Printed in Autobody News The 43rd installment of AASP/NJ’s NORTHEAST® Automotive Services Show is scheduled to take place at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, NJ on March 20–22. The largest automotive services show on the East Coast, NORTHEAST attracts thousands of automotive and collision repair specialists eager for the event’s educational offerings and the opportunity to visit well-known vendors on the trade show floor.  AASP/NJ Executive Director Charles Bryant stated, “We are once again looking forward to NORTHEAST. I can’t wait to attend the trade show, because it’s the number one place to see every new type of equipment and any new service being offered to our industry. There is no…

Printed in Autobody News Over the years, the automotive and collision repair industries have become more welcoming to female professionals in the traditionally male-dominated space, yet even as the number of women in the industry has increased, few females pursue careers in more technical roles. While women account for 47% of the United States’ labor force according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor in 2018, they also reported that women made up 2.4% of automotive service technicians, 1.1% of autobody repairers, and even fewer automotive glass installers and repairers. After identifying a similarly significant gender disparity in their technician and repair specialist roles, Safelite AutoGlass launched SWIFT, Safelite Women in the Field…

Printed in Autobody News On Jan. 15, ASA’s January 2020 installment of its Webinar Wednesday series featured Becky Witt, AMAM, George Witt Service in Lincoln, NE, and former AMI president and instructor, who presented “Would You Take a Job for $200 an Hour?” Based on a university-level cost accounting class, the webinar was applied to an automotive shop to provide better understanding of how pricing should be determined as well as tools to increase profits. Witt explored how the way people look at things impacts behavior, how shops leave money on the table because they don’t recognize the value in the transaction, and the use of cost accounting principles that can open new methods to increase profits.…

Printed in Autobody News On Dec. 18, ASA’s monthly Webinar Wednesday featured a discussion on “What’s Happening With Data Access Policy” with Robert L. Redding Jr., ASA Washington, D. C. representative and Greg Scott from the U. S. Vehicle Data Access Coalition. The webinar began with ASA Vice President of Industry Relations Tony Molla welcoming attendees and introducing Redding and Scott. Redding began with a review of service information and vehicle data access which started with the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments which required independent repairers to have access to the same information as dealers. Subsequent EPA regulations, what Redding called “attempts at getting it right,” proceeded to the ASA and Automaker Service Information Agreement which facilitated…

Printed in Autobody News On Dec. 11, the Women’s Industry Network (WIN) sponsored a giving event at the Blackbird Public House in Denver, CO. WIN Board Member Kim Frasher explained, “It was held to benefit the foster kids and military families of Denver public schools to provide gifts for over 90 children, many of whom have never had Christmas gifts prior to becoming a foster child. We worked once again with the ESSA program of Denver public schools, who were present to help load the gifts and then distribute them to the families.” WIN members and their teams from work were joined by collision repair program instructors and female students from Lincoln Tech as…

Printed in Autobody News The Superior Court in Union County, NJ, denied a Motion to Dismiss filed by New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance (NJM) in relation to a class-action lawsuit filed in June 2019 alleging steering-related violations against non-DRP collision repair facilities. The lawsuit is being led by Sam Mikhail on behalf of Quality Auto Painting Center d/b/a Prestige Auto Body (now dissolved) and BMR Automotive Service, Inc. d/b/a Robbie’s Automotive & Collision Specialists. The decision means the lawsuit will proceed with NJM facing accusations on a number of offenses, including injurious falsehood and tortious interference with prospective business advantage, as well as violations of the NJ Antitrust Act, NJ’s Consumer Fraud Act, and the state’s Civil RICO Act. Plaintiffs are…

Printed in Autobody News As of Jan. 1, 2020, Mike Lane stepped down from his role as executive director of the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Illinois (AASPI) after nearly three decades. The position has been filled by Brian Wojcicki who has served as AAPI’s chief lobbyist since 2015. Wojcicki shared, “I have worked closely with AASPI’s executive director over the past several years regarding association programming and membership outreach.” “I am a practicing attorney with experience in election law and regulatory drafting as well as issues involving business and association liabilities,” Wojcicki continued. “Prior to law school, I worked on various state and local campaigns and was on staff with the governor’s office of…

