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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
Three People Found Shot to Death at Ohio Body Shop
The owner of a repair shop came into work on Friday morning, August 3 to find the bodies of three people who had been shot to death.
The bodies were found at Imperial Auto Sales, an auto body repair shop at 18301 St. Clair Ave. in Cleveland, OH.
The three bodies were identified as Brian Yuravak, 50, Lori Sarli, 48, and Babette Hockenberry, 53, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office said.
3M Donates Products to Illinois College
Kishwaukee College in Malta, IL, received a number of products for use in its Collision Repair Technology (CRT) program from 3M Corp.
The college has an on-campus shop area that includes a paint bay, tool room, and welding facilities.
Fox Auto Parts Joins Team PRP Network
Fox Auto Parts, based in Belleville, MI has become the latest full-service auto recycler to join the Team PRP network. This brings their current national membership to 113 stores.
Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Illinois (AASPI) Opposes State Farm Parts Procurement Program
The Automotive Service Providers of Illinois (AASPI) released the following statement in late July:
After several weeks’ consideration, the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Illinois (AASPI) Board of Directors has determined that it will stand with AASP National, SCRS, and many other state and regional collision repair associations who now openly oppose the intrusion of yet another insurer-engineered system into the business of collision repair.
PartsTrader has been touted as a mechanism that improves process efficiency while not much has been said by its promoters about profitability. State Farm’s George Avery and PartsTrader make claims of “Win–Win–Win” scenarios for repairers, parts vendors and insurers. Yet, parts vendors and repairers who have been involved point out the added labor to operate within the cumbersome system and the time lost waiting for the bidding process to work actually costs them both time and money.
ASA-Michigan Members and Vendors Discuss State Farm’s PartsTrader Pilot Program
Automotive Service Association (ASA) members and related collision industry vendors in the Michigan area were recently invited recently by ASA-Michigan, an ASA-affiliated association, to attend a “facts to date” presentation and member discussion centering around the State Farm electronic parts ordering application. The pilot is currently taking place in Grand Rapids, MI.; Charlotte, N.C.; Birmingham, AL.; and Tucson, AZ.
Organized by Ray Fisher, AAM, president of ASA-Michigan, the June 28 meeting was held in Lansing, MI., at the Lansing Community College. ASA-Michigan provided the forum to present the facts to date about the pilot, along with clear statements of concern from both repairers and suppliers in the Michigan area and around the United States.
Minnesota Storm Tears Roof off Body Shop
Mower County Sheriff Terese Amazi said the roof came off the Lyle Auto Body Shop around 3:15 a.m. Thursday. The Minnesota Department of Transportation helped clean up the debris.
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Milwaukee Mechanical Shop Burns
wisn.com in Milwaukee is reporting that firefighters are battling a five-alarm at 631 E. Center St., the site of Joe's East Coast Car Shop in Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood on July 17.
The Milwaukee Fire Department got the call at 9:17 a.m., and it was still burning at 12:30 p.m. A spokesman said he expected to be at the scene until about 2 p.m.
The business at that address, between Pierce and Booth streets, is a family-owned mechanical shop.
There are also apartments and an art studio above the auto repair shop. Parts of the building have collapsed, the fire department said.
A fire department spokesman said firefighters faced hazardous conditions because of fuel, hydraulics and oil found in the auto repair shop. There were 125 firefighters at the scene.
The Milwaukee Fire Department told 12 News it was asking for assistance from other communities to help cover Milwaukee fire houses and five other departments helped at the scene.
An employee at a nearby business told 12 News it looked like a big fire, but he didn't think other places are being evacuated.
Ambulances were seen at the scene, but the fire department said there were no injuries to residents or workers.
Two Milwaukee firefighters were taken to an area hospital for heat exhaustion.
ABRA Auto Body & Glass Enters Indiana Market
ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a leading national vehicle repair company, announced the opening of its 42nd franchise repair center and the first in the state of Indiana.
The new ABRA repair center is located on the site of McGonigal Buick GMC Cadillac at 1220 East Blvd. in Kokomo, Indiana about an hour north of Indianapolis.
The move is part of the company’s overall plan to accelerate growth in the months and years ahead and increases the total number of ABRA repair centers to 124 in 13 states.
Michigan Drivers to See Fee Increase
Beginning July 1, drivers in Michigan will start paying a little more to support the state entity funding the no-fault coverage system there.
The Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA) oversees the fund that reimburses insurers for claims exceeding $500,000. Claims in the state can run relatively higher than most states because of no-fault laws there that allow policyholders lifetime medical coverage for crash-related expenses, a one-of-a-kind system used by no other state in the U.S.
The MCCA fee is charged per-vehicle to insurers, but policyholders generally pay for that in the form of higher premiums.
The MCCA fee will increase $30, from $145 to $175. It was $143 in 2010, $125 in 2009, and $104 in 2008
Car Tech Collision reopening in Green, OH, after February fire
The Beacon Journal has reported that Car Tech Collision, closed since flames burned through the building it shares with another company, has relocated to 727 E. Turkeyfoot Lake Road in Green and will hold a grand reopening party for its customers from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the new location.
The business, along with All American Box & Supply, was damaged in a $2 million fire in its former location at 2984 Chenoweth Drive on Feb. 14.
The fire started in a truck inside All-American Box & Supply, Green fire officials said.
Jason Rettberg, owner of Car Tech Collision, said it has been hectic since the fire as he and employees cleaned up the old space and as he arranged for the relocation to the new space for the four-year-old business.
All American Box has relocated to 708 Killian Road in Coventry Township.
Rettberg said the morning of the fire, he and other workers were able to get five customer cars out of the shop in time so that they were not damaged by smoke and water and falling debris from the blaze. No one was hurt in the fire.
Enterprise Rent-a-Car will also be located in the building with Car Tech, Rettberg said.
Car Tech employs seven people, including Rettberg. The shop phone number remains 330-644-6400.