Chief Automotive to Sponsor SkillsUSA Again For the 27th consecutive year, Chief Automotive Technologies will sponsor the Collision Repair Technology Championship at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference. The 2013 conference, held June 24-28 in Kansas City, MO, brings student winners from statewide competitions together to compete for national championships in more than 90 disciplines. Chief will supply most of the structural repair equipment for the Collision Repair Technology (CRT) event, including a frame rack, computerized measuring system and damage simulators. Chief also developed the written structural repair test to be administered during the contest. The winning CRT student will receive free registration for a future Chief University training class, and all participants will receive a Chief-branded flashlight. Several Chief staff members will volunteer their time to help manage the event. Independent Chief University instructor Ken Soupene leads the CRT committee, which also includes Chief Global Repair Product Manager Richard Perry; Mike Croker of Chief distributor Automotive Tech-
I-CAR Announces More Speakers for July Meeting
I-CAR continues to announce its 2013 Inter-Industry Conference speakers for July 24 and 25 in Boston. The following technology leaders will present key industry topics such as: advancements in integrated vehicle safety systems, evolving vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-to-vehicle communications, driver and pedestrian safety, the impact of CAFE on vehicle design, and the potential for autonomous vehicles. Additional speakers include: • Nathaniel Beuse, Associate Administrator for Vehicle Safety and Research, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) • David Zuby, Chief Research Officer, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) • Richard Wallace, Director, Transportation Systems Analysis, Center for Automotive Research (CAR) • Dr. Kay Stepper, Director, Driver Assistance Systems, Chassis Systems Control, Robert Bosch LLC These speakers join previously announced speakers, including keynote speaker Reginald R. Modlin, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Chrysler Group LLC. ®
nology Inc.; Tom Beachem and John Ressler of Nationwide Insurance; Marty Hettle, retired; and Bob Keith of CARSTAR. The group will help set up the structural repair CRT area, oversee testing, answer questions and supervise all week. “We first got involved with SkillsUSA in 1986 to promote educational programs and give back to the industry,” said Perry. “It has been a very rewarding partnership. By working together, we can ensure the next generation of technicians is properly trained in the evolving field of structural damage analysis and repair.” This year’s SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference is expected to draw more than 15,000 students, teachers and business partners from across the country. All championship competitions will be held Thursday, June 27. For the CRT contest, students will work against the clock and each other to demonstrate their metal straightening, welding, plastic repair and structural analysis abilities. Judging is based on the overall appearance of the finished product, safety practices employed, speed, written exams and an interview.
Ryan Collision Becomes First Nebraska ABRA Center
Ryan Collision Center recently had a name change. The auto body shop is now ABRA Auto Body & Glass. However, ownership and employees will remain the same, co-owner Jim Ryan said. “I saw it as an opportunity for us to graduate to the next level in terms of the performance that we can give our customers,” Ryan said. It’s the first ABRA to pop up in Nebraska, but Ryan said most of the chain’s locations are concentrated in the Midwest. Ryan said the shop now offers additional services, such as software that helps manage the repair process, a call center that allows the shop to schedule repairs outside of its business hours and a 24-hour towing service. After the change, the business hired three employees, with plans to add more in the future, Ryan said. ABRA is based in Minneapolis, Minn., with locations in Colorado, Iowa, South Dakota and Illinois, among others.
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Progressive Gave 59 Vehicles to Military Veterans
On June 12, 59 veterans drove away with refurbished cars, courtesy of Progressive Insurance and the National Auto Body Council (NABC). The one-day event called ‘Keys to Progress’ took place at several Progressive’s Service Centers across the country. Progressive worked with NABC member body shops to recycle and donate damage vehicles. They were restored for the veterans as part of a special NABC Recycled Rides project. “Whether they need the car to go to work, volunteer or get medical treatment, we’re happy that we’re able to help them keep moving forward,” said Tom Minnick, senior claims director at Progressive Insurance Enterprise Rent-A-Car will provide insurance for each donated vehicle for the first six months. “Between the NABC, Enterprise, local body shops, 1 800 Charity Cars, local VFWs and other military charities, we’ve worked together to find and restore vehicles for some great families. We really enjoy using our Service Centers for community events like this,” added Minnick. Keys to Progress is one of the single largest donations of vehicles in the history of the Recycled Rides program.
“Recycled Rides started in 2007 with five vehicles donated across the country the entire year, so seeing 59 donated in one event with one insurer just six years later is really outstanding,” said Chuck Sulkala, executive director of the National Auto Body Council. “Keys to Progress and other Recycled Rides events are made possible by everyone making the effort to go the extra mile—doing a little more each day to help make life better for those who need a helping hand.” Progressive Service Centers in the following cities participated in Keys to Progress (some cities had multiple vehicles): Phoenix and Tempe, AZ; San Diego, CA; Denver, CO; Hartford, CT; Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Tampa and West Palm Beach, FL; Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Indianapolis, IN; Kansas City, KS; New Orleans, LA; Baltimore, MD; Detroit, MI; Minneapolis, MN; St. Louis, MO; Albany, NY; Las Vegas, NV; Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus, OH; Oklahoma City, OK; Portand, OR; Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, PA; Providence, RI; Austin, Dallas, Houston, TX; Richmond, Springfield and Virginia Beach, VA; Seattle, WA; and Milwaukee, WI.
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