SOUTHWEST NEWS (349)
Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Louisiana
Autobody News SouthWestern print edition is mailed to 7,000 body shops monthly
Automotive collision repair students from Manhattan Area Technical College in Manhattan, KS, recently refurbished a van for a wounded soldier and his family.
Sgt. Kevin Donahue and his wife Jan were overcome with gratitude as they were presented with the new van Nov. 13 at Manhattan Area Technical College.
The Houston Auto Body Association (HABA) met Nov. 13 at Mossy Nissan in Houston, TX, to discuss comments from the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) hearing concerning proposed changes to the Consumer Bill of Rights as well as the actual approved language to the Consumer Bill of Rights, according to James Brown, HABA President.
CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts, North America’s largest MSO network, has announced the addition of JD Auto CARSTAR Collision in Houston, TX, to its network of collision centers.
Service King Wins Silver Stetson; Best Place to Work
Written by staffThe Dallas Business Journal recently honored 57 companies at a luncheon for the 10th Annual Best Places to Work awards.
The top winners were Service King Collision Repair Centers among large companies, New York Life, Dallas General Office among midsize companies, and Southwest Search LLC among small companies. The three grand champions were among 57 companies recognized at an Old West-themed lunch banquet at the Westin Galleria.
Oklahoma State Rep Wants Insurance Options for Career Tech Students
Written by staffOklahoma State Rep. Joe Dorman wants to find out what insurance options could be made available for career technology students in Oklahoma.
In an announcement released by the Oklahoma House of Representatives, Dorman, D-Rush Springs, said his interest was spurred by a call from constituent whose son attends a career technical school that, unlike many colleges and universities, offered no group health insurance to students.
Eighteen higher education institutions, including the state’s largest universities, provide a health facility on campus while 12 institutions do not provide a facility. Only nine institutions provide a path or forum for private insurance companies to educate students about insurance opportunities.
Insurance coverage is provided to all student athletes and some institutions make healthcare plans and information available to all students. NCAA athletes have the option to purchase a policy through that organization.
Dorman said his intent is not to run legislation, but to instead work with career tech officials to create more opportunities for students. If no affordable policy can be worked out for a group rate, then options such as expanding coverage to Insure Oklahoma could be examined.
“Ultimately, we would like to have the option available for students to have the most affordable policy available,” said Dorman. “With the changes in insurance we have seen at the federal level and the allowance for parents to keep their kids on their policies up to age 26, we must now look at how to best offer coverage to those non-traditional students who want affordable insurance.”
Source: Oklahoma House of Representatives
CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts has announced the addition of JD Auto CARSTAR Collision in Houston, TX, to its network of collision centers. North America’s largest MSO network has some 410 stores in the United States and Canada. As a member of CARSTAR, JD Auto CARSTAR Collision will offer an array of services and products for collision repair, including the latest in repair technology, rental vehicles, national warranties on repairs and turnkey service for customers. JD Auto CARSTAR Collision will take care of the entire process of repairing the vehicle for the vehicle owner, from getting the vehicle towed to the facility to coordinating with the insurance company to restoring it to pre-accident condition. The new CARSTAR store will benefit from the CARSTAR Management Systems, which provide resources to improve key business metrics such as cycle time, participation in CARSTAR’s 19 corporately managed DRP programs, and improved purchasing power from 45 corporately managed purchasing programs. “We are excited to welcome Mark Burris and JD Auto CARSTAR Collision to the CARSTAR network,” said David Byers, CEO of CARSTAR.
TIAA Continues to Grow its New Collision Association
Written by staffThe Texas Independent Automotive Association continues to grow with new members regularly joining, according to Hunter Hooge, Membership Director. The association recently started their San Antonio collision-specific chapter, which has about 20 members.
At its Sept. 19 meeting, the association hosted guest speaker Joe Leewright of Ellis and Salazar Garage & Body Shop, which has been operating in Austin, TX, since 1953. The body shop owner talked about having a mix of DRPs and private pay work and how shops working together in the industry will make things better for everyone.
In other news, the TIAA held its annual family picnic on Sept. 29 at Eisenhower State Park, in San Antonio. The event included a silent auction, door prizes, raffle, kids games and adult tournaments. Friends and family of business owners, technicians, parts specialists, delivery drivers and warehouse workers were invited. The event was held as a fundraiser for the John Pundt Memorial Scholarship Fund which gives scholarships to youth pursuing an education in automotive repair.
Body Shop Owner Runs for County Commissioner in Comanche County, OK
Written by staffDwight Tanner Jr., a Lawton businessman in Oklahoma, has announced his candidacy for Central District Comanche County Commissioner.
Tanner prepared the following statement with his announcement:
“I am Dwight G. Tanner Jr. and I am an independent candidate for Central District Comanche County Commissioner. I was born in Corsicana, TX, the fruitcake capital of the world, minus a few of us. I moved to Lawton in the late 1970s to live with my mother. My stepfather, Dan Cox, was in the military and he owned an auto body and paint business. He taught me the trade of auto body and paint repair and I went into business for myself in 1990.
“Since opening Tanner’s Auto Body 22 years ago, I have also successfully maintained a towing company and various real estate investments.
“I attended MacArthur High School and am currently a part-time student at Cameron University. I am married and have five children. They are all good-looking and smart, just like their daddy. I am very thankful for the blessings I have.”
Service King Acquires Collision Specialists of Texas in Mansfield
Written by Service King PRService King Collision Repair Centers, a Texas-based operator of multiple collision repair facilities in the Dallas-Ft. Worth, San Antonio, Austin, and Houston markets, has agreed to purchase Collision Specialists of Texas, a collision repair center in Mansfield, Texas. The transaction is expected to close October 12th.
Collision Specialists becomes Service King’s 51st location in Texas, and their 24th collision center in the Dallas – Fort Worth marketplace. The facility is conveniently located on Highway 157 in Mansfield, Texas.
Brent McKinney, Vice President of Service King’s DFW Market stated, “Collision Specialists has a reputation for quality repairs and excellent customer service. Service King is excited to be able to service the Mansfield and surrounding areas with this new location. The state of the art 37,000 square foot facility will allow Service King to service the Mansfield market offering growth and promotional opportunities to our new teammates.”
Shop Owner Nets $3.4 Million in Paint Contract Lawsuit
Written by Melanie AndersonTo view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE.
In a two-year battle about waterborne paint and paint company contracts, Austin, TX, shop owner Richard Wood, 48, recently won a $3.7 million jury verdict against paint companies BASF and jobber FinishMaster, but the jury also found that he should pay damages for breach of contract.
Wood owns Richard’s Paint and Body Shop, which operates under the name Custom Car Crafters. Wood, who has been in business since 1984, has two shops, a 30,000 square-foot building on the north side of Austin and a 12,000 square-foot shop on the south side of town.
On Aug. 30, a federal jury unanimously found BASF and FinishMaster guilty of fraud and breach of warranty to paint supplied to Custom Car Crafters, awarding the shop punitive damages of $1.5 million from BASF and $750,000 from FinishMaster. Custom Car Crafter’s was also awarded $1.5 million in compensatory damages.
Denise Caspersen, manager of the Automotive Service Association's collision division, recently attended a Northwest Louisiana Collision Repair Association (NWLCRA) meeting to present to its members the ‘facts to date’ regarding the State Farm electronic parts ordering application.
The State Farm pilot is currently taking place in Birmingham, AL; Tucson, AZ; Grand Rapids, MI; and Charlotte, NC.
