New Maryland Insurance Commissioner Appointed
Gov. Martin O’Malley announced the appointment of Therese Goldsmith as Maryland insurance commissioner. In 2009, Gov. O’Malley appointed Goldsmith as commissioner of the Public Service Commission of Maryland. Her tenure as insurance commissioner will be effective on June 13, 2011. “I’m excited to see a new commissioner come into Maryland, as there has been some
Auto Recyclers and Collision Repairers Confess to Lack of Communication at URG Annual Conference
URG, the United Recyclers Group, hosted a Body Shop Panel Discussion at its 2011 annual conference in Englewood, Colo., on April 15. The two-day event was attended by more than 800 recyclers. Facilitator Don Porter of State Farm opened up the discussion by asking panelists to introduce themselves and talk a little about their
Demand for Automotive Aluminum to Double Over Next 10 Years
According to a report from Automotive Discovery, the demand for automotive aluminum will double over the next 10 years due to weight reduction plans by manufacturers such as General Motors, Ford, Nissan, Audi, BMW and Jaguar Land Rover. These auto manufacturers plan to remove hundreds of pounds from future vehicle models in order to meet
Collision Repair Education Foundation Grants Tools to Dozens of Students
The Collision Repair Education Foundation, with the help of GEICO, ABRA Auto Body & Glass and Craftsman, recently awarded spring tool grants and scholarships to dozens of collision repair students throughout the United States. GEICO The Collision Repair Education Foundation and GEICO Philanthropic Foundation announced the winners of the GEICO Spring Scholarship and Tool Grant.
SCRS Repairer Driven Education at SEMA to Feature Patrick Houlahan of Afterburner Inc.
Last year’s SEMA Show marked the debut of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists’ (SCRS) Repair Driven Education (RDE) curriculum, which provided two days of educational offerings targeted specifically for the modern-day collision repair professional. "The positive response we received from our attendees, speakers and SEMA Show management regarding our RDE series were very gratifying
Trends in Materials
Vehicles today are becoming “hybrids” of construction. Here’s a closer look at aluminum, magnesium, carbon fiber and steel and the roles these advanced materials play in the modern automobile.
ASRW Partners with Muscle Car Network of Florida
Automotive Service & Repair Week (ASRW) has announced a new partnership for 2011 with the Muscle Car Network of Florida. ASRW, comprised of the International Autobody Congress & Exposition (NACE) and the Congress of Automotive Repair & Service (CARS), is scheduled for Oct. 6-8 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. The Muscle
Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes A-Plus Network Adds New Estimating Contributor Program
Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes A-Plus Network is now affiliated with VehicleOwnersGuide.com, an online provider of blueprint documents that helps collision repair shops identify any missed revenues. Its unique estimating analysis tool, EstimateScrubber.com, can be used in the repair planning process to prompt estimators to include commonly omitted items and better identify the repair cost associated with
SCRS Calls First Quarter Results of Membership Program with Education Foundation a Huge Success
In November 2010, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) announced that it would sponsor the cost of membership for educational facilities with collision repair vocational or technical programs as part of a partnership with the Collision Repair Education Foundation. To qualify for the sponsored membership, the educational institution simply was required to complete the
Getting Paid for Paint and Materials
Reader’s Choice question: “Why is paint and materials tied to paint labor rate? It should be invoiced and marked up accordingly. How do we change this? We went from a 35 percent profit on paint and materials to 2 percent in the last two years.” – Jim Patrick, collision repair manager, Langs Chevrolet, Beavercreek, Ohio