BodyShop Business, November 2013

Profit from Total Losses » Improve Cycle Time » Corrosion Protection

November2013//Vol. 32 No.11 www.bodyshopbusiness.com

2013Executiveof theYearJoseph Carubba, CEO,

Carubba Collision Corp.

Meet Our

Circle 1 for Reader Service

InsideNovemberNovember 2013 Vol. 32 No. 11

BODYSHOP BUSINESS (ISSN 0730-7241) (November 2013, Volume 32, Number 11): Pub-lished monthly by Babcox Media, Inc., 3550 Em-bassy Parkway, Akron, OH 44333 U.S.A. Phone(330) 670-1234, FAX (330) 670-0874. Copyright2013 Babcox Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.Periodical postage paid at Akron, OH 44333 andadditional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Sendaddress changes to BODYSHOP BUSINESS,P.O. Box 13260, Akron, OH 44334-3912.

Member, BPA Worldwide

Guess the Car ........................................................................4Industry Update ..................................................................12Tech Tips ............................................................................26NASCAR Performance ..........................................................30Product Showcase................................................................90The Shop ............................................................................96

Joseph Carubba: 2013 Executive of the YearMeet the CEO of Carubba Collision Corp., the 30th individualto achieve BodyShop Business’ top honor since 1984.

ON THE COVER

32

40

46

FEATURESBUSINESS

Life in the Fast LaneThis body shop discovered that creating a “fast lane” for minorcollision repairs was the key to improving its cycle time.

BUSINESS

How to Profit With Non-DRP Total LossesTips on how to make money from total losses that most shopsusually process for free.

52 TECHNICAL

Corrosion Protection: How Long Will Your Repair Last?The increasing use of liquid deicer is putting more emphasison properly restoring corrosion protection during a repair.

DEPARTMENTS

8101420

SHOP TALK

Editor’s NotesLet’s get out of the Dark Ages and into the light.

Publisher’s PerspectiveCarve out your space in our industry.

Clark’s CornerThe amazing chemistry of automotive refinishes.

Web Presence ManagementIt only takes a moment to destroy your reputation.

Paint—it’s what youdo.It’s all we do.

See our ad on page 41

Guessthe Car

4 November 2013 | BodyShop BusinessCircle 4 for Reader Service

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Ann Marie Duffy, administrator, Coles

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See the December issue for winner of

Guess the Car #127.

Thursday morning of the showpresented a real eye opener formost of the folks attending theopening general session. Collisionconsultant Mike Anderson showeda slide listing several make/mod-els of vehicles and asked the crowdif they had ever repaired any ofthese vehicles. Many hands wentup. He then asked if anyone hadever performed a zero-point cali-bration (recalibrated the steeringangle sensor) on any of these vehi-cles. Few raised their hands, if any.

The sad thing is thatzero-point calibra-

tion needs to beperformed onmost vehicleswith ElectronicStability Con-trol (ESC). And

guess what?The U.S.

government mandated that all newvehicles have ESC by 2012. This isan essential safety feature of thevehicle designed to help the driverrecover from a dangeroussituation. And most repairers in theindustry don’t know that theymust take this step during therepair of these vehicles.

What’s encouraging is that therewas new, exciting technology on theshow floor that can take care of thisand many other diagnostics for us.You don’t even have to be trained;you hook up a module to the car,and an ASE-trained professionaldiagnoses and fixes the issuesremotely. This diagnostic technologyis the future of the industry. We arefar beyond just bending metal backinto shape again – I hope most of usunderstand that.

The other part of the equation isinsurers understanding that thesediagnoses are part and parcel ofproper repairs today, and repairersneed to be compensated for them.

Some feel insurers are still in theDark Ages when it comes to OE

repair procedures (such as per-forming a zero-point calibra-tion after a four-wheelalignment), but it’s timethey see the light.

Editor’sNotes Publisher

S. Scott Shriber, ext. 229 [email protected]

EditorJason Stahl, ext. 226 [email protected]

Associate EditorGina Kuzmick, ext. 244 [email protected]

Contributing EditorsCharlie Barone, Mitch Becker,Mark Clark, Mark Claypool,Erica Eversman, Tom Ferry,Curt Harler, John D. LymanSr., Hank Nunn, Carl Wilson

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A limited number of complimentary subscrip-tions are available to those who qualify. Call(330) 670-1234, ext. 288, or fax us at (330) 670-5335. Paid subscriptions are available for non-qualified subscribers at: U.S.: $69 for one year.Canada/Mexico: $89 for one year. Canadian ratesinclude GST. Ohio residents add current countysales tax. Other foreign rates/via air mail: $129for one year. Payable in advance in U.S. funds.Mail payment to BodyShop Business, P.O. Box75692, Cleveland, OH 44101-4755. VISA, MasterCard or American Express accepted.

The 2013 NACE Show is over, and I learned a few things. Actually,re-learned a few things. But it’s not me who needs to know them,because I don’t physically work on cars. It’s you! My job is to con-vey this information to you. So here goes.

Seeing the Light

Jason Stahl, Editor

Email comments to [email protected]

Carve Out Your Space

The MSO Symposium continued to be anincredible venue to learn and share ideasabout what the future could be and ideason how to get there. Multiple-locationshops are certainly on the rise and definite-ly a positive strategy for moving forward inthis business.

Speaking of multiple-location shops, Ihad the pleasure of dining with

Joe Carubba, the 2013 BodyShopBusiness Collision Repair ShopExecutive of the Year. Carub-ba’s shops are in the Buffalo,N.Y., area, and it was refresh-ing to spend time with a per-son who has grown hisfamily-owned shop so success-fully. If you have someone you

would like to nominate for the2014 Collision Repair Shop

Executive of theYear, please fill

out the entryform on pg. 87.Thanks, Joe!

Speakingof the future,Detroit in2014 is go-

ing to be great. I cannot tell you the num-ber of companies I talked with that areplanning on exhibiting at the 2014 NACE.Many big players who have been absent inrecent years are planning to attend andspend floor time with shops. When youcombine that with all the great automotiveopportunities in the Motor City, it’s goingto be the place to be in July. I hope to seeeach of you there.

This year’s SEMA exhibit is going to bethe biggest yet. By the time you read this,we’ll probably already have seen each other.I know you’ll have seen many great newproducts and will be back at your shops fig-uring out how to integrate them into yourbusinesses to make them more efficient.

All of this activity is a good thing for oursegment of the business. Activity meanspeople are interested in our segment – andthat means it has a future. Sure, it will spellchange, but as I’ve said before, you shouldmake sure you have a plan to navigate thechanges and work that plan until you needto alter it. Don’t let outside distractionsbreak your focus from moving your busi-ness forward. This is an exciting time in thecollision market, and now is the time tocarve out your space in it!

Publisher’sPerspective

S. Scott Shriber, Publisher

Email comments to [email protected]

Isit here planning to leave for AAPEX and SEMA on Sunday and I can’t help but reflectback on the excitement at NACE. The shops that attended were engaged and trulycommitted to growing their businesses and staying out in front. It was, to say the least,refreshing to see this level of interest in the future of the collision market.

IndustryUpdate

12 November 2013 | BodyShop Business

A Look Back at NACE 2013Whether the dice rolled their way or not, everyone cameaway a winner at the 2013 NACE Show! Whether it wasthe robust educational offering, first responder emergencyextrication demonstrations, presentations at the BodyShopBusiness-sponsored Main Stage or Recycled Rides give-aways, the industry came to work hard and show off thebest it has to offer. From collision consultant Mike Ander-son’s keynote address to various demonstrations on theshow floor, the emphasis was on the increasing sophistica-

tion of today’s vehicles and the increasing importance ofperforming OEM-recommended repairs to ensure that safe-ty systems aren’t compromised. Equipment featured on theshow floor ranged from customary pieces such as weldersand frame machines to brand-new launches such as remotediagnostic modules and mobile business management tools.Attendees walked away looking forward to a new-and-improved Industry Week 2014, featuring NACE, CIC and I-CAR in Detroit July 28-Aug. 2.

The Indiana Auto BodyAssociation (IABA) hasorganized a petition tostop insurer-mandatedparts procurement pro-grams and is urging col-lision repairers to sign it.

In an email blast sentOct. 24, 2013, the IABAwrote:

To make change happenrequires action, but it oftenbegins by the smallest of actions.

History has shown thatchanges begin not by thewar to end all wars but bythe individual battles thatdefine the injustice anddedication to the need forthat change by those will-ing to accept the challenge.

Today, the industry isfaced with one of its great-

est challenges that manyfeel is so important that itwill require all the efforts ofour trade associations andtheir members, as well aseveryone else within ourindustry.

The industry news isfilled with State Farm’sPartsTrader commentaries,but even though in itself itis a fundamental infringe-ment upon our industry,the issue is also greaterthan just this one program.

This issue is about pro-grams that insurers arenow mandating thatchange our well-establishedbusiness relationships,place vehicle owners injeopardy and interfere withthe free market system.

It is also about the ag-

gressive pressure propertycasualty companies areplacing on repairers fortheir monetary gain, plac-ing the vehicle owners atrisk and tortiously interfer-ing with collision repairers’business.

Take the time to sign ourpetition to the state andfederal attorneys general,legislators and the FederalTrade Commission. We willutilize this show of supportto do whatever it takes totake back control of our industry.

The IABA then asks repairers to click a but-ton that reads, “Stop Extortion,” to go to thepetition. To view the petition, visit www.bodyshopbusiness.com.

The Montana Collision Repair Specialists

(MCRS) has announced that it is in full sup-

port and agreement with the Society of Colli-

sion Repair Specialists’ (SCRS) position

statement on insurer mandates.

“We do not believe these programs

enhance the interest of the consumer or the

small businesses serving them,” read a

statement by MCRS. “We support free enter-

prise and believe in the benefit of business

relationships that have been built on trust

and an understanding of the specific market

needs placed on collision repair businesses.

We believe the repair process is best left to

the professionals repairing the vehicle with-

out third party intrusion that hinders our

businesses’ ability to safely, efficiently and

profitably serve the consumer.”

»| Industry Update |«

www.bodyshopbusiness.com 13

Indiana Auto Body Association Organizes Petition Against Insurer-Mandated Parts Programs

ASA Ohio Expresses

Opposition to PartsTrader in Letter to State Farm CEO

The Automotive Serv-ice Association of

Ohio (ASA Ohio) hassent a letter to State FarmCEO Ed Rust Jr. express-ing the association’s op-position against anyinsurer-mandated partsordering system.

In the letter, ASA OhioPresident Joe Sanfillipo IIIexplains the association’sconcerns surroundingState Farm’s new policy,which requires all colli-sion repair shops partici-pating in its Select Serviceprogram to electronicallyorder parts through Parts-Trader.

After piloting a pro-gram in various loca-tions throughout the

Montana Collision Repairers Support SCRS Position on Insurer Mandates

Oregon Collision Repairer Drops State Farm Over Labor Rate Dispute

During a meetingwith his StateFarm estimaticsmanager, Ron Re-

ichen, president of Preci-sion Body and Paint inBeaverton, Ore., chose notto re-negotiate his SelectService agreement withState Farm. The decision

ended a 17-year relation-ship worth $2 million inbusiness over the past year.

“It was actually a busi-ness decision we had beenconsidering for sometime,” said Reichen. “Dis-cussions came to an im-passe over fair andreasonable rates and al-

lowances for aluminum re-pair. Our terminating theSelect Service agreementstems from our companybeing a certified Tesla re-pair facility and the invest-ments in time, equipment,training, specialized equip-ment and facilities whichwe could not offer for the

rates State Farm was will-ing to pay. This will nodoubt enable our companyto re-evaluate and reviseour pricing on other goodsand services for the othermanufacturers of whichwe are a certified repairerfor, including Porsche,Audi, Volkswagen, Nissan,Volvo, GM, Chrysler andseveral others.”

Along with all other in-surers, State Farm haspaid Precision’s postedaluminum labor rates inthe past. With Precisionbeing the only certifiedTesla repairer in the state,it is believed that, with itsgrowing popularity andits all-aluminum con-

Continued on pg. 60

Continued on pg. 60

I’ve been around so long that I was therewhen acrylic enamel was introduced tothe industry. I was there whenisocyanate catalysts were

first offered, when the OEMsstarted putting clear onthe color and when thefirst three-stage pearlswere applied to newcars. Without excep-tion, each of the pass-ing years has broughtbetter chemistry tothe refinish business.The part where prop-erly applied refinishpaints continue to lookas good and last as longas the current year’s heat-set, multi-component factoryfinishes is a neat trick indeed.

Acrylic Enamels » Acrylic enamels,which are really a blend of several types ofresin, were introduced in the late 1960s andearly 1970s. They dried faster than theindustry-standard synthetic enamels, wereeasier to re-coat, and the painter didn’thave sticky overspray on every inch oftheir body after a complete repaint. Gener-ally requiring higher air pressures to atom-ize properly, some brands sprayed morelike lacquer and some more like traditionalenamel, depending on the paint manufac-turer’s blend of ingredients. In all cases,they were better chemistry than the oldalkyd enamels.

