It’s Getting Hot in Here… Team up to cool it down!

by Jordan Hendler, WMABA Executive Director

It’s irony, possibly, that while it’s heating up outside for the season, everything in collision repair is also heating up on all sides.

With the Southeast Collision Conference having just taken place, with record attendance, and having this issue full of what just happened nationally at the SCRS and CIC meetings, I’m overwhelmed with the heat coming off local and national discussions. 

With our association coming off such a successful show with our partners at the Carolinas Collision Association, it reminds me how much teaming up matters. Repairers in every position – owner to technician – are coming forward with more reasons to get connected to our association and the community we serve. 

I am continuing to see multitudes of fresh faces, hoping to get their edge on what is an ever-changing environment. Vehicles, management systems, repair methods and technology are luring folks to our communities where these advancements are discussed. They’re coming for the info and staying for the benefits. 

We want to know it all, and know it as soon as possible. Taking information in bits and pieces is no longer enough to keep up. I was astounded by the traffic we experienced at the Tradeshow in Greensboro, NC, and am energized to continue this momentum through our area and throughout the year. The heat is on me, too! We want to deliver opportunities for you to continue to engage with valuable information, and other shops, to come back with meaningful ways you can improve your business.

I was so impressed with our local submission for the SCRS Blend Study, because it showcases how much it matters that we pay attention to what’s happening in our global community and how much it affects our literal day-to-day. This is a perfect example of a problem that spans the entire industry, and how one association-led effort can bring it all to light, to discussion, to potential resolution. 

Let us keep the heat on as we navigate our industry forward!

Want more? Check out the June 2024 issue of Hammer & Dolly!