Featured
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The Total Loss Trap: Why “Saving” the Car is Killing Your Business
Published in Hammer & Dolly Imagine this: A 2022 SUV rolls into your lot. It’s got a heavy hit to the front, the bags are deployed, and the customer is standing there with tears in their eyes, pleading with you to “save” their baby. You’re looking at your production board; things are a little light this week, and your technicians are starting to sweep the floors just to stay busy, so you think to yourself, “If I can just keep this estimate under 65 percent of the ACV, I can keep my guys working. Maybe I’ll hold off on that expensive sensor calibration until the supplement, or I’ll source a…
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Time to Step Away: John Shoemaker Retires
Published in Hammer & Dolly – Thomas Greco Publishing From body shop helper to Air Force technician, from shop manager to business coach, trainer and mentor, John Shoemaker has had his hands in just about every aspect of the collision repair industry over the last half-century, but the time has come – as it eventually does for everyone – to step away from the field he loves. In the weeks leading up to his retirement earlier this month, he sat down with Hammer & Dolly to reflect on his career and what the future holds. Hammer & Dolly: You began your career in the collision repair industry over 50 years ago. What sparked…
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88 Miles an Hour Back to 1966: A WMABA Time-Travel Tune-Up
Published in Hammer & Dolly – Thomas Greco Publishing “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” The flux capacitor has been installed in Hammer & Dolly’s DeLorean, and we invite you on a journey “Back to the Beginning.” While we may not need roads, it’s sometimes helpful to remember the roads that got us here. WMABA celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2018 and is quickly approaching its 60th anniversary, but before WMABA, there was…WMABA! Though the association established to serve the interests of collision repairers in the Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC areas – and expanded to include West Virginia in 2017 – was officially founded in 1968, organizers first kicked things off in…
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Resuscitating Collision Repair Education
Published in New England Automotive Report – Thomas Greco Publishing It’s no secret that collision repair facilities have been struggling to staff their shops for years, so when industry leaders learned that Shawsheen Valley Regional Vocational Technical School (Billerica) was debating whether to eliminate its auto collision repair and refinishing program due to low enrollment, they couldn’t sit back quietly as the future of collision repair took another vicious blow. After finding that the program was potentially on the chopping block during an advisory board meeting in October, Torque Financial Group’s Rachel James took to social media with a post encouraging students, parents, industry professionals and members of the community…
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Eyeing Changes on the Horizon: SEMA 2025 Preview
Published in Hammer & Dolly – Thomas Greco Publishing It’s just about time to pack those bags and head to Las Vegas for the 2025 SEMA Show on November 4-8, where there will be plenty to unpack besides that luggage as collision repairers can anticipate another great year learning about the industry’s latest products, innovations and trends – both on the trade show floor at the Las Vegas Convention Center and in the classroom. As usual, the educational slate being presented by the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) and the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) features forward-focused thought leaders who will provide guidance on how the evolution of technology and…
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Putting Tools in Every Student’s Hands: State Farm Lends Support to Collision Schools via CREF
Created for Collision Repair Education Foundation Collision repair students prepare for their future careers in body shops and other industry organizations by learning all they can in the school environment, but that requires an investment in tools, equipment and supplies that often exceeds the collision programs’ budgets. With access to the right resources, the opportunities are unlimited for these future collision professionals. As more students recognize the possibilities this industry holds, some programs are reporting increased enrollment, but what happens when schools aren’t properly equipped to provide students with the hands-on experience necessary to successfully enter the workforce? “Over the last few years, my program enrollment has increased, and although…
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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…
