CollisionCast

Controversial auto industry consultant Denny Hecker sat down with FenderBender to discuss what he views as the long-term viability of the collision repair industry. Hecker, one of the original franchisees of ABRA in Minnesota, says that, these days, shop operators need to know their market better than ever. 

Not long ago, two bills in Rhode Island, Senate Bill 2679 and House Bill 8013, were passed into law. They sought to expand restrictions currently in place on aftermarket parts in first-party claims to any collision damaged vehicle. This resparked a long-running debate between OEM vs. aftermarket parts. Bill Hanvey, president and CEO of the Auto Care Association, says the law unfairly requires cons...

From hiring the right manager to keeping tabs on their performance, there's a lot that goes into finding your right hand man. Here's everything to consider. Here are some tips from Steve Morrow, owner of Capitol Collision Center, on how to find the perfect manager.

Conner Brothers Body Shop has become a beloved, embraced body shop in the Chester, Va., community. Owner Kevin Conner details how he grew that operation and how he built himself back up after his father sold three of the family's four body shops.

Jenna Gross, chief marketing officer for Moving Targets, shares some insights into how to form a game plan for your target audience via social media and online advertisements.

As the general manager of five Cole's Collision Centers, Josh Jewett has a ton of experience mentoring managers in training. In this episode, he details his keys for grooming managers for success, the difficulties one can often run into when coaching managers, and how to empower managers who feel unsure of themselves.

Barry Snyder of Axalta Coating Systems discusses how a paint job in your body shop can affect the LiDAR technology that’s crucial to how autonomous vehicles function.

When J.R. Hubbard moved Selecta Auto Body into a new 10,000-square-foot building a few years ago in downtown San Francisco, he did so after thorough research and planning. Here's how Hubbard readied his processes, employees and customer base for his business's big change.

For this month's edition of CollisionCast's How I Did It series, FenderBender spoke with Rocky Champion, who runs the $2 million Barrett Collision Center in Abilene, Texas. Champion details how he took his father's DRP-heavy shop to a OEM-certification-focused shop, how he ensures an ROI on OEM training, and why he ultimately decided to become part of the CARSTAR model.

As millennials slowly overtake the workforce from baby boomers, shop owners will likely need to shift their management styles to accommodate the succeeding generation. Zac and Matt Ciaschini, owners of the $1.9 million Full Tilt Auto Body in Easthampton, Mass., manage a staff largely comprised of millennials, and are in a unique position to offer some advice. From leadership style to in-shop techn...

Representatives from Garmat and Filter Works USA sit down for the latest episode of CollisionCast to discuss how to properly maintain a paint booth to increase its longevity and improve your shop's bottom line.

The California Autobody Association opposes Assembly Bill 2276—a labor rate survey bill—in its current amended form, as it throws out the previous bill's provisions that could have insurers using large areas to define a market and reusing old labor rates. Don Feeley, interim executive director for the association, spoke with FenderBender to explain the ins and outs of the bill, how the trend could...

FenderBender begins its How I Did It series, which features stories from the industry’s brightest leaders, and how they built the businesses we’ve come to admire. The inaugural episode kicks off with Tiffany Menefee, who took over Pronto Body Shop in El Paso, Texas, three years ago and rose annual revenue from around $250,000 to $1 million with a focus on insurance relationships and customer appre...

Several years ago, gas catalytic drying technology was introduced. The equipment is designed to dramatically reduce paint drying time by drying vehicles within minutes instead of hours. Now, Tim Beal, owner of Beal's Auto Body & Paint, has developed his own technology, called the Phoenix. He spoke with FenderBender about why he entered into the robotic paint drying arena and how his technology wor...

Is a franchise right for you? That's the question Jerald Stiele, owner of Hopkins Auto Body 1, had to ask himself before joining the 1Collision Network. And now that he's settled into his new model, he's ready to talk about the process of joining a franchise and in what ways it changed his business model.

Sheryl Driggers has been in the collision repair business for a long time, and she's come to understand that it's not enough to be a leader in your shop—you have train your employees to be better at what they do individually. And that means being a coach to your employees and providing an environment where everyone is constantly learning and improving.  In this episode, Driggers discusses how she'...

For this episode of CollisionCast, shop owner Carl Garcia will be discussing how to create space for training in your shop, and how to build a culture of training amongst your employees.

In its 2015 Q3 Industry Trends Report, Mitchell published the top 10 parts involved in collisions, and 68 percent was represented by bumper covers. However, 72 percent of bumper covers are being replaced as opposed to being repaired. The repair vs. replace issue carries into 2018. At the 2017 FenderBender Management Conference, Kurt Lammon and Mike Anderson spoke about repairing vs. replacing plas...

For this Disrupt edition of CollisionCast, Jeff and Rick Feasel, owner and general manager of Feasel's Frame and Collision Inc., are going to be discussing something that every shop owner strives to do—but, as I’m sure any of them would acknowledge, can sometimes be very difficult: keeping your staff happy and motivated. From payment to incentives to team outings to everyday interactions, here's a...

Sean O'Malley, senior test coordinator for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, discusses the importance of calibrating ADAS in vehicles—particularly front-facing cameras. Failure to calibrate windshield-mounted cameras could lead to issues with lane-departure and autobraking.

Phil O’Connor, owner of five POC Collision Centers in Maine, says shops can take measures to collect the money that is owed to them. In order to reduce accounts receivables, focus needs to be placed on the paperwork process that occurs in the front office. O’Connor shares his system for collecting on money owed to his business.

Kevin Rains speaks with FenderBender to expand on one of his recent columns, “Hungry and Humble,” and discusses just how shop owners can set seemingly unattainable goals for their shops, yet remain grounded at the same time. This holistic approach not only pushes you to new heights as a leader, but inspires your team to follow in your footsteps.

Craig Van Batenburg, founder and CEO of the Automotive Career Development Center, has been coaching shops on how to prepare for the wave of hybrids and electric vehicles hitting the U.S. market. In this episode, Van Batenburg covers the training, knowledge and safety items needed to properly repair hybrids and electric vehicles in collision repair shops.

Kevin Taylor is a millennial shop owner who, since the day he opened his shop doors, has had a vision for his shop's brand. Funny enough, Taylor owns a Maaco shop, which inherently brings a certain "brand" along with it. So how did Taylor differentiate his shop? And, more importantly, how does he get his team to buy into his vision? He sat down with FenderBender to discuss just that.

In the first edition of FenderBender's Vision podcast, columnist Kevin Rains discusses how he found his core business and leadership philosophies—and what any shop operator can do to instill a positive culture in his or her business.