showcase shop and product...honda’s profirst program. all of the shop’s technicians are i-car...

ACCUDRAFTHoney Creek CollisionTerre Haute, IN 2-3

AKZONOBELR Jones Collision 1Des Moines, IA 4-5

ALLDATABennett Dunlop Ford Collision CentreRegina, Saskatchewan 6-7

AUTELToday’s Collision Repair CentersMassachusetts Locations 8-9

AXALTA COATING SYSTEMSRick’s Auto Body Inc.Missoula, MT 10-11

CAR-O-LINERDick Hannah Vancouver Auto Body ShopVancouver, WA 12-13

CARSTARCARSTAR Auto World CollisionSan Francisco, CA 14-15

CCC INFORMATION SERVICESPatrick BMW Collision CenterSchaumburg, IL 16-17

DEBEER REFINISHCustom Auto Body Inc.North Canton, OH 18-19

EQUALIZERHighway 18 Collision CenterBrainerd, MN 20-21

EQUIPMENT GATEWAYJack Hart Body ShopRadcli!, KY 22-23

LUSID TECHNOLOGIESConsumer Auto BodyWhite Plains, NY 24-25

MATRIX WANDBeal’s Auto Body & RepairPrescott, AZ 26-27

MOBILE ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONSMetro DentLewisville, TX 28-29

PPGRick Case Honda Collision CenterDavie, FL 30-31

SATA DAN-AM COMPANYNo.1 Automotive Body RepairBellingham, WA 32-33

SHERWIN-WILLIAMSPriority Collision CenterChester, VA 34-35

SPANESI AMERICASBriggs Auto BodyManhattan, KS 36-37

USI OF NORTH AMERICANo. 1 Collision CentresCanada & Washington State 38-39

SHOWCASESHOWCASESHOWCASESHOP SHOP AND PRODUCT

AUTOBODYBROUGHT TO YOU BY:

October 2019 l autobodynews.comTOOLS l TECHNIQUES l TESTIMONIALS

adve

2 OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS | Shop and Product Showcase

As a family-owned-and-operatedshop, Honey Creek Collision andCustom Paint in Terre Haute, IN, em-ploys 23 collision repair profession-als who repair up to 180 vehiclesmonthly in the shop’s 24,000 squarefeet of production space. In order tosee that amount of productivity,owner Bob Prose knows that theproducts in which he invests need toimprove efficiency on the shop floor.

When Prose relocated HoneyCreek to his current facility earlierthis year, he explored paint boothoptions to determine which com-pany’s offerings best fit his needs.“During my research, I found outabout Accudraft and I learned thatthey sold high-quality paint booths atan affordable price,” Prose shared.“Accudraft’s Titan paint booths arereally efficient. With the added airflow, the bake cycle is quicker whichmeans more throughout and quickercycle times.”

Although Accudraft’s Titan paintbooths are large enough for mostjobs, measuring 28’ long, 14’ 4” wideand 11’ 6” high, they are surprisinglyquiet. According to Prose, “It’s amaz-ing how quiet they are; you can’teven hear them run. My employeeslove how quiet they are, plus theyflow a lot of air. Everyone’s happyand there haven’t been any com-plaints.”

Before committing to the colli-sion repair industry, Prose workedin aerospace machinery and fab-rication, but in 1999, he begancustom painting race cars andmotorcycles on the side, callinghis small shop Bob’s Auto Bodyand Custom Paint. Over the nextseven years, “it grew to the pointwhere customers needed collisionrepair work and that’s how HoneyCreek Collision got started,” Proserecalled.

In 2006, Prose and his wifeBobbi opened Honey Creek Colli-sion at 775 West Johnson, but withunprecedented growth over the past13 years, they opened a new facilityat the beginning of 2019. While theyare currently operating exclusivelyout of their new facility, Prose plansto reopen the original location in thenear future.

Honey Creek Collision is an I-CARGold shop with OEM certifica-

tions from Nissan, GM, Ford andHonda’s ProFirst program. All of theshop’s technicians are I-CAR andASE certified, boasting over 120years of combined experience inthe collision repair industry. HoneyCreek Collision converted to water-borne paints five years ago in aneffort to help preserve the environ-ment. The Proses are very active intheir community, sponsoring localsports teams as well as supportingschool and church activities in theirtown.

Bobbi Prose shared, “We knowthat the Lord has blessed us and weare very thankful for that. We alsoattribute the success of our busi-ness to our customers. When theyare treated with respect and kind-ness and their vehicle is repairedcorrectly, they tell their friends andfamily about us. Customer satisfac-tion is extremely important to us.”

Bob Prose believes that beingfamily owned and operated is key toHoney Creek Collision’s success.“My wife and I are very involved withthe business as owners – we’rehere all day, every day. Our daugh-ter Alison began working in the of-fice this year and our son Nathanplans to join us at the shop after hegraduates high school. I think ithelps that we are so hands-on withoperations at the shop because ouremployees see how hard we workand we’re setting a good example ofour expectations. We also have re-ally good employees who are morelike family and all of our guys havebeen here for quite a while becausewe take care of them.”

Prose also has a great relation-ship with his distributor, Sullivan’sEquipment. “Our distributor is agood friend of mine and I can trusthim to only sell the industry’s bestproducts like the Accudraft Titans,”Prose said. “Implementing Accud-raft’s Titan paint booths was easy be-cause Sullivan’s Equipment workedwith the engineer as our new shopwas being built. He ensured the pitswere built in the exact right spot, sowhen the booths showed up, it wascompletely seamless.”

Sullivan Equipment and Accu-draft sent a specialist to HoneyCreek Collision for a half-day oftraining on the new booths, and re-garding the customer service hehas received from Accudraft, Prosereported, “They’ve been great sofar.”

While Prose conceded that theTitan booths are very similar to hisprevious paint booths in some ways,he has noticed improved quality andhe also noted, “The appearance ofthe Titan booth is really nice and youwant your shop to look attractive,especially when it has just beenbuilt.”

When setting up the new shop,Prose also invested in an AccumixSS Mixing Room and an AccudraftCut-In Room. He stated, “We lovethe cut-in booth that Accudraftmade. They custom built a piece ofequipment just for us and it fits thearea perfectly. We’re able to paintsmall parts in it and they turn outgreat. We’re really happy with the ef-ficiency and quality we’re receivingfrom our new Accudraft products.”

Bob and Bobbi Prose are very involved with the daily operationsin the shop. Their daughter Alisonrecently joined the team. (Picturedleft to right: Nathan Prose, BobProse, Bobbi Prose, Alison Prose)

Honey Creek Collision relocated to its new facility earlier in 2019.

by Autobody News Staff Honey Creek CollisionLocation: Terre Haute, IN(812) 232-9735www.honeycreekcollision.com

Company At A Glance...

Type: Collision Repair

Facility Employees: 23

In Business Since: 2006

Number of Locations: One

DRP Programs: Five

Combined Production Space:24,000 square feet

Accudraft961 Rt. 10 E, Ste 2K Randolph, NJ 07869 (800) 524-0340 [email protected]

Honey Creek Collision Sees More Throughout,Quicker Cycle Times With Accudraft Titans

According to owner Bob Prose,“Accudraft’s Titan paint boothsare really efficient [with] morethroughput and quicker cycletimes.”

Shop and Product Showcase | AUTOBODY NEWS OCTOBER 2019 3

R Jones Collision 1 is the only colli-sion repair shop in the Des Moines,Iowa, area that is owned and oper-ated by a woman, Christy Jones.No newcomer to the industry, Jonesknows real value when she sees it,and although spraying with AkzoNo-bel’s Sikkens delivers a high-qualityproduct, Jones believes the realvalue in her relationship with Ak-zoNobel lies not only in the productsthey offer, but in the services theyprovide, such as their North Ameri-can Performance Group meetings.Jones states, “AkzoNobel is not fo-cused on selling paint; they’re fo-cused on making us better.”

“My guys have never shot any-thing other than Sikkens, but Ak-zoNobel’s service, more than theirproducts, has made R Jones Colli-sion 1 a better shop,” Jones explains.“Our relationship with AkzoNobel isn’tjust about paint – there are a lot ofauxiliary benefits as well. Their serv-ice is what makes them stand apart.They provide robust educationaltraining for the techs, front office andowners. The training is supplementedwith a service consultant who can an-swer our questions and help us ad-dress any shop specific productionproblems we encounter.”

Jones continues, “It starts withsomeone who has their boots on theground, someone who is solid, con-sistent and wants me to succeed.We have a great jobber, The BodyPart Store, who makes sure we’rehappy and well-serviced. If there’sever a color-matching issue or anysimple question, we have a directline to them and they’re usually atthe shop that same day. We’venever had anything other than posi-tive experiences with them.”

R Jones Collision 1 was foundedin 1971 by Bob Jones and a silentpartner, but in 1979, Bob bought outhis partner and brought his brother,Richard, aboard to do body workwhile he took care of the estimates.Two years later, Ann Jones, Bob’swife, joined the team in the account-ing and human resources arena.

Christy Jones began workingfor her father full-time in 2001, tak-ing over her ill mother’s duties andmoving to estimating and sales in

2004. In 2015, Bob and RichardJones retired, leaving Christy assole owner of R Jones Collision 1.The I-CAR certified shop repairs anaverage of 65 vehicles each month.

As the only female body shopowner in her market, Jones takeswomen’s struggles with automotiverepairs quite personally. She pointsout, “Women are often stereotypedas uneducated when it comes tocars, and unfortunately, womensometimes get taken advantage of.My shop makes a concerted effortto ensure that women feel safe andsecure, not intimidated, when theyenter our facility. When they walkout, they can be confident that theyreceived a safe, proper repair andthey know we treated them right.”

Jones partners with a mechanicand an insurance agent to educateladies on what happens to their carin collision and mechanical shops.“We teach attendees many impor-tant things they need to know abouttheir cars to help them feel empow-ered. They also learn pertinent infor-mation about their insurance toprevent them from feeling intimi-dated by the process.”

The shop also participates inother community services, includ-ing supporting NABC’s extricationclasses and partnering with otherlocal shops to donate vehicles toRecycled Rides. Additionally, RJones Collision 1 belongs to fourlocal business chambers and sup-ports local high schools, in additionto recycling all waste from cardboardto metal scraps.

Developing trust with clients isvital to Christy Jones and is exactlywhat she expects in a company towhom she gives her business. Herfather and uncle began sprayingwith Sikkens from AkzoNobel in theearly 1990s. “R Jones Collision 1has used Sikkens since before mytime,” Jones admits. “We still shootit,” she points out, “But if the productwasn’t performing like I need it to, Iwouldn’t use it; however, it consis-tently meets and exceeds my re-quirements.”

AkzoNobel is dedicated to en-suring that Sikkens products achievehigh quality results for their cus-tomers. In addition to being focusedon technical excellence, high per-formance, innovation and sustain-ability, the company goes the extramile – or ten – to guarantee thatclients receive the expert service,training and advice needed to getthe most out of their products.

“My productivity and profitabilityare exactly where I need them to be;The Body Parts Store would let meknow if my business was sufferingbecause it would impact them aswell – what I buy from them,” Jonesquips. “The quality is great, but theservice is more important than thelabel. Service is vital, and both Ak-zoNobel and The Body Parts Storeare very strong in that respect. Myteam and I have learned and grownso much from attending AkzoNo-bel’s North American PerformanceGroup meetings. AkzoNobel wantsto make me a better body shop andI truly appreciate that about them!”

Christy Jones owns R Jones Collision 1, making it the only female-owned-and-operated collision repair facility in the Des Moines area.

The collision repair professionals at R Jones Collision 1 have becomeeven better at their jobs thanks to the information they receive throughAkzoNobel’s North American Performance Group meetings.

R Jones Collision 1 enjoys excellent productivity and performance with the use of AkzoNobel’s Sikkens paint system.

by Autobody News Staff R Jones Collision 1Des Moines, Iowa(515) 278-4170www.rjonescollision.com



Facility Employees: Nine



DRP Programs: One


AkzoNobel1845 Maxwell DriveTroy, MI 48084www.akzonobel.com

Only Woman-Owned Shop in Des Moines, Iowa, Relieson AkzoNobel to Make Repairs Better


For all of its collision repair informa-tion and automotive diagnostics,the crew at Bennett Dunlop FordCollision Centre constantly callsupon ALLDATA to repair approxi-mately 200 cars monthly. This deal-ership group has four locations inCanada and three of these featurebody shops, all of which are busyand consistently receive five-star re-views from its ecstatic customers.