Printed in Autobody News The Certified Collision Group (CCG) experienced a substantial amount of growth and success in 2019, adding 164 affiliate shops and five new vendor partners in addition to increasing its internal team significantly. On Dec. 17, CCG hosted a teleconference to review the year’s successes and discuss plans to sustain and enhance their growth in 2020 and beyond. The teleconference featured CCG’s CEO Tom Matlack and COO Marty Evans, as well as Vice President of Affiliate Services Bob Cornelius, Vice President of Vendor Procurement Ernie Laky, Vice President of Insurance Services Chris Sestito, and Vice President of Marketing Jeff Ingalls who served as moderator for the discussion. Prior to the call, Ingalls had informed attendees via email…

Printed in Autobody News On Dec. 10, the North Carolina Association of Collision and Automotive Repair (NCACAR) and the South Carolina Association of Collision and Automotive Repair (SCACAR) announced their imminent merger, effective Jan. 1, 2020, to form the Carolinas Collision Association (CCA). According to CCA’s news release, the merger will “[open] up members and sponsors to opportunities that were previously unattainable.” Josh Kent, the executive director of CCA, explained “Merging the two associations made a lot of sense strategically. Vendors can expand their reach without paying separate memberships for each state, and that allows us to organize bigger incentives for our member shops.” CCA has retained an attorney for members, plus they are seeking lobbyist…

Printed in Autobody News On the evening of Nov. 16, the Auto Body Association of Texas (ABAT) hosted its 2019 Holiday Gala in San Antonio. According to ABAT President Burl Richards, “The event could not have gone better. It was a great evening with over 100 people attending. Everyone had a great time engaging with one another, eating, dancing and participating in general.” During the festivities, ABAT leadership discussed the association’s 2019 accomplishments and plans for 2020. Funds raised from the event will benefit ABAT’s PAC. Richards added, “Two legislators were in attendance, along with the local county sheriff, and they all spoke about the importance of consumer safety and how they are behind our…

Printed in Autobody News On Nov. 14, the Central Massachusetts I-CAR Committee hosted its Inaugural Axe Tournament at Half Axe in Marlborough, MA, raising funds to support collision education programs through the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF). According to Joshua Fuller, committee chair, “We had over 30 industry participants attend, including paint companies, jobbers, parts vendors, equipment vendors, collision center owners and managers. We raised over $3,500 for the local schools. It was an all-around great event.” At the committee’s September meeting, the group was discussing possible event ideas, and I-CAR’s Paul Hill suggested axe throwing since he had recently helped facilitate similar events for other groups. Fuller stated, “We started with an hour of…

Printed in Autobody News ASA Texas is excited to announce that, after a comprehensive search, the board of directors has selected Jennifer Elfert Vredenburg as executive director. Regarding the new position, Vredenburg stated, “I’m honored and excited to join an organization that focuses on the automotive service industry’s needs. I look forward to pursuing the goals of ASA, and I’m ready to embrace the challenges for creating a stronger organization with long-term success.” In addition to boasting more than 15 years’ experience in strategic marketing and graphic design, Vredenburg was exposed to the automotive industry in 1990 when the Army trained her to inspect and operate a variety of military vehicles. More recently, from…

Printed in Autobody News On Wednesday, Nov. 20, ASA hosted its monthly Webinar Wednesday featuring Jason Soto of MobileSoft Technology who discussed “The New Smartphone Consumer.” Acknowledging that there were over 257 million smartphone users in the U.S. as of 2018, Soto pointed out that this technology has changed our lives forever and focused on how business owners can capitalize on this movement. Leona Dalavai Scott, marketing and communications consultant for ASA, welcomed attendees and introduced the webinar’s guest speaker. Soto began his presentation by praising attendees for taking the time to learn more, identifying the desire to learn as a quality of leadership and a factor that contributes to success. He then noted, “The smartphone has…

Printed in Autobody News For many, making a New Year’s resolution is an important part of celebrating the calendar changeover, and the most common resolutions are intended to improve an individual’s life – losing weight, learning something new, or saving more money. Studies show that 46% of those who make a New Year’s resolution are likely to succeed. Associations supporting the collision repair industry have also begun to evaluate what improvements they can make as the old year draws to a close, and several industry leaders were willing to share their 2020 New Year’s resolutions with Autobody News. A common resolution amongst association leadership is focused on growing their organization’s membership…

