Meet WMABA Board Member Ian Martin

by Alana Quartuccio

Ian Martin is one of several new faces on WMABA’s Board of Directors with a dedication to the industry that goes back quite a long way.

Technically, his path into a collision repair career started by accident – or because of one accident that would open the door to future job opportunities once he was done with school.

He was in grade school when his father’s BMW was involved in a crash. “The car got hammered,” Martin recalls. “My dad was at a dead stop when some lady crashed into him doing 60mph. He took the car to BMW of Fairfax. It was there for a while, so he got to know the guys there pretty well.”

Conversation between his father and the BMW crew resulted in a job for Ian’s older brother. It was just a matter of time before Martin would wind up working there, too. After high school, he took classes at NOVA but after a semester decided it wasn’t the path for him.

At 18, Martin took a job at BMW of Fairfax where he stayed for a few years, until it came time for him to pursue other interests – like golf, one of his biggest passions that even helped introduce him to his wife

“When I was 22, I got paired up one day to play with this guy and his daughter – and I wound up marrying her. That’s how I met my wife: At a small nine-hole golf course in Falls Church.”

While Martin initially hoped to work in the golf industry, life had other plans.

“I had open heart surgery at 30 years old,” he reveals. “I had an infection, a stroke, brain bleed, internal bleeding and pneumonia in both lungs that destroyed two of my heart valves and injured a third. I wound up having two valves replaced and one repaired.” After two months in the hospital, he began to get back on his feet. “I was young and bounced back pretty quickly. I had the surgery on July 7 and by November later that year I flew to California to do some training and I took part in a golf tournament while I was there. I didn’t play well because I hadn’t touched a golf club in months, but I was able to swing a golf club fully just months after open heart surgery.”

His doctor advised him not to overdo it, which meant that working full-time and taking college courses would be too much. Wanting to stay local to his home area, Martin found himself back at BMW of Fairfax. “I reassured my doctor that although it was stressful work, I wasn’t going to let it stress me out.” Still, his doctor tended to find ways to come to the shop often to check on him while having minor repairs done.

About a year following surgery, his doctor levelled with him about how serious his condition had been. “I asked why he waited so long to tell me this and he told me, ‘Because anytime we walked into your room, you were always laughing and smiling. You have no idea what a positive attitude can do for you.’ I took that to heart, so I really don’t let anything phase me. Even on stressful days, I realize it’s just a job.”

Martin has worked hard in every role he’s ever had. Wanting to explore other avenues, he left his estimator role at BMW Fairfax to work at Koons Tysons Chevrolet as an estimator. He managed the body shop at their Sterling location for a time and then returned to Koons Tysons to manage the body shop. Hard work and long hours led him to become general manager at Tysons Corner Collision Center, part of the Penske Automotive operation.

“We have a big facility. Our guys are highly trained and certified. We don’t bow to insurers; we don’t do DRP work. We just focus on taking care of our customers,” he shares. Martin understands some businesses choose to rely heavily on DRP to make a living, and he’s experienced it from the inside as he has worked for facilities with this business model. “I wanted to see how the other side operated. The more you know, the better you are going to be.”

His role at Penske returned him to the high-end line of vehicles he’s familiar with. “It felt like home for me.”

WMABA has played a large role in Martin’s career. He had a former manager who was heavily involved with the association. He’d go along to the events to get to know people and learn the goals of the association. His current shop has been heavily involved with WMABA for years. In fact, former WMABA Vice President Tim Pfeifle was a longtime member of the Penske Automotive operation.

Martin’s  involvement with WMABA was also launched by invitations to play in their annual golf tournament by fellow board member Tom Brown (PPG). Now that he is on the Board, Martin hopes to be involved with outreach helping other shops to come into the fold growing WMABA’s membership.

“WMABA is not just about being a place for us to get together and talk; it’s really about the connections you make.”

Martin champions the strong network that WMABA has among its membership states of Virginia, Maryland, DC and West Virginia and how everyone is there to help each other. Membership leads to building relationships with other collision repairers who ultimately can help each other when the time arises to refer a body technician to a fellow shop owner or to send a car they specialize in their way.

He acknowledges the fact that insurance companies have the ability to talk and compare notes but collision shops would be accused of collusion if that were the case. “But we can interact and realize that we are not enemies. Insurance companies want us to hate each other so they can get us to do things for cheap because they just care about money. Shops can get together and form friendships. I’ve met a ton of people from WMABA events. Our president, Kris Burton, is a great example. I’ve really gotten to know him. I send cars his way because there are certain repairs he does that I don’t do and vice versa. Forming relationships helps us take care of our customers better.”

As for goals, he supports WMABA’s mission to support legislation in favor of body shops and he hopes to see even more legislative action come about. “There is a lot of legislative support for insurance companies in these states but not a lot on behalf of consumers. We need better legislation that protects consumers’ rights. Insurance companies do their best to make shops look like the bad guys, but a good shop is there to take care of their customers. Better legislation is needed all around.”

As he reflects on his experiences, Martin relays that it’s the simple things in life that are most important. Although golf remains one of his big loves, these days it’s time with family that means the most. “My favorite moment of the day is when my daughter falls asleep in my arms. I try to never miss that.”

Be sure to look for features on other WMABA Board members in subsequent issues.

Want more? Check out the August 2026 issue of Hammer & Dolly!