Collision Centre Manager BryanLeier runs the show at BennettDunlop Ford in a competitive mar-ket that consists of 65 collision re-pairers serving 300,000 people.Canada does not have a DRP sys-tem like in the United States.

Everything is run by Saskatche-wan Government Insurance (SGI),which was created in 1945 and is aprovincial Crown corporation thathas been developed over the yearsinto two linked operations. TheSaskatchewan Auto Fund is theprovince’s compulsory public autoinsurance program, operating thedriver’s licensing and vehicle reg-istration system, and is financiallyself-sustaining, operating on abreak-even basis over time.

Leier has 42 years of experiencein collision repair and most of it is asa manager and an owner of a shop,he said. “Like many other people, Ibegan working at a shop as a stu-dent for two summers. One day, Ifound out that a local shop was com-ing up for sale and with some finan-cial help from my father, I purchasedthe shop. I did that for 27 years andthen in 2002 I had an opportunity tosell the business.”

“Saskatchewan does not haveDRPs, so a customer files a claimand they have a choice to havetheir appraisal done at an accred-ited shop or at a government claimscentre. There is a little bit of jockey-ing at that point, because once thecustomer has the estimate in hand,they can take their vehicle to anyapproved shop they choose. Usu-ally, if we do the estimate, we retainthat customer, because we havebuilt a strong reputation for quality

and service. Our shop has I-CARGold status with all of our journey-man technicians trained to I-CARPlatinum level guaranteeing repairsare done to OE standards.”

One year ago, Bennett DunlopFord Collision Centre switched toALLDATA to accommodate morebrands as they were added to theiraccreditation list. “After the JohnEagle case, we realized that weneed to have full access to every ve-hicle we repair and ALLDATA hasmore than everything out there. SGIwanted us to use it and it’s been agreat move. Our estimators pull upthe information when they build theclaim, so that when the tech startsthe job, they don’t have to spend alot of time looking it up. It also avoidsquestions about OE vs. aftermarketparts and it enables us to create agame plan when it comes to our re-pair processes for each vehicle.

Leier’s service writers, paintersand technicians can turn their An-droid and Windows 10 tablets intoa powerful, professional scan tool,thanks to ALLDATA Diagnostics,with ALLDATA Collision built-in.With eight of his collision techni-cians, four painters and two estima-tors adept at using ALLDATA, Leiertouts his crew as one of the finest inthe Great White North and proud ofwhat they achieve on a daily basis.

“We invest in our people onmany levels and it pays off,” Leiersaid. “We meet for one hour every

Thursday to check in and I neverhave to micromanage them. We letthem feel at home and compensatethem well and that’s why they likeworking here.”

When it comes to its diagnostics,Bennett Dunlop Ford Collision Cen-tre saves time and money by count-ing on ALLDATA. “They provide uswith an all-in-one scanner, whichmeans we don’t have to buy a lot ofdifferent ones for all of the brands wework on,” Leier said. “We trained ourproduction manager, as well as all ofour estimators and technicians onhow to use it and it’s the only diag-nostics tool we use now. Our pro-duction manager and two of ourtechs are adept at it and that’s whythey do most of our diagnostics.Their training is simple; it’s all donethrough a series of conference calls.We have WiFi throughout the shop,so our people upload the diagnosticinformation after every scan to be in-tegrated into our insurance claim.We get everything we need on ourtablets, so that all of us are on thesame page.”

Leier also received exemplarysupport from ALLDATA and that isone of the main reasons why he’senamored with the system. “Theyhave an 800 number and they neverleave us on hold,” he said. “Theyhave an incredible library service weuse when we’re having problemsfinding information and their Libraryteam always responds quickly.”

Bennett Dunlop Ford CollisionCentre switched to ALLDATA to accommodate more brands as they were added to their accreditation list.

Production Manager Alex Zdanowski at Bennett Dunlop Ford CollisionCentre can be more efficient and productive using ALLDATA every day.

Collision Centre Manager BryanLeier has eight of his collisiontechnicians, four painters and two estimators adept at usingALLDATA.

by Autobody News Staff Bennett Dunlop Ford Collision Centre Location: Regina, Saskatchewan (306) 522-6612 www.bennettdunlopford.com





Number of Locations: Three


ALLDATA(877) 380-3084www.alldata.com/collision

Canadian Collision Centre Uses ALLDATA toThrive in a Non-DRP


Some shop owners and managerswill drag their feet when it comes toacquiring new, cutting-edge tools andequipment, even though they knowthey can help them to be more effi-cient while saving time and money.Body shops that are reluctant to cometo the technology party can easily beleft behind while early adapters canlap them and capture more repairwork as a result.

When it comes to embracingthe latest and the greatest, BobbyCobb, the owner at Today’s Colli-sion Repair Centers with three lo-cations in Chelsea, Stoneham andMalden, MA, isn’t afraid to step upand change his operation for thebetter. He’s so forward-thinking andwilling to use new technology, thatCobb might as well change his com-pany’s name to Tomorrow’s Colli-sion Repair Centers, because heknows the future is now and thoseshops that don’t change and adjustat a rapid rate, can easily be out-dis-tanced by the competition.

To provide world-class automotivediagnostics services, Cobb proudlyuses scanning systems made byAutel, a company that has been oneof the planet’s leading manufacturersand suppliers of professional diag-nostic tools, equipment and acces-sories in the automotive aftermarketsince 2004.

Once Cobb decided to bring all ofhis automotive diagnostics in-house,he began searching for scanners andan ADAS calibration system thatwould be reliable, easily updatableand user-friendly.

The company currently has sixMaxiSYS MS906BTs, one MaxiSYSMS906TS and a MaxiSYS Elite toperform J2534 module program-ming, in addition to the Autel Max-iSYS Advanced Driver AssistanceSystem (ADAS) Calibration tool pack-age, to make sure all modern vehi-cles equipped with radar and camerasafety systems are calibrated per-fectly before leaving his shops.

In a state where Direct RepairPartnerships (DRPs) are prohibited,Cobb has to do everything he possi-bly can to wow and retain each cus-tomer that comes through the doors.That’s why he stresses top tier cus-tomer service, pursues OE certifica-

tions and makes sure that his entirecrew is thoroughly trained, whichmeans that most of his veteran tech-nicians are I-CAR Platinum.

Cobb has one Autel scanner inChelsea; two in Stoneham and threein Malden, he said, to accommodateeach facility’s production needs. “Allof our body men can do pre andpost-repair scans. One of them spe-cializes in Tesla, because it requiresmore steps than the other OEs do,”he said. “We are proud to be the firstcollision repair company in Massa-chusetts to acquire the Autel Max-iSYS Advanced Driver AssistanceSystem (ADAS) Calibration toolpackage, which is located at ourMalden location. We used to haveto transport some of our cars tolocal dealerships to get our diag-nostics, especially with the newermodels. But now we send maybefive percent of the cars we work onto the dealerships for diagnostics,so it’s very rare.”

Taking cars to the dealerships forhis diagnostics was a major hassleand something Cobb doesn’t missanymore, he said. “The dealers areten miles away, which means I haveto tie up two people for nothing lessthan an hour to take the car there.Then, they may have the car for oneto two days, so it really impacted ourcycle times before acquiring theseAutel tools.”

Autel really steps up when itcomes to staying current and con-tinually updating all of its OEM in-

formation, Cobb said. “They updatethemselves through our annual sub-scription, which is ideal. It reallyhelps, because we work for the Portof Entry in Boston for Subaru, whichmeans that we’ll be working on 2020cars very soon. They get damagedin transport and we need our scan-ners to have the latest codes in therein order to repair these cars.”

Adam Landry, one of Cobb’smechanical technicians is taking thereins when it comes to his Autel’sMaxiSYS Advanced Driver Assis-tance System (ADAS) Calibrationtool package. “He is not afraid of thistechnology and is getting better atusing the system every day,” Cobbsaid. “After a short training session,Adam was good at it, and if he everhas any questions, Autel’s support isexcellent.”

Recently, Cobb invited half adozen insurance adjusters to an in-formational and training class heldat his Malden location and taught byAutel’s National Trainer/CommercialProduct Sales Manager MichaelFlink. “It was a real eye-opener forthe adjusters and we got nothing butgreat feedback from them aboutMike’s presentation,” Cobb said.“The main goal was to educate theadjusters about automotive diag-nostics in general and how we useour Autel tools when we repair theircustomers’ vehicles. This way, theywill know what they’re paying forand be able to describe diagnosticsto their clients and fellow adjusters.”

Today’s Collision Repair Centershas Autel scanners at all of itsthree locations in Chelsea, Stoneham and Malden, MA.

Body Technician Stevin Cadavid uses Autel’s diagnostic tools on a widerange of cars, including Tesla at Today’s Collision Repair Centers.

Today’s Collision Centers relieson its Autel MaxiSYS AdvancedDriver Assistance System (ADAS)Calibration tool package everyday.

by Autobody News Staff Today’s Collision Repair CentersLocation: Malden, Chelsea and Stoneham, MA(781) 321-6080www.todayscollision.com






Combined Production Space:37,500 square feet (combined)

Autel175 Central AvenueFarmingdale, NY 11735(855) 288-3587 www.Autel.com

MSO Saves Time and Money With Autel forADAS and Diagnostics


The collision repair industry holdsa plethora of challenges for bodyshop owners who intend to deliverhigh-quality repairs. With OEM cer-tifications rapidly becoming moreimportant and technical, shops likeRick’s Auto Body in Missoula, MT,rely on paint suppliers to remainsteadfast and provide value be-yond the products they sell. Rick’sAuto Body sprays with Cromax®

CHROMAPREMIER®, and ownerPaul Flores shares, “We have usedAxalta products since the 1990s.They were leading the industry andwe wanted to do the same in ourmarket.”

“Axalta’s products are top notch,but the business development as-pect, especially the business coun-cils, has brought tremendous valueto our organization,” Flores added.“Our local rep, Gene Fenske, aswell as every Axalta client under hisservice, has been great to work with.Whenever we had complicationswith a product, Axalta has helped usnavigate the situation as quickly aspossible.”

Rick’s Auto Body was founded in1976 by Rick Booth as a part-timebusiness doing total-loss rebuilds,custom painting and restoration workbefore he expanded his hours to full-time status in 1979. Over the decades,Booth focused on growing his brandand reputation until beginning theprocess of selling the shop to Floresin 2013. He officially retired in 2019after completing the transaction of sell-ing the entire business to Flores.

The shop is an 18,000 squarefoot facility employing 34 collision re-pair professionals who repair an av-erage of 200 vehicles each month. Inaddition, Rick’s Auto Body holds nineDRP contracts and is certified inFCA, Ford, Ford Aluminum, Nissan,Hyundai, Honda ProFirst and Sub-aru. According to Flores, “I believeour production model sets us apartfrom other shops. We have dedi-cated Disassembly/Blueprint teams,Body teams and Paint teams. Thisincreases our production capacityand provides greater benefits to ourcustomers in reduced wait times toschedule for repairs and to decreaserepair cycle times.”

“Our focus on OEM certificationsand providing our customers withOEM certified repairs is important.This involves a heavy commitmentto on-going training, equipping andtooling in every area of the business.Our team is also highly dedicated toimproving upon our communicationskills—both internally and with ourcustomers and business associates,”Flores said. “OEM certifications arehuge. First notice of loss has beencaptured by insurers; however, ad-vanced telematics will transfer firstnotice of loss to the OEMs. This hasthe potential to decrease the valueof direct repair programs and putemphasis on OEM certification or atleast bring equal value to the two.”

Looking to the future, Floresadds, “I see the potential of the all-makes, all-models type of shop goingaway. Specialization in the form ofOEM certification will be the primaryfocus. The cost of correctly repairingmultiple brands may limit shops toonly selecting certifications with thelargest OEMs represented in theirmarket place. The threat of liability forrepairing a vehicle that you are notapproved to repair may also lead tospecialization with specific OEMs.”