Printed in Autobody News As 2019 draws to a close, the world looks back on the year and reflects on all the changes that have come with the turning of a calendar. A handful of collision repair industry leaders share their thoughts on the most impactful memories for their associations in 2019, ranging from association growth and events to future-focused enterprises, such as legislation and aiding the next generation of collision repair professionals. Many associations report growth in membership and benefits for their members. SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg discusses the group’s continued commitment to their healthcare plan and the launch of their 401K Multiple Employer Plan. “There is a significant retirement savings shortage…

Printed Autobody News On Oct. 18, Kukui Corporation’s Jimmy Lea hosted a webinar entitled “The Driving Force – Women in the Automotive Industry” where he was joined by six automotive industry experts who happen to be women as they discussed their careers and their vision of the future. Kukui’s description of the webinar pointed out, “Eighty percent of all automotive buying decisions are made by women. Every year, women spend over $200 billion on vehicle purchases and repair services. And yet, less than 20% of the total workforce in the automotive industry are women.” The panel consisted of Megan Dineff, customer service manager for Ervine’s Auto Repair; Jamie Carlson, owner of Ervine’s Auto Repair; Cindy Frasca, COO…

Printed in Autobody News On Oct. 16, ASA’s Webinar Wednesday focused on “Countering the Dealership Overtime Exemption,” which was presented by ASA’s Wage and Hour Attorney Brian Farrington of Cowles & Thompson in Dallas. He covered the basic elements of the FLSA Section 7(i) overtime exemption, which practices can lead to ineligibility for the exemption, and how to recognize when applicable state law can prevent shops from using the exemption. Tony Molla, vice president of industry relations for ASA, introduced Farrington, reminding association members that they have the ability to contact Farrington for advice. Farrington began his webinar by explaining that the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) is the basic wage and hour law…

Printed in Autobody News On Sept. 27-29, the Independent Garage Owners of North Carolina (IGONC) hosted its 2019 Automotive Service and Technology Expo (ASTE) at the Embassy Suites and Convention Center in Cary, NC. According to IGONC Executive Director Bob Pulverenti, “This was the largest ASTE ever. Shops attended from 23 states as well as Canada, and vendor booths space sold out early. We had Carm Capriotto creating live and recorded podcasts throughout the event, providing insight into the running of a business and where our industry is headed, as well as videos created by Frank Leutz of Wrench Nation featuring a technician retention deep dive.” Associate Executive Director Tricia Sauls added, “The event was amazing, far exceeding our expectations. We…

Printed in Autobody News The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) hosted its inaugural Top Tech Mentor and Mentee Competition at Ranken Technical College in St. Louis on Saturday, Sept. 28. Christen Battaglia, director of strategic partnerships for CREF and event organizer said, “The goal of the competition was to recognize the performance of the next generation of collision technicians and their mentors on critical skills necessary to repair today’s high tech vehicles. Mentor and mentee teams performed and were tested on competencies the industry has deemed necessary for an entry-level technician. CREF wants to promote mentoring and celebrate the companies and people who are preparing the next generation of collision…

Printed in Autobody News This fall, the Montana Collision Repair Association (MCRA) announced its partnership with the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) to support the state’s only collision repair training program at Montana State University (MSU) – Billings City College. MCRA President Paul Flores stated, “The MSU-Billings Collision Program is the only post-secondary automobile collision repair and refinishing program available in the state of Montana. The collision repair industry is in a unique era of growth, consolidation, and advancement in technology. At the same time, the industries talent pool lacks the volume to support the extensive personnel needs of collision repair facilities.” MCRA offers its support of MSU-Billings’ auto collision repair and refinishing program…

Printed in Autobody News The Auto Body Association of Connecticut (ABAC) returned from summer break on Sept. 26 when nearly 100 attendees gathered at the USS Chowder Pot IV in Hartford, CT, where they received updates on the association, learned about future plans, and enjoyed a presentation on “Creating a Non-Negotiable Final Bill,” delivered by Scott Simmons of CollisionAdvice. ABAC President Bob Amendola kicked things off by thanking attendees and sponsors for their continued support and attendance before introducing ABAC Legal Counsel, Attorney John Parese, who provided an update on the industry’s efforts to preserve the 1963 Consent Decree. Parese explained, “The 1963 Consent Decree is the culmination of litigation the United States Department of Justice initiated against…

