Ronald “Ronnie” Pack, co-owner of Pack Brothers Collision Center in North Carolina and a key supporter of the Carolinas Collision Association, passed away Sept. 14 in his home, surrounded by family and loved ones. He was 76. A member of Horizon Baptist Church and a Shriner, friends and family remember Ronnie for always helping people and trying to “do the right thing.”
Born in 1948, Ronnie had five siblings. He and his older brother, Larry, 18 months his senior, grew up in the auto body industry in Murphy, NC. Their father, Junior Cecil Pack, was a body man. They later relocated to the central part of the state near Charlotte. The boys worked on cars, sanded, and washed tow trucks. As they got older, their responsibilities expanded and the brothers attended Gaston College, focusing on automotive and diesel mechanics.
After graduating, Ronnie was drafted into the U.S. Army. Two weeks later, Larry volunteered to serve and attended the same basic training at Fort Bragg, NC.
After leaving the service, the brothers opened a body shop in 1971, Pack Brothers Body Shop Inc. They later changed the name to Pack Brothers Collision Center. After they retired, Larry’s stepson, Brian Allen, began managing the business.
“We basically started from the ground up,” recalled Larry. “We worked hard, and it was a slow process, but we finally evolved to where we're at today.”
Family and friends shared memories of Ronnie.
Larry Pack, Co-Founder, Pack Brothers Collision Center
Ronnie was an extrovert and I was an introvert. We grew up doing everything together — school, college, the Army. We were like two peas in a pod. As our business expanded, Ronnie was the in-house estimator. He had more of a people presence than I did. After introducing myself to a customer, I’d sit in the office to work on the estimate. Meanwhile, Ronnie had brought the customer to the front desk and would sometimes spend two or three hours talking to them.
Ronnie Pack loved animals and owned seven horses. He also had 11 rescue dogs at one time.
Since opening our shop over 50 years ago, we have never been part of a direct repair program (DRP). We had a good reputation, and we didn't have to do the things some shops were doing to get work in the door. We made it a priority to inform customers of everything they needed to do as part of the repair.
We kept hearing from customers that Nationwide was telling them that we were lying, charging too much and wouldn't do the job. We got tired of our reputation being talked about in such a manner.
We went to the North Carolina Business Court and filed the first case of this kind in the state. There were 40 people who agreed to testify on our behalf. There was a jury trial and they ruled in favor of Nationwide.
The insurance company wanted us to pay for their expert witnesses. We were told that if we published a retraction in the newspaper stating that we shouldn’t have filed the lawsuit, we wouldn’t have to pay. Ronnie told our lawyer that we didn’t want our reputation smeared across the county and to be blamed for something we didn’t agree with.
Ultimately, we didn’t lose any business and our reputation remained intact. We’ve always believed in taking care of customers and making sure our employees repair cars the right way, following the auto manufacturers’ procedures.
Billy Walkowiak, Founder and CEO, Collision Safety Consultants
My father-in-law, Ronnie Pack, taught me everything I know about the collision business. I met him 15 years ago while dating his daughter, Brandy, who I married in 2012. It was after the stock market crash, and I had lost everything.
I knew nothing about the body shop business, but Ronnie told me that I could make a living handling diminished value claims. He owned one of the first licensing agreements for Wreck Check, which ensures vehicles are repaired properly. He became involved to help people and didn’t charge to do the inspections.
Billy Walkowiak, left, founder and CEO of Collision Safety Consultants, inspecting a car with Ronnie Pack.
In 2010, Ronnie, his wife of 57 years, Amelia, and Brandy helped me come up with the idea for my business, Collision Safety Consultants. I set up an office in the Pack Brothers shop and Ronnie provided money to buy my first computer and portable printer. I shadowed him, watching and listening to how he approached things. My business would not exist without Ronnie and Larry.
Throughout his career, Ronnie focused on consumer protection rights, working with people like Wayne Goodwin, the former commissioner of the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles, and Mike Causey, the current insurance commissioner.
Ronnie was also involved in tons of lawsuits and often testified as an expert witness for the plaintiffs. I remember when we uncovered a bad repair and were involved in a lawsuit. Ronnie was being cross-examined and the defense attorney said he would receive money from the bad repair inspection. Ronnie didn’t want it.
The attorney reminded him that he was under oath and Ronnie reiterated that it wasn’t about the money. He said, “The reason I do what I do is because of people.”
When the family offered to pay Ronnie for everything he did, he refused it but said they could write a check to his preacher.
