Scanning, DRPs and employee management were among the topics discussed at the annual Top 20 Meeting for Management Success collision repair shops.

The event took place May 18-21 at A&J Collision Repair, an 18,000-square-foot body shop located 30 miles north of Little Rock, Ark.

Collision shop owners and their spouses, along with parts vendors and Management Success staff members, addressed hot topics, shared best practices and learned new tools to help increase efficiency.

On Thursday, the event kicked off with a visit to an O’Reilly distribution center. Management Success shop owners studied organization flows and SOPs on employee management.

On Friday, prior to attending a seminar on leadership and communication, the collision team toured a Snap-on Tools facility, where they observed research projects and learned about newly introduced equipment in auto body repair.

After returning to A&J Collision Repair on Saturday morning, Management Success consultant Wenceslao Severi presented an interactive workshop on “Mapping Success.”

The meeting concluded the following day, and all attendees left with a clear understanding of both their short-term and long-term goals and developed an action plan for immediate implementation, according to Management Success.

“With a total attendance of more than 30 people and 15 shops, collectively totaling a gross profit of $25 million in 2016, the Management Success Top 20 Collision Meeting was a huge success,” the consulting firm said in a news release.

The group will meet again at the Management Success Fall Convention, which takes places Sept. 22-24 in Pomona, Calif.

Management Success Top 20 Groups are committees of shop owners in mechanical, collision and heavy duty truck repair. Membership is by nomination only, and the groups are comprised of shop owners who have been recognized by their peers for exemplary management skills.