After 13 years of managing and administering the Hall of Eagles, Scott Biggs has officially passed the baton to an industry giant and former Hall of Eagles inductee Denny Kiyohara to continue the tradition. 

Over the last 17 years the Hall of Eagles recognition has evolved into the most prestigious in the industry honoring those who have gone above and beyond their jobs, personal self-interest and sacrificed for the good of the industry. The recognition is similar to a lifetime achievement and hall of fame honor. Kiyohara will also spearhead an effort to ensure the continued success and improvement of the selection process. They will also guide a group to determine where and when the induction ceremonies will be held in the future along with the establishment of a board of governors or similar overseeing body.

In 1989, the Hall of Eagles was created in an effort to recognize ARMS instructors, and later other dedicated industry leaders. In 1993, Biggs took over the administration and management, and created the Night to Remember as an induction ceremony. During the last 13 years, the Hall of Eagles has progressively improved with features such as a special recognition ceremony with the Night to Remember, the additional large impressive wall plaque with all of the names listed, a new slogan, the creation and awarding of individual wall plaques, and the presentation of gold eagle pins.

As the list of inductees has grown, so too has the voting process. In the last few years efforts have been made to refine the nomination and voting process to ensure a fair and unbiased selection that would reflect all aspects of the industry and not one particular clique. Most recently a web site was created that automated the nominating and voting process and displays all of the inductees (www.HallofEagles.com).

The original induction event was called the Night to Remember and held just prior to NACE each year. The evening program featured the Hall of Eagles induction ceremony, the Collision Business of the Year award, a world-renowned keynote speaker, and a reception to round out the evening. In 2000, the Night to Remember was ended and the following year Jeff Hendler replaced it with an all-encompassing awards ceremony renamed the Night of Achievement, including many different awards from numerous organizations.

Biggs explained, "We have invested substantial time, effort and money into making [the Hall of Eagles] what it is today. The people or person that continues the tradition must be of the highest integrity to ensure it never gets railroaded into private interests, and never just reflects one clique or a single set of interests. Denny has proven numerous times over the last 30 years to be a leader everyone can trust to ensure the integrity of the selection, voting and presentation of the Hall of Eagles honor."

In the 1980s, Kiyohara founded ARMS - the management software and educational program that helped to revolutionize the collision repair industry. During the last 25 years, he has also served at all levels and on numerous boards including I-CAR, ASA and others. He developed AutoChex, a CSI company, and at the end of the 1990s sold it to Ensera (later purchased by Mitchell International). Kiyohara officially retired from Mitchell International in 2004, and most recently has been serving as a mentor to industry businesses and organizations.

"It is an honor to administer and manage this prestigious recognition. There is much to do to ensure the program and induction ceremony continually improves. I welcome input and suggestions from all of the past inductees into the Hall," stated Kiyohara. 

For more information about Hall of Eagles, visit www.HallOfEagles.com or call Kiyorhara at 925-244-1061.