SEMA 2011 (42)
Collision Repairer Wins Welder at SCRS SEMA Booth
Written by StaffSCRS and its Repairer Driven Education (RDE) series created plenty of excitement on their own from November 1-4 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. One of the many reasons the Society’s booth was crowded with enthusiastic collision repair professionals was a series of prize drawings made possible through the participation of SCRS and its sponsors.
One such prize was the CM253 MIG/MAG Welder donated by Car-O-Liner®, and the lucky winner of the raffle for it was Glen Caudle, Owner of Glendale Collision in Saskatoon, Canada. “I couldn’t believe it when I received the call,” Caudle shared. “I’ve been coming to the SEMA Show for the past four years, but I’ve never won anything like this. I’m so happy to have won this from SCRS, and what makes it great is I already use Car-O-Liner equipment in my shop. We can’t wait to put it to work!”
To become eligible for the drawing, visitors to the SCRS booth had to pick up a “report card” listing all RDE sponsors and their booth locations within the show. The participant then had to visit each RDE sponsor’s exhibit, have a company representative stamp the card, and return the completed card to the SCRS booth for entry into the drawing.
Women’s Board Car Care Council Holds Reception at AAPEX 2011, Awards Industry Leaders
Written by Staff
The Car Care Council Women’s Board held their14th Annual Car Care Council Women’s Board Reception on November 1 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, Nevada during the annual Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) tradeshow. The reception awards many companies and industry leaders.
Deborah Bjorklund was awarded the Aftermarket Woman of the Year Award. Bjorklund is president of The Main Resource (TMR), a manufacturer and distributor of aftermarket parts to repair shops. TMR also provides parts and accessories to the auto equipment industry. Since Bjorklund purchased the company in 2005, it has doubled in size. Prior to TMR, she worked at Will-Fix Automotive for 17 years.
Audra Fordin, owner of Great Bear Auto Shop Flushing, NY, was awarded the Best Shop Award.
“What an honor it was to just be nominated. Wow! But to actually win! It is a very profound feeling I am experiencing; I feel stronger in my stride and I am going to keep driving forward and resist obstacles that are always trying to push me off road from my ultimate destination... ‘women AUTO know!’ To be the first recipient of this award is pretty darn cool too!” said Fordin of her big win.
The council also awarded a $2,500 scholarship award to Michelle Perez, a collision repair student at Skyline College in CA.
“Our Women’s Board ‘Aftermarket Women of the Year’ awards are a way for us to applaud exceptional women in the aftermarket for their dedicated service, as well as to recognize women who are going above and beyond to make a difference in the industry,” said AAA’s Ruth Ehlinger, president of the Car Care Council Women’s Board.
Social Studies Panel Held at 2011 SEMA Show Highlights Social Media Best Practices for Shops
Written by StaffOne of the educational panels held during the 2011 SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center concentrated on how social media can best be used by collision repairers. The panel was held on Thursday, November 3 at 10 a.m. and brought together leading social media experts in the collision repair industry. Collision Hub’s Kristen Felder, Jonathan Barrick, Marketing Manager for Global Finishing Solutions, and Frank Terlep, owner of Summit Software Solutions, came together on this panel to answer collision repairers’ questions about how social media can help their businesses. Jordan Hendler, executive director of the Washington (D.C.) Metropolitan Auto Body Association, moderated the panel.
Hendler started off the session by asking panelists how collision repairers know that their customers want social media from them.
A collision repairer’s customers are already on various forms of social media, says Felder, “If you’re not already there, hurry up!”
Hendler continued by asking the panel how collision repairers can start being active in social media. Terlep stated that repairers should start with the ‘big 4’ in social media marketing; Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and LinkedIn.
“Have a plan,” said Terlep, “Sit with other shops and put a plan together.”
Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) Sponsored Pinewood Drag Races Light Up 2011 SEMA Show
Written by StaffThe Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) sponsored Pinewood Derby Races took place during the 2011 SEMA show; the 13 custom pinewood cars were also up for auction on eBay following the show to benefit the children’s charities Childhelp and Victory Junction Camp.
Participating pinewood builders included Art Morrison, Fatman Fabrications, Fesler Concepts, Hollywood Hot Rods, Hopperstad Customs, Johnny’s Auto Trim, Kaucher Kustoms, No Joke Upholstery, Rich Evans Designs, Santini Paint and Body, Spanky’s Hot Rods, Spitzer Concepts and Street Vizions.
Derek White of Street Vizions successfully defended his first-place title this year, his second consecutive win. Rich Evans Designs was the runner up again this year as well.
Each contestant was given four months to complete the car; no design limitations were given except that the car had to fit the track’s dimensions and no propulsions systems were allowed.
The eBay auction took place November 1 through 10, search HRIA Pinewood on eBay to find the bidding pages.
Voices Heard Amid Revving Engines at SEMA—What Collision Repairers Said and Heard
Written by John Yoswickby John Yoswick
When you read a sampling of comments from among the 135,000 people in Vegas during SEMA week—no matter how you look at it—you realize SEMA has all the diversity of an automotive city. A city where, for love or profit, all the citizens share a car obsession, but it’s a city-sized population nonetheless.
To view a PDF of this article please click HERE.
About 132,000 people flooded into Las Vegas in November for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) tradeshow, with about half of those pegged by show organizers as “buyers.” That’s about a 17 percent jump in show attendance over last year. They could have spent a day just checking out the approximately 2,000 cars on display in and in front of the Las Vegas Convention Center for the event.
The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) said it too saw growth in the training and other events that it held, for the second consecutive year—in conjunction with SEMA. Of the 2,100 total exhibitors—filling a mind-boggling 1 million square feet of space—153 chose to be located in the newly retitled “Collision Repair and Refinish” section of the show, which included about two dozen more companies than last year.
