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August 2014//Vol. 33 No.8 www.bodyshopbusiness.com

Building a Great WorkplaceTips on how to make yourshop a place employees enjoy.

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InsideAugustAugust 2014 Vol. 33 No. 8

Member, BPA Worldwide

Guess the Car ....................................................................................4e-Buzz ..............................................................................................6Industry Update ..............................................................................12By the Numbers ..............................................................................84

Building a Great WorkplaceHow to make your shop a place where employees trustmanagers, enjoy coming to work and take pride in what they do.

ON THE COVER

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FEATURESMSO

Mastering HRGuidelines for creating a buttoned-up, uniform humanresources department that reduces your exposure to liability.

BUSINESS

Negotiations: A Strategic ApproachTaking a strategic approach to negotiations as opposed tolooking at it as a contest to be won can reap many rewards.

DEPARTMENTS

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SHOP TALK

Editor’s NotesMy car is back and better than ever! Oh deer part II.

Publisher’s PerspectiveWhere is trust today?

Clark’s CornerThe rise, fall and rise again of aftermarket crash parts.

Web Presence ManagementThere’s value in choosing a specialist who really knows SEO.

BODYSHOP BUSINESS (ISSN 0730-7241)(August 2014, Volume 33, Number 8): Publishedmonthly by Babcox Media, Inc., 3550 EmbassyParkway, Akron, OH 44333 U.S.A. Phone (330)670-1234, FAX (330) 670-0874. Copyright 2014Babcox Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Periodicalpostage paid at Akron, OH 44333 and additionalmailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send addresschanges to BODYSHOP BUSINESS, P.O. Box13260, Akron, OH 44334-3912.

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Question for Facility Owners: Who Uses Social Media to Get Customers to YourShop and Who Doesn’t?I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth my time to messaround with it. Thanks for your feedback inadvance! – Tara Hanson

It’s important to be there. It won’tgenerate business directly, but is atremendous help with top of mindawareness. – James Sund

The latest online content from BodyShop Business

Louisiana Collision RepairersFile Suit Against Multiple Insurers for Antitrust ViolationsComment by ClayBertrand: About time! I’vesaid many times that, although a particular insur-ance company may not ownyour shop, they sure do runit. Maybe this is a step in the direction of finally leveling the playing field between all shops and insurance companies.

Comment by GordonParker: I am fighting for theAmerican dream. When I gotin this, I thought I was allalone. Little did I know therewere two or 300 other peopleas crazy as me or crazier. Thisis going to happen! There isno way I could’ve done it allalone, but I would have doneit anyway. When Mosley andGunner got into it, theythought they were all alonealso. We all thought we wereall alone. We are not allalone; we are joining handsand are going to bring downthese beasts! The Americandream will be back in Amer-ica soon. The men with ballsin the body shop industry aregoing to straighten out thiscountry. Come join along withus or sit back and be left outin the cold.

Comment by stopdrp.com: Ithink will see the snowball ef-fect now. In 1999, we saw theInternet bubble pop. In 2008,we saw the real estate bubblepop. It’s now time for the cor-porate bubble to pop.

Comment by erkru: Excellentnews!

They Said It On

bodyshopbusiness.com

Tara Hanson

James Sund

Like • Comment • Share

July 7 — Well, what’s your take on this? Are these mannequins

actually distracting, or should drivers pay more attention to the road?

@BSBMagazine:@KaeserUSA is expanding its international

headquarters in Germany:

As you recall, I hit a deer on June7 and caused quite a bit of damageto my car. I walked away without ascratch, but the Civic sustained$6,000 of damage per the estimateat Nagy’s Collision Specialists inDoylestown, Ohio. I chose Nagy’sbecause Ron Nagy is a friend ofmine, and I knew he’d do right byme. Plus, they’re Honda certified.

Now, about that estimate. It wasvery thorough, accounting forevery nut, bolt and clip. Framesetup and measure. Alignment.

The works. I showed itto other shop own-

ers and theyagreedpractically noth-ing was left out.Plus, everythingwas written OE.

For thesereasons,

I thought I would certainly facefriction from my insurer, GEICO.

But I didn’t. In fact, the managerat Nagy’s told me he waited threedays for GEICO to reply aboutcoming out to see the car beforeemailing them once again. Theresponse? “Just run it through.”Wow! They didn’t even come outto see the car! After all the horrorstories I’ve heard from you guysabout customers getting steeredand lowballed, I was shocked.They never tried to steer me, andthey didn’t haggle about the esti-mate. I even got an OE radiator!

Someone suggested, “Well,GEICO probably knew who you

were!” I don’t know. But I wasprepared for the worst, and

ended up having a smoothexperience.

Editor’sNotes Publisher

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

EditorJason Stahl, ext. 226 [email protected]

Associate EditorGina Kuzmick, ext. 244 [email protected]

Contributing EditorsMitch Becker, Mark Clark,Mark Claypool, Erica Evers-man, Tom Ferry, Curt Harler,Kristen Hampshire, HankNunn, Carl Wilson

Graphic DesignerLisa DiPaolo, ext. [email protected]

Advertising ServicesKelly McAleese, ext. [email protected]

Director of CirculationPat Robinson, ext. [email protected]

Director of eMediaRandy Loeser, ext. [email protected]

Subscription ServicesEllen Mays, ext. [email protected]

Tel: (330) 670-1234Fax: (330) 670-0874Website: bodyshopbusiness.com

Corporate

Bill Babcox, PresidentGregory Cira, Vice President,

Chief Financial OfficerBeth Scheetz, Controller

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.

Guess what? My car’s back, good as new! Well, some peo-ple might dispute that, stating that body shops can never actually return a vehicle to pre-accident conditionbecause they can’t duplicate certain factory procedures.

But…my Honda Civic looks great!

It’s Back!

Jason Stahl, Editor

Email comments to [email protected]

Where Is Trust Today?

The 2014 edition of Webster’s defines trustas: “The belief that someone or something isreliable, good, honest, effective, etc.” In 1828,Noah Webster defined trust as: “Confidence;a reliance or resting of the mind on the in-

tegrity, veracity, justice, friendshipor other sound principle of an-

other person.” The differences in the old

definition and new definitionare subtle, but they’re there.The original version talks aboutintegrity, justice and friendship.The current version relies on thephrase “etc.” to allow the reader

to fill in what it means. In a way,Webster’s is trusting us to

complete thethought. That

seems a bit scaryto me consider-ing what goeson today.

In busi-ness, thereneeds to bea certain el-ement oftrust. Whenwe contractor agree topurchase agood or

service from someone, there’s an implied trustthat commitments will be upheld on bothsides and goods and services will be deliveredand paid for. It all sounds simple until greedor dishonesty clouds the deal. I think greed iswhat drives most of the cloudiness. In today’slarge, consolidated business entities, WallStreet plays a huge role in this trust stretching.There’s such intense pressure to deliver in-creasingly higher returns that good judgmentgets in the way. Then, large corporate struc-ture allows individuals to hide behind the veilof the corporation and, voilà! Dishonesty,truth stretching and trust stretching prevail.

The lesson for business owners is: most of usrepair vehicles one car at a time, and our busi-ness is a reflection of our relationship and com-mitment to our customers. How is your trustwith your customers and suppliers? Can theycount on you? What about your employees?

In the end, the only real difference you or Ican make is with our own integrity. I can as-sure you of one thing, though: if your cus-tomers and employees trust you, and yoursuppliers trust you as a business partner,you’ll be a more successful businessperson.

Join the revolution, step out there and betrustworthy and trusted.

Publisher’sPerspective

S. Scott Shriber, Publisher

Email comments to [email protected]

How many times a day do you hear it? “You have to trust me on this,” advertisingclaims of being a “trusted source,” and on and on.

Trust is a word that’s used everywhere today. In fact, at the risk of being trite, I’d sayit’s overused. It seems today that it’s more of a saying than a word with actual mean-

ing. It used to be that when someone said, “You can trust that it will be done,” it got done. Com-pleting the task was taken as a personal commitment and a reflection of the person who madethe commitment’s integrity. I think this literal meaning of the word has been lost today.

Indianapolis-basedChurch Brothers Colli-sion Repair raised$11,000 for military

veterans through its inau-gural car show. The eventhosted 284 entries, withfunds benefiting theWounded Warrior Project.

“We were expectingaround 120 entries, andwould have been thrilledwith that number,” saidChurch Brothers CollisionRepair Co-Owner DanHall. “Luckily, we wereprepared for more, andwere absolutely delightedwith the actual turnoutand the amount ultimate-ly raised for the WoundedWarrior Project.”

Every dollar from en-

try fees, a raffle, bottledwater sales and on-sitecontributions was ear-marked for the cause,and Church Brothers

matched that amountdollar-for-dollar to bringfunds raised to $11,000. Agroup of active duty In-diana National Guards-

men and women accept-ed a ceremonial check onbehalf of the WoundedWarrior Project.

Former NFL player JoeStaysniak, co-host of1070 The Fan’s Grady &Big Joe Show, served asthe event’s emcee. Indi-anapolis Motor Speed-way historian DonaldDavidson appeared for aconversation about thisyear’s Indianapolis 500and fan meet-and-greets.On-site exhibiting organ-izations included the In-diana State Police,Indiana National Guard,Indiana Pacers,Meguiars Car Productsand Volunteers of Amer-ica Veteran Services,among others.

“We’re going to be get-ting our car show com-mittee together soon todiscuss what workedwell and what we can doeven better,” said Hall.

IndustryUpdate


Church Brothers Collision RepairRaises $11,000 for Military Veterans

ARA Applauds W.Va. Supreme Court’s Ruling on Salvage Parts

The Automotive Re-cyclers Association(ARA) applauds the

recent West VirginiaSupreme Court of Ap-peals ruling that thestate’s Automotive CrashParts Act does not applyto the use of salvage/re-cycled OEM parts and assuch affirms the use of

salvage/recycled OEMcrash parts in vehicle re-pairs when such repairsare negotiated by insurerswithin the year of the ve-hicle’s manufacture, or inthe two succeeding years.