Flores notes, “The landscape’schanging rapidly, and the informationnecessary for all parties to make theright decision is moving much slower.Access to the necessary informationis a road block due to insurers’ un-willingness to acknowledge the needfor the subscription fee. To accu-rately repair a vehicle, you must

access the repair information fromthe OEM sites as they are the onlyones who have the most up-to-date information. UnderstandingOEM repair procedures on every re-pair is also a culture change that re-quires communication, education,time, patience and a consistent com-mitment to our technical develop-ment.”

Rick’s Auto Body is also com-mitted to lessening its impact on theenvironment through best practiceprocesses and procedures in addi-tion to using fully integrated UVprimers to reduce the amount ofcoverage necessary to achieve abetter quality product. Flores re-calls, “We tested new primer prod-ucts for Axalta in the mid-2000s andthen integrated the products intoour daily production. Axalta wasoutstanding in helping us field test,and they continued to provide ex-cellent support if we had any ques-tions when we rolled out for fullproduction. Implementing new Ax-alta products has traditionally beena seamless process.”

The technicians working atRick’s Auto Body love Cromax®

CHROMAPREMIER® because it’sso easy to spray and produces aflawless finish, and their experi-ences with other Axalta productshave also been very favorable. Flo-res points out, “We’ve been part-ners too long now to rememberanything but Axalta, but with all thebenefits they offer, why would wewant to?”

Rick’s Auto Body employs 34 collision repair professionals who repair an average of 200 vehicleseach month.

Rick’s Auto Body has been using Axalta products since the 1990s andcan’t imagine wanting to switch brands.

Axalta’s flawless finishes allowsRick’s Auto Body to produce superior repairs that keep customers coming back.

by Autobody News Staff Rick’s Auto Body Inc.Location: Missoula, MT(406) 549-5400www.ricksautobodymissoula.com






DRP Programs: Nine


Axalta Coating SystemsCompany Contact: Heidi [email protected] (610) 358-5353www.axalta.us

Rick’s Auto Body Committed to Axalta’s Top Notch Products


Dick Hannah Vancouver Auto Bodyin Vancouver, WA, belongs to a Pa-cific Northwest automotive groupestablished in 1949 and consistingof 16 dealerships and two collisionrepair facilities. The business is con-stantly growing, and recently, theshop relocated to an 80,000 squarefoot facility just outside the auto mallwhere it was previously located;however, physical growth is not asimportant to Dick Hannah AutoBody as educational growth. The I-CAR Gold shop actively pursuesOEM certifications because “Ifyou’re not OEM trained and certi-fied, you’re going to be left in thepast,” predicted Collision Center Di-rector, Rick Stoker.

“These aren’t your 1980s and1990s vehicles anymore,” Stokercontinued. “Cars need to be pre- andpost-scanned to ensure all safetysystems are functioning properly.Everything is computerized and so-phisticated now. On every repair, weneed to be asking if the safety sys-tems are working as intended by theOEM.”

Dick Hannah Auto Body is cer-tified in Chrysler/Fiat, Nissan,Honda/Acura ProFirst and Volkswa-gen. Seven years ago, the shop’spartnership with Volkswagen ledStoker to explore Car-O-Liner’s boothat SEMA since the OEM required theuse of Car-O-Liner’s benchrack andthe CTR12000 resistance welder aspart of its certification program.

“Since then, our relationshipwith Car-O-Liner’s products hasevolved,” Stoker said. “In addition tothe Volkwagen rack, we now havetwo 6300 truck racks and fifteen4200 benchracks, as well as theCTR12000 resistance welder, theCar-O-Tronic Vision X3 MeasuringSystem, and the EVO1, EVO2 andEVO3 universal fixtures. Car-O-Liner’s products are easy to set up,and our techs love how easy theyare to use.”

Implementing the new productsin the shop’s daily processes wascompletely seamless, according toStoker. “We put the racks in our fa-cility, and Car-O-Liner provided atwo-hour training session to go overbasic safety requirements. After that,our techs took off running, producingwork in a fraction of the time it usedto take.”

The Car-O-Tronic Vision X3Measuring System has also been

easy for the technicians at DickHannah Auto Body to learn and use.Stoker stated, “The X3 has fewercomponents than other systemswhich makes assembly a breeze,and the database is second to none– it has more vehicle data than anyother system we’ve tried, and up-dates for the computerized measur-ing are always current. All of ourtechs love the Car-O-Tronic VisionX3 because all the information theyneed is accessible and easy to nav-igate, and that ease of use turnsthem into more productive techs.”

Dick Hannah Auto Body’s distrib-utor, LDC Equipment, has also beena huge aid in enhancing their rela-tionship with Car-O-Liner. Stokershared, “John Leddy is only a phonecall away when we have questions,and if he doesn’t know the answer, hereaches out to Car-O-Liner. We canalso reach out to Car-O-Liner’s techsupport directly, and their customerservice has been spectacular, com-pletely unparalleled.”

Customer focus is an importantpart of Dick Hannah’s businessmodel, and the automotive group’sslogan is “Believe in nice.” Stokersaid, “We really care about our cus-tomers. We want them to comeback for service, after a collision,and when they’re buying a new car– every part of the process can behandled at one stop.”

Seventy years ago, Dick Han-nah Auto Body was founded by BillHannah, Dick’s father. The busi-ness is now run and operated bythe family’s third generation, Jasonand Jennifer.

Dick Hannah Auto Body began

in a small shop in Vancouver in1949, moving in the mid-80s beforerelocating to a larger 20,000 squarefoot facility in the auto mall in 1994.Earlier this year, Dick Hannah AutoBody moved to its 80,000 squarefoot facility outside the auto mall.

While the shop’s 52 employees’currently average 400 repairs permonth, Stoker’s goal is to locatemore talented painters, bodymenand damage appraisers and in-crease the shop’s volume to 1,000vehicles monthly with the additionalspace afforded by the recent relo-cation. In addition to Car-O-Liner’sproducts, nine paint stations helpthe techs at Dick Hannah Auto Bodyincrease productivity, while theshop’s heated airlines ensure thesealer and basecoat dry instantly.

Dick Hannah Dealerships andAuto Body Shops are very involvedwith local charitable organizations,including the American Red Cross,the Boys and Girls Club, Make-A-Wish, and Meals on Wheels, amongmany others. Their website boasts430 donations with a total of nearly$700,000 given, stating “We livehere. We work here. We give here.[We’re] committed to supportingthose who share this communityand its resources with us.”

The environment is anotherfocus for Dick Hannah Auto Body.The shop was among the first in theNorthwest to convert to waterbornepaints. Additionally, Dick HannahDealerships launched its Arbor DayFoundation in 2007, planting a treefor each sold vehicle. The organi-zation has since planted 186,253trees in Southwest Washington.

Dick Hannah Auto Body relieson Car-O-Liner 4200 benchracksfor ease of use and increasedproductivity.

Collision Center Director Rick Stoker praises Car-O-Liner’s products fromtheir Car-O-Tronic Vision X3 Measuring System to their CTR12000resistance welder and all three EVO universal fixture kits.

One of two body shops in theDick Hannah AutomotiveGroup, Dick Hannah Auto Bodyhas been in business since1949 but moved into their new,larger location earlier this year.

by Autobody News Staff Dick Hannah Vancouver Auto Body ShopLocation: Vancouver, WA(360) 944-3252www.dickhannah.com


Type: Dealership Automotive Group



Number of Locations: Two

DRP Programs: Five

Combined Production Space:115,000 square feet (both collision facilities)

Car-O-Liner(800) 521-9696car-o-liner-us.com

Washington Shop Has Clear View of OEM CertificationWith Car-O-Liner Products


Auto World Collision in San Fran-cisco was founded in 1993 by JasonWong, and although he enjoyedmoderate success during the firsttwo decades in business, he de-cided to join the CARSTAR networkin November 2017. He explains,“We decided to join CARSTAR be-cause it grants us access to such ahigh caliber of collision repair indus-try professionals. There is no betteravenue to get exposure to that levelof knowledge and experience, andthe willingness of CARSTAR’s teamto share their expertise has madeCARSTAR Auto World Collision abetter facility.”

Although Wong admits that theprocess of advancing his shop tomeet CARSTAR’s standards pre-sented challenges, he adamantlyinsists that the benefits far outweighthose initial obstacles. “The immer-sion process was one of the mostdifficult processes our shop hasever gone through since it impactedevery aspect of the business. Wehad to remodel the exterior and in-terior of our facility to meet stan-dardization requirements as well asadhering to CARSTAR’s require-ments for the continuing educationand training of our staff,” Wongstates. “But now we have bettertrained technicians who are moreproductive, and in less than twoyears, we’ve tripled our profits.”

Wong adds, “After the compli-ance changes were made, it waseasy to implement CARSTAR’sprocesses because of the commit-ment exhibited by the entire team atCASTAR. The operations and fieldteam were very committed to oursuccess and coached us accord-ingly. Since our facility’s re-brand-ing, we have doubled our business,and we expect to hit the tripled markwithin the next six months – that isin less than 24 months since joiningCARSTAR. In the same time period,the net profit at CARSTAR AutoWorld Collision has tripled due to in-creased sales and the CARSTARprocedures in place.”

The training provided to loca-tions in the CARSTAR network isone of the most important advan-tages offered, according to Wong.“CARSTAR operations and fieldmanagers conduct very informativetraining with my team. The trainersare very hands on, ensuring com-prehension, and they visit us on amonthly basis to provide continuoustraining. CARSTAR also grants useasy access to training webinars

through their web portal, CARSTARUniversity.”

Education is vital to a store’ssuccess and continued improve-ment because Wong believes OEMcertification will be key to the indus-try’s future. In addition to being an I-CAR Gold facility and ASE-certified,CARSTAR Auto World Collision hasreceived OEM certifications fromVolkswagen and Subaru in addi-tion to factory training from Audi,Porsche, Honda and Toyota.

Wong shares, “We are an OEM-procedure driven repair center. OEMprocedures are becoming increas-ingly more important in the collisionrepair industry as vehicles continueto advance. Repairers need to fol-low OEM manufacturers’ repair rec-ommendations, including pre- andpost-scan, recalibrations, structuralsectioning, and replacement. In thefuture, we believe the automotiverepair industry will be pushing forOEM certifications, and we want tobe ahead of the game.”

As a CARSTAR network facility,CARSTAR Auto World Collision en-joys access to systems and rela-tionships that have given them a legup on other shops in the area. Wongsaid, “CARSTAR uses a manage-ment platform called EDGE which isintegrated with CCC. It allows us totrack important KPIs and workflow.We also have better access to ven-dor relationships which makes usmore competitive in our market.”

At CARSTAR Auto World Colli-sion, 17 collision repair profession-als repair an average of 140 vehicleseach month. The 17,000 square footproduction space is outfitted with theindustry’s best tools and equipment,including a Chief EZ Liner, Car-O-

Liner benchrack, Car-O-Tronic Vi-sion 2 measuring system, four carlifts, a Genesis measuring system,and a variety of welders and othertools. The shop sprays with Sher-win-Williams.

Wong knows the success of hisfacility relies on the people perform-ing the repairs every day, and hetakes their opinions about the busi-ness very seriously. That’s why heasked for their input when he wasconsidering the opportunity to jointhe CARSTAR network. Wong re-calls, “We held a company meetingwith all employees, and everyone atour company felt 100 percent sureabout making the transition.”

“Now, my team can’t wait tocome to work in the morning,” Wongcontinues. “Company morale hasdefinitely improved since we joinedthe CARSTAR network.”

CARSTAR Auto World Collisionalso believes environmental aware-ness is imperative. According toWong, “We use a waterless car de-tailing system to prevent contami-nants from going into the waterdrainage system. We follow the SanFrancisco Department of PublicHealth Clean and Green Program.”

Community is also an importantpart of the CARSTAR network’s busi-ness model. The company’s charityof choice is supporting the fightagainst cystic fibrosis, which it des-ignated over 20 years ago when afranchise partner’s granddaughterwas diagnosed with the disease.CARSTAR also supports MilitaryAppreciation Month, NABC’s Recy-cled Rides program, SkillsUSA, theWomen’s Industry Network (WIN),and the It Can Wait initiative to dis-courage texting while driving.