In another lawsuit involving Nationwide, we uncovered fraud in a post-collision repair inspection.
In September, I arranged for him to be awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest honor bestowed upon any civilian in the state of North Carolina.
Brian Davies, Owner, Body Works Plus in Charlotte, NC
I grew up working in a collision shop co-owned by my father, a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars. After selling our stake, I pursued a career in mechanical engineering, but I couldn’t stay away from the industry and built Body Works Plus.
Some insurance adjusters started jokingly calling me “little Ronnie Pack.” I was curious what they meant, and paid Ronnie a visit.
In September, Ronnie Pack was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest honor bestowed upon any civilian in the state of North Carolina.
He was over 6’5”, a towering figure, and a retired Army veteran. He reminded me of my dad. After my parents both passed from cancer, Ronnie became a mentor, a friend and someone I deeply respected.
Ronnie wasn’t a man of many words, but when he spoke, you listened. I saw how his experience with the Nationwide lawsuit shaped him. It made him even more committed to doing things the right way, no matter how much pushback he got. He stood for safety, quality and integrity.
About eight years ago, I had the idea to help revive a collision industry association in our region. Ronnie was skeptical, but he saw how fired up I was. He backed us — not just with money, but with presence and resources. He came to meetings and played a key role in helping get the Carolinas Collision Association (CCA) off the ground.
At our meetings, it became a tradition for Ronnie to say the blessing before meals. At one of our gatherings in Concord, with about 150 people, Ronnie shared how the association began. He had doubted we’d get this far — but he was proud. I never expected him to say that, and it meant everything to me.
When Ronnie got sick, he didn’t want visitors. I kept in touch through letters and texts and told him what he meant to me. I heard he kept my business card by his bed, near his coffee cup. That still gets me.
Ronnie was more than a mentor. He was a symbol. He left this industry better than he found it and his leadership helped lay the foundation for the voices we have today.
When we talk about making things better for the next generation, we're standing on the shoulders of people like Ronnie Pack.
A silent giant.
Kyle Bradshaw, CCA President and Director of Fixed Operations at K & M Collision
Ronnie was involved with CCA from the very beginning. His mentorship was instrumental to several of our founding members, and his influence helped shape the direction of the association itself. Ronnie was truly ahead of his time — a man who stood firmly on principles, believed in doing things the right way regardless of outside pressures, and always put families’ safety first by ensuring vehicles were properly repaired.
I have no doubt that without Ronnie’s willingness to mentor and lift others up, CCA would not be where it is today. We are deeply saddened by his passing, but profoundly grateful for the example he set and the legacy he leaves behind. As an association, we will continue striving to honor Ronnie’s vision and carry forward his principles to make Carolina’s roadways safer for all families.
Larae Sloan, Dear Friend and Former Employee
Ronnie was one of the best men I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. He was a huge animal lover and would tell you that most of the time, he liked them better than people.
Eight years ago, he took me in and made me feel like one of his own — and not just me, but my sweet pup, Precious. He loved her as much as she loved him. She knew he was a gentle soul. This was a man I thought the world of.
One of his mottos in life was: “Do what’s right, do it because it’s right, and then do it right.”
He impacted my life in more ways than one. I made big decisions based on his wisdom and experience. I worked for him and his brother for two years, and it truly was a pleasure. I learned so much more than just how to write an estimate.
When I left to stay at home with my babies, I didn’t get to see him as often as I would have liked but we’d still call each other to catch up. As always, we picked up right where we left off.
I’m so thankful we had that last conversation just before he died. I was able to tell him how much he had impacted my life and that I would be forever grateful to him. He will be missed by many.
David Williams, Owner, Sun Sign Company
After selling my collision repair shop in 1997, I was one of the first to be involved with Wreck Check and had the privilege of meeting Ronnie. I focused on diminished value claims for about a decade before opening Sun Sign Company.
Although I only met Ronnie in person a couple of times, I would stop by his shop, and it felt like the door was always open. Everyone was willing to share anything they could to help the industry, and Ronnie was always a phone call away.
Many of us leaned on him and picked his brain for the betterment of the industry. He was very successful in holding the insurance companies accountable and that gave us all hope.
He seemed to have the golden key, and we all wanted to follow in his footsteps.
He was a nice, polite, upstanding and stoic guy. He had principles and he didn't compromise them for anybody. It didn't matter how much money was involved or how many people leaned on him hard. He always stood up for what was right.
It’s sad to hear of his passing. He is a hero of mine and so many others in the collision repair industry.
Stacey Phillips Ronak