The Collision Industry Electronic Commerce Association (CIECA) has announced the speakers for its annual CONNEX 2023 Conference Sept. 12-13, 2023 in Bloomington, Ill. This year’s theme is “Connected Car, Connected Industry”, and the event will be emceed by industry veteran Bill Garoutte.
The speakers will include:
- Frank Phillips, Rivian — EVs & Rivian Tour
- Jake Rodenroth, Lucid Motors — Augmented/Virtual Reality
- Sean Carey, SCG Management Consultants, Marty Ellingsworth, J.D. Power and Tanya Sweetland, OEConnection — Industry Updates
- Cornelius Young, Cambridge Mobile Telematics and Michael Neuber/Chad Witt, State Farm — Telematics
- Damon Aldrich, Enterprise Holdings and Brandon Branham, Peachtree Corners/Curiosity Lab — Connected Vehicles/Smart Cities
- Jeff Peevy, I-CAR — Learning Technologies and Redefining Skill Sets
- Bill Brower, Solera, Craig Edmonds, Allstate, Brianne Jones, State Farm and Scott Kohl, Kemper Insurance — Digital Claims Insurance Panel
- Brandon Laur, CCi Global Technologies, Amy Beard, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Insurance, Sumit Chauhan, CerebrumX and Pete Tagliapietra, DataTouch — Information Privacy and Security Panel
- Mark Allen, Audi, Chuck Olsen, AirPro Diagnostics and Frank Terlep, Opus IVS — OEM Repair Procedures Panel
- Paul Barry, CIECA, Jeff Schroder, Car-Part.com and Pete Sheehan, Mountaineer Business Technology — CAPIS Technical Updates
In addition to this lineup of speakers, there will be networking opportunities, a vehicle gifting ceremony by the National Auto Body Council as part of its Recycled Rides program, CIECA’s open annual meeting and a tour of Rivian’s manufacturing facility.
“As vehicle technology increases, there is a growing interconnection between vehicles, the cities and streets they drive on, first responders, manufacturers, repairers, insurers and every other segment of the automotive ecosystem,” said Paul Barry, executive director of CIECA. “As an industry, we need to be prepared to repair and service vehicles that are quickly becoming nodes on a complex network. It is imperative that we understand what changes are coming and how they will affect the industry and CIECA Standards in the future.”
Added Rivian Certified Collision Network Senior Manager Frank Phillips, “Rivian is excited to invite the CONNEX attendees to our manufacturing facility for an exclusive tour of the plant. The Rivian collision team is extremely proud to be a partner with the Rivian team in Normal, Ill., to bring this to the attendees this year.”
As a CIECA member, Phillips said the Rivian Certified Collision Network (RCCN) recognizes the value of the CIECA organization, and welcomes attending members to enjoy the tour.
“We believe what we are doing in the area of OEM collision programs is certainly an industry disruption, and we are proud to continue our effort in establishing an industry-leading RCCN,” Phillips said.
“CIECA CONNEX is your opportunity to network with industry stakeholders and expand your knowledge of the issues impacting our industry,” said Greg Best, chairman of CIECA and senior business analyst of California Casualty. “There will be informative presentations and panel discussions about emerging technologies, and you will also gain insight into how CIECA is positioning itself to keep us all connected in our ever-evolving marketplace — now and into the future.”
This year’s gold sponsors include: CarPartPro.com, IAA, Spanesi and OEConnection. Silver sponsors include: Automotive Recyclers Association; Axalta; Caliber Collision; Comsearch; Enterprise Holdings; LKQ Corp.; Mitchell, an Enlyte company; Nexysis; and United Recyclers Group (URG).
All industry stakeholders, including CIECA members and non-members, are invited to attend.
Conference attendees are eligible to receive credit toward a professional designation from the Automotive Management Institute (AMi).
For more information about CIECA CONNEX, click here.