Wong believes OEM certificationis the industry’s future, and isgrateful that CARSTAR providesall the education and training histeam needs to stay competitivein the market.

CARSTAR Auto World Collision joined North America’s largest MSOnetwork of independently owned collision repair facilities inNovember 2017.

While rebranding was definitely agrowth opportunity for the shop,owner Jason Wong reports thatnet profits has tripled since joiningthe CARSTAR network.

by Autobody News Staff CARSTAR Auto World CollisionLocation: San Francisco(650) 250-1800www.carstar.com/locations/ca/san-francisco-15363/






DRP Programs: Three


CARSTAR(844) 906-9764www.CARSTARFranchise.com

CARSTAR Auto World Collision Triples ProfitsAfter Joining Network


Trent Jensen, the shop manager atPatrick BMW Collision Center inSchaumburg, IL, located 32 milesoutside of Chicago, surely has noissues when it comes to multi-task-ing. In addition to managing a crewof 22 collision professionals that re-pair approximately 220 cars everymonth, Jensen is an I-CAR instruc-tor and teaches a series of Contin-ued Education (CE) classes forinsurance adjustors year round.

Jensen uses CCC ONE in threeways—to keep his shop running onall cylinders, as well as to educatetechs and insurance adjustors in hisclassrooms.

Patrick BMW Collision Center(a part of the Patrick Dealer Group)is fully geared for aluminum repairsand certified to fix BMWs, MINIs,Cadillacs, Volvos, Jaguars, LandRovers, Hyundais and Genesis. Ifany Patrick Dealer sells a name-plate, they’re able to fix it along withany brand that comes their way.

Jensen, 55, is grateful for thenew technology that makes his jobeasier and his crew more efficient.Things were not that way when heentered the industry at age 25, hesaid. “My father-in-law had a bodyshop and one day he offered me ajob as an estimator. Back then, wehad to write all of the estimates byhand, which was difficult and timeconsuming.”

One piece of modern technol-ogy Jensen and his crew rely onevery day is CCC ONE. Jensensaid CCC ONE is great, because ofit’s capabilities—managing partselectronically and automating theentire procurement and trackingprocesses from start to finish. Thecrew at Patrick BMW Collision Cen-ter is able to receive live quotes,purchase parts on the spot and re-ceive electronic invoices throughCCC ONE seamlessly.

In a high-production environ-ment, CCC ONE is like an addi-tional employee who works quicklyand is smart, Jensen said. “It allowsus to save at least 15 hours everyweek and eliminate errors that weused to encounter. With so manyjobs and the associated parts, it’s ahuge undertaking and that’s why weneed to get the right part the firsttime. One missing part or inaccu-

rate order can set us back severaldays. With CCC ONE, we get directaccess to our parts suppliers, andcan automatically apply our sup-plier’s preferences and do thequotes or parts orders the way ourinsurance partners want.”

When orders are confirmed,supplier invoices flow back throughthe CCC® Repair Workflow man-agement system, which completelystrips out the need for manually en-tering any data on the back-end,Jensen explained. “If we can avoidinputting parts numbers, that is im-portant, because that’s when mis-takes can happen. With CCC ONE,everything is organized and it’seasy to navigate through. To getinto another program, we do it tab-to-tab, which saves time.”

At Patrick BMW Collision Cen-ter, Jensen has his parts manager,production manager and three ofhis estimators trained and adept atusing CCC ONE and its RepairWorkflow feature. When anyoneencounters issues or has any ques-tions, CCC ONE is always poisedand prepared to help Jensen andhis crew.

“The customer service is overthe top, because it’s easy to accessand their information is always onthe money,” he said. “Most of theproblems we have are on our endand the tech folks at CCC are usu-ally able to solve them withinminutes. Our CCC rep Eric Chris-tiansen is extremely responsiveand they also have talented techni-cal people on their team.”

In addition to streamlining every

aspect of the parts game, Jensenalso calls upon every capability fea-tured within the program, he said.“We use it for scheduling and track-ing every aspect of our production.In most cases, the car comes in andwe are able to set up the timeline,write the estimate and start order-ing the parts needed for the repairimmediately. The vehicle has beenhere less than a few hours and we al-ready have everything in the works.”

Jensen relies on CCC ONEevery day to run a world-class op-eration that works primarily on high-end vehicles. But, he also uses it asa teaching tool as he plays two dif-ferent roles for I-CAR and CEclasses, he said.

“I realized four years ago whenI began as an I-CAR instructor thatthere was a lot of information andknowledge on CCC ONE that wasideal for my students. I teach tendifferent classes for I-CAR and Ican safely say that CCC ONE canbe used to educate techs, estima-tors and painters.”

Jenson utilizes CCC ONE inthe classroom as he continues toteach insurance adjustors throughCE classes.

“We get ten-30 agents everyclass and I often use CCC ONE toimpart information and show themthings about how we process vehi-cles, acquire parts and generateproduction and scheduling reports.We discuss topics such as crash-worthiness, new repair techniques,airbags, computer systems andothers and CCC ONE often playsa part.”

Patrick BMW Collision Centeruses literally every capability featured in CCC ONE.

Assistant Manager Tim Odachowski at Patrick BMW Collision Centeruses CCC ONE every day to the point where they call it “an additionalemployee”.

Shop Manager Trent Jensen atPatrick BMW Collision Center usesCCC ONE as a tool as a teacher forI-CAR and Continued Educationclasses for insurance adjustors.

by Autobody News Staff Patrick BMW Collision CenterLocation: Schaumburg, IL(888) 314-9807www.patrickautobody.com





DRP Programs: Eight


CCC Information Services, Inc.Company Contact: Tom Williams(877) 208-6155www.ccc-one.com

Collision Center Manager Uses CCC ONE®

Three Different Ways


Randy Tietze, general manager ofCustom Auto Body, Inc. in NorthCanton, Ohio, grew up in the colli-sion repair industry. His father, RonTietze, founded the business in1961, and Randy recalls, “I was bornthe same year and there weren’t anypreschools in that era so I was al-ways taken to the shop with mymom, Judy, who was the secretary.I can remember riding my tricycle onthe sidewalk out front.”

“Once I hit high school, I arrangedmy class schedule so I could comein around noon to sweep floors andhelp out in whatever way I could,”Tietze continues. “I grew up with thebusiness and developed an undyingpassion for cars.”

Ron Tietze was employed as afabricator before he founded Cus-tom Auto Body, but because he re-ally loved working on cars, hebought a two-car garage and con-verted it into a shop where he’dwork in the evenings until he de-cided, “This is what I’m going todo,” his son shares, noting, “Thebusiness just grew from there. Werelocated to North Canton in 1968where we grew from a two-baygarage to a 10,000 square feet pro-duction space.”

Tietze credits the shop’s suc-cess to their emphasis on perform-ing high-quality repairs. He says,“Being in business for 58 yearssays something about our work-manship and I strive hard to ex-ceed our customers’ expectationsfor quality. My team knows that de-livering a safe and proper repairevery single time is far more impor-tant than the quantity of vehicles werestore.”

Of course, a successful colli-sion repair facility with 21 employ-ees repairing an average of 150vehicles each month still needs tokeep an eye on volume, cost andother metrics, such as cycle time,but Tietze put Custom Auto Body insafe hands in 2013 when he optedto begin spraying the BeroBase500 Series solvent refinish systemby DeBeer Refinish®, a Valspar®Automotive brand.

According to Tietze, “We use allof DeBeer’s liquid products. Whenwe first explored the possibility ofswitching paint brands, we dis-

covered that the DeBeer Refinishsolvent system was cost effectivecompared to our previous product,and when we tried it out, the colormatching was spot on. Being able toavoid time delays caused by tintingand other color concerns led to adefinite increase in productivity; onlyhaving to paint a vehicle once hassaved us a lot of money, so we’vealso seen improved profitability.”

DeBeer Refinish BeroBase 500Series is also very easy to use – im-plementation of the new product wasa breeze for Custom Auto Body. Ti-etze shares, “There’s always a bit ofa learning curve upfront with a newpaint system because each productsprays out differently than whatyou’re accustomed to, but the tran-sition to DeBeer Refinish solventwas almost seamless because theirsystem is so dang simple. It onlytook us a week or so to really get intothe new system, learn it well and fig-ure out how the paint reacts. DeBeerRefinish brand solvents, thinners andcatalysts can be inter-mixed with oneanother and that makes using thesystem much less confusing com-pared to other brands.”

Representatives for the DeBeerRefinish system also provide clientswith superior customer service.“When we have any questions,they’re right there like Johnny-on-the-spot,” Tietze says. “They keep usinformed of new products that mighthelp us become even more produc-tive and profitable. They’re alwaysavailable to provide us with guidance

and help us grow our business.”The collision repair profession-

als employed at Custom Auto Bodyalso appreciate the DeBeer Refin-ish product line and the supportthey receive. Tietze notes, “My guyshave been using it for years andthey love the DeBeer Refinish sol-vent system because it makes theirjobs easier.”

His employees’ satisfaction isimportant to Tietze. “We’re a fam-ily-run business and we treat ouremployees well because they are ahuge contributing factor to theshop’s success,” he explains. “Wehave a super slow turnover rate; ifit wasn’t for some prior employeesretiring, our entire team would haveover 30 years’ tenure with CustomAuto Body.”

Discussing current trends andthe future of the industry, Tietze ob-serves, “Cars’ electronics are get-ting so sophisticated and it’s excitingto see how vehicle technology isconstantly changing; however, it re-quires training and education tostay on top of it.”

Tietze adds, “I have a lifetime ofexperience. I know Custom AutoBody – this is my life. I stick to whatI know and how we do business,and I know business has improvedsince we started using DeBeer Re-finish. With all the other changes inthe industry, paint is one area wedon’t have to worry about becausewe know we’ve got a simple, easy touse paint system that provides bet-ter color matching at a lower cost.”

Collision industry professionals atCustom Auto Body ensure that allvehicles receive a safe and properrepair, and they are able to deliveron that promise more efficientlywith the utilization of DeBeerRefinish paint and products.

Custom Auto Body has seen improved color matching and decreasedproduct cost since they started using the DeBeer Refinish solventborne refinish system.

Custom Auto Body was foundedin 1961, the same year GeneralManager Randy Tietze was born,and Tietze grew up in his father'sshop.

by Autobody News Staff Custom Auto Body Inc.Location: North Canton, OH(330) 499-8922www.customab.com






DRP Programs: Five


DeBeer Refinish, A Valspar®Automotive Brand4440 Warrensville Center RoadWarrensville Heights, OH 44128(800) 321-0672www.de-beer.comFacebook.com/OfficialDeBeerRefinishInstagram.com/OfficialDeBeerRefinishYouTube.com/OfficialDeBeerRefinish

Custom Auto Body Enjoys Improved Color Matchingand Cost With DeBeer Refinish Solvent System



Business consultants say that onegreat way to build a strong team anddrive performance involves empow-ering employees and giving themmore responsibility. In this scenario,that’s exactly what happened whena general manager took his lead de-tailing technician and made him hisgo-to glass expert after acquiring aglass repair system made by Equal-izer®. By relying on Equalizer’s Rap-tor glass tools and setting up his newglass technician for success, thisMinnesota shop is clearly excellingin the world of automotive glass re-pair and installation.

General Manager Erik Abra-hamson, 28, at Highway 18 CollisionCenter was born to be in the bodyshop business and believes thatbeing a second-generation ownercomes with its own responsibility andaccountability. And that’s why hestresses high-quality repairs andworks hard to be an exemplary em-ployer and an outstanding memberof his community in Brainerd, MN.

By offering a wide range of dif-ferent services in addition to colli-sion repair including full mechanical,RV and boat repair, as well as autorestorations and soon commercialtruck collision repair, Highway 18Collision Center isn’t afraid to multi-task to say the least.

Diversification and capturingmore revenue are always attractiveto Abrahamson, and doing his ownglass work is a big part of that.

“Since we are not a DRP shop,we have to find different ways toplease our customers and doingglass work is one great way to do it,”he said. “By keeping it in-house andcontrolling the entire process, wemake more money and are able tomaintain our cycle time. We put outthe word about our glass work andwe’re already picking up more andmore of it.”

