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Indiana Auto Body Association is the Sole Collision Association in the Hoosier State by David M. Brown
The Indiana Auto Body Association is the state’s only organization serving collision repairers. The Hoosier State has had collision-repair associations for some time, beginning with the Independent Garage Owners of Indiana in the 1970s. Following that, the state had affiliate associations with national groups such as the Automotive Service Association and the Alliance of Automotive Service Professionals. The last of these disbanded in the mid ‘90s.
“In 2004 a group of shop owners and suppliers decided that a new body shop association needed to be formed,” said Tony Passwater, executive director of Indianapolis-based IABA. This effort was led by Aaron Clark, Collision Solutions, and included Larry Phelps, Elite Collision Repair, Steve Larkin, Larkin Collision Center, Craig Sullivan, Sullivan Equipment, Bill Webb, Grinstead Group, and Pat Johnson, Brothers Body Shop. Tony Passwater, of AEII, became the acting executive director in 2005
VOL. 1 ISSUE 3 NOVEMBER 2012
NACE 2012 in New Orleans
Dick Cross, keynote speaker at the opening session, demonstrates the pyramid top of the organization. See story p. 13.
A New Orleans-style National Anthem kicked off the keynote address. New Orleans appears to have recovered its pre-Katrina spirit.
CARS chair Bill Moss (l) and NACE chair, Ron Nagy, address the opening session.
Mike Dolabi (l) of National Autobody Parts Warehouse and Terry Fortner of LKQ on the Parts Panel discussion.
Attendance was down on the show floor but some booths attracted record business.
ALLDATA’s Dan Espersen imparts his 37 plus years of experience in “OEM Best Practices”.
AEII’s Tony Passwater presented on designing and implementing a complete repair plan.
The Autobody News staff doing its part to cover the industry.
See IABA, Page 45
Greg Coccaro Wins Significant Appeal from Progressive Insurance, Changes Case Law
went into great lengths explaining the history of “Business Law Section 349, Deceptive Business Practices” and the intent of it, writing: “This case presents us with the question of whether a business entity [North State] has stated a valid cause of action for violation of General Business Law §349(h) where it alleges that another business entity [Progressive] deceived and misled prospective customers, causing it to sustain direct economic loss in the form of more than $5 million in lost business sales. We conclude that it does.” North State sued Progressive under New York’s deceptive acts and See Greg Cocarro, Page 3
Change Service Requested
P.O. BOX 1516, CARLSBAD, CA 92018
North State Autobahn Inc., a Westchester-NY-based body shop owned by Greg Coccaro, has won an important victory in the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division against Progressive Northeast Insurance Company, Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, Progressive Direct Insurance Company, Progressive Specialty Insurance Company, and Nicholas Stanton. The result likely creates a case law basis for deceptive acts and practices claims against auto insurance companies that divert policyholders away from repair shops outside their DRP networks. In a fifteen page decision, the court
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