autobody news june 2014 western edition

by Ed Attanasio

Every year, auto-motive repairersfrom all over Cal-ifornia convergeon the Capitol inSacramento. It’snot anything closeto the Million ManMarch, but it surelyis important to thethousands of peo-ple who work forbody shops or me-chanical repair fa-cilities throughoutthe Golden State.At ASCCA/ CAA’sJoint LegislativeDay on April 30,

100 automotiverepair profession-als from all overthe state came to-gether to take onthe powers-that-beand provide feed-back about pro-posed legislationpotentially impact-ing their busi-nesses.

Legislative Dayspeakers includedTim Corcoran and

Bill Thomas from the Bureau of Au-tomotive Repair, to discuss enforce-ment efforts and licensing issues andBetty Jo Toccoli, the president ofCalifornia’s Small Business Associ-

The California Supreme Court has de-cided to hear a case that could impactthe ability of undocumented workers tocollect back wages or sue employersfor discrimination in California, andmay prove instructive in other courtsthat periodically have to tackle these is-sues. The case is Salas v. Sierra Chem-ical Co. (Case No. S196568), and theCalifornia Supreme Court will considerwhether an employee’s use of falsedocumentation (in this case, a SocialSecurity number) to obtain employ-ment precludes future actions by thatemployee for discrimination (disabilitydiscrimination here). The court has pre-viously sought briefing on three issues:

● Did the trial court err in dismissingplaintiff's claims under the Fair Em-ployment and Housing Act (Gov.Code§12900 et seq.) on grounds ofafter-acquired evidence and uncleanhands, based on plaintiff's use of falsedocumentation to obtain employmentin the first instance?● Did Senate Bill No. 1818 (2001-2002Reg. Session) preclude application ofthose doctrines in this case? (See Civ.Code§ 3339; Gov. Code§ 7285; Health& Saf. Code§24000; Lab. Code ?§1171.5.)

Does federal immigration law pre-empt state law and thereby preclude an

California Labor Code section 226 re-quires employers to provide accuratewage statements, and enumerates spe-cific requirements for such wagestatements. The statute also providesfor penalties should an employer vio-late section 226, and allows a prevail-ing employee to recover attorneys’fees in connection with prosecutingclaims for alleged wage statement vi-olations.

On May 6, 2014, California’s As-sembly on Judiciary heard argumentsconcerning Assembly Bill 2095, aproposed amendment to Labor Codesection 226(h)’s attorneys’ fees provi-

sion, which would amend section226(h) to provide a two-way fee shift-ing provision. Under the proposedamendment, employers who success-fully defend against a frivolous wagestatement claim could recover their at-torneys’ fees in doing so. Supportersof AB 2095 contend the amendmentis necessary to help deter bad faithclaims for alleged technical violationsof Labor Code section 226 that do notcause any injury to the employee. Thebill’s supporters cite, for example, to a2010 case in which the alleged viola-tion was the employer’s use of a trun-

Proposed Amendment to CA Labor Code Section 226Could Permit Employers To Recover Attorneys’ Fees

California Supreme Court Hears Case onUndocumented Workers’ Back Wages

See Joint Legislative Day, Page 46

See Proposed Amendment, 9

Auto Repair Industry Goes to Sacramento forits Annual ASCCA/CAA Joint Legislative Day

See Back Wages, Page 19

Arizona Attorney Takes on “Short Pays”Attorney David Hume of ScottsdaleArizona has quickly become an au-thority at helping collision repair shopsrecover insurance company underpay-ments.

“Last year, through the Automo-tive Service Association of Arizona, Ibecame aware of the problems colli-sion repair shops are having obtainingfair reimbursement from insurancecompanies,” stated Hume. “I wasamazed at the blatant disregard manyinsurers have for paying a shopsposted labor rates as well as for all ofthe procedures repairers must followto properly repair vehicles”.

Luz Rubio, Executive Directorfor the Automobile Service Associationof Arizona (ASA AZ) said, “More andmore, I am hearing from shop ownersthat are frustrated by insurer interfer-ence in the repair process. Insurancecompanies are simply refusing to com-pensate shops for what must be done toensure that vehicle owners receive asafe and proper repair”.

Hume has successfully settledseveral cases out of court with Metlife,Ameriprise and State Auto on behalfof Jan Vesely, owner of Jan’s Spec-

trum Collision Center in Tempe, AZ.As a result, interest in filing short paysuits is on the rise and several otherArizona collision shop owners haveagreed to have Mr. Hume representthem using an Assignment of Proceedssigned by the vehicle owner. All set-tlements made to date have includedreimbursement for Hume’s fees aswell as court costs.

When asked why he decided topursue legal action, Vesely said,“Be-cause that seems to be the only wayto get it done and the only thing thatsome insurance companies under-stand. There has always been a legalaspect to our business but it was littleunderstood by the shops until someattorneys showed us the way, likeErica Eversman, Patrick McGuire,other shops across the country andnamely Ray Gunder in Florida. It’stime to work together, level the play-ing field and take back control of ourindustry. If we stand on the sidelinesand wait for the other guy to do it, itwon’t happen.”

David Hume can be reached byphone at 602-279-1915 or by emailat [email protected].

Jack Molodanof,the lobbyist for

both organizationscoached theASCCA/CAA

members about theproper protocol tobe used whileencountering

politicians or theirrepresentatives atthe ASCCA/CAALegislative Dayin the Capitol

State Senator BobHuff spoke to theASCCA/CAAmembers in

attendance duringtheir Legislative Dayin Sacramento, CA

on April 30

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VOL. 32 ISSUE 6JUNE 2014

2 JUNE 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Contents

Publisher & Editor: Jeremy HayhurstGeneral Manager: Barbara DaviesOnline Editor: Alicia BasteriContributing Writers: Tom Franklin, David Brown,John Yoswick, Janet Chaney, Toby Chess,Ed Attanasio, Chasidy SiskAdvertising Sales: Joe Momber, Sean Hartman,Bill Doyle, David Petro (800) 699-8251Sales Assistant: Louise TedescoArt Director: Rodolfo Garcia

Serving California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah. AutobodyNews is a monthly publication for the autobody industry.Permission to reproduce in any form the material pub-lished in Autobody News must be obtained in writingfrom the publisher. ©2014 Adamantine Media LLC.

Autobody NewsP.O. Box 1516, Carlsbad, CA 92018(800) 699-8251 (760) 603-3229 Faxwww.autobodynews.comEmail: [email protected]

Audi Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . .50Automotive ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34AutoNation Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram-FIAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

AutoNation Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram of North Phoenix . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Axalta Coating Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Bill Luke Dealerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21BMW MINI of Escondido . . . . . . . . . . . .39BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . .53Bob Smith BMW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42Bob Smith MINI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42CCC Information Services . . . . . . . . . . . .2Certified Automotive PartsAssociation (CAPA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Chapman Scottsdale Autoplex . . . . . . .25Chief Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22, 23Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62Colortone Automotive Paints . . . . . . . . . .6DCH Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram . . . . . .29DCH Kia of Temecula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29Downtown Motors of LA(Audi, VW, Porsche) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Drew Hyundai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20East Bay BMW-MINI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Elk Grove Toyota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46Enterprise Rent-A-Car . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40Equalizer Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . .18Ford Wholesale Parts DealersAZ, CA, NV & UT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Galpin Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24Glenn E. Thomas Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep .17GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . .55Honda-Acura Wholesale PartsDealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32-33

Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . .56Innovative Tools & Technology, Inc. . . .35Kearny Mesa Subaru-Hyundai . . . . . . .43Ken Garff Automotive Group . . .15, 26-27Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers . . .49Larry H. Miller Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge . . .14LKQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64Los Gatos Luxury Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . .16Maita Subaru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36Malco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Mazda Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . .61Mercedes-Benz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7MINI Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . .52Mitsubishi Wholesale Parts Dealers . . .59MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . .37Mossy BMW of Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28Nissan/Infiniti Wholesale PartsDealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Reliable Automotive Equipment, Inc. . .10Replica Plastics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30Riverside Metro VW-Honda-Hyundai-Nissan-Mazda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

SATA Spray Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Sherwin-Williams AutomotiveFinishes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18, 19

Shingle Springs Nissan-Subaru . . . . . .38Sierra Chevrolet-Honda-Mazda-Subaru .41Sonnen BMW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9South Bay Volkswagen . . . . . . . . . . . . .22Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . .57Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . .58Valspar Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers . .51Volvo Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . .60Weatherford BMW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

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REGIONAL35 Years Dedicated to Teaching Tomorrow’sTechs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Anchor Auto Body Earns 5th Talk of Town Award . 4Arizona Attorney Takes on “Short Pays” . . . . . . 1Attorneys Say Non-Compete Agreements inArizona Follow the Goldilocks Principle:Too Broad and Too Narrow . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Auto Repair Industry Takes on Sacramento atits Annual ASCCA/CAA Joint Legislative Day . 1

CA State Senator Leland Yee Runs Afoul ofMore than Repairers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

CAA Glendale-Foothill Meet is June 2, RSVPdeadline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Caliber Opens New Location in San Diego Area . . 4California Labor Commission has ‘Wage Theft’ Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

California Supreme Court Hears Case onUndocumented Workers’ Back Wages . . . . . 1

Californians Don’t Use Free Inspection Service . 8Car West Breaking Ground on New Dublin, CA, Location. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

CAWA Gets Two New Board Members . . . . . . . 8Ceres, CA, Man Found Dead in Auto Body Shop Freezer Reportedly Married to SuspectedKiller who Had Several Previous Marriages . . 6

First Mass-Produced Fuel Cell Vehicles Arrive on US Soil, Free Fuel-Cell ‘Refills’ from Hyundai, Range Compares to Gas Vehicles . . . . . . . . 30

Franklin - CAA Glendale-Foothill ChapterMeeting April 17, 2014. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Kadel’s Acquires Tigard, OR, MSO AlpineAuto Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Napa Valley Auto Body Enthusiast Passes at 79. . 6Nevada Margin Tax Garners Opposition from CAWA and AFL-CIO, Supported by StateEducation Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

New Shop Opens in Manchester, WA . . . . . . . . 8Proposed Amendment to CA Labor CodeSection 226 Could Permit EmployersTo Recover Attorneys’ Fees . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Regal Collision is Paws Down the Country’sMost Dog-Friendly Body Shop . . . . . . . . . . 18

Scott Biggs of Assured Performance Speaksat Two N. Calif. CAA Meetings. . . . . . . . . . . 28

Sisk - Sunrise Automotive Training Expoand Convention in AZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Young Utah Collision Repairer Speaks Outvia Blog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

COLUMNSBasteri - Getting Powered Up at the 2014 WINAnnual Educational Conference. . . . . . . . . . 48

Franklin - What’s In A Name? PossiblyThe Success Of Your Shop! . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Sisk - ASA-NW’s Automotive Training Expo ‘14. . 14Sisk - IACA Combats Threats to the Industry. . 44Yoswick - June Retrospective: ASA Position, CAPA, CIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

NATIONALAdvance Auto Profit Up 21%, AcquisitionBoosts Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

AMI Taking Applications for $1,000High-Octane Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

AudaExplore Launches Cloud-Based Fully Scalable Enterprise Body Shop Management Solution. . 51

Auto Body Parts Receive Consumer Discountat Auto Pros USA Parts Retail Website . . . . 54

Auto Damage Experts Will Perform Inspectionand Verification for Assured PerformanceNetwork’s Certified Repair Shops . . . . . . . . 51

Automotive Aftermarket is Expected toGrow 3.4% PY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

BASF Recognizes 5 Shops as Shops of the Year. 54Bloomberg reports Esurance to Take onAdvertising Giants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

BMW Joint Venture to Triple Carbon FiberPlant Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

CAPA Reaches 15 Year Milestone forVehicle Test Fits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Car-O-Liner Offers Free Value-AddedDesign Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Deadly Tornados Caused by Massive StormHitting 20 States, At Least 40 Deaths,$1 Billion in Damages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

ETI to Hold Meeting with NACE CARS in Detroit . 56Farmers Insurance’s Class Action onClimate Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Fix Auto to Hold 12th Annual ConferenceSept. 21-24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Florida Bans Counterfeit or Non-functional Airbags, Changes Total Loss Thresholdto 90% . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Ford Dealerships Exceed Enrollment Goalsfor Collision Repair Training on F-150 . . . . . 56

Four CARSTAR Shops Were Recognizedby Mitchell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

I-CAR Enhances Website, Other Improvements Coming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Judge Dismisses Suit Against GM’s Aftermarket Part Price Matching Program Citing Market& Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Letter to the Editor: Certified AftermarketParts Tracking is Superior. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Louisiana Attorney General Attends LaCIAMeeting on May 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

MCR Safety Donates 26,000+ Pairsof Safety Eyeware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

MCRS Ushers in Spring with Cocktails,Meeting and New Officers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Michigan Lawmaker Proposes Crackdownon Unlicensed Auto Repair Shops. . . . . . . . 20

Mitchell Releases Second Quarter 2014Industry Trends Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

NABC Appoints Dan Young to Boardof Directors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

NACE | CARS 2014 Agenda Announced andOnline Attendee Registration Opens . . . . . . 60

NACE Announces CRES/MSO SymposiumAgenda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

NSF Certifies 500 Sheet Metal Parts Madeby Gordon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

OSHA Cracking Down on Isocyanate Exposure . 59Riskiest States for Employee Lawsuits . . . . . . 61SCRS Examines Repairer Ability to Control Data . 61SCRS Member’s E-Catalog. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57SEMA Show Registration Now Open . . . . . . . . 58Solera Buys Pittsburgh Glass Works’Insurance Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

South Carolina Shop Files Suit AgainstState Farm Citing Breaches of Contractand Defamation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

State Farm to Raise Rates in Illinois . . . . . . . . 47U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-East Moline, Visits Body Shop, Talks Minimum Wage. . . . . . . . 43

Update on Indiana Shops’ Accusationsof Insurers’ Collusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

US Government Says It Lost $11.2 billionon GM bailout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Valspar Joins National Auto Body Council . . . . 60VIN and Safety Labels from AutomotiveIDBring Vehicles Another Step Closer toPre-Loss Condition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

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Earning the highest possible ratingof 5 stars for 2014, Anchor AutoBody in the Bay Area was recentlyawarded its fifth consecutive Talk ofthe Town Customer SatisfactionAward in the Automotive—AutoService & Repair category. This fifthstraight award has earned AnchorAuto Body the prestigious SapphireAward. The Talk of the TownAwards, presented by Talk of theTown News, honor companies andprofessionals that provide excellentcustomer service as reported by theircustomers through no-cost, user-re-view websites, blogs, social net-works, business rating services, etc.This data is analyzed by a team ofresearchers who calculate a com-pany’s CM Power Rating. Onlythose that receive a 4-star to 5-starrating receive the Talk of the TownCustomer Satisfaction Award. An-chor credits some success to its web-site, designed to be professional,clean and easy to navigate. “It alsoincludes Autowatch, a program thatallows customers to view the repairstatus of their vehicle online,” saysTrago. “We have also implementedtexting and emails as a way of keep-ing customers up to date.”

Anchor Auto Body Earns 5thTalk of Town Award

The Glendale-Foothill & Valley-Ventura CAA chapters will bringthe 2nd of a three part series thatwill undoubtedly change the way acollision repair shop negotiates.

Michael Anderson, formerowner of Wagonwork Collision Cen-ters in Alexandria, VA, for over 20years. Mike spends over 300 days ayear on the road doing workshops,seminars, onsite consulting and muchmore. In 2010, Mike was offered adeal to sell Wagonwork, which he ac-cepted and founded CollisionAd-vice.com.See Michael’s impactful 3 hourpresentation that will cover the cur-rent and future state of our collisionindustry. How to Negotiate with ourcollision repair partners, the insur-ers, to making a safe and proper re-pair for our mutual customers…andbe profitable doing so!

Date: Monday, June 2, 2014, Lo-cation: The Odyssey Restaurant, 15600Odyssey Dr. Granada Hills, CA 91344.Time: Social Hour at 6 PM. Meetingstarts at 6:30 PM Cost: $50 (members)and $125 (nonmembers). RSVP nolater than May 19, 2014 by callingCindy Shillito at (714) 944-4028 oremail at [email protected].

CAA Glendale-Foothill Meetis June 2, RSVP deadline

On April 30, 2014, the CaliforniaLabor Commissioner introduced anew website, WageTheftIsACrime.com in an outreach attempt aimed atwhat the Commissioner calls the “un-derserved population of low-wageworkers.” The Labor Commissioneralready has a website but the new siteis purposefully written in plain Eng-lish in an attempt to reach out to low-wage workers with a minimum oflegalese. Notably, there is a sisterwebsite in Spanish, RoboDeSueldoE-sUnCrimen.com. The website pro-vides examples of what the LaborCommissioner calls “wage theft,” in-cluding “paying less than minimumwage, not paying workers overtime,not allowing workers to take meal andrest breaks, or taking workers’ tips”and gives employees a step-by-stepguide on gathering facts against theiremployers and filing a wage claim.Interestingly, the website states that itis funded by penalties the LaborCommissioner has received pursuantto the Private Attorney’s General Act,Labor Code § 2698 et seq., which areearmarked “for enforcement of laborlaws and education of employers andemployees about their rights and re-sponsibilities under this code.”

California Labor Commissionhas ‘Wage Theft’ Website

Caliber Collision Centers continuesits rapid expansion with the an-nouncement that it has opened a newlocation in the San Diego region.

“Today’s opening of our newlocation in Encinitas, California in-creases our total locations to 82 inCalifornia as we restore our cus-tomers to the rhythm of their lives,”said Steve Grimshaw, Caliber Col-lision Centers’ Chief Executive Of-ficer. “We are committed to addingcenters across every Caliber marketto provide industry-leading cus-tomer convenience and CSI met-rics.”

Caliber Collision’s new Encini-tas location officially opened forbusiness today at 204 North CoastHighway 101, in Encinitas, Califor-nia.

“Our new Encinitas CollisionCenter locations brings CaliberCollision’s total locations to 168 aswe continue to grow into the colli-sion repair provider of choice inevery community we serve,” addedMark Sanders, Caliber CollisionCenters’ President and Chief Oper-ating Officer.

Caliber Opens New Locationin San Diego Area

www.autobodynews.com


MCRS Ushers in Spring with Cocktails,Meeting and New Officersby Chasidy Rae Sisk

On March 21st and 22nd, the MontanaCollision Repair Specialists (MCRS)held their 2014 Spring Meeting at theHilton Garden Inn in Billings, MT.The day-and-a-half event included acocktail reception party, training pro-vided by Steve Trapp of Axalta Coat-ing Systems, and an election of new

officers for the association. This year’sevent was deemed a success with over90 industry professionals in atten-dance, an impressive turnout consid-ering MT’s harsh winter and thedismal weather forecast that weekend.

The event began with a cocktailparty on Friday night, allowing atten-dees time to socialize and network.This first MCRS Meet and Greet,sponsored by Denny Menholt Chevro-let, was lauded as so useful that the as-sociation plans to incorporate theconcept into their future bi-annualmeetings.

On Saturday morning, MCRSheld a Business BreakfastMeeting before attending twoof Trapp’s courses, “SellingCustomer Pay” and “Con-sumer Based Marketing”.During lunch, MCRS pro-vided an overview on the MTindustry and engaged in adiscussion on PartsTraderscoming to their state. This in-cluded a satellite conferencecall with Dan Hunsacker whoruns one of the first shops to

be put on PartsTrader in Tucson, AZ.In the afternoon, Trapp presented

“Improving Scoreboard Results.” Out-going MCRS President Bruce Halcropraised Trapp’s informative courses.

See MCRS Ushers in Spring, Page 29

MCRS Spring Meeting - Attendees Listen Attentively toTrapp's Teaching


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On April 14, 2014, Thomas Kroger(aka Thomas Cervantes), 49, wasfound dead in a chest-type freezer ofan auto body shop in Ceres, CA, thatwas owned by his husband Jacob Cer-vantes, 26, who has pleaded not guiltyto the crime. Kroger’s death may haveoccurred anywhere between Decem-ber 1, 2013, and April 10, 2014—hisautopsy is pending. Police have notsaid how Kroger died.

Kroger and Cervantes’ weddinglicense noted thatKroger had beenpreviously mar-ried for four yearsto Bernabe Garcia,who filed for di-vorce on June 21,2013, but died amonth later of gas-tric cancer. Krogermarried Cervanteson August 13,

2014, just two and a half weeks later,according to public records.

Cervantes claimed he had no pre-vious marriages, but records show hemarried Mindy Gutierrez in 2009.

When asked, Gutierrez refused tocomment on her former husband’s case,stating she would not attend court hear-

ings, according to the Modesto Bee.A former neighbor of Kroger and

Garcia in west Modesto, CA, said thetwo were a quiet couple. He’d seethem gardening in their front yard orplaying with their dogs, but every-thing changed about a month beforeGarcia died.

The neighbor, who declined togive his name, said he saw a signposted on their front door noting thatoxygen was in use inside the house,possibly an indicator of Garcia’s ill-ness.

Around that time, Garcia filedpapers with Stanislaus Superior Courtto divorce Kroger, citing irreconcil-able differences.

The neighbor said people he’dnever seen before started coming andgoing from the couple’s home, includ-ing Cervantes. He said he saw Cer-vantes and another Latino man takefurniture from the home and changethe locks twice.

The neighbor said he last sawKroger around August 2013, when hewas yelling at some of the new peo-ple who appeared to have taken overhis home. As many as 20 people werethere at a time, said the neighbor,drinking alcohol at tables that had

been set up in the front yard.The neighbor said he last saw

Cervantes at Kroger and Garcia’s for-mer Woodland Avenue home in Janu-ary or February of 2014.

Kroger was last known to live inthe Modesto and San Francisco areasof California, and previously in Okla-homa and Texas. Cervantes has ownedmultiple auto body shops throughoutStanislaus County, CA.

Detectives are asking for the pub-lic’s assistance in locating Kroger’s

next of kin orother family mem-bers, people whoknew him, and po-tential witnesses.Anyone who is re-lated to or knewKroger, had con-tact with him, orhas any informa-

tion about him is encouraged to contactdetective Derek Perry at 209-538-5730or [email protected].

Crime Stoppers also can be calledat 209-521-4636 (callers to CrimeStoppers can remain anonymous andare eligible for a cash reward) or textedat 274637 (type TIP704 along with themessage).

Ceres, CA, Man Found Dead in Auto Body Shop Freezer ReportedlyMarried to Suspected Killer who Had Several Previous Marriages

Thomas Kroger(aka ThomasCervantes)

Jacob Cervantes

Harry Alvin Sargent passed awaypeacefully and with his family by hisside on April 13, 2014, at the age of 77.

Harry was bornin Hamilton, On-tario, Canada. Hewas a descendantof Alvin andEdna Sargent.

Harry movedto Upland, CA,in May 1962, tofollow his early

career in the auto repair business. Hesoon found that this was one of hisstrongest passions in life. In 1964,shortly after arriving in California, heand his wife Barbara founded Sar-gent’s Auto Body. They ran this busi-ness until 1978 when Harry took atrip to Roseburg, OR, for a vacationwith a friend from California. Harryenjoyed Roseburg so much he pur-chased a home.

Harry opened Sargent’s BodyShop in Roseburg. Harry broughtone of his son’s into the business,Harry Jr., and he continues to followin the family business.

There will be no funeral. A‘potluck’ celebration of life will beheld at 3:00 pm on June 14, 2014, at948 Page Road, Winchester, OR.

OR Body Shop Owner HarryAlvin Sargent Passes at 77

Ralph Stephen Deuer was a long-time resident of St. Helena, CA, andpassed away on April 26, 2014, at theage of 79. He was the son of GeorgeDeuer and Nancy Raymond Deuer.Ralph attended St. Helena HighSchool and graduated in 1954. Afterhigh school, he joined the Army andserved in Korea for two years. Uponreturning from the service, he learnedauto body and mechanical repair atBryon’s Auto Body shop in Napa,

CA, which ledto a long-termhobby of auto-mobile buying,repairing, andtrading.