Printed in Autobody News As AASP-MN continues to promote the passage of legislation that would require insurers to pay for OEM-mandated repair procedures, the association invited Representative Ruth Richardson (DFL – Mendota Heights, MN), who authored the bill in the House, to a recent meeting which was held at Heppner’s Auto Body in Inver Grove Heights, MN. “Procedures such as pre- and post-repair scans ensure that damaged vehicles returning to the road have been properly repaired,” said Kevin Walli, AASP-MN lobbyist. “Coincidentally, the meeting took place the day that Auto-Owners Insurance issued a notice that it would pay a shop’s mechanical rate for pre-repair and post-repair scans,” Walli added. “Auto Owners is taking the lead in the insurance industry…

Printed in Autobody News On Sept. 21, ASA North Texas hosted a full-day training event at Holiday Inn Express & Suites DFW West in Hurst, Texas, featuring Rick White of 180BIZ. During the morning, White presented “Succeed and Conquer With KPIs,” and the afternoon focused on “Becoming a Talent Magnet.” An officer election was also held during the meeting, and newly elected ASA North Texas President John Firm noted, “ASA Texas prides ourselves on bringing nationally known automotive repair industry instructors to our state so members can learn from the best without having to take on the expense of traveling around the country.” “The top shop owners and service writers from the Dallas-Fort Worth-Denton market…

Printed in Autobody News On Sept. 12, ASA and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM) partnered to host the 6th Annual Technology and Telematics Forum at the Hilton Garden Ballroom in Troy, MI. The first half of the day featured five panels with topics intended to prepare collision repair professionals for the imminent technological advances in the industry’s future. Bob Redding, ASA Washington, D.C., representative, described the event: “It’s an opportunity for independent repairers to hear first-hand the latest vehicle technology advances, discussions about data access, and dialogue with colleagues.” ASA Executive Director Ray Fisher felt the program was very successful, and he stated, “I want to thank the Alliance for not only their sponsorship of the program,…

Printed in Autobody News On July 27, the Kansas Auto Body Association (KABA) hosted a full-day educational event for collision repair industry professionals at Thirsty’s Brew Pub and Grill in Hays, KS. The association’s goal, according to KABA Vice President Tony Adams, “was to bring educational information on safe and proper repairs to protect Kansas consumers while strengthening our members on being better operators. The event was received well by our attendees and was a success. We brought in speakers covering subjects from I-CAR training to marketing and financials, and even had technical demonstrations with equipment.” KABA President Jeff Oldenettel discussed I-CAR’s recent enhancements, and Robb Young of P3 Consultants offered invaluable information on marketing and OEM certifications. “Financials…

Printed in Autobody News In August, Rick White of 180BIZ presented an informative webinar on “Making Change Stick” in collision repair shops. He began by asking, “How many times have you put something in place in your shop, thought you had it going, and then realize it’s gone right back to where it was before? This is one of the most frustrating things you go through as a business owner. Often, owners blame their staff, but I’m going to show you it’s not their fault and explore how to get change to stick.” White defined change as “to make the form, nature, content or future course of something different from what it is or…

Printed in Autobody News On Thursday, Aug. 22, the Kukui Corporation hosted a webinar for the automotive and collision repair industries entitled “Understanding Metrics That Drive Business to Your Shop.” Kukui’s Jimmy Lea and Patrick Egan were joined by Stéphane Grabina, owner of Excluservice; Bryan Gossel, owner of BG Auto; Tekmetric CEO Sunil Patel; and Prasanth Chilukuri, co-founder of Tekmetric, as they explored the difference between data-informed and data-driven, discussing how to use these metrics to make business decisions. Highlighting the features of Kukui’s system, Lea began, “This is an exciting topic. Successful shop owners run their business from data information, but there’s also a gut feeling that comes sometimes; the data says something could happen, but you know today isn’t the day. You…

