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Midwestern News
Local news stories affecting the auto body industry in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin
‘Top Secret’ Maaco Sign Creates Buzz Prior to Reopening at New Location on Applegrove in North Canton, OH
Craig Mullett has moved his Maaco collision repair and auto painting franchise from Jackson Township, OH, to 409 Applegrove St. NW, North Canton, OH. The news reveals what was advertised by a Top Secret sign tantalizingly placed outside the North Canton location.
“We had a ‘Top Secret’ sign here in the building when we got it, and tried to do something with it. It might not be the prettiest answer, but that’s all it was...just trying to create a buzz,” said Jared Mullett, Craig’s son and sales manager. The plan worked. The Mulletts said about 10 people a day during the week have stopped to ask what was going on in the building.
Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Minnesota Awards $15,000 in Scholarships for Minnesota-based Programs
The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers (AASP) of Minnesota awarded $15,000 in scholarships to help post-secondary automotive students pay for tuition during the 2014–15 school year. The scholarships are in the amount of $1,000 per student and were made possible by a successful fundraising drive within the AASP of Minnesota membership, as well as a generous donation from the Minnesota State I-CAR Committee.
Twenty-seven students from 12 schools applied for the scholarships. Applications were reviewed by a committee of industry representatives, with consideration given to scholastic achievement, education and career goals, financial need, and written recommendations.
Embezzlement at Body Shop Trial in Baraga County, MI, is Extended
Cynthia Wadaga is on trial accused of embezzling more than $20,000 from the body shop in L'Anse, MI, where she worked over a two-year period. Wadaga worked at First Choice Auto Body in L’Anse from June 2009 until June 2011, when owner William Ross fired her and accused her of having stolen from the business. An estimated $24,000 was taken during that time, according to reports in the Daily Mining Gazette.
Testifying for the prosecution was Andrew Wallner, a certified public accountant who Ross brought in to look at the company’s financial reports after he fired Wadaga.
Minnesota Women’s Economic Security Act Signed Into Law
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton has signed the Women’s Economic Security Act (“Act”) into law. The Act is a major piece of legislation aimed at improving working conditions for women that will have a significant impact on Minnesota businesses. A combination of at least nine different bills, the Act is intended to reduce the gender pay gap and to provide greater workplace protections for pregnant women and nursing mothers, among other things.
- A protected class under the Minnesota Human Rights Act, Minn. Stat. Section 363A, et seq. (effective immediately). The Act expands the list of protected classes under the Minnesota Human Rights Act to include “familial status.” “Familial status” means “the condition of one or more minors being domiciled with (1) their parent or parents or the minor’s legal guardian or (2) the designee of the parent or parents or guardian with the written permission of the parent or parents or guardian. The term also includes any person who is pregnant or in the process of securing legal custody of a minor.
Ohio Anti-Steering Legislation Scheduled for First Hearing Before Committee
On April 28, 2014, the Ohio House of Representatives Insurance Committee held its first hearing on House Bill 526 (HB 526) that seeks to prohibit insurers from requiring a vehicle be repaired by a specific repair facility, or make a recommendation without first being asked for one by the consumer.
The bill, sponsored by Representatives Matt Lynch (primary) and Robert Hagan (cosponsor) has been placed on the agenda of the Insurance Committee for its first hearing before the committee. House Rules require the sponsor of a bill or resolution to appear at least once before the committee considering the bill or resolution unless he or she has been excused from appearing by the committee chairperson or the Speaker of the House.
Ohio’s Buckeye Career Center Students Already Appreciate Waterborne
The Buckeye Career Center vocational school in New Philadelphia, OH, was one of the first schools in Ohio to introduce the PPG Envirobase Waterborne Paint System when the program implemented it in 2012, said auto collision repair instructor Jeff Newsome.
The school has already been teaching and using solvent-borne refinishing and with the addition of a water-base paint system, Newsome explained, it allows the students to keep up with the growing popularity of the product.
“The reason we have both systems is because some shops still use the solvent-borne, and other shops went green and went with the waterborne,” said Newsome. “Waterborne is starting to become popular because it’s good for the environment.”
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Richland Community College in Decatur, IL, to Offer Collision Repair Tech Program
Starting in the fall of 2014, Richland Community College in Decatur, IL, will be offering degree programs in two growing industry fields, namely Collision Repair Technology and Diesel Medium/ Heavy Truck Technology.
“Technology is changing, jobs are changing, and there is a huge, huge need for workers with advanced skills and certifications in these areas,” said Jack Adwell, dean of business and technology at Richland. “People going into these industries can be pretty assured that it is not going to be that hard to find a job.”
Safe Automobiles for Everyone Educational Symposium in Schaumberg, IL
The Safe Automobiles for Everyone (SAFE) Educational Symposium was held at the Schaumberg Convention Center in Schaumberg, IL, May 30–31, 2014. The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Illinois (AASPI) hosted the two-day event.
SAFE is a network of collision industry and legal professionals who abide by this mission: “To provide a resource for collision training and business skills so every consumer can receive a proper repair by a shop with the knowledge necessary to be paid for all the parts and procedures required for the repair.”
The line up of speakers highlighting the two-day event included:
State Farm Raises Rates in Illinois
State Farm, Illinois’ biggest car insurer, raised its auto rates in Illinois by an average of 2.3 percent as of May 26, 2014, according to a filing.
“Auto insurance rates in Illinois were adjusted to better reflect changing claims costs,” namely a rise in car repair costs, said Missy Dundov, spokeswoman for the Bloomington-based home and auto insurer. The exact price change will depend on the coverages that policyholders have, where they live, what kind of car they drive, how the car is used, and who drives it, she said.
Farmers Insurance’s Class Action on Climate Change
Farmers filed nine class actions in April 2014 against nearly 200 communities in the Chicago, IL, area. It is arguing that local governments should have known rising global temperatures would lead to heavier rains and did not do enough to fortify their sewers and storm-water drains. The legal debate may center on whether an uptick in natural disasters is foreseeable or an “act of God.” The cases raise the question of how city governments should manage their budgets before costly emergencies occur.
“We will see more and more cases,” said Michael Gerrard, director of the Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School in New York, NY. “No one is expected to plan for the 500-year storm, but if horrible events are happening with increasing frequency, that may shift the duties.”
Gerrard and other environmental law experts say the suits are the first of their kind. Lawyers for the localities will argue government immunity protects them from prosecution, said Daniel Jasica of the State Attorney's Office in Lake County, IL, which is named in the Illinois state court suit. “If these types of suits are successful—where is the money going to come from to pay the lawsuits? The taxpayers,” he said.