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  • ABAT Member Profile: San Antonio Collision Center

    Published in Texas Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing Quality and safety are undoubtedly the most important aspects of performing a proper collision repair, but for a shop to convince customers that they will take care of their vehicle the right way, it begins by building trust.  San Antonio Collision Center (San Antonio) assures customers of their trustworthiness by striving to exceed expectations from the beginning of the process. They understand that accidents are stressful for their clientele, so they focus on providing a courteous and honest environment where vehicle owners can rely on qualified technicians to restore each car to its pre-accident condition. Although San Antonio Collision Center was founded…

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  • Beating the Drum: ABAT’s 2025 Legislative Plans

    Published in Texas Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing   ABAT’s first priority is consumer safety, and that objective guides much of what the association focuses on each year, especially when it comes to its biennial efforts to help legislators understand how proper repairs impact their constituents’ wellbeing. So, it comes as no surprise that ABAT leaders have already begun planning for the 89th legislative session, opening January 14, 2025.  Although recent sessions have seen pursuit of two pieces of legislation, ABAT is taking a new approach this time around, going back to its roots to concentrate on the importance of following OEM repair procedures and addressing the safety of aftermarket…

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  • Broke? Insurer CEOs are Rolling in Dough

    Published in New England Automotive Report – Thomas Greco Publishing Up and up and UP!  From east to west and north to south, drivers all over the country have seen significant increases in their auto insurance policies. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index (CPI), the cost of motor vehicle insurance in the first half of this year rose by nearly 21 percent compared to the first half of 2023, an annual trend that has intensified since the pandemic. The average cost of premiums in the first half of 2019 saw an increase of just 1.6 percent compared to the previous year, yet from the first…

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  • You Can’t Afford a Poor Shop Culture!

    Published in AASP-MN News – Thomas Greco Publishing Good employees are hard to find and expensive to keep…but replacing them can also be costly in more ways than the financial aspect, since you never know exactly who you’re getting until you’ve already hired them.  Once you’ve built a successful team, it is imperative that you keep them. Yet, employee retention is one of the industry’s largest struggles these days, as owners contend with other fields seeking to “steal” valuable workers. To compete with these entities, shop owners must find ways to keep employees engaged and motivated in their jobs, an effort that largely relates to the culture that has been developed in…

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  • Role Segmentation: Strengthening the Machine

    Published in Texas Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing A machine is defined as “an apparatus using or applying mechanical power and having several parts, each with a definite function and together performing a particular task.” Machines work by accepting an input, transforming or modifying it in some way and then releasing the output of its efforts.  Most discussions and examples of a “machine” will include references to automobiles, a vital piece of the collision repair industry, yet there’s an even more important machine that plays a role in this field: the shop itself! Each repair facility (apparatus) requires several parts (employees) to use or apply their power to function together…

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  • The Non-Existent Clause: A Policyholder’s Nightmare

    Published in New Jersey Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing One bright afternoon in August, Ashley*, a 19-year-old college student, drove down the Parkway on her way home from a shopping expedition with her mother, who was a passenger in her car. When the traffic in front of her slowed down, Ashley slowly engaged her brakes – but the person behind her did not. CRASH! Pulling to the side of the road, Ashley exchanged information with the other driver, but when she attempted to file a claim with the at-fault party’s insurance company, she learned that they had not paid their insurance bill and their card was invalid; they were uninsured. …

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  • Automotive Education Advances to Meet New Demands

    Published in AASP-MN News – Thomas Greco Publishing Last month, AASP-MN News shared how two schools’ automotive technology programs are thinking outside the box to address the challenges they face in providing students with the tools and knowledge they need to become successful shop employees after graduation, but with today’s technology advancing faster all the time, several enlightened educators have seen the opportunity to take things a step further by creating new initiatives that specifically target some of the industry’s changing demands.  These schools have taken the initiative to offer unique courses that address shops’ developing needs. Two years ago, Minnesota State Community and Technical College (Moorhead) received a $349,652 grant from…