Isocyanate Hardeners » The advent ofisocyanate hardeners made refinish coat-ings much more durable. The finishes were

more flexible, more impact resistant,longer lasting in the sunlight and (maybe

best of all) capable of being recoatedimmediately. No more waiting

days to recoat and repair afaulty finish.

In the early 1970s, manypainters were quicklysensitized to the activeisocyanates becausethey refused to wear ef-fective respirators. Itwasn’t “manly” to wearanything other than aparticle mask. Those ob-

stinate painters didn’tunderstand the difference

between solvent exposureand isocyanate exposure.Spraybooth cabin air that was

laden with solvent fumes wouldmake the painter dizzy. The solvent that wasinhaled through their lungs displaced theoxygen their blood was carrying to theirbrain. At high concentrations, it wouldcause a blackout and, at low concentrations,just a light head. Up until the industry start-ed using isocyanate catalysts, the painter’ssolution to a light head was to simply stepoutside into clean air and, within a few min-utes, the oxygen in their blood was replen-ished and they felt better. If you keptexposing yourself to enough solvent (huff-ing lacquer thinner) until you lost conscious-ness, you would eventually do permanentbrain damage.

Isocyanate exposure was, and is, perma-nent. Isocyanate transfer is heat and mois-ture sensitive. The cilia inside your lungsreact with the isocyanate particles to forman immediate and permanent bond. It hap-


Clark’sCorner By Mark Clark

Auto Refinishes: Amazing Chemistry!

pens really quickly in the hot (98.6degrees) and wet environment ofyour lungs. Then as now, the solu-tion is to prevent inhaling any iso-cyanate fumes. At the least, wear aproperly fitted, fresh charcoal res-pirator if you’re clean shaven or,better yet, a respirator that suppliesfresh air. Manly or not, that stuffwill kill you.

Cool Chemistries » Other coolchemistries that improved ourbusiness include ultraviolet screen-ers in clearcoats that were reallyclear. UV rays from the sun are theNo. 1 enemy of most refinish coat-ings and, before we started to cleareverything for gloss and durability,it was easy to hide the yellow-tinted chemical screeners insidecolor coats. Early clear lacquersand enamels often had a really yel-

low tint to them because they hadno pigment to hide the screenersbehind. It wasn’t a shop problemunless the base colors were whiteor silver. It was mighty difficult toblend the yellow refinish clear intothe perfectly clear factory coat. Saythanks to the next paint chemistyou see for their ongoing work tomaking clearcoats ever more resist-ant to sunlight and water-whiteclear at the same time. It’s also apretty good trick.

Selling Cars » Attractive finishessell cars, and the auto manufactur-ers are constantly looking for col-ors and effects that will cause thecar buying public to say, “I’ve gottahave that.” Coated mica chips,three-stage finishes, ultra-chromatic tints, and super smoothand glossy clearcoats all drive auto

sales. The part where the localbody shop can both duplicate theeffect and the durability of thosefactory finishes is amazing to me.

When I began in the business,the thought of a paint company of-fering a lifetime warranty on a re-paired finish was absurd. Now it’staken for granted, thanks to to-day’s super sophisticated paintchemistry.

Rust Happens » All this is lead-ing up to what I think is the mostamazing refinish product ever cre-ated in my 43 years in our industry.“Tell us, Father Time, what might itbe?” Answer: Two-part epoxyprimer.

If sunlight is the main enemyof the topcoat, corrosion is themain enemy of auto refinish, pe-riod. Rust ruined more paint

»| Clark’s Corner |«


work than anything. For manyyears, rust prevailed no matterwhich acidic metal treatmentsyou used or how carefully youprimed the bare substrate. Cer-tainly, it was partially becausethe talc (hard clay) that makes allprimer surfacers fill up imperfec-tions also wicked moisturethrough to the bare metal. I can’tcount the shops that complainedabout their work coming backwith rust under the finish, inspite of their best efforts to grindto bright steel, chemically cleanthe panel and properly apply thefinish. No matter who’s productit was or how carefully the workwas done, rust happened.

When moisture meets steel,rust happens. The moisture-proofbarrier that two-part epoxyprimers provide is astounding.Within months of their introduc-tion to the refinish industry, two-part moisture-tight epoxyprimers put an end to mostshops’ rust and corrosion fail-ures. Remember, however, thateven if they catalyze without iso-cyanates, the chemistry thatcrosslinks epoxies isn’t good foryou either. Smells bad, is bad.Wear protection that suppliesfresh air when applying anybody shop coatings. Then, youcan live long enough to somedayspin these auto body tales of yes-teryear, too.

Who was that oldtimer? Hi hochemistry, away! BSB

Mark R. Clarkis the owner ofP ro f e s s i o n a lPBE Systems inWaterloo, Iowa;he is a well-known industryspeaker andconsultant. Heis celebrating

his 25th year as a contributing editor toBodyShop Business.

»| Clark’s Corner |«



Web PresenceManagement

It Only Takes a Moment to Destroy Your Reputation

You’ve worked hard to earn your busi-ness’ good name and the reputationyou’ve built in your community. Wordof mouth is one of your greatest refer-

ral sources. Whether you’ve been in businessfor months, years or decades, your reputationhangs in the balance. One scathing online re-view and your sterling reputation could betarnished at best, severely corroded or de-stroyed at worst. The time for online reputa-tion management is here. In fact, it’s ratherlate if you aren’t doing it already.

What Is Reputation Management? »Reputation management is monitoring yourbusiness’ online reputation, properly dealingwith content that’s damaging to it, and pro-moting your good or great reputation andgetting work from it.

There are many different consumer review sources out there, including:

� Google� Yelp� Yahoo! Local� Facebook� Twitter� Angie’s ListGoogle is the biggest. Facebook gets the

most daily traffic, but only a small portion is reviews. Yelp, the subject of my column titled, “Is Yelp Making You Yell?” that ap-peared in the December 2012 issue ofBodyShop Business, is pretty big, too, as are therest. One bad review that will stay online vir-tually forever can reach hundreds, even thou-sands of people. How you handle it willmake it better…or worse.

I See Crazy People » I say (tongue in cheek)that roughly 2 percent of the public probablyshould be institutionalized. You know whothey are – people who cannot be satisfied, nomatter what. They yell, scream, curse andruin your day. A rational thought hasn’t trav-eled through their brains in this century.And…they’ve got access to the Internet andhave learned how to make your life miserablethere, too. Don’t these people have a life?

But these nut jobs aren’t the only oneswho leave bad reviews. Other people mayhave a legitimate beef with you. We’re notperfect; sometimes things go wrong. On arare occasion, a disgruntled former employ-ee, ex-spouse or competitor posts some-thing. So what do we do with any of these?We respond.

How to Respond » You need to respond toboth good and bad reviews. First, you need toclaim all your free business listings on thesesites. To see how your business is listed, visit:https://www.yext.com/partner/optimaworldwide/diagnostic.html.

Next, look at all past reviews and respond.For good reviews, thank them and use lan-guage like, “We’ve been satisfying customersjust like you for X years” or “Our customersatisfaction rate is consistently 98 percent.”Mix it up; don’t say the same thing on each

By Mark Claypool


and every one of them. And keep inmind that it’s very important topraise your team! They earned thegood review!

As for bad reviews, try to assesswhether the complaint was legiti-mate or not. Legitimate negative re-views provide you with anopportunity to get insight into poten-

tial internal problems that should beaddressed. Consider them earlywarning signs!

Your online response needs to bedone in a professional, non-defensiveway. Own up to mistakes, explainwhat you’re doing to make thingsright, then conclude with the samethings suggested for responding to

positive reviews such as, “Our repu-tation is important to us, 98 percentof our customers say they are ‘verysatisfied’ with our work and recom-mend us to their family and friends.”

For reviews that are not legitimate,you can respond like this: “Wehaven’t repaired a Bentley Continen-tal in our shop, but we certainlycould. Perhaps you meant to leavethis review for some other shop?We’ve been delighting our customerssince 1987!” Or, “We don’t recognizethe name on this review, and yourdescription doesn’t match anythingwe’ve done. We would be happy totake a look at your vehicle. Just bringit in and see why 98 percent of ourcustomers are so happy with ourwork.” Rarely will you be able to getbad reviews removed, and to do sonearly takes an act of Congress.

Check out this real-world exampleof a bad way to respond to a cus-tomer complaint:

Unhappy Customer: Horrible cus-tomer service. Doesn’t warranty theirwork. Bob has very nasty demeanor withlongtime customers. I wouldn’t recom-mend this company any longer. Attorneygeneral will be alerted about their busi-ness practices.

Response from owner: Sometimesa job takes longer than originally estimat-ed. It’s clear that you do not understandwhat we had to do to fix your car andwere so angry that you wouldn’t even lis-ten when we tried to explain the situa-tion to you. We are the experts. Justbecause it didn’t go as planned doesn’tmean you can complain on the Internet.

This isn’t exactly what we had inmind when we suggested you re-spond. This angry shop owner didmore to damage his reputation thanif he had just left it alone. How couldhe have responded better? First of all,he should have taken a breath, count-ed to 10 and gone to his happy place.Then, he should have thoughtthrough how a professional businessshould respond:

“We appreciate your input. We’vebeen in business since 1981, and ourlong-term customers are our best re-

»|Web Presence |«


ferral source. We consistently earnhigh marks for our service. I’m sorrywe didn’t ‘wow’ you with our usualservice this time. Please come in tosee us so we can address your con-cerns. Thank you.”

Monitoring Reviews For Free »With so many sites out there, howcan you easily monitor yourreviews? Google Alerts(www.google.com/alerts) can notify youevery time your brand is mentioned.For Twitter, try TweetBeep(www.tweetbeep.com).

There’s also something out therecalled, “The Rip Off Report.” If yourshop is ever unfortunate enough toget slammed on this report, there’snot much you can do about it but re-spond. Postings on this report can beparticularly nasty.

Your good reputation deservessome of your time to monitor andmanage it. You’ve worked too hardto let things just happen withoutpaying attention to it. Do it! BSB

BSB ContributingEditor Mark Clay-pool has more than30 years of experi-ence in the fields of workforce devel-opment, business/education partner-ships, apprentice-ships and Web

presence management. He is the CEO ofOptima Automotive (www.optimaautomotive.com), which provides website de-sign, development, search engine opti-mization (SEO) services and social mediamanagement services. Claypool’s workhistory includes stints at Metro PaintSupplies, VeriFacts Automotive, the Na-tional Auto Body Council (NABC), theI-CAR Education Foundation and Skill-sUSA. He is the founder of Mentors AtWork and co-founder of the Collision In-dustry Foundation. He served, on a vol-unteer basis, as the Skills-USA WorldTeam Leader for the WorldSkills Cham-pionships from 2003 to 2011.

»|Web Presence |«



Mike is a great guy whoruns a collision repair fa-cility in Joliet, Ill. We’vealways had a good rela-

tionship, and he never holds backwhen we talk. Good or bad, you’llget exactly what you asked for –complete honesty.

Mike had only been using OEMrepair information for a couple ofweeks, so I called him looking forsome feedback. I was not expectingto hear what he told me. I specificallyasked him how he was doing usingOEM repair information in his shop’sworkflow. Mike told me that in theshort time he had been using factoryinformation, it had already savedhis shop from having a serious de-livery issue. And Mike has always

taken pride in delivering vehiclesto his customers on time.

Avoiding Disaster » Describingwhat happened, Mike said, “We hada Jeep Liberty in here. It had an OCS(occupant classification system) mod-ule and an ORC (occupant restraintcontroller) module. Luckily, wechecked before we installed the newmodules because, according to theOEM, you must install them one ata time. Install the occupant classifi-cation module (OCM) first and allowit to receive calibration data fromthe ORC. Then, install the ORC mod-ule and allow it to calibrate with theOCS. If you install both new modulesat the same time, you have a seriousproblem – it sets an irreversible fault.

How would we have known that?It would have been impossible toknow that! Without OEM informa-tion, you’re flying blind.”

Fortunately, Mike’s technicianlooked up the procedures ahead oftime, and it’s a good thing he did.He saved the shop a lot of hurt.

Basically, the OEM procedure saysthat the OCS components of the pas-senger side front seat cushion (in-cluding the cushion frame, springs,pad, seat weight bladder and pressuresensor, seat cushion foam and theOCM) are a factory calibrated andassembled unit. Once the OCS is in-stalled and the electrical connectionsare made, it uploads calibration set-tings from the OCM and stores themin the memory of the airbag controlmodule, also called the ORC. Anytime one of the OCM components isremoved or replaced for any reason,the OCM must be re-calibrated.

