Mitchell International, Inc., announced the conclusion of its Industry Week Conference, held Aug. 3-7 at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego. Collision repairers, insurers and industry partners attended the event to learn new tools and techniques, strategies and best practices.
Guest speakers inside and outside of the industry helped collision repairers learn about the tools and tactics they can leverage to gain a competitive edge.
Claims professionals participated in roundtable discussions on events impacting the claims industry.
The Industry Parts Panel, for example, moderated by Mitchell Vice President of Industry Relations Greg Horn included panelists such as Insurance Auto Auctions Senior Vice President Don Hermanek, American Honda Parts Marketing/Collision Group Assistant Manager Gary Ledoux, APU Solutions CEO Charles Lukens, Car-Part.com President Jeff Schroder, and LKQ Corporation’s Vice President of Operations Rob Wagman, who discussed the current challenges of the collision parts supply and offered insight into how to overcome these obstacles.
All Industry Week attendees participated in joint sessions to hear from keynote speakers, to network and to share best practices and management techniques.
"Recent developments in the auto industry have caused some angst among collision repairers relative to parts availability,” said Ledoux. “As a panel member for Mitchell’s Industry Week, I was able to give attendees the straight scoop on OE parts availability. Parts suppliers from other sectors of the industry were able to do the same.”
Mitchell’s Industry Week Conference also included the annual meeting of the Mitchell Editorial Advisory Board, which represents both large and small repair shops, insurers and industry organizations, all of whom work to improve the business performance and experience of all participants in the collision repair process.
Featured presentations included:
• Crash Statistics and Technology Advances That Are Changing the Industry – Industry Expert Perspective, by Kim Hazelbaker, Sr. Vice President, Highway Loss Data Institute;
• Are You Relevant? Best Practices to Thrive in any Economy, by Ross Shafer, Keynote Speaker, multiple Emmy Award-Winning television host, author and motivational speaker on the subjects of Business Relevance, Fresh Practices, Customer Empathy and Sustaining Growth; and
• Industry Trends: What they Mean for You, by Greg Horn, Mitchell’s Vice President of Industry Relations.
For more information, visit www.mitchell.com.
