As part of its 25th anniversary, CAPA is recognizing all of its supporters for helping it achieve success (43 manufacturer participants, more than 13,350 part applications and 5.6 million CAPA Certified parts available just last year alone).
“While many elements have contributed to CAPA’s success, two of the most critical are the involvement of America’s leading collision repairers in developing the program and the significant financial contributions from insurers," said Jack Gillis, executive director of CAPA. "These two factors have enabled CAPA to develop a strong, legitimate, transparent and publicly available set of standards. While aftermarket parts have always been controversial with body shops, the nation’s collision repair leaders have stepped up and contributed their expertise to CAPA. Beginning with CAPA’s first collision repairer board member, Dick Cossette, and continuing today with leaders like Bob Anderson and Clark Plucinski, CAPA has made incorporating the expertise of those who use the parts the top priority in developing the standards.
“Our ability to follow the advice, suggestions and needs of the leading collision repairers has been a function of having the resources to do just that. CAPA would simply not have been possible without the enormous financial support of some of the nation’s leading insurers. That support, while necessary, has not been without controversy. When I began as executive director of CAPA, I asked for assurance from the founders to independently develop the strongest, most effective standards. While I may have been initially skeptical, time and again when additional funds were needed for new standards, expensive research, developing new test methods and sophisticated full-vehicle crash testing, CAPA’s insurance members were unwavering in their support of CAPA. Today, thanks to initial and long-standing funding, CAPA standards are strong, legitimate and represent the best way for consumers and the market to identify alternative crash parts that are truly comparable to car company brand parts. Now, we are happy to report that less than 18 percent of CAPA’s operating expenses come from insurers. Nevertheless, that support enables CAPA to maintain the strictest of standards."
CAPA says the byproduct of this collaboration is evidenced not only by the improvement in parts bearing the CAPA seal, but the increase in CAPA parts. CAPA saw a nearly 20 percent increase in part
availability in 2011.
“Remarkably, neither CAPA standards nor the use of CAPA
Certified parts is mandatory, so as a consumer advocate, CAPA’s
effectiveness in protecting consumers against overpriced and poor
quality parts is most gratifying,” said Gillis.
Following is a list of industry leaders who have contributed to CAPA. These are members and former members of CAPA’s Board and Technical Committee:
Tim Adelmann, ABRA, Inc.
August Alegi, GEICO
Bob Anderson, Anderson’s Automotive Services
Jack Billington, USAA
Frank Bradbury, Liberty Mutual
Bill Breslin, USAA
Bill Brower, Liberty Mutual
Wayne Brown, SAFECO
Ron Brown, State Farm
Alan Bush, USAA
Don Cameron, Allstate/Tech-Cor
John Cappabianca, Liberty Mutual
Bob Cheesman, State Farm
Jerry Chen, DEPO-Maxzone
David Chen, Jui Li
Ray Chen, PartsChannel, Inc.
Jeff Chen, TYG Products
Mike Chiu, Pro Fortune
Tim Clarke, SAFECO
Vince Claudio, SAFECO
Jim Cochran, Action Crash Parts
Gerry Colbert, State Farm
Dick Cossette, Lehman’s Garage
Jerry Dalton, Craftsman Autobody
Bill Daly, Allstate
Bill DeGrocco, GEICO
Clarence Ditlow, Center for Auto Safety
Bill Dornon, Action Crash Parts
Ed Eaton, Veng/Keystone
John Edelen, Allstate
Scott Edwards, Veng USA
Rod Enlow, RENLOW Auto Tech Consulting, Inc.
Warren Farrar, State Farm
Don Feeley, City Body & Frame
David Fish, Liberty Mutual
Wayne Fish, Southwest Plating
Sharyn Germ, Consultant
Jackie Gillan, Advocates for Auto Safety
Don Gorman, P-G Products
Robert Graham, Center for Auto Safety
Buck Haddock, Eagle Automotive
Scot Hansen, Collision Parts Network
Jerry Harn, Allstate
Carl Hartman, Keystone/LKQ
Don Hill, State Farm
Charlie Hogarty, Keystone/LKQ
Tom Holmes, Fit-Rite
Fred Hoyle, PBSI
Jack Hsieh, API
Steve Huang, TYG Products
Mel Hunke, High Impact Workshops
Pete Ingham, State Farm
Ben Kelley, Center for Auto Safety
Don Keenan, Keenan & Sons
Mike Kido, Center for Auto Safety
Michael Koren, Continental Auto Parts
Jerry Kottschade, Jerry’s Body Shop
Jackson Kwok, Genera/TYC
Joe Lacy, GEICO
Bill Leise, State Farm
Tom L’Hote, State Farm
Mac Liao, Ensure-Tech
Robert Lockwood, Harleysville
Bob Logan, USAA
Keith Manich, Sterling Auto Body
Kelly McCarty, Carty’s Collision Center
David McCreight, Collision Resources Inc.
Frank McGibony, Allstate
Bob Mecherle, State Farm
Gary Mellini, Allstate
Sean Milligan, Polywheels
Daniel Morrissey, PartsChannel, Inc.
Ron Nagy, Nagy’s Collision Center
Nick Notte, Allstate
Brian O’Connor, Liberty Mutual
John Palumbo, PartsChannel, Inc.
Tony Passwater, QASI
Clark Plucinski, The Boyd Group
Paul Ramsey, Travelers
Jim Reed, Consultant
Rich Rosenthal, Allstate/USAA
Ed Salamy, K.S.I. Trading Corp.
Nick Scheid, API
Mike Schoonover, Schoonover Bodyworks
Ed Schrenk, USAA
Jeanne Silver, Butterfield Bodyworks
Bill Smeal, Choice Bumper
Jim Smith, Action Crash Parts
Jeff Smith, Keystone/LKQ
Bob Smith, Storm Appraisal
Charlie Sollars, State Farm
Ben Steinman, Ben’s Auto Body
Phil Storm, AutoLign
Doug Theiss, Nationwide
Don Vestal, Eagle Automotive
Butch Viccellio, USAA
Chad Wadsworth, AutoLign
Carol Waldron, State Farm
Mike West, Southtowne Auto Rebuild
Maureen Willett, State Farm
Tom Willson, Liberty Mutual
Mark Woirol, Allstate/Tech-Cor
Kim Wood, Northstar/NECO
Joe Woodin, M-66 Auto
Israel Yzaguirre, USAA
Eldon Zigler, Nationwide
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