Keystone's on-going contribution to the industry is not surprising given the company's history of charitable activities, a characteristic demonstrated most recently by its $10,000 donation in support of the Collision Industry Foundation's Collision Industry Relief project, which helped get the families of collision repairers adversely affected by Hurricane Katrina back on their feet. In addition, Keystone has supported I-CAR, NABC's various Camp Mak-A-Dream undertakings, and a number of other worthy industry-related causes. 

"Keystone is a model of responsible corporate citizenship in thought, word and deed," stated Chuck Sulkala, NABC executive director. "In their pursuit of success they haven't lost sight of the needs of those surrounding them, and they under-stand the importance of reinvesting in a source that has contributed greatly to their success-the collision repair industry."

In return, Keystone finds great value in NABC's devotion to the improvement of our industry image. "As professionals involved intimately with the trade, we know that emphasizing the positive nature of the hard working men and women in the collision industry to those outside our industry is essential to our future health," explains Keystone President and CEO Rick Keister. "NABC does an excellent job of carrying out this mission and truly makes a difference. Corporate sponsorship seemed the next logical step in our relationship; we thought it was time to step up to the plate."

The support of corporate members helps NABC, a not-for-profit organization, undertake such projects as a national public relations effort to educate consumers and repairers on issues such as eliminating fraud and finding a quality collision repair facility; the aforementioned Collision Industry Relief project; and, most recently, a comprehensive effort to network with the consumer press to elevate the collision repairer's profile in the eyes of the motoring public.

"The contributions of companies the size and quality of Keystone provide not only operational support, but reinforcement that we are, indeed, doing the right thing," said Sulkala. "That's a huge boost that gets us fired up to accomplish even more. At the end of the day, the future of the industry looks a little bit brighter thanks to the help of Keystone and others. We look forward to making a difference together."

Keystone history

A fixture in the automotive market for close to 60 years, Keystone Automotive Industries, Inc. (NasdaqNM: KEYS) distributes its products primarily to collision repair shops through 136 distribution facilities, of which 22 serve as regional hubs, located in 38 states and Canada. Its product lines consist of automotive body parts, bumpers, and remanufactured alloy wheels, as well as paint and other materials used in repairing a damaged vehicle. These products comprise more than 19,000 stock keeping units that are sold to more than 25,000 repair shops throughout the United States and Canada. For more information, visit www.keystone-auto.com.