FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
No Detail Overlooked BMW Group Canada’s Chris Castagna is the company’s CCRC point man. By Mike Davey
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hris Castagna is intimately familiar with the results of high-speed crashes. Currently the Field Specialist, Certified Collision for BMW Group Canada, Castagna cut his automotive teeth working on racing teams while still in high school. “At 15, I started working on a Quebecbased professional race team, and I worked on race teams for the next 13 years,” says Castagna. “I participated in over 200 professional races, and I got first hand experience with just what high speed crashes could do.” Castagna’s interest in the automotive world was sparked by his father, who owned small shops in Montreal that dealt in restorations and custom car work. “I grew up seeing him as the guy people came to see to fix things, and his custom work sparked my interest,” says Castagna. During his racing days, Castagna worked at two Honda dealerships in numerous roles, starting where most do: washing cars. “Later I became a service advisor and worked in fixed operations, managing two full-sized Honda dealerships. After that, I decided to return to school as the auto industry was in a slump and I became a mechanical claims adjustor,” he says.
Castagna then took a position as a project manager with ABB, a firm specializing in power and automation technologies. “I managed the implementation of several nationwide policies,” says Castagna. “I found I had a knack for bringing people together and implementing policy.” Until that point he had primarily been “hands on.” The experience allowed him to speak to both technical people and high-level executives. Despite having the technical skills and knowledge, and the ability to manage and implement policy, he felt he was missing a piece of the puzzle: a degree. He enrolled at Concordia University and gained a degree in political science. That degree, combined with all of his previous experiences, helped him secure his current position with BMW Group Canada. Castagna is currently the subject matter expert for The BMW Group’s Certified Collision Repair (CCRC) program. This encompasses offering technical advice to CCRCs on the rare occasions they encounter an issue not covered by The BMW Group’s online materials, serving as the main contact for the insurance industry, and providing guidance to nonCCRC collision repair facilities. Castagna
Every collision, whether it’s structural or simply cosmetic, we want that vehicle at a CCRC.” – Chris Castagna
stresses the importance for insurance companies to use CCRCs. “Every collision, whether it’s structural or simply cosmetic, we want that vehicle at a CCRC,” says Castagna. “However, we can’t force our customers to take their cars there. When a BMW enters a non-CCRC, it’s part of my job to talk to that shop and try to convince them, at a minimum, to sublet any structural repairs to a CCRC.” Castagna believes if most shops were familiar with the proper repair procedures, they would decline to fix those vehicles and would instead push them to shops with the proper equipment and training. BMW repair instructions are available through the National Automotive Trades Association (NATA), but Castagna feels this is something of a double-edged sword. “You can get a step-by-step manual on how to do open-heart surgery, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should go ahead and do it,” he says. “Our cars are not mass market, and there are complexities to them that may be overlooked unless the technicians are thoroughly trained.” Since Castagna started working for The BMW Group, the Canadian CCRC network has grown from 21 to 36 facilities across the country. It’s been projected that number will rise to 41 by early 2014. “Our goal is to have a CCRC in every market in which BMWs are sold,” says Castagna. He also notes that programs such as Accident Management Service and features such as Nationwide Accident Management and BMW Assist will help to ensure all BMWs are taken to CCRCs. “Pushing the network nationwide isn’t simply about convenience, although that is a factor. Making sure our customers are safe is our top priority.” CRM
Future of the Industry is Collision Repair magazine’s feature profiling young up-and-comers in the industry. Is there a young person in your shop who goes above and beyond in attitude and passion for the business? Let us know and you could see them profiled in an upcoming issue. Please contact Mike Davey at 905-370-0101 or via email to editor@colllisionrepairmag.com for more information.
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