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Managing Military Veterans in Collision Repair Shops
As we celebrate Independence, we honor the men and women of the U. S. military who gave their lives for our country, ensuring our continued independence. But it’s important to realize many military veterans have returned home and need gainful employment. The collision repair industry offers great career options for military veterans, who offer unique skills that can bring a lot of value to shops; however, some shop owners hesitate to hire veterans due to misconceptions or simply a lack of understanding about what the skills on a military vet’s resume actually mean! WrenchWay addressed some of these concerns during a recent roundtable, “Managing Military Veterans in the Shop,” moderated…
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Stop Creating More Questions Than Answers: BASF’s John Shoemaker Shares Damage Appraisal Documentation Tips with TCRA
“Does what you write provide answers… or create more questions?” asked John Shoemaker, AMAM, Business Development Manager for BASF Automotive Refinish Coatings, as he presented “Damage Appraisal Documentation: Improving documentation through repair process explanation” to members of the Tennessee Collision Repairers Association (TCRA) during a recent virtual estimating class. “Appraisal documentation needs to answer the who, what, when, where and how; we need to clearly communicate those things to everyone involved. Fortunately, we have a lot of tools to help us do that.” Providing step-by-step documentation tips to maximize reimbursement on a variety of operations, Shoemaker demonstrated how to use estimate lines, line notes, and photos to effectively document the…
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IGONC Learns How to Attract More Technicians!
By Chasidy Rae Sisk “None of you have problems finding more technicians, right?” quipped Jay Goninen, president of Find a Wrench and WrenchWay, as he began talking to members of the Independent Garage Owner of North Carolina (IGONC) during his April 20th presentation on “How to Attract More Technician to Your Shop.” Noting the previous sarcasm, Goninen acknowledged, “The industry’s tech shortage is a huge problem that affects every shop.” After summarizing his lifelong involvement in the automotive and collision repair industries, Goninen kicked things off by helping attendees understand the tech shortage. Showing a pie chart indicating that 73% of technicians are employed and unsatisfied, Goninen noted, “Besides the…
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WyoTech Enrollment Increases by Nearly 6,000% in Three Years
By Chasidy Rae Sisk When a new local ownership group purchased the Laramie, Wyoming campus in July 2018, only 11 students were enrolled in WyoTech’s automotive, diesel and collision programs. After just three years, WyoTech expects to “see approximately 650 students on our campus by our October 2021 start,” according to Cindy Barlow, director of industrial outreach at WyoTech. Specializing in educating students for careers in the automotive, diesel and collision industries, WyoTech was founded in 1966 to “provide a top-notch concentrated training program that prepared students for the growing demand for technicians,” according to the school’s website. WyoTech underwent several changes in ownership since the turn of the century,…
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Women in Wrenching: How Can We Attract More Women to the Industry? A WrenchWay Roundtable
By Chasidy Rae Sisk “How can the automotive and collision repair industries attract more women to these fields?” That’s the question Christen Battaglia, director of strategic partnerships at WrenchWay, posed during the organization’s “Women in Wrenching” roundtable on March 24th. Four female industry professionals shared their thoughts on this complex problem: Carolyn Coquillette, founder and CEO of Shop-Ware; Audra Fordin, owner of Great Bear Auto Repair and founder of Women Auto Know; Cheryl Thompson, founder and CEO of the Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion and Advancement (CADIA); and Brittany Parker, Master Subaru technician at Maple Hill Auto Group. After introducing the panelists, Battaglia explained the reason for the roundtable: “We’re…
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Getting to Know WIN’s 2021 Most Influential Women
By Chasidy Rae Sisk The Women’s Industry Network (WIN®) recently announced that TEN collision repair industry professionals will be honored as Most Influential Women (MIW) in 2021. This year’s list of honorees is the largest group to be recognized in the 22 years since the award’s inception. “This year presented the panel with 10 high scoring individuals. This is a testament to the caliber of women in a wide variety of roles who are extreme shining examples of opportunities in the collision industry,” said Kathy Mello, Chair of WIN’s MIW committee. WIN’s 2021 MIW honorees are: Jennifer Boyer, director of strategy, customer service division, Ford Motor Company Kelly Broderick, global…
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WrenchWay Connects Schools with Collision Repair Industry
The collision repair industry has been contending with a massive technician shortage for years, as few students enroll in educational programs and existing technician leave the industry. Last year, Find A Wrench started a sister company, WrenchWay, to help “solve the automotive, diesel and collision technician shortage.” Although the organization started with only one product, Top Shops, they quickly expanded to add WrenchWay Insiders, a mobile app for technicians to share feedback about the industry. The debut of WrenchWay School Connect followed shortly after, as part of the organization’s continued efforts to connect industry employers, technicians, and the schools training the industry’s future technicians. According to Christen Battaglia, Director of…
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Dream It, Brand It, Own It: Jan Griffiths Shares Tips on Converting Dreams into Reality