To learn how to use their Raptorand the rest of their Equalizer glasstools, Abrahamson sent his HeadDetailer Russell Hendrickson toTexas for the one-week 40-hourEqualizer® training program at thecompany’s Auto Glass Academy.On day one, he was introduced tothe basics in a classroom environ-ment, followed by four full days ofhands-on instruction working on ve-hicles donated by local shops.

“Without quality and up-to-date

education, technicians simply can-not be their very best,” said GilbertGutierrez, global education directorand the company’s national instruc-tor at Auto Glass Academy. “Notknowing the proper tools, methods,rules and limitations can drasticallyaffect somebody’s life. Learning tobe your best is the key to completesuccess in the auto glass industry.Receiving AGSC training accredita-tion is a recognition that Equalizer’sAuto Glass Academy is committedto enabling technicians with every-thing possible to do their job mosteffectively.”

Now that Hendrickson has takenthe reins and is essentially runninghis company’s very own in-houseglass repair department, Abraham-son sees the results and they’re en-couraging. He added, “We’re makingroughly 20 percent more by keepingall of our glass work right here as op-posed to sending it out. In the past,we had to use an outside vendor andwe were at their mercy. If they werebusy, we had to wait three to fourdays in many cases and the wind-shields were always an issue. Nowwe are able to turn around all of ourglass work either the same day ornext day, which is excellent!”

The Equalizer Raptor is power-ful, small, light and easy to maneu-ver on all types of auto glass. It is acord and wire auto glass removaldevice designed to dramatically im-prove the power of the vacuum cupwith the integration of its AirForce™

Constant Vacuum Cups. This tech-nology has been specifically devel-oped by Equalizer® to create a quickplacement and constant vacuum to

the glass so that the Raptor™ staysin place and resists sliding.

Automotive glass professionalswho are interested in completingcontinuing education in order tomaintain their Auto Glass SafetyCouncil™ technician certification haveaccess to four AGSC™ approved CEcourses from Auto Glass Academy.

The Auto Glass Academy is amember of the I-CAR® IndustryTraining Alliance®, which is an al-liance that’s committed to the ulti-mate in automotive training andeducation. The Industry Training Al-liance exists to recognize the ac-complishments of training throughI-CAR approved providers. All pro-grams approved for inclusion intothe Training Alliance must supportthe I-CAR vision that every personin the collision repair industry hasthe information, knowledge andskills required to perform complete,safe and quality repairs for the ulti-mate benefit of the consumer.

When it comes to working closelywith any tools or equipment vendor,customer support is crucial. Acquir-ing any product is easy, but what willits manufacturer or local jobber dofor you once you’re onboard?

“The people at Equalizer makeit easy,” Abrahamson said. “Withsome companies, you have to calland then they get back to you in aday or two. With Equalizer, we sim-ply call and their technical peoplehave immediate answers. If we’renot clear on anything, they’re morethan willing to walk us through theprocess or deal with other issues.We work directly with them and thatis definitely an advantage.”

Highway 18 Collision Center inBrainerd, MN, is not a DRP shop,so they have to offer a full menuof services, which includes auto-motive glass work.

Left, National Instructor Gilbert works with Head Detailer Russell Hendrickson from Highway 18 Collision Center at Equalizer’s Auto Glass Academy.

Head Detailer Russell Hendricksonis enabling his shop to makeroughly 20 percent more by usingEqualizer glass tools and keepingall of their glass work in-house.

by Autobody News Staff Highway 18 Collision CenterLocation: Brainerd, MN(218) 828-0181www.hwy18collision.com



Facility Employees: Nine




EqualizerCompany Contact: Shauna Davis512-388-7715 Ext. 508 [email protected]

Shop Acquires Equalizer® Glass Tools to KeepMore Money In-house

Since 1965, Jack Hart Body Shopin Radcliff, KY, has been stressingquality and accountability and that’swhy they’ve been able to establisha great reputation in a town with apopulation of roughly 23,000 peo-ple. To keep his customers happyand coming back, Co-owner BuddyHart is always looking for cutting-edge equipment; so, he bought theMiracle Panel Repair System fromEquipment Gateway, a companythat’s known for distributing some ofthe world’s most innovative toolsand equipment in the collision re-pair industry today.

Hart’s father bought an existingshop in 1965 and Buddy joined thebusiness 19 years later. “I startedhere in 1990 after I attended col-lege for a minute to join my brotherSteve,” he said. “He is five yearsolder than me and I tell people thathe’s book smart and I’m streetsmart. He handles all of the legaland administrative stuff, the booksand the payroll, while I do more ofthe production-related things, and itworks out well.”

Hart is happy to be working inthe collision repair industry at theright time in history, he said. “With allof these sophisticated ADAS sys-tems in today’s cars; OE certifica-tions being more important than everand autonomous vehicles comingcloser and closer to reality, I can’tsee things getting any better thanthis,” Hart said. “The transportationsector is going to change in hugeways within the next decade, sothat’s why we are always trying tostay ahead of the game by keepingup with the technology.”

One of Hart’s main deliverablesis purchasing new products, toolsand equipment to fix approximately125 vehicles monthly. He performshis due diligence and researchesevery product thoroughly, but onceHart saw the Miracle System in ac-tion, he was sold. In this case, Hartwatched a YouTube video to learnmore about the system and wasconvinced even before the three-minute clip ended.

To seal the deal, Hart contactedanother reputable shop owner inKentucky that had been using the

system for at least two years. “Hetold me it was a must,” he said.“They’re using it every day withoutany issues, so it was really a no-brainer after his endorsement. Whenyou hear something positive from an-other shop owner about any piece ofequipment, it means a lot, becausewe’re all in the same boat and thegoal is to fix these cars correctly. I’ma skeptical person by nature, butonce I can see that something works,I’m not afraid to pull the trigger.”

The Miracle System was devel-oped in Japan more than threedecades ago. Most of the otherdent repair systems on the markettoday are simply inferior copies ofthe Miracle System that are de-signed to hit a lower price point. Thesystem is made with a proprietaryalloy of titanium and aluminum,which means that it will thrive in aharsh body shop environment whilelasting a lifetime. Available in A, Band C packages depending on abody shop’s specific needs and ap-plications, the Miracle System iswell known for not sacrificing qualityor durability, according to the com-pany’s website.

Hart is sold on the system, be-cause he has seen it work and hiscrew gives it nothing but kudos. “Ilove this piece of equipment,” Hartsaid. “We’ve been using it foraround 18 months now and it’sawesome. We’re removing dentsfaster and easier than ever and thissystem has already paid for itself. Itenables us to do the work in a more

controlled fashion and we neverburn the backside of the metal,which was an issue before we gotthe Miracle Panel Repair Systemfrom Equipment Gateway. With anypiece of equipment, the goal is tomake our lives easier and providevalue and that’s exactly what we’regetting with this system.”

Prior to the Miracle System,Hart’s crew was fumbling aroundwith a stud welder and a flat ham-mer to achieve questionable re-sults. But, now it’s one of his shop’sgo-to tools and something they’reusing daily, he said. “I have twotechs that are really good at usingit, and it’s pretty amazing to see thefinished product when they’re done.The bottom line is that we are nowrepairing dents that we had nochance of fixing before. Our actualBondo time has been reduced sig-nificantly, which means we savetime and materials. It allows us tostraighten the metal precisely andalign it exactly, so we can repairpanels instead of replacing them.”

To become adept at using it, atrainer from Equipment Gatewaycame to Jack Hart Body Shop toget his crew up and running with theMiracle System. “It took just oneday to explain the system and itsnuances, and my guys were using italmost immediately. The system isuser-friendly and we haven’t hadany problems with it. In fact, wehaven’t had to call them at all sincewe got this equipment, which is ex-ceptional.”

Jack Hart Body Shop has beenaround for more than fivedecades by stressing quality and embracing new technology.

Jack Hart Body Shop is removing dents faster and easier with its MiraclePanel Repair System from Equipment Gateway.

Steve (left) and Buddy Hart are always looking for equipment thatcan save them time and money,and that’s why they bought theMiracle Panel Repair System.

by Autobody News Staff Jack Hart Body ShopRadcliff, KY(270) 351-3637www.jackhartbodyshop.com







Equipment Gateway(866) [email protected]

Shop Saw Miracle Steel YouTube Video and Was Sold


Michael Fusco founded ConsumerAuto Body in White Plains, NY, in1993 after renting a garage and re-pairing vehicles on his own for fouryears. His ability to turn his smallshop into a successful business wasmade possible by his strong reputa-tion for delivering a quality repair.

“We give every customer 100percent from entry to exit, both per-sonally and in terms of work per-formed,” Fusco said. “We have 25years of repeat customers andtheir family and friends who havebecome our friends and that guar-anteed quality is reflected in ourfive-star review rating.”

Fusco discovered a new way toenhance the quality of his shop’s re-pairs in 2015 when his distributor,Cold Spring Automotive Distribu-tors, told him about the GenRockpaint line by Lusid Technologies.Fusco shared, “Doug, my supplier,told me what a great product Lusidoffers, so I agreed to a demo. Afterwe tried it in the shop for a few weekson our own, the machine never left.We use the complete Lusid system,from Lusid’s primers to their Gen-Rock Basecoat and 5010 clearcoat.”

Implementing Lusid’s GenRockinto his daily business operationsprocess was easy from a procedurestandpoint, but getting his employ-ees buy-in was a bit more challeng-ing initially. “Like any new productyou introduce to your shop, mostemployees are reluctant to adapt toit at first – until they see the end re-sult quality and how it really makestheir job easier,” Fusco noted.

“The body men like the primersfor the smooth application it applies.The prep department likes the easysanding qualities, giving them aneasier and faster production. Ourpainter who is fairly new to the shophas said he spends less time com-pleting jobs from start to finish com-pared to his previous job whichuses a well-named label,” Fuscocontinued. “Lusid’s product proveditself in performance, quality andcost, as well as ease of application.”

Fusco began working in collisionrepair facilities while he was still inhigh school; even as a child, he didbody work on his model cars.Fusco’s industry experience has al-lowed him to notice some industry

trends. He observed, “Photo inspec-tions are becoming more prevalentwhich is dangerous to the insuredswho aren’t knowledgeable enough torequest their vehicles get inspectedproperly, so they could be unknow-ingly driving unsafe vehicles.”

“Each model year, vehicles getmore technical and complex,” Fuscosaid. “Fortunately, new equipmentand products are constantly beingdeveloped to keep up with the in-dustry’s demands, but shops needto invest in training to ensure theyare restoring customers’ vehicles totheir pre-accident condition. Youhave to stay up with the industry tosurvive.”

After opening his shop in a localgarage in 1989, Fusco was able toincorporate the business in 1993and buy his current building. Con-sumer Auto Body’s six employeesrepair an average of 50 vehicleseach month in the shop’s 3,000square feet of production space.They service two local dealershipsin addition to participating in twoDRP relationships.

Because customer service hasplayed such a large role in Fusco’ssuccess, it’s one of the most impor-tant qualities he seeks when deter-mining which companies he buysproducts and equipment from. Lusidexcels at meeting this need as well.According to Roy Santana, shopforeman at Consumer Auto Body,“Whenever we’ve had any questionor concern with GenRock, Lusid’scustomer service department hasbeen quick and responsive to ourneeds, allowing me to spend less

time on the phone and more timeon the actual repair.”

GenRock is Lusid’s “flagshipproduct” and was designed for qual-ity, coverage and color matching.The line offers a complete range ofhigh quality 2K single stage, twostage and three stage basecoats.Due to super high pigment loading,GenRock provides excellent cover-age with only two coats, savingshops time and money.

Quick flash off means paintersspend a minimal amount of timewaiting for the basecoat to dry be-fore they can apply clear. Distributedin North America, Lusid’s GenRockfeatures over 90,000 formulations,spectrophotometer, worldwide colormatch capability—and a lifetime war-ranty.

Overall, Fusco is very pleasedwith his decision to convert to theGenRock color system manufac-tured by Lusid Technologies. He ex-plained, “Over the years, we haveused several name brand paint prod-ucts, all of which came with highercosts. At Consumer Auto Body, weare committed to high standards,and with Lusid, I can ensure that I’mproviding my customers with thequality they deserve, a return to theirpre-accident condition finish, at alower cost than I have previously ex-perienced.”

