The HD Repair Forum has announced its 2018-2019 Advisory Board.
This year’s Advisory Board members include:
- Ray Chatfield, Truck Collision Services, owner
- Howard Elsenpeter, Hoglund Body & Equipment, body shop manager
- Dean Hancock, Bob Johnson’s Truck & Body, owner
- Fred Honore, Gerber Collision Services, market manager Fleet & RV
- Monte Lewis, Monte’s Repair Shop, Inc., owner
- Wally Melia, SelecTransportation Resources, corporate body shop manager
- Mark Polzin, Budget Truck & Auto, president
- Ed Rietman, K&R Truck Sales, Inc., owner
- Rodney Rowland, Lakeside International Trucks, body shop manager
- Chris Sterwerf, Fairfield Auto & Truck Service, CFO/COO
- James Svaasand, Penske, vice president-Collision Repair Ops & Development
- Brian Vesley, Valtek Inc., president
- Gigi Walker, Walker’s Auto Body, owner
- Steve Wolfe, Diversified Body & Paint, president
The HD Repair Forum is the only program dedicated exclusively to the heavy-duty collision repair industry and is open to everyone involved in the repair of heavy-duty/commercial vehicles in class 5-8. This includes shop owners, shop managers, fleet managers, dealer repair shops, commercial vehicle manufacturers, insurance providers, and service, equipment and technology companies servicing this industry.
This year’s advisory board is set to deliver an event that serves as extremely valuable to the heavy-duty collision repair industry. Their experience in heavy-duty collision repair builds a conference agenda filled with relevant and timely content. The first advisory board meeting took place just over a week ago and set the preface for the second forum’s content. The topics up for discussion encompass the most relevant matters facing heavy-duty collision repairers today. Some of those topics include:
- Continued increase of OEM repair support
- Industry economics and trends
- Commercial vehicle technology advancements and repair impacts
- Standard operating procedures
- Operational best practices
The two-day event, which will be held April 2-3, 2019, brings together all segments of the heavy-duty commercial vehicle repair industry in one place for collaborative discussions, education, future preparation and high-level networking opportunities. The 2019 HD Repair Forum will take place in Fort Worth, Texas, at the Hilton Fort Worth.
“The inaugural HD Repair Forum of 2018 was an inspiration,” said Jennie Lenk, communications manager of the HD Repair Forum. “Attendees, speakers, industry influencers and sponsors alike were relieved to see the heavy-duty collision repair industry come together and begin to create a mold for higher standards in safe and efficient heavy-duty repairs. Progress for the heavy-duty collision industry is imperative. The automotive collision industry has been experiencing this development in communication and collaboration for more than a decade, and the results in higher repair standards and more efficient processes has been very promising. It is at meetings like the HD Repair Forum where this progress will gain momentum, relationships to make development possible get established, and communication to the industry gets distributed.”