AkzoNobel’s Wanda Waterbase® Announces Successful US Launch at 2011 SEMA Show
Written by Staff
Car enthusiasts and collision repair professionals joined AkzoNobel’s Wanda brand in celebrating the recent US launch of the new Wanda Waterbase® basecoat system during the 2011 SEMA show November 1-4, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Show attendees learned about the new Wanda Waterbase products at the Wanda Refinish booth located in the Racing & Performance area inside the Central Hall. The exhibit featured two Lingenfelter Performance Engineering Camaro concept cars both painted in Wanda with special finishes and styling effects. A live Wanda brand representative was also be on hand to greet visitors and provide valuable information on how the Wanda brand’s simplicity, color and value proposition is shifting performance and compliance into high gear.
“AkzoNobel designed Wanda Waterbase around the brand proposition to meet the needs of the industry’s value segment,” said Mark Rapson, AkzoNobel’s Business Manager of Trade Brands, North America. “We’ve simplified the complexity associated with waterborne systems and coupled it with incredible color match accuracy and application ease all combined to create an unbeatable value.”
The uniquely formulated VOC-compliant system including Low VOC Clear, Low VOC Primer and Waterborne Basecoat, was launched earlier this year in the Canadian collision repair market with great success due to its exceptional ease-of-use, color matching capability, and affordable pricing. With the debut of Wanda Waterbase in the US market this summer, the Wanda brand is ready to celebrate the yearlong achievements in both markets and share those success stories with show goers.
For more information about Wanda Waterbase and the full range of Wanda products and color tools, visit www.wandarefinish.com. Check out Facebook and Twitter for details and activities about Wanda Waterbase at SEMA.
Rotary Lift Hits the Accelerator on Shop Productivity with Shockwave™
Written by Staff
Rotary Lift introduced Shockwave™, a package of patent-pending lift technologies that dramatically accelerate vehicle service speed to provide greater technician productivity and higher shop profitability, at the 2011 AAPEX Show in Las Vegas November 1 through 3.
Shockwave-equipped two-post and SmartLift® inground lifts use DC power to drive the world’s fastest rise/descent times. They also feature an exclusive Spotline™ laser spotting guide to speed up vehicle positioning, and a choice of new superstructures to maximize flexibility.
“When Rotary Lift introduced the Y-Lift™ last year, we promised that it was just the first in a series of faster lifts that would help shops speed up service and make more money,” says Jim Dirksen, vice present of sales and marketing for Rotary Lift’s parent company Vehicle Service Group (VSG). “Shockwave delivers on that promise. We spent two years talking with shop owners, dealers and technicians about their ‘pain points’ with vehicle lifts. Then we created Shockwave to address their common concerns. Recognizing that the lift is a shop’s top money-making tool, we included features that enable Shockwave-equipped lifts to start paying for themselves right away through lower installation and operating costs, and better cycle times.”
Charley Hutton Talks to SCRS's Aaron Schulenberg at the 2011 SEMA Show
Written by Staff/CollisionHubSome speakers are so popular that a spacious venue is required to accommodate the size of the audience. Such was the case at the SEMA Show, when world-renowned custom vehicle refinisher Charley Hutton gave an exclusive interview and fielded audience questions on the "big stage" of the SEMA North Hall. The event was part of the Repairer Driven Education (RDE) series sponsored by the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) and RDE supporter PPG Automotive Refinish, and filled all available seats leaving standing room only.
The session with Hutton, which took place on Wednesday afternoon, November 2, is another example of the fresh content tailored to the needs and interests of collision repairers that SCRS is making available through RDE. A custom auto refinisher who has regularly appeared on television shows such as American Hot Rod, Rides, and Overhaulin', Hutton has also built a large Internet following thanks to a number of informational videos featuring his eye-catching, always spectacular work.
Despite his celebrity, Hutton has clearly retained his humility and gracious personality which came through in the interview. In fact, Hutton's own collision repair background was a foundation for much of his success, a point he emphasized during his conversation with SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg in front of a large group of custom refinishing enthusiasts.
"My passion is to build show cars and I'm able to do it because I can capitalize on my experience and ability as a collision repairer," Hutton said. "Though my work has gained a high degree of visibility, I'm just a small town Idaho boy at heart. Collision repairers are car people, no matter who they are. It's something special we all share."
Rich Evans Updates SCRS on Rich Evans Designs at 2011 SEMA Show
Written by Staff/CollisionHubThe already dynamic atmosphere pervading the Society of Collision Repair Specialists' (SCRS) booth at the 2011 SEMA Show was kicked up a notch with a very special appearance by custom fabricator and TV personality Rich Evans.
In an exclusive interview with SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg (below), Evans-owner of Rich Evans Designs and Huntington Beach Bodyworks known nationally for his custom hot-rod designs and automotive builds, distinctive custom painting and airbrush techniques and his work on television shows on the SPEED Channel-held forth on a number of topics relevant to collision repairers.
In front of an attentive audience, Evans spoke about his journey from successful collision shop manager to television personality; what it takes to be a successful collision repairer; and his own beginnings in the business, a subject that kicked off the interview.
A third generation repairer literally born and raised in the industry, it all came together for Evans when Dave Popkins, a friend of his father that ran a collision repair facility in Sacramento, California, took him under his wing.
SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association, announced on November 1 the winners of the New Products Showcase Awards held at the 2011 SEMA Show. The event recognizes the most cutting-edge automotive products either on the market or about to hit the market. This year, nearly 2,000 new products were submitted for consideration.
Criteria that ranked high on the judges' selection for the New Product Showcase Awards included superiority of innovation, technical achievement, quality and workmanship, consumer appeal and marketability.
The 2011 New Product Award Winners include:
