WESTERN NEWS (573)
California, Arizona and Nevada
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Teen’s Classic ‘65 Mustang Gets a Makeover from Make-A-Wish
Written by staffTo view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE.
A teen from Sacramento, CA, saw his wish come true when the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Golden State Collision Repair Centers presented him with his fully repaired and renovated 1965 Mustang Fastback.
The 1965 Mustang Fastback had been the teen’s father’s car and it was his wish to restore it to its original condition.
The wish was coordinated through Golden State Collision Repair Centers and Make-A-Wish Northeastern California and Northern Nevada chapter.
ASCCA/CAA Lobbies California Capitol in Sacramento during Joint Legislative Day
Written by Ed AttanasioIt was a beautiful day to change the industry, one meeting at a time. On April 16, the Automotive Service Councils of California (ASCCA) partnered again with the California Autobody Association (CAA) to convene in Sacramento and meet with their California legislators to have their concerns heard.
More than 80 shop owners, both mechanical and collision, were on hand to represent both organizations and push legislation that benefits both groups.
Prior to meeting with their local senators, congress people and assembly members, the ASCCA/CAA met for a continental breakfast and to devise a strategic approach to the day’s list of deliverables.
First, the two groups listened to a presentation made by Deputy Chief of the Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) Patrick Dore. Dore outlined all of the newest developments concerning the California Smog Program and how the changes will affect primarily the mechanical repair industry. ASCCA President Jack Crawley also spoke and CAA Executive Director David McClune welcomed everyone to Legislative Day 2013.
As a follow-up to our interview of April 2012, Autobody News sat down with John Wallauch, Chief of the Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) recently, to find out about what he has learned and achieved during his first 15 months on the job.
Q: Legitimate collision repairers are very concerned about sketchy shops that are getting away with sub-par work and committing outright fraud. How can you respond to that?
JW: We have several body shops that are going through the courts all the time, but you rarely hear about the settlements once these cases are settled. It’s difficult to respond to this question, because most of these violators work under the radar, late at night and early in the morning. If we don’t know about them or see them in action, I don’t know how anyone can expect us to do something about them. We like to work with the organizations, such as the California Autobody Association (CAA) and the Automotive Service Councils of California (ASCCA). When they see something that they believe is not proper, they call us and let us know, and then we can investigate those cases.
Inland Empire CAA Meets June 5 to Discuss Flat-Rate Compensation
Written by staffHourly vs. flat rate compensation is changing. In March 2013, the California Court of Appeals in Los Angeles affirmed a 2011 trial court decision that changed the face of the flat-rate compensation forever. An appeal to the California Supreme Court is expected, but shops paying employees on a flat-rate system must make changes now to protect themselves.
On Wednesday, June 5, the Inland Empire California Autobody Association chapter will meet to hear featured speaker Cory King, partner with Fine, Boggs, & Perkins LLP, present "Flat-Rate Wage Plan Solution." King will explain the wage and hour compliance updates as well as a number of proposed solutions for shops to consider.
Caliber Collision Centers Acquires European Auto Body of Escondido
Written by staff
Caliber Collision Centers, operator of high-quality collision repair facilities throughout the southwest, recently announced that it has acquired European Auto Body of Escondido.
“Caliber’s acquisition of European Auto Body of Escondido increases the number of San Diego locations to 13 as we continue to become the provider of choice in every community we serve,” said Steve Grimshaw, Caliber Collision Centers’ Chief Executive Officer. “Our acquisition of European Auto Body further increases our penetration in the San Diego region that now stretches from Murrieta to National City.”
Caliber Collision’s 126th center is located at 655 Venture Street, Escondido, CA. The new Escondido location is 14,300 square feet and is centrally located within Caliber’s San Diego region.
“After spending time with European Auto Body’s management and team members over the past few months, we firmly believe they will provide the operational consistency, single-minded customer focus and cost management our clients are demanding for the repair of advanced structural materials using the latest bond, weld and rivet technologies,” added Mark Sanders, Chief Operating Officer for Caliber Collision Centers.
ABRA Auto Body & Glass announced that it has acquired 23 Precision Collision Auto Body repair centers in the Seattle metro area and throughout Washington State. The deal marks the company’s entry into the Northwest region. Eighteen of the repair centers are centrally located in the Seattle metro area, with five additional centers in the cities of Burlington, Mount Vernon, Wenatchee, Kennewick and Spokane. “This is a game-changing acquisition for us,” says Duane Rouse, president and CEO of ABRA. “We have an extremely strong management team, a scalable integration platform, a fantastic brand, and extensive expertise and experience in the collision repair industry. Acquiring these repair centers is just one more step in ABRA’s ongoing growth strategy to better serve our customers and insurance partners.” Greg Wright, president of Precision Collision, will join the company and assume a leadership role in the region.
The Santa Clara chapter of the California Autobody Association will meet at 6 p.m. on May 22 at Three Flames Restaurant in San Jose, CA.
Guest speaker is Mike Anderson with Collision Advice who will present "The State of the Collision Industry in 2013."
Anderson is the former owner of WagonWork Collision Centers of Alexandria, VA. he is an accredited automotive manager (AAM). Mike is the past director of the ASA Collision Operations Division and has served on the ASA Collision Operations committee. He has also served on the board of directors for WMABA and the VA Automotive Legislative Committee, and has been a member of CIC, SCRS, CAPA and the National Auto Body Council.
Free Trade Show and Training
Advanced Vehicle Technology Repairs
June 26, 2-9 p.m.
Sheraton of Cerritos
For all the info, please click here:
SEMA Hails Proposal to Save OHV Area at Twentynine Palms
Written by staffThe Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) has endorsed a proposal by Rep. Paul Cook that would end a five-year debate on how to expand the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) base at Twentynine Palms, CA. Under the compromise, the Marines would have access to the adjoining Johnson Valley Off-Highway (OHV) Recreation Area for up to 42 days a year for training exercises but the OHV area would be otherwise preserved in perpetuity.
Employees at a Victorville, CA, body shop knew just what to do when a car fire disrupted business as usual in mid April. Workers grabbed fire extinguishers to snuff out a vehicle fire before firefighters arrived, according to San Bernardino County Fire Department officials.
The call came in to Fire Dispatch at 12:29 p.m. of a car on fire at Sonshine Auto Body on Jasmine Street in Victorville, officials said.
California Court of Appeal Upholds Commissioner's Authority
Written by staffOn April 26, 2013, the California Court of Appeal upheld a Los Angeles Superior Court ruling that dismissed Mercury Insurance Company's lawsuit challenging the insurance commissioner's authority.
"I am pleased that the Court of Appeal recognized that Mercury's lawsuit lacked merit and must be dismissed," said Commissioner Dave Jones. "The Court of Appeal clearly affirmed the insurance commissioner's exclusive authority to adjudicate disputes between the Department of Insurance and insurers in an administrative forum and that insurance companies such as Mercury must wait until I render a final decision before seeking judicial intervention."
