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Recent Columns
- Diving Into the Fascinating World of Fasteners
- Dean Fisher Shares Insight About CARSTAR Franchise Model and Predictions About Industry
- WACTAL Welcomes New Executive Director Deb Brunett
- How CIF Assistance Has Benefited Collision Repair Professionals in Time of Need
- Day Job/Night Job: Collision Writer Launches Fun Art Project in Quarantine, Now Hundreds of People Want His Pet Drawings
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.
Valspar's SEMA Highlights Include Celebrities and Amazing Vehicles
Written by Ed Attanasio
Tony Lanesky of Anton’s Hot Rod Shop of Cleveland, OH (left) and Valspar Automotive Regional Sales Manager Ken Papich pose in front of this 1966 Ford Fairlane GTA that Lanesky built.
Every November when SEMA rolls around, all of the paint companies step up in a big way to shine for four days and Valspar Automotive surely did exactly that at this year's Show in Las Vegas.
PPG Shows Support for Paralyzed Veterans of America at 2016 SEMA
Written by Ed Attanasio
Julia Walker, the Director of Corporate and Venture Philanthropy for Paralyzed Veterans of America with paralyzed veteran Bill Lawson at the PPG booth at the 2016 Show.
To bring awareness and support to its cause and mission, PPG Refinishing invited the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) to be a part of their booth during the 2016 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nov. 2-5.
WyoTech Celebrates its 50-Year Anniversary at SEMA 2016
Written by Ed Attanasio
WyoTech's “Shagadelic Van" is a party on four wheels.
To mark its 50th anniversary, WyoTech unveiled two vehicles that students, graduates and instructors customized at this year’s SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
NABC Presents Six Deserving Recipients with Cars at SEMA
Written by Ed Attanasio
Recycled Rides vehicle recipient Patrick Kelly (center) poses with Ted Rupert, owner of Rupert's Auto Body (right) and one of last year's car recipients, Michael Atkinson, a Navy Corpsman who now works as a metal technician.
Half a dozen deserving individuals and families from Nevada received keys to completely refurbished vehicles by the National Auto Body Council (NABC) at its annual Recycled Rides Luncheon on Nov. 2nd at the 2016 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
Portland Body Shop Owner Becomes Homeless Advocate
Written by Ed Attanasio
From left, Thommy, Steve and John Spinnett run the show at Steve's Imports in Portland, OR, a business Steve started 40 years ago. When he saw homeless people living in a camp near his shop, he decided to take action.
Last month, we ran an article about Steve Spinnett, a Portland body shop owner who became an advocate for local homeless people. Autobody News reached out to Spinnett to get the full story on his advocacy.
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.
More...
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.