The Court ruled theCrash Parts Act clearly in-tended to require disclo-sure and written consent

for only some, not all, re-placement crash parts, andfound that aftermarketcrash parts and salvage/recycled OEM crash partsare “diametrically differ-ent” products and not in-terchangeable in thecontext of the statute.Thus, the use of sal-vaged/recycled OEM

parts by Liberty Mutualand the collision repairshop did not violate theCrash Parts Act.

The Court’s rulingbrings several years of liti-gation to conclusion. InDecember 2011, the stateof West Virginia AttorneyGeneral’s office filed acomplaint and petition forinjunction against LibertyMutual and Greg Chan-dler’s Frame & Body LLC,alleging that the defen-dants violated the state’s

Automotive Crash PartsAct and Consumer Creditand Protection Act by re-pairing new vehicles usingsalvage crash parts with-out obtaining the writtenconsent of the motor vehi-cle owner at the time of therepair. The Crash Parts Actrequires body shops andinsurance companies todisclose to vehicle ownersthe use of certain replace-ment crash parts in repairsconducted within threeyears of the repaired vehi-

cle’s original manufacturedate, as well as writtenconsent from the vehicleowner to use aftermarketcrash parts and the distri-bution of a statutory noticeto the owner that aftermar-ket crash parts have been used.

“This ruling is a signifi-cant step forward for theprofessional automotiverecycling industry and theincreased utilization ofgenuine, recycled OEMparts,” said ARA CEO

Michael E. Wilson. “ARAapplauds the West Vir-ginia Supreme Court ofAppeals for recognizingthe value of recycledOEM parts to automotiveconsumers, collision re-pairers and insurancecompanies, and for sup-porting the definite roleprofessional automotiverecyclers serve in today’sautomotive marketplace.”

In a Jan. 3, 2012, letterto then-Attorney General

»| Industry Update |«

www.bodyshopbusiness.com 13

Louisiana Collision Repairers File Suit AgainstMultiple Insurers for Antitrust ViolationsBy Jason Stahl

On Tuesday, July 8,Louisiana collision repair-ers filed a lawsuit againstmultiple insurers for vio-

lation of federal antitrust guide-lines. Louisiana is the sixth state inwhich repairers have filed a suit.

Approximately 39 body shopsare listed in the suit, with four tofive more expected to join. Laborrate suppression, steering and fail-ure to pay for procedures neces-sary for proper repairs are some ofthe other allegations leveled atroughly 35 insurance companies.

“Louisiana in particular has alarge number of body shops thathave experienced a tremendoussuppression of rates and everythingthat will be paid to a body shop forthe work they perform, including la-bor rates and parts and materials,”said Allison Fry, attorney and direc-

tor of litigation for Eaves Law Firm.“Several shops in Louisiana haveexperienced truly crushing steering.I don’t know if it’s the environmentin Louisiana or a certain arroganceon the part of insurers, but they’remuch more blatant in their state-ments to shop owners about whatthey will or will not pay and why.For instance, one shop reported thatan adjuster told them flat-out thatthey will not pay by the P-pages un-less it’s in their financial interest todo so. And that was the corporatedirective: ‘If it works for us, pay theP-pages. If it doesn’t, we’re not pay-ing them.’

“There is an exceptionally largebody of highly motivated shopowners in Louisiana who havebeen pushed to the point wherethey have to take action. They’revery vocal, very involved and theyvery much want to see a change inthe industry.”

So far, other states besidesLouisiana in which repairershave filed include Florida, Ten-nessee, Mississippi, Indiana andUtah. Fry said she expects repair-ers in 35 other states to file with-in the next few months, althoughthere has been a slight delay dueto a judicial panel hearing onmulti-district litigation slated forJuly 31 in Kansas City. The panelwill determine whether all the in-dividual states’ cases can be con-solidated for pretrial handling inone jurisdiction.

“We did not ask for an oral argu-ment because we felt the matterwas so straightforward and clearthat it was unnecessary to imposeon the panel in that way,” Fry ex-plained. “However, several of thedefendant insurers did demandoral argument, so we will be ap-pearing in the federal courthousein Kansas City.”

Continued on pg. 56

Iwas recently with a group of younger in-dustry folks who were discussing the useof non-OEM sheet metal. As you’re wellaware, many insurers are now insisting

that some percentage of crash parts used inrepair are new, non-OEMparts. My impression inreading the various insur-er score sheets is that 15percent aftermarket partsis the average goal. Hav-ing been in our industrysince 1970, I’ve been pres-ent for their rise, fall andrise again.

Patch Panels » In the 1960s, there were nolook-alike crash parts; the only alternative tonew OEM or salvage OEM parts were patchpanels. These were stamped steel panels thatwere “universal” in shape. You would buy anappropriately shaped stamping that the bodyshop cut and welded (or brazed) into place,primarily to repair rust damage. Dog-legshaped, rocker panel shaped, wheel archshaped and just plain flat sheet metal hunkswere among the choices to fix rusted out cars.

I worked summers for my dad and grandfa-ther whose auto parts business also sold PBEitems. As I type this article, I can still see twoscars on my hands from loading and deliver-ing those patch panels. Because they were ca-sually stamped from heavy gauge sheet steel,the edges of the panels were sharp as knives.“Wear leather gloves,” other employees toldme. Because I was 16 years old, I knew I wassmart enough not to get cut. Right!

Rust Problem » My recollection of the initialappearance of sheet metal stampings shaped“exactly” like the fenders was in response to a

rust problem, too. Late 1960s and early 1970sGM pickup trucks had front fenders thatrusted out every year – at least on the salt cov-ered roads in the Midwest. At the time, ourindustry had a parts pricing structure called

“wholesale comp,” whichenabled everyone whotouched the crash part tomake good money. Typi-cally, the body shop’sgross margin on newOEM American sheetmetal was about 40 per-cent. In addition, the deal-ership that sold the part to

the body shop made a healthy margin. As aresult, the two annually replaced pickup fend-ers cost the consumer about $240 each. Itmight have been OK once, but the poor truckowner would have to do it again the next year.

Some enterprising soul took a new GMtruck fender to the Pacific Rim and found a lo-cal “manufacturer” to stamp out a part thatlooked close to the OEM version. These re-placement parts still rusted out every year inthe early ‘70s, but another one was only $75instead of $240. As the copycat process be-came more and more common, it ultimatelyended the wholesale comp pricing structure.Car manufacturers could no longer compete ifeveryone who handled the part made a for-tune on it. I can remember my ’70s shop cus-tomers saying they wouldn’t work onVolkswagens because they could only make20 percent gross on those parts and couldmake a full 40 percent on Chrysler, Ford andGM crash parts. Wholesale comp finally end-ed for good in the early 1980s.

Fit Issues » Those initial aftermarket crashparts suffered from severe fit issues. The


By Mark Clark

Rise, Fall and Rise Again

of Aftermarket Crash Parts

Clark’sCorner

flanges were often not correct, theside maker light holes were off, thetabs were in the wrong place, etc. Itwas those issues that were at the rootof the famous aftermarket crash partscourt case in Illinois.

In 1998, a group of consumerssued their insurer for repairing theircollision-damaged autos with sub-standard sheet metal parts. Thesefolks claimed the insurer breached itspromise to repair their damage withlike, kind and quality parts thatwould restore their vehicle to pre-loss condition. Fearful that their cus-tomers would sue them, too, otherinsurers soon stopped requiring thatshops use aftermarket crash parts.

Needless to say, the insurer ap-pealed that verdict. As the court casesground on, many folks (me included)predicted the decision would be over-turned. If the U.S. courts held thatany non-OEM car part was insuffi-

cient, it would put the entire after-market auto parts industry out ofbusiness. No Champion sparkplugsin your Ford, only Motorcraft plugs.A huge segment of the population(one in five people) had jobs with anauto industry tie. If only the car man-ufacturer could replace parts (theywould be happy campers), but with-out competition, the car companiescould charge whatever they wantedfor the only possible legal replace-ment component.

Use of aftermarket sheet metal fellto less than 5 percent of the auto bodymarket immediately following theIllinois court’s decision and the manysubsequent appeals. Once reversed,the industry’s use of non-OEM sheetmetal once again rose to 15 percent ofthe crash parts market. Insurers con-tinue to be interested because thoselook-alike parts are a lot cheaper thanthe factory components.

In my experience, the body shop’sobjections to those parts was two-part: first, the knock-off part was notan exact and correct copy of the OEpart, and the extra labor time tomove the incorrect tabs, cut or fill themaker light holes and generallymodify the A/M part to fit suitablycould not be included on their RO.Insurers wanted to pay only bookflag times for the R&R operations.Second was the money issue. If theOEM part was $100 and the bodyshop made a 25 percent gross profit,they were ahead $25. If the aftermar-ket part was $70 and the shop madea 30 percent gross profit, they wereahead only $21, a big difference inshop net at the end of the year.

Having built a couple of trainingprograms about the aftermarketparts business, it’s my opinion thatthe quality of the non-OE crash partshas gotten considerably better. They

»| Clark’s Corner |«


fit much more like OE parts now.Body shops demanded it, and re-sponsive vendors complied. Theprice differential continues to be anissue, of course. And at least one ad-ditional problem remains, I believe.

CAFE Standards » In an effort tomeet Corporate Average Fuel Econ-omy (CAFE) standards, automakerson every continent have made theirengines smaller and more efficient,built unicoupe bodies instead of fullperimeter frame vehicles and furtherreduced weight by using thinnergauges of sheet metal. By employingsophisticated metallurgy, they’veeven increased auto panels’ tensilestrength while using lighter gauge,lighter weight, thinner sheet metal.High strength steel, high strengthlow-alloy steel and boron-infusedsteel all allow the vehicle to weighless while still protecting the occu-

pant. Witness Ford’s expanded use oflightweight aluminum to improvethe gas mileage on their trucks as anongoing effort to improve theirCAFE with lighter metal panels.

Unicoupe car construction, thethree sheet metal box auto, is safer invirtually every collision than any fullframe 1960s Ford Galaxie or Chevro-let Impala. But the occupant’s safetydepends on the controlled collapseand energy absorption of the sheetmetal boxes. The remaining questionin my talks with the younger indus-try crowd about aftermarket sheetmetal parts is the metallurgy in-volved. Is that look-alike part fromChina made from the same super so-phisticated steel? Does it make a dif-ference in the next collision?

