Despite I-CAR’s recent highly-publicized financial struggles (click here), board of directors chairman John Edelen conveyed a positive outlook for the training organization at the recent Collision Industry Conference held in Philadelphia.

“I-CAR has identified what needs to be improved, and it is listening to the needs of the inter-industry,” Edelen told a rapt crowd at the Crowne Plaza hotel.

Edelen said that re-organization was imperative for I-CAR to be successful, and to that end, it has consolidated roles and activities as well as reduced staffing. Also, to connect more closely with the industry, it’s creating six specialized market segment teams to identify and act on the industry’s training needs.

“We are restructuring our business model to deliver value to customers by interacting more closely with the industry,” he said.

Edelen cited I-CAR’s $1 million loss in fiscal 2007 as an indicator of its troubles and stated matter-of-factly that its revenue growth has been outpaced by its operating expenses.

“We need to stop the deterioration of our cash position and become profitable again,” he said.

On a final note, Edelen encouraged everyone involved in the collision repair industry to attend the I-CAR International Meeting July 24-26 in Scottsdale, Ariz., (read more here) and offer insight into what I-CAR can do to better serve them. He also encouraged repairers to check out I-CAR’s new structural steel courses which will help them better understand the industry’s increasingly complicated technology.

For more information on I-CAR training, visit www.i-car.com.