Ralph was anactive member ofthe Napa CountyGrange and nu-merous wine-

making clubs, auto clubs, and otherlocal organizations. He enjoyed goingto auto swap meets throughout North-ern California, where he traded, bought,and sold parts for vintage automobiles.

A celebration of his life will beheld in late spring or early summer2014. You can express your thoughtsand memories at MorrisonFuner-alChapel.com.

Napa Valley Auto BodyEnthusiast Passes at 79

After months of planning with theCity of Dublin, CA, Car West AutoBody is breaking ground on its newfacility in Dublin, CA. Located di-rectly across the street from theircurrent location, this new 26,500square-foot facility will mark theentrance to the Dublin Auto Mall.Car West has six shop locations andsix satellite locations in the SiliconValley Bay Area of California.

Craig Moe, president and CEOof Car West, states, “We are excitedabout the project as it will increaselong-overdue capacity by 250 per-cent. This facility will be equippedwith the latest technology for alu-minum repairs and welding to ac-commodate car repairs now andthose of the near future. This willalso allow Car West to position thislocation to gain manufacture certi-fications such as Mercedes, Audi,BMW, and others.”

Car West Breaking Groundon New Dublin, CA, Location

Harry Alvin Sargent

Car West Dublin, CA, location artist’sconcept

Ralph StephenDeuer


Californians who have body workdone on their cars can get it in-spected for free at their home or of-fice by the state Bureau ofAutomotive Repair, yet almost no-body takes advantage of this service.Last year, the bureau only performedabout 110 inspections statewide,says Jamie Ramos, the program'smanager. He doesn't know howmany of the cars inspected hadshoddy work done. “We don't trackthe history of results,” Ramos says.Under the program, any car ownerwho gets in a collision and has bodywork done can get a state inspectorto make sure all repairs listed ontheir invoice were done correctly.For example, if the shop said it putin a new part, the inspector willmake sure it was not refurbished. “Inauto body collision repairs, it couldlook beautiful on the outside, butwhat's behind there could be unsafe.It could reduce the structural in-tegrity and put the driver and pas-senger at risk,” Ramos says. Theprogram does not inspect regularmechanical repairs such as brakejobs or transmission replacement,but it will examine almost any workdone as the result of a collision.

Californians Don’t Use FreeInspection Service

Chairman Ron Aparicio of MOTULUSA, has appointed Larry Paveyof Federated Auto Parts and MikeMohler of the National Pronto As-sociation to the CAWA board of di-rectors, effective immediately. “In2014 CAWA recognized the need towork closer with the industry lead-ing program groups. As we ap-proached Pronto and Federated andproposed to add one of their leadersto serve our board… both organiza-tions stepped up right away andwelcomed the idea,” said ChairAparicio during the appointmentprocess. He went on to say “wehave added two industry leaderswith a wealth of industry knowl-edge to our Association. I look for-ward to their contributions and trulyappreciate their willingness to stepup and join the CAWA board of di-rectors to help protect the interestsof the aftermarket. These are trulytwo great additions to our team,”Aparicio concluded. CAWA is a re-gional automotive aftermarket tradeassociation, which represents autoparts jobbers, warehouse distribu-tors, retailers, manufacturers, man-ufacturer representatives andprogram groups.

CAWA Gets Two New BoardMembers

Port Orchard Auto Body, located onColchester Drive, in Manchester,WA, has opened under the ownershipof John Latham and his wife, Janet.The couple operated a repair facilityat the Colchester Drive location from1995 until 2008. The business portionwas sold to an employee, while theLathams retained ownership of theproperty and buildings. The Lathamsworked to few summers at a lodge inAlaska and explored Arizona beforereturning to South Kitsap.

The shop was relocated andLatham’s opened it under a newname. John Latham said Port Or-chard Auto Body will work with aclient’s insurance company duringrepair.

“Feel confident that we areworking for you—our customer,”said Latham. Latham said con-sumers need to know they have theright to choose the repair shop theywant their automobile repaired.

He said his shop will not repaira car that “he wouldn’t put his ownfamily into.” The shop is located at1344 Colchester Drive SE and canreached at 360-871-9402. It is openMonday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5p.m., and Saturday by appointment.

New Shop Opens in Man-chester, WA

Fix Auto announced that its 12thAnnual National Conference will beheld just a short drive from its SanDiego headquarters in Carlsbad,California, an affluent seaside resortcity occupying a seven-mile stretchof Pacific coastline. Slated for Sep-tember 21–24, 2014, the companywill present a comprehensive pro-gram following a theme of “In Pur-suit of a Higher Purpose,” an ideathat resonates throughout the FixAuto organization where employeesgive of themselves to any number ofworthy causes within our industryas well as outside of the organiza-tion. Fix Auto offers its franchisees,affiliate members, and partners aforum where they can gain newideas and perspectives on trends im-pacting the collision repair industry.Those in attendance will also havean opportunity to network with thebest of the best—other Fix AutoFranchisees, Collision Repair Ex-perts members and key industrythought leaders. The company hasannounced a lineup of speakers andactivities which comprise a distinc-tive mix of general and breakoutsessions, along with plenty of timeto relax.

Fix Auto to Hold 12th AnnualConference Sept. 21-24

The series of storms that wreakedhavoc across much of the UnitedStates in April rank as the first billion-dollar economic loss event of 2014that can be attributed to thunder-storms, according to Aon Benfield, theworld’s leading reinsurance interme-diary’s monthly Global Catastrophe

Recap report. At least 40 people werekilled by flash flooding and severeweather during the storms, which in-cluded nearly 70 confirmed tornadoesacross more than 20 states in thePlains, Mississippi Valley, Southeast,Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions.

Insured losses due to the multi-day outbreak will likely end up in thehundreds of millions of dollars, AonBenfield said.

Employees of Auto Glass Now inJackson, MS, escaped serious injuryor death just minutes before a tornado

leveled the automotive glass companyon April 28, according to regionalmanager John Ketchum. The shopwas pretty much a total loss, but thecompany has already leased a newbuilding and is back in business al-ready, he says.

“[Employees at the shop] calledme as I was on my way,” Ketchum ex-plains. “They were concerned becausethe weather was getting bad and tor-nado alerts were being issued. Theywere listening to the radio but none ofus realized the severity of the storm.When the alarms [warning sirens]went off, I told them to leave. About20 minutes later the building wasgone. All we could salvage was achair.”

The employees are safe and theirhomes were not damaged, Ketchumadded, but one manager lost both fam-ily vehicles.

“Basically, I got there and saw allthe damage. I gathered everybody to-gether and assured them they stillhave a job with us and they aren’tgoing anywhere. I was lucky to findthe building. I called the owner [TonyHakimian] and told him the extent of

the damage. He said to tell everybodywe were taking care of their pay forthe week. We did not want them wor-rying. I took the employees out to din-ner and Tony bought these guys newtools,” he explains.

Ketchum and the owner wereable to find a new building and sign anew lease quickly.

“We are so fortunate that wefound these people a new home for thebusiness. In about an hour we had anew lease signed,” he says. “The nextday the employees were back to work.

We’re waiting for the phones to behooked up and we are almost ready todo mobile repair and replacements.We have vehicles being deliveredtoday,” Ketchum says.

The tornado that leveled the facil-ity was part of a larger stormsystem that caused wide-spread destruction in the state.

At least three tornadossmashed homes and busi-nesses, flipped trucks over onhighways and injured a stillunknown number of peoplein Mississippi and Alabamaas the massive storm systempassed over several states inthe South, also threatening tounleash severe thunder-storms, damaging hail andflash floods.FEMA reported that 15 of

the 30 tornadoes on April 27 struckArkansas, with 5 in Iowa, 4 in Kansas,3 in Nebraska and one each inLouisiana, Missouri and Oklahoma.

People in the path of the systemwere on edge as the National WeatherService posted tornado watches and


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Deadly Tornados Caused by Massive Storm Hitting 20 States, At Least 40 Deaths, $1 Billion in Damages

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Michael Harrell, left, of J&J Towing holds up a tow cablebefore attaching it to a flooded car that was swept offFairfield Avenue by torrential rains and deposited in aditch as fellow employee Charles Thomas assists froman inflatable boat in Pensacola, FL, on April 30, 2014.(Photo: G.M. Andrews)


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Nevada Margin Tax Garners Opposition from CAWA andAFL-CIO, Supported by State Education AssociationCAWA’s Board of Directors voted tooppose the Nevada Margin Tax thatwill appear on the 2014 General Elec-tion ballot November 4th. Alsoknown as the Education Initiative,Question 3 of the ballot would imposea 2 percent “margins tax” on busi-nesses in Nevada to fund an estimated$700 million a year for education.The initiative is sponsored by the Ne-vada State Education Initiative, whichrepresents teachers. The Margin TaxInitiative is opposed by the Nevadabusiness community and manyelected officials including GovernorBrian Sandoval. The Nevada StateAFL-CIO recently reversed their po-sition on the initiative and voted tooppose the measure on Friday.

“CAWA commits to continuingto help Nevada businesses in the au-tomotive aftermarket parts industryremain strong and vibrant despite themany challenges they face on a dailybasis. While CAWA values educationand funding public schools, the Mar-gin Tax will raise the cost of living forNevadans, hurt employers and smallbusinesses and put Nevada businessesat a competitive disadvantage,” saidRodney K. Pierini, CAWA President& CEO.

CAWA is a regional automotiveaftermarket trade association, whichrepresents auto parts jobbers, ware-house distributors, retailers, manufac-turers, manufacturer representativesand program groups. The Associationprovides education, legislative, regu-latory and business support to the in-dustry and its membership. It is oneof the largest trade associations of itskind in the United States and recog-nized as a leader in the automotive af-termarket industry.

For more information about theMargin Tax Initiative visit www.cawa.orgor contact Nevada Legislative AdvocateDavid Brown at [email protected] 702.933.0778.

The measure was initiated by theNevada AFL-CIO and the NevadaState Education Association, the stateaffiliate of the National Education As-sociation. However, Executive Secre-tary Treasurer Danny Thompson ofthe AFL-CIO, despite giving his priorsupport, criticized the plan, saying hesupports a smaller margin tax of0.8%. The Nevada AFL-CIO decidedto hold a vote in May 2014 as towhether to support the initiative. OnMay 2, 2014, the AFL-CIO officiallyvoted to oppose the measure.

Attorneys Say Non-Compete Agreements in Arizona Fol-low the Goldilocks Principle: Too Broad and Too NarrowNon-compete agreements under Ari-zona law follow a “goldilocks princi-ple”: some are too broad, some aretoo narrow, and some are just right.

Although Arizona law recog-nizes the need to protect legitimatebusiness interests, it also hesitates torestrict individuals from pursuingtheir chosen careers. A well draftednon-compete agreement can success-fully balance the interests of both theemployer and employee.

A non-compete agreement is un-reasonable and will not be enforced if(1) the restraint is greater than neces-sary to protect the employer’s legiti-mate interest; or (2) that interest isoutweighed by the hardship to theemployee and the likely injury to thepublic

In October 2013, the ArizonaCourt of Appeals held that a non-compete agreement between a publicrelations company and its formerpresident, Ann Noder, was over-broad and therefore unenforceable.Orca Communications Unlimited,LLC v. Noder, 233 Ariz. 411, 314P.3d 89 (App. 2013). The agreementprohibited Noder from directly or in-directly advertising, soliciting, or pro-viding “Conflicting Services” within

a “Restricted Territory” for eighteenmonths after her employment hadended. The court found that the re-strictive covenants protected morethan Orca’s legitimate business inter-ests because it prevented Noder frompursuing any type of work in the pub-lic relations industry, even work thatwould be based on her skill and tal-ents and not merely confidential in-formation or customer relationships.The court refused to rewrite the pro-visions to make them enforceable,thus freeing Noder to immediatelycompete against her former employer.

A valid non-compete agreementcannot be copied and pasted from apreexisting template. Each industryand business has unique circum-stances and interests that must be con-sidered when drafting an effectiveand enforceable non-compete agree-ment.

Seeking the advice of competentlegal counsel can give employers theconfidence to avoid the trial and errormethod of Goldilocks—ensuring thattheir non-compete agreements will be“just right.”

As always, consult a qualified at-torney before acting on any news re-port that may have legal repercussions.

by Ed Attanasio

Peter Lock has been a collision repairprofessor at Contra Costa College(CCC) in San Pablo, CA since 1979,long before most of his current stu-dents were ever born. It’s been a greatride and a highly satisfying journeyfor this 58 year-old devotee to the col-

lision industry andhis students. Ahands-on professorwho connects tohis students by car-ing about them andshowing it, Lock isstarting to thinkabout retirement ashe looks back at 35years in the role.

The auto serv-ices department atCCC trains peoplehow to be autoservice technicians,

customizers, body repair specialists,mechanics, painters, damage apprais-ers, collision repair technicians, partstechnicians and smog technicians. Theschool offers a two-year, four-semes-

ter program in either auto repair colli-sion repair technology or auto me-chanics, Lock said. Each semesterconsists of a combination of classroomteaching and hands-on laboratory stud-ies.

It seems like a long time ago,Lock said, but he still remembers hisearly years as a rookie teacher vividly,“I started teaching here when I was 23and things weren’t as high-tech backthen. For one, there weren’t very manyauto tech schools around like there arenow. Almost everyone had to start atthe bottom and learn the business thatway, by doing it themselves. I tell mystudents that learning never ends justbecause you graduate or get a job. I’velearned at least 10 times more than Iknew when I first started this job andthat’s been one of the great thingsabout it.”

Lock came to CCC initially as astudent himself to learn how to be abody and paint tech in 1973. Upongraduation, he was immediately hiredby a series of body shops where he didboth body and paint for five years, be-fore he started teaching at CCC. Theautomotive repair department was

limping along at that point, Lock said.“I started out teaching just one

night class, but I could see right awaythat the program was struggling tokeep open and I was hired to keep itgoing, for one. Back then there weren’tmany qualified teachers. Some peoplehad the industry experience, but I hada degree and that’s why I got the job.The opportunity was there and the wayit all came together was pure luck. Itell my students that when you get ashot, take advantage of it and seize thatmoment, because you may not ever getanother one.”

Before Lock could be a teacher atCCC, he had to take a 60-hour teachertraining class, held at UC Berkeley aspart of its continuing education pro-gram. It was one day he will never for-get, he said. “I was running late thatday and rushing home to get ready formy first training class. When I walkedin the front door, the phone rang and itwas someone telling me that my fatherhad just died from a massive heart at-tack. So, I had to decide—do I go tothis class or stay home so that every-one can come over and grieve? I askedmyself, what would my dad want me

to do? And I know he would havewanted me to attend that class. So,here I was sitting in this class gettingready for an occupation for which Iknew absolutely nothing and my fa-ther had just died one hour before. Itwas a challenging time.”

During those 60 hours of train-ing, Lock decided that he was goingto make his classes fun and interac-tive, without spoon feeding his stu-dents information they couldn’t use,he said. “I could see that teaching wasgoing to be fun, mainly because I wasgoing to make it fun. I knew if I juststood up there and said a bunch ofstuff, I could lose the students ratherquickly. So I came up with ways to en-gage them without talking down tothem or making them feel like it was aone-way thing.”

The auto repair classrooms andlaboratories at Contra Costa Collegeconsist of two separate facilities underone roof, Lock said. The collision re-pair department covers 10,000 squarefeet and has 75 students enrolled in itsprogram, he said, and the 6,000-square-foot mechanical repair depart-ment has an enrollment of 65 students.


35 Years Dedicated to Teaching Tomorrow’s Techs

Peter Lock as asenior in high school,before attending

Contra Costa Collegeto become a bodyand paint tech andeventually becominga lifelong instructor

at the school

warnings around Mississippi, Ten-nessee, Alabama and Georgia. Fore-casters said the system was the latestonslaught of severe weather that trig-gered deadly tornadoes in Arkansas,Oklahoma and Iowa on Sunday,killing at least 40 people.

Arkansas was the hardest-hitstate on the first day of the tornadooutbreak, and an EF4 tornado roaredthrough Mayflower, Vilonia and othernearby towns.

The storm was so huge it wasvisible from space, photographed byweather satellites that showed tumul-tuous clouds arcing across much ofthe South.

The Florida Panhandle was hitwith up to two feet of rain in a 24 hourperiod causing widespread flooding,washing away roads, and requiringhelicopter and boat rescues. FloridaGov. Rick Scott said that officials re-ceived around 300 calls for rescuefrom stranded residents. A 10-milestretch of I-10 was closed due toflooding, leaving people stranded forhours. Gov. Rick Scott declared a

state of emergency for the panhandledue to the impacts.

Aon Benfield also attributed eco-nomic losses of $950 million to alarge hailstorm that hit the Denton,Texas metro area in April, an eventthat generated insured losses of about$650 million. That storm also causedwidespread damage in parts of thePlains, Midwest and Mississippi Val-ley.

According to remarks made inFebruary by Insurance InformationInstitute president Robert Hartwig,80% of U.S. natural disaster relatedinsurance claims’ payouts in 2013 wasattributable to tornadoes and severethunderstorms, accounting for $10.27billion.

Oklahoma incurred the mostdamages due to tornadoes last year,Hartwig said, with nearly $2 billion inpayouts, many of which were from aseries of tornadoes in May 2013.

CCC offers the I-CAR IndustrialTraining Alliance program, one ofonly two post-secondary schools inCalifornia to do so, Lock said. Theschool recently won a $50,000 grantfor its excellence and used the moneyto buy a paint simulator and othermuch-needed things, like new desks.

The steady growth of the auto re-pair industry in Northern Californiaand the advent of new technology havekept the department at CCC healthyand flourishing, according to Lock.Approximately 2,600 students havecome through his department in 3.5decades and one of the best parts of thejob is when his graduates reach out toshare their success stories.”Sometimes

they call excited to tell me they just gota job at a body shop,” he said. “Theycall to say thank you and that reallymeans a lot. We teach them how to fixcars, but we also instill in them a workethic and also stress the satisfaction ofdoing a job right.”

Many of Lock’s former studentsare now body shop owners and theyoften contact Lock periodically to in-quire about hiring some of his currentstudents upon graduation, he added. “Inow also have second-generation stu-dents entering our program and if Istick around long enough, I imagineI’ll start seeing some third-generationfuture techs coming through here.”

Although he doesn’t have firmplans yet for stepping down, retire-ment is surely in Lock’s rear viewmirror, he explained. “I want tomake sure that the program is strongbefore I retire. Until last year, I wasalso the Chairman of the AutomotiveTechnology Department at CCC, ajob we handed off to Lucille Beatty,so that I can focus on teaching,which I really love the most. I knowI can be replaced and that’s okay, butI want to be certain that the depart-ment is still thriving when I hand offthe reins.”


Peter Lock today is a lot wiser, a little grayerand truly grateful for an amazing 35-yearteaching career

Continued from Page 9

Deadly Tornados

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On March 21 through 23, ASA-North-west held their 6th Annual AutomotiveTraining Expo (ATE) at the DoubletreeHilton in Seattle, WA. With over 600attendees and 83 exhibitors, the 2014ATE marked the first year the eventhas been sold out. The goal of theevent was to provide training for theautomotive industry, including owners,managers and technicians, and ATE2014 really delivered with 62 trainingsessions, six of which were I-CARcourses, taught by industry-leadingprofessionals.

Attendees raved about ATE 2014,and some of the feedback that ASA-Northwest has received so far in-cluded the following: “2014 was thebest ATE ever; my production team allbrought back valuable informationthey could use the first day back towork, and my service advisors madesubtle changes in how they functionand brought up ARO and GP the firstweek back. If this improvement con-

tinues, we will pay the entire invest-ment of sending six people to ATEback in three months just off of that,not including what the Techs learned!”“This was a premier event that al-lowed my team and I to increase ourknowledge in all facets of our busi-ness as well as an amazing team build-ing experience. It’s a no-brainer thatwe will be back next year, and I thinkevery shop should attend.” “ATEteaches you to be better at your job.”“ATE is a great way for Automotiveeducators to get updated on current re-pair information. Attending is alwaysa positive experience.”

Jeff Lovell, President and Execu-tive Director of ASA-Northwest, notes“this year, our sixth year, was sold outand exceeded our expectations. Wehave grown this event from the firstyear of 173 attendees to over 600 at-tendees going to training classes with12,430 hours of training. We also had83 exhibitors participate in our expo,

both Friday and Saturday evening. Theexpo floor was sold out three monthsin advance!”

On Thursday, the National Auto-motive Service Task Force (NASTF)joined ATE to host their Spring 2014General Meeting, and over 100 partici-pants attended to discuss the topic of J-2534 Reprogramming. At breakfast onSaturday, renowned trainer Gary Smithpresented “Success or Struggle,” andduring lunch, Bryan Dodge taught at-tendees “How to Have Your Best YearEver.” Throughout the event, ATE of-fered an impressive trade expo with ex-hibitors displaying automotive parts,repair equipment, shop managementservices, and specialty products. ATEattendees also had the chance to win avariety of door prizes which were dis-tributed throughout the weekend.

Lovell believes these types of as-sociation-sponsored events are impor-tant for members and the industrybecause it “brings our membership to-

gether to discuss issues affecting ourindustry, such as getting new techni-cians into the industry, environmentalissues, legislative issues and network-ing. It is so gratifying to have ATEgrow each year and that it has estab-lished itself as the West Coast’s pre-mier training event. Our staff andvolunteers help make this an excep-tional event that provides qualitytraining to all levels of the service andrepair industry.

In addition to ASA-Northwest,sponsors for ATE included the North-west Tire Dealers Association, AutoShop Solutions (the official socialmedia sponsor), and “Parts & PeopleNorthwest” who was the officialmedia sponsor of the event. ATE2015 will be held on March 20-22ndat the Doubletree Hilton in Seattle,WA.

www.asanorthwest.com253-473-6970


ASA-NW’s Automotive Training Expo 2014

with Chasidy Rae SiskNorthwest Associations

Chasidy Rae Sisk is a freelance technical writer from Wilmington, Delaware,who writes on a variety of fields and subjects, and grew up in a family ofNASCAR fans. She can be contacted at [email protected].


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Ruling states aftermarket parts dis-tributor’s amended complaint againstGeneral Motors’ “Bump the Compe-tition” price matching program wasinsufficient to prove antitrust, preda-tory pricing or conspiracy claims.

A federal judge in Louisianagranted the defendants’ motion to dis-miss a lawsuit brought by a distributorof non-OEM parts that alleged GeneralMotor’s price matching program wasanti-competitive. The suit, Felder’sCollision Parts v. General Motors Com-pany et. al. was originally filed againstGM and the Allstar Automotive Group,an OEM dealer.

The initial complaint, filed in Oc-tober 2012, said the program, which re-quires dealerships to ‘sell OEM partsbelow dealer cost,’ is a violation of theSherman Act, the Robinson-Patman Act(which prohibits anticompetitive pric-ing) as well as the Louisiana unfair tradepractices and anti-trust laws. Court doc-uments describe antitrust, monopoly,and predatory pricing concerns.

Felder’s Collision alleged thatGM and original-equipment parts dis-tributors such as All Star AutomotiveGroup engaged in illegal “predatorypricing” practices to undercut after-

market prices and drive aftermarketcompetitors out of business. The suitalleges violations of federal and stateantitrust and state consumer protec-tion regulations.

As Autobody News reported lastJune, U.S. District Judge James Bradygranted Felder’s motion to file anamended complaint. We incorrectlyreported that the full complaint hadbeen dismissed. Rather the judge de-nied the Defendants’ Motion to Dis-miss and allowed the suit to proceed.

However, in the current orderJudge Brady ruled that Felder’samended complaint failed to ade-quately plead its case that the defen-dants violated federal antitrust laws orengaged in predatory pricing. On theantitrust claim, the judge ruled thatcomplaint did not properly define thegeographic market.

“Felder’s would like this Court tobelieve that at the heart of this case ‘isa fundamental legal question—whether the All Star Defendants’ prac-tice of selling parts to collision centersand body shops at a price below thecost paid to GM for a particular partconstitutes predatory pricing.’ How-ever, what is fundamental to any an-

titrust analysis is a proper definitionof the relevant market and a defen-dant’s power to detrimentally effectcompetition therein. Indeed, this in-quiry into both market definition andmarket power is fundamental to prop-erly evaluating the plausibility of apredatory pricing scheme.