Future Repairs » If your shop is ina DRP relationship with an insurerthat demands that some percentage

of their repairs be completed withnon-OEM parts, will your reluctanceto use them cause the insurer tochoose another partner? Probably.Certainly not all vehicles currentlyhave extra special high-strength steelparts. If future cars are all built withpanels made from “unobtainium,”the Pacific Rim vendors will possiblymake their look-alike panels from it,too. In the meantime, do what youmust to deliver safe repairs to theconsumer in a way that keeps theinsurer (they pay for 90 percent of allcollision repairs) happy. BSB

Mark R. Clark is ownerof Professional PBE Sys-tems in Waterloo, Iowa.He’s a popular industryspeaker and consultantand is celebrating his26th year as a contribut-

ing editor to BodyShop Business.

»| Clark’s Corner |«


Web PresenceManagement

Taking It tothe Next Level

“Our new Web presence, social mediaand pay-per-click campaigns havetaken our shop to the next level,”said Liz Lebantino, manager of

Butch’s Auto Body & Paint, Inc. in CapitolHeights, Md.

For over 35 years, Butch’s, a mid-sizeshop, has built a loyal customer base andexisted primarily on word-of-mouth refer-rals. Like many others, as economic condi-tions changed throughout the mid- to late2000s, Butch’s needed to do more to main-tain and increase its market share. Liz triedlocal print ads, Yellow Pages and other av-enues, but it wasn’t until she got onlinethat things started to take a turn in a posi-tive direction.

Template Websites » Liz recalled howshe approached things.

“In late 2007, with the little Internet skillsI had, I decided to create and design ourcompany’s website using GoDaddy,” shesaid. “At that time, it was an easy, afford-able way to get my ideas online to market

the business. Three years later, we found anInternet marketing company for small busi-nesses in the DMV area to manage our site.However, I came to realize that the websitethey created for us was not unique to us atall. It was the same exact template they cre-ated for other body shops in the area.”

Liz had fallen prey to the cookie-cutterapproach to having a website. While thisapproach may be easy and less expensive,it creates duplicate content across multi-ple sites, something search engines penal-ize you for by dropping your rankingpotential. To check and see if your site isreplicated elsewhere, use this tool:www.copyscape. com.

Luckily for Liz, a loyal BodyShop Businessreader, she read about duplicate content inone of my columns.

“Around late 2012, I came across an in-formative, interesting column written byMark Claypool and found that a templatewebsite was actually hurting our online po-tential,” said Liz. “It was then when I de-cided to talk to our shop owner, EricKalender. I was a bit apprehensive becausehe might think it would be an added ex-pense to seek out a professional Web devel-oper who caters to the automotive industry,especially when his business has been oper-ating only by word-of-mouth for about 35years. But, armed with information fromthis column and others, I was able to builda strong case for hiring a professional whoknows what they’re doing. Eric agreed, andthat’s what we did.”

True SEO » Now, with owner buy-in, Lizhired a firm that specializes in building sitesfor body shops, and she also made sure thisdeveloper understood true search engine

By Mark Claypool


Butch’s original website, which was “cookie-cutter”and not search-engine friendly.

optimization (SEO). She recalled the process.

“Prompted by the developer, weprovided an overview of our busi-ness objectives and goals and an-swered a series of questions whichgot the process started. We chose adesign and worked closely withthe developer to create unique textfor our new site. We were given ac-cess to a secure test site to viewtheir progress throughout the de-sign and development stages. Thisgave us the opportunity to expressour likes and make changes alongthe way. They made sure that thefinal website matched our needsand taste. Then it went live. Beforewe knew it, our new website wasshowing up on all major search en-gines, including landing on the topof the first page.”

Liz hit on a key factor here: hir-ing a specialist who really under-stands SEO. Building a websitealone isn’t enough; it needs to beoptimized so people searching forthe services you provide – not foryou by name, but for the actualservices you offer – will have achance to actually find you, ideallyin the first page of search results.

Initially, was ranking poorly intheir hometown, county and Wash-ington D.C. In their hometown,Butch’s was ranking as high asfourth on Google for the most oftenused search terms. They’re nextdoor neighbors with Washington,D.C., but had zero rankings there.People in that area search by coun-ty, so rankings were importantwith that term, too. And, notshown here, they had zero rank-ings in any of their surroundingtowns in Maryland. Nearly a yearand a half later, they’re rankingmuch better.

With all four of the top searchterms the public uses, this shop’snew site now ranks No. 1 in theirhometown of Capitol Heights onGoogle, they’ve seen improve-ments in their county and Wash-ington, D.C. rankings and are

now visible in their surroundingtowns as well, including severalpage one rankings and severalNo. 1s as well.

Liz and Eric are thrilled: “We’venoticed a significant increase ofbusiness since working on our on-line Web presence. We’re getting alot of Web inquiries and phonecalls. We track everything withGoogle Analytics and have seenour Web stats increase dramatical-ly. And since the site is in Word-Press, we can make updates to thesite ourselves.”

Next month, I’ll share whatButch’s has done with social mediaand pay-per-click campaigns. Theresults have been dramatic. Staytuned! BSB

BSB Contribut-ing Editor MarkClaypool hasmore than 30years of experi-ence in the fieldsof workforce development,apprenticeships,marketing and

Web presence management with Skills-USA, the I-CAR Education Foundation,Mentors at Work, VeriFacts Auto-motive and the NABC. He is the CEO of Optima Automotive (www.optimaautomotive.com), which provideswebsite design, SEO services and socialmedia management services.

»|Web Presence |«


Butch’s new website, fine-tuned by aspecialist who really understands SEO.

First it came to Formula 1, then to

super cars and now BMW has

become the first manufacturer to

embrace the ultralight composite

on a mass-produced series of models.

The i3 city car became the first

production model to use carbon fiber,

with extensive use of the composite for

the cockpit, body panels, roof, hood

and seats. The BMW i8 sports car,

coming out later this summer, will

follow suit. And the new 7-series will

also employ the composite extensively.

The bold move on behalf of BMW

represents the first example of a

mass-produced car using a carbon

fiber cockpit, and one of the most

extensive examples of carbon fiber

bodywork. There’s also word that

Toyota and GM are working on carbon

fiber options.

The ultralight composite is difficult to

manufacture, and this has long been

the prohibiting factor when

it comes to its implementation. With

more investment in manufacturing

techniques, it has become

substantially easier to produce carbon

fiber inexpensively. New methods of

molding and forging, combined with

improved resin injection, are being

developed across the globe. Carbon

fiber may fall to just a third of its

original price by the end of this year.

With three times the tensile strength of

steel and about a third the weight, the

composite, consisting of interwoven

carbon nano-fibers, may just be

making its big breakthrough.

Still, there are some who aren’t quite

sold, including performance

powerhouse Ferrari. About a year ago,

the Maranello-based sports car

manufacturer made clear its intentions

to eschew the new composite in favor

of what it saw as a better alternative –

lightweight aluminum. And because

carbon fiber is not practical or

economical for use on certain chassis,

suspension and unibody components,

steel and aluminum will be kept

around for many more years.

Despite the reservations of a few, it

appears as though the carbon fiber

march has picked up momentum. Now

that the composite has attracted the

attention of the mass production

automotive giants of the world, many

are interested in investing in the high-

tech material. Several top automakers

are said to be ready to jump in to catch

up with BMW’s lead. As the green

revolution continues, carbon fiber will

be at home with manufacturers striving

to cut weight in the name of fuel

efficiency and performance. The

ultralight composite may even make its

way into our daily drivers by the end of

the decade.

To read and view more great content, visit us at www.speedville.com.

Performance has a new address

Speed

MONTHLY TECHSPOTLIGHT

THE SLOW ADVANCE OF CARBON FIBERCarbon fiber has been hanging at the foot of the automotive industry bed for a long time.Traditionally reserved for exotic sports cars, the first mass-produced cars making extensiveuse of carbon fiber have arrived.

See the full article at tinyurl.com/speedville

BMW’s new i8 sports car is one of the most carbon fiber intensive models marketed thusfar. The passenger cell is made from carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) and uses analuminum frame for the gas engine and electric motor, the battery pack and thesuspension. (Photo: BMW)

COVER STORY


I’ve been receiving some valuableworkplace training from anunlikely teacher, and he’s now a great friend. Let me tell youabout John.

By Hank Nunn

Building a Great Workplace

We should all strive to createa “great workplace.” Don’twe all want our people totrust us and enjoy their

work? Shouldn’t we foster a work en-vironment that creates internal moti-vation to do the right thing? Certainly!

So why don’t most organizationsdo it? Usually we think of the thingswe must do to create a great workplaceas “HR” stuff and don’t have time forit. Larger facilities and MSOs have ahuman resources person or depart-ment, whereas smaller facilities may“do it yourself” or use a consultantto dot the i’s and cross those human

resource t’s. Many think HR means com-

pleting employment forms, con-ducting reviews and writing upemployees so that there is adequatedocumentation in an employee’s

file when we decide to firethem. This common

perception certainlydoes not foster agreat workplace!

Great ownersand managers relyon HR. We need tomake sure the legal stuff

is complete and accurate.But these owners and

managers understand thatbuilding the great workplace

requires constant effort. The rewardis a positive work environment wherepeople come to work because theywant to!

There is plenty of information outthere on creating a great workplace.Google “great workplace” and you’llfind lots of websites, consultants andbooks on the subject.

Bowwow » I’ve been receiving somevaluable great workplace training from an unlikely teacher, and he’s now a great friend. Let me tell you about John.

John is a large, untrained, one-and-a-half-year-old pit bull mix that cur-rently lives at the county dog shelter

place where employees trust theirmanagers.” Working with John, thefirst step is to establish trust. He needsto trust me. I have no idea what expo-sure he has had with people. He mayhave been beaten, neglected or simplyignored. He needs to know that I won’tdo any of those things! That’s accom-plished by delivering a positive mes-sage through calm and consistentbehavior. Yes, there are treats involved.

When we hire a new employee, wereally have no knowledge of their past,either. They may have been beaten,neglected or ignored, too. It’s man-agement’s responsibility to deliver acalm and consistent message throughour own behavior. Too many of us arecalm and positive one day, then stressed

and blowing up the next. Theemployee does not know howto deal with us; there is no trust.

