Legislative Lowdown
California – The Collision Repair Association of California’s (CRA) two sponsored bills, Senate Bills 1059 and 1167, were heard by the Senate Committee on Banking, Finance and Insurance on April 2, coinciding with CRA’s Legislative Day. The CRA says insurers successfully convinced the California Chamber of Commerce to oppose S.B. 1167, which mandates that once
Allstate Appoints New Manager of PRO Program
Allstate Insurance Company announced that Randy Hanson has been named claim service manager of the insurer’s Priority Repair Option (PRO) program. Hanson will be responsible for managing the PRO program, which includes approximately 4,500 vehicle repair facilities nationwide. Hanson replaces Sam Whiteman, who will serve as claims field director of Allstate’s Midwest Region. Allstate launched
Reader’s Choice – Raising Rates Without Losing Business
“How do you raise rates and tell insurance companies what they should be paying for without losing business?”
— John Thompson, estimator, West Herr Collision Center,
Hamburg, New York
Reader’s Choice – Corrosion Protection
“When repairing a vehicle, what is the best corrosion protection method to use?”
— Craig Chaffee, owner, Chaffee’s Autobody, Franklin, Mass.
Talking to Body Shops that Have Made Waterborne Conversion
A check in with body shops on their progress in transitioning to waterborne paint reveals no major problems…as long as paint manufacturers’ guidelines are strictly adhered to.
Practice Makes Perfect in PDR
A steady flow of paintless dent repair work is crucial to keeping a PDR specialist’s skills sharp, and can serve as justification for a select few shops having a specialist in-house. For most shops, however, outsourcing is the way to go.
Sterling Names President
Sterling Autobody announced that Allan Robinson has been named its president. Robinson previously served as claim field director for the Midwest Claim Service Area in Buffalo Grove, Ill., and brings more than 20 years’ experience of product knowledge and leadership to his new position. As president of Sterling Autobody Centers, Robinson is responsible for overseeing
CCC 2008 Crash Course Reports Increase in Paid Claim Frequency
CCC Information Services Inc.’s 2008 Crash Course, an annual report on the many factors affecting collision repair and total loss costs, reports an increase in paid claim frequency last year, the first such increase in nearly a decade. The report also looks at how the increase in specialty substrate materials and the proliferation of electronics
Advice from up North
When the press release hit my e-mail, I could hardly believe my eyes. The headline read, “Allstate Insurance Drops Parts Discount Demand; Paint Reimbursement Up.” Huh? What? Was I dreaming? Then I read further on: “The Year 2008 has just barely started when Allstate Insurance forwarded a note to its PRO preferred shops in southern
Coaching the Shop Team
The manager of an Indianapolis collision repair facility benefits from a positive outlook and a customized management system.