CollisionCast

Tony Cavallaro Sr., owner of Airport Auto Body in Hartford, Connecticut, wanted his customers to feel so at home, they might have been in a hotel lobby. When he relocated his shop, he added a glass showroom for customers to pick up their repaired vehicles. Putting customers first has been Cavallaro’s top priority for more than 35 years. Learn how that approach, coupled with an innovative layout, a...

Jim Housh, the director of operations for Fix Auto USA, spoke with FenderBender at the company's 2019 national conference in San Diego. The topic: How to explain OEM certifications to customers in a manner that both educates them and sets your shop apart.   

DJ Mitchell, regional director for Joe Hudson's Collision Centers, talks about how to find the right market area and the best fit for your next shop location. 

Andrew Begnoche, director of operations for Holdcom, a company that manages phone messages for on hold times, shares how small business owners can take advantage of an underused marketing space: marketing while the customer is on hold. 

Richard Daku, co-owner of Daku's Auto Body Shop, shares how 20 groups and an efficient workflow process has helped him stay on track with some commonly missed KPIs.

Nick Zeman, an owner with Paul Ries & Sons in Chicago, breaks down how he has inspired a relatively inexperienced staff to quickly turn a new shop location into a $2.4-million-per-year facility. 

In this episode of CollisionCast, FenderBender spoke with Ed Barr, associate professor of automotive restoration at McPherson (Kan.) College, whose classes are as popular as ever with students. Barr gives his thoughts on whether or not body shop owners should reconsider moving away from restoration work. 

In this edition of CollisionCast, we caught up with the leaders of Referral Collision LLC near Minneapolis, to learn how their recently opened second facility is helping increase the efficiency of both their shops. 

In this episode of the MSO Project Series, DJ Mitchell, regional director for Joe Hudson's Collision Centers, shares common stressors in the workplace and his strategies to handling them.

Colette Bruce, the owner of Team Safety LLC, details how body shop operators can prepare their staff for OSHA visits, and avoid violations as a result.  

Pete Stemper, owner of Stemper Auto Body in Lake County, S.D., shares how he used his town's small size to his advantage. Stemper has been involved in the South Dakota Auto Body Association, formed a succession plan for his shop and uniquely accommodated any trainers or vendors visiting the shop.

McConnell Trapp, a "white hat hacker" who serves as the director of Speed Trapp Consulting near Detroit, explains how a malicious hacker might try to compromise a body shop's data. 

Today on CollisionCast, Bucky Covington of Covington's Collision Center shares a few hints and tips to make your next video commercial stand out from the crowd. 

Scott Funk, an IT manager with Global Finishing Solutions (GFS), breaks down how body shops can avoid having information like customer history compromised by hackers. 

Do you use an inbound digital messaging service so your clients can reach you at a moment's notice?  Sure hope so.  Today, we're joined by Hayden Neil and Tyler Brunatti of Podium to discuss the real-world benefits (and revenue) tied to 21st-century digital service. 

Listen to the second installment of The MSO Project podcast series, in which DJ Mitchell discusses being a young leader in the industry.

“Every hit is different; every vehicle is different,” and to Matt Dozois, “anytime is a good time to join the collision repair industry.”  Today on CollisionCast, we're joined by Matt Dozois, a young technician at Nylund's Collision Center in Englewood, Colorado, to discuss the technician shortage and how shops can bolster their young talent. Don't miss this one.    

Gerry Frank is the founder of Repair Shop Coach and owner of Auto Repair Technology , both located in Brook Park, Ohio. According to a recent Ratchet+Wrench article, Frank is a “prophet with numbers,” one who took his shop to more than $1 million in revenue in the first year. During the podcast, we discuss a formula to help shop owners succeed. In Frank’s own words, the formula is at the full link...

After several decades of premium repair service to their community, Don and Diana Gould turned over the shop to their friends Brian and Heidi Meyers. Hear how the transition went, what Brian and Heidi strive to preserve, and how they'll forge a new legacy at Gould Body & Paint.

Stan Medina, the owner of Certified Collision Works in Corpus Christi, Texas, breaks down how shop operators can market their business via social media in a cost-effective manner. 

Tim Hoege is program director and instructor at Madison College in the Auto Collision Repair & Refinish program . Today on CollisionCast we discuss the challenges and opportunities of a modern collision repair program.  Hoege also recently appeared on NBC15 and Spectrum News to discuss the program and collision repair industry.

Donielle Lopez is the owner/operator of Xtreme Auto Works in Chandler, Arizona. Leaving the world of corporate marketing to enter collision repair, Donielle uses the skills from her old career to bolster her new one. 

This week on CollisionCast, we speak with Susanna Gotsch, director and industry analyst for CCC. She shares her general outlook for the industry and reviews a few points from her January monthly outlook, which can be read in full here . 

In his debut, The MSO Project podcast series, DJ Mitchell, regional director for Joe Hudson's Collision Centers, discusses his thoughts on the Caliber Collision and ABRA Auto Body merger. Mitchell thinks the merger will take time to be fully completed but says that even for smaller regional MSOs, there are significant lessons to be learned from the merger. 

Bill Vallely, an I-CAR instructor and the president of BSR Inc., breaks down the key elements to consider when you implement an apprenticeship program for estimators at your shop.