CollisionCast

One possible solution to fill bays during slow times is fleet work. Whether you service a fleet of last-mile delivery trucks, the local HVAC company, rental cars, or a trucking company, they can be a source of lower profit margin but high-volume, fast production work. ServiceUp Chief Operating Officer Andy Klobnock joins CollisionCast to talk about the nuances of fleet work and how his company's p...

In this episode, Partly founder and CEO Levi Fawcett explains how Partly is using a repair-specific AI model to help collision repair shops improve estimate accuracy, reduce administrative work, and make better parts procurement decisions. Rather than replacing platforms such as CCC, PartsTrader, or CollisionLink, Partly works alongside them, analyzing estimates, OEM repair procedures, vehicle bui...

Are your painters truly protected? Are your waste streams compliant? Or are you relying on assumptions that could expose your business to fines, liability, and unnecessary costs? In this episode of CollisionCast, Jay Sicht sits down with KPA compliance experts Stephany Birkholz and Zach Pucillo to discuss a new data-driven approach to collision repair safety and environmental compliance. They brea...

ADAS, or Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, calibrations have become a routine part of collision repair, but misconceptions about when they’re required can lead to missed procedures, unnecessary work and added risk. In this episode, Isaac Aronson, Product Manager at OEC and a former automotive technician with nearly two decades of hands-on experience, shares why repairers shouldn’t rely on a clea...

While Josh Sorel started posting to social media to share his achievements with his wife, he now reaches tens of thousands of followers on Instagram and Facebook with his channel, Josh Refinish. He sits down with Editor-in-Chief Jay Sicht to talk about his refinishing career — now beginning his 23rd year — in which he shows his techniques and test-drives new spray guns, and various prepping device...

Claims are down across the country, but Shey Knight, CFO of Autosport Bodyworks in Opelika, Alabama and FenderBender columnist, has some strategies to share on how he approaches the collision repair business. He is not only a 40-year veteran of the industry; as an insurance producer, he has a different perspective than most. Check out his recent column on the subject here .

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, or ADAS, have aided driver safety and prevented or lessened the severity of collisions. At the same time, they require specific procedures to ensure they’re working as designed post-collision. What is the shop’s liability, and how can an operator lessen that risk? In this episode, we're joined by Rebekah Cooper of The Cooper Firm, a nationwide catastrophic injur...

As more customers turn to AI chatbots and search engine reviews to decide where to bring their car after an accident, if your shop doesn’t have a strong digital brand, you’ve lost a customer before they’ve even had a chance to walk through your door.  In our July case study in the magazine, Noah Brown interviewed Megan Fulkerson, founder of 3P Marketing, on how to build a strong online presence an...

Whether you’re wanting to order a sandwich delivery or look up specs on the newest power tool at the big box store, there’s an app for that. General Motors’ Brian Wakefield, director of Global Digital Service Solutions, joins the CollisionCast to talk about the enhancements to its Collision Assistance tool, and how it can help motorists needing a collision repair find your GM-certified shop. For m...

As the National Auto Body Council celebrates its 30th anniversary and looks to the next 30 years, we talk with Executive Director Debby Robinson about NABC's various programs and how your shop can get involved. Learn more about the Recycled Rides program, the First Responder Emergency Extrication (F.R.E.E.), and the Changing and Saving Lives Foundation Keys for Change program, which can help you d...

There are a number of reasons why you might consider repairing certain plastic parts, including lack of availability of replacement parts, their prohibitive replacement cost, and the rise in customer pay work. How plastic automotive parts are repaired has evolved, but with concern over affecting ADAS functionality, it’s also important to view each repair on a case-by-case basis. To learn more abou...

Built around proactive microlearning, Collision ProAssist 's BackBay Discord community replaces one-size-fits-all training and opinion-driven social media advice with documented, expert-backed answers that improve estimate accuracy, capture overlooked operations, and strengthen communication between the front office and the shop floor.  In this episode, Collision ProAssist's Jason Bartanen explain...