The amended complaint onlylisted portions of Louisiana and Mis-sissippi as the geographic market.

Beyond concerns about the geo-graphic market defined in the com-plaint, the judge also ruled that theamended complaint failed to properlyplead a predatory pricing scheme.

The ruling states, “After review-ing the Amended Complaint, theCourt finds that Felder’s has failed toamend to allege below-cost pricingpursuant to the Fifth Circuit standardas instructed by the Court in its previ-ous ruling. Therefore, even if Felder’shad sufficiently pled the relevant geo-graphic market, it would still havefailed to properly plead a predatorypricing scheme.”

Representing the Plaintiff is thelaw firm Sher, Garner, Cahill, Richter,Klein and Herbert LLC of New Or-leans.


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Kadel’s Auto Body, a locally ownedcollision repair business based inTigard, OR, has announced the ac-quisition of Alpine Auto Body’sthree locations in Vancouver, Wash.The acquisition brings Kadel’s totalnumber of stores to 21 in the PacificNorthwest.

“During the past 38-years,Alpine has grown into ClarkCounty’s largest collision repaircompany as a result of our staff’sunwavering commitment to deliv-ering quality repair and the loyaltyof our customers,” said Rod Cook,founder of Alpine Auto Body. “Ithas been an honor to serve our cus-tomers and a privilege to work withthe best collision repair profession-als in the industry.”

Added Kadel’s President andCEO Don Braden, “We are very ex-cited to increase from one to fourshops in Vancouver so that we canbetter serve our customers. TheAlpine body shops have operatedunder a lean process model, bringingadded value to our organization.”

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by Ed Attanasio

If there was an award for the mostdog-friendly body shop in the country,Regal Collision in Vallejo, CA wouldsurely warrant consideration. OwnerJim Boyle and his wife Shellie areavid dog owners, but they also backup their bark when it comes to help-

ing pets through their philanthropy ef-forts and by welcoming dogs to theirshop when they bring their owners infor repairs.

Again this year, Regal CollisionRepair reached out to help localhomeless cats and dogs by entering amobile dog house called Snoopy’sCamper in the 11th annual Barkitec-ture Gala and Auction held at theSonoma County Fairgrounds on April4 to raise money for the Humane So-ciety of the North Bay (HSNB). Thetheme this year was “Woofstock—Peace, Love and Pets,” a groovy cele-bration consisting not only of a greatfundraising event but also competi-tions in which local businesses, com-munity and/or neighborhood groupsand individuals create custom de-signed “creature” comforts such as:Dog dens, dog and cat furniture, birdroosts, bunny boudoirs, lizard lairsand other pet domiciles. The eveningincluded 1960s music performed byThe Wall of Blues, food from localrestaurants, a premium raffle, a silentauction and a live auction of itemsgenerously donated exclusively forthe event.

The goal of Barkitecture’s “Woof-stock—Peace, Love and Pets” programwas to raise much-needed operationalfunds to care for the animals and foroutreach to build awareness of theplight of the many homeless dogs, cats,other animals available for adoption atthe Humane Society of the North Bay,a cause the people at RegalCollision strongly believe inand support.

With more than 20 peo-ple attending the event on be-half of Regal Collision , theshop has become an integralpart of the local pet commu-nity in Vallejo and throughoutthe East Bay, according to thedirector of the Humane Soci-ety of the North Bay (HSNB).

“Regal Collision wasvery active in this year’sBarkitecture fundraiser andthe shop won the People’sChoice Voting Award for best DogDomicile and filled two tables withbidders to support the animals,” PeterL. Wilson Director of Developmentsaid. “Their domicile was awesomeand we definitely appreciate their sup-

port of the homeless animals! TheBoyles are wonderful people, greatmembers of our business communityand willing to help us in any way theycan.”

Kirk Kapfenstein, the productionmanager at Regal Collision Repair,took a 1950s children’s toy car and

turned it into a cool mobile pad forSnoopy and his friends. Known forhis nationally-acclaimed paint jobs onliterally hundreds of motorcycles,Kapfenstein owns and operates KillerCandy in Concord, CA, when he isn’t


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Regal Collision is Paws Down the Country’s Most Dog-Friendly Body Shop

Owner Jim Boyle (center), Manager KirkKapfenstein (left) and Body Tech Mike Elliottat Regal Collision in Vallejo, CA unveil theirdoggy creation, Snoopy’s Camper

Jim Boyle (left) receives the People’s Choice Voting Awardfor the Best Dog Domicile from Peter L. Wilson, Director ofDevelopment for the Humane Society of the North Bay(HSNB), at their 2014 Barkitecture fundraising event inVallejo, CA on April 4

running the production at Regal.Kapfenstein dedicated more than 30hours of his time to help the pets’cause with this year’s creation, and asa passionate artist/painter and theowner of two dogs and one cat, heloved working on it, he said.

Kapfenstein’s cat tower was acrowd pleaser last year and an eye-catcher at the 2013 Barkitecture party,so Kirk wanted to do something betterthis year. “Snoopy’s Camper got a lotof positive comments this year and itsold for $900, all of which goes to theHumane Society of the North Bay,”Kapfenstein explained. “Making itwas fun and by helping the commu-nity, it made it even more enjoyable.The Boy Scouts beat us with theirdoghouse last year, so it was nice to

take first place this year.”The Boyles own a three-year-old

Sheltie named Sydney who runs thefront office at Regal Collision. “Wehost I-CAR classes here and I guessshe must be picking up some of theknowledge at those classes, becauseour CSI numbers are through the roofand I credit much of it to Sydney,” JimBoyle said with a hearty laugh.

Regal Collision’s brand new fa-cility in Vallejo will soon be underconstruction and this 14,400 squarefoot shop will be featuring all of thelatest equipment available, but whatwill make it truly unique is its dogpark. “It’s going to have grass andsome water bowls, while dogs canrelax.” Shellie Boyle said. “A lot ofour customers come in here with their

dogs and we always welcome them.Now with the new shop, dogs will beable to chill in our new dog park whilewe serve their masters.”

Jim Boyle, the owner of RegalCollision Repair, loves doing commu-nity work and Barkitecture is just an-other way to give back to the City ofVallejo, he said. “We’ve been donat-ing to this cause for many years,” hesaid. “Now we’re stepping up withour new dog park, which will be agreat aspect of our new facility. Welove our pets and many of our cus-tomers share this passion, so if peoplestart considering us as the most pet-friendly body shop in the country thatwould be great. But one request—dogs only please—we don’t want anycat fights.”


undocumented worker from obtaining,as a remedy for a violation of "statelabor and employment laws" (Lab.Code § 1171.5; Civ. Code § 3339; Gov.Code § 7285; Health & Saf. Code §24000), an award of compensatoryremedies, including backpay? (SeeHoffman Plastic Compounds, Inc. v.NLRB(2002) 535 U.S. 137.)

For companies with employeesin California, the first two issues aremore important. Outside of Califor-nia, they may have less of a direct im-pact. However, whenever a statesupreme court considers the applica-bility of Hoffman Plastic, companiesshould take notice. Courts and agen-cies, including the NLRB, have longsought to find broad remedies for un-documented workers, including back-pay. Hoffman Plastic upset thebalance between immigration law andavailable remedies for wage and hour,NLRA, and other violations. Thiscase will add one more importantvoice to the debate over how to strikethat balance post-Hoffman Plastic.The court scheduled Salas for oral ar-gument in Los Angeles and will issuea decision by July 1, 2014.

Continued from Cover

Back Wages

cated name on employees’ wagestatements. Although the claim wasdismissed on summary judgment,supporters of AB 2095 were disturbedby the unnecessary attorneys’ feesand costs the employer incurred todefend against the claim, promptingthe proposed amendment. In con-trast, opponents argue AB 2095 is un-necessary because the standard toshow the requisite injury under LaborCode section 226 was heightened in2012, and because a 2013 amendmentto the Code of Civil Procedure al-ready allows prevailing employers torecover attorneys’ fees in bad faith lit-igation.

Should AB 2095 pass, it wouldmark a small victory for Californiaemployers, as employees and their at-torneys would have to carefully eval-uate whether to bring a Labor Codesection 226 wage statement claim foralleged “technical” violations thathave not caused some notable injury.


Proposed Amendment

A senior citizen living in State Repre-sentative Harvey Santana’s districtcontacted a local media Consumer In-vestigator Unit called “Ruth to the res-cue” to complain that he had taken hiscar to a West Detroit shop and hassince “been stranded for 5 months.”82-year-old James Fails said he usedthe repair shop known as DomesticAnd Import Auto at 9900 Greenfieldin Detroit. Fails said his car was neverthe same afterward, and he’s suing thefacility to get his engine replaced. TheDetroit grandfather’s family wasshocked to learn the shop’s licensehad expired.

“I just shake my head to still seethem open,” Fails granddaughter toldRuth to the Rescue.

“We have a responsibility tomake sure that this senior citizen, whois a grandfather and lives on a fixedincome, doesn’t have to go throughthe experience he just went through,”Santana told Ruth to the Rescue.

Ruth Spencer visited the garageand the owner admitted in March thathe didn’t have a valid license. Backthen, owner Ali Beydoun toldSpencer, he would be getting his li-

cense renewed very soon.The Democrat decided some-

thing must be done. He’s now work-ing with several interested parties tocreate legislation that would fine re-pairs shops that do not have a license.The proposal would call for a $5,000fine for the first offense and $7,500 forevery offense that follows.

“What bothered me is the licenseranges from $50 to $500 a year on asliding scale, so why not just play bythe rules and get it?” said State Rep-resentative Harvey Santana.

What about the shop on Green-field road?

As Ruth to the Rescue startedworking on the story of this legislativeproposal, we wondered if Mr. Bey-doun had followed through on hispromise to get his licensed renewed.The consumer unit checked with theSecretary of State and found thegarage at 9900 Greenfield was still notlicensed. Local 4’s Consumer ExpertRuth Spencer went back to the garage.

The owner, once again, admittedhis garage isn’t licensed, “That is true.And, I haven’t had it cause I’m sellingthe place,” said owner Ali Beydoun.

While he told Spencer he was sell-ing his garage, he admitted that processcould take months and there is anotherreason he doesn’t have a license.

“The reason I’m not renewingthem is cause I don’t have the moneyto renew anything right now.”License equals consumer protection

The Automatic Service Associa-tion says its important for auto repairshops to be licensed. Among otherthings, licensed facilities are requiredto have certified mechanics, trained forspecific types of repairs. With unli-censed facilities, you don’t know whatlevel of expertise you’ll receive.

“People who are doing work un-licensed are doing the consumers aninjustice,” said local garage ownerLarry Dragan. He proudly displays hisfacility’s license and the certificates ofthe mechanics he employs.

Santana’s proposed bill has Dra-gan’s support, and the support of the Au-tomotive Service Association. “We needto do this for consumers. It’s the rightthing to do and it’s the time to do it,” saidRay Fisher, president of the AutomotiveService Association of Michigan.

“I’m just glad that Ruth to the Res-

cue came out and investigated this. Nowwe know we have an obligation to dobetter, now that we know more,” saidState Representative Harvey Santana.

How To Know If Your Garage IsLicensed

Going to an unlicensed mechanicis something that could happen to any-one. Melanie Duquesnel, the CEO ofthe Better Business Bureau, said it’seasy to spot an unlicensed mechanic,if you know where to look.

“Should be licenses on the wallwith the names of the people that aregoing to be touching your car,” she said.

If this story makes you nervousabout your next trip to an auto repairshop, keep these guidelines in mind.1) A licensed shops should have thatcertification on displace, as well as li-censes for the mechanics working atthat garage. You should be able to seethe paperwork posted in the shop.2) You can go to the website of theSecretary of State’s office to makesure a business is licensed.3) You can also check with the BetterBusiness Bureau to see if the facilityhas had previous complaints, and how


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by Ed Attanasio

Bad news about politicians doingsketchy, illegal things happens so fre-quently that none of us are shockedanymore, and that’s why body shopowners throughout northern Califor-nia weren’t surprised when they heardthat California State Senator LelandYee had been arrested for a long list ofalleged crimes, with bribery and guntrafficking topping the list.

Yee was on the collision indus-try’s radar in California several timesover the years, but most especiallywhen he authored California SenateBill 1460, known as the AutomotiveRepair: Replacement Parts Bill in2012.

Last month, A federal grand juryindictment against Yee and 28 otherdefendants added a conspiracy chargeto the seven felony counts the now-suspended lawmaker faces for al-legedly promising political favors andgun trafficking to undercover agentsin exchange for $62,600 in campaigncontributions.

According to a 137-page FBI af-fidavit, the charges stem from a five-

year investigation that initially targetedChinatown gang leader Raymond“Shrimp Boy” Chow and spread to hisassociates, including Jackson, a formerSan Francisco school board president.

The indictment accuses Yee andJackson of conspiring, between May2011 and last month, to “defraud thecitizens of California of their rightto the honest services of State Sena-

tor Leland Yee through bribery.” Yeeis alleged to have promised politicalfavors to agents posing as donors tohis 2011 campaign for San Fran-cisco mayor and his now-abandonedcampaign for California secretary ofstate.

Joe Eskenazi, columnist for theSF Weekly has been covering Yeesince the beginning, so his take on re-cent developments provide useful in-

sight. In his recent column, “TheHuman Jukebox”, Eskenazi wrote,“Yee has a well-known reputation as a‘human jukebox.’ You put the moneyin and he sings the song you want.Granted, it’d be a shock if you putmoney in a jukebox and guns and ji-hads came out. But, if the voluminouscriminal complaint against Yee ad 28others are correct, he’s simply tran-scended the legal, transactional role ofa slick politician into a more lucrativeand splendidly illegal version of thesame game.”

If the money was right, Yee wasmore than willing to support yourcause and push your agenda, accord-ing to Eskenazi. “Yee has authored213 bills while in office and 54 weresponsored by organizations, includ-ing casinos, marijuana growers andhealthcare organizations, for exam-ple. In all, Yee reported receiving$188,755 in campaign contributionsfrom backers of so-called sponsorsthat bear his name.”

Several California Autobody As-sociation (CAA) members who par-ticipated in the 2012 CAA LegislativeDay in Sacramento met with Yee to

discuss Senate Bill 1460, whichwould create a new legal presumptionthat all certified crash parts will bedeemed sufficient to return a vehicleto its pre-loss condition. The CAA ob-viously opposed the bill back then, be-cause it asked more questions thanprovided answers, according to JackMolodanof, who represents both theASCCA and CAA as its legal advo-cate.

“This was the big one for bodyshops in 2012, because it would have se-riously impacted the automotive crashparts industry in a significant way,”Molodanof said. “It eliminated currentlaw and shifted all of the warranty re-sponsibility of aftermarket crash parts tothe body shops, third party vendors andsuppliers—and that’s why we opposedit.”

One of the CAA members whomet with Yee and his staff on that dayto discuss SB1460 was David Mello,the owner of Anderson Behel in SantaClara, CA. Although Yee seemed opento the dialog, one of his assistants wasless than receptive to the CAA mem-bers’ suggested changes to the bill, ac-cording to Mello. In fact, the CAA


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they were handled.4) You are always entitled to a writtenestimate (for repairs that cost more than$20) that will spell out the cost of parts,estimate time of repair, and cost oflabor.5) Once given a target time for com-pletion, you should check on the statusof your car before that time arrives.Most reputable garages will call you,but you should check the progress, andthe repairs can take unexpected turnsand you may need to authorize furtherexpenses.6) When in doubt, ask around andvisit a garage that has glowing refer-ences from more than one person.7) You are entitled to see parts that areremoved and replaced on your car.

If you’d like to do more researchon car repair facilities, you can alsogo to the consumer website affiliatedwith the Automotive Service Associ-ation of Michigan.

members in Yee’s office that day weretreated like unwelcomed visitors bythe senator’s assistants, although Yeehimself was quite cordial.

“We definitely received somepushback—more than I’ve ever en-countered in 20 years doing this,”Mello said. “But this was an importantbill. We obviously opposed it for a

wide range of reasons and the Cali-fornia Department of Insurance (CDI)also opposed it because they said thatit obfuscated a rulemaking process al-ready underway on this matter at CDIto update and improve existing lawand, at its worst, appeared to reverse a

long-standing law that has served toprotect consumers from defective orinferior aftermarket parts for almost20 years.”

CAA Board Member RandyGreenblat was also in that meetingand left there shocked over Yee’slimited knowledge about his ownbill. “He wasn’t clear on basic things

in the bill and we were sur-prised,” Greenblat said. “Wehad met with him previouslyin his San Francisco officeand actually showed himhow aftermarket crash partsare inferior to OE, but it did-n’t seem to seep in at thattime. We left there thinkingthat someone had made alarge donation to Yee to gethim to author this bill, eitherthe aftermarket parts indus-try or the insurance compa-nies—or both.”

Several days followingafter CAA’s 2012 Legislative Day,Yee’s bill was defeated on the floor ofthe State when the Department of In-surance (DOI) sent a letter to SenatorNoreen Evans, Chair of the SenateCommittee on the Judiciary, to an-nounce its opposition of the bill. The

DOI’s stance was made clear when In-surance Commissioner David Jonesstated, “SB1460, at best, obfuscates arulemaking process already underwayon this matter at CDI to update andimprove existing law and, at worst,appears to reverse a long-standing lawthat has served to protect consumersfrom defective or inferior aftermarketparts for almost 20 years.”

So, how do body shops protectthemselves from laws that can hurttheir businesses, especially when it’sapparent that some politicians willrepresent any group if the money’sright? According to Molodanof, this iswhere organizations like CAA canshine.

“CAA is the industry’s eyes andears in Sacramento and that’s whywe work to defeat bills like SB1460that will negatively impact the colli-sion industry in any way,” Molo-danof said. “As a body shop owner,you’re not able to stay on top all ofthe legislation out there that can po-tentially impact your business—bothnegatively and positively. Legisla-tors come up with new bills all thetime, and if no one is there to watchthe door, so to speak, things can passthrough.”


During CAA’s Legislative Day in 2012, CAA Board MemberRandy Greenblat (left) met with Calif. State Senator LelandYee (right) to discuss Senate Bill 1460, and was surprisedto discover how little he knew about his very own bill


Crackdown



The bi-monthly meeting of the chapterwas held at the Brookside CountryClub, 1133 Rosemont Ave. Pasadena,California, as usual. The meeting wasopened by the newly elected presi-dent, Daniel Panduro, Fix Auto SunValley. Danny launched the meetingwith the following strong address:

“Hello everyone. I’m really ex-cited to have the opportunity to serveas your President for our Foothill-Glendale CAA chapter. It is my sin-cere intention to bring value to thisorganization and to restore the voicethat this platform deserves to have. Asyou get to know me, you will find thattheme to my madness is centeredaround unifying the leadership that Iknow exists in our industry and moreimportantly in our direct market. I’mopen to any and all input that all ofyou may have as I firmly believe it isthis input that will get us closer to ourimmediate goal of bringing shopsback to CAA. I’ve assembled a great

support group to aid us in achievingthis goal. We begin today with the firstof three meetings that we are certainwill bring value to you and your or-ganization. If you have not had theopportunity to hear Mike Anderson orRobert Rick speak in person, now isyour chance. Their understanding ofour rapidly changing industry is cut-ting edge and will undoubtedly have apositive effect on how you look atyour business model. All three meet-ings are interconnected so please don’tmake the mistake of missing any ofthe three meetings.”

After Danny’s address, a tributewas made to Marshall Gluchow,founder of the Valley Motor Center(VMC), who passed away April 6th.A special video was shown of the re-cipients of the Trail Blazer donated byVMC to the Diabled American Veter-ans as part of the Recycled Rides pro-gram. After the video VMC GeneralManager Mike Townley spoke briefly

to praise the contributions of MarshGluchow to the industry.

The meeting was sponsored byLord Corporation, and spokespersonWayne Morrision showed a briefvideo of Lord’s Fusor adhesive prod-ucts bonding metal, rubber and plas-tic. Their motor mounts are a productfamiliar to most shops. As new vehi-cles increase the use of plastics andspecial metals, the Fusor products willbe the key to new kinds of welds.

The main body of the meetingwas a major departure from the usualfront-of-the-group presenter. Insteadthe room was broken up into fivegroups, each working with a descrip-tion and photo of a damaged vehicleto generate an estimate, first of refin-ish, then body repair and finally struc-tural work. Chuck Bistagne presentedthe anti-trust information at the begin-ning of the meeting and then moni-tored each group to be sure theestimates only focused on paint, labor

and parts with no mention of prices.The collaborative estimate sheets willbe copied and made available at thenext CAA meeting.

After the group estimate creations,a panel took its place at the front to an-swer questions. The panel consisted ofDaniel Panduro, Thomas Maimone,Dan Moran, Hillel Shamam, and BrianFrame. The panel was moderated byAnthony Lewis from D’Angelo’s.There were items on the estimates thatmany felt an insurance companywouldn’t pay for. Dannny Panduronoted that this topic will actually be partof the presentation at the next meetingwhen Mike Anderson discusses negoti-ating tactics.

In fact this topic dominated mostof the questions for the panel. Dannyemphasized “educate, don’t alienate.”Several others agreed that many ad-justers are poorly educated on theguides and what the law demands.They noted that simply showing an


CAA Glendale-Foothill Chapter Meeting April 17, 2014

Association Meetingswith Thomas Franklin

Tom Franklin has been a sales and marketing consultant for fifty years. He has writtennumerous books and provides marketing solutions and services for many businesses.He can be reached at (323) 871-6862 or at [email protected]. See Tom’s columns at www.autobodynews.com under Columnists > Franklin

The Louisiana Collision Industry As-sociation (LaCIA) held a meeting onThursday, May 22 at the Hilton Gar-den Inn, located at 400 Mane St, Mon-roe LA 71291. The group gathered at6PM for a light dinner, and the meet-ing began at 6:30. The main goal ofthe meeting was “to share with every-one the direction the association istaking and what plans we have instore,” Executive Director AlysiaHanks explained.

Guest speakers included Attor-ney General Buddy Caldwell and hisassistant, Randy Ishee, who will up-date attendees on their efforts. “Wehave received the full attention of ourAttorney General’s office, and theyhave been in touch numerous timeswith myself and several of our mem-bers regarding certain matters,”Hanks says. “I feel we are very luckyto have the backing of these gentle-men, especially Mr. Ishee who hasspent many years working for Fordand has knowledge of what our in-dustry is going through. He isn’thappy with what he has come acrossso far, and last week, he informed methat, due to the huge amount of in-

formation he is gathering, they havebrought in another investigator forour cases... I think [our members]will agree that he is very capable andmore than willing to handle this.”

The meeting began with reintro-ducing LaCIA’s board and mission,followed by discussions on whatthey’ve accomplished so far andwhat’s on their agenda going forward.Hanks was also trying to get a trainerfrom Audatex to present during themeeting before ending with time forthe Attorney General to talk and an-swer questions.

In closing, LaCIA asked someindividuals update everyone on law-suits and other things in that regard,but Hanks stresses, “the associationis trying to keep away from promot-ing the lawsuits in anyway. We havefelt a lot of pressure to make this as-sociation a lot of different things for

a lot of different people. It’s my andthe Board’s decision to stay awayfrom taking an official stance on thelawsuits, but we understand theyhave shops who may want to join orobtain updates, so we are trying tobring a lot of information to ourmeetings to make a large group ofindividuals happy. We want to showthem what our association can pro-vide them with and that we stand be-hind our mission to be an associationof education above all else. It is ourgoal to provide useful informativemeetings based on more than thelawsuits going on around the coun-try; if we only focused on that, Idon’t think our association wouldsurvive very long.”

LaCIA’s next meeting is tenta-tively scheduled for June or July in theLafayette area.www.la-cia.com

adjuster why an operation should bepaid could eliminate a conflict. Oneshop owner emphasized the fact thatthe manufacturer specifications re-quire whatever will provide for thesafety of the vehicle owner and pas-sengers. Databases like All-Data pro-vide exactly what the manufacturerrequires. This shop owner felt thatthis is the end of the argument.

