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2018 WACTAL Conference & Trade Show Educates and Engages by Kristen Dalli
WACTAL’s 2018 Conference and Trade Show provided attendees with a jam-packed weekend of industry-leading speakers, networking opportunities and lessons in relaxation. WACTAL members flooded the Wilderness Lodge in Wisconsin Dells on February 16 and 17, eager to return to their shops on Monday morning with the knowledge and tools to be more successful business owners going forward.
Mike Anderson presents “A Day with Mike and Friends”
To kick off the day on Friday, attendees were treated to “A Day with Mike and Friends,” hosted by Mike Anderson of Collision Advice. As the most talked-about event of the weekend, WACTAL members raved about Mike’s presentation, and he hit on a variety of topics that are currently of great interest to the collision repair industry. Anderson’s signature energetic persona was in full effect for the entirety of his presentation, as he spoke of warranty vs. liability, the importance of following OEM recommendations, how first notice of loss (FNOL) is changing from insurance companies to OEMs, business 10
succession and more! “I really wanted to hear Mike Anderson,” noted Greg Wubben, auto collision and refinish instructor at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College (Fennimore). “He is considered an expert on management and repair procedure requirements, and I’ve read about him in trade magazines and watched videos of him online. By coming to Wisconsin, he was able to answer questions from shop owners in our area. “[Anderson] made me realize that our industry is going through the largest change in its history. We are faced with not only what I-CAR calls a “technical tsunami” – a huge increase in new materials and electronics – but also the need to perform pre- and post-repair scans and retrieve OEM repair information for the tasks we perform in the shop. We have used manufacturer data before, but Mike showed us that it is needed in many more areas than before, and the ways using this data properly will ensure the car is repaired properly.” Following Mike’s presentation, Wubben signed up to receive more information and materials from Mike’s website (CollisionAdvice.com), and has used copies of previous presentations in class with his students. Wubben credits the WACTAL conference with opening his eyes to this information. “The draw was Mike Anderson,” echoed Daniel Biggs of Rick’s Auto Body (South Bend, IN). “His insight into our industry is very valuable and we were able to make great connections at the conference.” Anderson’s presentation also featured results from his “Who Pays for What?” surveys, and the ways in which the Great Lakes region compares to other areas of the country. Additionally, he brought several special guests from I-CAR, asTech, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Stat-Gun, all of whom spoke on the latest technology and the state of the industry. “My shop manager Andy and I came back to our shop Spring 2018