Printed in Autobody News On Aug.17, the Women’s Industry Network (WIN) gave back to the community by collecting backpacks and other back to school necessities to benefit Denver Public Schools’ ESSA Foster and Military Family program. The event was hosted by Axiom Accident and Hail Repair in Englewood, CO, whose Director of Customer Experience Kim Frasher sits on WIN’s board of directors. Frasher shared, “The event went very smoothly and exceeded all expectations. Once Cheryl [Boswell, WIN chair] mentioned on a board call that we should have a ‘backpack drive’ type of event in Denver for WIN members and the collision repair industry in general, I got to work planning.” “We wanted to establish an active WIN member…

Printed in Autobody News On Aug. 15, ASA North Texas held a meeting, sponsored by DRiV Inc. Guest speaker Paul Stinson of North Texas Pro Solutions spoke about pre- and post-repair scans during the collision repair process. According to meeting coordinator John Firm, “The event went well. We had one new member and the ASA-Texas board present. We held the meeting to make members aware of changes in our industry and to provide an update from our sponsor about their recent changes.” ASA North Texas Secretary Rod Burtch added, “The meeting went as planned, and we had a great showing of membership. There were lots of questions about the change from Tenneco to DRiV Inc., but the meeting also provided a great opportunity for…

Printed in Fixed Ops Magazine The difficulties of finding and hiring qualified technicians to enter automotive repair shops have elicited concern and dismay from industry businesses across the country for years. Estimating that there are around 750,000 automotive technicians and mechanics nationally, the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates that the industry will need an additional 46,000 technicians by 2026. By increasing that number with consideration to the amount of technicians retiring or leaving the automotive industry for other reasons, this reveals a worrisome shortage of techs available to keep up with customer demands. Dealers may wonder if this shortage really impacts them, and the answer is yes! Since…

Printed in Autobody News With an alarming increase of ransomware attacks plaguing the collision repair industry, cybersecurity has become an important topic for shop owners to educate themselves on for the safety of their businesses. A type of cybersecurity risk, ransomware attacks are when someone seizes control of an organization’s computer system or digital information, agreeing to release it only after a ransom has been paid. Ransomware is typically spread through phishing emails with malicious attachments or by visiting an infected website, but shops have also been hacked through open ports. After infecting the victim’s system, the ransomware virus encrypts every data file it finds and displays a demand for…

Printed in Autobody News Earlier this year, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that evidence existed supporting the $2.88 million verdict awarded to JB Collision in the shop’s lawsuit against Sherwin-Williams. Originally heard in 2015, the litigation’s jury awarded $3.25 million to the shop, but after the trial, the Court partially granted Sherwin-William’s motion to reduce JB Collision’s damages to $634,357.07. In response to an appeal filed by JB Collision and JJT owner John Tyczki, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that U. S. Southern District Chief Judge Larry Burns erred in his 2016 decision. After Sherwin-Williams v. JB Collision came before the appeals court on April 25, 2019, three judges unanimously agreed that the 2015…

Printed in Autobody News Marketing is a vital component to the success of any business, but because different industries have a variety of advertising needs, an agency that truly understands the best interests of your company may be able to provide a leg up on the competition. Representing the fourth generation in her family to dedicate a career to the automotive industry, Michelle Nelson founded B2B Automotive, a full-service marketing agency that specializes in serving the collision repair industry. Nelson stated, “B2B does pretty much anything the shop needs from managing I-CAR and OEM assessments and securing DRP relationships to designing websites and managing social media. B2B Automotive has the tools and skills…

Printed in Autobody News The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) is seeking additional teams to compete in its inaugural Top Tech Mentor/Mentee Competition being held on Saturday, Sept. 28 at Ranken Technical College in St. Louis. Currently, the competition consists of teams from large national MSOs, including Caliber, Gerber and Service King, but CREF “hopes to really diversify that,” says Christen Battaglia, director of strategic partnerships for CREF. “The only requirements are that the mentee has to be at least 18 years old and has to be currently enrolled in a technical program or have attended one within the past two years,” Battaglia adds. Shelly Jones of Performance Sales Solutions is heading up the event’s volunteer committee, and she shares,…

Printed in Autobody News On July 17, Texas Watch, a non-profit consumer advocacy organization, contacted the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), asking for copies of all public documents and information related to “prevailing rate” policy language. When asked why the advocacy group got involved in this topic, Texas Watch Executive Director Ware Wendell explained, “Prevailing rate is really, at base, a safety issue. If repair professionals can’t get paid enough to do the job the right way, consumers ultimately are the ones who suffer. They are under indemnified, their vehicles are devalued, and their lives are endangered. Insurers have been cherry-picking rates and forcing policy language on us that only benefits them. That…