Another shop owner stressed theimportance of the short parts code ta-bles. He said his list now contains atleast 300 items. Will any companypay for all of those operations? Hesaid he expected to be paid if his peo-ple had to perform the action. Therewas considerable interest in the up-coming meeting where these issueswill be addressed in greater depth.Danny was pleased that there was agreat turnout for this meeting, and theattendance at the next may be evenbetter.


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Louisiana Attorney General Attends LaCIA Meeting on May 22

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KEN GARFF VOLVOKEN GARFF VOLVOKEN GARFF VOLVO

Dave Dawson,[email protected]

Parts: 800.451.4760 Fax: 801.257.3564525 South State Street | Salt Lake City, UT 84111

KEN GARFF MERCEDES-BENZKEN GARFF MERCEDES-BENZOF SALT LAKE CITYOF SALT LAKE CITY

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Mark Curtis,[email protected]


KEN GARFFKEN GARFFHONDA DOWNTOWNHONDA DOWNTOWN

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Cory Ostmark,[email protected]


KEN GARFF HYUNDAIKEN GARFF HYUNDAIKEN GARFF HYUNDAI

Rob Hooper,[email protected]

Parts: 800.451.4760 Fax: 801.257.3270717 South West Temple | Salt Lake City, UT 84101

KEN GARFF MITSUBISHIKEN GARFF MITSUBISHIKEN GARFF MITSUBISHI

Brent Christensen,[email protected]

Parts: 800.451.4760 Fax: 801.533.9810150 East 500 South | Salt Lake City, UT 84111

543 South State Street | Salt Lake City, UT 84111

KEN GARFF JAGUARKEN GARFF JAGUARKEN GARFF JAGUAR

Dave Dawson,[email protected]

Parts: 800.451.4760 Fax: 801.257.3784

777 S. West Temple | Salt Lake City, UT 84101

KEN GARFF NISSANKEN GARFF NISSANSALT LAKE CITYSALT LAKE CITY

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Tim Astle,[email protected]

Parts: 800.888.1926 Fax: 801.322.4907

KEN GARFF WEST VALLEYKEN GARFF WEST VALLEYCHRYSLER JEEP DODGE RAMCHRYSLER JEEP DODGE RAM

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Parts: 800.662.4050 Fax: 801.988.14764175 West 3500 South | West Valley, UT 84120

JD Ipsen,[email protected]

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KEN GARFF BUICK GMCKEN GARFF BUICK GMCKEN GARFF BUICK GMC

Kelby Saxton,Manager

[email protected]: 800.821.8797 Fax: 800.390.1317

900 W. Riverdale Road | Ogden, UT 84405

KEN GARFF VOLKSWAGENKEN GARFF VOLKSWAGENKEN GARFF VOLKSWAGEN

Greg Dimond,Manager


195 East University Parkway | Orem, UT 84058

KEN GARFF MOTORSKEN GARFF MOTORSKEN GARFF MOTORS

Greg Dimond,Manager


175 E. University Parkway | Orem, UT 84058

KEN GARFF CHEVROLETKEN GARFF CHEVROLETKEN GARFF CHEVROLET

Parts: 800.752.3434 Fax: 801.763.0948221 South 500 | American Fork, UT 84003

KEN GARFFKEN GARFFNISSAN OGDENNISSAN OGDEN

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Karl Lutz,Manager


615 W. Riverdale Road | Ogden, UT 84405

KEN GARFFKEN GARFFHONDA OGDENHONDA OGDEN

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Scott Miles,Manager


950 West Riverdale Road | Ogden, UT 84405

KEN GARFF FORDKEN GARFF FORDKEN GARFF FORD

Mike Tognarelli,Manager

[email protected]

Parts: 866.763.6844 Fax: 801.763.6896597 East 1000 South | American Fork, UT 84003

Call us for all your Call us for all your wholesale parts needs!

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Ken Garff Audi

165 E. University Pkwy.,Orem, UT 84058

Parts Direct: 800.324.6725Fax: 801.221.9957

Manager: Greg [email protected]

Welcome to our PartsDepartment

Hal Gillman,Manager

[email protected]

by Ed Attanasio

With many of the featured speakersat these professional associationmeetings, body shop owners will nor-mally start clock watching when itgets to be around 9:00 pm. Most ofthese types of meetings are held dur-ing the week, and many of the atten-

dees are usually already tired whenthey arrive. But, whenever an engag-ing and entertaining speaker takes thefloor at any collision industry event,

body shop owners take notice andpay attention, because they realizethat the information being shared canhelp their businesses and raise theirbottom line.

Such was the case when ScottBiggs from Assured Performance Net-work was the keynote speaker at twodifferent CAA meetings held consec-utively on March 19 and 20 for theSanta Clara and East Bay chapters ofthe California Autobody Association(CAA), respectively. Autobody Newscovered the first of these presenta-tions, held in San Jose, CA, which wasattended by approximately 75 people.

Scott Biggs is well-known for hishigh-energy, rapid-fire presentationsin which he covers a lot of territorywhile entertaining and motivating thecrowd. Body shop professionals haveto pay close attention when Biggsspeaks, because if you blink youmight miss something important, ac-cording to SC-CAA Board Memberand former President Randy Green-blat.

“Scott is an exceptional speakerand he really knows the collision in-dustry inside and out,” Greenblat said.

“I’ve heard him speak many times andhe always offers new information andnew ideas. We’re always very pleasedwhenever we’re able to get an out-standing speaker like Scott Biggs

here, because we notice that morepeople come to the meeting, which isgreat.”

The main message gleaned fromBiggs’s talk is this: OEM certifica-tions are more important than ever anda game changer for all parties in-volved—the body shops, the carmak-ers, the insurance companies and theconsumers. As we enter this new era,Biggs explained, consumers will con-

sider working with body shops basedon their OE certifications more thanever, while looking for a repairer whocan return their vehicle back to itsmanufacturer’s specifications and as-sure the safety, fit, durability andvalue of their vehicle.

Car owners are more knowledge-able about their vehicles now and canno longer be steered to low-costproviders that install imitation partsthat devalue their cars, Biggs said.And that’s why Biggs has establishedworking agreements with five of the12 carmakers currently offering certi-fication programs. With this program,body shops can help shops to attaincertifications from Chrysler, GM,Ford, Infiniti and now Nissan. Theshops will still have to fulfill all of therequirements for each certification,but by signing up with Assured Per-formance Network, they can stream-line the process with this one-stop,centralized OE certification program,Biggs explained.

Biggs has been developing hisOE certification program for severalyears by refining it and making it ac-cessible to any shop that wants to pur-


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ORIGINAL BMW PARTS & ACCESSORIES

Scott Biggs of Assured Performance Speaks at Two N. Calif. CAA Meetings

From left, SC-CAA Board Member and formerChapter President David Mello, current SC-CAAPresident Shawn Saidi and Keynote SpeakerScott Biggs of Assured Performance Networkat the SC-CAA’s March meeting in San Jose,CA

Parts Advisor Dale Leidner, Parts Manager BobDeleersnyder and Service Manager ShawnPoirier attended SC-CAA’s March meeting enmasse, representing Stevens Creek Hyundaiin San Jose, CA

“Trapp did a phenomenal job. He’s agreat trainer who really encouragesparticipation.”

Halcro believes the meeting wentover really well. This year, MCRStried a new approach, inviting localnon-member shops to the meeting,and their efforts were rewarded withthe presence of six non-member shopsboth days, helping MCRS reach theirgoal to expand their reach outsidetheir current member base and to re-cruit new members so that the associ-ation can grow. Considering theweather, Halcro was “really encour-aged and quite pleasantly surprised”by the number of attendees.

During the 2014 Spring Meeting,MCRS also held elections, appointinga new President, Vice President andtwo new Directors, in addition toadding two more Director positions.Mike Mitchell of Mitchell’s Crash Re-pair in Great Falls was elected Presi-dent, with Brad Meuli of A&DCollision in Bozeman being namedVice President. New directors ap-pointed are as follows: Matthew Mc-

Donnell of Big Sky Collision inBillings, Paul Flores of Rick’s AutoBody in Missoula, Jeremy Myers of

Flawless Auto Body in Great Falls,and Todd Litton of American AutoBody in Billings.

Members of MCRS expressedgratitude to outgoing President BruceHalcro and Director Gene Dzidza.Halcro was awarded with a plaque inrecognition of his outstanding serviceand dedication to MT’s collision in-dustry. MCRS is also grateful to theirsponsors for helping to make their2014 Spring Meeting such a success.

Sponsors included Axalta CoatingSystems, Denny Menholt Chevrolet,NCS, Auto Nation, Montana Radiator,

Parts Channel, Archie Cochran Ford,Car Quest and Mountain PBE.

Next, MCRS will be schedulinga board meeting to discuss theirSpring member meeting and in orderto begin preparing for their Augustmember meeting.

MCRSPO Box 1168Sidney, MT 59270www.mtcollisionrepair.com

sue certifications, he said. “We’vespent years developing an onlineprocess that makes it very efficient fora shop to apply, fill out the question-naire, upload proof of how they com-ply with all these requirements, andapply for a physical on-site inspec-tion. This program is ideal for shopswho want to align themselves with theOEMs and get referrals based on thefact that they’re qualified and trainedto work on these cars. It’s not a simple

task, because you still need to get allthe proper tools, training and equip-ment to get the certifications and dothe work, but we’re making it easierand more attainable through this pro-gram.”


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From left, SC-CAA Board Members NathanChukes, Bob McPherson and Alex Ornelasre-connecting at the March meeting

(l to r) Paul Flores, Todd Litton, Pam Carey, Jeremy Myers, Bruce Halcro, Matthew McDonnell,Brad Meuli, Gene Dzidza, Mike Mitchell, Max Yates


MCRS Ushers in Spring

At Port Hueneme, near Los Angeles,Hyundai’s Tucson Fuel Cell CUVsbegan rolling onto U.S. soil May 20,marking the first delivery of a mass-produced fuel cell vehicle for the U.S.market. The first retail sale of the Tuc-son Fuel Cell is expected within thenext several weeks in Southern Cali-fornia. Under the Hyundai leasingprogram, approved lessees can driveHyundai’s next-generation TucsonFuel Cell for just $499 per month, in-cluding unlimited free hydrogen refu-eling and “At Your Service” valetmaintenance at no extra cost.

For the first time, retail con-sumers can now put a mass-produced,federally-certified hydrogen fuel cellvehicle in their driveways, with avail-ability at three select southern Califor-nia Hyundai dealers: Tustin Hyundai,Win Hyundai in Carson, and HardinHyundai in Anaheim.

“Hydrogen-powered fuel cell ve-hicles represent the next generation ofzero-emission electric vehicle tech-nology, and we’re proud of our lead-ership role in this important segmentof the alternative fuel vehicle market,”

said Mike O’Brien, vice president,corporate and product planning,Hyundai Motor America.

“The range and refueling time ofour Tucson Fuel Cell compare favor-ably with gasoline vehicles, makingthem a seamless transition from tradi-tional gasoline-powered vehicles.We’re excited to provide customers inSouthern California a way to transi-tion to a zero-emission vehicle withminimal compromises.

The Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cellwill initially be offered to customers inthe Los Angeles/Orange County region

for a 36-month term at $499 per month,with $2,999 down. This includes theaddition of a remarkable new additionto the Hyundai Assurance program –unlimited free hydrogen refueling.Consumers have shown strong interestin the Tucson Fuel Cell leasing oppor-tunity, with over 200,000 unique visi-tors to the Tucson Fuel Cell micrositeat hyundaiusa.com/tucsonfuelcell.

Tucson Fuel Cell owners willenjoy all the same services of theHyundai Equus “At Your Service”valet program. As Equus ownershave enjoyed since its introduction in2010, should a Tucson Fuel Cell re-quire any service, a Hyundai dealerwill pick up the vehicle and providea loan vehicle, then return the carafter service to their home or busi-ness, at no charge.


First Mass-Produced Fuel Cell Vehicles Arrive on US Soil, FreeFuel-Cell ‘Refills’ from Hyundai, Range Compares to Gas Vehicles

Farmers filed nine class actions inApril against nearly 200 communitiesin the Chicago area. It is arguing thatlocal governments should have knownrising global temperatures would leadto heavier rains and did not do enoughto fortify their sewers and stormwaterdrains. The legal debate may center onwhether an uptick in natural disastersis foreseeable or an “act of God.” Thecases raise the question of how citygovernments should manage theirbudgets before costly emergenciesoccur. “We will see more and morecases,” said Michael Gerrard, direc-tor of the Center for Climate ChangeLaw at Columbia Law School in NewYork. “No one is expected to plan forthe 500-year storm, but if horribleevents are happening with increasingfrequency, that may shift the duties.”Gerrard and other environmental lawexperts say the suits are the first oftheir kind. Lawyers for the localitieswill argue government immunity pro-tects them from prosecution, saidDaniel Jasica of the State's Attorney'sOffice in Lake County, which is namedin the Illinois state court suit. “If thesetypes of suits are successful - where isthe money going to come from to paythe lawsuits? The taxpayers,” he said.

Farmers Insurance’s ClassAction on Climate Change

Hyundai’s Tucson Fuel Cell CUVs began rollingonto U.S. soil, marking the first delivery of amass-produced fuel cell vehicle for the U.S.market. (image credit: Hyundai Motor America)




AutoNationHonda Roseville

Rosev i l le800-262-3201916-783-5628

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5:[email protected]

Avery Greene HondaVal le jo

800-834-8886707-551-3202

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 7:[email protected]

Barber HondaBakersf ie ld

661-396-4235Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5:30

[email protected]

First HondaSimi Va l ley

888-523-0698805-584-6646

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7:[email protected]

Galpin HondaMiss ion Hi l ls

800-GO GALPIN818-778-2005

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat [email protected]

Honda Cars of CoronaCorona

800-557-3652951-734-9045Dept. Hours: M-Sat [email protected]

Honda of HollywoodHol lywood

800-371-3719323-466-3205

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat [email protected]

Honda of OaklandOakland

510-547-8047Dept. Hours: M-F 7-8; Sat 7-6

Kolbe HondaReseda

800-735-1424818-609-7441


Larry Hopkins HondaSunnyvale

408-720-0221408-736-2608Dept. Hours: M-Sat 8-5

[email protected]

Metro HondaMontc la i r

800-446-5697909-625-8960

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 7:[email protected]

Ocean HondaSanta Cruz

831-464-1800Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 8-4:30

[email protected]

Robertson HondaNorth Hol lywood800-508-3894818-301-3511

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 8-5

San Francisco HondaSan Francisco415-913-5125

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5:[email protected]

Selma HondaSelma

800-717-3562559-891-5111

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7:30-4:[email protected]

University HondaDavis

800-585-8648530-758-8770

Dept. Hours: M-Sat 8-6; Sun [email protected]

Findlay HondaLas Vegas

702-982-4260Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 8-5

[email protected]

Findlay Honda HendersonHenderson

888-234-4498702-568-3531


AutoNation HondaChandler

800-765-1353480-285-2804

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-5:30; Sat [email protected]

Chapman HondaTucson

800-461-6744520-202-5770


Tempe HondaTempe

800-571-7019480-421-4860Dept. Hours: M-Sat 7-6

[email protected]

Ken Garff Honda OgdenOgden

800-821-8797801-627-6762

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:[email protected]

CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIA ARIZONA

The Honda and Acura Dealers Listed Here are

NEVADA

UTAH

Subscribers:HONDA

For more collisioninfo, go to:collision.honda.comairbagaware.honda.comcrashrepairinfo.com

CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIA NEVADA UTAH

ACURA

Acura of FremontFremont

888-435-0504510-431-2560


Acura of PleasantonPleasanton

888-985-6342925-251-7126


AutoNation Acuraof South Bay

Torrance310-784-8680


Cerritos AcuraCerr i tos

855-895-2678562-207-0554


Metro AcuraMontc la i r

800-446-5697909-625-8960

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:[email protected]

Santa Monica AcuraSanta Monica

866-332-4950310-449-0064


Findlay AcuraHenderson

877-770-5873702-982-4160


Acura of PeoriaPeor ia

866-347-4507623-792-2559


Acura of TempeTempe

866-455-6601480-344-6703


Jody Wilkinson AcuraSal t Lake C i ty800-234-0875801-323-0492


Mike Hale AcuraMurray

800-292-4595801-263-0202


ARIZONA

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

Whether you’ve struggled with theneed to replace automotive VIN andsafety labels or if you’ve never giventhem a second thought, the fact re-mains that federal law mandates theselabels be permanently affixed to every

vehicle, yet they’re the part leastlikely to be fixed during a repair!Manufacturers rely on both the safetycertification label and the tire-and-load label to convey important safetyinformation to drivers. These labelsare customized with the VIN andmonth/year of manufacture for each

unique vehicle, but while it’s easy tomatch these labels to a specific vehicleon the production line, manufacturersare not equipped to replace a singlecustom label after the car leaves theirplant. That’s where AutomotiveIDcomes in!

Automotive ID launched in 2007to fill this need within thecollision repair industry.One-of-a-kind VIN andsafety labels were not beingreplaced and, at best, werebeing cut out and stuffed inthe glove box. The com-pany’s sole business is theproduction of these uniqueVIN and Safety certificationlabels, and AutomotiveIDsupplies collision repair fa-

cilities in every state in the U.S. aswell as throughout Canada.

As a provider of aftermarket au-tomotive labels to the collision repairindustry, AutomotiveID produceshigh-quality labels for all makes andmodels of cars and light trucks, al-lowing their replacement to go from

nearly impossible to one of the easiestparts to replace. Beyond the simpleneed to restore a vehicle to its pre-losscondition, replacing these labels is im-perative because they instruct driverson how to handle and main-tain their vehicles, includingtire inflation recommenda-tions and load limits, both ofwhich are extremely impor-tant since ignoring these rat-ings can lead to dangerouswrecks; this is why the Na-tional Highway Transporta-tion Safety Administration(NHTSA) insists the informa-tion contained on these labelsis critical to public safety.

For collision repair facilities, thebenefits of restoring a vehicle to itspre-loss condition by using Automo-tiveID’s labels is obvious, but becauseinsurance companies also recognizethe benefit of maintaining the safetyof their customer’s vehicle and thevalue of their own insurable interest,shops can finally get paid for doingthe right thing and replacing these cus-

tom VIN and Safety certification la-bels. Besides the safety factors men-tioned, AutomotiveID’s labels alsohelp consumers maintain the value oftheir vehicles as appraisers typically

discount trade-ins with missing labelssince the absence of these labels limittheir knowledge of the vehicle.

AutomotiveID’s replacement la-bels fulfill many needs to the benefit ofall vested parties. In addition to provid-ing federal regulation compliance of re-paired vehicles, these labels preservethe value of the vehicles, provide nec-essary tracking information, and supply


VIN and Safety Labels from AutomotiveID Bring Vehicles AnotherStep Closer to Pre-Loss Condition

Installing a replacement Tire & Load label will ensure yourcustomers know how to maintain their vehicles and con-tribute to their overall safety

AutomotiveID’s replacement BMW certification label con-tains the same information as the manufacturer's original

As I read your story entitled “EastCoast Resolution Forum and Leader-ship Meeting at Northeast 2014” writ-ten by Chasidy Rae Sisk and publishedin the April 2014 Mid-month newslet-ter, the following caught my eye:

‘Another conversation ensuedabout the fact that recalls on aftermar-ket parts aren’t as closely monitored asOEM recalls, creating a safety issuewhen shops are unable to locate vehi-cles that have been fitted with recalledaftermarket parts. Ferraiolo circledback to the importance of educatingconsumers so they can fight their ownbattles, mentioning the current ABACcampaign to educate consumers.’

While I am sure Ms. Sisk capturedthe conversation correctly, I would liketo comment on the issue raised duringthe conversation, an issue which is ofparticular interest in view of the recentGM ignition switch problem.I wanted to call your attention to an ar-ticle which came to my attention re-cently. I’m sending it as an FYI,background, if you wish, since theissue of an aftermarket part recall hascome up in Autobody News’s coverage

of the East Coast Resolution Forum.The March 26, 2014 Reuters by BenKlaymen, Marilyn Thompson and JuliaEdwards article (link below) clearlyoutlines the impossibility of, in thiscase, GM to track a part. The OEMshave no mechanism to identify thechannel of distribution of their partssold into the aftermarket. In fact, it ap-pears as if they are not even sure whichnew vehicles were built with the faultypart. http://www.reuters.com/arti-cle/2014/03/26/us-gm-recall-aftermar-ket-idUSBREA2P21620140326

While the article refers to the cur-rent recall involving a GM mechanicalpart and not a cosmetic external bodypart, the fact is that, unlike GM or otherOEMs, the collision repair aftermarkethas a mechanism for addressing recalls.

Every certified aftermarket part,whether certified by CAPA or NSF, isclearly designated so that it can betracked by the manufacturer to the dis-tributor. NSF certified distributors cantrack the parts to the exact collision re-pair shop. I believe that some distribu-tors can also track to the vehicle, if the

the repair facility with incremental rev-enue and compensation on work forwhich they haven’t traditionally re-ceived payment. Each party in the col-lision repair industry has different, yetvalid, reasons for recognizing the im-portance of replacing vehicle labels, butthe predominant concern relates to pub-lic safety, and AutomotiveID’s servicesundeniably contribute to this factor.

AutomotiveID offers a completeline of automotive labels, includingcertification, service parts, tire andloading, emission control, paint andtrim, anti-theft and all other aftermar-ket labels that are typically difficult tofind. All of their replacement labelsmeet the standards set forth by theNHTSA, and AutomotiveID enters allinformation by hand to ensure accu-racy as part of their thorough processof quality control and independentverification procedures.

So how do you order replace-ment labels from AutomotiveID? Eas-ily because it’s all done online!Simply visit their secure website,complete the order form, and uploada photograph of the original label. Au-tomotiveID will enter the necessaryinformation and print a new labelwhich you can receive as early as the

next business day. AutomotiveID’s re-placement labels adhere to all NHTSAcontent standards, contain the exactinformation as the original label, in-cluding fully functional bar codes, andare permanent and weatherproof.

With their industry-leading, web-based ordering and rapid returnprocesses, AutomotiveID ensures theirreplacement labels are the “easiest partto put back on,” so what are you wait-ing for? Visit their website and restorethe vehicles in your shop to their pre-loss condition today!

AutomotiveID, LLC10805 Sunset Office Drive, Suite 300St. Louis, MO 63127866-929-1500www.AutomotiveID.com


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Letter to the Editor: Certified AftermarketParts Tracking is Superior

See Letter to the Editor, Page 46

On April 25-27, the Automotive ServiceAssociation of Arizona (ASA-AZ) heldtheir annual Sunrise Automotive Train-ing Expo and Convention at the Dou-bletree Hilton in Phoenix, AZ. Thoughthis year’s event was moved fromPrescott, AZ in July to Phoenix in April,Luz Rubio, Executive Director of ASA-AZ, believes that Sunrise 2014 “was asuccess. Automotive professionals andindustry vendors all joined the weekendfestivities to learn, network and ex-change ideas… [attendees’] responsesto the event were well-received with theincorporated changes, and we were ableto add additional classes for techniciansto attend a half-day or full day.”

Sunrise 2014 featured a fullagenda of great topics relevant to theindustry and today’s economy, as wellas an opportunity for attendees to net-work with independent shop ownersfrom all over the state in order to ex-change ideas and discover solutions tothe daily challenges faced in theirbusinesses.

On Friday morning at 7:30AM,the conference began with a collisionseminar on “Lean Transformation:Making the Move to Lean,” presentedby Dave Dewalt, manager of BusinessConsulting Services for SherwinWilliams. After that, Rick Palmer, Pres-ident and CEO of ComputerLogic Inc.discussed “Paint and Materials – TheParadigm Shift” which included topicssuch as revenue vs. cost, gross profitmargins and getting insurers to properlypay for paint and materials. Runningfrom 8-11:30AM, GM/ACDelco auto-motive instructor Jess Garcia held aseminar on “Tech 2 FamiliarizationGlobal Diagnostic Systems (GDS)2/MDI” in Spanish.

