Although the Independent Automotive Damage Appraisers Association (IADA) was forced to move the location of their 46th Annual Vehicle Repair Conference to the Lord Baltimore Hotel, located at 20 West Street, Baltimore MD 21201 at the last moment, the conference was successfully held on June 18-20, 2014 as “an educational tool for our members and the industry,” John Williams, Executive Vice President of IABA explains. “For guest speakers, we have experts in various fields relating to current methods of repair as well as what to expect from manufacturers in the future. Our expectations for this event are to promote our association and members as professionals committed to exceeding industry expectations as well as providing our members an educational and social venue to network with clients.”

According to Williams, “attendees were very pleased with both the location and the agenda. Our event always focuses on education and training as well as being a social event for members and guests, and it is important because it provides members with an opportunity to train and remain a viable force in the industry. This year, our conference exceeded expectations. We try to build on what we learned in the past to make our next event even more dynamic.”

Registration for the conference began on Wednesday, June 18, at 1PM and continued until 6PM when IADA held their Welcome Reception followed by exhibitor showcases which concluded at 9PM. After breakfast on Thursday morning, IADA President Leo Maki’s Welcoming Address served as the opening to the event.

IADA planned an exciting agenda filled with informative seminars led by nine industry leaders. Around 8:30AM, the educational seminars began with Wayne R. Schaumburg’s “An Illustrated History of Baltimore,” followed by “Best Claims Practices” which was presented by Harvey Lightstone, Vice President of the Directory of Claims and Risk for Management Claims Professionals Liability Insurance Company. Before lunch, Jim Aulby, Vice President of Claims Protective for Sagamore Insurance, discussed “Heavy Equipment Estimating.”

The seminars resumed at 12:45PM with the Highway Loss Data Institute’s Senior Vice President Kim L. Hazelbaker’s “New Technology of Electronics in Vehicles.” Thursday’s lectures concluded at 4PM with “Investigating Fuel System Contamination” as presented by Jeff Lange, President of Lange Technical Services LTD. Attendees then enjoyed a two-hour break which gave them a chance to visit exhibitors before attending the President’s Reception and dinner banquet.

On Friday morning, Dan Oscarson, Vice President of Global Marketing Insurance Auto Auctions, explored “Marketing Salvage in a Global Economy.” He was followed by CIECA Executive Director Fred Iantorno’s “Getting It Done for the Industry.” The final presentation, “Aftermarket Truck Parts,” was led by Donald B. Cameron, President and Founder of Dawson Truck Parts. After their closing remarks, IADA’s conference culminated with their membership meeting.

“Our 46th conference went well, even after facing the challenge of relocating to the Lord Baltimore Hotel at the last moment due to unexpected issues with the hotel we had contracted with. Our conference has always focused on education and training; this year was no exception!” Williams recalls, “our conference started with an excellent presentation by a local historian speaking about the history of Baltimore, and attendees were amazed to learn how Baltimore’s history helped shape many industrial and cultural advances we enjoy to this day. Attendees were given a glimpse of future vehicle technology as well as a look at the past to learn how far vehicle technology has progress and what to expect in the future.”

In regards to the valuable information provided at the conference, Williams also notes that “a presentation on Global Salvage was of great interest to learn how salvage vehicles are being purchased in the US, then shipped in cargo containers with available parts to repair included with each vehicle. Vehicles that would not be put back on the road are repaired in many third world countries due to cheap labor and a shortage of vehicles. Vehicles we take for granted are a luxury in many countries since few have options such as air or other power options.”

IADA was first founded in 1947 as the Independent Appraisal Plan (IAP) with a mission “to offer an unbiased automotive specialist appraiser to assess vehicle damage and establish a fair cost of repair,” Williams recalls. That same year, IAP was approved by the Association of Casualty and Surety Companies and the National Association of Mutual Companies. In 1964, the IAP reorganized and was reborn as the IADA, a national not-for-profit trade association.

Currently, IADA has 98 members in 43 states who employ more than 600 appraisers in over 400 service locations. Over the past 15 years, membership in IADA has increased around 15%. Williams details their membership process: “in order to apply for membership, applicants are required to have five years’ experience in the industry and owned and operated an appraisal firm for the past two years. We conduct a background investigation on all applicants, followed by a site inspection requiring the applicant to prepare a professional damage appraisal. Our Board of Directors then vote on the applicant.”