Printed in Autobody News On July 11, the St. Louis I-CAR Committee gathered to discuss the group’s goals and their upcoming job fair. According to Committee Chair Shelly Jones, “Regarding the goals, we are over halfway there. With upcoming events planned, we anticipate reaching Gold Status again this year.” Gene Slattery, committee education coordinator, shared information about the upcoming job fair with the group. The Gateway Automotive and Collision Job Fair is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 27, from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Gateway Motorsport Park in Madison, IL. The St. Louis I-CAR Committee anticipates the attendance of 750 automotive and collision repair high school and college students; however, due…

Printed in Autobody News Although it’s 2019 and many people will claim that gender equality has been achieved, the fact remains that society identifies distinct differences between females and males. Yet, the reality is that many expectations for the “softer sex” are a construct that doesn’t quite jive with reality. This is evidenced in the automotive and collision repair industry by the constantly increasing membership levels of women-focused organizations, such as the Women’s Industry Network (WIN) and Women in Automotive (WIA), showing just how many women are actively involved in this unconventional career field. Earlier this year, Jayme Blasiman decided that these women should be highlighted so their contributions and impact to…

Printed in Autobody News On Sept. 20 and 21, the Auto Body Association of Texas(ABAT) will host its 2019 Texas Auto Body Trade Show at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas. According to ABAT President Burl Richards, “After making headway in defending consumer safety during the latest legislative session, ABAT is now gearing up for the 2019 Texas Auto Body Trade Show. The engagement from new and returning exhibitors has already been phenomenal. When I compare where ABAT was at the time of last year’s show to where we are now, it’s clear that our message is getting out there. I encourage everyone to come out and be a…

At the end of June, Mike Parker, owner of Parker’s Classic Autoworks in Rutland, VT received a phone call from his attorney Robert McClallen informing him that they’d finally won their short-pay lawsuit against Nationwide. “I was like, ‘Finally, hallelujah!” Parker shared. “There were definitely some useful points made in the case that could be used by shops suing for short-pays in the future, especially against Nationwide – since the Supreme Court hearing utilized a five-panel jury, this could set a precedent that shops’ attorneys would want to point out.” Initially filed in 2015, Parker’s case allowed him to stand in the shoes of 70 customers whose cars had been…

Featured in Autobody News Monday, 08 July 2019 21:16 Written by Chasidy Rae Sisk Consumer Liaison Erica Eversman provides collision industry perspective during NAIC meetings.File photo Attorney Erica Eversman is well-known in the collision repair world for her work geared at educating shops about proper documentation as well as their responsibilities to the vehicle owners whose cars they repair. Earlier this year, Eversman was accepted as a consumer liaison for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and she graciously agreed to share her thoughts and goals with Autobody News readers. Q: How did you obtain the role of consumer liaison with the NAIC? A: I applied for the position. I’m not the only consumer liaison;…

Featured in Autobody News Monday, 08 July 2019 15:31 Written by Chasidy Rae Sisk Over the past few months, Collision Advice’s Mike Anderson has been contacted by over a dozen shops regarding a computer ransom scheme where body shops’ computers and IT systems are hijacked and held for ransom. Unable to access their programs and documents, victims are then contacted by the hackers with instructions on how to pay the ransom, usually in bitcoin. Ryan Cropper, owner of Able Body Shops in Anchorage, AK, stopped in his shop on the Saturday before going on vacation in November 2018. He recalls, “All of the icons looked like Christmas presents and clicking on them opened a message…

Featured in Autobody News Thursday, 06 June 2019 18:50 Written by Chasidy Rae Sisk Georgia Insurance Commissioner Jim Beck (R) was indicted in May on 38 counts of defrauding a former employer, the Georgia Underwriting Association (GUA), for a total of more than $2 million over a five-year period. In a statement, U. S. Attorney Byung J. Pak said, “Beck allegedly pocketed a substantial amount of money to which he was not entitled while he was the GUA General Manager for Operations. To be clear, the grand jury has charged Commissioner Beck with crimes that occurred before he was elected to his current public office.” Beck denied these allegations which include money laundering as well as…