At 1PM, ASA-AZ’s golf tourna-ment began at the Raven GolfCourse, but that social event didn’tinhibit the educational seminars tak-ing place at the conference. On Fri-day afternoon, three segments wereheld: “Management: Results BasedLeadership – the Art of Overcoming”was presented by David Schedin,founder of CompuTrek, and Compu-Trek’s Vice President, Jude Larson.Another management seminar enti-tled “Automotive Service ProvidersCan become Invincible to Lawsuits

and Save Thousands in Taxes” wasled by Larry Oxenham, one of thecountry’s leading asset protection ex-perts, and sponsored by the AmericanSociety for Asset Protection. JessGarcia also held another seminar inSpanish to discuss “GM: SIDS –Spark Ignition Direct Injection.”

That evening, attendees had achance to network and visit tradeshowexhibitors at ASA-AZ’s Welcome Re-ception and Sponsor Showcase.

Following Breakfast and Wel-come Announcements on Saturdaymorning, four concurrent sessions wereheld on the following topics: “Man-agement: Creating a Culture WhereNew Hires Succeed,” “CharacterQuadrants – Understanding Customersand Employees,” “Technical: Tech 2Familiarization Global Diagnostic Sys-tems,” and “Ford: Body and ChassisElectrical/Electronics Systems.” Thelast mentioned seminar was presentedby Mike Sanom, a Ford trainer withover 40 years of experience in the au-tomotive field.

From 11AM until 2:30PM, theSponsor Showcase and lunch in-cluded a presentation on “Seven Fac-tors for Building Extreme CustomerLoyalty.” The afternoon’s concurrentsessions included “Management: Per-fecting Profitability” by Bill Haas ofHaas Performance Consulting, DaveSchedin’s “Management: Preventingand Breaking Through Burnout,” JessGarcia’s “Spark Ignition Direct Injec-tion” seminar in English, and MikeSanom’s “Ford: IDS Operations andUtilization.” Saturday evening’sevent included another SponsorShowcase, buffet dinner, silent auc-tion and prize drawings.

The final day of Sunrise 2014began with breakfast and Bill Haas’spresentation on “Rewarding Bad Be-havior.” Running simultaneously, thelast seminars of this year’s confer-ence were “Management: The GameChanger – How to Take It to the NextLevel” by Dave Schedin and JudeLarson, and “Ford: 6.7L PowerstrokeDiesel JJ. Components and Opera-tion,” a technical presentation givenby Mike Sanom.

Rubio was very pleased withSunrise 2014 as the purpose of the

event “is to offer an opportunity forautomotive professionals statewide toexchange ideas with others and learnfrom one another. The offering oftraining and fun activities is just anadded bonus… we were very im-pressed with the response from our at-tendees from both the mechanical andcollision membership. Our vendorssupported the event financially andthrough the tradeshow.”

ASA-AZ’s 2014 Sunrise Expo andConvention attracted a variety of spon-sors, including Crexendo, Kahuna Pay-ment Solutions, Federated Insurance,AutoZone, Parts Authority, NAPA,ETE Reman, Jasper Engines and Trans-mission, US Distributing, ALLDATA,Factory Motor Parts, Hawkes DiscountRadiator, KuKui, LKQ All Models,O’Reilly Auto Parts, Omnique ShopManagement Software and RO Writer.Additional exhibitors were EMC Own-ers Ally, G&K Services, Mitchell 1,Hertz and Demandforce.

In discussing how association-sponsored events are important toASA-AZ members and the industry asa whole, Rubio notes that the value“continues to be the benefit of associ-ating with other business owners whoare like-minded and want to succeed.”Sunrise 2014 was so successful thatASA-AZ’s Board of Directors has de-cided to hold next year’s event inApril 2015, and though the locationhas not yet been determined, the asso-ciation plans to announce it soon.

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On April 28 the Florida House and Sen-ate voted to pass Senate Bill 754 (SB754) making it a second-degree felony“... for any person to knowingly import,manufacture, purchase, sell, offer forsale, or install, or reinstall on a vehiclea fake airbag or junk-filled airbag com-partment.”

The bill defines a fake airbag toinclude both counterfeit and nonfunc-tioning airbags and specifically in-cludes airbag covers.

SB 754 also revises the requiredstatement that is stamped on a certifi-cate of title upon issuance of the cer-tificate; requiring the Department ofHighway Safety and Motor Vehiclesto provide a report regarding certifi-cates of title for rebuilt motor vehi-cles; revising requirements for thedepartment to declare certain mobilehomes and motor vehicles unrebuild-able and to issue a certificate of de-struction; requiring an owner of, or aninsurance company for, a motor vehi-cle that is worth less than a specifiedamount or is above a certain age to ob-tain a certificate of destruction undercertain circumstances; providing acriminal penalty, etc.

The process for applying for asalvage certificate of title (salvagetitle) or a certificate of destruction(COD) on a total loss motor vehicle.The bill also requires the Florida De-partment of Highway Safety andMotor Vehicles (DHSMV) to visuallyinspect rebuilt vehicles and issue anaffidavit-of-compliance if repairs areneeded before issuing a certificate oftitle. The DHSMV would charge $40for each rebuilt vehicle inspection.

In Florida, a rebuildable vehiclecarries a Salvage Title, and an unre-buildable vehicle is issued a certificateof destruction. Under existing law, ifthe cost of repairing a vehicle ex-ceeded 80 percent of the vehicle’svalue, the owner was required to ob-tain a COD. The bill raises the 80 per-cent repair-to-value COD threshold to90 percent, and limits its applicationto late model vehicles, seven years oldor new, with a value of at least $7,500just prior to sustaining the damage re-sulting in total loss. Vehicles worthless than 1,500 retail are specificallyexcluded.

The new language added to sec-tion 319.30 of the Florida Statute

reads: If a motor vehicle or mobilehome is damaged, wrecked, or burnedto the extent that the only residualvalue of the motor vehicle or mobilehome is as a source of parts or scrapmetal, or if the motor vehicle or mo-bile home comes into this state undera title or other ownership documentthat indicates that the motor vehicleor mobile home is not repairable, isjunked, or is for parts or dismantlingonly, the owner or insurance companythat pays money as compensation fortotal loss of a motor vehicle or mobilehome shall obtain a certificate of de-struction...

SB the required statement that isstamped on a certificate of title uponissuance of the certificate; requiringthe Department of Highway Safetyand Motor Vehicles to provide a reportregarding certificates of title for rebuiltmotor vehicles; revising requirementsfor the department to declare certainmobile homes and motor vehicles un-rebuildable and to issue a certificate ofdestruction; requiring an owner of, oran insurance company for, a motor ve-hicle that is worth less than a specifiedamount or is above a certain age to ob-

tain a certificate of destruction undercertain circumstances; providing acriminal penalty, etc.

Given the increase in the thresh-old more salvage motor vehicle titlesare expected to be issued than undercurrent law, allowing for more of thosevehicles to be rebuilt and permittedback on the roads. Auto insurers wouldbenefit from possible higher prices forsalvage vehicles versus those receiv-ing CODS. Conversely, the bill will re-sult in fewer CODs being issued,reducing the number of vehicles avail-able to dismantlers and recyclers.

The bill also directs the depart-ment, on or before December 31,2015, to assess and provide a sum-mary report to the Governor, SenatePresident, and Speaker of the Houseof their findings regarding certificatesof title and affidavits-of-complianceprocess.

The legislation now goes to Gov-ernor to sign or veto the bill. As thelegislature adjourns today, the Gover-nor must sign or veto legislationwithin 15 days of transmittal, or it be-comes law without signature. The billwould take effect July 1, 2014.


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Florida Bans Counterfeit or Non-functional Airbags, Changes Total Loss Threshold to 90%

Recently the president of the local Au-tobody Association Chapter renamedhis shop. It had been J & L Body Shopfor many years, but he chose to renameit Fix Auto, Sun Valley. Obviously hechose this name to reflect a relativelynew relationship with the Fix Auto or-ganization. But there may have been adeeper reason for the renaming. Whenall a prospective customer has to judgea shop is the name, a name like J & Lreally says nothing about the nature orquality of the shop. And this shop nameis typical of many shop names that justreflect the owner’s name or names. Buteven those shops that intend to conveysome degree of quality in theirname—like Elite Auto Body, PrecisionAuto Body, Superior Auto Body,Supreme Auto Body, Ace Auto Body,etc.—are so commonplace they are nolonger noticed. The effect can be theexact opposite of what was intended.Ideally you need to create a name witha trademark image that no one can ever

mistake as someone else’s! And thatimage has to convey quality anduniqueness at a single glance -- not aneasy task.

First of all, recognize your ownuniqueness. Every human is different.We have unique fingerprints and voice-prints. Your shop also has at least oneunique characteristic. There is at leastone thing that your shop does a littledifferent (and hopefully a little better)than most shops around you. Find away to emphasize that. You don’t nec-essarily need to change the name ofyour business, but you do need a sub-title, a slogan that strongly announcessome specialty that is uniquely yours.Some shops specialize in a particularmake of vehicle. Identifying their spe-cialty is easy. They can announce: “Weare masters of Jaguar repair” or “Por-she repair” or “Volvo repair.” Othersmay focus on being “Paint MatchingSpecialists” or “Excelling in PerfectRestoration.” Shops that are already

successful may not need much more,but those with no recognizable imageneed to be doubly creative. While ac-tually changing the name of your bodyshop may be a more radical move thanis necessary, it could also be a verypowerful marketing action if a namewith exceptional drawing power is se-lected.

A few body shops in the Los An-geles area have names that suggest cer-tain characteristics. One shop, forexample, is named “Car-tique,” an ob-vious adaptation of “boutique” whichsuggests a small but elite type of shop.Another body shop was named “Pi-casso,” obviously a reference to the fa-mous painter and an implication thatthis shop specializes in fine paint work.One shop in the Marina area was calledthe “Insurance Collision Center,” a di-rect reference to their primary sourceof work. “Country Club Auto Body” inMission Hills would seem to be cater-ing to affluent customers (or “wanna

be” affluent customers). A shop thatemphasizes service might want tochoose a name like “Red Carpet AutoBody,” that says to a prospect, “Cometo our shop and we’ll roll out the redcarpet for you.” A name of this kindalso provides some immediate ideas fordecor.

In his “The Guerrilla MarketingHandbook,” Jay Levinson has a num-ber of good suggestions on name se-lection that might apply to body shops.For openers he discourages seeking ad-vice from friends, family and other ca-sual bystanders. He notes that namesselected by committees are “usuallylosers.” He suggests instead making alist of the qualities your business em-phasizes, with an eye to incorporating akey quality in the name of your shop.Some examples might include“Speedy,” “Reliable,” “Fearless,”“Flawless,” “Professional,” or “Jiffy.”Jay also cautions against the word “In-


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What’s In A Name? Possibly The Success Of Your Shop!

On Creative Marketingwith Thomas Franklin

Tom Franklin has been a sales and marketing consultant for fifty years. He has writtennumerous books and provides marketing solutions and services for many businesses.He can be reached at (323) 871-6862 or at [email protected]. See Tom’s columns at www.autobodynews.com under Columnists > Franklin

See What’s in a Name?, Page 47

by Ed Attanasio

Sam Plumb, 27, is an auto insuranceconsultant, a claims manager, a blogger,and the GM at Alpine Auto Renovationin Salt Lake City, UT. He is a second-generation body shop guy who hasbrought his youthful zeal, extensive ed-ucation, direct style and personal ap-proach to the industry and has impressedhis fellow collision repairers throughout

Utah and nationwide, via his popularblog: wreckrepairreport.blogspot.com.We sat down with Plumb recently to askhim about his thoughts concerning thestate of collision in Utah, his feelingsabout insurance companies and DRPs,aftermarket vs. OE parts, the advent ofaluminum, the new exciting technologyin this industry and other topics.

His start in the industry: “I obvi-ously grew up around the collision in-dustry, but that doesn’t really qualify meto be an expert. There are kids out therewhose fathers are doctors, yet theyknow nothing about medicine, right? Istarted working at a body shop when Iwas 16 basically answering phones andwashing cars. When I graduated fromthe University of Utah with an under-graduate degree, I went on to get a jointMasters in Public Health and Public Ad-ministration, degrees I will probablynever use. But that’s life; sometimes youtake the wrong direction and that wasone, but I don’t regret it. So, I startedworking at Alpine Automotive Renova-tion five years ago. My experience hasbeen excellent, because we don’t apolo-

gize for our work and we keep our stan-dards high. I’ve learned a lot since Istarted in this industry and the biggesteye-opener for me has been from the in-surance side. By learning how it works,it has empowered me and I’ve passedthis knowledge onto our customers,which has also empowered them.”

His relationships with insurancecompanies: “We’re completely inde-pendent of all the insurance companies,

except for one (Chubb Insur-ance) because they specificallyinsure the high-end types ofvehicles we repair—BMWs,Audis and Porsches, Mer-cedes-Benz. It’s the way wechoose to operate and it worksfor us, because I don’t think itaffects our volume at all.”

The explosion of technol-ogy in the collision industry:“I built a website for this busi-ness, because my father (age67) and his partner are still inthe electronic stone age anddon’t know that the Internetexists beyond eBay. Obvi-

ously, the technology in this industryhas changed everything and for thebetter in many ways. By being some-one who isn’t afraid about the technol-ogy that seems to change weekly, I feelwe’re at an advantage over those post-50-year-old guys like my dad whowould still refer to manuals if theycould.”

The advent of aluminum: “Alu-minum is one of those things that hasan upside and also a downside. Forone, it’s a much lighter metal thathelps emissions and it also seems tohave a faster production time, whichis important. On the other side of it,we’re seeing more and more cars inour shop that were incorrectly re-paired by other shops and we’re re-doing that work. And poor work ismuch more difficult to fix than actu-ally doing the original repair. So, inthat way, aluminum can be problem-atic from our perspective. Aluminumin itself does not have a memory, un-like steel. So, when an aluminumcomponent is damaged, it will need toreplaced in many cases. So, aluminum

brings its own challenges and there isobviously a certain level of expertiseto work with it. With these newerhigh-end cars and the advent of alu-minum, hopefully there will be fewershops out there doing inferior alu-minum work. It requires talent andtraining to work on these cars, but themost important thing about any shopis the pride in their work.”

The importance of certifications:“Certification is being pushed now bythe car manufacturers for obvious rea-sons. The carmakers want to knowthat their cars are being repaired byshops that are using the right equip-ment and products and have the righttraining to do the job correctly. Theywant the technicians to have the latesteducation, so that the work will be ex-cellent and then they don’t have toworry about it later down the road.”

Steering still alive and prevalent:“It’s not as invasive as it used to be,but some of the insurance companiesdefinitely still rely on it. Of course,they can’t force anybody to do any-thing, but they make it easier for peo-ple to take their cars to one of theirpreferred shops. If your average per-

son gets into an accident every 10years, they’re not really prepared forwhat happens next and some arefrightened by the process. So, they justlisten to their insurance company anddo what they’re told. The number onetool some insurers use is by implyingthat one of their non-preferred bodyshops won’t warranty the repair. WhenI encounter this, I always ask them thisquestion—what kind of reputablebusiness would I be if I didn’t war-ranty my work? This usually soothestheir nerves and hopefully eliminatestheir fears.”

OE vs. aftermarket parts: “Itseems like the insurance companiesthat do a ton of advertising about hav-ing the lowest rates in the country endup being the ones that want to cut cor-ners on repairs. They’re the ones push-ing for us to use more aftermarket andrecycled parts and we won’t use them.Maybe they’re spending all theirmoney on these huge advertising cam-paigns and that’s why they have to tryand save money on parts. With re-con-ditioned parts, we send back 95% ofthem because they’re inferior andthat’s we won’t put them on a vehicle.”


Young Utah Collision Repairer Speaks Out via Blog

Sam Plumb, 27, with his father to his right is an autoinsurance consultant, a claims manager and the GMat Alpine Auto Renovation in Salt Lake City, UT

[email protected] us!write us!write us!

Give us your opinion on matters affecting the industry.

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Collision repairers from six states arepursuing legal action against insurersfor alleged antitrust violations, collu-sion by making deals with preferredbody shops to reduce labor costs, andinterfering with body shops’ businessby dictating how they do repairs.There are also allegations that shopsare being forced to use substandard re-pair parts. The body shops are seekingdamages from the suits that couldamount to damages in the billions. SeeAutobody News May edition for moredetails.

In the federal lawsuit, 14 Indianashops and others have accused StateFarm Insurance and competitors ofextracting “unreasonable and oner-ous” concessions on vehicle repaircosts. When a shop doesn’t complywith price ceilings, the insurers dis-suade policyholders from choosingthat shop for repairs by telling them ithas quality issues or gets lots of com-plaints, the shops allege in the suitfiled April 2. The 34-page suit allegesinsurers have violated the federalSherman Act, both in price-fixing andthrough boycotting tactics.

Insurance company dictates are

“placing the driving public at harm,”says the lawsuit. (Other defendants in-clude Allstate, American Family,Auto-Owners, Erie Insurance, IndianaFarmers Mutual, Liberty Mutual, Na-tionwide, Shelter General and ZurichAmerican.)

Pat Johnson, a Martinsville, IN,shop owner of Brothers Body & Paintnext to IN 39, was cut from StateFarm’s Select Service Program lastNovember, unable to live with the itsrequirement that he buy vehicle partsthrough the online PartsTrader site in-stead of using his own longtime sup-pliers. Now Johnson says he is feelingthe pain of losing business from StateFarm. Revenue at Brothers Body &Paint has fallen by $100,000 so farthis year from his former $2 millionannual gross on repairing about 60 ve-hicles a month. Johnson has said hemay need to cut his 12-person staff,but he’s adamant about not lettingState Farm dictate his parts-buying.

“They’re a force to be reckonedwith. You don’t want to argue withthem. But sometimes you have tostand your ground,” he said.

“They trusted me for 20 years,

and now I’m nothing,” Johnson saidof State Farm. Johnson has repairedcars in Martinsville since 1982, saidinsurers are continually expandingtheir lists of work they won’t fully payfor. That included no longer payingfull cost for installing corrosion pro-tection inside a bumper and doing finesanding on body panel paint jobs, hesaid.

“They don’t tell you not to (per-form certain routine repair tasks),”Johnson said. “They just don’t pay forit. If they went to Wal-Mart, they’dpick up 10 things and they’d pay forsix. That’s the way they operate,” saidJohnson, who has joined the Indianalawsuit against the insurance compa-nies.

When insurers don’t cover thefull cost of repairs, “it’s such a diffi-cult thing to pass on to a customer,”said Kevin Wells, who operates Qual-ity Collision Inc. in Bloomington andis a plaintiff in the suit. Wells said heoften just eats the cost the insurancecompany won’t pay. “I’m taking it inthe shorts by about $6 an hour forevery job I do,” Wells said.

Johnson said he’d be happy if in-

surance companies dropped their ap-proved-shop lists and repair mandatesand paid for claims without dictatingthrough reimbursements how bodyshops like his should do their job.

“I don’t tell them how to sell in-surance,” he said. “All I want to do isfix cars.”

Surveys Also Point of ContentionBody shops say State Farm conductssurveys of the going labor rate shopscharge in a given area. The data andmethodology are not disclosed, shopscomplain. “Shops are simply requiredto blindly accept State Farm’s pro-nouncements regarding these mat-ters.”

The insurer attempts to prohibitshops from discussing the labor ratesthey provide as part of the surveys,“asserting any discussion may consti-tute illegal price fixing.”

Shops that complain the laborrate is inadequate are often told theyare the only body shop in the area tosay so and that they don’t conform tothe “market rate.”

In fact, “State Farm knew multi-ple shops had attempted to raise their


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Update on Indiana Shops’ Accusations of Insurers’ Collusion

labor rates and advised State Farm ofsuch,” the suit alleges.

The shops allege insurers havefailed to abide by industry standardsfor auto repairs and repair-estimatingdatabases. At the same time, many in-surers pressure shops to reduce costsby using recycled parts. But used partslike doors can require hours of addi-tional labor to be made to fit properlyand to be reconditioned.

Ultimately, shops are required toeither make “less than quality” repairsor suffer a financial loss. Taking short-cuts raises the specter of safety issues,but once a vehicle is repaired, it’s noteasy to spot problems such as improperwelds that might be hidden by seamsealer.

“The guys can’t make it. It’s notthat they are bad businesspeople,” saidScott Blake, of Blake’s Carstar Colli-sion Center in LaPorte and presidentof the IABA.

Insurers RespondThe insurance companies have re-sponded in kind in the media, defend-ing their DRP programs as a key wayto keep premiums on auto policiesunder control.

“These lawsuits are another at-

tempt to undermine programs insurershave put together” to hold down vehi-cle repair costs, said Bob Passmore, aspokesman for the Property CasualtyInsurers Association of America, whichrepresents insurance companies.

“The programs have been around20-plus years, and they are time-tested. People like them. They achievedesired results” to get vehicles re-paired quickly by repair shops vettedby the insurer and at reasonable cost,he said.

“This suit has no merit and in noway accurately describes the businessrelationship State Farm has with thou-sands of body shops across the country,”said Missy Dundov, a spokeswomanfor State Farm.

Dundov said State Farm built itsSelect Service network by listing bodyshops that provide warranties on theirwork and meet performance standardsset by State Farm. But a State Farmcustomer is “free to choose the repairshop of his or her choice,” even if it’snot on the Select Service list, she said.When it comes to parts, Dundov said,State Farm’s “current business prac-tice” is to pay for non-factory-madeparts only in uses that don’t play a rolein crash protection—unless a cus-

tomer requests otherwise. If a bodyshop is told to install a used part, “werely on the repairer to inspect the partand ensure that it is of sufficient qual-ity to repair the vehicle properly,” shesaid.

Dundov said PartsTrader “createsa consistent approach to parts order-ing,” she said, and does so “at a com-petitive price, as quickly as possible.”Body shops overall have had a “quitepositive” reaction to the online order-ing system, Dundov said.

As for allegations in the lawsuitthat State Farm steers customers tobody shops in its Select Service net-work, Dundov said it’s up to cus-tomers to decide what body shop touse.

A spokesman for Progressive,Jeff Sibel, said, “We are aware of thenew litigation against us and believethat we can demonstrate the fairnessin our claims practices at the appro-priate time.”

A GEICO spokeswoman, Chris-tine Tasher, said the company won’tcomment on pending litigation.

IABA Responds“There’s going to be a battle,” saysTony Passwater, executive director

of the Indiana Auto Body Association,the lead plaintiff. Passwater says thaton average, insurers won’t reimbursefor $550 to $750 worth of work on atypical repair job of $3,500, leaving itup to the body shop to pick up the un-paid costs. That $550 to $750 estimateof unreimbursed costs will likely beused by the body shops’ attorneys infiguring their damage claims againstthe insurers.

Passwater said the state once hadabout 2,000 shops; there are now 800to 1,000.

Passwater has been promotingthe lawsuit among auto body shopsaround the state and expects that the24 current plaintiffs will swell by 15to 20 in the next several months.

But some shop owners, he said,are reluctant to join because “they’reconcerned about any retribution theinsurance companies might do.”

Plaintiff’s AttorneyEaves said he thinks the numerouslawsuits he and co-counsel are filingcould eventually be consolidated inone court. He said he expects to pres-ent testimony from “whistle-blowers”who worked for insurance companiesand will give evidence of collusion


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U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-East Mo-line, clocked in for her shift at Dave’sAutobody in at 2:59 p.m., one minuteearly, according to reporter Dani Kin-nison, writing for the Galesburg Reg-ister-Mail

As part of her “Cheri on Shift”outreach, Bustos made a stop in Gales-burg on April 23 to shadow the shop’sauto workers and do some weldingand discuss the issue of livable wages,an issue that’s been a source of discus-sion locally and nationally.

