- You are here:
- Home
- Ed Attanasio
Recent Columns
- Solving the Tech Shortage: How Conditions, Culture & Compensation Can Help Body Shops Attract & Retain Employees
- From the Desk of Mike Anderson: Reflecting on My Journey in the Collision Repair Industry
- In Reverse: The 1980s – The Advent of the Unibody
- Best Body Shops’ Tips: How to Position Your Collision Repair Shop for Sustainability
- In Reverse: Collision Repair Shops “ARM” Themselves
Ed Attanasio
Ed Attanasio is an automotive journalist based in San Francisco. Ed enjoys sports of all kinds and is a part time stand-up comedian.
He can be reached at era39@aol.com.
Signs, Signs--Everywhere Signs. So How Do You Stand Out?
Written by Ed Attanasio
If you have an old classic neon sign that has been there forever, hang on to it if you can, but neon today is costly and not a green alternative to signage. (Erie-LaSalle Body Shop, Chicago, IL)
I walked into a beautiful reception area at a body shop one day and was immediately impressed.
NorCal Body Shop Paints Huge Coffee Cup for Major Artist
In excess of eight feet tall, painting Howard Fried's enormous coffee cup (Derelict #5) was easier to paint than move, according to the crew at Regal Collision in Vallejo, CA
Body shops are adept at painting cars, but they often get asked to paint a wide range of other things such as golf carts, kid's toys, old appliances, statues and in this case, an enormous coffee cup that was displayed at an art gallery in San Francisco, CA by a major nationally-renowned artist.
2nd-Generation Female Shop Owner Fights the Odds and Wins
From her shop's logo all the way to her TV commercials and social media, Bertolli likes to take a fun approach to marketing.
Some people are born into the body shop business and embrace it while others fight it for a while and then eventually relent.
Professional-Looking Uniforms Are No Longer an Option
I was in a large shop recently talking to a couple of technicians and I was impressed by their knowledge and commitment to the industry.
WyoTech is Now a Half-Century Old and Still Thriving
John Hurd is the Industry Relations Specialist for WyoTech and is currently planning big things for this year's SEMA Show.
John Hurd, 52, is the Industry Relations Specialist for WyoTech. Autobody News recently asked him about his company's three campuses, the curriculum for its collision repair programs, and how the need for qualified people in this industry has grown exponentially over the past five years.
Body Shops Giving Back: KY Shop Pulls Its Weight for Local Special Olympics
The annual Kentucky’s Big Brown Truck Pull in Paducah, KY gets sponsors from all over the state, and Randy's Body Shop has been involved since its inception eight years ago.
Randy's Body Shop in Paducah, KY has been in existence since 1982, when Randy Wiersma opened his doors with just five people, including two co-op students from a local trade school. Randy's wife, Dianne, ran the front office, and Randy jokes that his two young sons, Brad and Kyle, were also there as "part-time helpers," with their principal roles being to interrupt production.
How Do You Get the Customer from the Street to the Shop?
This scenario probably happens literally every other minute at body shops all over the country.
Day Job/Night Job: Writing Estimates By Day and Rocking it All Night Long
Tom Spencer is an Estimator/Manager at Mathews-Carlsen Body Works in Palo Alto, CA and also a very talented guitarist and song writer.
"Get a second-hand guitar. Chances are you'll go far if you get in with the right bunch of fellows." These are lyrics from an old Bachman Turner Overdrive song ("Taking Care of Business"), and although it's not quite that easy to get into a rock band and make it in the crazy world of music today, it's still a dream for many people.
Sales Manager for FinishMaster Once Painted Air Force One
McKenzie's nine-year stint in the Air Force had him working on a wide range of different military aircraft before getting to paint Airforce One. Here he is during his first year in the Air Force.
Mike McKenzie has more than 23 years of experience working for several paint companies and currently he is a Sales Manager for FinishMaster, overseeing New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Today, he calls on body shops and supports a sales staff, but his career began in the military, when McKenzie was painting airplanes for nine years while in the Air Force.
5 Areas Where Body Shops Fail to Be Green
Everyone wants to be green, or at least believe that they are running a green shop that is playing by all the rules. But are body shop owners really willing to spend the time, money and effort to be as green as possible? And are they willing to hire an expert to get them there?
More...
Mike's Auto Body's Training Program in Full Swing
Mike’s Auto Body will soon be holding their first graduation from its new training program at its Auto Damage Assessment Center (ADAC) in Antioch, CA.
To fill a growing need for new, fresh talent and to create the metal technicians and estimators of the future, Mike’s Auto Body will soon be holding their first graduation from its new training program at its Auto Damage Assessment Center (ADAC) in Antioch, CA.
Is Your Website Mobile-Friendly Enough Yet?
Google's handy mobile-friendliness test is an excellent tool to check if each page on your website is mobile-friendly.
"I searched for you on my smartphone and some other shops came up."
"I couldn't read your website from my cell phone, so I didn't call you."
"I want to be able to call you quickly and going to your website is too time-consuming."
Industry Veteran Talks Candidly About Life as an MSO
Frank Quadrato has 35 years of experience in the collision repair industry in northern California. He credits much of what he learned about the industry to what took place at Contra Costa College, where he graduated from in 1986.
Student Returns as Teacher at Contra Costa College
Laura Salas, co-owner of Black Diamond Collision Center in Pittsburg, CA, was recently hired as an instructor at Contra Costa College's Auto Tech School, the same college from which she graduated in 2010.
Laura Salas graduated from Contra Costa College's Automotive Collision Repair Technology Department six years ago, and now she is returning the favor by going back to the school as an instructor.