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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.
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?
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.
Day Job/Night Job: Body Shop Office Manager Racing Toward Her Dreams
Cynthia Torp is the office manager at Classic Autobody in Berkeley, CA--her father's shop--but when she is not coordinating ROIs and DRPs, she is going for the gold in the world of car racing.
You might say she's on a fast track, because Cynthia Torp, 26, surely doesn't travel half-speed with anything she does. Whether it's running the front office at Classic Autobody in Berkeley, CA, or reef diving, riding dirt bikes, river fishing in Montana, or hiking, she goes all-in 24/7. And now, this includes her latest passion: car racing!
Origins of the California Autobody Association as it Celebrates 50 Years
Art D'Angelo, Sr. (third from left) worked as a 3M sales representative for many years before purchasing an existing paint company with two stores. He was the CAA's first president and many consider him the founder as well.
The California Autobody Association (CAA) is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year after serving the collision repair industry in the Golden State since 1966.
Grateful Body Shop Owner Ready to Give Back
Jose Esquivel, the owner of Midwest Auto Body in Melrose, IL has survived and thrived by working with family, embracing education and stressing customer service above all.
Jose Esquivel, the owner of Midwest Auto Body in Melrose, IL, entered the collision repair industry at the top--as an owner.
Some Shops Hate Him, but Consumers Love Him: The Wreck Check Story
Wreck Check Car Scan Centers were founded in 1997 by Rocco J. Avellini. The company helps consumers who get shoddy repairs from body shops nationwide.
If someone gets into a car accident, takes their vehicle to a shop, and then later discovers that they are the victim of a shoddy (and possibly unsafe) repair, what is their next step? What if that customer then takes the car back to the same shop and does not get any satisfaction? People all over the country are in this predicament every day, and that is why more and more disgruntled body shop customers are visiting one of 35 Wreck Check Car Scan Centers throughout the U.S. to find answers to their questions and remedy the associated issues.
Looming Supreme Court Ruling Overshadows Week of Hearings
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Indoor Advertising Engages Consumers in Prime Locations
Body shops are always looking for a better and affordable way to keep their name in front of their customers.
NJ Body Shop Owner Gets an Offer He Can't Refuse
Shop Owner Joe Rodi came to Italy in 1956 and thanks to a recent sale to Wawa, a large retailer, he will soon be able to return to visit his homeland of Calabria for an extended vacation.
Joseph Rodi, 78, is the owner of Rodi's Auto Body in Cherry Hill, NJ and happy to say that he is living the American Dream. He's proud of his two sons who work in the business and of all the things he has achieved through his shop in its 56 years of existence. And that's why the Rodi family and many members of the community in Cherry Hill were a little concerned when Wawa, a large retailer, started looking at Rodi's property and subsequently approached him to purchase his shop and the strip mall he also owns nearby.
Do Vehicle Wraps Make Sense for Your Shop?
The King of Wraps in San Jose, CA did this wrap that tells a story and uses humor to promote the Waffle Roost in northern California.
You've seen them everywhere and the graphics are pretty spectacular. Food trucks, large 16-wheelers, vans of all sizes and cars of every type now have advertising messages that entice viewers. Some people have allowed companies to put their logos on their daily drivers and paying them handsomely for doing so and this movement is growing fast.
Day Job/Night Job: Mixing Paints During the Day and Cocktails at Night
Sean Fitzgerald is only 33, but he's already owned Phantom Autobody in Jeffersonville, IN for three years now.
Sean Fitzgerald, 33, has a busy work schedule as he balances two jobs--body shop owner and bartender--but he makes it all work because he stresses quality in everything he does. While running the show at Phantom Autobody in Jeffersonville, IN, he is a hands-on owner who still paints most of the vehicles that come into his shop. And after his 10-12 hour days fixing cars and doing custom paint, he is off to work as a bartender to help him pay the bills.