are businesses where consumers are most likely to pay a significant bill with their rewards card, which greatly erodes profit margins. To make matters worse, you have no idea when a customer has presented you with a rewards card for payment.”

So, how does a repair shop or service department address this reality without surrendering money on every job? This can be tricky. First and foremost, it’s important to remember that surcharging – the practice of simply adding the amount of a credit card transaction fee on top of the cost of services billed to the consumer – is illegal in Massachusetts and a host of other states. Fortunately, there is a legal alternative that is already working for automotive repair/service facilities and other businesses in the Commonwealth and beyond.

A system already utilized by thousands of establishments across the country, the Cash Discount Program was designed to help business owners legally avoid paying the processing costs associated with accepting credit and debit card payments.

Here’s how it works: Businesses post conspicuous signage indicating that rising costs necessitate the merchant charging an additional 3.85 percent on all products and services. However, if a customer chooses to pay using cash or a check, then that 3.85 percent is discounted. If a customer still chooses to pay using a debit or credit card, then the discount will be disallowed and the 3.85 percent service charge will be applied to the final bill, paid for by the customer and received by the credit card processor. By doing this, the merchant is informing its customers that it will discount the service fee if they pay with cash or check – not directly stating that they will be charged extra for using their credit or debit cards.

To help industry members avoid possible confusion over the process, Mullen is quick to stress that this system is not surcharging.

“Surcharging is when you directly say to a customer, ‘I’m going to have to charge you three or four percent for what I’m paying for processing fees.’ The money then goes into the merchant’s pocket and not to the processing company; that’s basically offsetting the merchant’s processing fees. With cash discounting, the signage says, ‘All of our products and services have a built-in 3.85 percent discount for cash- or check-paying customers only.’ If they choose to pay using a credit or debit card, the verbiage can say, ‘You waive the discount and will be charged a non-cash-discount service fee.’ The customer then has a choice. The way this program is designed is perfectly legal.”

According to Mullen, this program has been implemented by one of Massachusetts’ largest and most well-known auto dealers, DCD Automotive Holdings (the entity that owns Boch Automotive Group), and has been running smoothly for over a year in all eight of their dealerships. The legality of their program was confirmed in a January 2020 letter from the Massachusetts Division of Banks (part of the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation) to DCD Automotive Holdings.

Finally, a long-running (and always growing) financial issue for automotive businesses has a safe and legally sound solution!