Simple, right? Not really! Here isone of the warnings included in theOCS/OCM installation procedure:

CAUTION: On vehicles equipped withthe Occupant Classification System(OCS), never replace both the AirbagControl Module (ACM) (also known asthe Occupant Restraint Controller/ORC)and the Occupant Classification Module(OCM) at the same time. If both requirereplacement, replace the OCM first. Then,perform the supplemental restraint veri-fication test including an Ignition-Ontime of at least one minute before replacingthe ACM. Both the ACM and the OCMstore OCS calibration data, which theytransfer to one another during the firstminute of Ignition-On time after one of

TechTipsWithout OEM Information,You’re Flying Blind

By Karl Kirschenman


Mike avoided disaster by checking the OEM procedures for the OCS and ORC modules onthe 2012 Jeep Liberty that came into his shop.

them is replaced. If both modules are replaced at the same time, an irreversiblefault will be set in both modules. If thedata transfer is not allowed sufficienttime to complete between modules (atleast one minute of Ignition-On), an irreversible fault will be set in the modulerequiring the data.

Do No Harm » Part of the physi-cians’ Hippocratic Oath says thatthey must do no harm. I think thatgoes for collision shops, too. Whena customer brings in their vehicle,they expect the shop to know howto correctly repair it. They don’t ex-pect the shop to damage it further.It happens, but it’s kind of bad forbusiness, don’t you think?

Mike summed up the value ofOEM collision repair informationwhen he said, “When you can showthe insurance company and the ve-hicle owner that the car was repairedto factory standards, everyone wins!”

NOTE: This repair/service infor-mation is excerpted from informationpublished by the vehicle manufac-turer and is intended for the purposeof promoting OEM collision repairinformation to trained, professionaltechnicians with the knowledge,tools and equipment to do the jobproperly and safely. Before attempt-ing any repairs described, refer tothe complete article in ALLDATACollision S3500. It is recommendedthat these procedures not be per-formed by “do-it-yourselfers.” BSB

Karl Kirschenman, ALLDATA collisionproduct manager, holds a bachelor ofscience degree in communication. Hehas more than 10 years of experience inthe collision industry.

© 2013 ALLDATA LLC. All rights re-served. All technical information, imagesand specifications are from ALLDATACollision S3500. ALLDATA and ALL-DATA Collision are registered trademarksof ALLDATA LLC. Jeep and Libertyare registered trademarks of ChryslerGroup LLC. All other marks are theproperty of their respective holders.

»|Tech Tips |«

28 November 2013 | BodyShop BusinessCircle 28 for Reader Service Circle 101 for Reader Service

Track Talk

Ever think about one millionmiles of racing?

That equates to more thantwo round trips from the Earthto the moon and 40 tripsaround the Earth. In everyNASCAR race, spark plugs andfuel injectors fire about 3.6 mil-lion times in each racecar. Onemillion miles of racing? That’smore than 10 billion times.

When Dale Earnhardt Jr.crossed the start/finish line atCharlotte Motor Speedway tolead lap 34 in October’s Bankof America 500, he logged theone-millionth mile of electron-ic fuel injection (EFI) inNASCAR Sprint Cup Series(NSCS) competition since thetransition from traditional car-buretors to EFI in 2012.

It should come as no sur-prise that the milestone wasunder the radar, given that theswitch to EFI itself has beensmooth, almost seamless andvirtually invisible.

Reliability in race cars, justas in passenger cars, hasimproved considerably overthe last several decades. But theold adage remains true: racingis the ultimate test of amachine. If you want to findout what will break, take a carto a racetrack and push it to theabsolute limit for a few hun-dred miles. Then do that everyweek for 36 weeks.

When Freescale enteredNSCS competition as the sole-source supplier of automotivesemiconductors, there was cer-tainly enough concern to goaround. Not just taking out car-buretors, which have been usedreliably for decades, butinstalling an entirely new sys-tem that included an enginecomputer, sensors, injectorsand wiring.

But not once in a millionmiles has the brain of the EFIsystem, the electronic controlunit (ECU), failed, from the

electronics supplied byMcLaren to the computingpower supplied by chip makerFreescale.

“The good news is, whenit’s a non-event, we tip our hatto it because that means that ithas done its job,” NASCARVice President of Competitionand Racing DevelopmentRobin Pemberton said of thesuccessful transition to EFI. “Amillion racing miles is onething, but it’s probably almostequaled in test miles, and tomy knowledge, we haven’t hadany failures.”

With its frequency andlength of races, NSCS racingarguably puts more stress onthe engine and the EFI sys-tem than any other competi-tive series.

“Our short races are 250miles, which is what otherseries run as their big races,”continued Pemberton. “Withthe full-bodied cars, with theminimal tires that we have, thebrake heat and the (engine)heat that’s generated, we puteverything to the test.”

As a NSCS driver puts aracecar through its paces, theECU records a wealth of data

that can be downloaded andanalyzed via the banks of lap-top computers teams have intheir garage stalls.

“I think the big benefithas really been for the teams,because they’ve been able topinpoint times when there’sbeen a failure (in the engine)and understand that,” saidSteve Nelson, director ofmarketing for Freescale. “Andit’s helped them when theygo back and look at data tobuild engines that are morereliable. They can identifyover-revs, missed shifts, alltypes of things.”

Interestingly, the comput-er chips Freescale supplies forthe EFI systems aren’t custom-made for the highest level ofracing. You’ll find the exactsame thing in your street car.

“The little chips we putinto those engine computersare the exact same ones we putinto passenger cars,” Nelsonexplained. “We don't special-test them. They come right offthe shelf. To do a million mileswith zero failures with non-rac-ing-specified parts is a reallynice story for us.”

A game-changer: EFI has provided NASCAR teams with a new way to

gather information to win races via an electronic control unit that

records a wealth of data. Photo credit: Getty Images

Electronic Fuel Injection MarksMillionth Milestone

Leading lap 34 in last month’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor

Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. logged the one-millionth mile of EFI in

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition. Photo credit: Getty Images

Follow NASCAR Performance on Twitter and Facebookwww.twitter.com/NASCARauto ■ www.facebook.com/NASCARPerformance

COVER STORY

2013 BodyShopBusinessCollision Repair ShopExecutive of the Year

JosephCarubba:


By Jason Stahl

Joseph Carubba, owner, president and CEO ofCarubba Collision Corp., became the 30th collisionrepair professional to be honored with BodyShopBusiness’s prestigious Collision Repair Shop Executive

of the Year award when he was recognized on Oct. 17,2013, at NACE. BodyShop Business began handing out theaward in 1984 to recognize true collision repair “visionaries”who have experienced great success through innovativethinking, overcoming challenges and persevering.

Carubba’s collision career spans more than 33 years. Henow leads a seven-store, family-owned and operated busi-ness based in Buffalo, N.Y.

The main reason for the BodyShop Business staff selectingCarubba over dozens of other qualified candidates is hisdedication to giving back to the industry. Not only has hegrown his own business into a thriving, state-of-the-artoperation, he has put in the time and resources to lift upthe entire industry and be an example for his colleagues tofollow. His industry-related activities are numerous:

� Participant in the Collision Industry Conference� Advisory board member and past chairman for the

Western New York Board of Cooperative EducationalServices

� Member of the Alliance of Automotive ServiceProviders

� Advisory board member and past chairman of theErie Community College Repair Program

� Member of the Collision Repair Council of theTheory of Constraints

� Board of directors, Western New York BetterBusiness Bureau

Carubba has also made numerous donations of timeand money to charitable activities in his community, including:

� The New York State Golden Gloves� University of Buffalo� U.S. military defensive driving class� Tonawanda Police Department K-9 unit and SWAT

team� North Tonawanda SWAT team� Niagara County Sheriff’s K-9 unit� Western New York food bankWe talked with Carubba to get his own personal take

on why he and his organization have been so successful.BSB: If you could name one single reason for your

success, what would it be? Carubba: We have great people. I know that has

probably been said too often by other company leaders,but I truly believe it’s the people who work for us whohave made us successful. The other factor is workingharder and smarter – all those 12-hour days for 30-plusyears pursuing a better way to do things. That’s what

brought me to the Theory of Constraints (TOC) productionsystem years ago.

BSB: Consistency and quality are valued by both vehicleowners and insurers. How do you ensure this at your oper-ation?

Carubba: We have written standard operating procedures(SOPs) that are continually being taught by our in-housecorporate trainer. He uses job instruction training, amethod we picked up from industry expert Rich Alteri.Our trainer, Randy Pinkowski, and our managers areconstantly doing audits on our SOPs and re-trainingwhen we see any failures.

BSB: What operational system do you follow?Carubba: We’ve been using TOC for more than 12

COVER STORY » Executive of the Year


Behind the BaysEstimating System: CCC1

Management System: CCC1

Spraybooths: Nova Verta

Lifts: Hunter, Rotary

Measuring /Dimensioning System: Car-O-Tronic

Welding Equipment: Car-O-Liner, Miller, Hobart, USC

Nitrogen Plastic Welder

Paint Mixing System: Dedoes, PPG Paint Manager

Paint: PPG

At a GlanceLocation: Buffalo, N.Y.

Established: 1955; Carubba Collision Corp. in 1981

No. Of Shops: 7

Square Footage: 13,000 (avg.)

Owners: Joe Carubba and John Carubba

No. Of Employees: 115 (16 estimators, 4 production

managers, 45 body/paint techs, 10 disassembly techs,

14 detailers, 1 IT person, 25 administrators)

Gross Sales: $19 million

Repair Volume/No. Of Cars Per Month: 900

Average Repair Cost: $1,800

DRPs: 16

years now. It was another thing thatwas suggested to me by Rich Alteri.We also had a great implementer,John Thompson. Besides my father, Ilearned tons from those two guys.We depend on the system to run theshop; it’s brought us to a new level.Each job goes through the process,and we break up the shop into sepa-rate departments that all work for aglobal goal.

It all starts with the damage discov-ery. An accurate and complete estimateis the key to good shop flow. Then,the job goes to the parts procurementprocess. During disassembly, each partthat comes off the car is analyzed fordamage, tagged and listed for repair,R & I or replacement. Photos are takenso that when the electronic parts ordergoes in, the photo accompanies theorder. When parts are received, wedouble check each part upon deliveryfor damage and correctness. We use

parts carts for all take-off parts andnew parts. We know that when wecan hand over a job to our productiondepartments and all the damage isidentified and all the correct parts arethere, the job will flow through theshop seamlessly.

We dedicate a lot of square footageand staff members to the front end,but it pays off with good flow. It’s the

reason we’re successful giving theproper price and promised date. Wetake in a lot of work, so we have to besure that we aren’t clogging the shopwith dysfunctional jobs. After the frontend work is done, the production de-partments are very good at pullingthe work through. Once in a while,we have a bottleneck in paint, butwhen that happens we dedicate morestaff and hours to the paint shop.

BSB: Comment on the sophisticationof modern-day vehicles and howCarubba Collision Corp. is equippedand trained to handle them.

Carubba: We’re continually up-grading our equipment, and we havesome great alliances with vendorsthat are keeping us abreast of thenew technology available to us. We’realso keeping current with I-CAR andmanufacturer training and repairmethods.



Marketing and Public Relations ManagerLou Fasolino (left) talks business with theboss.

BSB: What about the trend of con-solidation? Are you looking to expand,and how quickly?

Carubba: I am continually lookingfor good opportunities, but the dealhas to be really right these days. Butmore of my focus the last two yearshas been on our SOPs so that whenthe right deal comes along, we’re ready

to transition our system into the newacquisition. I say “acquisition” because,through experience, I’ve found it’smuch easier than a startup.

BSB: Being a smaller multi-shopoperator, do you have a strategy tocompete with the mega-sized MSOs?

Carubba: If mega-sized MSOs come

to Buffalo, we’ll have our hands fullI’m sure, but if we continue to makequality, speed, cost and customer con-venience our top priorities, I thinkwe’ll do fine. I think you have to gohead to head with each individualshop that is in your market area andnot get distracted by the entirety oftheir organizations. Plus, I feel goodabout our customer loyalty. We’vebeen repairing three generations ofcustomers’ vehicles, and they keepcoming back for a reason. I trust thatwill continue as long as we keep themhappy and safe.

BSB: Collision shops are having atough time finding qualified techni-cians. What are you doing to ensureyour operation has a good stable ofqualified techs now and in the future?

Carubba: We’re always growingfrom within. We have a mentorshipprogram. On the production side,we’ve turned a lot of entry-leveldisassemblers into great A techs,on the paint side we’ve turned alot of prep techs into phenomenalpainters, and on the administrationside we’ve turned a lot of guestservices people into solid estimators.If we see the right work ethic andcharacter, we work hard with peopleto move them up. That’s not to saywe don’t have great career disas-semblers, preppers and guest serv-ices people; we do, and they’reworth their weight in gold. Butsome people use those positions tospringboard to other positions, and



CSR Jill Collins goes over the estimate withestimator Greg Drago and tech ChrisGillitte.

we encourage that when the cir-cumstances are right.

We also have an alliance with areacolleges and vocational programs anddo apprentice programs with them.Last but not least, I don’t burn bridges.When employees want to leave forwhat they think are greener pastures,I wish them well but also make surethey know to call me if things don’twork out for them. More often thannot, we get them back.

BSB: What do you think about theDRP/non-DRP rift in the industry?

