With a strong background in education and a passion for the trades, Kaitlyn George was named the new executive director of the Carolinas Collision Association (CCA) in July.
“Kaitlyn brings a servant-leader mindset, boundless enthusiasm, and a clear vision for growing our association’s impact,” said CCA President Kyle Bradshaw, director of fixed operations for K&M Collision in Hickory, NC.
Kaitlyn George.
Born and raised in Maryland, Kaitlyn began her career as a teacher in Baltimore. In 2016, she married Rowland George, who was in the Navy at the time. Later, he began working in the car industry and joined Hemmings Motor News.
Meanwhile, Kaitlyn earned her master’s degree in school counseling in 2020. After graduating, she became a school counselor.
However, she found her passion for teaching was changing. While working as a school counselor, Kaitlyn noticed the challenges the trades were facing recruiting students and wanted to do something to make a difference.
“I was very fortunate to be in a school that was open to the trades and had an automotive department,” she recalled. “A lot of these kids would be great in the trades. There’s such a push for college that they don’t always see what options are available.”
After the pandemic, Kaitlyn and her husband relocated to Randleman, NC, and began working at Petty’s Garage.
Kaitlyn George, left, her husband Rowland, right, and Thad Moffitt, center, with Thad's reveal truck for the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
Kaitlyn’s role included planning events and managing sponsorships for the garage as well as assisting the Petty Family Foundation. When Richard Petty’s grandson, Thad Moffitt, began racing with NASCAR, Kaitlyn shifted her focus and started doing public relations for him and managing his sponsorships. She found out about the CCA executive director role from John Shoemaker, a business development manager at BASF, a NASCAR sponsor.
Autobody News spoke with Kaityln George about her goals for CCA, the association’s focus and how it promotes training and professionalism for its members.
Can you share some background about CCA?
CCA is a not-for-profit organization that focuses on the collision repair industry in North Carolina and South Carolina. The associations used to be separate, but they merged in 2020 to share resources and provide added value to their members. CCA is dedicated to safe and correct collision repairs. Currently, we have over 300 members who exist to ensure the future success of independent collision repair professionals. Forty of the memberships are from schools.
We have three committees that members can join: legal, consumer and trade school.
What are your goals as the new executive director?
As a teacher, education is something I'm passionate about. I want to ensure that we educate CCA members, as things are constantly changing and evolving. It’s no different from being a teacher. You have to continually educate yourself to keep up with what's going on.
In addition, I genuinely want to increase the number of people in the industry.
What are you most excited about in your new role?
I'm excited about so many things. Our board has been really supportive and willing to teach me. I'm obviously a learner. I’ve been in schools for a long time, so I love learning new things. I've always been a helper-type person who wants to problem-solve and assist people the best way I can.
I'm excited about connecting with our members and helping their businesses succeed. It ultimately impacts consumers because they will have safe cars that were repaired correctly.
How does CCA promote learning and professional development?
Our main event of the year is the Southeast Collision Conference. Last year, CCA co-hosted the conference with the Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association (WMABA) and it was held following the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) in Richmond. In addition to a vendor trade show, the annual event features nationally recognized speakers, a dinner awards ceremony, and a variety of educational classes through the Collision Professional Repairer Education Program (P.R.E.P.)
Kaitlyn George at Petty's Garage.
Our goal is to focus on continuous improvement through training and support for our members and business partners, facilitating safe repairs for consumers.
CCA also organizes four quarterly meetings per year, where members can discuss industry topics, receive updates and announcements, and network. Level 1 sponsors have an opportunity to share information about their companies and the industry.
The association hosts several events in North and South Carolina, focusing on topics like estimating and leadership training. We rotate the meetings to increase access.
We just finished a great full-day training event in Western North Carolina at Blue Ridge Community College with Mike Anderson and CCC. Our next event will be in December. We are surveying members to see what they would like to hear about. That’s something that is another important initiative for me—listening to the feedback of our members so we can provide value to them.
Members get a lot of value out of in-person events, where they can network, enjoy a meal together and learn. I may be wrong, but I feel like we do more of those than some of the other associations because we think it’s incredibly beneficial to our members.
Can you share information about CCA’s Tool Grant Program?
CCA’s Tool Grant Program was launched a few years ago by our Trade School Committee and is funded through the Speed to Succeed annual fundraiser. The goal is to support aspiring professionals by equipping them with the necessary tools and resources they need to succeed.
This year, the event is being held Oct. 18 at the Trackhouse Motorplex in Mooresville, NC, and will include go kart races.
The money raised will be allocated to $2,000 scholarships. Our trade school committee collaborates with local tech schools in North and South Carolina to find people who are serious about coming into the industry. We use that funding to provide them with the tools that they need.
Are there specific challenges in your area of the country that shops are facing?
Our challenges are probably similar to what other people are dealing with, like a shortage of technicians, keeping up with changing technology and the total loss threshold.
Our legal committee is looking to see how we can assist with some of these challenges. We’re also researching what other states are doing. We're hoping that the education we provide to CCA members will bridge some of that gap.
How is CCA supporting trade schools?
We work with a lot of different trade schools and are continuing to add more components to support students like our Tool Grant program. The schools are seeing the impact of our support and network and have been able to evolve and better their programs as a result.
What benefits does CCA find by working with other associations?
Kaitlyn George with the counselors and resource officer at Hoosick Falls Central School.
CCA is a member of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS). One of our priorities is to collaborate with them even more than in the past. At our latest SCRS affiliate meeting, collaboration was a common theme. We want to work together and support each other because we're all facing the same issues.
I was lucky that the affiliate meeting was scheduled after I started this job. I met everybody and got an overall picture of how things are going across the industry and different states.
It was incredibly helpful to hear what other people are doing and the resources they are using, especially those who have been in the industry a long time. It allows us to figure out how we can work through issues. We all want the collision industry to be strong, no matter what state you're in.
What are your long-range goals?
I’d love to find the best ways to make education the most accessible for people. I'm a creative person, and my goal is to have an active membership. I would also love to encourage more people to join the industry by attending career fairs and speaking with middle schoolers and high schoolers. A lot of them don't know the variety of jobs that are available in collision repair. When I began working with my husband at Petty’s Garage, I was adopted in and felt like I was part of a big family. I’d like others to experience that feeling and experience as well.
Do you have advice for other associations?
Our association does an excellent job of keeping our members involved. Maybe it’s not the answer that everyone wants to hear, but having in-person meetings makes a big difference. It can be sometimes hard for people to come, but when they do, they're energized and want to keep coming. It also leads to more member loyalty because they're not just receiving an email; they're actually talking to a person face-to-face.
I encourage everyone to come to a CCA meeting and/or an event, even if you’re not a member. Membership is free for students and school instructors.
For more information about CCA, visit the website, or send an email to info@carolinascollisionassociation.com.
Stacey Phillips Ronak