With Illinois’ minimum wage of$8.25 an hour, a full-time worker wouldearn a yearly salary of $16,500. For afamily of three, the wage lies below thefederal benchmark for poverty. That,Bustos said during her visit, is some-thing that needs to change.

The 17th Congressional Districtrepresentative said she would be infavor of increasing the federal mini-mum wage to $10.10 an hour, an in-crease of $2.85. According to theproposal, upon passage the minimumwage would increase over 95 cents an-nually over the course of three years.

“In the district I represent, weborder two other states — the westernpart of the district borders Iowa,where the minimum wage is less andthe northern part borders Wisonsinwhere the minimum wage is less,” shesaid. “So we actually think this helpslevel the playing field to raise it to$10.10, and we think it’s better forbusinesses.”

Shop owner Dave Dunn, whoserves on Bustos’ small business ad-visory council, said paying livablewages creates a better workplace cul-ture.

“It’s just a matter of dignity, peo-ple deserve a living wage,” Dunn said.“Not only do we pay above minimumwage, the least anybody would makehere is $10 an hour, and then we paytime-and-a-half for overtime and haveterrific benefits.”

Bustos said by increasing the fed-eral minimum wage, nearly 4.5 mil-lion Americans would move out ofpoverty.

“If you’re working full-time youshouldn’t be living in poverty, and thereality of it right now is if you’re beingpaid minimum wage and working 40hours a week, you are living in poverty,”she said. “We just think it should be bet-ter than that.”

among companies in their businesstactics.

But the litigation could be fierce,Eaves said.”We’re anticipating exten-sive pushback. They’re making bil-lions of dollars by these practices andthey’re not willing to give it up eas-ily.”

Even so, Eaves said, several in-surance companies have approachedhim to ask about settling the claims toavoid lengthy litigation and a possiblehigh-stakes jury trial. “We are alreadyin discussion with three insurancecompanies that are willing to discussresolving it. I was kind of shocked. Inever had a case where somebodycame so quickly and wanted out.”


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U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-East Moline, Visits Body Shop, Talks Minimum Wage

Auto body production manager Robby Dunn,center, looks on as U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos,D-East Moline, talks with Dave’s employeeChip Brandenburg in the back of a pickuptruck at the auto body shop. Bustos took ahands-on tour of Dave’s as part of her “Cherion Shift” outreach in the 17th CongressionalDistrict. Photo: Steve Davis/The Register-Mail

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Nearly two years after reforming understrong new leadership, the Idaho Auto-body Craftsmen’s Association (IACA)continues to arm themselves in prepa-ration to combat threats to the collisionrepair industry. Though the group hasmade some progress, there are stillplenty of problems that need to be ad-dressed and rectified, and IACA strivesto tackle these issues through educationand by attempting to enlist more colli-sion repair professionals in the strug-gle. Matt Thornton, President of IACA,knows that the only chance to reformthe industry is by presenting an in-formed, unified front against those whowould compromise the integrity of re-pairs, and he shares the association’sprogress, plans and problems in hopesof collaborating with other like-mindedassociations to seek solutions to theseshared dilemmas.

Founded in the 1980s, IACA con-tinued to be an active voice in the in-dustry until the late 1990s when the

association fell apart and dissolveddue to a lack of participation. Over adecade later, in the summer of 2012,Thornton and two other shop ownersfrom his area discussed how to handlethe changing environment of the col-lision repair industry and threatsposed to the industry by third-partyentities. Deciding that the best way toaddress the issues plaguing the indus-try was to restart IACA, they sched-uled an initial meeting, spreading theword through vendors and expected15 to 20 people to participate; Thorn-ton was pleasantly surprised whenover 40 industry professionals at-tended their first meeting in August2012.

After affiliating themselves withthe Society of Collision Repair Spe-cialists (SCRS) that fall, IACA held asecond, more formal meeting in No-vember 2012 which attracted nearly60 attendees and featured presenta-tions by Bruce Halcro, then chairman

of the Montana Collision Repair Spe-cialists (MCRS), and Aaron Schulen-burg, Executive Director of SCRS.Halcro discussed the trials his associ-ation has experienced and offered as-sistance to IACA during the firstyears. Schulenburg encouraged activeinvolvement in associations andshared information on current indus-try issues as well as SCRS’s activities.

A non-profit trade organization,IACA’s multi-faceted mission in-cludes providing a platform for the ex-change of ideas and informationrelevant to the industry, projecting apositive image of the industry to thegeneral public, representing the in-dustry in matters of shared concern ona local, state and national basis, andimproving the overall quality of mem-ber business through educational op-portunities. Their mission is designedto help achieve their goal to “influencepositive change for our members andhelp educate ourselves in matters of

shared concern to present a unifiedvoice,” Thornton says.

Since reorganizing, IACA hashosted several educational events withMike Anderson from CollisionAd-vice.com, with help from Axalta Coat-ings. They’ve also met with theirstate’s Department of Insurance andseveral state legislators as they explorelegal options for correcting industry is-sues, and this past winter, they hired alobbyist to guide them through the leg-islative process. Specifically, Thorntonanticipates their their upcoming leg-islative activities will address “man-dated software usage, parts issues andsteering, among other minor issues.”

IACA’s more immediate goals areto learn more about the legislativeprocess, to build relationships withother state associations, and to increasetheir membership base. Currently,IACA has 44 members throughout thestate of ID, but like most associations,


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ation, who talked about the currentstate of legislation affecting smallbusinesses in California. After themorning sessions, State Senator BobHuff spoke to the ASCCA/CAAmembers about his views and con-cerns concerning proposed bills thatwill impact the repairers’ respectivebusinesses if passed.

Before members were to meetwith their political representatives,they were briefed by Jack Molodanof,the lobbyist for both organizations,who taught the members about theproper protocol to be used while en-countering politicians or their repre-sentatives. Molodanof always openswith a joke or amusing anecdote, butthen he’s all business. Coaching themembers of ASCCA/CAA about howto approach their local representativesis always crucial and that’s why Molo-danof always sets down the rules first.

“The most important thing to re-member obviously is never offer any-thing to any politician,” Molodanofexplained. “In addition, don’t complain,mislead anyone or most importantly—never threaten or antagonize a legislatorof their staff. Also, speak clearly anddon’t chit-chat. Get through your pres-entation succinctly and be prepared.”

With scheduled appointmentsthroughout the Capitol’s offices all daylong, ASCCA/CAA members brokeinto smaller groups to cover as muchterritory as possible. As they marchedthrough the hallways, looking forpoliticians’ offices and scrambling toget to their appointments on time,members were adamant about lettingtheir representatives know their sidesof each bill on their agenda.

CAA President Mike Passof, theowner of B&J Body Shop & Towing inRancho Cordova, CA appreciates therole of CAA in shaping tomorrow’scollision industry and sees great value

in ASCCA/CAA’s Legislative Day.“It’s important, because if we’re notwatching the fort, you never knowwhat can happen,” Passof said. “Stayinformed and be heard and play a rolein the future success of your business.By participating in the political processand working with your local represen-tatives, you can make sure that billsthat can negatively impact your shopwon’t become laws and vice versa.”

“This is the one opportunity everyyear when we can meet with our polit-ical representatives en masse and getour message out there,” CAA Execu-tive David McClune said. “We can in-fluence these bills before they becomelaws and provide valuable feedbackfor our key decision makers. Most im-portantly, we can provide them with alook into how our members run theirbusinesses and all of the factors thatcan affect them and their livelihoods.”

Bills on ASCCA/CAA’s radarthis year included AB 1522 (Gonza-lez), a bill that deals with employmentand specifically paid sick days. Bothorganizations oppose this bill thatwould require employers to providepayment of sick leave to all employ-ees. As currently written, an employeewho works for seven days or moredays in a calendar year is entitled tosick pay rate of one hour for every 30hours worked and be limited to 24hours or three days in a calendar year.Today many small business employ-ers voluntarily provide paid sick leavepayment even though current law doesnot require doing so. Requiring sucha costly mandate on all employerscould result in lower wages, reductionof job hours or job losses and burdenon small business. The current eco-nomic conditions are already makingit difficult for small business to sur-vive and mandating additional costswill only worsen the situation, ac-cording to Molodanof.

The next bill SB 935 (Leno)deals with minimum wage and an an-nual adjustment, which is opposed by

the ASCCA/CAA. This bill would in-crease the minimum wage on and afterJanuary 1, 2015, to not less than$11.00 per hour; on and after January1, 2016, to not less than $12.00 perhour; on January 1, 2017, to not lessthan $13.00 per hour; and increasesthe minimum wage annually there-after based on the California Con-sumer Price Index. The legislaturealready passed legislation in 2013(AB 10) to increase minimum wageon July 1, 2014 to $9.00 an hour andon January 1, 2016 to $10.00. Anotherincrease will negatively impact eco-nomic recovery either by limitingavailable jobs or creating further jobloss. SB 935 increases coupled withvarious cost increases that will impactsmall business employers, includingincreased worker’s compensationrates, increased energy costs, as wellas increased costs associated with theAffordable Care Act, will create con-cern and uncertainty for small busi-nesses.

Furthermore, this bill would haveadditional burdens on automotive re-pair shops to pay employees doublethe minimum wage when employeesare required to bring their own toolsMolodanof claims.

Another bill that seems to re-emerge every year without passing isEducation: SB 1007 & ACR 119: Ca-reer Technical Education (CTE), whichthe membership supports. These mod-est bills are intended to promote CareerTechnical Education in California’sschools and SB 1007 declares the needfor career technical education pro-grams and calling on the Superinten-dent of Public Instruction and the StateBoard of Education to consider waysto expand career technical in middleand high schools in the state. ACR 119encourages the Chancellor of the Cali-fornia Community Colleges, in consul-tation with affected stakeholders,including, experts in the field of CTEthe business and industry representa-tives and faculty to develop options toaddress long-term funding needs ofCTE. The public school system wasonce a model for providing studentswith the opportunity to acquire trainingand technical expertise for meaningfulemployment in the automotive indus-try. Unfortunately, the old vocationalmodel is falling apart from 35 years ofneglect. It’s time to allow students topursue skills necessary to survive with-out a college education, a position out-lined by Jack Molodanof.


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Letter to the Editor

ternational,” a name is so frequentlyused, it gets lost in the shuffle. It takesup six full columns in one BusinessWhite Pages alone!

Some marketing research donemany years ago turned up the fact thatpeople were unusually attracted to theword “Apple” in a business name.After that survey, there was a rash ofnew businesses with the word “Apple”in the name. These ranged from“Apple One Employment Agency” to“The Apple Farm” restaurant, “AppleSchool” and, most famous of all,“Apple Computers.” In New York Iwouldn’t be surprised to see a shopcalled “Big Apple Auto Body,” but

elsewhere it may be wiser to come upwith a different approach.

After all is said and done, if a shop’sname is “Superior Auto Body” and thework isn’t “superior,” or even competent,no amount of name-changing is going tocompensate for that liability. And if ashop’s name is “Mediocrity Plus” but thework is excellent, the name will be onlya small liability. A good name or sloganis an essential part of a good “First im-pressions marketing strategy,” but oncea prospective customer is in your shopand has experienced your fine quality ofwork, it will no longer matter what youcall your shop. When you’ve chosen welland communicated it well, your “trade-mark image” will be indelibly brandedon the minds of both customers andprospective customers and will quietlycontribute to your continuing prosperity.

they struggle with attracting new mem-bers who will be active participants.The main reason this is such a chal-lenge is “due to the size of our state andthe population being very spread out,”Thornton explains. “It’s over an eighthour drive from Boise to Coeurd’alenein the north and five hours to IdahoFalls in the east... Our biggest hurdleright now is getting our message out toother more rural areas of the state.”IACA hopes that their member bene-fits, educational opportunities and ac-cess to current industry informationwill aid in generating interest from col-lision repair professionals from all overtheir state.

IACA faces many of the samechallenges as other associations, suchas education and fair trade issues, butThornton says “we feel that the biggestchallenges are intrusion in our busi-nesses by insurance companies andkeeping up with new technology; edu-cation is key to overcoming both ofthese issues.”

Although IACA has not issued anofficial stance on PartsTrader and

other insurer-mandated parts procure-ment systems, Thornton notes, “thegeneral consensus is that the insurancecompanies are the only ones who ben-efit from it. If the product is so great,why do we have to be forced to use it?Not one shop would actually choose touse it if it was not mandatory, even ifit was free. As a general rule, we sup-port anything that promotes fair tradeand a level playing field. Unfortu-nately, things in this industry are com-ing to a breaking point that will drivemore and more lawsuits and legisla-tive activities, in our opinion, and we,as independent business owners, haveno choice but to stand up and say ‘NO’for once in our careers.”

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What’s in a Name?



State Farm, Illinois’ biggest car in-surer, plans to raise its auto rates inthe state by an average of 2.3 per-cent starting May 26, according to afiling. “Auto insurance rates in Illi-nois were adjusted to better reflectchanging claims costs,” namely arise in car repair costs, said Missy

Dundov, spokeswoman for theBloomington-based home and autoinsurer. The exact price change willdepend on the coverages that poli-cyholders have, where they live,what kind of car they drive, howthe car is used, and who drives it,she said.

State Farm to Raise Rates in Illinois


by Alicia Basteri, Online Editor

As a newbie to the collision repair in-dustry, I was one of the 65 newWomen’s Industry Network (WIN)members attending their first WIN An-nual Education Conference, which washeld May 5–8, 2014, at the ParadisePoint Resort & Spa in San Diego, CA.

I wasn’t sure exactly what to ex-pect—and was more than pleasantlysurprised!

Even before arriving, after joiningWIN and registering for the confer-ence, I received a personal email froma WIN member warmly welcomingme to WIN and offering assistancewith any conference questions. Thiswas to set the tone for my experience.

Day 1: Monday, May 5thThe meeting kicked off on an unchar-acteristically blustery day (for SanDiego, anyway). I received anotherwarm welcome at the registration desk,and was super stoked to unwrap a styl-ish black pashmina from my welcomepacket—it certainly came in handy!

As I walked into the conferenceroom and looked around for a seat, Ipaused and smiled as I realized that itwas a room full of women (well, therewere a few men). I settled in next tofriendly faces as the emcee, MichelleSullivan, welcomed a record numberof 178 conference attendees.

“When I think about why I get soexcited about WIN, for me it is allabout camaraderie—camaraderie isthe spirit of WIN.” Sullivan then in-troduced the theme of the conferenceby inviting attendees to “Power Up!”

Next, 2013-2014 WIN Board ofDirectors chairwoman Margaret Knell

recognized WIN achievements over thepast year, the 2014 WIN Conferencesponsors, as well as committee chairs,co-chairs, and other members. In addi-

tion, she presented Denise Caspersenand Ruth Wenigerwith the 2014 WINCornerstone Award, which is awardedto individuals on the WIN Board of Di-rectors who exemplify the values andvision of WIN.

Laurie Cusic, senior facilitator forBrody Professional Development, thenpresented “Bridging the GenerationalGap,” which addressed the need to un-derstand generational differences in aworkplace with four distinct genera-tions—traditionalists, baby boomers,generation Xers, and millennials (orgeneration Yers)—and attendees partic-ipated in a related networking event.

My overall first impression wasthat there was great energy in the room,and, unlike a lot of other conferences,everyone seemed genuinely excited—and “powered up”—to be there,friendly, supportive, and proud.

This feeling was solidified duringthe welcome dinner at Paradise Cove,where attendees mingled with oldfriends and new over a luau-themedmenu, followed by roastingmarshmallows in a bonfire tomake s’mores.

Day 2: Tuesday, May 6thAttendees started day twowith the annual WIN Schol-arship Walk to raise funds forthe WIN Scholarships.

Following a continentalbreakfast, charismatic keynotespeaker Dr. Verna CorneliaPrice, CEO of The Power ofPeople Consulting Group and

author of “The Power of People: FourKinds of People Who Can ChangeYour Life,” tapped into the WIN“Power Up!” theme with her message

of “The Power of You!” Dr. Price ex-plained that you are born with power;no one has more power than you; noone can take your power (but you cangive it away); and your power multi-plies when you use it. She alsotalked about the four types ofpowerful people: adders, sub-tractors, multipliers, and di-viders.

Next up, the engaging Co-lette Carlson, founder of“Speak Your Truth”, talkedabout “The Hard, Cold Truth—Working Hard Isn’t Working,”including how to communicatesuccesses, cultivate connec-tions, and develop strategic re-lationships.

After lunch, attendeeswent to one of three work-shops about technology(“Mastering the Muck ofYour Technology” by Kathi Burns),negotiation skills (“Truth About Ne-gotiation: A$k and You Shall Suc-

ceed” by Colette Carlson), or sus-tainability (“The Green Revolution”by Mike LeVasseur).

The day ended with the WIN An-nual Membership meeting, which pro-vided the “2014 Report to the Industry”including reports from the Communi-cations, Membership, Finance, Schol-arship, Nominating, and Governancecommittees. In addition, the WINBoard of Directors, new WIN Execu-tive Committee, and WIN Scholarshipwinners in attendance were recognized.

The evening festivities startedwith a cocktail reception, followed bythe annual WIN Gala and Most Influ-ential Women Ceremony. After din-ner, WIN colleagues and friendsrecognized and introduced the hon-orees: Frederica Carter, president ofF. Carter Events, LLC (former com-munications manager at AkzoNobel);Jordan Hendler, executive director ofthe Washington Metropolitan Auto-body Association; and Leanne Jef-feries, director of Collision Programsfor AIA Canada. And last but not least,dessert was served!

Day 3: Wednesday, May 7thAfter a continental breakfast, JohnKett, president and CEO of InsuranceAuto Auctions (IAA), presented “TheIncreasingly Interconnected APD Sys-tem,” covering the operational andtechnological forecast for IAA andkey information about the direction ofthe industry.

Following the break, Jane Hylen,senior vice president of North CentralOperations Enterprise Holdings, pre-sented “Keys to Success” within theautomotive industry.

Tracy Holberry from Sherwin-

Getting Powered Up at the 2014 WIN Annual Educational Conference

Recipients of the 2014 WIN Cornerstone Award,Denise Caspersen and Ruth Weniger

The scavenger hunt was designed to meet attendees from different generations

Keynote speaker Dr. Verna Cornelia Price talking about“The Power of You!”

New WIN board members: (left to right) Marie Peevy,Trish Gould, Jaclyn Byers, Jessica Rob, and NinaPedrazza-Zinna

See Getting Powered Up, Page 50


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Williams presented the 2014 Scholar-ship recipients in attendance, StephanieBaker and Suzanna Hernandez, with acertificate for tuition and travel-relatedexpenses paid in full for any automo-tive training course at a SherwinWilliams Training Center of theirchoice.

Margaret Knell closed the confer-ence with a summary of the events andofficially passed the torch to Denise

Caspersen, newly-elected chairwomanof the WIN Board of Directors.

If you’re a woman in the collisionrepair industry, I highly recommend

that you join WIN (visit http://the-womensindustrynetwork.ning.com/page/join-win-1 or email Mary Kunz [email protected]) and attendthe 2015 WIN Annual Education Con-ference.

If you’re already a WIN mem-ber, WIN asks that you please con-sider joining a committee as WIN isentirely volunteer-based. Sign in tohttp://thewomensindustrynetwork.ning.com/page/join-a-committee andclick on the Committee descriptionto find full descriptions and contactinformation.

If you missed the 2014 confer-ence but will be attending the 2014NACE/CARS Expo and Conference,stop by the WIN booth.


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Getting Powered Up

Mitchell Releases Second Quarter 2014 Industry Trends ReportMitchell has announced the availabil-ity of its Industry Trends Report (ITR)for the second quarter of 2014.Mitchell combines its own data withguest contributions from EnterpriseRent-A-Car and J.D. Power & Associ-ates, to offer industry data points andanalyses, along with expert market in-sight, to P&C insurers, bill reviewers,payers and auto body repair shops.The Industry Trends Report (ITR) isdelivered in two editions to addresstimely concerns for the auto physicaldamage and casualty industries.

The Auto Physical Damage editionUsing Mitchell’s repairable collisionseverity data in conjunction with in-formation from the Property Casu-alty Insurers Association of America(PCI), Greg Horn, Vice President ofIndustry Relations at Mitchell, ana-lyzes the impact a brutal winter canhave on collision frequency andseverity. “By looking at the nationalfrequency numbers over the lastthree winters, we concluded that ingeneral, winter storms are leading tohigher repairable costs and moretotal losses than they had in the re-cent past,” said Horn. “As an insureror collision repairer, it’s imperativeto prepare for these trends next win-

ter, especially in the fourth quarterwhen your ability to handle work-loads is already stressed by the holi-days and staff vacations.”

Enterprise Rent-A-Car con-tributes to the ITR with its own articleincluding factors impacting the ‘lengthof rental’ from the first quarter of 2013to the first quarter of 2014 in both theU.S. and Canada. Factors analyzed in-clude weather, economy, repair shopconditions and processes and partsavailability. In the U.S., the Northeastled the country with the highest lengthof rental at 13 days with winter stormsseverely impacting mild winter states,while Canada’s rental length remainedhigh but consistent as the majority ofthe country dealt with severe ice andsnow during the winter season.

Readers will also find data con-cerning the most common and costlycar repairs over the past five years,ranging from catalytic converters tofront and rear bumpers. J.D. Power &Associates supplements these factswith actual cash value trends of usedcars.

Mitchell also offers a webinar, In-dustry Trends Live, on the Auto Phys-ical Damage edition of the report.Greg Horn will provide a deeper lookinto the trends, information and stud-

ies highlighted in this quarter’s ITR onWednesday, May 7. To sign up for we-binar, visit http://go.mitchell.com/reg-ister.

The Casualty editionThe latest casualty edition focusesheavily on the use of technology andanalytics. “Analytics: Present and Fu-ture Applications,” written by EdOlsen, senior business process con-sultant at Mitchell, focuses on the useof analytics to streamline claimsprocesses for P&C professionals bydeveloping benchmarks, establishingplans of action, detecting fraud andoptimizing workflows. “If done right,analytics greatly improves customersatisfaction by allowing prompt reso-lution of legitimate claims while im-proving claim outcomes by assigningthe best resource to handle a claim,”said Olsen. “That’s revolutionary forour industry.”

Addressing a cutting edge topicin the world of analytics, the ITR and

the accompanying Technology Impactarticle highlights the ways predictiveanalytics technology can be used toenhance the decision-making processwithin an organization.

In line with previous Mitchelltrend reports, this Q2 Edition includesan updated Medical Price Index, alongwith recent state regulatory changes.According to the data, both evaluationand management and major radiologyservices showed double-digit pricegrowth over the past year.

First published in April 2001,Mitchell’s ITR now reaches more than33,000 collision and casualty industryprofessionals and provides meaning-ful visibility into data-driven trends inthe P&C market. The complete reportis available at www.mitchell.com/in-dustry-trends-report.

For further collision repair andproperty casualty industry updates andperspectives, follow Mitchell on Twit-ter @MitchellClaims and @Mitchell-Repair.

at www.autobodynews.com


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Auto Damage Experts Will Perform Inspection and Verificationfor Assured Performance Network’s Certified Repair ShopsAssured Performance and Auto Dam-age Experts (ADE) announced at thelatest Collision Industry Conference(CIC) that ADE has been chosen toperform the inspection and verifica-tion of Assured Performance Certifiedrepair facilities across the country.

The Assured Performance certi-fication program provides a third-party assessment of a shop’s abilityto properly repair today’s complexvehicles back to the manufacturer’sspecifications by having the propertools, equipment, training, and facil-ity. Assured Performance and ADEwill work together to deliver an ac-curate and efficient process to assessthe participating shops’ capabilities,providing the consumer with an ac-curate and credible national networkof competent and reliable shops tochoose from in the event of a colli-sion. ADE has been long known forits superior vehicle appraisal and val-uation services, but ADE also pro-vides a suite of services including,but not limited to:● Detailed Collision Forensics● On-Site and Remote Pre-Repair In-spections, ensuring the accuracy of anestimate● In-Process Repair Monitoring en-

suring the proper processes and mate-rials● Post-Repair Inspections and Verifi-cations, providing confirmation of anaccurate repair● Training and Assistance in DamageAnalysis, equipping shops and adjus-tors with the most up-to-date infor-mation on repair specifications andtechniques.● Assessment of Required Repairsand the manufacturer’s recommendedprocesses and materials● Coaching/Consulting for day-to-daybusiness operations

“Assured Performance has devel-oped a first-class program, which offerssignificant value and opportunities to itsqualified members,” said Barrett Smith,ADE’s Founder and President. “We’reexcited and proud to work with AssuredPerformance in helping quality repair-ers take advantage of the many benefitsof the Certification program, includingrecognitions from numerous OEMs.”