Carubba: I believe in DRP programs100 percent. I’m very fortunate to bealigned with great insurance carriers.The carriers that view DRP shops aspartners are fantastic to work with.The ones we’re aligned with sharethe same goals as us (quality, speed,cost, customer care and convenience).We go through stringent testing andauditing to stay on these programs,and we’ve earned their respect bytaking care of our mutual customers.It’s a seamless process when we get ajob that’s a DRP. I wouldn’t change itfor anything.

BSB: What are your thoughts onelectronic parts procurement?

Carubba: We use CollisionLinkand electronic parts ordering. It’sgreat – why fight technology? Thedays of calling in parts orders aregone. There are too many chancesthat things could get lost in transla-tion. The shop has to take the re-sponsibility of ordering the properparts, and electronic parts orderingis the first step. As far as insurershaving a role in the parts process,I’m okay with it. I’ll try anythingthat our insurance partner wantsme to as long as it has our mutualcustomers’ best interests in mind.And I trust that it will because thathas always been the case for me inmy 33 years in the business.

BSB: Crashes have been decliningsince the late ’80s-early ’90s for manyreasons, one being better technology.

With a decreasing repair pool, haveyou explored other business ventures?

Carubba: We stick to what we knowbest and we give it our all. I’ve triedin the past to branch off to variousadd-on businesses, but they became adistraction to our core business. Myplan has always been to grow ourmarket share, and we’ve been doingjust that. There has been a decrease inaccidents, and more vehicles are beingtotaled, but if we grow our customerbase through great performance, therepeats and referrals will continue andthus we should be able to continuallyincrease our sales and profits.

BSB: What will the average shoplook like in 10 to 15 years?

Carubba: It will have more elec-tronic equipment and be more in-dustrialized. I see even more definedwork areas for certain operations, andmore specialists. The front office willhave insurers, rental agencies andcustomer conveniences. It will prob-ably be like walking into a doctor’soffice or hospital.

BSB: What have you done thatother shops can mimic to improvetheir own business?

Carubba: Implement TOC (wewere the first in the area); have arental car agency in your shop; offerdefensive driving classes to yourcustomers for free; have a separatearea for customer reception, car rentaland repair planning that’s away fromthe production area; heavily adver-tise; and recycle everything you takeoff that is recyclable. BSB



If you would like to

nominate someone for

the 2014 Collision

Repair Shop Executive

of the Year, please use

the nomination form on

pg. 87!

Several years ago, Billy Coleman, manager of the collision center atGullo Ford in Conroe, Texas, was staring at a cycle time hethought was pretty ugly: more than 10 days. Set on improvingthat number, he reached out to his 20-group for ideas, and one

was the creation of a “fast lane,” or a dedicated area of the shop thathandled only minor hits. But before rushing into it, he studied it byobserving some shops in his 20-group that already had speed lanes.

“Some of them ran it with a ded-icated booth and dedicated techni-cians, and others I found out didn’treally have a speed lane even thoughthey said they did,” says Coleman.“The model I followed, however,

was the one where the shops actuallybought into the concept, boughtspecific equipment for it and com-mitted staff to it.”

That’s one lesson Coleman learnedearly on about establishing a fast

BUSINESS

Life in the

The collision center at Gullo Ford discovered thatcreating a “fast lane” for minor collision repairs was the

key to improving its cycle time.

By Jason Stahl


Fast Lane

Gullo Ford’s custom-made 54-footspraybooth can accommodate up to four vehicles at a time.

lane: be committed. He initially triedit before buying additional equip-ment, and it didn’t work very well.

“Without the equipment and ded-icated people, it’s very hard to do,”he admits. “My paint booths thatare for the fast track only do fasttrack work, period. If I didn’t havework in that area, those boothswould sit idle and I would havepeople with nothing to do. But Ihaven’t seen that yet.”

That’s because Coleman’s shop,with $4.2 million in sales and eightDRPs, keeps fairly busy, crankingout 125 cars per month, 35 to 55through the fast lane. If the fasttrack technicians get too busy, hewill funnel some of their work toother bodymen who aren’t busy.Also, his heavy side painter some-times has to work on lighter hits inorder to get them done on time. Butthat’s all part of the ebb and flow ofthe business.

“I have a production managerwho works closely with the pulseof the shop and will move jobs whenhe needs to because the ultimategoal is to take care of the customerand get the car out,” Coleman says.“You can’t be rigid. That’s the mis-take I’ve seen some people makewith fast track. They say it has to bethis or has to be that, but our dealis, it has to be done in less thanthree days, end of story.”

Staffing It Up » So how manyemployees and what type of equip-ment does Coleman solely dedicateto the fast lane? The three employ-ees consist of one body tech, onerefinish tech and a helper who“floats” where needed. A 54-footspraybooth specially built to ac-commodate up to four vehicles ata time and refinish products thatallow a 15-minute dry time forprimer and buffing of clearcoat in45 minutes are ideal for fast repairs.Coleman worked with a sprayboothmanufacturer to custom design abooth that was conducive to quickrepairs, conveying that he couldn’t

change the size of his paint shopand how many cars he felt theyneeded to be able to put throughon a daily basis.

“They said they had a booth madeand designed to fit the area thatwasn’t a drive-through, but theycould convert it to a drive-through,”says Coleman. “They also had themechanical built on top of the boothto take up less space. Ultimately,we put two 24-foot booths back toback and put a drive-through doorin the middle so I can close it upand have two separate booths oropen it up and have 54 feet of spray-ing ability with enough room in

BUSINESS » Life in the Fast Lane


Billy Coleman’s Fast Lane Benefits� We can better meet our customers’ expectations.

� We use our equipment better (no more one or two parts

being sprayed in a 31-foot spraybooth).

� Creates a better work environment for our employees

(don’t have to put out fires all the time).

� Helps streamline the larger side of the shop because

those techs know that heavy hits are all they work on.

� Improves overall color match because of the extensive

spray-out library our fast track painter has built due to

all the bumper jobs he does.

Gullo Ford’s speed lane has turned the speed lane techs into bumper specialists.

between each car to not worry aboutoverspray.”

As far as finding the techniciansideally suited to fast lane work,Coleman says it takes someone spe-cial who can handle the high volumeof jobs.

“It should be someone who canmultitask and not get flustered

when they have 10 cars torn downat one time,” he says. “They alsohave to be organized. Everythinghas to go on the shelf, and youcan’t be losing fasteners, bolts andretainers. And everything has tobe separated where they can put itright back together when it comesout of paint. You can’t be looking

for hamburger buns and what kindof meat you’re cooking if you’regoing to serve a bunch of peopleat one time.”

Coleman says his fast track guysare some of the highest paid in theshop, in part because they’re logging55 to 65 hours a week turning 100to 130 flat-rate hours.

Although the shop’s total RO iswell above the industry average at$2,800, the RO for jobs going throughthe fast lane is $1,500. The majorityof the fast track vehicles come viaColeman’s DRPs. As a result of in-stalling the fast lane, Gullo’s cycletime has dropped to 7.4 days overall(a far cry from the 10-plus days theyused to achieve) and 3.1 days infast track.

Bumper jobs used to be a night-mare when they were the responsi-bility of heavy-line techs who hadtheir own big jobs to do. Then, whenthe bumper went over to the paintshop, the tendency was for thepainters to ignore it because theywere trying to get out their 25- to32-hour jobs.

“They didn’t want to stop to workon them,” says Coleman.

Do Your Research » Coleman’sadvice to shops considering doingfast track repairs is simple: have aplan and do your research.

“You must design your fast trackaround what you have to workwith and then, once you have that,you have to plan on what type ofequipment to dedicate to it. Youmay already have all the equipmentyou need, but you need to say,‘This booth is now my fast trackbooth and we’re not going to docomplete paint jobs in it anymoreor let that tri-stage pearl that givesus color match problems all thetime tie it up.’”

A fast lane, Coleman says, is afast way to cure your cycle time ailments.

“If you’re getting beat up all thetime because your cycle time is high,you need to consider fast track.” BSB

BUSINESS » Life in the Fast Lane


By Basil Fernimos

Are you still process-ing total losses forfree? If you are, listenup – because the

insurance industry is onceagain taking advantage of you!

The Collision Capital » My shopwas located in the most competitivecity in the country for collision: Livonia,Mich., a suburb of Detroit. What madeit so competitive? First, Progressiveopened its first concierge center there.Plus, one of the largest Allstate-ownedcollision centers, Sterling, is located inLivonia, not to mention Collex Colli-

sion, a strong multi-shop op-erator. Finally, there are severalindependent and dealershipcollision centers. Oh, and ofcourse, everyone’s brother-in-law is a collision tech, too!

Detroit and the surroundingareas have the highest rate ofunemployment, foreclosures,

repossessed vehicles and uninsuredvehicles (more than 34 percent). Thelabor rate in Detroit and the surround-ing suburbs is among the lowest inthe country, and we have more shopsper capita than anywhere in the world.

To survive and thrive here, we haveto be very smart, work extra hard,and be creative with what we cancharge for and how to get paid for it.

BUSINESS

Don’t process total lossesfor free – take advantage ofthe huge profit opportunitywhen a non-DRP vehicle

comes to your shop.


How to Profit With Non-DRP

One of the biggest challenges we facein our industry is the rising numberof total loss vehicles. These total lossesare a huge drain on our resources,with little to no profit.

DRP vs. Non-DRP » If you partici-pate in a DRP agreement, and a cus-tomer is referred to you by that insurer,the following does not apply. How-ever, when a non-DRP vehicle getstowed into your facility and becomesa total loss, there is a huge opportunityfor profit.

Over the years (and after multiplebeatings by the insurance company-driven DRP “agreements”), we all for-got a simple fact: When a non-DRPcustomer chooses us to repair theirvehicle and signs a repair order, thevehicle is ours, not the insurer’s. Donot ever forget this – ever again! Whatthis allows us to do as businesspeopleand capitalists is charge what the mar-

ket will bear for our service. The rulein my shop’s office was that if the ad-juster wasn’t adjusting our price down,we weren’t charging enough.

Before I explain the pricing structure,I need to clear up a few statementsyou’ll likely hear from the insurers.They’ll try to tell you the charges areillegal, but they’re not. We’re simplycharging for our time, overhead and asmall profit. Also, be prepared for this

popular line: “The shop down thestreet doesn’t charge for this.” Well,they’re probably right about that, butthey’re in your shop! My favorite onewas, “You’re gouging us, and that’snot right.” I always enjoyed lessonson ethics from the insurance industry.

What I Got Paid For » Now, let’stake a look at the facts. I charged forthe following and got paid:

BUSINESS » Total Losses


One Billion DollarsInsurance companies want to spend more and more on advertising to

gain market share, so they continue to drive down repair costs. We all

know this. This advertising budget is being funded by the collision

industry. You see, when insurers come to our shops and beat us out

of profit-producing scenarios such as total losses, the profit saved

goes directly to their advertising budget. Have you ever seen the

commercial with the gecko? That company spends more than one

billion dollars annually on advertising and marketing! Think about

this when an insurer tries to get you to work for free.

� Estimate fee – How much timedo you spend on a detailed 142-lineestimate? Write down the steps.

� Processing fee – How much timedo you spend processing a total, in-cluding finding a place to put it whenit arrives at your shop, moving othervehicles, generating a check or PO forthe towing company and creating a

customer file? Think it through; writedown the steps.

� Total loss fee – How much profitare you losing on vehicles that don’tget repaired because their salvagevalue is too high? Suddenly, it’s morecost effective for the insurance companyto total the vehicle, cash out the cus-tomer and recover at least 35 percent

back on salvage. And what does theshop get? Nothing. Are you mad yet?

� Storage – This is the only fee in-surance companies are willing to pay,granted at a Third World rate. Thinkit through; write down what the spaceon your lot costs you per day.

� Towing – If you’re not markingup tow bills, you need to be; it’s anothermissed profit-producing opportunity.

� Securing the vehicle – What doesit cost, for example, to keep rain andsnow out of a vehicle that has missingbody parts or glass?

� Customer follow-up – How muchtime do you spend communicatingwith customers, packing up their per-sonal belongings, pulling off the rustylicense plate, and getting into the trunkto get their kids’ subwoofers out?

No More Free Work » Why are weexpected to do all of this work andmore for free? I know, it’s not aboutthe insurance carrier, it’s about thecustomer. But if you’re not profitingon every ethical opportunity, yourbusiness will no longer be around toserve your customer!

With that being said, are you goingto get paid every time? No. Be preparedfor the insurance companies to pushback, as they will not just open uptheir checkbooks without an expla-nation. Have a detailed cost break-down, along with a strong sales plan,as to why they should pay you. Afterall, what do you have to lose? Re-member that insurers, despite whatthey say, are not your “partners.”You’re not getting paid now, you don’thave a DRP contract and it’s a freemarket – despite what the insurancecarrier wants you to believe. BSB

Basil Fernimos owned his own collisionand auto repair centers for more than 25years and retired at 44. He’s a masterASE-certified collision technician, I-CARPlatinum technician, state of Michigancertified technician and state of Michigancollision certified technician. He’s also amarketing, sales and business developmentexpert as well as a public speaker. He canbe reached at [email protected].

BUSINESS » Total Losses


TECHNICAL

How Long Will Your Repair Last?Today’s metals are

stronger than ever butthinner, too. How long

do you think it willtake for corrosion to

compromise metalstrength once it takeshold – especially withthe increasing use of

liquid deicer to combatsnow storms?


CorrosionProtection:

Look at your work from theinside and see what’s underthere. Do you see the welds?Do you see foams and/or ad-

hesives? Take a peek and see howmuch corrosion protection you have.

Living in Minnesota, you learn todeal with good and bad weather. Thegood is the beautiful, warm summersand beloved storms that bring hailand more business to the collision re-pair industry. The not-so-good, de-pending on your tolerance, is the cold

winter, but that brings a steady flowof collision work from the ice andsnow. But with that snow and icecomes methods of dealing with slip-pery conditions.

Pass the Salt » In the wintery states,we’re all familiar with sand and roadsalt. This means that along with in-creased business, we also get to dealwith corrosion.

With the increasing use of roadsalt and chemicals to control iceconditions in the U.S., and the in-troduction of new chemicals in

By Mitch Becker

southern states, can you afford notto take a peek at your work fromthe inside?

In most vehicles, the factory cor-rosion protection is designed togive the vehicle long life. Car man-ufacturers have improved this pro-tection over the years through muchroad testing, which has increasedvehicle life dramatically. Rememberwhen 100,000 miles was considereda lot for a car? If we were to buy acar today, we wouldn’t even flinchat that mileage. Most would say ithas barely reached half its age.This began a trend that has ownershanging on to vehicles much longerthan in the past – and has also in-creased the resale value of vehicles.I-CAR Corrosion Protection(CPS01) class is an excellent classto learn about the harsh conditionsvehicles and your repairs will besubjected to.

How Long? » This leads me tothis question: How long will yourrepair last? A shop through all thebest cycle time and best laid planscan be stopped dead in its tracksby comebacks, redos and the dread-ed warranty.

Many of you will argue that a re-pair shop does not get enough timeto repair the vehicle right the firsttime. How much do you get paidfor warranty? A simple quality con-trol program can alleviate or preventany work from leaving that maycause a warranty issue later on. I-CAR put together a class called In-specting Repairs for Quality Control(QUA01) to help shops see and re-alize what to look for. But, we’re aprideful bunch and tell ourselvesthat we know what we’re lookingfor. The problem is, who’s looking?Nobody is perfect every time re-pairing a vehicle – just as no vehicle

is perfect off the assembly line. Butbeing consistent and catching theoccasional “dangit” can prevent arepair from coming back – and elim-inate unhappy customers.

TECHNICAL » Corrosion Protection


With the increasing use of liquid deicer,which can invade more areas in a vehicle,panels have a better chance of looking likethis after a collision if corrosion protectionisn’t restored.

Corrosion Protection » Corrosionprotection is one of my sore spotson this issue. In the past, corrosiontook time to show its ugly side.Steels were thick, and corrosionstayed on the surface longer. Today’smetals are stronger than ever butthinner, too. How long do you thinkit would take to compromise the

metal strength once corrosion takeshold? Could a vehicle’s integrity becompromised? We know a shop’sreputation can definitely be com-promised. Preventing this type ofproblem is fairly straightforward.

1. Maintain your equipment – Besure your MAG, MIG and STRSWwelders are running correctly and

everyone knows how to use them.Attend a training class such as I-CAR’s Squeeze-Type Resistance SpotWelding (WCS04), which features in-shop demonstrations on proper STR-SW. Never assume your people knowhow to use the equipment correctly.Many welds that fail are due to oper-ator error – including operators notmaintaining equipment.

2. Use recommended corrosionprotection procedures – Almost allvehicle manufacturers have recom-mendations on protecting vehicles.They’ve learned the hard way, andit has been proven to work. You’repaid to do it, so do it. Look up allOEM procedures and follow recom-mendations diligently. When STRSWis called for, use the spot welders.When you can’t access both sides,use MAG or MIG welding.

3. Use correct primers – Somewill disagree, but epoxy primers areinvaluable in preventing corrosion.Unlike many self-etching primers,epoxy primers have excellent prop-erties as barrier coats for corrosionprotection. Car manufacturers haverecommendations on epoxy primersand where to use them. Many of thenew epoxy primers have much short-er top coat times than in the past,competing with the speed advantageof using self-etching primers. Youcan apply them by brushing, daubersand spraying, making them versatilefor use anywhere in the shop.

An example of duplicating as closeto OE as possible is to jam the interiorparts with epoxy primer prior towelding. This gives all interior com-ponents as close to factory specs aspossible. Most vehicle manufacturersrequire epoxy primer as a barriercoat to be used where glass adheresto vehicles. The urethanes andprimers used by glass professionalsthat go over the top of epoxy primerare not barrier coats and cannot formbarrier coats.

Although this is a different issueentirely, do not color coat or clearcoatpinch welds where adhesives for glasswill bond unless recommended.



4. Clean and verify – Clean allapplication equipment. Before using,check that all tips and wands arespraying correctly. Verify coveragein vehicle.

5. Inspect all welds – Before thebody fillers or seam sealers goon, check the welds. If youdon’t know what porosity orheat affect zone is or don’tknow what bad or good weldslook like, take I-CAR classesWCS04, Steel GMA (MIG)Welding Theory (WCS06e) on-line, QUA01 and/or many ofthe other classes in the SteelStructural Technician role. Itmay have been a long timesince you welded. Refreshyourself and be sure all youremployees know what to look forand what’s expected of them forquality. Be sure to inspect the back-sides where possible to verify pene-tration. I’ve met many people in theindustry who do not know what abad weld looks like.

6. Finish the weld – Be sure toclean the backside of all ash markswhere possible and apply epoxyprimer by either brush or dauber to

the interior or backside of welds.Corrosion happens on both sidesfrom the heat of the weld. In interiorareas, be sure to apply wax-basedprotection and flood areas to sealout moisture.

7. Weld bonding – When recom-mended, do so. The adhesive doesmany things, corrosion being a majorpart. By not weld bonding, you’reforgoing a major corrosion preven-tion step. It’s not hard to apply anddoesn’t take as long as technicians

think once they’re used to it. Thelearning curve is fairly short, andthe benefits of using on all-new andused parts when recommended areoverwhelming. With all the harshenvironments your repairs will be

exposed to, you need all theprotection available.

Seeing the Big Picture »Although there are many moresteps I can add, I think you seethe big picture. Following thesesteps will give you longlastingand safe repairs on every job.None of this will work, how-ever, unless you use qualitycontrol procedures through thewhole repair and not just afterthe vehicle is painted. You must

find anything that’s overlooked be-fore it costs more time and money.

Simple tools to invest in wouldbe a decent set of wands and tipsfor applying corrosion protection.It’s an additional cost, but they’llbe easier to use and maintain. Adrywall camera or borescope wouldalso be helpful to see in betweenpanels and inside areas to verifywelds and coatings. A must is well-maintained welders.

Warranties and Reputation »When we see how long vehicles aregoing to be kept by the customerand the fact that some will be handeddown to other family members, fail-ure to properly protect these vehicleswill cost a shop everything. Statesthat may not have seen corrosionfrom road salt and chemicals in thepast will soon learn the effects ofthese conveniences. The expense ofwarranties and the lost reputationscan shut a shop down. So the ques-tion is, how long will your repairlast? Can you afford not to take apeek? BSB

Mitch Becker is a technical instruc-tor for ABRA Auto Body & Glass.Contact him at (763) 585-6411 [email protected].



By not weld bonding, you’re forgoing amajor corrosion prevention step.

country, State Farm in-tends to complete a na-tionwide rollout of theplan by the end of 2014.ASA Ohio states that itreviewed the informa-tion available on StateFarm’s new parts pro-curement mandate andheld open sessions todiscuss the proposal. Af-ter reviewing the pro-gram and hearingconcerns from ASA Ohiomembers, it was deter-mined that the StateFarm mandate had thepotential to disrupt therelationship between au-tomotive repair facilitiesand their parts vendors.Furthermore, the letterdescribes that the addedinfluence such a man-date would give StateFarm over collision re-pair market pricingwould have a negativeimpact on repair facilities’

operations and wouldtake even more controlaway from automotive re-pair professionals.

The letter explains thatthe most efficientmethod of ordering partsis in a free market sys-tem, and goes on to statethat disrupting thisprocess through a singlemandated system willnegatively affect the rela-tionship repair profes-sionals have developedwith their customers,who have trusted themto service their vehicles.

In its letter, ASA Ohioencourages State Farm tooffer the online parts or-dering system to its SelectService network on a vol-untary basis. Should theelectronic platform proveto be efficient and im-prove the automotive re-pair process, ASA Ohiostates, then the industrywill adopt the program.



ASA continued from pg. 13

struction, State Farm hasnow elected to deny Pre-cision’s aluminum ratesunder the Select Serviceprogram. As a result, likeall other insurers, StateFarm will no longer beprovided the concessions(e.g. storage) Precision of-fered in the past.

“While insurers contin-ue to adjust their ratesbased upon economic pres-sures, as vehicle technolo-gy advances with newsophisticated metals, man-ufacturing and repair tech-niques, repairers party tosuch programs as SelectService are precluded fromkeeping pace with their in-creasing costs,” said

Reichen. “We found at-tempting to do so, whilemaintaining the highestlevel of quality and service,to be both unreasonableand unsustainable, and asa business decision weelected to resign from theinsurer’s program.

“This was Precision’slast DRP relationship and,as in the past, we will con-tinue to work with all in-surers on our customer’sbehalf. Precision is com-mitted to its customers andour community and willcontinue to work diligentlyto serve them with thehighest quality repairs andservice in an expeditiousmanner regardless ofwhich insurer is involved.”

Oregon continued from pg. 13

The Alliance of Au-tomotive ServiceProviders of Min-nesota (AASP-

MN) has filed a formalcomplaint with the Min-nesota Department ofCommerce requestingtimely administrativeand/or legal action to pre-vent State Farm frommandating that repairshops use the PartsTraderparts procurement system.

The Complaint and Re-quest for Relief is based onState Farm’s violation ofMinn. Stat. § 72B.092, subd.1(6). This provision, enact-ed in 2007, prohibits insur-

ers from specifying “…theuse of a particular vendorfor the procurement ofparts or other materialsnecessary for the satisfacto-ry repair of the vehicle.”The complaint states thatthe mandated use of Parts-Trader restricts market op-tions for parts procure-ment, and therefore shouldbe prohibited as intendedby the legislature.

For more than a year,AASP-MN has corre-sponded and met withDepartment of Commerceofficials to express con-cerns regarding the man-dated use of PartsTrader

in other states. Accordingto AASP-MN, the depart-ment was reluctant to actuntil State Farm indicatedits intention to implementPartsTrader in Minnesota.

AASP-MN is also pur-suing this issue with theoffice of the Attorney Gen-eral. Information has beentransmitted to the appro-priate officials to requestthat they work with, or inlieu of, the Department ofCommerce to prohibit theimplementation of Parts-Trader as a violation ofMinnesota Statute. In ad-dition, AASP-MN has con-sulted with legal counsel

to identify possible causesof action that could bebrought before a court.

In May of 2012, AASPwas among the first in-dustry associations to goon record stating thatState Farm’s newly-man-dated bidding process forparts procurement wasan unprecedented anduninvited intrusion intothe business of collisionrepair. AASP-MN says its efforts reinforce that po-sition and are intended toprotect the interests ofthe collision repair indus-try and give voice to itsconcerns.



AASP-MN Files Complaint on PartsTraderwith Department of Commerce

In an effort to provide amore efficient and sim-pler way for non-Circleof Dependability shops

to submit estimates, Farm-ers Insurance announcedthat it has launched a newWeb-based program tosubmit estimates and sup-plements for approval.The new program, Choic-es, will accept any of thethree major estimatingsoftware systems.

To participate in theChoices program, a shopmust register on the web-site, www.theshopofchoice.com/farmers. When a shopreceives Choices claimsinformation from the cus-tomer, they simply log into the website and submitthe estimate, photos and,if needed, request supple-ments. The estimate (Au-datex, CCC or Mitchell) isaccepted through the

website and importedinto the Farmers claimssystem. No rekeying ofestimates will be requiredto upload the data, creat-ing a more efficientprocess for both shop andinsurer. If a shop does nothave one of the three ma-jor estimating systems, itcan still use the websiteto submit images and theestimate. The estimatewill be rekeyed by Farm-ers using its preferred es-timating system.

In managing the claim,the shop can follow thestatus through the web-site and, if needed, com-municate with claimsstaff. Shops that are al-ready registered to the“Shop of Choice” for oth-

er insurance companiesdo not need to registeragain to participate in theFarmers Choices website.Once in the website, theshop will choose the op-tion to submit a new esti-mate or request asupplement on a previ-ously written estimate bya Farmers appraiser.

This program is de-signed and developedaround the NuGen IT Inc.Collision Data ExchangeTechnology.

“Anything we can use tohelp streamline the processis good, and we’re lookingforward to using this withmore insurance compa-nies,” said Mark Martin of Ankeny Auto Body,Ankeny, Iowa.



NationalFarmers Insurance New ClaimsWebsite Accepts All Three MajorEstimating Systems

The Women’s In-dustry Networkannounced thatnominations for

the Most InfluentialWomen (MIW) Awardsopened Thursday, Oct.17, 2013, and will be ac-cepted through Tuesday,Dec. 31, 2013. The win-ners will be recognizedat a gala held during the2014 WIN EducationalConference, May 5-7,2014, at Paradise Pointin San Diego, Calif.

The MIW award rec-ognizes women whohave enriched the colli-sion repair industry with

their leadership, visionand commitment to excellence.

“Being recognized asone of AkzoNobel’sMost Influential Womenin the collision repair in-dustry was simultane-ously humbling andempowering,” said Lin-da Sommerhauser, own-er of Autobody ColorCompany in KansasCity, Mo. “I was hum-bled because I knew thatthere were so manywithin the industry whocould have just as easilybeen recognized for theirmany contributions.

However, I also felt em-powered because I wasnow part of a recognizedcommunity of leaderswho were committed tomaking the path a littleeasier for others to follow.”

In addition to theMIW awards gala, wherehonorees are presentedwith a Tiffany’s crystalaward and custom com-memorative pin, WINhas added a new ele-ment to the program thisyear. Recipients willhave the opportunity toinvest in the future ofcollision repair by men-

toring a WIN scholar-ship winner as they con-tinue their educationtoward a career in the industry.

Honorees have heldpositions in every facetof the collision repair in-dustry as shop owners,body and paint techni-cians, managers, whole-salers, lobbyists,suppliers, insurance ad-justers, consultants, edu-cators, editors andwriters, and industry as-sociation directors.To nominate, visithttp://thewomensindustrynetwork.ning.com/.



WIN Announces Opening of

Most Influential Women Nominations

The National AutoBody Council(NABC) wel-comes its newest

top-level Diamondmember, Overall PartsSolutions, a leadingparts procurement andlogistics technologyprovider for the colli-sion industry.

Based in GrandPrairie, Texas, OverallParts Solutions providesa collision parts toolcalled OPSTRAX, aWeb-based parts coordi-nation system designedto work with major esti-

mating and manage-ment systems.

“We look forward tobeing an integral part ofthe National Auto BodyCouncil,” said NickBossinakis, president ofOverall Parts Solutions.“With the help of manyof our partners in thecollision industry, wehave been quietly grow-ing our business. As wenow take our businessto the next level, we be-lieve we have an obliga-tion to support the workof the National AutoBody Council, which

will strengthen and ben-efit all of us in the colli-sion industry.”

With the addition ofOverall Parts Solutions,membership in NABCnow includes 199 busi-nesses and individualsrepresenting all facets ofthe collision industry.OPS joins 26 other companies at the top-tier Diamond sponsorlevel.

“We appreciate theleadership demonstrat-ed by Overall Parts So-lutions, especially at theDiamond membership

level,” said Chuck Sul-kala, National AutoBody Council executivedirector. “This level ofcommitment sets OPSapart as a leader andhelps the NABC to fur-ther our mission toidentify, develop andimplement initiativesthat promote a positiveimage of the collisionindustry.”

These initiatives in-clude the RecycledRides program, First Responder EmergencyExtrication and Distracted Driving.



National Auto Body Council Welcomes Overall Parts Solutions as Diamond Member

A top CARSTAR shopowner in the Midwest isexpanding with a secondlocation to serve the mid-Ohio community.

Tom Martin, owner ofSidney Body CARSTAR,Sidney, Ohio, is buildinga new location in Troy,Ohio. Located at 15North Kings ChapelDrive, the new shop willbe the 25th CARSTAR location in the state.

“I am excited about theopportunity of coming to

the Troy community andproviding them with theaward-winning servicethat we provide in Sidney,”said Martin. “Top-notchcustomer service is the

foundation that we havebuilt our business on andour core belief.”

Troy CARSTAR says itwill offer an array ofservices and products forcollision repair, includingthe latest in repair tech-nology, rental vehicles,

national warranties on repairs and turn-keyservice for customers.

“We congratulate TomMartin on his expansion toa second store and theircontinued commitment tooperational excellence,”said David Byers, CEO ofCARSTAR. “We arethrilled to strengthen ourpresence in Ohio with an-other top-notch collisionrepair center.”



ConsolidationCARSTAR Shop Owner Opens SecondLocation in Central Ohio Region

Cooks Collision Centers, a Roseville,

Calif.-based collision repair company,

has acquired four locations in the greater

Sacramento area from Hayes Brothers

Collision Repair.

The Hayes transaction is one of five

acquisitions in the past 12 months that

have added locations to Napa, the Penin-

sula and the South Bay area. An

additional location is scheduled to close

at the end of this month. With this latest

acquisition, Cooks now operates 33 loca-

Cooks Collision Centers Acquires Four Sacramento Stores

Continued on pg. 72

Service King Collision Re-pair Centers announcedthat it has acquired TriCounty Collision Centerof New Braunfels, Texas.

“We’re looking forwardto partnering with a com-pany with a rich historyin New Braunfels like TriCounty Collision Center,”said Jeremy Lennox, mar-ket vice president – SouthTexas, Service King.“Their commitment to in-novation, quality autobody repairs and cus-tomer satisfaction alignswith Service King’s val-ues and gives us greatconfidence that this willbe a successful opportuni-

ty for our growing teamin South Texas.”

Service King currentlyhas 13 locations in the SanAntonio market, but thiswill be the first in NewBraunfels.

“The most exciting ele-ments of our growth isexpanding our talentedgroup of teammates aswell as expanding ourfootprint in the SouthTexas region,” said Serv-ice King CEO Chris Abra-ham. “The Tri Countyteam is now a part of theService King family, andwe take great pride inblending our rich culturesand values. We are com-

tions and is the largest independently owned and oper-

ated collision company in California, and the largest

family-owned repairer in the country.

“We are closing the year with several prime acquisi-

tions that complement our growth strategy,” said Don

Wood, who owns Cooks with his brother, Rick. “We have

built a solid infrastructure for continued growth in 2014

and beyond.”

Added Brett Hayes, co-owner of Hayes Brothers Colli-

sion Repair, “Part of our legacy is that we are a family-

owned business. It gives us comfort to know that Cooks

Collision, another family-owned business, will take good

care of our employees and customers.”

Symphony Advisors LLC and Veritas Advisors Inc.

acted as advisers to Cooks Collision throughout the

acquisition process.



Cooks continued from pg. 70

mitted to carrying thetorch of their pristine rep-utation in the local com-munity and providinggrowth and opportunityfor our new teammates.”

Service King now hasmore than 80 locations inArizona, Arkansas, Mis-sissippi, Tennessee andTexas.

Service King Acquires Tri County Collision Center in Texas

One of the top CARSTAR bodyshop owners in the Boston regionis expanding with a third locationto serve the Worcester community.

Bob Waldron, owner of Wal-dron’s CARSTAR Auto Body inMarlboro, Mass., and Lancaster

A-1 A B CARSTAR in Lancaster,Mass., has opened a third location –Thomas Waldron CARSTAR AutoBody, located at 225 Grafton St. in Worcester.

According to CARSTAR, thisnew shop will now offer an array

of services and products for colli-sion repair, including the latest inrepair technology, rental vehicles,national warranties on repairs andturnkey service for customers.

“We congratulate Bob Waldronon his expansion to a third storeand his continued commitment tooperational excellence,” said DavidByers, CEO of CARSTAR AutoBody Repair Experts. “We arethrilled to strengthen our presencein Boston with another top-notchcollision repair center.”



CARSTAR Shop Owner Opens Third Shop in Boston Area

Caliber Collision Centers has ac-quired four Hanley Brothers AutoSpecialists locations in the greaterHouston market. The acquisitionbrings the total number of Caliber lo-cations to 12 in the Houston area and148 nationwide.

“Caliber’s acquisition of HanleyBrothers Auto Specialists locationsexpands our penetration and opera-tional synergies in the Houston mar-ket,” said Caliber CEO SteveGrimshaw. “Over the course of ourdiscussions with Ken Hanley and histeam, it became very apparent thattheir culture is a perfect fit with Cal-iber’s customer centric approach to-ward restoring our customers to therhythm of their lives.”

Added Hanley Brothers CEO KenHanley, “We’re proud that HanleyBrothers is now a part of the nation’sleading collision repair provider. Thispartnership will allow the companyto continue expanding across theHouston market, while providingHanley Brothers’ customers with thesame high standards of quality repairand personal service they’ve come toexpect. Our partnership with Caliberprovides Hanley Brothers’ staff andtheir families’ new career opportuni-ties and a secure future in the colli-sion repair industry.”

Caliber Collision Acquires FourHouston-Based Shops

Transtar AutobodyTechnologies has announced several

personnel changes:

Southeast RegionalManagerJoe De Meis joins TranstarAutobody Technologieseffective Oct. 1, 2013, as re-gional sales manager ofthe Southeast region. Inthis role, De Meis will beable to leverage his 20-plus years of PBE experi-

ence. He currently worksfor Transtar Industries. Be-fore coming to Transtar, heheld various sales man-agement positions withSherwin-Williams in theSoutheastern U.S. goingback more than 20 years.De Meis earned a bachelorof science in marketingfrom Auburn University.He will be based in Char-lotte, N.C., and report toJeremy VanAlstyne, vicepresident of sales.

Marketing ManagerStacey Wilcox joinedTranstar’s Brighton man-agement team Oct. 7, 2013,as marketing manager. Shecame to Transtar fromTechSmith Corporation,where she served as strate-gic marketing manager.Wilcox earned an MBAfrom the DeVos GraduateSchool of Management atNorthwood Universityand a bachelor’s in com-munication arts and adver-

tising from Michigan StateUniversity. She will reportto Mike Westrick, vicepresident and generalmanager.

Director of Training,Technical Services andColoristicsSteve Rogal moved into anew and critically impor-tant role as director oftraining on Oct. 7. He willleverage the PBE experi-ence and knowledge hehas gained after spending15 months as marketing di-rector. Training is a criticalinitiative for the companyand Steve will be puttingplans and programs inplace. He will report toMike Westrick, vice presi-dent and general manager.



PersonnelTranstar Autobody Technologies Adds New Team Members

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I-CAR announced theappointment of ToddChizmar of ChryslerGroup to its Interna-

tional Board of Directorsas a board member.

Chizmar has been partof the automotive indus-try for nearly 20 years, thelast 14 in technical andmanagement roles atChrysler. He is currentlysenior manager, TechnicalTraining for Chrysler, arole in which he is respon-sible for the planning, de-velopment and executionof the company’s globaltechnical training strategy.

This includes curriculumdesign, development and course delivery forall technical training programs.

Chizmar previouslymanaged a department atChrysler responsible forimproving dealership re-pair processes and increas-ing customer satisfaction.Prior to that, he managedChrysler’s Global ServiceDiagnostics department.He also worked for morethan five years developingenhanced on-board diag-nostics for Chrysler’s elec-tronic control modules.

Before joining Chrysler,Chizmar gained fiveyears of hands-on auto-motive diagnosis and re-pair experience as aservice technician forClouser Auto Repair. Heholds an MBA fromMichigan State Universi-ty and a bachelor of sci-ence in automotivetechnology from South-ern Illinois UniversityCarbondale. He is also anASE-Certified Master Au-tomobile Technician andAdvanced Engine Per-formance Specialist.

“Todd’s many years of

technical and manage-ment experience atChrysler and firsthandexpertise in automotiverepair will enable him toadd significant value tothe I-CAR InternationalBoard of Directors,” saidI-CAR Chair WilliamBrower. “His insightswill be particularly help-ful as I-CAR begins tosignificantly increase itsrepair-related technicalsupport of the industrythrough its new Re-pairability TechnicalSupport and Knowledgeinitiative.”



Chrysler’s Todd Chizmar Appointed to I-CAR International Board of Directors

Car Bench America welcomes Bob Stevenson to the position of

national sales and training. In his new role, Stevenson will be

responsible for sales and training of Car Bench, inverter spot

welders, computerized measuring, aluminum, steel and MIG brazing machines, self-

piercing riveting (SPR), aluminum repair tools, and most all other equipment needed

to rebuild automotive body and chassis construction.

Stevenson brings 20-plus years of collision knowledge and experience in both

paint and equipment. He worked with BASF in New York City as a Glasurit and RM

Diamont representative before holding a position with ICI Autocolor in New Jersey.

Stevenson spent the last 16 years with Reliable Automotive Equipment (R.A.E.), a

New Jersey-based company representing Wielander+Schill and Celette equipment.

He has been recognized by the industry for his knowledge in the latest repair meth-

ods used by the automobile manufactures in the design and repair procedures to

successfully restore vehicles to pre-accident condition. He can be reached at

[email protected] or (772) 828-9777.