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  • Embracing Opportunity: Collision Shops Bring Calibrations In House

    Published in New England Automotive Report – Thomas Greco Publishing It’s no secret that the majority of new vehicles being sold today include ADAS. In fact, around 95 percent of light duty vehicles manufactured in 2023 came equipped with automatic emergency braking, according to CCC Intelligent Solutions’ 2024 Q1 Crash Course Report (available at cccis.com/reports/crash-course-2024/q1) – and experts anticipate that number will continue rising as consumers increasingly rely on these types of safety systems.  With cars being produced with a growing number of electronic components, it’s no wonder that the majority of repairs necessitate calibrations to maintain those components’ functionality following an accident, though the frequency of shops performing calibrations does…

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  • Shielding Your Shop from Tragedy

    Published in Hammer & Dolly – Thomas Greco Publishing Catastrophes may strike without warning, but being proactive can help shop owners avoid becoming the next tragedy. Unfortunately, a lot of collision repair facility owners do not have enough coverage through their business insurance, according to David Willett of Spark Underwriters. “From a risk management standpoint, it’s just as important to make sure your insurance policy reflects today’s needs as it is to send your technicians to training or to invest in current tools; it’s an aspect of running a fine-tuned, efficient business,” he insists, recommending an annual review of one’s policy at a bare minimum, though his company monitors their…

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  • Your Business Insurance Coverage Isn’t Enough!

    Published in Hammer & Dolly – Thomas Greco Publishing Just like drivers purchase auto insurance policies to cover them in the event of a loss, shop owners invest in business insurance that will protect their assets if the unthinkable happens…but is it enough?  According to Peter Kelyman of Wheaton Body Shop (Wheaton, MD), it probably isn’t, especially if your policy was written years ago and simply renewed without being thoroughly reviewed! Unfortunately, Kelyman learned this lesson the hard way when his shop went up in flames – literally! He agreed to share his story with Hammer & Dolly in hopes of preventing other shop owners from suffering a similar scenario.  Kelyman first…

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  • Thinking Outside the Box: Automotive Educators Keep Pace with Industry Innovations

    Published in AASP-MN News – Thomas Greco Publishing There’s no denying that the skilled trades are in dire need of qualified talent to fill the void being left as baby boomers reach the age of retirement, but many tech school programs teach licensed industries that don’t change quickly – technology and techniques related to plumbing, cosmetology and most other “trades” remain fairly fixed year after year.  Automotive technology is a different beast altogether. “Very few technical programs are driven by such rapidly-changing technology and consumer demands,” AASP-MN Executive Director Linden Wicklund points out, acknowledging that shops often complain that schools are failing to keep up with these rapid changes. “Automotive…

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  • Cultivating a Winning Shop Culture

    Published in Texas Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing The collision repair industry’s workforce shortage keeps coming up again and again as shops struggle to staff their facilities with qualified help, but at the same time, stories abound of technicians leaving the industry for other fields – even for jobs at Amazon or McDonald’s! Many experts believe the industry’s problem isn’t recruitment but retention, and even with an unlimited supply of incoming technicians, it will never be enough if the work environment isn’t a place where people want to stay. It’s all about developing a work culture that keeps employees happy and motivated and, in turn, results in higher customer satisfaction.…

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  • A New Era: ABAT Bleeds Red, White and Blue for Texas Repairers

    Published in Texas Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing Over the past decade, ABAT has done some truly great things for the Texas collision repair industry. Whether the association is hosting local training sessions that feature nationally renowned educators, bringing the best vendors and speakers from around the country to the annual Texas Auto Body Trade Show, educating legislators at the Capitol in Austin or challenging the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) to protect consumers’ rights, there’s no doubt about it – ABAT continues to do everything possible to support auto body repairers in the Lone Star State. Earlier this year, ABAT celebrated its double digits (check it out at grecopublishing.com/txa0224coverstory). Now,…

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  • Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop: Will Others Follow asTech/GEICO’s Path?

    Published in New Jersey Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing Two’s company, three’s a crowd, but four on the sidewalk is not allowed! The simple childhood proverb offers a lot of wisdom in terms of business contracts, especially in the collision repair industry where it’s not uncommon for confusion to exist when it comes to which entities a repair facility owes its loyalty: the customer who brings the vehicle into the shop or the insurance company that typically compensates for the repair. But when another type of business – a vendor – recently decided to insert itself into the equation, collision leaders and business owners around the country immediately made their…

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  • Cybersecurity Concerns: Fortify Your Data Defenses

    Published in New England Automotive Report – Thomas Greco Publishing Protecting your shop’s assets requires forethought and preparation, and these days, data is often considered more valuable than gold. Headlines over the summer featured a cyberattack against CDK Global – used by 15,000 dealerships – which led the software to be shut down for weeks, causing parts supply disruptions across the country. Although CDK’s situation has been resolved, the data breach raises concerns about what level of risk cybercriminals pose to automotive businesses. A 2023 report conducted by CDK (bit.ly/CDKreport2023) indicated that 17 percent of dealers experienced a cyberattack in the previous year. And cyberattacks prove increasingly costly. Citing research…

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  • Is a Partial Repair Ever “Good Enough?” Part 2

    Published in AASP-MN News – Thomas Greco Publishing Collision industry leaders consistently emphasize the importance of performing a “complete and proper repair” in accordance with OEM recommendations in order to restore a vehicle to its pre-accident condition, but – for a variety of reasons – shops may not be performing every single task. Are all those repairs necessary? If the vehicle is still “driveable” without addressing those issues, is it “good enough”…or should shops be refusing these partial repairs? Last month, AASP-MN News explored this subject with experts on the mechanical side of the industry (available at grecopublishing.com/aasp0824coverstory). Now, the conversation continues with two leading collision consultants: Mike Anderson (Collision Advice) and…

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  • Slaying a Giant: Consumer Defeats Progressive in Short-Pay Lawsuit

    Published in New Jersey Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing Walking into a courtroom to confront a massive corporation like Progressive Insurance on a short-pay lawsuit would intimidate many people. And Carmen Torres* acknowledges she was one of those people. She admits to being terrified when she realized that her case was actually going to trial, but armed with documentation from her collision repair shop, she walked away with justice served and a sense of empowerment from her encounter with the insurance giant. It all began when Torres was rear-ended in her newly-leased Mazda which only had a couple hundred miles on it. She had been in a couple fender benders…

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  • Overcoming Adversity to Take A Family’s Legacy to the Next Level

    Published in Hammer & Dolly – Thomas Greco Publishing It’s the dream for many – open your own auto body shop to provide a nice life for your family. One day, when you retire, your children will take over to continue your legacy. Sounds lovely, but sometimes life has other plans. Although no father intends to burden his 22-year-old child and her new spouse with a floundering business, there’s no doubt that the late Roland O’Haran Sr. would be extremely proud of his daughter and son-in-law, Jenn and Kyle Goad, for turning a struggling shop into a success story by overcoming the odds after being unexpectedly thrown into ownership. O’Haran,…

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  • Is a Partial Repair Ever Good Enough?

    Published in AASP-MN News – Thomas Greco Publishing “Complete and proper repair” – it’s the golden standard that gets emphasized and reiterated in industry documentation and training events, and in a perfect world, of course every shop always performs every single task associated with restoring a car to its factory or pre-accident condition. But in the real world, various factors may create scenarios where shops do NOT address every item on that extensive list. Sometimes, it’s accidental; the shop fails to properly diagnose all the necessary repair items. Maybe the aftermarket warranty company or insurer debates whether certain repairs are truly necessary, or perhaps the customer refuses to invest in something they…

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  • Is Time Finally Up for Total Loss Under-Indemnification Tactics?

    Published in Texas Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing When a vehicle owner brings their car to a shop after an accident, they typically expect it to be repaired, so it’s a tough blow when they learn their vehicle has been deemed a total loss. It’s even more upsetting when their insurance carrier shortchanges them by undervaluing the actual cash value (ACV) of the loss. Yet, that’s a common occurrence these days as demonstrated by the prevalence of allegations, lawsuits and settlements related to under-indemnification. While shops, vehicle owners and consumer advocates have been bringing these concerns to the forefront for a number of years through a variety of methods, a…

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  • Doing It Differently: The Fight for Appraisal Expands

    Published in Texas Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing Texans deserve to drive safe vehicles, even after their car is damaged in an accident; however, proper vehicle repairs can be costly, and it’s all-too-common for insurance carriers to use unfair methodologies to undervalue both repairable and total loss vehicles, thereby under-indemnifying their policyholders. This is no surprise to collision repairers who repeatedly witness this tragic situation, and for years, shops have taken this burden on their shoulders, encouraging customers to utilize the Appraisal Clause in their policies to get a fairer shake. Unfortunately, in 2015, the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) permitted State Farm to eliminate the Appraisal Clause from its…

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  • Forging a Path to the Future Through Specialization

    Published in New England Automotive Report – Thomas Greco Publishing Navigating the rapidly advancing technology of the collision repair industry has created many challenges for shops as they struggle to keep pace with all the changes happening on what seems like a daily basis. These days, properly repairing vehicles requires investing in specific tools, equipment and training – all of which vary drastically depending on the vehicle make and model.  It can be difficult to see the forest for the trees, but technology truly presents some amazing opportunities for those who are willing to take a step back and embrace some different ways of proceeding. The path forward may look…

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  • Fair or Foul? Ford Dealer Offers Opt-OE Parts for OE Prices

    Published in Texas Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing “Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.” Henry Ford’s famous quote speaks to a level of integrity that many aspire to achieve…many, but not all. Over the past couple of months, David Osburn (David McDavid Ford Collision Center; Fort Worth) noticed something odd related to parts pricing. “Insurers began writing estimates that called for opt-OE parts from [a Central Texas Ford dealership] due to the lower price, but when I called the dealership to order the part, I was told that my cost would be the same as for an OE part, even though the MSRP for the opt-OE…

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  • A.I. for Dummies: Embracing the Business Benefits

    Published in New Jersey Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing What is artificial intelligence (AI)? Cinema and literature depict computer programs and robots assuming human-like personalities and taking over the world. While most of us recognize the fictional aspect of the science-fiction genre, plenty of misconceptions and fears related to AI abound, even as it becomes an increasingly integral part of everyday business. Although we often fall into the habit of viewing AI as “the future,” it is actually being used today in myriad ways that can benefit collision repair facilities – from damage analysis to improving the customer experience, AI tools offer the ability for shops to work smarter, not harder. “AI…

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  • Dancing in the Sky: Remembering Longtime AASP/NJ Board Member Sam Mikhail

    Published in New Jersey Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing Fearless and outspoken. Dedicated and loyal. Passionate and relentless.  Auto body professionals and friends used these words over and over as they reflected on the legacy and impact left on the industry and their own lives by Sam Mikhail, longtime AASP/NJ Board member, who passed away on March 12 at the age of 80. “Sam was determined to make the industry better and willing to do whatever was necessary to make that happen,” AASP/NJ Executive Director Charles Bryant shared. “He was dedicated, relentless, direct and to the point, and he was willing to put in whatever effort necessary to accomplish his…

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  • Only Time Will Tell: Is Consolidation Coming to New England?

    Published in New England Automotive Report – Thomas Greco Publishing Consolidation is nothing new in the collision repair industry; it first caught repairers’ attention in the late 1990s and early 2000s when Caliber, Gerber and Service King entered the market in California and Texas, purchasing independent shops and converting them to their brands. But since 2013, “big” has gotten even bigger, spreading all across the country, as increasing technology and the rising cost of doing business make the idea of selling the keys to the shop for a pretty penny more palatable to mom-and-pop operations pursued by the deep-pocketed consolidators and multi-shop operations (MSOs) interested in expanding their footprint.  Over…

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  • Continuing the Legacy: A Q&A with New WMABA President Kris Burton

    Published in Hammer & Dolly – Thomas Greco Publishing After three years under the leadership of Past President Steve Krieps (Greg Cline Auto Body; Winfield, WV), who bid adieu to his role in last month’s Hammer & Dolly (available at bit.ly/HD-0324), WMABA has a new head honcho, current President Kris Burton (Rosslyn Auto Body; Alexandria, VA), a dedicated collision industry professional whose affiliation with the association spans more than two decades.  What can members expect as WMABA moves into this new era? Burton sat down with Hammer & Dolly to help readers get to know him a little better as he shares his thoughts on what he hopes to accomplish as he takes the reins.…

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  • Act II: Waiting for Progressive to Act in Good Faith

    Published in New England Automotive Report – Thomas Greco Publishing “ESTRAGON: I can’t go on like this. VLADIMIR: That’s what you think.” ― Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett Waiting for insurers to do the right thing by their policyholders often feels like an exercise in futility, much like sitting around and waiting for someone who never shows up. Waiting for Godot is often described as a play in which nothing happens, and some shop owners can attest to the fact that attempts to negotiate with carriers may feel just as endlessly repetitive with no resolution.  Last year, Texas Automotive featured “A Comedy of Under-Indemnification: Starring Progressive” (available online at grecopublishing.com/txa1123coverstory), which told the story of a shop…

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  • ABAT Celebrates a Decade

    Published in Texas Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing It’s hard to believe that 10 years ago, ABAT did not officially exist yet. But in the association’s earliest days, it set out to address some pretty specific matters impacting collision repair shops in Texas. Since its inception, ABAT has made some huge strides for the auto body world and is still going strong as it celebrates a decade of dedication to this industry. In early 2014, the idea began to take hold during an estimating seminar at Paint Works (Tyler). Burl Richards (Burl’s Collision Center; Henderson) and Chad Neal, owner of Paint Works, had engaged in several conversations about the need…

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  • Battling for Right to Appraisal: Do You Understand the Impact?

    Published in Texas Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing Last month, Texas Automotive’s cover story (available at grecopublishing.com/txa0124coverstory) focused on one consumer’s generous donation to the fight for mandatory appraisal rights in Texas. We know you’re absolutely itching to know how the elected steward of those funds, Robert McDorman (Auto Claim Specialists), plans to use them in his fight for Right to Appraisal…and those details will be revealed next month. But in order to appreciate exactly why it’s so important to pursue this battle, it’s imperative for collision repairers to understand the impact of Right to Appraisal (RTA). Sure, you can flip through the pages of nearly any past issue of this magazine to…

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  • Are Insurance Premium Spikes a Ripoff?

    Published in New Jersey Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing If it seems like your auto insurance premiums increased more than ever last year, you aren’t too far off base. Nationally, premiums rose by approximately 20 percent in 2023. That means insurance coverage costs rose six times faster than the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate of 3.4 percent, outpacing nearly every other common consumer cost and reflecting the largest annual increase since 1976. And those rate spikes are anticipated to continue in 2024 with predictions indicating an increase of 12.6 percent nationwide…and New Jersey drivers could see one of the highest increases of up to 34 percent! Insurance premium prices…

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  • Eight Years Wasted: Rick Starbard Reflects on His Time with the ADALB

    Published in New England Automotive Report – Thomas Greco Publishing When AASP/MA Past President Rick Starbard (Rick’s Auto Collision; Revere) was appointed to the Auto Damage Appraiser Licensing Board (ADALB) in June 2015 – alongside former Board member Lyle Pare (Plymouth Rock Assurance Corporation and current Board member Bill Johnson (Pleasant Street Auto; South Hadley/Belchertown) – many Commonwealth repairers viewed the big changes as signifying a new era for the ADALB. But that era came to an abrupt end last fall when Starbard was unceremoniously replaced by his predecessor, Carl Garcia (Carl’s Collision Center; Fall River). In fact, no mention was made of the new appointments when the Board gathered…

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  • Digging Deep in His Pockets to Protect the Right to Appraisal

    Published in Texas Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing It’s easy enough for people to claim they’re willing to “put their money where their mouth is” when there isn’t much money involved, but few people are actually willing to invest time, energy and money – and certainly not all three! – to stand by their convictions and do what’s right to protect others. Texas consumer Joe Collins is a rare exception to that rule. Last summer, a Rusk County District Court jury ruled in Collins’ favor in Joseph Wayne Collins v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company. During the trial, 12 Texans found the insurance giant had knowingly or intentionally engaged in…

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  • Information Providers Inspired by SCRS Blend Study to Research Blend Times

    Published in Texas Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing “Sometimes it takes time to get people where you need them to be, to a place where they get it,” Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg acknowledged during a recent ABAT webinar as he provided an “exciting” update on responses to the SCRS blend study, which was unveiled in November 2022 and revealed that blending takes an average of 31.59 percent more time than a full refinish, instead of 50 percent less time as all three major information providers (IPs) indicated by calculating blends at 50 percent of the full refinish time. Before diving into the recent progress made as a result…

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  • New Faces at the ADALB: A Q&A with Carl Garcia

    Published in New England Automotive Report – Thomas Greco Publishing During the October meeting of the Auto Damage Appraiser Licensing Board (ADALB), two new members sat at the table: Carl Garcia (Carl’s Collision Center; Fall River) and Vicky Wei Ye (Bos Insurance Agency). The meeting ran without interruption, and the recent additions briefly introduced themselves at the end of the meeting after weighing in on Board business – and even voting on the revocation of an appraiser’s license! But who are these new Board members, and what are their qualifications? New England Automotive Report reached out to Garcia and Ye to request an interview. Although Ye did not respond to our request,…

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  • Lessen the Learning Curve with SOPs

    Published in New England Automotive Report – Thomas Greco Publishing Training new employees can be stressful – even if you hire an experienced estimator, painter or technician, it’s unlikely they’ve ever done things the way YOU want them done at YOUR facility…after all, they’ve never worked for YOU before, and everyone does things differently. There’s always a learning curve when a new employee joins your team! Someone who is competent (or even highly skilled) could struggle to assimilate into your shop culture simply because your processes are different than what they’re used to. But what if there was a way to help them get accustomed to your way of doing…

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  • Moving Forward: A Q&A with New AASP/NJ President Ken Miller

    Published in New Jersey Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing At AASP/NJ’s 2023 Annual Meeting, the association elected a new president for the first time since 2017. Last month, Past President Jerry McNee (Ultimate Collision Repair; Edison) reflected on his six years of service, but what about the future of the organization? That lies in the capable hands of current President Ken Miller (821 Collision; North Haledon) who sat down with New Jersey Automotive to share his thoughts on what association members can expect moving forward under his leadership. New Jersey Automotive: What industry experience do you bring to your new role as AASP/NJ President? Ken Miller: I started my career in this industry 35…

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  • A Comedy of Under-Indemnification: Starring Progressive Insurance