Fusco added, “GenRock is alsoa more user-friendly system that al-lows us to be more productive whichis important for a smaller shop thatrepairs as many vehicles as we domonthly. Thank you Lusid Technolo-gies.”

Mike Fusco urges shops, “Youhave to stay up with the industryto survive.”

Michael Fusco pursued his lifelong passion for cars by opening Consumer Auto Body in 1993.

As they admire the factory finishachieved with GenRock, ownerMike Fusco and shop foremanRoy Santana appreciate the lackof buffing required with Lusid’spaint line, which saves the shopa ton of time and effort.

by Autobody News Staff Consumer Auto BodyLocation: White Plains, NY(914) 993-0768www.consumerautobody.biz



Facility Employees: Six



DRP Programs: Two


Lusid Technologies(801) 966-5300 www.lusid.biz

Consumer Auto Body Commends Lusid GenRockfor High Quality Finish at a Low Cost


Efficiency is vital to Tim Beal, ownerof Beal’s Auto Body in Prescott, AZ.One of the largest inefficienciesmany shops contend with is esti-mate supplements. Beal made hugestrides in overcoming that challengeat the end of 2018 when he investedin the Matrix Wand.

“In addition to ensuring that weare repairing vehicles correctly andefficiently, the Matrix Wand allows usto feel certain that we’re billing for alldamage before repairs begin,” Bealsaid.

Because use of the Matrix Wandmeans fewer negotiations with in-surers, Beal’s Auto Body boasts thebest cycle time in their market, withBeal reporting 6.8 days keys-to-keyscycle time.

“The Matrix Wand has benefit-ted our shop in terms of productivityand profitability by helping us to dis-cover all of the vehicle’s damage upfront,” Beal explained. “The result isthat we no longer experience de-lays in the process from added sup-plements, allowing us to pre-close95 percent of our repair orders afterthe blueprint, before we even beginthe actual repair.”

Beal’s father was a technicianwho taught him the trade. Bealbegan pursuing an automotive ca-reer in 1988 when he rented a smallstall in a building for $20 per day,equipped it with an air compressorand fan, and started working as acustom painter. Due to his passionfor the industry, Beal said, “It wasnever work—I just loved it!”

Over the past three decades,Beal’s Auto Body has grown to a12,000 square foot collision repair fa-cility. He largely credits the successof his business to having a great part-ner, his wife. Beal shares, “She hadjust graduated and was starting towork as a nurse when I opened mybusiness. Her income made it possi-ble for me to pursue my dream.”

Open since 1988, Beal’s AutoBody’s 12 technicians repair an av-erage of 155 vehicles each month.Although Beal identifies “getting in-

surers to pay for OEM certified re-pairs” as one of his biggest obstaclesin operating his business, he predictsthat the industry’s future focus willcontinue to be “repairing cars toOEM standards to relieve the liabilityshops have taken on as well as toensure the safety of our customers.”

Beal said innovation is necessaryto stay competitive in the market. Hisvisionary approach to business hasincluded converting to waterbornepaint and implementing a TEAMemployment structure.

“Attitude is everything,” Beal said.“My guys are stakeholders in my com-pany and we’re creating a culturewhere we all work together for a com-mon goal.”

Additionally, Beal consistentlyinvests in equipment and tool up-grades, such as the Matrix Wand.

“The ability of independent shopsto stay in business will hinge on effi-ciency in the future,” he said. “Low-ering cycle times will require fixingcars faster to stay competitive andthe Matrix Wand improves our effi-ciency right from the start of theprocess.”

The Matrix Wand is the tool ofthe future, enhancing productivityand efficiency with every use. TheWand provides comparative meas-urements and generates all chosen

data into a 3D color photo of thecustomer’s vehicle within 15 min-utes. The Matrix Wand’s emphasison full discovery of all cosmetic andstructural damage makes blueprint-ing modern vehicles easier.

In addition to offering an individ-ualized illustration of the particularvehicle being repaired, the MatrixWand allows the technician to iden-tify the areas of concern in the pre-liminary diagnosis and then view there-measured dimensions post-re-pair. The Wand’s elaborate report-ing features provide the technicianwith access to a pre and post-repairreport that depicts the actual vehi-cle, including the damaged partsand misaligned control points aswell as the alignment of the points,the repair parts and the parts thatwere repaired prior to painting.

Beal’s employees love the Ma-trix Wand for its ability to identify alldamage at the start of the repairprocess and for its ease of use.

“After two days of training, pro-vided by Matrix, we were able to in-tegrate the Wand into our processimmediately,” Beal said. “If you canoperate the camera on your cellphone, you can operate the MatrixWand. Working with Matrix’s cus-tomer service department is just aseasy; they’re the best—five stars!”

The Matrix Wand is the tool of thefuture, enhancing productivityand efficiency with every use.

Technicians at Beal’s Auto Body love the Matrix Wand because it’s easyto use and it ensures they bill for all damage up front.

Beal’s Auto Body boasts a 6.8 daycycle time thanks to productivitybenefits derived from using theMatrix Wand.

by Autobody News Staff Beal’s Auto Body & RepairLocation: Prescott, AZ(928) 445-2295www.bealsautobodyandpaint.com






DRP Programs: Two


Matrix Electronic Measuring, Inc.(800) [email protected]

Beal’s Auto Body Discovers All Damage Up FrontWith Matrix Wand


Metro Dent, based in Lewisville,Texas, got its start in 1993 as apaintless dent repair (PDR) shopserving hail damage and retail doording claims. Over the years, theshop has added other cosmetic re-pairs to its repertoire, but with PDRas its largest source of revenue, theirsteady volume occasionally sees alarge increase due to seasonalstorms. Owner Mike Nosker’s busi-ness needs vary from month tomonth, depending on hail storms inthe area, since PDR continues to bethe shop’s primary focus.

Metro Dent repairs an averageof 50 vehicles each month withweather-related fluctuations beingcommon. The number of employ-ees at the shop also varies by sea-son, ranging from ten to 50 industryprofessionals comprised of bothfull-time employees and subcon-tract labor. Although the only per-manent location consists of 23,000square feet in production space,Metro Dent is able to set up satelliterepair facilities as needed thanks toNosker’s investment in portable paintbooths and an inflatable estimatingand PDR tunnel, manufactured byMobile Environmental Solutions.

After meeting Mobile Environ-mental Solutions President TomWilliams at SEMA in 2018, Noskerinvested in an inflatable estimatingand PDR tunnel as well as severalportable, inflatable paint booths. Ac-cording to Nosker, “Mobile Environ-mental Solutions is a local companywith excellent customer service.They utilize the highest quality ma-terials and their products are madein the USA. They are flexible withmeeting my needs as Metro Dent’sbusiness grows, plus they have a fastresponse when we have increasedneeds and demands.”

Nosker continued, “The portablepaint booths from Mobile Environ-mental Solutions are amazing and aperfect supplement for what weneed at the permanent facility to ourbaking booths for paint. Temporaryfacilities and ceramic coating spe-cialists love the inflatable booth toprevent dust and other contami-nants where high baking tempera-tures are not required and pollutantsand dust are in the air.”

Discussing the Estimating andPDR tunnel, Nosker shared, “Theestimating tunnel is light years ahead

of any potential competition as it wascompletely thought out without roomfor improvements. Other estimatingmachines remove the human ele-ment and are supposed to be trustedto perform better, but in reality, theycan be inaccurate and were rushedto market before a complete productwas ready. It performs indoors andoutdoors, creating an environmen-tally safe structure to remove the riskof human error by providing ultimateestimating conditions. The tunnelcan also be utilized under the sameconditions to provide additional workspace.”

The estimating and PDR tunnelis a high-quality product made fromdurable materials. According toNosker, “Mobile Environmental So-lutions’ estimating tunnel helps inso many ways from a PDR per-spective. It provides an ideal envi-ronment for writing estimates sinceit creates the correct depth percep-tion and distortion needed. The tun-nel offers the same lighting andview as techs work with in our per-manent location, so they’re able tosee the dents better and don’t missany minor cosmetic damage – it al-lows the estimator to accuratelycapture all damage to the vehicle.The tunnel is very versatile and isthe perfect setting to complete ahigh-quality repair.”

Implementation of Mobile Envi-ronmental Solutions’ products andprocesses has been very easy, butthat ease is just one of the benefitsNosker lists when discussing MetroDent’s experience with the manu-facturer. He shared, “Productivityhas increased because the prod-ucts from Mobile Environmental So-lutions have allowed me to set up

satellite centers faster to meet de-mand and they provide me withquick, high quality, additional spaceto meet volume increases. Prof-itability has also increased becausethe booths allow me to set up addi-tional space faster without the needfor much pricier, more permanentsolutions that would be counterpro-ductive to my business model. Theflexibility is vital to Metro Dent’s con-tinued success.”

“I have also just signed a dealwith Enterprise, and the inflatablepaint booths will allow me to increaseproduction and service clients inneed of fast cycle times,” Noskercontinued. “Other great partners ofmine, LKQ/Keystone and AkzoNo-bel, in combination with Mobile En-vironmental Solutions, give me acomplete solution for delivering thehighest quality repairs by providingme the best products to do so.”

Nosker added, “My employeescould not be happier with the in-vestment in Mobile EnvironmentalSolutions’ portable paint booths andthe inflatable estimating and PDRtunnel. They love the products andthe ideas from the company on uti-lizing their equipment to streamlineour workflow and productivity.”

Most importantly, the productsfrom Mobile Environmental Solu-tions meet the flexibility required byMetro Dent’s business model andthe company’s customer servicedepartment also understands thoseneeds. “As my demand and needsrise, I have been in constant contactwith requests that Mobile Environ-mental Solutions has always beenright on top of, servicing my businesswith zero negative issues,” Noskerstated.

Metro Dent’s volume fluctuatesfrequently based on market demand, but owner Mike Noskeris able to quickly expand his operation space with the use of portable paint booths manufactured by Mobile Environmental Solutions.

Metro Dent has been servicing the PDR needs of the Dallas-Fort Wortharea since 1993.

Mobile Environmental Solutions’portable paint booths, inflatableestimating and PDR tunnel provides Metro Dent with theflexibility it needs to perform highquality cosmetic repairs whereverthey are needed.

by Autobody News Staff Metro DentLewisville, Texas(214) 735-8365www.hailfreecar.com


Type: Dent Repair

Facility Employees:Varies by Season (ten-50)


Number of Locations: One plussatellite repair facilities as needed

DRP Programs: Zero


Mobile Environmental Solutions1150 McCaleb Road, Suite E-1Montgomery, TX 77316(888) 321-1320www.mobileenvironmentalsolutions.com

Mobile Environmental Solutions Portable Paint Booths andPDR Tunnels Provide Flexibility Metro Dent Needs


Rick Case Honda Collision CenterLocation: Davie, FL (855) 384-9659 www.rickcasecollision.com







In most states, waterborne paint isn’tmandated, but for early adoptersand those shops that are environ-mentally-conscious, it’s a viable al-ternative to solvent paint withoutsacrificing quality and reliability. Inthis case, a large collision centerin Florida embraced PPG’s ENVI-ROBASE® High Performance wa-terborne system and it’s been awonderful experience since mak-ing the move.

Collision Director Scott Kendigat Rick Case Honda Collision Cen-ter in Davie, FL, was instrumentalin his shop’s migration to PPG’sEnvirobase High Performance wa-terborne system. By relying on itsdead-on color matches while im-proving cycle times and garneringfive-star reviews across the board,Kendig is looking good-just like thefinished product his crew is consis-tently producing with PPG water-borne.

With seven painters and twopreppers refinishing approximately250-300 cars monthly, Kendig washired at Rick Case Honda CollisionCenter three years ago. It took oneyear for him to persuade his superi-ors to acquire PPG’s EnvirobaseHigh Performance waterborne paintsystem and by doing so, he’s nowdelighted for many reasons.

PPG’s Envirobase High Per-formance waterborne refinish sys-tem was introduced to the collisionrepair industry in 1999 to meet lowVOC legislation, and it was quicklyembraced by body shops through-out North America.