Though obtaining membership to IADA seems somewhat involved, the cost-savings benefits offered to members makes it well worth the effort. For starters, E&O/GL insurance is provided under a blanket policy and is included in membership dues with no additional charge. Members receive discounts on estimating software from all three providers plus discounts on CarFax, NADA Online and Old Cars Price Guide reports. IADA members are also listed on the association’s website as well as in their annual service directory, around 7000 copies of which are distributed throughout the industry. In addition to the national marketing supplied, members have the opportunity to attend IADA’s national conference which provides them with useful educational seminars as well as the chance to network with other IADA members.

Still, IADA strives to continually add new member benefits in their efforts to attract new members. They also continue to promote educational and training seminars at regional and national events. The association works toward securing new business for their members by “upholding the integrity of the association and being consistent with our honesty policy to enhance our position with the public, insurance industry and automotive repair businesses,” Williams explains. “Our current goal is to recruit new members who have an interest in joining a professional organization dedicated to serving the industry with truly ‘Trained Professionals.’ Our members take pride in delivering professional, unbiased damage appraisals. Our goal is to treat the consumer the way we would expect to be treated if we had a claim.”

Regarding challenges currently facing the industry, Williams notes, “DRP programs have impacted our volume of business to a great degree. While DRPs may be a good concept for smaller losses, I feel some carriers’ attempts to completely control the repair process, no matter how large or small the loss, is a mistake. Having owned and operated an appraisal firm for 24 years, I enjoyed a great working relationship with repair facilities. Preparing an accurate appraisal and securing an agreed price with a reputable shop is quickly becoming a lost art. The industry is losing qualified appraisers at a rapid pace. Many of our members had second, third and fourth generation family taking over their businesses, but we are no longer seeing as much of that.”

IADA Association
PO Box 12291
Columbus, GA 31917
www.iada.org
800-369-4232

On Saturday, July 26, Wheels to Prosper shops across the country gave away 15 vehicles to deserving people in their communities. Dino DiGiulio, owner of Body Best Collision Center in Sonoma, CA, and founder of Wheels to Prosper, notes that it is “mind-blowing to be able to change people’s lives in this type of way” and wonders “how big it could be if we got all the shops in the country involved?”

This year, Body Best awarded their car giveaway vehicle, a 2004 Saturn L300, to Irene Morgan. DiGiulio’s son, Chance, helped Body Best’s technician with the body repairs as his senior project, which his father proudly reports received a grade of “A”.

In 2010, DiGiulio took a public relations class at Management Success, and he admits “I didn’t realize how important it was until I took the class.” When the topic of car giveaways came up, DiGiulio thought it seemed like a practical way of giving back to the community. His friend, Jody Gatchell who owns A & J Collision Repair in Conway, AR was involved with a similar concept through Recycled Rides, and when DiGiulio saw an emotional video about a giveaway recipient, he knew he had to do it.

After acquiring information about the program from Gatchell, including how to organize a car giveaway, DiGiulio began planning Body Best’s first Car Giveaway with the initial intention of donating two to three vehicles yearly. Rather than choosing a person in need, DiGiulio put together a committee to choose a winner, enlisting the aid of a diverse panel of public officials and community leads to select a deserving individual. Early on, DiGiulio decided to choose winners who deserved a vehicle, rather than simply donating to someone in need, because “need is always there,” he explains. “We wanted to help people who help others. Everyone has to do their part, and this is my way of volunteering. By helping this person, he or she can help so many others.”

Gatchell suggested Wheels to Prosper as the name for DiGiulio’s giveaway, and Management Success advised DiGiulio to secure the name and website, helping him build the site. The idea behind Wheels to Prosper was to establish a program to help shops begin the process of sponsoring car giveaways, and when he pitched the idea for a national giveaway to 30 shops in hopes of getting more interest in the program, 11 shops signed up that same day. “We laid out some parameters and established a process, including marketing – there’s a lot of marketing you can do for free because people want to help,” DiGiulio states.

In the four years since its inception, Wheels to Prosper has increased to include 34 shops donating around 25 cars annually, but the program is growing consistently; DiGiulio hopes, by next year, 100 shops will participate in Wheels to Prosper’s annual giveaway because “Jody and I cannot do as much alone as we can when we involved the entire industry. Wheels to Prosper is all about telling shops how easy it really is.”

Though Wheels to Prosper is expanding to include non-Management Success shops, shops interested in participating in the program need to acquire approval from DiGiulio and the program’s administrator, Jim Anderson, because they want to elicit involvement from shops committed to giving away at least one car each year. Anderson, owner of Anderson Automotive in Marion, IA, did a giveaway called “Wheels of Change” several years before DiGiulio began his program, but Anderson joined Wheels to Prosper’s board as their administrator because he wanted to be part of something bigger.