    Published in Texas Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing “Ill deeds is doubled with an evil word.”  – The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare, Act 3, Scene 2 Art imitates life, and sometimes, life imitates art. When William Shakespeare penned The Comedy of Errors toward the end of the 16th century, it’s highly unlikely that even the Bard could have imagined a connection between his first tragicomedy and the interactions between collision repair shops and certain insurers in 2023.  Yet, it’s common for insurers to treat the topic of under-indemnification as comedic when it is, in fact, quite a tragedy for the shops contending with the challenges it poses as well as the consumers…

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  • Valiant Hearts: ABAT Members Donate Repairs to Local Mom

    Published in Texas Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing If an auto body professional is asked why they pursued a career path in this industry, their explanation will almost always include some variation of “I wanted to help people.” So, when ABAT Executive Director Jill Tuggle turned to social media to post a plea on behalf of a local mom-in-need, it’s really no surprise that association members jumped at the opportunity to lend their aid. “A local ministry I volunteer for has a specific need. Please let me know if anyone is willing to help,” Tuggle addressed the Texas Collision Industry group on Facebook, requesting assistance for Valiant Hearts, an organization…

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  • Tackling the Tough Topics: An Executive Director Roundtable

    Published in New Jersey Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing The collision repair industry grows increasingly complex year after year…and sometimes day by day! From dealing with insurers to educating consumers to enhancing your shop’s abilities through training initiatives, these struggles may seem insurmountable, but with a little knowledge and preparation, shops can tackle the toughest trials and tribulations. Few individuals understand exactly what shops are facing each day as thoroughly as the leaders of the nation’s most influential associations who graciously shared their thoughts. We discussed some of the most pressing topics shops are facing with AASP/NJ Executive Director Charles Bryant, AASP/MA Executive Director Lucky Papageorg, AASP-MN Executive Director Linden…

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  • Is Inflation Good for Your Body Shop? Part 2

    Published in New England Automotive Report – Thomas Greco Publishing Rising interest rates and inflated prices often cause shoppers to tighten their purse strings, an action that can create a lot of economic uncertainty for small business owners, but in a country that relies heavily on their personal vehicles, the auto body industry may be a bit more resistant to recession concerns than other industries, allowing shops to take advantage of different opportunities that simply don’t exist in other areas. As discussed in last month’s New England Automotive Report, inflation may actually be a positive thing for body shop owners…as long as they’re charging the right amount for their labor and following…

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  • Not-So-Good Hands: Allstate Drops the Ball on P&M Rates, Sublet Scan Costs

    Published in New Jersey Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing Don Harvey, manager for a North Jersey body shop, had been receiving compensation from Allstate Insurance on sublet-paid vehicle scans as well as paint and material costs for quite some time without experiencing any issues, but that changed earlier this year when he submitted a virtual assist supplement that has yet to be resolved, over three months later. In response to the supplement, Allstate’s Ruby Felton promised to “get back to me and send the supplement, but she never called me to discuss any differences,” reports Harvey, who provided an invoice for the sublet scan and a vehicle-and-color-specific copy of the…

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  • Is Inflation Good for Your Body Shop? Part 1

    Published in New England Automotive Report – Thomas Greco Publishing For the past two years, Americans have seen some of the highest rates of inflation they’ve ever witnessed, creating a feeling of dread among small business owners from coast to coast. But for auto body shops, these fears may be in vain since the public’s need to hang onto their cars longer has actually resulted in more work for many facilities. Although no industry is fully recession-proof, collision repair may be more resistant to these economic dilemmas than other fields. By embracing the opportunities that exist – and collecting fair and adequate compensation for the difficult work you perform – your business…

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  • Progressive Poaching Body Shop Repair Planners

    Published in Texas Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing Collision repair shops face many challenges every single day, and some of today’s biggest include the ongoing workforce shortage and the need to contend with insurance adjusters who repeatedly insist that they “don’t pay for that.” Ironically, those same companies that don’t approve shops’ repair plans because they dislike the way shops’ “estimates” are written have been attempting to steal repair planners from Texas shops! Two shop owners have recently dealt with Progressive’s poaching attempts, and they want to make others aware of what’s happening. ABAT President Burl Richards (Burl’s Collision; Henderson) first brought the matter to light. “Two years ago, we…

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  • Is the NJ DOBI Protecting Insurers or Consumers?

