Today the phrase, “Working Together Is The Most Important Work We Do” is recognized as a hallmark of SCRS. In honor of the society’s 25th anniversary celebration, a historical timeline has been compiled through the stories of past members and key players.
    

The collision repair industry of the 1970’s, in the decade before the birth of SCRS, was different in many ways, more notably its fragmentation, the SCRS said. “Practically every shop was an independent,” recalled Iva Dehn, who, along with her husband Fred, witnessed the birth of the Society. “That may sound good today, but in practice it wasn’t. Shops looked at each other with suspicion, each convinced their competition was out to take food off their family’s table.”

Each facility was an island
    

With communication next to non-existent, the trade consisted largely of strangers, with each facility an island unto itself. Not a great model even in a stable market, and as the decade came to a close signs began to surface indicating imminent industry upheaval, the SCRS said. It wasn’t just advancements in technology, such as the introduction of the unibody vehicle. The new vehicle structures, together with advancements in refinish materials and a lack of industry-accepted training, caused perceptive shop owners to feel as if certain market dynamics were wresting away control of their businesses.
    

“There wasn’t a collective industry voice, and that left the industry vulnerable,” said Past SCRS Chairman Bill Eveland, also a participant in the formation of the Society. “In fact, when some of us in the Kansas City area began to throw around the idea, with other like-minded individuals, of forming a group that would help us improve as collision professionals, some repairers feared retaliation.”
    

Despite their apprehension, their conviction grew; the industry had to do something. And it was only a matter of time until the right catalyst kick-started the movement toward a national, collision repair-only organization.

The man who changed it all
    

Dehn continued, “At the time the Independent Automotive Service Associa-tion (IASA) out of Texas, the group that would evolve into ASA, was making a push to attract body shop members which at the time consisted almost completely of mechanical shops. Fred and I attended one of their meetings at the Gold Buffet in North Kansas City, and there a man stood up. This gentleman was neat, clean and he wore a suit. He spoke with knowledge, power, wit and humor. He said that the person across the table was neither demon nor monster; that he or she was a body shop person just like us. Suddenly, it became obvious we had a better chance of solving some of our problems if we worked together.
    

Later that evening, with the meeting over, we all stood out in the parking lot, even after it began to rain, and really talked to each other for the first time. That night’s speaker was none other than John Loftus. He had already made a difference in our lives.”
    

Rochelle Wicklund, who also attended that meeting with her husband, Past SCRS Chairman Bill Wicklund, likewise recalled the dramatic effect Loftus had on the crowd.
    

“My husband, Bill, and I—as well as Bill Eveland and the rest of those in attendance— felt that John was the man that could put a face on the type of group we had discussed. He talked about cleaning up our shops and having professional offices. It was evident that he knew what we were going through and what needed to be done to change our industry. It wasn’t long before we had another meeting—at Gene Parks’ Body Shop in Riverside, Missouri.”