For more information on AssuredPerformance visit www.assuredper-formance.net.

For more information on AutoDamage Experts, visit www.Auto-DamageExperts.com or e-mail:[email protected].

AudaExplore Launches Cloud-Based Fully Scalable EnterpriseBody Shop Management SolutionAudaExplore(TM), a leading data-driven solution provider to insurancecarriers, repairers, dealerships andfleet owners, today announced thelaunch of MSO Pro(TM), a cloud-based enterprise body shop manage-ment (BMS) solution that deliversunmatched capability to managemultiple repair locations and busi-ness functions through one experi-ence.

Featuring enterprise-level func-tionality with a dashboard-driven de-sign, MSO Pro is based upon proventechnology, which has alreadyprocessed tens of thousands of repairorders, and millions of dollars in col-lision repair revenue. The solution isan open architecture design that inte-grates with estimating platformsfrom AudaExplore or other technol-ogy providers to deliver unique cus-tomer moments and increase repairerproductivity through the following:

● Predictability: Repairers canmake better, more informed deci-sions that impact customer satisfac-tion and profitability outcomesthrough customer satisfaction report-ing, predictive production loadscheduling and standardizing processacross multiple repair locations.

● Scalability: No matter the sizeor number of locations, from a singleshop looking to grow into an MSO toorganizations opening their 100th lo-cation, the platform combines robustperformance analytics and reportingwith applications for all businessfunctions including: HR, Sales, Cus-tomer Relationship Management andOperations.

● Efficiency: Reducing complexIT integration across business func-tions and locations with its stablecloud-based accessibility via singlesign-on, self-service management ofadministrator permissions and thor-ough user adoption training and sup-port.

“We’re excited to bring to mar-ket a proven and comprehensive en-terprise solution--the first of its kinddesigned for MSOs,” said GordonHenderson, VP of Collision RepairSolutions, AudaExplore. “MSO Probreaks new ground in collision repairoperations, filling a void in whichmany MSOs have chosen to eitherbuild their own homegrown systems,or deal with the limitations of single-shop or low-volume solutions that re-quire ongoing add-ons to supporttheir multi-shop businesses.”


Choose Original MINI Parts.Because you can’t repair your reputation.

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Northern CaliforniaSouthern California

South Bay MINITorrance310-939-7342310-939-7343

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MINI of EscondidoEscondido800-544-4269760-291-2878 FaxWWW.MINIOFESCONDIDO.COM

East Bay MINIPleasanton888-686-4580M-F 7:30-6; Sat 7:30-5

©2014 MINI, a division of BMW of North America, LLC. The MINI name, model names and logo are registered trademarks.

The owners of Coastal CollisionWorks, David and Susan Monta-naro, filed suit on March 6 againstState Farm in the SC Court of Com-mon Pleas for defamation, unfairtrade practices, breach of contractwith their insureds and breach ofagreement with Coastal Collision.The shop is located at 2543 SavannahHwy, Charleston, SC, 29414. BeckySnelgrove and Steve Fields arenamed in the suit as State Farm rep-resentatives.

Coastal Collision Works accusesState Farm of engaging in a course ofaction to artificially depress the pricefor the repair of damaged automobilesin the Charleston, SC, area. In addi-tion it accuses State Farm of:

● Attempting to persuade CoastalCollision Works and other Charlestonbody shops to agree to repair automo-biles for an amount less than they or-dinarily charge in exchange forprompt adjustment of losses; for re-ferral of business; and for being listedby State Farm as a “preferred” shop.

● Attempting to persuade Coastal

Collision Works and other Charlestonbody shops to repair automobiles onthe basis of the State Farm estimate ofdamage instead of performing an in-dependent evaluation of damage.

● Attempting to persuade CoastalCollision Works and other Charlestonbody shops to not use new parts but tosubstitute parts of an inferior quality;to repair instead of replace parts re-quiring replacement; and to ignoredamages that might not be recogniza-ble by the customer.

● Arbitrarily refusing to pay rea-sonable costs associated with neededrepairs.

● Refusing to pay the fair marketprice of parts, insisting that any bodyshop doing State Farm repairs orderfrom a specific parts supplier and thenrefusing to reimburse the body shopsfor the extra time involved in orderingparts from the specified parts supplier.

● Refusing to pay for certain re-pairs and operations necessary in therepair of damaged vehicles.

In addition, the shop says StateFarm falsely accused the owners of

charging noncompetive prices and ofperforming work not reasonably nec-essary for a proper repair, which hasdamaged the shop’s reputation andcaused it monetary damages.

According to the plaintiffs, StateFarm violated the South Carolina Un-fair Trade Practices Act by steeringcustomers to competitors, citing theState Farm Select Service Program.

The plaintiffs have requestedtriple damages from the court.

A State Farm spokesman had notresponded to a request for comment atpress time.

South Carolina Shop Files Suit Against State Farm CitingBreaches of Contract and Defamation

This spring, four CARSTAR AutoBody Repair Experts stores wererecognized by Mitchell, as recipi-ents of the 2013 AutocheX™ Solu-tion Premier Achiever Awards.“Repair shops are making a com-mitment to their customers on adaily basis,” said Jim O’Leary, VicePresident of Mitchell Repair Solu-tions. “It’s important for Mitchell torecognize these efforts and honorthose teams that have gone aboveand beyond to deliver some of theindustry’s best service.” The 12thannual Premier Achiever Awardshonor collision repair shops thatconsistently achieve the highestcustomer satisfaction scores asmeasured by the AutocheX solu-tion, either independently or as partof an insurance-sponsored repairprogram.

The CARSTAR shops honoredthis year were:● Walt’s Autobody CARSTAR –Topeka, KS● ABC CARSTAR Body & Frame– Prescott, AZ● Superior Auto Body CARSTAR –Pinellas Park, FL● Autobody ResurrectionCARSTAR – Lakeland, FL

Four CARSTAR Shops WereRecognized by Mitchell


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Southern California BMW Centers

BMW of EscondidoEscondido(800) 544-4269www.bmwofescondido.com

BMW of MurrietaMurrieta(888) 805-2393FAX (951) 698-2086www.bmwofmurrieta.com

BMW of Palm SpringsPalm Springs(760) 324-8314

BMW of VistaVista(760) [email protected]

Bob Smith BMWCalabasas(818) 340-9640FAX (818) [email protected]

Center BMWSherman Oaks(818) 990-9518

New Century BMWAlhambra(626) 576-2867www.ncbmw.com

South Bay BMWTorrance(310) 939-7342(310) 939-7343

Sterling BMWNewport Beach(949) 645-8729

East Bay BMWPleasanton(888) 686-4580M-F 7-6; Sat 7:30-5; Sun 10-5

Niello BMWSacramento(916) 486-1299

Sonnen BMWSan Rafael(415) 482-2040

Weatherford BMWBerkeley(800) 995-9269

Northern California BMW Centers

YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE AT THE FIRST REPAIR.Original Thought #78

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20 years ago in the collision repairindustry (June 1994)The association representatives at the(Society of Collision Repair Special-ists’ Leadership Conference) meetingwere in unanimous agreement on oneissue: insurer involvement in partspurchasing. A resolution, passed unan-imously, recognized the right of insur-ers to pursue programs they view ascost-saving, but called for the insur-ance industry to consider repair in-dustry concerts when developing anysuch program.

The resolution listed some of theindustry’s concerns regarding insurerinvolvement in the ordering or pur-chasing of parts, specifically:

• that insurers will use such pro-gram to force or intimidate a shop touse parts suppliers with which theshop does not want to do business;

• that the programs would sub-stantially reduce shop profits;

• that inefficiencies could result

from delays caused by such problemsas inaccurate parts numbers used inthe electronic process;

• that return of parts might bemore complicated (because of the dis-tance of the participating supplier, forexample); and,

• that the quality of service pro-vided by parts suppliers may suffer ifthe choice of suppliers is limited bysuch a program.

—as reported in Collision Expert

15 years ago in the collision repairindustry (June 1999)How much more money can the insur-ance industry squeeze from collisionrepairers? Try $2 billion to $4 billion.That’s the figure presented in an articlecalled “Achieving World-Class ClaimsPerformance Using Innovative SupplyChain Management” in McKinsey’sProperty-Casualty Insurance Annual.

How could the insurance indus-try realize this savings? By creating

super direct repair programs.“In general,” the report said,

“channeling more repair volume tofewer network participants leads tobetter prices and other concessions.”

David Friedman, one of the au-thors of the report, amplified the point.

“Let’s say State Farm says to theirDRP providers, ‘We think you’re thebest of the best and we’ve got a newhigher-grade program where we’ll

channel even more work to you andwe’ll have less inspection.”

—As reported in The GoldenEagle. By mid-2000, State Farmwas piloting a “Select Service” pro-gram with Sterling Collision shops(prior to that chain being owned byAllstate) in several markets; theprogram eventually replaced the in-surer’s “Service First” program, sig-nificantly reducing the number ofparticipating shops.

10 years ago in the collision repairindustry (June 2004)Tom McGee would like everyone inthe collision industry to ask them-selves two questions: What led you toget into this industry, and did you everexpect when you started out to bedoing what you’re doing now?

McGee, the CEO of I-CAR, posedthose questions to about 60 people at-tending an I-CAR “industry forum” inChicago as a way to introduce his con-

Auto Body Parts Receive Consumer Discount at AutoPros USA Parts Retail WebsiteAuto body parts are now under newterms of sale at the Auto Pros USAwebsite. All import and domesticparts shippable are receiving newsticker prices for purchasers. Dis-counts for select types of auto partscan be hard for consumers to locatedue to the increase of freight costs forautomobile parts shipments. The AutoPros USA company is now providinga discount for all used auto body partsavailable for sale at http://autopro-susa.com. The entire inventory ofAmerican and imported models ofparts that are available for public salethis year has been lowered in retailprice. New contracts with agencies of-fering better prices has helped to con-figure the current discounts that arefound when shopping on the companyhomepage in 2014.

“The vehicle body parts that areoffered are in preowned and in after-market condition to provide easy se-lection options for parts purchasers,”an Auto Pros source said.

The automobile replacementparts for sale that are marketed on theAuto Pros website to consumers nowfeature a new phase of warranty cov-erage. The extension of warranty pe-riods now included for most parts

sales is already calculated in thequoted prices.

“American and foreign au-tomaker brands can be found usingour search location tool on our home-page to discover all components dis-counts in place,” confirmed thesource.

The Auto Pros USA companywebsite now provides consumers withthe updated toll-free phone line usedto support customers not shoppingthrough the homepage this year. Thenumber at 1-888-230-1731 is now inplace for consumers to use for locat-ing company supplied parts.

The AutoProsUSA.com com-pany provides discounts for vehicleparts and accessories that can be pur-chased through its Internet portal.This company has launched a data-base available to consumers with hun-dreds of suppliers currently quotingprices before purchase. The AutoPro-sUSA.com company has a staff of ex-perts contributing to the customersupport now available daily. The au-tomotive partners that are foundthrough the company website changeperiodically as different distributorsare included in the North Americannetwork.

BASF Automotive Refinish recentlyrecognized five collision repair shopsas 2013 Performance Group Shopsof the Year at its VisionPLUS Busi-ness Solutions Performance GroupConference in Clearwater, FL. Colli-sion repair shops that utilize BASF’sVisionPLUS Business Solutions, andparticipate in the program’s Perform-ance Group meetings, were eligiblefor the award. The 2013 winningshops are:● Auto Body Specialties, Springfield,OR, Byron Davis, Owner.● Crystal Lake Automotive, Lakeville,MN, Jim Siegfried and Karl Drotning,Owners.● Frank’s Autobody Collision Solu-tions Network, Vernon, British Co-lumbia, Canada, Matt Brunelle, JesseBrunelle, Dave Brunelle and ReneBrunelle, Owners.● LaMettry’s Collision, Richfield,MN, Joanne LaMettry, Owner.● Center Square Motors, Blue Bell,PA, Chuck Dietch, Owner.

The five winners were selectedbased on criteria including sales im-provement; overall gross profit im-provement; Vision PLUS PerformanceGroup meeting attendance; and meet-ing participation and contributions.

BASF Recognizes 5 Shopsas Shops of the Year

The U.S. automotive aftermarket isexpected to grow on a compound an-nual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.4 per-cent until 2017, according to the“2014 Joint Channel ForecastModel” produced by the AutomotiveAftermarket Suppliers Association(AASA) and the Auto Care Associa-tion. The model predicts that the totalaftermarket sales will grow from$238.4 billion in 2013 to $273.4 bil-lion in 2017, an increase of $35 bil-lion over four years. “The forecastmodel demonstrates that despitestrong new vehicle sales, historichigh gas prices and a flattening ofmiles driven, our industry is poisedfor steady growth,” said KathleenSchmatz, Auto Care Associationpresident and CEO. “Why? The av-erage age of vehicles is 11.4 years,the oldest ever, and the age mix ofvehicles continues to favor older ve-hicles, creating a robust sweet spotfor service and repair.” Said BillLong, AASA president and COO,“The forecast model anticipates thatgrowth in population, employmentand income will lead to an increasein miles driven and the number ofvehicles on the road resulting inlong-term aftermarket growth.”

Automotive Aftermarket isExpected to Grow 3.4% PY

June Retrospective: ASA Position, CAPA, CIC

with John YoswickHistorical Snapshot

—John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon, who has a bodyshop 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 [email protected].

Solera’s Tony Aquila, speaking at an interna-tional collision repair conference in 2009,said businesses should focus on ‘value’rather than price, “because cheap sucks.”


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cept for some websites to help attractmore young people into the industry.

“Nobody ever explains the careeropportunities,” said McGee, who saidhe’s now the head of an internationaltraining organization but started out inthe autobody “hobby class” in hishigh school. “I use the example oftouring the DuPoint lab and looking atpeople who used to be techniciansnow working in the chemistry area inproduct analysis. Guys who worked inthe stall next to me at my first job outof college now work for GM andDaimler-Chrysler. Did I expect themto go there or me to go here? No. Butwe don’t show parents what these op-portunities are to allow them to un-derstand that kids can make a goodcareer and living in this industry.”

McGee, drawing on his own ex-perience as the father of three kids,ages 7 to 12, suggested that I-CAR de-velop age-based websites that wouldinclude such interactive activities asracing and other games, drag-and-drop customizing of vehicles, triviaand printable coloring books thatwould give kids reasons to visit thesites…The sites would let kids tinkerwith cars “virtually,” and also helpthem see that collision repair skills

can lead to rewarding careers not onlywithin shops, but also with paint com-panies, information providers and in-surers.

—As reported in AutobodyNews. I-CAR launched two such web-sites in 2005. CollisionCareers.org isstill live, though it is fairly static andoffers little in the way of career path“stories” as it did in the early days.CollisionKids.org is no longer an ac-tive site. McGee left I-CAR in 2008and is now with the Automotive Train-ing Institute.

5 years ago in the collision repairindustry (June 2009)Tony Aquila, CEO of Solera, Inc. (theparent company of AudaExplore) toldthe 250 IBIS attendees (shops, insur-ers and vendors from about two dozencountries) that businesses moving for-ward can take one of two roads.

“I think you can just focus on‘faster, better, cheaper,’ but to me,that’s a dead-end,” he said. “It reallydoesn’t take you anywhere, becauseeventually, you can’t make it that muchcheaper, and you start to erode yourprofitability, then you start to lose yourenthusiasm and vision, and everythingkind of unravels. Or you can focus on

what we believe, which is ‘faster, bet-ter, more valuable.’ Focus on high-value things that allow you theopportunity to innovate. Because thenprice is not the issue. It’s about thevalue you are delivering. We make nobones about it: When we do something,we want to get paid for it becausewe’re doing something high-value.”

Aquila was asked how his com-pany’s shop customers can use thatconcept when they feel continuallysqueezed by insurers.

“If the customer is saying theywant cheaper, then I would argue to mypeople that we’re not doing a goodenough job providing more value,”Aquila said. “When you focus on justprice, the value curve is out of the equa-tion. That means innovation is not hap-pening. You’re not giving them moreservices. When customers say to me,‘We need it cheaper,’ then I immedi-ately think: What do I have to do to addmore value so they stop talking aboutcheap. Because cheap sucks. It’s notgood for any of us. What we need toconcentrate on is how do we get thewaste out of the process.”

—as reported in CRASH Net-work (www.CrashNetwork.com),June 29, 2009.

I-CAR® reinforces their ongoingcommitment to providing improvedservices to industry professionals bylaunching the first of many en-hancements to the I-CAR website.These first enhancements are cen-tered around the user registrationand tracking portal, myI-CAR.com,with improvements that includemore user-friendly, streamlined reg-istration and login pages, along withredesigned, personalized landingpages for faster navigation and easeof class scheduling. Users will seean immediate difference during thelogin process and find navigationeasier as soon as they enter the site.The new landing pages have graph-ically-focused visual navigation foreasy identification of quick links tofrequently utilized resources and in-formation. Some of the new high-lights include immediate visibilityto Gold Class and Platinum recog-nition status, expiration dates andreports that provide specific detailson training required by students andbusinesses in order to achieve ormaintain their Platinum or GoldClass status. Visit www.i-car.com orcontact Customer Care at 800-I-CAR-USA.

I-CAR Enhances Website,Other Improvements Coming


QUALITY IS ALL WE THINK ABOUT. THAT

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See these Hyundai dealers below for all your collision parts needs!

SO. CALIFORNIA

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Lithia HyundaiFRESNO

800-462-2231559-436-6041559-436-0743 Fax

Mon-Fri 7am - 6pm; Sat 8am - [email protected]

Kearny Mesa HyundaiSAN DIEGO

800-469-9731858-300-3331 Fax

Mon-Fri 7am - 6pm; Sat 8am - [email protected]

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Drew HyundaiSAN DIEGO

888-839-0777619-668-7782 Direct619-460-4082 Fax

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According to Ford, 850 Ford dealer-ships have enrolled technicians intraining courses to learn how to docollision repairs on the 2015 alu-minum F-150 pickup. Ford said thenumber exceeds its goal of having 750dealerships enrolled in the courses bythe end of 2014.

The training courses will betaught by instructors from I-CAR.Jason Bartanen, I-CAR director ofindustry technical relations, calls itone of the biggest technical trainingprograms of its kind ever. So far, I-CAR has scheduled about 700 classesin locations around the country. Deal-ership training begins this month.Training for independent collisionshops and insurance estimators beginsin June.

“Because of the magnitude andvolume of this vehicle, I think we’regoing to see a fantastic response tothis course,” he said.

Ford’s shift from steel to alu-minum on its biggest-selling vehicleis an enormous industrial undertakingand affects everyone from the factoryfloor to the collision repair shop. Fordwants to be sure collision repair spe-cialists know what they’re doing thefirst time a damaged aluminumpickup rolls into a shop.

Ford sold 763,402 F-series trucksin 2013. It doesn’t report sales of theF-150 separately from the rest of the Fseries, but Ford production statisticsshow that 69 percent of all F-seriesproduction was F-150 in 2013.2-part course

The I-CAR training course willbe divided into two segments. Thefirst teaches general aluminum repairtechniques, including aluminum weld-ing and the operation of rivet guns.The second concentrates on particulardesign elements of the 2015 F-150 it-self.

Ford has offered to pay the costof one technician per dealership forthe training course, which takes abouttwo days and costs about $1,000.Dealerships that want to have morethan one trained technician will paythe additional expense to send extratechnicians.

To work on aluminum, Fordrecommends that dealerships withbody shops and independent repairshops buy new tools, including spe-cialized rivet guns, MIG (metal inertgas) welders and specialized vacuumsystems. Ford has estimated dealer-ships can buy the equipment theyneed to get started for $30,000 to$50,000.

When aluminum is bent or bro-ken, it behaves differently than steel.Aluminum does not have the “metalmemory” to resume its original shape,as steel does.

Ford strongly recommends col-lision shops set up separate areasfor working on aluminum becauseof steel-aluminum contamination is-sues. Galvanic corrosion, similar torust, can occur when the metalstouch each other. Combustion canalso occur when the two metalsmix.

Among the training requirementswill be a weld test in which techni-cians will be asked to perform sixwelds from two positions. I-CARwelding experts will travel to dealer-ships and repair shops to be sure thatthey have acquired the proper alu-minum-handling equipment and thatit is installed properly, Bartanen said.

Independent shopsRoughly 20 percent of Ford’s

more than 3,000 dealerships havebody shops; the rest outsource thework to other dealerships or to inde-pendent collision repair shops. Fordsaid it has enrolled about 420 inde-pendent shops and hopes to enroll 750by year end.

Technicians aren’t the only oneswho need a better understanding ofthe aluminum repair process: Insur-ance adjusters do, too.

Said Bartanen: “This trainingwill be open to the insurance industryso insurance adjusters will know whatto do and can write more accuratedamage assessments.”

I-CAR and Ford experts also willoffer lectures and demonstrations onrepairing the new F-150 at the Inter-national Autobody Congress & Expo-sition (NACE) July 30-Aug. 2 inDetroit.

The 2015 F-150 is scheduled toarrive in dealerships in the fourthquarter.

Ford Dealerships Exceed Enrollment Goals for Collision Repair Training on F-150

The Automotive Management Insti-tute (AMI) is accepting applicationsfor the $1,000 Arrowhead SpecialtyMarkets "High Octane" Scholarship.The scholarship, which is awardedto an Automotive Service Associa-tion (ASA) Mechanical Divisionmember who strives to be, or ispresently working in a managementcapacity. The scholarship will beapplied toward the recipient’s ex-penses to attend the 2014 Congressof Automotive Repair and Service(CARS) in Detroit, July 31–Aug. 2.CARS is sponsored by ASA and of-fers an educational lineup of AMIseminars, technical training coursesand industry sessions, an expositionand the opportunity to network withother automotive service profession-als. To be eligible, applicants mustwork in the mechanical repair in-dustry; must demonstrate an interestin self-improvement through educa-tion and training; must own or workfor a business that is an ASA mem-ber in good standing; and, if the ap-plicant is not the business owner,must be recommended by the owner.To request a scholarship application,call AMI at (800) 272-7467, ext.101.

AMI Taking Applications for$1,000 High-Octane Award

Another automotive industry organ-ization will be joining Industry Weekand the NACE/CARS 2014 Confer-ence & Expo in Detroit MI. TheEquipment & Tool Institute (ETI)will hold their board meeting Tues-day, July 29, 2014, at the WestinBook Cadillac in Detroit,. Dan Ris-ley, Automotive Service Association(ASA) president and executive di-rector, stated “We are thrilled to haveETI join us in Detroit this year. Thisis a very important and respected or-ganization, and their support is sig-nificant to Industry Week. Theoverriding purpose of the event is tobring the industry together, and ETI’sinvolvement is another example ofcollaboration.” “ETI is pleased to beholding our summer Board of Direc-tors Meeting in Detroit in conjunc-tion with Industry Week,” said JessieKorosec, ETI meeting and eventmanager. “The Westin is an excellentvenue and we are looking forward toa successful meeting.”

Visit www.etools.org andwww.naceexpo.com to learn more.

ETI to Hold Meeting withNACE CARS in Detroit


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Galpin SubaruSanta Clarita

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Allstate Corp., the largest publiclytraded home and auto insurer, hiredAlan Gellman from Wells Fargo &Co. to oversee marketing at its Es-urance unit. Gellman will be chief mar-keting officer, reporting to EsuranceChief Executive Officer Gary Tolmanin San Francisco. He held marketingroles for the past 10 years at WellsFargo, the auto insurer said. Allstate hasramped up advertising spending to wincustomers from big spending rivalssuch as GEICO and Progressive Corp.