Are you ready to let go of beliefs, habits, emotions, and stories that no longer serve you? In this special Endeavor to Discover episode, Endeavor B2B’s Chris Messer is joined by Mike Jones of Discover Leadership and Louie Sharp, owner of Sharp Auto Body in Chicago. They emphasize that past struggles, negative motivation, anger, fear, or even past success can initially drive achievement—but holdin...

How do you manage safety, human resources, and environmental regulations and management? Wayne Curtis, CEO of KPA, has over 20 years of firsthand experience working with collision centers and auto body shops to help them balance compliance with the challenges of focusing on daily operations. He explains the reasons why although the Trump administration has softened certain safety and environmental...

He built 14 stores. Then he sold 10 of them — one by one — during one of the toughest economic downturns in modern history. In Fearless to Courageous, James Baxter reveals the sleepless nights, payroll fears, and hard leadership decisions that reshaped his company, and why focusing on four strong stores made him more profitable than ever before. If you’re an entrepreneur navigating growth, success...

The Women’s Industry Network’s mission is to attract, develop, and promote women into collision repair professions. And there is still time to register for Empowering Excellence, the 2026 WIN Conference, May 4-6 in Tucson, Arizona. Blair Womble, director of strategic account services with Caliber Collision; and Nicole Carpenter, head of marketing at VIVE Collision, join the CollisionCast to tell o...

More drivers these days are choosing to pay out of pocket instead of filing an insurance claim. At FenderBender, we know of some shop owners reporting as much as a 30 percent increase in customer-pay work. In today’s episode, Rich Harrison, CEO of MSO CollisionRight, explains the reasons for this shift, how this evolution creates both pressure and opportunity, and how shop owners and operators can...

Safety inspections, including but not limited to restraint systems, steering gear, and collapsible steering columns, are of utmost importance when required by an OEM. But with the amount of procedure research required, they can be labor-intensive before the toolbox even opens. Here to talk about those inspections is Gerry Rosenbarker, general manager of Mohawk Collision Center, and two members of...

What if the biggest thing holding you back isn’t your goals — but how you’re framing them? In this special Endeavor to Discover episode, Chris Messer, vice president of transportation at Endeavor Business Media, sits down with Mike Jones, president of Discover Leadership, alongside editorial director Chris Jones for a powerful conversation on fighting forward. From personal growth to shop performa...

In the second part of this two-part podcast, Dave Luehr of Elite Body Shop Solutions joins the CollisionCast to discuss how a transformational approach to the customer experience can allow you to have customers for life through your unique selling propositions. If you have OEM certifications, we discuss ways you can maximize your ROI at the dealership service lane, plus how to change what you can...

In trying times, independent collision repairers are positioned to succeed by leveraging community relationships, reputation, and ability to quickly adapt, including custom programs to capitalize on the rising trend of customer-pay work. In part 1 of this episode, Dave Luehr, owner of Elite Body Shop Solutions, joins the CollisionCast to talk about how the best time to be independent is now. We'll...

What's the state of the labor shortage in the collision repair industry, and what are some strategies for recruiting and retention? Crash Champions Founder and CEO Matt Ebert joins the CollisionCast to talk about how more young people are choosing skilled trades careers over traditional college educations, how the company's Skills Training Education Program apprenticeship is designed to get a tech...

In this Endeavor to Discover special episode of CollisionCast, Endeavor B2B's Chris Messer and Discover Leadership's Mike Jones dive into why your mindset — not your skill set — determines the trajectory of your business. From the power of surrounding yourself with the right people to embracing change in a fast-moving industry, this episode challenges shop owners and leaders to elevate their aware...

Do you have a toxic team, or does your shop have a family atmosphere? Today, we’re talking about toxic leadership and team conflict in collision repair. Dr. Paul White, co-author of The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, joins the CollisionCast with speaker and coach Sheryl Driggers of Collision Advice, who's also a former collision repair shop owner, for real talk about tough people, t...

I-CAR President and CEO Kyle Thompson joins the CollisionCast to highlight the organization's focus on talent development. Highlights of this year include the rollout of the I-CAR Academy and Registered Apprentice Program, plus the organization's strong partnerships with ASE, CREF, the Collision Career Institute, and WrenchWay. Hear how these collaborations act as “force multipliers” to help addre...