In a busy shop environment,Kendig can’t tolerate re-paints orcomebacks and has to provide asuperior product without exception.“Reliability and consistency are vitalto our success,” he said. “If we haveto slow down to tint color or re-workanything, that’s wasted time we can’tget back. With PPG’s EnvirobaseHigh Performance, we get the peaceof mind that any shop wants. I don’thave to ever worry about the processand the quality, which is so important.”

To adapt to the ever-changingworld of collision repair, Kendig didnot hesitate to embrace PPG’s En-virobase High Performance water-borne paint for its outstanding trackrecord for best-in-class color accu-racy and durability. But, he did it forseveral other reasons as well. “Iknow we aren’t mandated to use wa-terborne here in Florida, but I had ex-perience with the waterborne product

while working at another companyand saw the benefits of using it,” hesaid. “Customers today know whatthey want and are so much moreknowledgeable about their cars, sowhen they see their vehicles and saywow, it all pays off.”

PPG’s Envirobase High Perform-ance waterborne has Kendig and hispaint department looking good andfeeling good about the product theyspray every day. “When the carscome out of the booth, it looks likethe paint has a lot of depth, but weare actually using less product andgetting better results than the sol-vent product we were using previ-ously,” he said.

One of the leading advantages ofusing PPG at Rick Case Honda Col-lision Center is the simple fact that itscolor matching capabilities are un-matched in the industry, Kendig said.“We use their RAPIDMATCH® XIspectrophotometer and it hasn’tfailed us yet. We used to have is-sues with silvers, golds and taupes,which is an intermediate shade be-tween dark brown and gray, but nomore. PPG’s camera and PAINT-MANAGER® software system en-ables us to precisely match all of theoddball colors out there like Moon-walk Grey (Hyundai); Oh La LaRouge Mica (Toyota) or Blue Pearl-coat (Dodge).”

Rick Case Automotive Groupwas founded in 1962 in NortheastOhio and has been proudly servingAtlanta and South Florida since1986, under the ownership and op-eration of Rita and Rick Case. Thecompany has a total of 16 locations,with Honda and Hyundai dealer-ships in Cleveland, Ohio; Audi,

Mazda, Hyundai and Kia in Atlanta,GA; and Honda Cars & Cycles,Acura, Hyundai, Volkswagen andFIAT dealerships in South Florida, aswell as Rick Case Alfa Romeo inDavie, FL, and Rick Case Kia in Sun-rise, FL.

To keep an adequate amount ofproduct available to support numer-ous shop locations and high carthroughput, the paint crew at RickCase Collision Center needs an ac-curate and easily accessible inven-tory control system. Our jobber isSingle Source, and their Logic in-ventory system fits the bill, accord-ing to Kendig. “We never have toorder product anymore, which is areal benefit,” he said. “A rep fromour jobber comes here every Mon-day, Wednesday and Friday and insome cases, he spends an hourhere replenishing everything, in-cluding basecoats, clearcoats andtoners. We have a room that lookslike a walk-in safe and by using Sin-gle Source’s Logic system, we knowexactly what we have in there at alltimes, and I don’t have to assign anin-house employee to manage it.”

With any product, tool or piece ofequipment, customer support is keyand with their relationship with PPGand their jobber, life is sweet at RickCase Honda Collision Center. “If weever have an issue, which is rare,our jobber Single Source in Pom-pano Beach, FL, is here promptly,”Kendig said. “We’ve called themafter hours and when we open at 7a.m. they’re standing there ready tohelp. We also have an excellentPPG territory manager, Guy Vig-nola, who will provide us with addi-tional support if we require it.”

The entire team at Rick CaseHonda values the reliability andconsistency of PPG’s EnvirobaseHigh Performance refinish system.

Production Manager AJ Poulin (left) and Refinish Technician JasonRamsaran at Rick Case Honda Collision love the dead-on color results they get every time with PPG’s Envirobase High Performancewaterborne system.

To paint 250-300 cars everymonth, Collision Director ScottKendig needs a product that heand his paint crew at Rick CaseHonda can count on every time.That’s why he chose PPG’s Envirobase High Performancewaterborne system.

by Autobody News Staff

PPGCathy Rusnak (440) [email protected] www.ppgrefinish.com

PPG is a Best-Case Scenario for World-ClassCollision Center


Painters will often experiment withdifferent equipment in search of abetter-finished product, while othersfind what works and use it for theirentire careers. In this case, a top-notch painter at a growing shopstarted using SATA guns nearly twodecades ago and he hasn’t deviatedone iota since.

Bruce Sorensen, age 37, kickedoff his career in the collision repair in-dustry when he was 17-years-old, hesaid, but it all began several yearsbefore.

“My uncle took a few auto techclasses and he was a natural, so Ilearned a lot from him,” he said.“When I was 15, I got a hold of a1973 Chevy Nova and I was so ex-cited. I was working at a local bodyshop part-time, so I was learningfrom their techs in addition to myuncle. I painted the car dark bluewith sapphire metallic flakes. I washooked the day I saw that car.”

Sorensen works at No. 1 Auto-motive Body Repair (No. 1 ABR) inBellingham, WA, a company withone location in the U.S. and four inCanada. To accommodate its in-crease in work, the shop more thandoubled in size from 10,000 squarefeet to 25,000 square feet. The twoseparate facilities are only 50 yardsapart, so it’s easy to move betweenthe old and the new. While manybody shops are scrambling for carsto fix, No. 1 ABR is looking to addemployees and deal with the delugeof work coming their way.

“Our volume has increasedquickly in a short time and we havea lot more work available,” Sorensensaid. “It’s a big investment, but whenthe car count goes up, you have tobe prepared to do the work and thatinvolves the right people, trainingand equipment.”

When it comes to using the rightequipment, Sorensen is a passion-ate advocate of SATA, with a col-lection of 23 guns—ten of them thatget heavy usage. It’s an impressivearsenal and he proudly calls them“members of our crew.” As the onlyin-house painter, Sorensen has tomeet his daily quota, which meanshe doesn’t have the luxury of slow-ing down with a jammed gun.

“It all comes down to consis-

tency,” he said. “I’ve been usingSATA guns for almost my entire ca-reer as a painter and every time Iuse one it reinforces the feeling thatthese are the best in the industry.”

Sorensen’s relationship withSATA was love at first sight, butthere was a honeymoon period atthe beginning, he said.

“When I put one of these gunsin my hands for the first time, it wasamazing,” Sorensen said. “I didn’tknow much then, but after a while Istarted learning more about howthey worked and how I could usethem. I embraced all of the nuanceswith my SATA guns and started im-proving my painting techniques.”

Today, Sorensen does not haveto think about his spray guns, whichis the way he prefers it.

“I trust them now becausethey’ve proven themselves manytimes over,” he said. “I have a ton ofconfidence now and the finishedproduct is perfect every time. I don’thave to mess with the settings, sothat I can keep rolling along, be-cause I need to paint roughly 30-40vehicles every week. No quirks, noissues and awesome product sup-port, why would I ever think aboutusing another gun?”

Since he never has any troublewith his SATA guns, he rarely has tocontact his jobber or SATA itself forhelp, but when he does they respond

promptly and with accurate informa-tion.

“We get a ton of advice and sup-port from Jeff Brooks from WescoAutobody Supply; Ryan Stronkfrom Western States Marketing andRon Fleenor from SATA who oftencomes here and introduces some oftheir new products to us. They arealways willing to help us and I can’tsay enough positive things aboutthe support we receive across theboard.”

We asked Sorensen what arethe three top things you want from aspray gun and he responded al-most immediately.

“First, it has to be reliable, be-cause I don’t have time to switchout guns in the middle of a job. Sec-ondly, the spraying pattern has tobe precise without deviation. Andlastly it has to be durable, especiallywhen we are busy here and theclock is running.”

After the expansion, No. 1 ABRin Bellingham is repairing 120 carsmonthly as opposed to the 85 vehi-cles they were fixing previously.

“Very soon, we will have 150-175 vehicles in here every month,”Sorensen said. “With so many ex-citing things going on, I know thatmy SATA guns will never let medown and that the money I investedin these guns is one of the smartestthings I’ve done.”

Sorensen said he knows hisSATA guns will perform the sameway each and every time.

Painter Bruce Sorensen at No. 1 Automotive Body Repair in Bellingham,WA, has an impressive collection of SATA guns in his arsenal.

Sorensen knows that his SATAguns will never let him down,which is essential in a shop thatpaints 150-plus cars every month.

by Autobody News Staff No. 1 Automotive Body Repair Location: Bellingham, WA(360) 671-3222www.no1abr.com





Number of Locations: Five

Combined Production Space:120,000 square feet (combined)

Dan-Am CompanyOne Sata Drive P.O. Box 46Spring Valley, MN 55975(800) 533-8016www.satausa.com

Shop Doubles in Size and SATA Plays a Role


Priority Collision Center Chesterdecided to make a huge change inlate 2018. They began using theUltra9K™ Waterborne BasecoatSystem manufactured by Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes. Colormatching capabilities and a highquality finish were among the im-mediate benefits reaped by PriorityCollision, but the shop has also en-joyed significant increases in bothproductivity and profitability as a re-sult of using Sherwin-Williams Auto-motive Finishes’ Ultra9K products.

According to Daniel Trapp, di-rector of body operations for all threePriority Collision Centers, “Our pro-ductivity has risen 11 percent andour profitability is through the roof.It’s everything we were promisedand more.”

Priority Collision Center Chesteris one of three body shops that arepart of the MSO founded by DavePerno in 2003. The three locationsboasts 70,000 square feet in pro-duction space with 61 collision repairprofessionals repairing an averageof 455 vehicles each month. PriorityCollision Center Chester partici-pates in six DRP relationships andthe shop has received OEM certifi-cations from Toyota and Nissan.

Since Priority Collision Centeropened its doors, many changeshave taken place in the shop. Thechanges that took place were oneof the largest hurdles to overcomewhen management made the deci-sion to switch to the Ultra9K Water-borne Basecoat System fromSherwin-Williams Automotive Fin-ishes, since it came shortly after thecompletion of the last major transi-tion. In late 2018, the collision repairfacility had only been using its cur-rent paint system for about a year.

Trapp shared, “[Our previouspaint switch] in October 2017 was areally tough transition for the team,so even the indication that we wereconsidering another paint brandseemed like a cruel joke – no onewas laughing! With the training wereceived, it was a seamless transi-tion from a process and procedurestandpoint. After dealing with every-one’s reluctance for change createdby the previous experience, our teamhas come to really love the Ultra9Kproduct.”

The Ultra9K WaterborneBasecoat System manufactured bySherwin-Williams Automotive Fin-ishes is one of the most user-friendlyrefinishing systems on the market.The non-stirring mixing system is

comprised of 68 toners and a singlereducer, promising shops receivedependable color and reliable ap-plication properties.

Priority Collision Center’s will-ingness to risk another paint brandchange originated from a desire tosave money on paint and materials,and the shop quickly found that thepartnership with Sherwin-WilliamsAutomotive Finishes provided themwith so much more. Trapp shared,“Our total paint and material costby percentage exceeded 11 percentbefore we switched to Ultra9K, andwe’ve now reduced that to less than6.5 percent – I never thought thatwas possible!”

The non-stir Ultra9K Water-borne Basecoat System minimizescycle times and enhances overallefficiencies by incorporating Sher-win-Williams Automotive Finishes’premium undercoats and clearcoats,while allowing for repeatable per-formance by shops. Priority CollisionCenter Chester has also noticed in-creases in shop productivity and effi-ciency as a result of Ultra9K’s colorretrieval experience; Color Access isa spectrophotometer and global colorbox that makes it easy to match eventhe most challenging colors.

“We’ve had very few color-re-lated issues because Ultra9K hasthe best color match capabilitiesI’ve seen from the three major paintbrands I’ve used,” Trapp continued.“When we made this switch, wewere looking for a strategic partnerthat would help improve our busi-ness on multiple levels and Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes hasnot disappointed us in the slightest.This product has exceeded all ourexpectations.”

