The Collision Vision

Welcome back to The Collision Vision Roundtable. I'm Cole Strandberg. Coming off my conversation with Israel Garcia of Merced Auto Body, we wanted to continue exploring a topic that affects every collision repair business, regardless of size, location, or business model: quality and consistency in the refinish department. Joining me today are regular panelists Sheryl Driggers and Erin Solis, along...

Welcome back to The Collision Vision, driven by Autobody News. I'm your host, Cole Strandberg.   In collision repair, we spend a lot of time talking about technology, ADAS, consolidation, and the future of the industry. But at the end of the day, success still comes down to something much more fundamental: doing great work consistently.   Today's guest is Israel Garcia of Merced Auto Body, a shop...

Welcome to another episode of The Collision Vision, driven by Autobody News!   I'm Cole Strandberg, and today I'm joined by David Black, chief operating officer of Body by Cochran and an industry veteran who has worked nearly every side of this business: independent owner, consolidator leadership, and now a dealer-owned MSO. We trace Dave's road from a "grunt kid" in his dad's West Virginia shop t...

Welcome back to The Collision Vision Roundtable. I'm Cole Strandberg. Coming off my conversation with Dan Stander, we wanted to continue exploring a topic that's becoming increasingly critical in collision repair: alignment. Specifically, how alignment now touches everything from repair planning and suspension geometry to ADAS performance, liability, and customer safety. Joining me today is regula...

Welcome back to The Collision Vision, driven by Autobody News. I'm your host, Cole Strandberg.   Today we're diving into a topic that, in many ways, sits at the center of modern collision repair, but still doesn't always get the attention it deserves: alignment.   As vehicles become more technologically advanced, proper alignment is no longer just a final step before delivery. It's tied directly t...

Coming off my conversation with Mike Ambrosino of ADAS Diagnostic Solutions, we wanted to continue digging into one of the most important operational shifts happening in collision repair today: the move from ADAS as a sublet task to ADAS as a core repair capability.   Joining me today is regular panelist Sheryl Driggers, and special guest Stewart Peregrine from Autel, one of the companies helping...

Welcome back to The Collision Vision Roundtable. I'm Cole Strandberg.   Coming off my conversation with Mike Schoonover, we wanted to go deeper on one of the biggest themes from that episode: partnerships . Not just vendors, not just suppliers, but the idea that the best operators are leveraging their partners as a real extension of their business.   Joining me today are our regular panelist, Erin...

Welcome back to The Collision Vision, driven by Autobody News. I'm your host, Cole Strandberg. Today's episode is about something every operator wants but very few truly achieve — building a business that lasts, not just for a few years but across generations.   I'm joined by Mike Schoonover of Schoonover Bodyworks, a third-generation business that's been serving its community for over 85 years. W...

Welcome back to The Collision Vision, driven by Autobody News. I'm your host, Cole Strandberg. Today we're diving into a topic that's moving quickly from "emerging" to mission-critical for collision repair operators: EV fire safety. As electric vehicles continue to scale across the country, they're bringing with them a very different risk profile. Lithium-ion batteries, especially when damaged in...

Welcome back to The Collision Vision, driven by Autobody News. I'm your host, Cole Strandberg.   Today's episode is a case study, and one that hits right at the center of where collision repair is heading. We're talking ADAS… not as an add-on, not as a sublet, but as a core part of the repair process. Joining me is Mike Ambrosino of ADAS Diagnostic Solutions, an organization closely tied to the Fu...

Welcome to The Collision Vision, driven by Autobody News. I'm your host, Cole Strandberg.   Today we're talking about a piece of the collision ecosystem that impacts safety, cycle time, customer experience, and revenue — glass repair and training — with a guest who's become one of the brightest leaders in that space. Joining us is Shauna Davis, President and Founder of Kaizen Glass Solutions. Shau...

Welcome back to The Collision Vision Roundtable. I'm Cole Strandberg, and as part of our new format, we're unpacking the key themes from my recent conversation with Sebastian Torres of CARSTAR Torcam Group. Sebastian shared how rethinking intake, by leveraging mobile inspection and capture estimating, allowed his team to deliver estimates before customers leave, increase efficiency, and lay the fo...