Participating shops pay a one-time fee for inclusion on Wheels to Prosper’s website, but this provides a place to promote their business as it generates traffic back to the shop’s website; DiGiulio estimates receiving around 100 visits to his shop’s website annually through the link from Wheels to Prosper. He states, “it demonstrates that you actually care about the community. It’s a little about business but not really – it’s mainly about how many people are impacted by the donation.”

Wheels to Prosper does not hold any type of contest to determine their winners. Instead, they solicit stories from community members about a person who deserves to win the car giveaway, and a panel of judges reviews the stories to select a winner. “The difference between Wheels to Prosper and other giveaways is that it’s about who is deserving,” DiGiulio explains. “There’s always a need, but we want to help someone who is helping the community, so our winners are always majorly involved with volunteering efforts.”

In May 2011, DiGiulio held his first giveaway, awarding a car to a five-person family run by a local woman who is very active in her community. “She always thinks of everyone before herself. Even though she didn’t have the means to buy a car, she was still actively volunteering in the community, so we rewarded her efforts by giving her a car which allows her to help others even more.”

Gatchell held his giveaway in July 2011, and DiGiulio held a second giveaway that same year. Afterwards, they decided to choose a consistent date for the annual giveaway, electing the last Saturday in July at 12PM CST. Ultimately, the goal is for all Wheels to Prosper shops to hold their annual giveaway on the same day each year.

While the participating shops acquire the giveaway vehicles through various means, Wheels to Prosper requires the donated vehicle to be in good shape with less than 100,000 miles on it in hopes of servicing the winner for at least five years without any troubles. DiGiulio’s first giveaway was a salvage loaner with low mileage, and for his second giveaway, he purchased a vandalized car that just needed a new paint job. No matter how the vehicles are acquired, the Wheels to Prosper shop makes any collision and mechanical repairs necessary before donating the vehicle to their deserving new owner.

Thus far, nearly 50 cars have been given away through Wheels to Prosper with a few more giveaways scheduled to take place in October. A film company is currently in negotiations to develop a 12-part miniseries on a shop sponsoring a giveaway, and DiGiulio is optimistic about the publicity that such a program would provide for Wheels to Prosper.

www.wheelstoprosper.org

The Wisconsin Auto Collision Technicians Association (WACTAL) held the 2014 WACTAL Conference and Trade Show Friday–Saturday, February 21–22, 2014, at the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells, WI.

The conference began on Friday morning with a slew of educational seminars. Greg Horn, VP of industry relations for Mitchell International, educated attendees on the current state of the collision repair industry by exploring claim frequency trends and key performance indicators (KPIs). He also touched on advancing vehicular technology in terms of changes in vehicle construction and the increase in cars being manufactured with accident avoidance systems.

Mark Mueller of PPG Refinish followed with "The New Collision Repair Administrative Paradigm." This seminar sought to teach participants a better way to deal with the pressures related to an increase in administrative responsibilities for managing claims.

After lunch, Tony Passwater, president of AEII, presented "How Have We Gotten Where We Are Now?" during which he examined the strategies used to force the collision repair industry into its current state, as well as how to identify and counteract these practices to improve the industry’s future.

WACTAL members met for a brief meeting before opening the trade show on Friday night. This was followed by the Hospitality Social, which provided attendees and exhibitors a chance to relax and network while enjoying the hors d’oeuvres sponsored by BASF, Body Shop Supply Co., Broadway Automotive Group, Finishmaster, Motors Service & Supply, PPG, and West Bend Mutual Insurance.

In "Salvage Vehicle Inspection – What You Need to Know" on Saturday morning, trooper Quinn Sieber, salvage vehicle inspector for the Wisconsin State Patrol, reinforced the illegality of removing VIN tags.

With the conclusion of the informational seminars, the trade show reopened on Saturday, an exciting expansion from previous years when the show was only open one day.

Nearly 30 companies exhibited at the 2014 WACTAL show, including 3M, Akzo Nobel, Axalta Coating Systems, Mitchell, BASF, PPG Industries, FinishMaster, and many others.

All aspects of the event were well-received by participants, though stormy weather on Thursday and Friday impacted attendance slightly.

The Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) held their 70th Annual Convention on November 6 through 9 at the Sheraton Convention Center in Phoenix, AZ. Michael Wilson, CEO of ARA, was pleased with the event, and, though they are still finalizing the balance sheet for this year, he believes “the 2013 Convention will go down as the most financially successful Convention in our association’s 70 year history.”