Learn To Be Consistently Pos-itive » When I met John, hejumped on me and humped me,which was not a positive experi-ence. Initially, I pushed him backdown, shouted “OFF!” and figuredhe would stop. Sadly, shoving Johndown and shouting “OFF!” didnot work. He has no idea what“OFF!” means, and he figured thatwhen I shoved him down, I wasplaying so he played back by jump-ing and humping again. He washaving fun! I was not. The profes-sional trainer explained this to meand offered a solution: When Johnjumps and humps, turn away from

him and ignore him as well as onecan when being jumped and humpedby an 85-pound pit bull. Then, as soonas he stops and sits, immediately re-ward him with a treat (dog money)and praise. He quickly learned thatsitting calmly gets him paid and alsogets him out of his kennel. Jumpingand humping gets him ignored.

I am not suggesting that our people,especially new hires, are going to jumpand hump us! Nor will they respondto dog treats and a pat on the head.People are not dogs! But people do re-

COVER STORY » Building a Great Workplace


“The Great Workplace: A workplace where

employees trust their managers, enjoy coming

to work, take pride in what they do and are

internally motivated to do the right thing.”

— Neil Anderson

where I volunteer. John was assignedto me as a training project. My job?Try to make John more adoptable andsafe. I’m not a dog trainer, but sincethe program is overseen by a profes-sional trainer and I’ve been a man-agement trainer for 25 years, I figuredI could do this.

John has been reminding me ofsome basic concepts used to create thegreat workplace.

Consistency Is King » The definitionof a great workplace begins: “A work-

spond to positive reinforcement. StepNo. 1 is to clearly explain or demon-strate our expectations or goals. StepNo. 2 is to consistently catch peopleachieving those goals or performingin ways we expect, then find ways toreward them. The reward can oftenbe something as simple as verbal praiseand recognition. Always be lookingfor someone doing something right.When you find them, praise them! Beconsistent and be positive.

Be Sincere » I once worked with aclient who held regular weekly meet-ings with all of his managers whereeach one would announce their per-formance numbers for the month todate. If a manager called out a badnumber, the client berated him in frontof his colleagues. If a good or greatnumber was called out, the client usu-ally ignored it or offered a “backhand-ed” comment like, “We’ll see if that

holds through the month.” The result?No one gave accurate numbers. Onemanager explained, “Why call out abad number? I give him what he wantsto hear, and at the end of the month Itake my beating, once.” Those meetingswere consistent, but they weren’t con-sistently positive. A better methodwould be to sincerely praise goodnumbers. When a bad number is calledout, the client should ignore it in thegroup meeting, then follow up indi-vidually for an explanation and thenoffer to improve the performance.

You Get What You Give » John hasan issue with impulse control. So whenI’m with him, I force myself to be calmand gentle. That’s what I want back.Usually, he responds with calm andgentle. To test this, while walking John,I calmly picked up speed and said“Let’s go!” in a high-pitched voice.He went!

One shop manager had been trained,by his HR manager, to document allemployee issues with a “write-up” sothat documentation was on hand whenan employee needed to be terminated.The employee files were full of negativewrite-ups. Management was focusedon catching team members doingsomething wrong! The team respondedby creating their own files. Techniciansdocumented repairs they felt weresubstandard and took photos of per-ceived safety issues and OSHA viola-tions. They kept their photos anddocumentation in their own files. Whenemployees were brought in for reviewsor termination, the employee files,with the manager’s negative write-ups, were reviewed. The employeesfired back with their files. All in all, itbecame a very hostile environment.

You get what you give. In this case,the employees were treated in a nega-tive manner. Management was trained



to catch them doing something wrong,so the employees gave back what theywere given. In a great workplace, man-agement is focused on catching peopledoing something right. Employee filesare full of positive “write-ups” docu-menting positive behavior. Sure, a neg-ative issue needs to be documented,but there should be far more positive

than negative events in the employeefiles.

It’s Rarely the Money » Most man-agers and owners think that peopleare working for money. Sure, we haveto pay a competitive wage, but moneyis generally not the motivator we thinkit is.

To dogs, treats are money. High-value treats like dried liver are like$100 bills to most dogs, but not toJohn. Sure, if I want him to do some-thing, I have to pay him. But do treatsreally motivate him? No, treats aren’tenough. Tennis balls do the trick! Hehas learned to “sit,” “lie down,” “stay”and “drop it” with tennis balls.

One recent survey of 1,200 workersrevealed that 71 percent felt that themost meaningful and rewarding recog-nition they ever receive are appreciativewords from supervisors or fellow em-ployees. You have to pay them a com-petitive wage, but frequent praise andappreciation actually motivates them!

Bill is one manager who truly be-lieves in creating a great workplace.He’s always looking for ways to re-ward employees and uses many re-ward and recognition tools constantly.His current favorite is to introducehappy customers to one of the tech-nicians who worked on the customer’svehicle. When a customer offers praiseor appreciation for a repair, they’reasked if they would like to meet oneof the technicians. No one says “no,”and someone from the team is calledinto the office. In most employees’minds, being called into the office isnot a good thing, so imagine how theemployee feels when he or she iscalled to the office and introduced toa happy customer!

Communicate in “Their” Language » John does not speakEnglish, Spanish or any other humanlanguage. He speaks dog. But he’slearning some English. He has figuredout the meaning of “sit,” “down” anda few others, but that’s it. To commu-nicate with John, I have to communicatein ways that are meaningful to him.It’s mostly gestures and positive rein-forcement, catching him doing thingsright. His brain is small and his atten-tion span is short, so we play with atennis ball, then train for 10 minutes,then play again.

As owners and managers, we needto learn to communicate in ways ouremployees understand. They don’t



speak the same language as we do!Saying, “I need you to run 150 percentefficiency with a minimum CSI of 97percent” to a new tech is like me askingJohn to get me a glass of Chardonnay.John and the new hire will nod as ifthey understand, but they don’t! Blah,blah, blah, blah. It would be better toexplain to the new hire that we expect

them to generate, or flag, 12 hours forevery eight they work.

We can explain CSI, but it has beenshown repeatedly that customer sat-isfaction is more dependent on main-taining customer communication thanthe quality of repair. Use time spent inemployee orientation to discover whatmay motivate the employee. Asking

about hobbies and interests may pro-vide a vision of what may be used asa reward or recognition later. Perhapsthe new hire coaches a youth soccerteam. A great reward could be to allowflex time during soccer season to allowfor coaching in the afternoon ratherthan in the evening after work.

Make Expectations Clear » If I wantJohn to sit for three minutes, I can’tjust explain, “John, I want you to sitthere for three minutes. When you do,I’m giving you a treat.” He will pantat me and wait for me to throw a ballbecause he’s a dog. So, I ask him to sit,and when he does, I praise him andgive him a treat…then another…andanother as he stays sitting. Eventually,he figures out that the guy who throwsballs “wants me to sit. OK. Thanks forthe treats. When are you going tothrow the ball?”

Getting John to walk calmly on aleash is hard because he pulls. I don’twant him to do that, so when he does,I stand still. His reward is to walk,and we only walk when the leash isslack. Right now, we stand more thanwalk, but he’s getting it. Sometimeshe walks right at my side! When hedoes, he gets praise and treats.

Do our employees know exactlywhat’s expected of them? Are perform-ance goals clearly spelled out? Is allfiller to be finished in 180 grit and freeof pinholes? Where’s it written? Do wechange that standard on Thursday be-cause “that one is just a used car andhas to be on the line Saturday so finishit in 80 grit and we’ll get it painted andbuff it if anyone complains.”

Trust and Consistency » The GreatWorkplace requires trust. Trust requiresconsistency. We can’t change standardson the fly because it’s not consistentand damages trust.

Do our employees know they’re ex-pected to be at work, in the workspace,at 8 a.m.? Or is the culture of the shopto just come in around 8, have a cupof coffee, chat with co-workers anddrift over to the job by 8:30?

Expectations must be clear and con-



sistent. We can’t go out and yell atone person who’s late if we’ve neverenforced our “on time” policy before.We can’t have a policy or standardthat will be effective if it’s not written,understood and consistently enforced.

Let’s look at the “be at work ontime” issue. Suppose we have a feelingthat no one seems to show up on time

anymore. In fact, we don’t hear airtools humming until 8:20 a.m. So wecheck the timecards and verify thecrew is trickling in from 8:00 to 8:15.

On-time performance is a big issuein any productive environment. I’vesat in on shop meetings and listenedto owners explain that, “If all of youare one-tenth late, that’s one hour per

day of production or 1.5 billed hourslost every day! If you look at the annualeffect of that, it’s costing all of us bigmoney!” You can then see the em-ployees shut down and tune out. It’sjust not relevant to them.

Before we go out and threaten tofire the late ones, we should reviewour rules to make sure we have an on-time policy. Is it written, and has itbeen communicated to the team?

Here’s Bill’s Great Workplace alternative: Restate the on-time policyto the team at a shop meeting. Ratherthan point a finger at those who areshowing up late, his positive tacticwould be to create an “On-Time Con-test” for the next 90 days. Determine areward for the best on-time perform-ance, measure on-time performance,post the scores consistently and rewardthe winners. On-time performance willincrease. Measurement is simple,scores are posted and the employeewho has the best on-time performancewins something meaningful.

There will be one or two who justcan’t quite figure it out who will requirea one-on-one conversation to find outwhy they’re consistently late. Bill didthis and found one of his best techswas always 15 minutes late. Why? Be-cause he had to drop his child off atdaycare. Simple solution? Change hisstart time from 8:00 to 8:30.

Quick Check » The great workplaceis an enjoyable place to work, and tomanage. Is your business already great?For a “quick check,” look into youremployee files. Are they full of “write-ups” for poor performance, problemsand mistakes? If so, your business isnot a great workplace.

The employee files in the great work-place should be full of positive “write-ups” because management is tunedin to finding people doing things rightand rewarding positive behavior.

So, get started creating your owngreat workplace! BSB

Hank Nunn is a 37-year collision industry veteran. He may be reached [email protected].



For years, key managers at Collision Care had divided uphuman resources (HR) responsibilities, from overseeing va-cation time to answering employees’ questions about thecompany’s 401(k) plan and benefits. The controller served

as the HR point person. But growth over the years – Collision Carenow operates eight locations with 120 employees – has created amore complex HR picture.

