The Repair Standards Advisory Committee, formed by the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) to address the desire for standards in the U.S. collision repair industry, announced that it has selected Condon Consulting, LLC to assist the group in the preparation of a business case statement for the new organization.

The cost of the business case development, including initial organizational costs, is projected to be $60,000, and the group is seeking the support of industry sponsors to fund the project.
 
The goal of the committee is to present the business case to the industry detailing the consensus of repairers, insurers and other stakeholders during a special meeting prior to the November CIC meeting in Las Vegas at the SEMA Show.
 
"The business case will be used by the organization to define the demand for repair standards based upon interviews and research with collision repairers, insurers, equipment manufacturers, paint system manufacturers, vehicle manufacturers and others," said Russell Thrall III, chair of the Repair Standards Advisory Committee. "The group has already received commitments for $15,000 of the $60,000 needed to complete the business case this year."
 
As of May 24, sponsorship commitments totaling approximately $15,000 have been received from:

• 911 Collision Centers
• AkzoNobel
• Anaheim Hills Auto Body
• Anderson Behel Body Shop
• BASF
• Chilton Auto Body
• Collision Plus Auto Body Repair Centers
• CollisionWeek
• DDPartners, Inc.
• DuPont
• Greg’s Collision Centers
• Oakland Auto Body
• Symphony Advisors
 
In a letter to potential sponsors of the effort, Dale Delmege, Fundraising/Marketing Subcommittee chair, said, "In our view, this is the single most urgent step in the modern history of our industry. It’s not a question of whether there will be collision repair standards; they’re virtually inevitable. The question is whether they’ll be written and imposed externally, or will be a rational creature of our industry’s own knowledge and expertise."
 
Delmege explained that the group "… is seeking to secure funding from repairers, insurers, suppliers and OEMs, all segments well-represented in the hard work of the Repair Standards Committee over the last year."
 
"Many individuals, businesses and groups have expressed support for the formation of the institute and the benefits of collision repair standards for both the industry and the consumer," said Thrall. "We would like to thank the businesses that have sponsored the effort to date and look forward to additional support."
 
Sponsorship checks should be made payable to: Quandec Corporation – CIC Repair Standards Fund, P.O. Box 538, Tannersville, PA 18372. For more information, contact Dale Delmege ([email protected]), Vice-Chair Joe Skurka
([email protected]), Russell Thrall III ([email protected]) or CIC Chairman
Mike Quinn ([email protected]).