Welcome back to The Collision Vision, driven by Autobody News. I'm your host, Cole Strandberg. Today I'm joined by Sebastian Torres, a sharp family-business operator leading CARSTAR Torcam Group in Canada. When Sebastian took the reins, he challenged legacy habits and leaned into tech—adding Solera's photo-capture estimating and mobile inspection so customers can leave with an estimate in hand. Th...

Welcome to our new follow-up roundtable on The Collision Vision . I'm Cole Strandberg, joined by our permanent panelists,  Erin Solis  and  Sheryl Driggers , and today, our recent guest John Melendez  is back with us.    We're unpacking John's decision to add  ASE mechanical  inside a collision-first shop — what it did for sublet, cycle time, pricing power, and customer experience — and how indepe...

Happy New Year, and welcome back to The Collision Vision, driven by Autobody News! We're kicking off 2026 with a new look and a slightly new format— and most importantly, the same great, actionable content you've come to expect from the best operators and minds in the industry… right here on the Collision Vision… To start the year strong, we're bringing back a friend of the show: John Melendez, ow...

For the final episode of the year, we wanted to revisit one of our favorite conversations with Mike Anderson. During this discussion, we covered why shops should consider OEM certifications, how to choose the right ones, the steps to get certified, and how to maximize the value of those credentials. If you're looking to strengthen your shop's credibility, improve repair quality, and position yours...

Today Cole talks with a colleague at FOCUS Investment Banking, Rob Adams. Rob helps founders fund expansion so during today's conversion the guys address private debt and capital raising as a deliberate growth strategy. Over the last few years we've watched more growth-oriented operators partner with private equity—thinking of it less as a sale and more as a strategic alliance. The question for 20...

Today we're tackling one of the biggest moments in any owner's career: a liquidity event. Our guest is Brian Odelli, a private wealth advisor who specializes in helping entrepreneurs prepare for—and thrive after—a sale. We'll break down the emotional side of deciding when to sell, how to know if you're financially ready, and how to assemble the right deal team. Then we'll get tactical: pre-sale pl...

Today I'm joined by my FOCUS Investment Banking partner, Giorgio Andonian, Managing Director and a go-to advisor for owners navigating growth and liquidity. We're talking what's real in M&A right now, how private equity is showing up as a growth partner, a quick preview of private debt as a tool we'll cover in depth soon, and a few fresh takeaways from SEMA—plus the trends and questions we're hear...

Today, we've got a standout guest who brings a fresh lens to growth and strategy in the auto space: Aaron Zucker, Founder and CEO of Zucker Investment Group (ZIG). ZIG operates at the intersection of real estate development and growth equity—helping operators scale by leveraging strategic site‑selection, creative financing, and aligned capital. In this conversation, we'll dig into how real estate...

Today we're recording a special "post‑SEMA" edition: two independent shop owners who attended the show, digested the trends, and are ready to act. Joining us for this episode: John Melendez, owner of JDM Collision in Illinois, and Adan Ibarra, owner of Leading Edge Collision in Houston. They're going to give us their fresh take on what they saw at SEMA, how they're thinking about applying it, and...

Today, we're continuing our SEMA series—and we're joined by someone who's not only scaled his business, but done so by making smart partnerships, staying true to quality, and embracing growth with purpose. Please welcome Paul Williams, CEO of Brightpoint Auto Body. Since his last time on the show, Brightpoint has expanded its footprint, refined its strategy, and positioned itself for what's next i...

Today, we have a special episode featuring someone who sits at the helm of one of the most iconic names in the automotive world — Mike Spagnola, CEO of SEMA. SEMA is more than just a trade show — it's a global leader of- an influence for- automotive innovation, culture, and connection. Mike oversees it all: from lobbying the federal government on the automotive industry's behalf to strategic indus...

Today, we have a special panel-style discussion in our DRP series with two perspectives in the same room. Shawn Crozat, CEO of G&C Auto Body, a large California-based MSO whose company is built around great DRP relationships and high performance and Dan Tessadri, senior claims operations leader on the insurer side in auto physical damage with CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA Insurer. We'll discuss what...

Today, we are joined by someone who's seen the collision repair space from multiple angles: operations, insurance, and now investing. Chris Calk is the former Director of Operations at GEICO, where he had a front-row seat to one of the nation's largest DRP programs. Today, he's an active investor and advisor in the industry, helping collision operators grow their businesses and align with the ever...