Car Bench America Welcomes Bob Stevenson to National Sales and Training Team

Babcox MediaInc. is pleased toannounce thepromotion of

Doug Kaufman to Pub-lisher of Engine Builderand the company’snewest online destina-tion, Speedville.com. Kauf-man has been with thecompany for more than20 years, most recentlyserving as Associate Publisher and Editor ofEngine Builder magazineand digital properties.

Speedville.com is a newdigital destination forautomotive profession-als and automotive en-

thusiasts who are look-ing for a blend of top-notch technical contentalong with up-to-the-minute news and events,product information and entertaining re-sources from the racing,restyling and restorationmarketplaces.

“Doug Kaufman hasbeen an integral part ofthe Engine Builder brandsince he was named Edi-tor back in 2000. The in-dustry expertise he hasaccrued during that timewill serve him well in thisnew role as publisher ofEngine Builder and

Speedville.com,” said BillBabcox, President of Bab-cox Media.

In addition to Kauf-man’s new appointment,Brendan Baker has beenpromoted to the positionof Content Director forSpeedville.com. Baker hasspent the past 10 yearsas Senior Editor of En-gine Builder. As ContentDirector, he will be re-sponsible for day-to-dayonline content manage-ment and site opera-tions, while alsocontinuing to supportthe Engine Builder team.

Ed Sunkin will be re-

joining Engine Builder asEditor. Sunkin has servedas the Editor of BabcoxMedia’s Underhood Servicesince 1999, however hewas previously a memberof the Engine Builder edi-torial staff for four yearsstarting back in 1995. “It’sgreat to have Ed back onthe Engine Builder team,”said Kaufman.

According to Kaufman,“The Baker/Sunkin teamwill support each otheron both the Engine Builderand Speedville.com proper-ties but each will haveprimary responsibility forhis brand.”



Babcox Media Announces Three New Appointments

Dent Wizard Internationalhas added two regionalbusiness developmentmanagers to its team.

Laura Sobyak will oversee theMidsouth region, and Tim Southwill oversee the West region.Sobyak’s position is newly created,which the company says representsfurther expansion of Dent Wizard’snational sales coverage.

In these roles, Sobyak and Southwill focus on growing Dent Wiz-ard’s customer base for paintlessdent removal, chip and scratch re-pair, bumper repair, interior repair,wheel restoration, hail damage re-pair services and more, as well asDent Wizard’s new Frontline Fast,Ding Shield and MINT programs.Sobyak will report to AddisonThomas, Dent Wizard’s regionalvice president for the Midsouth re-gion, and South will report to DonColeman, Dent Wizard’s regionalvice president for the West region.

Sobyak brings more than 20 years

of experience in the automotive in-dustry, including roles as sales andfinancing account manager, nationalsales manager, and, most recently, asterritory manager for Southern AutoFinance Company.

South has nearly 30 years of ex-perience in the automotive indus-try, including roles as territorymanager, financing account man-ager, and, most recently, as generalsales manager for John Hine Maz-da in San Diego, Calif.

“The addition of talented, serv-

ice-oriented people such as Lauraand Tim is representative of thecommitment that Dent Wizard ismaking nationally in our steadytransition from just PDR services toa broad menu of cosmetic recondi-tioning programs and services,”said Mike Black, chief operating of-ficer for Dent Wizard. “We are ask-ing Laura and Tim to ramp up thecommunication and share DentWizard’s true value propositionwithin the dealer channel. Our pro-grams reduce the reconditioningcycle time and ensure our dealerssell cars more quickly, and formore money. We are excited tohave both on our team.”



Dent Wizard Adds Two Members to Business Development Team

Babcox Media Names New Editor

of Underhood Service

Babcox Media Inc. is pleasedto announce the appoint-ment of Andrew Markel toEditor of Underhood Service.

Markel succeeds Ed Sunkin, whowas named Editor of Engine Builder,effective Oct. 1, 2013.

Markel joined Babcox in 2000 asAssociate Editor of Brake & FrontEnd and was named Editor in 2003.He took on the additional role ofEditor of Servicio Automotriz, whenit launched in December 2004. AnASE-certified automotive techni-cian, Markel worked as a techni-cian and service writer prior tojoining Babcox Media. He will con-tinue as Editor of Brake & Front Endand Servicio Automotriz, in additionto his new assignment with Under-hood Service.

“Andrew’s proven track recordof success with Brake & Front Endand Servicio Automotriz, combinedwith his technical expertise andaftermarket service heritage, makehim the ideal individual to directthe editorial content of UnderhoodService and ensure its continuedsuccess,” said Jim Merle, Publish-er of Babcox Media’s Tech Groupproperties, which include theBrake & Front End, ImportCar andUnderhood Service print and digitalproperties.

Markel can be reached at (330)670-1234 ext. 296 or [email protected].

Axalta Coating Systems, North America, has announced that it haslaunched its social media presence across a variety of platforms.

The coatings company aims to maximize momentum and visibility byestablishing a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.Visit Axalta at the following social media platforms:

Facebook: facebook.com/AxaltaNArefinishTwitter: @AxaltaNARefInstagram: AxaltaNArefinishYouTube: youtube.com/user/AxaltaUSDuring the recent NACE in Las Vegas, Axalta posted live video from

the show on its YouTube channel and Facebook page. The company willcontinue to bring breaking news and information via its social mediachannels. The company’s corporate video can also be viewed onYouTube.

Web-Est Updates CollisionEstimating SoftwareWeb-Est has announced new featuresfor its collision estimating program:

� Multiple payments can now beapplied on any estimate on the pay-ment information tab after turningthis feature on through your printprofile set up in your rate profilesection.

� You now have the ability to turnon/off printing on the PDF estimateof the estimate number and estimateID number.

� See your print profile settingsunder your rate profile.

� You can now print an estimatedirectly from the Look Up Estimatescreen without opening the esti-mate up.

� Time zones are now active on thecustomer profile page and will printthe correct time for your time zone.

� You’re now able to delete savedcustomer information from the cus-tomer tab.

� You can delete saved insurancecompanies from the insurance tab.




CorporateAxalta Coating Systems EstablishesSocial Media Presence

BASF Joins ASA as NewestCorporate MemberBASF has joined the AutomotiveService Association (ASA) as itsnewest corporate member.

“BASF is excited about the changesat ASA,” said Joe Skurka, manager,OEM and industry relations. “They’reoff to a fresh start with a new leader-ship team and are strengthening rela-tionships within the collision repairindustry. A good example is the com-bined NACE/I-CAR/CIC conferencein Detroit next year. We believe col-laborations like this can help the colli-sion industry thrive.”

Added ASA Executive DirectorDan Risley, “ASA is proud to haveBASF among its first corporatemembers. BASF continues to dis-play its professionalism and com-mitment to support and work withrepairers as one of the industry’sleading paint and refinish compa-nies. As such, it’s my pleasure towelcome them and their leadershipteam. We truly appreciate their sup-port of ASA and our membership.”

FACTS ABOUT THE NOMINEE:Name and title of nominee: __________________________________________________________________________Company name: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________Nominee’s daytime phone: ( ) ______________________________________________________________________Nominee’s company address: ________________________________________________________________________City: ____________________ State: ___________ Zip: ____________________________________________________Nominee’s date of birth: ___________Total number of years in the collision repair industry: ________________Education (list schools attended, degrees earned): __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NOMINEE’S COLLISION REPAIR INDUSTRY BUSINESS HISTORY:List shop(s) worked for and/or owned, dates and positions held. Review growth and development ofbusiness(s) this person has been in charge of: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NOMINEE’S SIGNIFICANT COLLISION REPAIR INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTIONS:List any significant milestones, accomplishments, rewards, recognition, special achievements, etc. Review whatmakes this person different from the average shop owner: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

INDUSTRY SERVICE RECORD/VOLUNTEERISM:List all industry association involvement, leadership positions and committee activities nominee has been involved in, including date, position held, special achievements attained, special honors/recognition and offices held: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NOMINATOR INFORMATION:Name and title of nominator: ____________________________________________________________________________________

Nominator’s place of business: __________________________________________________________________________________

Nominator’s signature: ________________________________________________________________________________________

Nominator’s daytime telephone: ( ) ____________________________________________________________________________

NOMINATION FORM MUST BE RECEIVED BY FEB. 1, 2014.Mail to: BodyShop Business, Executive of the Year, 3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron, OH 44333;

fax completed form to (330) 670-0874 or access the form online at www.bodyshopbusiness.com/execoftheyear/.

BodyShop Business Collision Repair Shop Executive of the Year Nomination Form

The Certified AutomotiveParts Association (CAPA)achieved another major mile-stone in September when it

reached nearly 62 million CAPA Certified parts.

“As the premier certification bodyfor aftermarket automotive parts, thisrepresents significant market pene-tration for CAPA parts with poten-tially 20,000,000 vehicles in the U.S.fleet with CAPA Certified parts in-stalled,” said CAPA Executive Direc-tor Jack Gillis.

This number represents the totalnumber of parts CAPA Certifiedsince 1990.

As CAPA continues toward the100 million mark, it says it has madea major impact on improving thequality of aftermarket parts as evi-denced by the following:

� Part applications have increasedby 16 percent per year for the pastfive years.

� Seventeen new manufacturerswere added to the program in justfive years – there are now 43 manu-facturers fully capable of supplyinghigh-quality CAPA parts.

� CAPA parts in the market haveincreased by 13 percent per year forthe past five years.

� CAPA plastic parts in the markethave increased 19 percent per yearand lights have increased by 30 per-

cent per year for the past five years.� 2013 YTD statistics indicate that

getting true, high quality parts intothe hands of America’s collision re-pair shops and, most importantly, onthe vehicles owned by Americanconsumers is continuing.

One of the reasons why CAPAsays it is able to keep in-depth statis-tics on parts in the market is becauseevery CAPA part has a unique num-ber on a two-part, tamper-proof sealthat is fully traceable. This seal pro-tects shops and insurers from inad-vertently using non-CAPA parts andallows easy proof of use. Shops arereminded that if the part does nothave the bright, distinctive, yellowand blue CAPA seal, it’s not a gen-uine CAPA Certified part.

“It doesn’t matter how the part islisted on the estimate, in a catalog, oron an order form – if the part doesn’thave the CAPA seal, it’s not CAPACertified,” said CAPA’s Director ofOperations Debbie Klouser.

While metal parts have been thebackbone of the CAPA program,plastic parts (bumper covers, grilles,etc.) and lights are currently thefastest growing part categories.

“It’s no surprise that CAPA Certi-fied bumper covers are in such de-mand as shops are tired of sagging,ill-fitting covers made of incorrectplastic materials,” said Gillis.

For evidence of the importance ofthe right material in plastic parts, visit http://www.capacertified.org/ Adjuster/CAPA_bumper_video.wmv.

While CAPA states that its stan-dards are designed to protect con-sumers from poor quality parts, theyalso serve shops that want to main-tain a strong reputation for high qual-ity and reasonably priced repairs.

On the lighting front, not onlyhave CAPA Certified lighting appli-cations increased by 30 percent ayear, but the number of CAPA Certi-fied lights in the market has morethan doubled in the last five years.

“While these numbers are signifi-cant, there are nearly 1,000 additionallights in the CAPA Certificationpipeline,” said Klouser.

One of the key reasons for the ex-ponential increase of CAPA parts inthe market, CAPA states, is that thestandards themselves are strong, in-dependently developed, truly effec-tive and fully transparent.

“Anyone can look at the standards,and when they do, they’ll find themto be fully capable of identifying partsthat are true functional equivalents tothe car company brand parts,” saidGillis. “Furthermore, we congratulatethe 43 CAPA Quality manufacturerswho have been exponentially increas-ing the number of CAPA qualityparts they produce.”

CAPA says it is indebted to itsTechnical Committee – 18 nationallyrecognized experts representingshops, insurers, manufacturers, dis-tributors and quality control (CAPATC Members) – for ensuring that thestandards have been developed inaccordance with ANSI Standards De-velopment requirements.

“As a consumer advocate, I knowthat full transparency and public vet-ting of standards is an absolute ne-cessity for consumer confidence andcredibility,” said Gillis. “The bottomline: CAPA is not afraid to fully em-brace full transparency.”