“When you’re smaller, you can juggle the responsibilities, but[as you grow], the company winds up being exposed to serious li-abilities without a full-time HR manager,” says Lou Berman, vicepresident of sales for the Philadelphia, Pa.-based company.

Employees need access to a corporate representative who cananswer all questions related to HR in a timely manner, Bermansays. Giving employees a single-source contact ensures thatCollision Care’s people can fully take advantage of the benefitsand culture the company offers.

“There is limited time when employees can break away fromtheir production duties to contact us to talk about issues that areof real importance to them, whether it be family and medical in-surance or their 401(k) plan,” Berman says. “From that perspective

MSO

Guidelines for creatingbuttoned-up, uniform

human resource policies andprocedures that are fair to

your employees and reduceyour exposure to liability.

by Kristen Hampshire


HR

alone, we feel it’s important to hirean HR person full-time so employeesget the access they deserve.”

Offering solid systems in the formof HR and general options is actuallya hiring and retention tool, Bermanpoints out.

“You want to hand employeessomething tangible that they andtheir families can refer to that showswhat your company has to offer,”he says.

Collision Care is currently in theprocess of hiring its first full-timeHR manager – a central contact foremployees and an issue spotter whowill help the business stay compliantand avoid legal exposure. This comesfollowing years of solidifying its em-ployee manual and training, a pri-ority for the company, Berman says.

A Milestone » Hiring a dedicatedHR person is a significant milestone

MSO » Mastering HR


4 Signs You’re Ready to Hire an HR Pro

1.Difficulty hiring talent fast enough, or integrating employees from

acquisitions. An HR professional can provide effective recruiting,

training and development systems.

2.Legal risk due to workers’ compensation, wrongful termination

lawsuits, pay inequity, sexual harassment claims, etc. An experi-

enced HR manager will work as a risk spotter, and implement

policies that mitigate the potential for exposure.

3.Policies and procedures that do not support growth. An HR profes-

sional will evaluate existing policies, determine where there are

gaps that expose a company to risk, and assemble a comprehen-

sive document that serves personnel and legal purposes.

4.Excessive spending on outside human resource services. How

much are you paying the HR consultant? Is it time to bring on a

full-time employee who will be dedicated to your company and

align HR systems with your business strategies?

Source: Workforce.com

for growing MSOs, and an impor-tant step toward maintaining con-sistency across operations – twoof the greatest challenges thatMSOs face during expansion. Athird is integrating employees froman acquired location into the com-pany culture, says Marcy Tiegerof Symphony Advisors in Irvine,Calif. In fact, proper HR practicesare important for shops of anysize, with a single location or shopsin multiple states.

“When there are not policies andpractices that are clearly stated inwriting, and in a central location,there is the risk of each locationdoing things differently, which cancreate some [legal] exposure for thecompany,” Tieger says.

Consistency, across the board, isthe key to maintaining an effective,compliant HR practice that growsalong with the company.

Get It On Paper » What’s the vacation time policy? How does thebusiness handle sick days? Whatbenefits does the company provide,and how does the 401(k) programwork? These are HR questions em-ployees can ask, and depending onwho fields the question, the answerscould be very different. That’s nevera good thing.

“You have to treat everyone thesame, and without a manual to goby, that can be difficult,” says BobJuniper, president, Three-C BodyShops Inc., Columbus, Ohio.

The problem is that many growingMSOs have pieces-parts of an em-ployee manual, but not one polisheddocument that has been carefullyreviewed for legal compliance.

“Sometimes, there’s a failure tobring all the threads together as abusiness grows,” Tieger says.

As companies grow from one to

two or more locations, the need forstandard operating procedures andHR policies is even greater becauseof increased exposure.

“A single location might not haveto put a lot of its policies in writing,then as they grow, ad hoc, they startadding sections to a manual,” Tiegersays. “Before they know it, they havea hodge-podge, and the manual be-comes the last thing they take care ofbecause they’re growing and not think-ing about this [policy] infrastructure.”

A concise, professional policy man-ual can ensure that employees aretreated the same, Juniper emphasizes.“Everyone wants to be treated fairly,”he says simply.

Employee Transitions » An em-ployee manual is also critical whenintegrating employees following anacquisition. It spells out the company’sbenefits and how it operates. When

MSO » Mastering HR


running multiple locations, a manualensures that key word: consistency.

“What you don’t want is a situa-tion where one location has beentold, ‘This is the policy,’ then talkingto employees at the other location,they say, ‘This is not the way we doit here,’” Tieger says.

This scenario is particularly preva-lent following an acquisition whenemployees fail to integrate into thecompany. However, with formal poli-cies laid out in an employee manual,staff will see the company’s expec-tations and decide if they want tocontinue their employment there.

Juniper has learned that havingpolicies on paper is valuable for re-taining quality workers – and lettinggo those who are not willing to workup to the company’s standards. Herecalls the exist turnstile that occurredfollowing one acquisition.

“We lost all of the people over a

period of six to eight months, andthat was because we did things sodifferently than what the shop ownerdid before,” he says.

The fall-out was not negative forThree-C because the company com-municated its standards, and thoseemployees who did not want to in-tegrate into the corporate culture sim-ply moved on. Because the policieswere on paper, there was no questionabout whether the new employeeswere being treated unfairly. Theycould either choose to adhere to aprogressive, professional culture – orgo their own way.

Juniper says Three-C worked tointegrate these new employees intoits culture.

“But we were raising the bar,” hesays of the company’s policies andpractices. Those who wanted to work“the old way” moved on.

Tieger says an acquisition generally

means richer benefits for employeeswho continue with the company. It’simportant for companies to properlycommunicate and execute benefitsand HR policies. How will it transi-tion accrued benefits, such as vaca-tion time?

“There needs to be an orientationexplaining the benefits to stayingon,” Tieger says. “And, the companyneeds to be able to convey the bene-fits of the business culture and theactual nuts and bolts of what em-ployment looks like.”

Hiring an HR Pro » Pulling together“the threads,” as Tieger says, can bea real challenge for growing MSOs.Over time, HR becomes a significantrole with increased risk exposure ifnot properly managed. At a certainpoint, MSOs face a decision: Shouldwe hire a dedicated HR person?

There is not a company size

MSO » Mastering HR


quota – as in, hire a full-time HRperson when the employee rosterreaches 60, 70 or 100 people. Butthere are certainly triggers that in-dicate the right time to hire on anHR professional – and, Tieger sug-gests, one with experience workingwith multiple branches or businessesas opposed to a single operation.

At Collision Care, the tipping pointof when to hire a full-time HR personwas when managers recognized thatthey could not be as responsive toemployees’ HR questions and con-cerns as expected. At Three-C, Ju-niper’s wife joined the team as thededicated HR professional – havingpast experience in the retail industry

– when the company grew to twolocations and about 40 employees.Now, Three-C has four locations and48 employees.

Having a full-time HR managerensures that employees have a venuefor airing concerns, Juniper adds.

“If you want to retain good people,you have to give them a chance toopen up in a comfortable situation,”he says.

When hiring an HR professional,an MSO should consider whetherthe professional has experience work-ing with multiple locations, Tiegersays. And, if the company has loca-tions in various states, the HR per-son’s knowledge base must span thecompany’s geography.

Meanwhile, Juniper contends thatThree-C has minimized HR issuesover the years by adopting solidbusiness systems that leave less roomfor error. For example, when thecompany began to grow quickly andfound less time to properly screencandidates for hire, he says HR be-came stressed because of conse-quences from hiring the wrongpeople. Employee screening is animportant role that falls under theHR realm.

Even pay structure affects the HRequilibrium. Three-C opts to payhourly and salary wage (flat rate)vs. commission.

“I found we have much more of ateam effort this way,” he says. Again,this speaks to fairness and avoidingemployee animosity and the HR is-sues that can ensue.

“What I have learned after allthese years is that how you run thebusiness really affects that HRtremendously,” Juniper sums up.

Berman’s advice: “If you have in-tentions of expanding, start buildingan employee manual now,” he says.“Have a working script as you goalong so when you’re ready to handoff those HR responsibilities to someoneelse, the book is already written.” BSB

Kristen Hampshire is a freelance writerbased in Cleveland, Ohio.

MSO » Mastering HR


BUSINESS

Negotiations: A Strategic ApproachNegotiations have traditionally been viewed ascontests to be won. But current models emphasize amore strategic approach, which can be beneficial toboth parties. Part 1 of a 2-part series.

By Domenic Nigro

Negotiations are often traditionally viewedas a “transactional” model – a contest tobe won. Current negotiation models em-phasize a more strategic approach in

order to develop an ongoing customer-supplierrelationship that’s beneficial to both parties. Whilethe United Auto Workers may have good reasonto take the transactional approach when negotiatingwith car manufacturers, it’s not the best approachfor business owners looking to sustain and expandtheir shops.

Aim High » The business owner must begin by“aiming high” in negotiations with suppliers, lookingfor the best value for the products he’ll purchase.The strategic approach focuses on value creation.When a supplier quotes a price, the business ownercannot view it in isolation from the entire owner-supplier business relationship. As a shop owner, youwant a supplier who delivers the parts you need in atimely manner and provides quality parts for you

and your customers.The supplier wants yourrepeated orders. Having a reliable supplier ofquality goods creates value for your shop.

Rather than a contest with a winner and loser,the strategic approach is a “win-win” propositionfor both parties in the business relationship.Among the benefits the shop owner can lookfor from the supplier are things such as: 1) trans-portation accommodations, 2) favorable paymentterms, 3) additional purchases, 4) the opportunityto buy a combination of products and/or 5) ac-commodations in the delivery of parts.

Prepare » A shop owner needs to preparebefore entering into negotiations. In the strategicapproach, keep the following in mind.

Give yourself room to negotiate. Don’t gointo the process with a “take it or leave it”attitude, backing yourself into a corner. Have aclear goal in mind for the negotiation. Be prepared


to make concessions that are benefi-cial to your position, but know thatit’s not necessary to match the otherparty concession for concession. Asa buyer of parts and supplies, youbegin lower on the price scale, givinglegitimate reasons for your position.