    Published in New Jersey Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) is responsible for regulating the state’s insurance industry (along with its banking and real estate industries), yet insurance companies’ abuses run rampant in the Garden State. And despite attempts to alert the agency to disregarded regulations and other evidence of poor behavior on the part of carriers, DOBI continues to willfully ignore these abuses that negatively impact New Jersey consumers. Attorney Michael Jurista (Jurista Law LLC) has been in contact with DOBI on numerous occasions on behalf of his clients. While initially hopeful that DOBI would be neutral in investigating complaints, his…

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  • Appraisal: An Issue of Life and Death

    Published in Texas Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing At first glance, it may appear like Right to Appraisal is a pecuniary matter, but as Ware Wendell (Texas Watch) stressed during a recent installment of the consumer organization’s podcast, In Conversation: Auto Appraisal with Robert McDorman, auto appraisal is “literally an issue of life and death. It’s about getting to a fair number that allows repair professionals the time they need to do the job the right way, to make that repair as safe as possible so that, heaven forbid, if we’re in another collision, the vehicle will perform correctly and protect its occupants, that it won’t come apart at the seams.”…

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  • Commonwealth Collision Repairers Contemplate SCRS Blend Study Results

    Published in New England Automotive Report – Thomas Greco Publishing It’s no secret to collision repair professionals that blending a panel necessitates more time, skill and even material than a simple refinish job; however, for decades, shops have been forced to accept half the labor hours on a blend, based on formulas utilized by the major information providers (IPs). Although Audatex, Mitchell and CCC each define refinish times differently, all three IPs utilize a uniform blending formula of 50 percent of refinish time on two-stage refinish, with CCC and Mitchell allowing 70 percent of refinish time to blend three-stage colors – formulas which have finally been demonstrated to be a…

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  • Doing It His Way: A Celebration of John Mosley’s Life

    Published in Texas Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing Few people get to leave this world on their own terms, but true to who he was as a person, John Mosley, age 69, shed his mortal coil on December 21 just how he lived his life: his way. An aviation aficionado who owned and flew historic airplanes, Mosley was even more devoted to Carolyn, his wife of 48 years and his children, Patty and Daniel. In addition to owning Clinton Body Shop, Hangar 360 Aircraft Services and John’s 360 Coatings, Mosley served on the Board of Directors for the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) and was a founding member of…

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  • ADAS All Over…But Where Are the Calibrations?

    Published in New England Automotive Report – Thomas Greco Publishing Between rear cameras, blind spot monitors, emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and many other systems, ADAS is everywhere, often lurking beneath the surface of today’s vehicles from bumper to bumper. But like so many things, it’s easy to fall into the pattern of “out of sight, out of mind,” yet ignoring the need to calibrate these important safety features can have catastrophic consequences for your customers…and your business. For at least the past several decades, collision industry leaders have preached the necessity of pre- and post-repair scans, and their efforts have finally paid off. According to the 2022 “Who Pays for…

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  • Is the TDI’s Head Stuck in the Sand?

    Published in Texas Automotive – Thomas Greco Publishing The battle over Right to Appraisal has been raging since 2014 when State Farm petitioned for – and won – the ability to remove the Appraisal Clause from their policies in the Lone Star State. Yet, GEICO’s recent petition was rejected, and advocacy groups like ABAT and Texas Watch seek to ensure that continues to be the case, guaranteeing Texas consumers maintain the ability to combat under-indemnification issues when necessary. During the House Insurance Committee’s public hearing on Right to Appraisal in September, collision professionals joined consumer advocates in drawing a clear line in the sand to indicate their belief that mandatory…

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