The Boyd Group Inc. announced on Nov. 4 the opening of a collision repair location in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The location has approximately 13,500 square feet of production space and previously operated under the name Lake City Auto Body.

"We continue our North American expansion with the opening of this new repair center and are very pleased to increase our footprint in the greater Spokane area. With this new center, we have the opportunity to introduce our high-quality brand to a large base of new customers, while continuing to improve our platform for our insurance partners" said Tim O'Day, President and COO of the Boyd Group's U.S. operations. "Our first Idaho center has the benefit of being well-positioned, within about 30 miles east of our Spokane center, which will allow our Washington leadership team to manage the location."

"Coeur d'Alene, also known as Lake City, has a year-round tourism industry due to the mountains and lakes that surround it, which will allow us to introduce our brand to all who may require our services when they visit here," said O'Day. "We look forward to providing the Idaho market with the high-quality experience we are known for at all our Gerber repair centers."

The Boyd Group is continuously looking to add new collision repair locations to its existing network in Canada and the U.S. Interested collision repair center owners are asked to contact Kim Allen, Business Development Manager, at (847) 410-6003 or kim.allen@gerbercollision.com for more information.

Wicklunds CARSTAR in Liberty, MO hosted a Military Appreciation Celebration on Tuesday, November 4^th.  The celebration honored the service of active and inactive military members and their families.

The event kicked off with a color guard courtesy of the VFW Liberty Memorial Post 4043, 16 year-old Alex Haywood singing the National Anthem, and 21-Gun Salute followed by a dinner. The Grateful American Entertainment Troupe and pickpocket magicians also were featured at the celebration.

“This is our way of saying 'thank you' to the military and their families for serving our country,” said Gerald Wicklund, Owner of Wicklunds CARSTAR. “We're also raffled off thousands of dollars of prizes donated by businesses in our community. Some of the prizes were gift cards, a one-night stay at a hotel and much, much more.”

Sponsors of the event included the North Kansas City Beverage Company, Hertz, Dish Pizza, Carolyn's Country Cousins & Pumpkin Patch, CM Mose and Son and Nadler's Locker. Caron's Massage also gave free massages at the event.  Donations were taken for the Honor Flight Nework, a non-profit organization that provides transportation for WWII veterans to see the memorials.

Wicklunds CARSTAR is located at 941 Sutton Place, off of Highway 291 South and Hunter. For more information about the celebration, go online to www.WicklundsCARSTAR.com.

The Franklin County Planning and Zoning Commission agreed to support a rezoning for Suburban Auto Body, Inc. in Robertsville.

The zoning change from community development to commercial activity community business (CA3) is needed because the business is currently in violation of its conditional use permit. The Franklin County Commission will vote on the zoning change at a later meeting.

ABRA Auto Body & Glass helped raise $18,000 during the second annual Forest Park Charity Golf Tournament to benefit St. Louis Children’s Foundation.