In the strategic approach to nego-tiations, “concession” is not a dirty

word. Remember, the process is agive-and-take for both parties. It maybe easy for you to concede on minorissues to generate goodwill. But, re-member also to not be ridiculous inthe process, asking for concessionsyou know the other party can’t make.At the same time, don’t insult theother party by not responding to their

legitimate business requirements.The strategic approach requires a

comprehensive approach for theshop owner. Besides price-per-part,the shop owner can deal more intel-ligently if he also includes itemssuch as: cost of delivery; storage ofproducts; and, response from thesupplier if problems occur.

Three Ways » So now you’re readyto use the strategic model of negotia-tions. As a shop owner, you want todevelop reliable business relation-ships with your suppliers, shippers,etc. The first consideration is thearena in which you will negotiate.

There are basically three ways tonegotiate with your suppliers: byphone, email and in person.

Most of the time, suppliers aredealt with on the phone. In the useof the strategic model, this poseschallenges for the shop owner. Inthe strategic model, you must be intune with the ebb and flow of theprocess. On the telephone, a majorissue is the ease with which distrac-tions can draw you away from yourdiscussions with your supplier. Inthe office, employees are probablyinterrupting you with questionsabout service, individual customersand parts. Plus, other calls may becoming in that need your attention.

Rule No. 1 for telephone negoti-ations: don’t be distracted. If you’renot simply going to accept a suppli-er’s initial stated price for parts, you

need to block a chunk oftime to negotiate. Itdoesn’t need to be atwo-hour discussion,but it certainly won’t

be a five-minute call.Allow enough time for

the give-and-takewhich you and the

supplier need,

BUSINESS » Negotiations


at least 10 to 15 minutes. You’rebuilding a reliable, mutually bene-ficial business relationship, so youcan take the time to work on it. Theemployee with a question can workon another part of the service untilyou’re finished. The customers willbe patient if you (or an employee)explain that you’re tied up but willbe with them as soon as possible.

Rule No. 2 for telephone negoti-ations: have a pen in your hand anduse it. Even though you’re not dis-tracted, numbers may start flyingthrough the phone lines. Even if youhave the best of intentions, you won’tremember everything you discussed.When a supplier tells you he’ll dropa price by 5 percent in response toyour commitment to order partsfrom him exclusively, you need tohave a record of the original price,the discounted price tied to yourcommitment for future orders and

the specifics of your commitment.Write them on a sheet of paper youcan use for future reference. It’s sim-ple enough to get started with thepen: write the date, time and nameof the person on the other end ofthe line. Then, take notes. At anytime subsequent to the conversation,you’ll know exactly what commit-ments you made and what exactlyyour supplier promised.

Rule No. 3 for telephone negotia-tions: have a checklist when you start.You know what you can offer the sup-plier, and you know what you want.Make a list for each. As you end thetelephone conversation, it will be easyfor you to go over the terms whichyou and your supplier have reached.

Email » Another avenue for negoti-ation is email. With written corre-spondence, you may think you don’tneed to be as engaged as you are in

telephone negotiations, and this istrue to a certain extent. With email,there’s no need to take notes becauseeverything is already in writing. Youdo need, however, to remain diligent.

Rule No. 1 for email negotiations:make a folder for each supplier. Go-ing back and forth by email, it’s easyto lose a supplier’s proposal or coun-teroffer in your inbox. Once you seethe sender, move the email to afolder you’ve created for him. Then,it’s easy enough to see the progres-sion of offers and counteroffers whichhave transpired. When a final agree-ment has been reached, you can eas-ily see all the terms and commitmentsin the business relationship.

Rule No. 2 for email negotia-tions: clarify terms. In telephonenegotiations, it’s simple to get ex-planations for proposals: you justask. With email, it may be necessaryto reply to an offer with a request



for more information. Don’t assumethat terms such as “standard” meanthe same to you as they do to yoursupplier. Request information, hitthe reply button.

Rule No. 3 for email negotiations:don’t delete prematurely. You wantto make sure that the arrangementsyou make are put into effect, espe-cially with a new supplier. Hold onto the negotiation paperwork untilyou’re satisfied that the relationshipis working and you’re getting andgiving what you want.

Face-to-Face » The third avenuefor negotiation is face-to-face.Whether a sales representative setsup an appointment or makes acold call, if it’s a business relation-ship you want to explore ordevelop, take the time to speak tothe rep. There’s a great deal to besaid for looking a supplier or repin the eye and knowing that youcan trust him.

Rule No. 1 for face-to-face ne-gotiations: conduct yourself pro-fessionally. You’re looking toestablish and/or develop a businessrelationship in your negotiations.While your parts supplier mightbe a blast at the bar, you’re in anoffice now. You don’t need to be a

robot, but you also shouldn’t behaving an argument about yourfavorite sports team. Save it forhappy hour!

Rule No. 2 for face-to-face ne-gotiations: stay focused. You wantto rely on your supplier, and youwant him to rely on you. In orderto do that, make sure to stay ontarget. Know what commitmentsyou can make, and know whatproducts and services your suppliercan provide.

Rule No. 3 for face-to-face nego-tiations: get it in writing. A word ortwo and a handshake don’t makefor a clear contract for services andproducts. Yes, a handshake may seal

the deal, but you need to be clear onthe deal you’re sealing. Write termsand commitments as they’re made.Then, when everything is settled,seal the deal with signatures.

Regardless of the arena in whichyou make your deals, stay focused,know the terms and write them down.

You’re negotiating when you enterinto a business relationship withyour suppliers, shippers, etc. Developthat through strategic negotiations,and both your business and yoursuppliers will benefit. BSB

Domenic Nigro is co-owner of Nigro’sAuto Body in Philadelphia, Pa. He canbe reached at [email protected].



Darrell McGraw, ARA expresseddisappointment about statementspublished by McGraw’s office re-garding “recycled”/”salvaged” au-tomobile parts, specificallyobjecting to references classifyingrecycled/salvaged parts to “junk-yard parts.”

“The AG’s derogatory and mis-leading characterization of recy-cled/salvaged automobile partsdoes a disservice to consumers inWest Virginia,” said ARA in the let-ter. ARA also differentiated be-tween aftermarket and recycledOEM parts, writing that “Thesequality ‘green’ auto parts also meetthe performance, safety, fit anddurability standards of the OEM.ARA calls on [the AG’s] office tohelp the people of West Virginiaunderstand that recycled or sal-vage parts are OEM parts, fullyfunctional and in many cases iden-tical to original parts.”

In its June 2014 opinion, the WestVirginia Supreme Court of Appealsconsidered the applications of theCrash Parts Act and the ConsumerCredit and Protection Act to bodyshops and automobile insurancecompanies employing the use of sal-vage/recycled OEM crash parts. TheCourt found neither statute prohibit-ed body shops or insurers from uti-lizing these parts, and applauded theinsurers for using measures to reducepremium costs for their customers.

The Court also consideredwhether the West Virginia Con-sumer Credit and Protection Actand its prohibition of unfair meth-ods of competition and unfair ordeceptive acts or practices had anyapplication to the use of salvage/recycled OEM parts. The Court de-termined that, without additionalmandate by the legislature that in-surers and body shops must dis-close and obtain consent prior tousing salvage/recycled OEM parts,there was no unfair or deceptiveact or practice in the use of sal-vage/recycled OEM parts.


56 August 2014 | BodyShop BusinessCircle 56 for Reader Service Circle 87 for Reader Service

ARA continued from pg. 13

Collision Care Auto Body Centers Hosts Raffle for Autism Awareness Charity

Collision Care Auto Body Centers, aPhiladelphia-based collision repairMSO, recently hosted a fundraiser forits charity of choice, Louie’s Voice. Thecompany raffled tickets for a trip toPunta Cana, courtesy of Apple Vaca-tions, and a $500 cash grant. The prizewinners were Lou Dugan and JewelTaylor, respectively.

“We were completely blown away,”said Dugan. “We had a friend, unbe-knownst to us, buy us a ticket for thisraffle. When Lou Berman, director ofLouie’s Voice, called to tell us we won,I was shocked. My wife and I didn’tknow about entering a contest. Thiscomes at the perfect time for us. Things have been tough lately. Our sonstruggles with autism, and our daughter was diagnosed with cancer ashort time ago. Needless to say, we haven’t had time for ourselves.”



Jewel Taylor, winner of the $500 grant,with Lou Berman, Collision Care vicepresident of sales and president ofLouie's Voice.

*Excludes sales tax. See website for details.

DAVID TYLER

/// Hot Shot Delivery. Just one more extra mile we go for guys like David.

The Automotive Manage-ment Institute (AMI) – inconjunction withBabcox Media –has announcedSteve Geiling,owner of GeilingService Inc. inMetairie, La., asrecipient of theTom B. BabcoxMemorial Scholarship.

The scholarship recog-nizes a management-ori-

ented member of the Automotive Service

Association(ASA). The recipi-ent receives$1,000 to be ap-plied toward ex-penses to attendeducational ses-sions and viewthe latest repair

technologies and equip-ment during the Congressof Automotive Repair and

Service (CARS), to beheld July 30-Aug. 2 thisyear in Detroit.

Geiling has worked inthe automotive serviceindustry for 37 yearsand has been a shopowner for the past sixyears. He holds severalindustry certificationsand earned the Insti-tute’s Accredited Auto-motive Manager (AAM)designation in 2010.

When not working inthe shop, he contributeshis time to various in-dustry and communityorganizations.

“I’m grateful to be se-lected as the recipient ofthe Tom B. Babcox Schol-arship and to be giventhis opportunity to im-prove my managementskills and share thatknowledge with those Iwork with,” said Geiling.



NationalAMI Announces 2014 Tom B. Babcox Memorial Scholarship Recipient

Steve Geiling

The Automotive Manage-ment Institute (AMI) andthe Automotive ServiceAssociation(ASA) have joint-ly announcedStefany Lorang,creative directorfor LaMettry’sCollision in InverGrove Heights,Minn., as the re-cipient of thisyear’s Emil Stanley MeritAward.

The award honors EmilStanley, who was pub-lisher of AutomotiveBody Repair News

(ABRN) until his death in1989. Stanley was com-mitted to strengthening

professionalismof the collisionrepair industrythrough educa-tion. He was rec-ognized as astrong advocateof the Interna-tional AutobodyCongress & Ex-

position (NACE), theworld’s largest collisionrepair event sponsoredannually by ASA.

Lorang has worked inthe collision repair indus-

try for more than sevenyears. She has a bache-lor’s degree in marketingmanagement from theUniversity of St. Thomasand is currently complet-ing the necessary require-ments to earn AMI’sAccredited AutomotiveManager (AAM) designa-tion. When not workingin the shop, she con-tributes her time to vari-ous community andindustry organizations.

As the scholarship re-cipient, Lorang will re-ceive $1,000 to be appliedtoward expenses to at-

tend educational sessionsand view the latest repairtechnologies and equip-ment during NACE 2014,to be held July 30 throughAug. 2 in Detroit.

“I am honored to be se-lected as the recipient ofthis scholarship,” said Lo-rang. “I’m looking forwardto a full schedule of classes,networking with other in-dustry professionals andexperiencing Detroit.”

The Emil StanleyAward is made possibleby a grant from ASA toAMI’s resource develop-ment program, EXCEL.



AMI and ASA Announce 2014 Emil Stanley Merit Award Recipient

Stefany Lorang



NABC Garners 1,000-Plus Pledges to Not Text and Drive at SkillsUSA

An industry-wide ef-fort by the NationalBody Council

(NABC) to save lives re-ceived strong support atthe recent SkillsUSA con-ference in Kansas City,where more than 1,000students, parents andconference attendeessigned a pledge not totext and drive.

Partnering with AT&Tto promote the nation-wide It Can Wait cam-paign, NABC hosted adriving simulator that en-abled individuals to per-sonally experience thedangers of texting anddriving. This was thehighest number of

pledges collected at a sin-gle event with the simu-lator this year.

NABC’s DistractedDriving Initiative wascreated to focus industryattention on one of themost important issuesfacing our communitiestoday.

“Our collision industryknows far too well the im-pact of texting and driv-ing,” said Chuck Sulkala,NABC executive director.“We urge our colleaguesto do everything we can toincrease public awarenessand educate drivers of allages on the dangers ofinattentive and distracteddriving.”

Examples of publicawareness activities rec-ommended by the NABCfor collision industrybusinesses to implementin local communities include:

� Host a rally andpledge drive. Set up aninformational table at alocal high school event,i.e., football game, at ashopping mall or anyother site popular withyoung drivers.

� Host an open houseat your business location.Serve refreshments. Inviteinsurance agents, cus-tomers, communitygroups, etc. Set up a com-puter or iPad for guests to

take the It Can Wait pledgeright there on the spot.

� Add a flyer andpledge form to all paper-work when returning ve-hicles after repair.

� Partner with localbusinesses to give dis-count coupons for a carwash, restaurant, etc., foranyone who comes in totake the pledge.

� Consider putting atotal loss vehicle on dis-play in front of yourshop, with signage urg-ing people to stop textingand driving.

� Launch a publicawareness campaign onyour social media plat-forms.

The National AutoBody Council’s ros-ter of Diamond

Members continues togrow with the addition ofService King CollisionRepair Centers.

With more than 170centers across 20 states,Service King says its Dia-mond-level membershipprovides the companywith opportunities tohelp further NABC’s mis-sion to promote a posi-tive image of the collisionindustry and to make apositive impact in localcommunities nationwide.

“Service King is one ofthe fastest-growing colli-sion repair companies na-

tionwide, and as part ofour success, we want togive back to the commu-nities that have helpedfuel our expansion,” saidJeff McFadden, presidentof Service King. “We lookforward to joining ourcolleagues and peersthroughout all segmentsof the industry to provideour team members withmore opportunities to ex-pand their communityoutreach through NABCprograms.”

Service King says its re-cent acquisition of SterlingAuto Body Centers, a Dia-mond member of theNABC since 2009, adds astrong component to the

company’s charitable andcommunity service efforts.

“A number of our ex-isting centers have al-ready adopted NABC’sRecycled Rides program,and we look forward tointegrating Sterling’sdedicated experiencewith NABC initiatives tomake an even strongerimpact nationwide,” saidMcFadden.

“We are pleased to wel-come Service King andappreciate their efforts tostep up to this importantleadership role as a Dia-mond Member of the Na-tional Auto BodyCouncil,” said Chuck Sul-kala, NABC executive di-

rector. “Service King’sleadership commitment,combined with ongoingsupport from our currentmembers, is a testamentto the growing momen-tum to join forces and col-laborate in a commongoal to better serve ourcollision industry throughpositive, beneficial com-munity initiatives.”

NABC programs, im-plemented nationwidethrough the organiza-tion’s network of morethan 200 member compa-nies, include RecycledRides, First ResponderEmergency Extrication(F.R.E.E.) and the Dis-tracted Driving Initiative.



Service King Joins National Auto Body Council as Diamond-Level Member

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The Automotive Management In-stitute (AMI), in conjunction withArrowhead Specialty Market, a di-vision of Arrowhead General In-surance, has announced therecipient of the Arrowhead Special-ty Market “High Octane” scholar-ship. The recipient is ChrisPfefferle, president, Pfefferle Tireand Auto Service, Fairfield, Ohio.

The scholarship recognizes amanagement-oriented member ofthe Automotive Service Associa-tion (ASA) Mechanical Division.The recipient receives $1,000 to beapplied toward expenses to attendeducational sessions and view thelatest repair technologies andequipment during the Congress ofAutomotive Repair and Service(CARS), to be held July 30-Aug. 2in Detroit.

Pfefferle has worked in the auto-motive service industry for 18years. He holds several ASE certifi-cations and earned the Institute’sAccredited Automotive Manager(AAM) designation in 2011. Whennot working in the shop, he con-tributes his time to various com-munity organizations.

“I am extremely honored to bethe recipient of this scholarshipfrom AMI and Arrowhead Auto-motive Specialty Market,” said Pf-efferle. “I’m excited thisopportunity will allow me to bettermyself and sharpen my skillsthrough the abundance of qualitytraining available at CARS.”




AMI Announces 2014 ArrowheadAutomotive Specialty Market “High

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ternative, non-Hyundaiparts. Competitive priceshelp collision repair facili-ties purchase moreHyundai Genuine Parts asopposed to alternative,non-Hyundai parts, saysthe automaker.

The program is launch-ing with parts such ashoods, fenders, bumpercovers, head lamps and taillamps. These parts and thereimbursement associatedwith them are available forall Hyundai vehicles, re-gardless of age, for all par-ticipating dealers.Additional parts may beadded to the program at alater date.

“A program that encour-ages dealer-owned and in-dependent repair shops topurchase Hyundai Gen-uine Parts from their localHyundai dealer has somany benefits,” said FrankFerrara, executive vicepresident, customer satis-faction, Hyundai MotorAmerica. “Hyundai own-ers benefit through the as-surance that approvedfactory parts can be used intheir repairs, shop ownersknow they are getting

quality parts at a greatprice, while dealers benefitthrough increased partssales.”

Hyundai has teamed upwith Overall Parts Solu-tions (OPS), a Texas-basedcompany, to allow dealersand repair facilities towork together using theOPSTRAX and VALU-TRAX tools in a stream-lined interface. Using theOPSTRAX and VALU-TRAX tools, dealers andrepair facilities are able tosee all the parts on a colli-sion repair estimate includ-ing the conquest pricingfor program parts. Usingthe program and tools,dealerships and bodyshops can act immediately.

“OPS is excited aboutthe opportunity to team upwith Hyundai MotorAmerica,” said Nick Bossi-nakis, founder and CEO ofOPS. “OPS’s vision has al-ways been to provide colli-sion shops and partssuppliers alike with toolsthat would positively im-pact their businesses aswell as create innovationand ease of use within ourindustry.”




Hyundai Launches Go Genuine Collision Conquest ProgramHyundai Motor Americahas launched its HyundaiGo Genuine CollisionConquest program, opento all Hyundai dealers.

The program provides re-imbursement to dealers,allowing them to competi-tively price their HyundaiGenuine Parts against al-

Ultra 7000® PremiumAutomotive Refinish System

ProductSpotlight


The Ultra 7000® Automotive Refinish System from Sherwin-WilliamsAutomotive Finishes is a versatile, solventborne product line delivering premium urethane performance to customers expectingthe highest in productivity, cycle time, and color match.

Available in basecoat and single-stage technologies, the Ultra 7000®

refinish system is supported by OEM Certifications, a Limited LifetimeGuaranty, and has decades of success in the Collision Repair, CustomRestoration, Fleet Refinish, Manufacturing, Recreational Vehicle, and Automotive Interior market segments.

The Ultra 7000® refinish system has consistently driven industry innovationwith new primer, color, and clearcoat technologies that push the envelopefor speed and redefine the expectations for premium performance.

ULTRA 7000® Features, Advantages, And Benefits:� Excellent color match – OEM alignment� Highly productive – easy to use / minimal coats� Consistent results – diverse climates� Versatile technology – basecoat or single stage� Renowned durability – global OEM warranty approvals� HP Process™ – time, labor, and energy savings

Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes offers a complete portfolio ofautomotive refinishing products and services. We have the perfect solutionfor your business needs, no matter how big or small, and will continue topursue excellence of solutions for you. ASK.

www.sherwin-automotive.com1-800-SW-ULTRA (1-800-798-5872)

Looking for a refinish system to provide a superior finish, every time? Look for …

Through its sponsorshipof First State Robotics ofDelaware and the Mira-cles of Engineering(MOE) First Tech Chal-lenge team, Axalta Coat-ing Systems awarded a

scholarship to roboticsteam member Noah An-drews. Andrews recentlygraduated from highschool and is looking for-ward to starting collegein the fall as an informa-

tion technology major, fo-cusing on security. Heand some of his roboticsteam members provideda robotics demonstrationat Axalta’s North Ameri-can headquarters where

Andrews was presentedwith his scholarship.

“It is a pleasure for usto invest in the engineersof tomorrow,” said NigelBudden, Axalta vice presi-dent and head of its NorthAmerican business. “TheFirst State Robotics organ-ization and the MOE teamare examples of youngminds preparing and nur-turing for a brilliant fu-ture. Axalta believes inhiring and retaining thebrightest talent, and therobotics students are anexample of the benefits ofearly training and dedica-tion. We look forward totheir joining the work-force one day.”