Discussing some of the indus-try’s current challenges, Trapp noted,“There are a lot of uneducated ad-justers and insurance companiesthat don’t know what it takes to repaira vehicle, and they refuse to believethat scans and computer resets areimportant, taking no consideration forour common customer’s safety. It’s abig issue and seems to be gettingbigger.”

Looking to the future of the col-lision repair industry, Trapp pre-dicted, “Vehicles are getting smarterand that will lead to fewer acci-dents, making it tougher for smallshops to compete. The price of ed-ucation and equipment is skyrock-eting, which will leave customerswith fewer options and higher costssince only consolidators and dealershops will be able to afford the nec-essary investments to continue per-forming safe and proper repairs.”

Priority Collision Center Chesterhas made efforts to be environ-mentally conscientious through theutilization of Sherwin-Williams Au-tomotive Finishes’ Ultra9K Water-borne Basecoat System as well asby cutting down on paper and plas-tic masking products. “We are mov-ing towards reusable spray masksto eliminate some waste,” Trappsaid.

Priority Collision shops are alsovery involved with the communityand charitable organizations. Thecompany is a major sponsor of theSPCA and the Susan G. KomenFoundation, plus they support localsports teams. Trapp stated, “We re-cently donated $250,000 to areahigh schools to purchase new hel-mets specifically designed to pre-vent concussions.”

Using Sherwin-Williams Automo-tive Finishes’ Ultra9K WaterborneBasecoat System has improvedproductivity and profitability forPriority Collision Center Chester.

The employees at Priority Collision Center Chester love spraying with the Ultra9K Waterborne Basecoat System manufactured by Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes.

Employees at Priority CollisionCenter Chester always ensure thattheir customers are receiving asafe and proper repair.

by Autobody News Staff Priority Collision CenterLocation: Chester, VA(804) 520-2443www.priorityrva.com


Type: MSO




DRP Programs: Six


Sherwin-Williams® Automotive Finishes4440 Warrensville Center RoadWarrensville Heights, OH 44124(800) 798-5872www.sherwin-automotive.comFacebook.com/sherwin-williamsautomotivefinishesYoutube.com/SWAFCInstagram.com/swrefinishLinkedIn.com/Sherwin-WilliamsAutomotiveFinishes

Sherwin-Williams® Automotive Finishes Ultra9K™ SystemBoosts Productivity and Profitability for Virginia Shop


Briggs Auto Body in Topeka, KS, isthe newest addition to Briggs AutoGroup which includes seven deal-erships, two internal body shopsand two additional free-standingcollision repair facilities. Opened inMay 2019, the newest facility boasts10,000 square feet of productionspace. Eight employees at BriggsAuto Body are currently repairingan average of 40 vehicles monthly,and they are positioned to increasetheir workload thanks to their in-vestment in time-saving productsfrom Spanesi Americas.

Established Briggs Auto Groupcollision repair facilities began usingSpanesi’s products and equipmentin 2018, so when the new facilityopened, it was set up with a Spanesiprep station, welders and severalMichelangelo spray booths. Accord-ing to Dwayne Miller, general oper-ations manager at Briggs Auto Body,the decision to begin using Spanesiproducts last year was easy.

“Spanesi was competitivelypriced for their high quality productsand everyone I questioned abouttheir booths just loved them,” Millersaid. “The paint booth system turnsout clean paint jobs, eliminatingtime-consuming dirt denibbing andbuffing. Their three-torch Q5.2 in-verter welding machine is very user-friendly.”

Miller reported that implement-ing the new Spanesi equipment intothe daily operations at Briggs AutoBody was extremely easy once thepaint booths and the prep stationwere installed. The shop’s employ-ees also appreciate the increasedspeed provided by the new equip-ment. Cycle times have improved,as well as confidence that the endresult will produce a high quality re-pair back to OEM specifications.

“Our painters love the boothsand the body techs love the welders.Spanesi’s products are easy to useand definitely make everyone’s jobsquicker,” Miller shared.

Spanesi’s Michelangelo spraybooth features a new front portal withglazed windows, combining high per-formance with a state-of-the-art de-sign that places the booth at the topof its category. The booth boasts34,000 m3/h air flow capacity, whichprovides the ability to spray water-borne paint without the addition offans or other drying devices. Alongwith a direct flame burner, it featuresan electronic control panel display as

well as internal devices that auto-matically control booth pressures.Briggs’ booth was also configured toinclude options for side-load or rear-entry. The Michelangelo spray boothsare completely customizable basedon shop needs.

Spanesi’s Q5.2 is a multi-func-tion welding machine with threetorches: steel, silicon bronze andaluminum. It utilizes a single-phase208-220V power supply based oncutting-edge IGBT inverter technol-ogy. These synergic welders boastfull digital controls and providepremium welding quality on allmaterials in both MIG/MAG andpulsed/dual-pulsed MIG welds. TheQ5.2 also features spatter-freewelding for minimal cleanup, stor-age space for two gas cylindersand a support for the three torches.

Saving production time is an on-going effort for Briggs Auto Body.Miller explained some of the shop’sefforts: “We implemented a produc-tion lean six sigma process for im-proved cycle times, quality and cost.We also have a paint production areathat is on rails to move vehicles later-ally rather than the conventionalstraight forward and back systemwhich helps using our square footagemore efficiently.”

Miller said Briggs Auto Groupalso excels at safe and proper re-pairs due to utilization of OEM repairprocedures. There is a lot of effortput into facilitating effective commu-nication with vehicle owners, due totheir very busy lives. The Briggs AutoGroup attributes a lot of their contin-ued success to “maintaining thesame small town focus we’ve alwayshad,” Miller added.

Russ and Ilene Briggs startedBriggs Auto Group in 1979 with asmall used car lot which they’ve sincegrown into an expansive companycomprised of 12 locations. Theirlargest collision repair facility in Man-hattan, KS, repairs an average of 225vehicles each month. Briggs creditstheir success to a strong focus onputting customer satisfaction beforeprofit, and the shop also stresses thatvehicle owners must be treated withrespect.

Superior customer service isone of the benefits Briggs AutoBody enjoys from their relationshipwith Spanesi as well. Miller shared,“Spanesi has been very responsiveto any issues we’ve had. Their sup-port is excellent. They can even re-motely access our paint booths todiagnose any issues without comingto the shop.”

Briggs Auto Body is PPG refinishcertified and is an I-CAR Gold Classshop. In addition to collision repairwork, the shop offers PDR, wind-shield repair and replacement, andstorage.

The Briggs Auto Group is alsoinvolved with the community throughthe Greater Topeka Partnership andthe Washburn Tech College Advi-sory Board. In addition, they con-tribute to their local Boys and GirlsClub and numerous other charitableorganizations.

Although Miller noted a concernsurrounding receiving pressure frominsurance companies for shorterand shorter cycle times, the shop’stechnicians are able to save timeduring the repair process due to theaccuracy and efficiency of Spanesi’sproducts.

Briggs Auto Body opened in May2019 and is the 12th location for the Briggs Auto Group, foundedin 1979.

Briggs Auto Body saves time in the repair process due to the clean paintjobs produced by the Michelangelo paint booth from Spanesi.

The decision to invest in Spanesi’spaint booths, prep station andwelders was easy because thehigh quality products were pricedso competitively.

by Autobody News Staff Briggs Auto BodyLocation: Manhattan, KS785-329-2639www.briggsauto.com


Type: Automotive Group

Facility Employees: 300+


Number of Locations: 12 (includesthree collision repair facilities)

DRP Programs: Six

Combined Production Space:10,000 square feet (new location)

Spanesi AmericasTimothy W. Morgan (COO/Managing Director)(224)-SPANESI (224-772-6374) www.spanesi.com

Briggs Auto Body Saves Time With Spanesi Paint Booth


Milford Cumberland, facilities andequipment manager at No. 1 Colli-sion, often answers questions re-garding any piece(s) of equipment.Cumberland, 66, has insight on manyof the tools and equipment that thefacility obtains.

One aspect of Cumberland’sjob at No. 1 includes overseeingthe acquisition, installation and on-going maintenance for 18 USI Italiabooths. It’s an enormous invest-ment that keeps paying for itselfover and over again, and as a re-sult, Cumberland is likely NorthAmerica’s number one expert aboutthese Italian-made, high-end spraybooths.

The No. 1 Collision Centre inRichmond, British Columbia, in-vested $19 million in an impressive70,000 square feet state-of-the-artlocation on two acres.

“We call our facilities the super-stars of the industry and our largestone definitely has that ‘wow’ factor,”Cumberland said. “Other shops andmany of the OEMs request tours ofthis shop. When they see a dozenUSI Chronotechs here set up side-by-side and a range of high-end lux-ury vehicles, they are impressed—nodoubt.”

If you walked into any of theNo. 1 Collision locations, you’d findTeslas, Land Rovers, Jaguars,Porsches, Mercedes-Benzes, Audis,Volkswagens, MINIs, Ferraris,Maseratis and even a few RollsRoyces being repaired. Certified towork on this impressive assem-blage of 10 OE certifications, No. 1Collision works hard to stay currentwith the training and equipment re-quired to make this list.

CEO Rob Walker and his brotherand COO, Scott, purchased a shopin 1993 and today No. 1 Collisionrepairs more than 1,000 cars everymonth. Walker Group Inc. has builtan impressive business that includesfour collision centers in Canada andone in the U.S.

This MSO has invested approx-imately $1 million in its USI booths

after acquiring their first one in 2009.When it comes to acquiring anytools, equipment or training, Walkerisn’t afraid to pay for something ofgood value.

“We learned rather quickly thattrying to cut costs isn’t the best wayto go,” Rob Walker said. “When westarted looking at paint booths, werealized that the European oneswere superior and that USI was thebest. Our Chronotechs are likeBMWs, while some of the others aremore like KIAs. We will never buyanother type of paint booth, becausethese have proven to be superioracross the board. The technology isunmatched with incredible lighting,better air movement and sturdy con-struction.”

Cumberland agrees with Walkerand is more than willing to expoundon the capabilities and advantagesof using USI booths, he said. “Weare impressed with the USI directdrive system and its powerful motors.Some paint booths contain cheapcomponents and in the end they’renothing more than cargo boxes withlights. A great booth is one you caninstall and then not worry about it for20 years. That’s what we have withUSI.”

Whenever he purchases any-thing, Cumberland makes sure the

support is both accessible and ac-countable. “We made sure that thesupport from USI was going to bestrong before we acquired thebooths,” he said. “At the very begin-ning, all of the USI people gave metheir phone numbers, which was ablessing. They’re responsive andyou can tell they love what they’redoing. Every employee is willing toanswer our questions. We can’t af-ford to be down at any time if wewant to maintain our reputation.”

“I always tell people that to suc-ceed in this industry, you shouldnever skimp on things such as aircompressors and paint booths,”Cumberland said. “We’ve been veryfortunate with USI and now they’rean integral part of everything we dohere.”

When it comes to maintenanceand upkeep, Cumberland has ahuge calendar that tells him what toreplace and when with every USIbooth.

“With 18 of these babies, wehave to stay on top of it, so that theywill perform at a high level all thetime. With USI, we don’t have to re-place the filters or the intake andexhaust cubes as frequently as wewould with another brand, whichgives us another advantage overthe competition.”

No. 1 Collision has one of thelargest facilities in North America,with a 70,0000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art shop in Richmond, British Columbia.

Refinish Technician Ben Yi paints primarily high-end vehicles in a USIChronotech spray booth at No. 1 Collision.

Refinish Technician Anman Sanju(left) and Facilities Manager MilfordCumberland at No. 1 Collision useUSI’s EPS system to find the bestway to paint every car.

by Autobody News Staff No. 1 Collision CentresLocation: Canada & Washington State(604) 231-9614 www.no1collision.com





Number of Locations: Five


USI of North AmericaCompany Contact: Stefano [email protected](201) 405-7760www.usius.com

18 USI Italia Booths and Still Counting atNo. 1 Collision


800-699-8251800-699-8251P.O. Box 1516

Carlsbad, CA 92018

Download a PDF at:

AUTOBODY

Want to be in the next Shop and Product Showcase?Email us: [email protected]

Autobody News produces the Shop and Product Showcase (SPS) insert twice yearly, JUNE and OCTOBER

showcase shop and product...honda’s profirst program. all of the shop’s technicians are i-car...

Documents