Patrick Hyundai

Industry Veterans Erick and Shelly Bickett Share Insight About Collision Industry

When industry veteran Erick Bickett was growing up, he aspired to be My SEMA in a body shop owned by a couple of dealerships in Anaheim, CA, and Erick: The formation of the 20 Group started with a group of California Q: What role have you played in creating technology for the an airline pilot like his dad. He realized that a 9-to-5 job wasn’t for him. eventually purchased the business, Auto Center Auto Body Inc. with Stacey Phillips shops coming together to talk about the challenges of software we were industry?

Erick always had an interest in We operated out of a 3,500- all using. At that meeting, we realErick: It was that learning through cars and eventually opened a body square-foot facility behind a used ized the benefit of having discussions the 20 Group that was an incentive shop with his partner, Shelly Bickett, car lot. Three years later, we built a about business development issues to eventually start CynCast in 2000, who had a background in accounting. 30,000-square-foot state-of-the-art location at an auto mall where there were a number of dealers in one loShop Strategies and this led to the formation of our 20 Group. The industry was going through a technology company serving thousands of collision repair shops that was later sold to Enterprise Rent-A-Car . with Vi cation. The business eventually be ctoria Antonelli a lot of change and having the asWe built technology predominantly to came part of Fix Auto USA and grew sociation of great operators was recreate transparency around shop perto include 165 employees at nine ally important. When you are all by formance. In a 20 Group, that’s fairly locations, spanning over 200,000 yourself, you’re not exposed to difeasy to do because everyone brings in square feet and bringing in more than $30 million in annual gross revenues. Product Innovation ferent viewpoints and other ways of doing things. Through the 20 Group process, we learned that the best their financials in a common format. Since there wasn’t anything already built for the industry in the late with Ed Attanasio Shelly: I never intended to be in the form of continuous improvement is 1990s, we started the Collision Indusbody shop business. I went to school posting results and comparing them try Electronic Commerce Association for accounting and was working at among the group. (CIECA), the only industry organizaErick and Shelly Bickett New York Life Insurance. When we W e were all active nationally tion providing standard methods of bought into the business, I startat that time and a group of six busielectronic commerce. Having e-comThat was more than 35 years ago. Since then, Erick and Shelly have ed doing the accounting part time. Eventually, I worked there full time OE Shop Certification ness owners decided to form Collision in 1991. Caliber merce is critically important. The way things are going now with APIs founded a number of organizations in when we purchased the company. with Gary Ledoux the collision repair industry. These inAt the time, most body shop clude Caliber Collision, the Collision managers and owners had grown up Industry Electronic Commerce Assoin the business and didn’t have financiation (CIECA), Cyncast, Fix Auto cial or accounting experience. Erick USA and the Collision Career Institute (CCI), which supports industry is a great businessman and his financial expertise helped us a lot and set Product Innovation apprenticeships. Autobody News recently talked us apart from our competitors. with Stacey Phillips • • Large Inventory Wide Delivery Area • Experienced Staff Ready To Serve You to Erick and Shelly about their career highlights as well as advice to Q: How did you both get started How did your involvement in • Free Local Delivery • Competitive Prices shops on how to be successful in the 20 Groups eventually lead to the forfuture in light of COVID-19 and industry changes. mation of Caliber Collision? From the Desk of Mike Anderson Shelly: When we started our first Q: How did you both get started in the collision repair indusbusiness, we became involved in a 20 Group with other like-minded with Mike Anderson try? individuals. We’ve always found the networking to be very beneficial and Erick: While in college, I took a job it’s a great way to share knowledge driving a tow truck. I eventually and best practices. It also gives you managed the tow company and then transferred to the owner’s body shop. Later, I managed a dealer group. I the ability to have a bigger footprint to work with insurance companies. Otherwise, your body shop is like a Call Us Today for Genuine Hyundai Parts! www.patrickhyundai.com also obtained my license to become an insurance agent. Early on, I realized I could be competitive in the body shop busilone ship on the ocean. The shop owners would measure themselves against themselves, and we soon realized that we need847-605-4055 Parts Direct 847-619-4511 Parts Fax Parts Hours: Mon - Fri: 7:30-5:00 ness. Shelly was a big influencer ed to compare ourselves with other 1020 E Golf Road in that decision. I was 28 years old shops nationwide. These measureSchaumburg, IL 60173 when she convinced me to go out ments and numbers are now called on my own. In 1984, we invested Key Performance Indicators (KPIs.)