By Chasidy Rae Sisk “Dream more, fear less,” Jan Griffiths, president and founder of Gravitas Detroit, told members of the Automotive Women’s Alliance Foundation (AWAF) on Jan. 14. During “Dream It! Brand It! Own It!,” Griffiths provided useful tips that can help automotive and collision professionals turn dreams into reality by crafting and executing a vision, staying focused, saying ‘no’, and managing distractions. The presentation, according to Griffiths, was “the origin of my story and breaking through barriers to move from being a farmer’s daughter in a small town in Wales to becoming one of the top 100 women in the automotive industry and now an entrepreneur.” Beginning with dreaming,…
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Opportunities in the Automotive Industry: Professionals Urge Students to Consider Career Options in WAC Video Series
“Industry professionals promoting automotive careers” – that’s the mission of Women in Automotive and Collision (WAC), and many of the association’s efforts are geared towards inspiring young people to consider occupations in the automotive and collision repair industries. Typically, WAC members educate students and parents about the industry’s great career options during job fairs and other in-person events, but the challenges of social distancing led WAC to get creative in 2020. They appealed to the industry, asking for short video clip contributions which the association compiled into an awareness-raising series: Opportunities in the Automotive Industry. “Our mission has been accomplished in the past by members’ participation throughout the year: setting…
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Women Encouraging Women in the 2021 Collision Repair Industry
by Chasidy Rae Sisk Although the automotive industry is typically considered “a man’s world,” women have been impacting the automotive sphere since it began. In addition to financing the development of the Benz Patent-Motorwagen in 1885, Bertha Benz promoted the first automobile by taking the first long-distance road trip, proving the vehicle’s capability. She also proved her capability, contributing to the vehicle’s design by inventing brake lining, suggesting extra gears, and identifying solutions to other problems she encountered during her field test. Mary Anderson created the first functional windshield wiper in 1903, and Florence Lawrence invented the first turn signal seven years later. In more recent years, Danica Patrick was…
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NY Shop Reopens After Self-Imposed COVID-19 Shutdown
When New York Governor Andre Cuomo closed schools on March 16th to prevent the continued spread of COVID-19 in one of the country’s hardest hit regions, Frog Hollow Collision in Bethpage, NY closed its doors for over six weeks. The decision was made by owner Anthony DeMieri whose goal was protecting his employees, his customers, and his own family from the virus. On May 4th, Frog Hollow Collision reopened to a whole new world. Prior to reopening, DeMieri shared his fears with Autobody News readers: “It’s terrifying to know that everything I’ve worked for could be gone when we reopen. I may not be reopening to what I had; I…
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Don’t Gamble with Counterfeit Parts!
Most collision repair facilities utilize original, aftermarket, recycled and reconditioned parts, but with concerns about parts sourcing increasing in proportion to the influx of repair jobs needed, many industry professionals are concerned about the potential hazards of receiving counterfeit parts in lieu of what is requested. Counterfeit parts, which are willfully misrepresented by the supplier in terms of material, performance or other characteristics, are dangerous because they may not function as the OEM equivalent was intended, causing hard to the vehicle occupants as well as others on the road. Tracing the percentage of counterfeit parts is extremely difficult, according to the Automotive Anti-Counterfeiting Council (A2C2) during a recent VeriFacts Guild…
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Earn Her Business: A Guide to the Female Consumer for Collision Repair Shops
“You have to look at the female as a consumer and recognize the differences between men and women – why do men buy compared to why do women buy,” said Katie Mares, Author, Keynote Speaker, and Brand Experience Expert, during ASA’s Bonus Webinar Wednesday on June 3, entitled “Earning Her Business: A Guide to the Female Customer.” Mares discussed women’s impact on businesses, the physiological differences between men and women, and how to provide the connect that women crave as well as how to cultivate a culture that female employees want to work in. Women are the biggest consumers and chief purchasers in most households, influencing 90% of household purchases,…
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Control and Protect Shop and Personal Information from Cybercriminals
As technology advances, cybercriminal attacks evolve, necessitating the creation of new cybersecurity methods. In May, David Willett, underwriting value creation executive at ProSight Specialty Insurance, alluded to his involvement with beta testing a new risk management tool, and he agreed to share more details: “ShadowNet measures beacons that are transmitted while using certain applications. I believe that everyone in the collision and automotive industries need this level of protection because they are exactly the type of people who are targeted by cybercriminals.” Willett was joined by his “favorite cyber security engineer,” Jeff Stull, founder and CEO of RiskAnalytics, which manufactures ShadowNet. “The cyber security landscape mirrors history – the bad…
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Getting to Know WIN’s 2020 Most Influential Women
The Women’s Industry Network (WIN®) recently announced that three collision repair industry professionals will be honored as Most Influential Women (MIW) in 2020. Although WIN’s 2020 Educational Conference has been cancelled due to the coronavirus, the association plans to recognize these women within the next year. Originally established by AkzoNobel in 1999 and taken on by WIN in 2013, the MIW program aims to recognize women whose leadership, vision and commitment to excellence have enriched the collision repair industry. “It is an honor to recognize these three women this year as the Most Influential Women in the Collision Repair Industry,” said Marie Peevy, President Automotive Training Coordinators, a 2018 MIW…
