Making Beautiful Moose Together
Move over Bullwinkle, the most famous moose in the Land of 10,000 Lakes sits proudly in front of Quality Paint & Auto Body, and it’s the creation of shop owner Don Lindgren, a.k.a. the “Moose Man.” Unfortunately, we can’t call him that. “I tried to use ‘The Moose Man’ as a logo, but the title
Is It Possible to Run a Body Shop Without Lying, Cheating and Stealing?
Point CounterPoint
Sexual Harassment 101
When one of my employees sued my shop manager for sexual harassment — along with me for not putting a stop to it — I was sure I’d done nothing wrong. Little did I know that my almost nonexistent company policy on harassment was about to be put to the test — and fail miserably.
An Incident at the Courthouse
Eighteen years ago, this stay-at-home mom got an auto body shop in her divorce settlement. Today, the story seems funny. Back then, not so much.
Working with Boron Steel
Ultra high-strength steel alloyed with boron is lightweight and hard – really hard! But there are some tradeoffs to its strength and weight savings that repairers need to be aware of.
9 Steps to Protect Your Shop from DV Claims
Post-repair inspectors, on average, see proper repairs one time out of every 100 inspections. Sloppy repairs are on the rise – and due to insurers forcing shops to carry liability insurance policies often exceeding $1 million, so are attorneys looking to hold shops accountable.
DRPs, Here We Come?
DRPs are expensive. And once financially dependent on DRP volume, you’re no longer in complete control of your business. That’s why we ask ourselves two key questions before making any DRP purchases. Part 4 of a year-long series.
Profiting from Customer-Pay Repairs
Afraid to make an insurance claim, many consumers are paying out-of-pocket. This trend not only presents some challenges for collision repairers, but also some opportunities.
Charge for Paint and Materials
Our suppliers don’t hesitate to raise prices or add “fuel surcharges” to compensate for increasing expenses. It’s time we shop owners do the same. Insurance companies pay $22 to $25 per hour for paint and materials in our area, and these rates have been basically the same for the past seven years. We all know
I Lost My DRP!
State Farm’s recent announcement that they’re testing a new direct-repair program and that they’ll be reducing the number of shops that participate has left repairers scratching their heads and pondering the same question: Is there life after Service First?