The Collision Vision

Today's episode will be a little bit different… while Cole Strandberg is normally your host, today, he'll be your guest, interviewed by Jay Goninen of Wrench Way. As a guest, Cole does a little bit more talking than normal, as he and Jay discuss many relevant collision topics, including the importance of team building, updates on consolidation and M&A, family business, and much more. Jay Goninen i...

I'm fortunate to have two guests with us today, both focused on something very cool very important in the world of Electric vehicles…. SAFETY! My guests today are Dirk Fuchs, former Director of Technical Programs and Services for I-CAR and now CEO and Founder of Electric Mobility Consulting, an organization that consults on some pretty hot topics in today's collision repair environment, including...

Today's guest is Frank Terlep, a well-known and highly successful entrepreneur within the collision repair space, and currently Vice President of ADAS Solutions for Opus IVS. Frank is truly a visionary in the space, and today we'll talk a lot about the opportunities ADAS brings to the collision industry, some exciting emerging technologies, the future of collision repair, and more. Enjoy the show!...

Today's episode is very exciting! We're taking a step away from the business side of the collision repair, and instead have a bit of NASCAR-style fun. Today's guest is Scott Brewer, Car Chief for NASCAR driver Corey LaJoie. Scott and host Cole Strandberg talk about his background and how he got into the exciting world of racing, what the role of a car chief is, and some great conversations surroun...

Today's guest is Ryan Clark, Vice President of Eustis Body Shop, as six-store MSO out of Nebraska. Ryan and host Cole Strandberg have a lot to talk about, including how Eustis has grown to where it is today, the dynamics of a family business, Ryan's… non-traditional… background that led him here today, and much more. Enjoy the show!

You've probably heard about "Right to Repair" in industry news of late, and you may or may not have dug into this battle waging in the background of the collision repair industry. Today, we'll speak with two of the foremost experts on the topic to update us where we are today and how the conversations surrounding "right to repair" will continue to shape our industry. Aaron Shulenburg is the Execut...

Paul Knowlton is the National Program Manager for Huntington National Bank, where he focuses on business financing - specifically funding for capital equipment- for companies in the collision repair industry, just like yours. Host Cole Strandberg has known Paul from the lense equipment leasing world for many years, and today, they talk about that, along with other business financing needs and how...

Today's guest is Chase Landers who, along with his family, owns and operates Landers Towing and Collision, a three-store—and growing—MSO out of Illinois. Chase's stores are massive, and their team aims to be "the future of collision repair." On today's show, we'll talk about where Landers is today, and where it's going, as well as the value of peer groups, and a whole lot more. Enjoy the show!

Our guest today is Deanna Acker, Founder and President of Motocruit. Motocruit is a recruiting firm specifically for the automotive and collision industries nationwide. Today, Deanna and host Cole Strandberg talk about the industry-wide talent shortage and how to best go about fixing that on a micro level for your business. Included in their conversation are some tips and tricks for hiring the peo...

Our guest today was the first Tesla-certified body shop in the country, and maintains- across his 19 stores- a significant focus on the world of EVs, possessing certifications for Tesla, Rivian, Lucid, VINFast, and more. Mike Chilton is the owner of Chilton Auto Body, based out of Northern California, and he also happens to be one of the largest CARSTAR franchisees in the country. On today's show,...

Something we talk about all the time on the collision vision is the desire for growth in your business. Today's guest specializes in helping collision centers grow… in a number of ways. Venessa Di Vito is the Founder of Auto+ Performance, a full service automotive solutions company specializing in generating growth and results in sales, profits, traffic, and customer retention for Automotive Busin...

Our guests today are Thomas Ince and Logan Lowery, Managing Directors of LP First Capital, a private equity firm out of Austin, TX focused on founder-led and family-owned businesses. A big part of our discussion today will be about their new collision repair platform investment, OpenRoad, who currently owns and operates 13 collision repair centers across multiple states in the southwest. Additiona...

Our guest today comes from a background on Wall Street and now advises both companies and individuals on career strategy, culture building, and executive and leadership coaching. Jaclyn Beck is the Founder and Principal of Jaclyn Beck Consulting, and she works with senior executives, rising leaders, teams, and businesses that want to resolve challenges and meet their full potential. On this episod...

Patrick Crozat is the COO at G&C Auto Body out of beautiful Northern California. Patrick and his family have grown G&C into an absolute monster of a regional MSO via, what Patrick describes as, an "all gas, no brakes" mentality. Considering the G&C team has added over 15 locations since Covid, I think that's fair to say. On today's episode, Patrick and host Cole Strandberg will talk about their gr...

Mike Anderson returns to the Collision Vision, becoming our very first repeat guest. Mike is the biggest name in the collision industry, the Owner of Collision Advice, and really needs no further introduction. On this episode we dive into Mike's recent article featured in Autobody News titled "Calculating the ROI in 'Growing' Your Own New Body Techs." From there, we'll have Mike answer some of his...

Few institutions are so interwoven with today's collision repair industry as I-CAR, and on today's episode, we are lucky to have the leader of I-CAR himself. John Van Alstyne is the President and CEO of I-CAR, a role he has held since 2010. Obviously, a lot of major events affecting the collision industry have happened since then, and on this episode, John and host Cole Strandberg will dive into t...

With over 25 years of M&A experience, and over 100 completed transactions, Nancy Rolland is a leader within the collision repair M&A world. She is a Managing Director and the automotive aftermarket team lead with FOCUS Investment Banking. Effectively, as it relates to the collision repair industry, it is Nancy's job to sell body shops on behalf of the owners, to acquirers like MSOs and private equ...

DJ Mitchell is the President and CEO of a growing regional MSO out of Florida, and a serial entrepreneur within the collision repair space. DJ has been involved in the scaling of three rapidly growing MSOs, including Car Guys Collision Repair, Mitchco Collision Repair, and now, Mitchell Collision. On this episode, DJ and host Cole Strandberg talk about those experiences, working within a family bu...

Electric vehicles (EVs) play a major role in the future of collision repair, and they represent a massive opportunity for collision repair owners. For those who are interested in EVs and their role in the future of collision, we have a very exciting guest for you on today's show. Jake Rodenroth is the North American Body Repair Program Operations Manager for Lucid Motors. Jake has an awesome backg...

On this show, we discuss Joe's background and how it led him to the collision industry, search funds and how the "silver tsunami" will impact the collision industry, his plans for growth, and some unique perspectives on collision operation from an "outsider's" perspective.   We thank  US Autocure  for sponsoring this episode. Have you considered infrared curing? US Autocure designs the world's mos...

Todd McGowan is the owner of Relentless Collision, a 3-store (soon to be more) MSO out of Raleigh, NC. Todd is a serial entrepreneur in the collision repair industry, having built a collision business before, selling Haddock Collision- a 5-store MSO- to a major consolidator in 2014. On this episode, Todd and Cole talk about Todd's experience scaling and selling in round one, what he's doing differ...

John Greer is the co-founder and CEO of Exponential Impact Group, an exit planning education company focused on preparing business owners across a variety of industries plan for an eventual exit from their business. Additionally, John is the co-author of "The Exit Plan," which we dive into in the show. In this episode, John and I will discuss the power of planning ahead, life after your business e...

"Today's guest is a jack of many trades, but one thing is for sure… he knows marketing, and he knows marketing for body shops. Mike Duncan is Director of Marketing for Industrial Finishes, an adjunct professor of marketing for two Oregon universities, and a radio show host and instructor of broadcasting. On this episode, Mike and Cole talk all things marketing for independent body shops, including...