CAPA Tops 60 Million Certified Parts

Protective MetallicPaint SystemThe Hyper SilverKit is a two-cansystem contain-ing a Hyper Sil-ver basecoat thatproduces a highlymetallic, deep sil-ver look alongwith a clear top-coat that addsgloss, depth andprotection fromelements such as brake dust, roadabrasion, chipping and fading.Dupli-Colorwww.duplicolor.com


ProductShowcase

Control Gas in Welding ProcessCombining hot air and nitrogen plastic for maximum ver-satility, the Nitro Fuzer gives users ultimate control overhow much gas is used in the welding process with the helpof fine-flow control regulators, output pressure gaugesand a flow gauge. Additional features include a pressuresafety circuit to help prevent burned-out heating elements,electrically actuated air-nitrogen switch, melt-proof sili-cone and fiberglass braided hot welder hose. The system

comes completely assembled and includes the various accessories from plastic welding rods to a hand seamerthat a welder needs to accomplish tasks.Urethane Supply Company

www.urethanesupply.com


Reduce Vapors andContaminantsThe 0.1 Micron SuperStar Filter is designedto provide clean, dry, compressed air re-sulting in the removal of any vapors andcontaminants down to 0.1 micron. Utilizing afour-stage filtration system, the filter containsflow ranges of 50 SCFM, 75 SCFM or 100 SCFMand can handle pressure ratings up to 250 psi.The 0.1 Micron SuperStar Filter includes a differen-tial pressure gauge and comes with mounting brackets.Walmec North Americawww.walmecna.com


Complete CompressedAir SystemA complete compressed air system,The Solution is designed to clean,dry and heat atomized air for to-day’s spraypaint requirements. Itworks with the existing com-pressed air source, features a four-stage filtration system equippedwith an automatic moisture dis-charger and is shipped completewith a spray air hose. The con-troller in the system allows shopsto set the temperature of the atom-izing up to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Martech Services Companywww.breathingsystems.com


Flexible Anchor PotsThese Anchor Pots can be installed in existing floors and wedged into animmovable position so techs can work in any position around a vehicle

undergoing maintenance. Installationcan be in any pattern of your choosing.Pro Tools & Equipment Inc.www.protools.ws



»| Product Showcase |«

Versatile MIG WelderThe SP-5 Smart MIG Welder weldsstainless steel, aluminum and zinc-coated steel. It contains three MIGtorches for three base metals,TIG and MMA/stick. It fea-tures various settings tooffer optimumweld quality.Pro SpotInternational, Inc.www.prospot.com

Circle 156 for

Reader Service

Faster Cutting for Paint Removal,Filler Shaping

The Cubitron II Clean Sanding Hookit Discfeatures 3M precision-shaped grain tech-nology that provides faster cutting for

paint removal, body filler rough shap-ing and feather edging that ultimatelylasts long and delivers a finer, more

uniform finish. The disc is 30 percent faster and lasts twice as long asconventional ceramic premium abrasives. Discs are available in 80+and 120+ grit for 3-inch, 5-inch and 6-inch sanders and are designed towork with a vacuum or independently.3Mwww.3Mcollision.com


Limited Edition Spray GunThis limited edition SATAjet 4000 B high performance spray gunfeatures a winning design by U.S. painter Carl Avery. Painters canchoose between the “Super Saver” HVLP version and the “SuperFast” RP version with opti-mized high pressure technolo-gies. Both spray guns areavailable in non-digital or dig-ital versions, and with all pop-ular nozzle set-ups. SATA USAwww.SATAusa.com


Low-VOC SealerThe Signature Series 2.1 Low VOCSealer is a direct-to-metal sealer thathas both leveling and gloss hold-outproperties. The sealer is compatiblewith most basecoat/clearcoat and single-stage systems. Offering adhe-sion to a wide variety of substrates,the sealer can adhere to bare metal, aluminum, SMS, fiberglass, oldpaint finishes and all Transtar primers. Available in gray, the sealercan be made tintable using basecoat toners. Transtar Autobody Technologieswww.tat-co.com



Portable Jack SystemThe QuickJack portable jack systemmakes vehicle maintenance on andoff the track quick and easy. Evenwith a 3,500-pound capacity, its re-mains lightweight and can easilybe stored or relocated. It lowers toa 3-inch profile and features anopen-center design, rugged safetylock bars, quick-connect hoses,built-in flow divider for equalizedlifting and remote pendant controlon a 20-foot cord. The system in-cludes an eight-piece set of rubberlift blocks, convenient positioninghandles and a mini portable hy-draulic power unit.BendPak/Rangerwww.bendpak.com


»| Product Showcase |«

Create Nearly EveryVehicle ColorSerie 500 is a tintometric system specifi-cally designed for repainting cars, mak-ing application and retouching easier.The system uses highly concentrated col-or bases that are mixed using differentbinders to create products that can beused in basecoat or single-stage systems.

Serie 500 has 68 color bases that can be used toproduce nearly every vehicle color in the world.

BESA (Bernardo Ecenarro S.A.)www.bernardoecenarro.com


Direct-to-Metal Primer SealerThe MP-210 is a premium direct-to-metal primer sealer offering smoothapplication over a broad variety ofsubstrates where a non-sandingtechnique will improve productivi-ty. MP-210 provides high-qualityadhesion and corrosion resistanceand can be used directly on almostany substrate.Quest Automotive Productswww.quest-ap.com


Increase Hiding on Yellow SurfacesThe AUE-370YL is a 2.8 pounds-per-gallon, high-solid VOC urethane.Users of direct-to-metal technology can have 30 to 35 percent betterhiding on yellow colors with this product. The increased hiding cre-ates faster production and greater savings, since fewer coats are required. PPGwww.ppgrefinish.com


Safely Load DisabledVehiclesThe I-Bolt allows body shoptechnicians to safely load dis-abled foreign and some domesticvehicles on rollback wreckersand frame racks without causingdamage. It provides quickerloading of disabled vehicles with tow eye holes by allowing thedriver or technician to pull a vehicle on the rollback bed. It also in-cludes a safety strap and a 3.5-inch steel flat snap hook.Steck Manufacturingwww.steckmanufacturing.com



Two-Stage, 5-MicronRated FilterThe Extractor/Dryer is a two-stagefilter designed to operate most effi-ciently within 25feet of the point ofuse. Each model of-fers a standard 5-mi-cron rating withlower ratings avail-able. With flowranges of 15 SCFMto 2,000 SCFM andpressure ratings ofup to 250 psi, theExtractor/Dryer canbe used for an exten-sive array of appli-cations including air-powered tools,surface preparation, paint spraying,powder coating and pneumatic op-erated equipment.LA-MAN Corporationwww.laman.com



Aframe Spray Booths 50Airomax/U.S. Body Products 72Airvantage Tools Inc. 34Amerex Corporation 58American Family Insurance 75American Honda Motor Co. 17American Honda Motor Co. 57AMH Canada Ltd. 60Anest Iwata USA 15Automotive Mgmt Institute 78Axalta Coating Systems 5BASF Corp. 61BendPak 86Bendpak InsertBernardo Ecenarro 64Blackburn’s Hubcap & Wheels, Inc. 62Blair 24CCC 11Cebotech Inc. 78Certified Auto Parts Association 27ChemSpec USA 19Chief Automotive 50Coastal Boot 38Coastal Boot 39Col-Met Spraybooths 63Crash-writeR InsertDent Fix Equipment 9DV Systems 44Eagle Abrasives 54Evercoat 3Farecla Inc. 4Ford Parts 89Garmat USA 84Garmat USA 21Harbor Freight Tools 73Herkules Equipment Corp. 36Homak Manufacturing Company Inc. 69I-CAR 53Induction Innovations 18Innovative Tools & Technologies, Inc. 23Island Clean Air 68

Kaeser Compressor 25Klean-Strip Automotive 59Lenco D/B/A NLC, Inc. 66Malco Products 80Martech Services Co. 28Matrix System Automotive Finishes LLC 31Maxzone Auto Parts Corp. 71Mitchell International 22Motor Guard Corp. 88Motorcraft, Ford Motor Co. 6-7NAPA 77Nissan Motor Corp. USA 79O’Reilly Auto Parts 81PPG Industries 2nd Cover – 1Pro Spot International Cover 3Pro-Spray Finishes 51RBL Products 37RBL Products 39Reflex Truck Liners 18Rubber-Seal Products 16Sata Spray Equipment 35Scorpion Truck Bed Linings 28Sherwin-Williams Co. 2Sherwin-Williams Co. 41Shop-Pro Equipment 43Southern Polyurethanes 67Spanesi 47Steck Mfg Co. 24Suburban Mfg. 80Sunmight Abrasives 70Northeast 2014 83Tite Spot Welders 82Toyota Cover 4TYC/Genera Corp. 65Urethane Supply Co. 29U.S. Chemical & Plastics 45Valspar/Debeer 55Walmec North America 82Wedge Clamp Systems, Inc. 74Zendex Tool Corp. 86

ADVERTISER INDEXCOMPANY NAME PG. # COMPANY NAME PG. #

Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation

(Act of August 12, 1970; Section 3685.Title 39. United States Code.)

BodyShop Business is published monthlyat 3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron, Ohio44333-8318, Summit County. Headquartersand general business offices are also lo-cated at 3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron,Ohio 44333-8318, Summit County. Publica-tion no. is 0730-7241. Filing date is 9/23/13.Issue frequency is monthly with 12 issuespublished annually. Annual subscriptionprice is $69.

BodyShop Business’s publisher is S. Scott Shriber. The editor is Jason Stahl,and the associate editor is Gina Kuzmick.All are located at 3550 Embassy Parkway,Akron, Ohio 44333-8318, Summit County.

BodyShop Business is owned by William E.Babcox, located at 3550 Embassy Pkwy.,Akron, Ohio 44333. Known bondholders,mortgagees and other security holders own-ing or holding 1 percent or more of totalamount of bonds, mortgages or other secu-rities: none.

BodyShop Business’s Extent and Natureof Circulation are: (Issue date for circulationdata below is August 2013.)

Average no. Actual no. copies each copies of issue during single issue preceding nearest to 12 months filing date

A. Total No. Copies (net press run) 49,694 48,077

B. Legitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution (By Mailand Outside the Mail)1. Individual Paid/

Requested MailSubscriptionsStated on PSForm 3541. (Includedirect written requestfrom recipient, tele-marketing and Internetrequests from recipient, paid subscriptions in-cluding nominal ratesubscriptions, adver-tisers’ proof copies and exchange copies) 49,105 47,607

C. Total Paid and/orRequested Circulation 49,105 47,607

D. NonrequestedDistribution (By Mail and Outsidethe Mail) 238 120

E. Total NonrequestedDistribution (Sum of15d (1), (2) and (3) 238 120

F. Total Distribution(sum of 15c and e) 49,343 47,727

G. Copies notDistributed 351 350

H. Total (Sum of 15fand g) 49,694 48,077

I. Percent Paid and/orRequestedCirculation 99.5 99.7

I certify that all above statements madeby me are correct and complete.

Pat Robinson, Circulation Manager

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Your son, Paul Jr., runs the shop with you.Is he going to own it one day?I’m hoping to one day be able to pass the busi-

ness on to my kids. I never promoted it to them

or said, ‘Some day, this will be yours.’ I totally let

them choose what they wanted to do. I told them

they didn’t have to do this. I said, ‘This was my

dream; you can have your own. You can be

involved as much as you want or as lit-

tle as you want.’ Paul Jr. likes the

business and is involved, so hope-

fully I’ll be able to have a retire-

ment some day.

Does your daughter wantanything to do with thebusiness?No. The only thing she does is

come in part-time to do the

bookkeeping. She’s into

horses!

Has her love of horsesrubbed off on you?

No, but I’ve done everything I can to

support her passion. She first got

involved with horses as a Girl Scout

at a campout where they had horse-

back riding. Then, we bought her les-

sons, and by the time she was 13,

we leased a horse after seeing an

ad in the paper. Then we ended up

buying one, and there have been

many since then. Today, she has two

and some day will have her own farm

to keep them on.

Speaking of pets, what aboutthe dog in your reception area?That’s Bruiser, Paul Jr.’s dog. I was

never for having a dog in the shop,

but his house was undergoing some

remodeling and he didn’t want

him to get hurt, so he brought him

into the shop. Now, he’s our new

mascot! He hangs out mostly

in the parts office and every

now and again will peek his

head out. BSB

So what’s the story with that giant pikeon your office wall?My son caught it on one of our fish-

ing trips when he was 7 years

old. Fishing is my favorite

hobby – I wish I had more

time to do it!

Where do you usuallygo fishing?Northern Quebec, but last

year we were able to go all

the way to Manitoba. There

are no phones, and you’re

hours away from cell phone

service. They fly you in and

drop you off from a float

plane. I still go with my son

and sometimes we take my old

vocational school teacher from

high school, who is like a second

dad to me. He’s an outdoor kind of

guy and likes to fish and hunt. He’s in

his 70s now, and I just like giving back

to him.

What makes your relationship specialwith him?I don’t know, we just bonded really well my jun-

ior and senior year of high school. They no longer

have an auto body program anymore, which makes

me sad, but when I was in it, I had such an interest

in it that he took me under his wing and spent a lot of

time with me. While the other kids were running

around being kids, I was focused and wanted to do the

work and learn. I think he saw that in me.

Whose ’62 Pontiac is that out front?Mine! I just bought it. We’re going to touch it up; it

doesn’t need a lot. It will be my cruise car. I had been

looking for one, and I had always had one. I sold the

last one 10 years ago, so I’ve been on the hunt.

TheShopPaul StruharOwnerCenterline CARSTAR Collision Center �

Strongsville, Ohio


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BodyShop Business, November 2013

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