The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) announced the addition of its newest Affiliate Association member, the Northern Michigan Body Shop Association (NMBSA).
Founded in 2008, the NMBSA’s primary focus is collision repairers located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the northern tip of the state’s Lower Peninsula, although as it has grown, its reach has begun to extend into other areas in the state. In its relatively short existence, the association has carved out a reputation for making vital information and training available to its membership, providing a steady stream of speakers and programs to round out the business perspectives of shop owners and managers.
"When we first formed, a lot of shops in our area felt they were losing control over their businesses due primarily to insurance influence," said Sue Allor, a founding member of NMBSA who now serves as the association’s secretary. "I felt strongly, as did many others, that we had to educate ourselves to succeed in the face of our challenges – to find out what tools and processes would help us operate better; to hear what our peers had gone through and how they had met and overcome difficulties; and most importantly, to become aware of our rights and protections under the law and understand that the customer is the vehicle owner, not the insurer."
In their quest to arm members with this kind of information, the association discovered the SCRS website and began to explore what the society had to offer.
"The first thing that impressed us was the letters they had written to the paint manufacturers to clarify final sand and polish procedures," Allor added. "Defining these procedures had been a constant source of friction between shops and insurers, and the fact that SCRS got responses from the manufacturers documenting what body shops needed to achieve a high quality finish was impressive. When you added that to SCRS’ other achievements, like the Guide to Complete Repair Planning, it became clear it was an organization that had body shops’ best interests at heart and worked hard on their behalf. Being part of a national organization that brought that kind of value to repairers had a lot of appeal, so affiliation seemed a natural step forward for us."
SCRS says the affiliate membership of NMBSA is one more example of how SCRS gains its strength from forward-thinking regional associations that make a concerted effort to work for the best interests of local collision repairers.
"The addition of NMBSA to our affiliate ranks is indicative of the compelling and distinctive growth SCRS has so far experienced in the early part of 2012," said SCRS Chairman Aaron Clark. "The participation and support of quality affiliates is so valuable to SCRS and our members, not only because of their expertise and passion for the industry, but because their acknowledged support reinforces the fact that our activities and direction are in tune with the needs and desires of the industry. We admire the NMBSA’s commitment and willingness to do what it takes to advance the industry, and welcome them aboard. Their affiliation is part of a positive start to a year that has already afforded us with growth in numbers, and will no doubt be filled with a great deal of work on behalf of our members."
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