Axalta Coating Systems Sponsors First State Robotics and Awards Scholarship

CAPA Teams Up with IIHS to Develop Aftermarket Parts StandardsThe Certified Automotive Parts Associ-ation (CAPA) has partnered with the In-surance Institute for Highway Safety(IIHS) to develop its 501 Bumper Stan-dard. This criterion allows the market toidentify parts that are comparable tomore expensive OE parts, according tothe organization.

The development of the CAPA 501Bumper Standard included extensiveexamination of various bumper parts,comparative testing, consultation with

industry experts and input fromCAPA’s technical committee. In addi-tion, IIHS conducted a series of low-and high-speed demonstration tests inorder to evaluate both the crashworthi-ness and damageability of a vehicleequipped with CAPA standard parts.

IIHS Chief Administrative Officer JoeNolan says test vehicles that used non-OE, CAPA-certified parts received simi-lar damage protection to thoseequipped with OE parts.

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CCC Information Services (CCC)announces that it has reached agree-ment with WHI Solutions, an eBaycompany, to offer e-commerce serv-ices that streamline the process foraftermarket suppliers to present andsell their parts to collision repairersand mechanical repair shops.

The e-commerce suite will supportdirect sales to active buyers and pro-vide listing support services througheBay Motors. WHI Solutions is aleading provider of on-demand e-business solutions to the automotiveand heavy truck industries.

“We’re excited to work withWHI Solutions to bring services tothe aftermarket industry that willmake it easier for WHI parts sup-pliers to gain exposure to the colli-sion repair community,” saidDavid Boden, vice president, CCC

Parts Services Group. “CCC workswith thousands of collision repairfacilities that purchase millions ofdollars in parts each year and arealways looking for quality suppli-ers. By working with WHI Solu-tions, we’ll be able to offer anotheroption for suppliers interested inconnecting with repairers in aneasy and efficient way.”

Added Bryan Murphy, manag-

ing director of WHI Solutions,“CCC is a leader in the collision re-pair marketplace, and we’re veryexcited to begin working withthem. We shared news of our rela-tionship with CCC with membersof the Auto Body Parts Association(ABPA) recently and received agreat response. We look forward toour future work and bringing serv-ices to the marketplace.”



CCC to Offer Aftermarket Part E-Commerce Solution

Diamond Standard to Expand Aluminum

Replacement and Cowl Induction Style Hoods

Diamond Standard Brand Parts Group announced that itnow has the only cowl induction style hoods manufac-tured 100 percent in a Diamond Standard facility that

have achieved multiple levels of accredited aftermarket partscertifications.

“Why does this matter? Because sustainable quality under theDiamond Standard Brand Quality System ISO9001/TS16949processes is assurance that the product you receive is made in oneof the finest facilities in the aftermarket,” said Michael O’Neal,president of Diamond Standard. “Advanced manufacturing capa-bility in handling high-strength steels and aluminum alloys is acritical piece of Diamond Standard’s leadership going forward.”

Reflexxion manufactures over 100 patented applications of steeland aluminum cowl induction style hoods for popular light dutytrucks and replacement steel and aluminum hoods.

Reflexxion Brand cowl induction style hoods and DiamondStandard Brand Parts are available throughout North Americafrom limited quality distributors, including the AQRP Programat Keystone, an LKQ Company.

ProductSpotlight


QualityCompressedAir FiltrationProductsW

almec North America is a proprietary dis-tributor of compressed air filtration products.All products are designed and produced in

our facilities here in the U.S.A. As a leader in providing the right equipment for a

particular service need, Walmec North America is avail-able to respond directly to the end user’s questions andconcerns, and normally ships orders the same day.

We offer point-of-use compressed air filters toremove liquid, oil, moisture, and contaminates downto a standard of 5 micron. We also offer oil and vaporremoval filters, with ratings as low as .01 micron.And we offer membrane dryers from a 15 CFM to an80 CFM size and other sizes in-between. In addition,we offer THE SOLUTION system that provides Ultradry, Ultra clean, and heated atomizing air. Plus, weoffer other devices to clean compressed air to fit theend user’s needs.

When you are working with wet, oily, dirty, orother contaminated compressed air, look to WalmecNorth America to provide the expertise, service, andresults desired when trying to overcome a compressedair concern or problem.

For more information, contact your local jobber/dealer or


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Service King Collision Re-pair Centers announcesthat it has acquired Colli-sion Centers of Wylie andRowlett in North Texas.

Collision Centers of

Wylie and Rowlett havebeen owned and managedby Kirk Van Meter since1980. Together, the two lo-cations offer more than30,000 square feet of shop

space and are capable ofserving more than 400 carsper month.

“The Van Meter familyhas built a great reputationin both of these communi-ties over the past 34 years,”said Dan Michaelis, ServiceKing Dallas-Fort Worthmarket vice president. “Welook forward to continuingthat great reputation by de-livering the Service Kingstandard of exceptionalcustomer service and high-quality repairs.”

Caliber Collision Opens NewStore in Wylie, Texas

Caliber Collision Centersannounced the grand open-ing of its new, 14,000-square-foot facility in Wylie,Texas. Caliber now has 181locations nationwide.

“Our new Wylie centeris our third advanced re-pair facility in North Texaswith the latest innovationsin collision repair includ-ing side load paint systemtechnology for faster re-pairs, completely re-vamped lobby design foran industry-leading cus-tomer experience and one-stop rental conveniencewith an on-site EnterpriseRent-A-Car facility,” saidSteve Grimshaw, CaliberCollision CEO.




ConsolidationService King Acquires Two North Texas Locations

Two Southern California MSOs MergePacific Collision Centers and Elite Group CollisionCenters have successfully merged and will be re-branded as Pacific Elite Collision Centers. The officialrebranding began Feb. 4, 2014, bringing the total num-ber of locations to 14 across Southern California.

According to the company, the new name andbrand will be consistent among all 14 shops to elimi-nate redundancies in branding and marketing efforts.

The Boyd Group Acquires Chicago-Based Collision Repair Shop

The Boyd Group Inc. (the “Boyd Group”) announced that it has acquireda new location in Chicago, Ill. Previously operated as Crawford AutoRestoration, the repair center has approximately 26,050 square feet andnow operates under the Gerber Collision & Glass trade name.

“This repair center has served its neighborhood for over 50 years andwill help us to further expand our market share in Chicago,” said TimO’Day, president and COO of the Boyd Group’s U.S. operations. “We re-main on track towards achieving our targeted growth rate of 6 to 10 per-cent through single store additions.”

The Boyd Group is continuously looking to add new collision repair lo-cations to its existing network in Canada and the U.S. Interested collisionrepair center owners should contact Kim Allen at (847) 410-600 for moreinformation.

SprayMaster training classesare held at certified training facili-ties and are provided at no chargeas a service to the collision repairindustry.



DeVilbiss Automotive Refinishingannounced that it has been accred-ited by I-CAR as an Industry Train-ing Alliance provider of continuingautomotive education to the colli-sion repair industry.

“We are excited to now offer ourI-CAR accredited SprayMasterPaint Technician Class to the colli-sion repair industry,” said HansHorstik, DeVilbiss Automotive Re-finishing general manager. “Thiscourse provides I-CAR accreditedbest practices and process improve-ment training to refinish techni-cians in Compressed Air Filtration,Contaminant-Free Refinishing,Paint Handling and Atomization.”

The DeVilbiss SprayMaster PaintTechnician Class provides studentswith four credit hours of I-CARcontinuing education credits, and

fulfills the I-CAR Refinish Techni-cian ProLevel 1 “Spray Gun Main-tenance & Set-Up” knowledgearea. Students also receive EPARule 40 Certification.

DeVilbiss Accredited as I-CAR Industry Training Alliance Provider

ALLDATA LLC has announcedthe launch of ALLDATA Commu-nity, an interactive, highly-re-sponsive environment fortechnicians to use to help diag-nose and repair vehicles faster.

“Vehicles have become so tech-nologically advanced that havingaccess to accurate information isthe best way a shop can succeedthese days,” said ALLDATA President Jeff Lagges. “The morechannels available to tap into for needed repair information,the better. When the clock is tick-ing, getting advice from an experienced technician can savethe day.”

ALLDATA states that ALLDA-TA Community features “easy,intuitive navigation and struc-tured searches allowing techni-cians to view similar problems.”A search can tap the collectiveknowledge of up to 300,000 othertechnicians. Also, the ALLDATAdiagnostic team, a group of ASE-certified technicians with morethan 20 years of experience each,continually monitors ALLDATACommunity traffic. Repair sug-gestions can be verified, ensuringthe shop is using a solution thatwas previously successful. ALLDATA Community is includ-ed with ALLDATA Repair andALLDATA Collision S3500 sub-scriptions at no additionalcharge. Technicians can also con-tribute answers, improving theviability of the collective knowl-edge base.

“There are thousands of savvytechnicians out there who aresolving diagnostic and repairproblems every day, and many ofthem are happy to help out theirpeers,” said Lagges. “Whenknowledge is shared, it’s a win-win for everyone and has a posi-tive impact on the entireindustry.”

Added ALLDATA AutomotiveDiagnostic Team Lead John Lee,“OEM manuals can take forgranted that some diagnosticprocedures are just understood.

Therefore, experience and knowl-edge-sharing are effective waysof getting to the root of manycomplicated vehicle diagnosticproblems.”


www.bodyshopbusiness.com 79Circle 79 for Reader Service

ALLDATA Launches ALLDATA Community

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12

%

6%

By theNumbersVital collision industry stats

Approximately What Percentage Of Your Sales Can BeAttributed To Parts And What Percent To Labor?

What Is The No. 1 Source You Use To Hire ProductionPersonnel For Your Shop?

*”Other” are largely vendor referrals

and tech centers.


12%

44%25%

19%

Replace With

Used Parts

Replace With

New OEM Parts

Repair The

Damaged Parts

Replace With

aftermarket parts

When Making Collision Repairs, WhatPercentage Of The Time Do You:

Pe

rce

nta

ge

Of

To

tal

Sa

les

% Attributed To Labor

Average Percentage Of Gross Sales Attributed To Parts And Labor

0

20%

40%

60%

% Attributed To Parts

41%

55%