Educational presentations by nationally recognized speakers, a vendor trade show and a dinner awards ceremony were all part of the fourth annual Southeast Collision Conference, held in May.
Hosted by the Carolinas Collision Association (CCA) and the Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association (WMABA), the event took place in Richmond, VA, following the Collision Industry Conference (CIC).
“We were really grateful to have the opportunity to bring CIC together with the Southeast Collision Conference trade show and be able to utilize that community and those connections to bring national-level speakers to our education event,” said Jordan Hendler, executive director of WMABA. “It has changed the bar of what we want to give our members.”
“I think the show had some great highlights that helped to create momentum for next year, such as the education lineup, the reaction from attendees and the vendor selection that showed many different types of businesses participating,” said Josh Kent, executive director of CCA, Mississippi Collison Repair Association (MCRA) and the Tennessee Collision Repairers Association (TCRA). “I get really excited when I see vendors get creative within their booths to create an exciting experience for the customer in the way that Blue Ridge Color Company and PPG created.”
“It was an awesome show,” said WMABA President Kris Burton, owner/operator of Rosslyn Auto Body. “Every year gets better and better!”
Burton, who showed appreciation to the vendors, educators and attendees, said the vendors went all out on their booths and provided a variety of tools, equipment and services to help shops succeed. He also noted the great feedback on the classes that took place.
Pictured, left to right, are Bryan Harrell, TJ Maier from Cape Fear Collision accepting the North Carolina Most Improved Shop award, and CCA President Kyle Bradshaw.
“I was really happy with attendance for each session, which included estimating, artificial intelligence (AI), leadership and a presentation by Mike Anderson, owner of Collision Advice,” he added.
Classes were held throughout the day on May 2 and 3 as part of the Collision Professional Repairer Education Program (P.R.E.P.). Additionally, two panel discussions took place. One included information on repair processes, planning and management and an OEM panel focused on insights into repair procedures, certified repair and repairability.
The conference also featured a trade show floor where vendors showcased innovative tools and business solutions for collision repairers.
The evening before the conference, an awards dinner was held. Recognition was given out in the following categories:
• Board Member of the Year: Aritha Richardson, Enterprise
• North Carolina Most Improved Shop: Cape Fear Collision, Wilmington, NC
• South Carolina Most Improved Shop: Baker Collision Center, Charleston, SC
Students from South Carolina and North Carolina were also awarded $2,000 tool grants as part of the Tool Grant Program. Launched a few years ago by the CCA Trade School Committee, the program supports aspiring professionals by equipping them with the tools and resources necessary for success.
Pictured, left to right, are CCA Executive Director Josh Kent, Henry Bettke, David Vowels from Baker Collision Center accepting the South Carolina Most Improved Shop award, and CCA President Kyle Bradshaw.
“It’s very clear that we all want to see the students get very excited entering our industry,” said Hendler. “Being able to give back and help them and give them a boost forward is something that our association is about.”
Brian Foster, a collision repair instructor at Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock, NC, and a CCA member, attended the show with one of his students, Jordan Staley. Staley is a former truck driver and father of five who is expected to graduate from the community college collision repair program later this year.
During the Southeast Collision Conference, Staley received a grant scholarship from CCA to purchase tools for the industry.
“I'm very proud of my student,” said Foster. “It was important to see him be able to get up there and accept that award in person.”
The community college joined CCA last year to get more involved in the industry and hosted a CCA quarterly meeting on campus so CCA members could see the school’s facility. Foster, who has been associated with the industry throughout his career, has worked at the college for the last four years.
“It’s hard to keep a program current and relative,” said Foster. “I want to take this program and turn it into a true collision repair learning curriculum.”
In addition to attending the awards ceremony and conference, Foster went to several educational sessions at the show, including those focused on ADAS calibration.
“The school recently purchased calibration equipment last summer and is in the process of working with the state of North Carolina to add ADAS calibration to the school’s curriculum,” explained Foster. “I wanted to attend some of those classes to start gaining first-hand knowledge about ADAS calibration.”
Foster is looking forward to the show next year and plans to encourage his students to attend. He said it’s a great opportunity for students to network and make connections in the industry, as well as participate in educational classes.
“It's a learning experience every single day when you wake up and go to work in this industry because technology is constantly changing,” he tells his students. “If we don't stay on top of that, it doesn't take long to get behind the technology curve and we've got to try to stay current or ahead of it.”
Josh Shaw, COO of Shannon’s Auto Body in Minnesota, decided to attend the event after going to the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) and Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) open board meeting earlier in the week. Established in 1996, Shannon’s opened its second location in 2023.
Shaw, a member of SCRS and a first-time attendee of CIC, emphasized the importance of going to industry events to acquire new skills and establish new contacts. He acknowledged that many in the industry are facing similar struggles, and people have different approaches to tackling them.
“Get out there, ask questions, voice concerns and get expert knowledge from other folks from across the country that are doing similar things,” he said. “You don’t have a voice in the industry if you’re not present.”
Burton said plans are underway for next year’s show to be even more successful.
“It definitely takes a lot of work behind the scenes for months to make it happen, and we are fortunate to have an amazing team,” said Burton. “We have a great partnership with the Carolina Collision Association; it has been fun to be working with them, and we look forward to continuing the success.”