Auto parts retailer Advance AutoParts Inc reported a 21 percent risein quarterly profit, helped by the ac-quisition of the biggest operator ofthe Carquest chain of auto repairshops and car parts stores. AdvanceAuto completed the acquisition ofGeneral Parts International Inc inJanuary, making the company thelargest auto parts retailer by sales inthe United States. Advance Auto’snet income as reported rose to$147.7 million in the first quarter.

Bloomberg reports Esurance toTake on Advertising Giants

Advance Auto Profit Up 21%,Acquisition Boosts Sales

Solera Holdings Inc. says it is buyingthe insurance and services division ofprivate equity-owned Pittsburgh GlassWorks LLC for $280 million, expand-ing the Texas-based insurance soft-ware company’s business to includeautomobile repair and claims man-agement services. Solera’s acquisitionof the insurance division, which is ex-pected to close by the end of June, willbe paid for entirely with cash, thecompany said. Pittsburgh GlassWorks is owned by Kohlberg & Co.

Solera Buys Pittsburgh GlassWorks’ Insurance BusinessThe Society of Collision Repair

Specialists (SCRS) Member Serv-ices E-Catalog was created tohelp SCRS members do businesswith other members. If you are arepair facility, share it with yourfriends and colleagues; if you arewith an association, pass it alongto your membership, or share itwith your customer base or postto your social media account.View the catalog at:http://scrs.com/index.php?id=e-catalog.

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Car-O-Liner Offers Free Value-Added Design PlanningCar-O-Liner®, a leading globalprovider of collision repair equipmentto the automotive aftermarket, offersWorkShop facility design planning forCar-O-Liner equipment placement asa free value-added service throughlocal authorized Car-O-Liner Distrib-utors.

Through this service, shops ad-dress challenges posed by limited spaceor awkward building layouts by de-signing a concept for how Car-O-Linerequipment will best fit to optimizework flow, thereby providing confi-dence that their equipment investmentwill maximize both technician produc-tivity and shop profitability.

After consulting on the objec-tives of the facility, the Car-O-LinerDistributor will work with shop oper-ators and their architects to plan andvisualize the most effective layout

from a top view in 2D. The uniquefootprint of the building is accuratelyrepresented to include structural at-tributes such as garage bay openingsas well as doors, windows, lighting,

and more. Equipment can be rotatedand moved, in real time, to determineoptimal placement with considerationfor vehicle flow restrictions, safety,and other requirements of the space.At any time, the design can be viewedin 3D from any angle with the abilityto save and print high-resolutiondrawings and specifications. In addi-tion to 3D renderings, a detailed re-port of the Car-O-Liner equipmentspecifications selected for the layoutcan be printed to quickly and easilymake the design a reality.

To learn more about how aWorkShop facility design plan canimprove your efficiency, contact yourlocal Car-O-Liner Distributor, visitwww.car-o-liner.com, or call toll free(844) 833-9419.

As of May 12, 2014, you can now reg-ister to attend the 2014 SEMA Show atwww.SEMAShow.com/register. Theannual trade show for the automotiveaccessories market is set for Tuesday–Friday, November 4–7, 2014, in LasVegas, NV.

You can register as an attendee,exhibitor, and media member:

Attendees: Distributors, retail-ers, installers, and buyers who will bemeeting with exhibitors at the SEMAShow should register as an attendee.Applicants may be required to submitproof of employment in the industry.During registration, attendees will beable to sign up for special events and

seminars, including those offered bythe Society of Collision & Repair Spe-cialists (SCRS), Tire Industry Associ-ation (TIA), and more. Approvedattendees who register before the earlydeadline in October 2014 will receivetheir badges in the mail.

Exhibitors: Theexhibitor category isfor company person-nel working in thebooths of exhibitingcompanies. To securean exhibitor badge,individuals will needto have the uniquepassword and user idthat was provided,via email, to the pri-mary contact at theexhibiting company.The primary contactmay register the en-tire staff at one time

quickly and easily. Exhibitor badgesare not to be used for non-employees,including contest winners, contrac-tors, and vendors. During registration,exhibitors will also be able to ordercomplimentary tickets to the SEMAIndustry Awards Banquet. Tickets tothe banquet, which is attended by3,000 attendees and considered bymany to be the industry’s premier cel-

ebration, sell for $50 each.Media members: Editors and

journalists covering the SEMA Showcan register for complimentary mediacredentials. Applicants may need tosupply proof of media affiliation,such as bylined articles or businesscards. All approved media will beable to pick up their credentials on-site in the SEMA Show Media Cen-ter, which includes exclusive servicesand amenities to assist with reportingfrom the event. During registration,media are able to secure a ticket tothe LTAA Media Preview—a brand-new event that will give media ex-clusive early access to new productson Monday, November 3, 2014, theday before the SEMA Show officiallyopens.

“There are many advantages toregistering early for the SEMA Show,”said Peter MacGillivray, SEMA vicepresident of events and communica-tions. “Early application expedites theregistration process, which is the firststep to developing a personal plan forthe show. Whether you’re an exhibitor,buyer, or media, having a plan in ad-vance of the event is the best way toensure success.”

Complete details about the SEMAShow and registration are available atwww.semashow.com.

SEMA Show Registration Now Open

MCR Safety donated over 26,000 pairsof safety glasses and goggles worthnearly $50K to the Collision RepairEducation Foundation (CREF). Theywill be distributed to collision schoolprograms across the country for fall2014.

“We protect people and areproud to contribute our safety eye-wear to help support CREF ef-forts...We hope our contributions willfoster safety awareness throughouttheir careers,” stated Glen Herald,MCR Safety COO.

CREF director of develop-ment Brandon Eckenrode noted,“On behalf of the thousands of col-lision students that this donationwill assist and help keep them safewithin their collision school pro-grams, I would like to thank MCRSafety for their continued support.This in-kind donation will be one toremember, and it was awe-inspiringto have a semi-truck deliver 15 pal-lets of the donated glasses and gog-gles. As collision school instructorscontinue to face shrinking programbudgets, this type of donation helpsfree up additional funds that cannow be used elsewhere within theircollision program.”

MCR Safety Donates 26,000+Pairs of Safety Eyeware


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BMW Group’s joint venture withSGL Group will spend $200 millionto triple the capacity of its carbonfiber products plant in Moses Lake,WA. The factory will become theworld’s largest producer of carbonfiber, with an annual output of 9,000tons by 2015 when the expansion iscompleted. The plant provides car-bon fiber reinforced plastics forBMW’s family of i electric and plug-in hybrid cars—the i3 electric com-pact car and the i8 plug-in hybridsports car. The i3 has just been re-leased in the US and the i8 is tolaunch in August. The carbon fiberhas been used to produce 5,000 i3cars at BMW’s factory in Leipzig,Germany, which has a daily output of100 vehicles. With the expansion,BMW said it will be able to use thecarbon fiber for other models “atcompetitive costs and in large quan-tities.” The redesigned 7-series flag-ship sedan due in two years isexpected to make extensive use ofcarbon fiber. The joint venture, SGLAutomotive Carbon Fibers, is 49 per-cent owned by BMW. The partnershave spent $100 million on the plant,which has 80 employees. The expan-sion will create 120 additional jobs.

BMW Joint Venture to TripleCarbon Fiber Plant Capacity

The U.S. government lost $11.2 bil-lion on its bailout of General Mo-tors, more than the $10.3 billionTreasury estimated when it sold itsremaining GM shares in December.The $11.2 billion loss includes awrite-off in March of the govern-ment’s remaining $826 million in-vestment in "old" GM. The U.S.government spent about $50 billionto bail out GM. During the com-pany’s 2009 bankruptcy, the govern-ment’s investment was converted toa 61% equity stake in the automaker,plus preferred shares and a loan. TheUS bailout of GM and Chryslersaved 1.5 million jobs in the UnitedStates, according to the Center forAutomotive Research in Ann Arbor,MI. GM just posted its 17th consec-utive profitable quarter. Earnings,however, were hurt by a $1.3 billioncharge for the costs of various re-calls, including for faulty ignitionswitches on 2.6 million cars. GM isunder investigation by the JusticeDepartment, U.S. auto safety regu-lators and Congress over its failureto detect the faulty ignition switchfor over a decade. The U.S. Securi-ties and Exchange Commission isalso investigating GM.

US Government Says It Lost$11.2 billion on GM bailout

A representative of GMG Envirosafewarned attendees of the Collision In-dustry Conference held April 9–10that OSHA is cracking down on bodyshops to ensure workers are protectedfrom isocyanate exposure. BrandonThomas, chief operations officer ofGMG, a company that offers OSHA,EPA and DOT compliance solutions,said a study done by OSHA’s coun-terpart in Britain found that paintersin a body shop environment have 80times the risk of occupational asthmafrom isocyanates than industrialworkers. It’s precisely for that reason,Thomas said, that OSHA is targetingthe collision industry more aggres-sively than others. According toThomas, OSHA has fined body shops$1.6 million over the last three years.OSHA’s enforcement division has in-creased inspections 25 percent overthe last four years because they havea bigger budget, and there is an aver-age of 4.33 citations per inspection.OSHA’s goal, Thomas said, is toeliminate isocyanate exposure alto-gether in two ways: engineering con-trols (spraybooth, mixing rooms,ventilation, gun washers, etc.) and ad-ministrative controls (PPE trainingand processes).

OSHA Cracking Down onIsocyanate Exposure

The Certified Automotive Parts As-sociation (CAPA) incorporated itsVehicle Test Fit (VTF) program in1999 and since then, CAPA has per-formed more than 10,000 VTFs toensure that the gap, flush and fit ofCAPA parts rival those of OE parts.Since then, there has been a dramaticincrease in the quality of the after-market parts submitted for testingunder CAPA’s rigorous certificationstandards. CAPA says its programwas so successful that after it was ini-tiated, the Collision Industry Confer-ence (CIC) performed blind test fitsto compare CAPA Certified parts toOE service parts. CIC participantsselected the CAPA Certified part fiveout of eight times. “While todayCAPA’s unique vehicle test fitprocess has become the industry-ac-cepted standard for test fitting after-market parts, it was entirelyinnovative when we introduced it,”said Debbie Klouser, CAPA’s direc-tor of operations. “Considering all ofCAPA’s extensive certification re-quirements, the VTF has played thesingle most critical role in today’s ac-ceptance of CAPA Certified parts asthe best way to contain repair costswithout compromising quality.”

CAPA Reaches 15 Year Mile-stone for Vehicle Test Fits

NSF Certifies 500 Sheet Metal Parts Made by GordonNSF International has certified 500 dif-ferent sheet metal hoods and fendersfrom Gordon Auto Body Parts Co.,Ltd. via the NSF Automotive CollisionReplacement Parts Certification Pro-gram. The NSF certification of 500unique sheet metal parts includes morethan 700 different models from allmajor auto companies. NSF certifiedparts now cover more than 20,000 ve-hicle applications and represent a sig-nificant increase in the number of sheetmetal certified parts available in themarket. This 500 parts certificationcomplements Gordon’s already certi-fied steel bumpers and bumper brack-ets. To earn certification, Gordonautomotive parts were independentlyreviewed and tested against OE serv-ice parts and all hoods and fenderswere fitted to vehicles to ensure properfit. NSF International also regularlyaudits Gordon’s OE-ready manufac-turing facilities and quality systems toensure that they meet or exceed eachof NSF’s stringent requirements.

“Achieving this important certifi-cation from NSF International is es-sential as it underscores the quality andintegrity of our automotive parts interms of fit, form and function. Welook forward to certifying more autoparts in the near future,” said RichardWang, Gordon Auto Body Parts Co.

Executive Assistant to President. “ThisNSF certification occurs in conjunctionwith the increase in Gordon’s sheetmetal parts inventory so we are pre-pared to offer these NSF certified partsto ensure inventory levels can meet theanticipated growth in demand.”

“Earning NSF certification un-derscores Gordon’s commitment to en-suring that high-quality collisionreplacement parts are available so bodyrepairers, insurers and distributors canmake more quality repairs using NSFcertified hoods, fenders, steel bumpersand bumper brackets,” said BobFrayer, Director of NSF Interna-tional’s Automotive Collision Certifi-cation Programs. In addition to sheetmetal components, the NSF Automo-tive Collision Replacement Parts Cer-tification Program tests and certifieslamps, bumper fascias, reinforcingbeams (rebars), step bumpers, plasticcomponents and absorbers. NSF alsooffers automotive collision parts dis-tributor certification, which requiresdistributors to have quality manage-ment systems in place that addresstraceability, service and quality issues.This includes having an effectiverecords system, inventory systems totrack orders and parts through the sup-ply chain, and an ISO 9001-certifiedquality management system.

Valspar Automotive is the 32nd Na-tional Auto Body Council (NABC) Di-amond Member.

“From the time we first visitedwith NABC representatives at theSEMA Show in 2013, we knew thiswas an important mission that we needand want to support,” said Peter Will-man, Valspar Automotive North Amer-ica general manager. “Communityinvolvement matters to us, which iswhy it was an easy decision to join andhelp further the NABC mission and itsprograms.”

“We applaud and welcomeValspar’s leadership commitment tothe NABC,” said Chuck Sulkala,NABC executive director. “Valspar’smembership at our highest Diamondlevel represents a strong endorsementof the value and important work byour entire membership as we continueto strengthen and build a positiveimage of our collision industry.”

View all NABC Diamond Mem-bers at:nationalautobodycouncil.org/mem-bership/diamond-members.

Valspar Joins National Auto Body Council

NACE has announced the schedule isnow available for the Collision RepairExecutive Symposium (CRES), for-merly the MSO Symposium. TheMSO Symposium has been an ex-tremely popular, sold-out event duringNACE since it premiered in 2011,drawing attendance from the largestmulti-shop operators in the collisionrepair industry. This all-new CRESbusiness event now caters to a broadergroup of collision repair executives al-lowing it to be more inclusive of someof the best, as well as the largest, oper-ators in the marketplace. This year’sevent includes key changes in contentincluding a focus on management, op-erations and participation from insur-ance company executives presentingleading information on industry trends.

Designed for collision repairmulti-shop operators, as well as opera-tors looking for high-growth strategies,mergers and acquisitions, divesting, andoperational excellence, CRES is sched-uled for Friday, August 1. The NACE |CARS Expo will take place Thursdayand Friday, July 31-Aug. 1, with educa-tion beginning Wednesday, July 29, atthe Cobo Convention Center in Detroit.

Registration for CRES is $150 be-fore June 14 and $250 following, and isavailable online at http://www.NACE-expo.com/Content/Register/3/ for qual-ified shop owners. This “nextgeneration” CRES event provides in-formation for high-growth shop ownersand multiple-store operators that is un-paralleled. This year’s CRES includesan Expo Pass, as well as a ticket to theOpening General Session and WelcomeParty Thursday, July 31, allowing formultiple networking opportunities forshop owners and MSOs throughout theevent.

“A significant amount of time,effort and planning has been in-vested in developing the fresh con-tent for this year’s all-new formatfor CRES as we strive to deliver rel-evant, high-level content for this im-portant and rapidly growing segmentof the collision repair industry,” saidRussell Thrall, Collision Week pub-lisher, symposium moderator andco-producer.

Dan Risley, ASA president and ex-ecutive director, and CRES co-producerstated, “Some businesses are preparingfor expansion through growth or acqui-

sition while others are preparing formerger or divestiture. This symposiumwill provide information essential in un-derstanding market conditions andpreparing for the future, regardless thesize of the business.”

Sponsorship opportunities for theCRES are selling quickly, with 12sponsors confirmed to date: ASA, Au-daExplore, AutoZone, Axalta Coating

Systems, BASF, Car-O-Liner, ChiefAutomotive Technologies, Collision-Week, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, PPG,UniCure and Universal Technical Insti-tute. It is co-produced by ASA, NACEand Russell Thrall.

CRES will be moderated by ateam of experts including Marcy Tieger,Roger Wright, Erick Bickett and Rus-sell Thrall.

NACE Announces CRES/MSO Symposium Agenda

As of May 6, 2014, both online attendeeregistration and housing reservationsare open for the 32nd annual NACE |CARS 2014 Expo & Conference athttp://www.naceexpo.com/Content/Register/3/. Part of Industry Week, the col-lision and service repair industry’s pre-mier networking event, the NACE |CARS 2014 Conference will be heldJuly 30–August 2, 2014, and the Expowill be held July 31 and August 1, 2014,at the COBO Convention Center in De-troit, MI. Other Industry Week eventsinclude many board and associationmeetings on July 28, 2014; the Colli-sion Industry Conference (CIC) sum-mer meeting on July 29, 2014; and theI-CAR Conference and Gala 35th An-niversary Networking Event on July 30,2014.

View the Conference Program andSchedule-At-A-Glance at:http://www.naceexpo.com/page.cfm/Action=Seminar/libID=1/listID=1/t=m/goSection=5.

Expo passes to access the showfloor only can be purchased for $35.Individual, 90-minute conference ses-sions are available for $75 per sessionor individual three- or four-hour con-ference sessions are available for $150per session. A Day Pass is $250, andSaturday Mechanical Sessions are$150. A full-access Super Pass is $315for members and $365 for non-mem-bers. All prices noted reflect early birdpricing, which is in effect through June14, 2014. I-CAR Add-On Education,the Collision Repair Executive Sym-posium (CRES)/MSO Symposium,

and Technology and Telematics Forum(TTF) events are available at an addi-tional charge.

New for 2014, all registration op-tions include the NACE | CARS ShowFloor Receptions in the evening on July31 and August 1; the Opening GeneralSession the morning of July 31, 2014;and The Assembly - Industry Forum inthe afternoon on July 30, 2014. Addi-tional details on these events will be re-leased in the near future.

Special discount pricing is availablefor Automotive Service Association(ASA) members, and discounts are alsoprovided for other industry organizationmembers. All NACE | CARS exhibitorswill be offering substantially discountedExpo Passes and 10 percent off any con-ference purchase (excluding I-CAR Add-

On Education). Attendees are encouragedto contact an exhibitor to redeem this dis-count. For a list of current exhibitors, visithttp://fp37.a2zinc.net/clients/Stonefort-Group/NC14/public/eventmap.aspx. Inaddition, special discounts are availableto students and educators focused in theautomobile repair industry.

Additionally, NACE | CARS partic-ipants are encouraged to book hotel reser-vations early, as the rooms are filling fast.Attendees and exhibitors can review thehotels within the official housing blockand reserve their rooms online.

NACE | CARS 2014 Agenda Announced and Online Attendee Registration Opens

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Many repairers are unaware of thebreadth of data being extracted fromtheir servers, where it is being ex-tracted from, what settings they couldemploy to better control the flow ofinformation, or even how that infor-mation may be used beyond its in-tended purpose. For years, the Societyof Collision Repair Specialists(SCRS) has alerted its members aboutthe potential risk and liability associ-ated with inadequate control over esti-mate data and business information.

For example, SCRS was notifiedof growing concerns relative to thecollection of data through participa-tion in the PartsTrader parts procure-ment program. As the program rolledout across the nation, more questionsbegan to arise when end-users noticedkey identifying information from non-State Farm estimate files populatingtheir PartsTrader dashboard. The re-pairer concern surrounds the amountof non-voluntary information beingprovided through the data collectionprocess, which could offer valuableinformation surrounding market vol-ume and shop volume, raising furtherconcerns over the potential of violat-ing agreements with non-involved car-riers by sharing information with anunrelated third-party.

SCRS researched the issue withPartsTrader, and each of the estimat-ing system providers to identify themeans and extent in which the data is

being accessed and collected, and in-quiring if repair facility end-usershave options to restrict non-requireddata from being collected, accessed, orshared. As a result of that research,SCRS issued an article outlining theresulting responses from each of thetechnology organizations. The articleconcludes that:

Technology has increased theability to communicate informationamongst businesses; however, the in-crease of applications that indiscrimi-nately extract data in the backgroundfor unknown or unintended purposesis a concern for repairers who haveobligations to protect data generatedby their business.

There are advancements beingmade, or already in place, from someestimating system providers that allowcollision repair facilities to maintainbetter control over the data files beingexported from the estimating systemsto other data collection sources.

The solutions and options foreach estimating system vary, so it isimportant to compare capabilities ofthe software programs relative to fea-tures that allow greater control overunwanted data transfer, and to makeany necessary profile changes in linewith individual business practices.

Read the full article at:http://scrs.com/data/uploads//2014-april-scrs-examines-repairer-ability-to-control-data-flow.pdf.

SCRS Examines Repairer Ability to Control Data

Riskiest States for Employee LawsuitsA new study by Hiscox revealed that,on average, a United States-basedbusiness with at least 10 employeeshas a 12.5% chance of having an em-ployment liability charge filed againstthem. Businesses in some states,though, face higher levels of exposureto litigation than others.

“Federal level information on em-ployee charges is generally available,but state specific information is moredifficult to aggregate,” said Hiscoxsenior vice president Bert Spunberg.Some states have laws that signifi-cantly impact risk, and in the states thathave more employee lawsuits, the ver-dicts can be harder on business owners.

“Not only are employment law-suits more likely in those states, but thelikelihood of catastrophic verdicts isalso significantly higher. Unlike theirfederal counterparts, where compensa-tory and punitive damages combinedare capped at $300,000, most state em-ployment statutes impose no damagesceilings,” noted Mark Ogden, a man-aging partner of Littler Mendelson.“Consequently, employers in high-riskstates must ensure that their workforcesare adequately trained regarding work-place discrimination, harassment andretaliation and that policies forbiddingsuch conduct are strictly enforced.”

5. Georgia Incidences of EPLcharges in Georgia are 18% higherthan the national average for busi-nesses with at least 10 employees.

4. Arizona and Mississippi tiein the top 5 states for employee liabil-ity risk, with the risk of being sued byan employee being 19% higher thanthe national average.

3. Alabama Businesses in Ala-bama face a substantially higher riskof being sued by their employees,coming in at 25% above average.

2. Illinois The Hiscox survey re-veals that Illinois is one of the top twostates for employee liability risk, edg-ing out Alabama with a 26% higherchance of EPL charges than the na-tional average.

1. California California has themost frequent incidences of EPLcharges in the country. Businesseshave a 42% higher chance of beingsued by an employee than the nationalaverage. In California, the employee-friendly nature of state laws regardingdisability discrimination, for example,may be a contributing factor in thehigh charge frequency in the state. InCalifornia, discrimination cases arefiled at the state level, and are broughtunder the Fair Employment and Hous-ing Act (FEHA).

NABC Appoints Dan Young to Board of DirectorsThe National Auto Body Council(NABC) appointed Dan Young,CARSTAR senior vice president ofinsurance reltions, to its Board of Di-rectors. Young will complete a two-year term vacated by Mark Lovell ofLKQ Corporation because of in-creased business commitments.

As part of his responsibilities onthe NABC Board of Directors, Youngwill also serve as chair of the NABCDistracted Driving Initiative, an intra-collision industry effort to educate

young drivers onthe dangers ofinattentive anddistracted driv-ing.

“We are de-lighted to wel-come Dan to ourBoard of Direc-

tors,” said Chuck Sulkala, NABCexecutive director. “Dan’s consider-able industry experience from boththe collision repair as well as insur-ance perspectives will be invaluablein helping NABC enhance commu-nity service programs that our mem-

bership can use to make a positiveimpact in their local communities.”

Sulkala also thanked MarkLovell for his years of service to theNABC. “We appreciate the signifi-cant investment of personal time thatMark has dedicated to NABC as amember of the board and especiallyfor his efforts to pioneer, develop,and chair the Distracted Driving Ini-tiative,” said Sulkala.

”I have been a long-time sup-porter of NABC and its initiatives togive back and help those in need,”said Young. “I am honored to havean opportunity to work with my col-leagues on the Board of Directorswho are all committed to NABC’smission to identify and implementprograms that promote a positiveimage of our collision industry.”

Dan Young




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autobody news june 2014 western edition

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