SCRS Champions Safe Repairs, Recognizes Success at April Board Meeting

by Alana Quartuccio

Investing back into the industry is the driving force behind the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) and its leaders who put in countless hours to educate, inform and represent collision repair professionals in the name of kina’ole – the Hawaiian phrase for “doing the right thing, the right way, at the right time, for the right reasons, the first time.” 

SCRS had much to convene about and celebrate during its most recent Open Public Board Meeting in Richmond, VA, which included welcoming newly elected Board members, recognizing departing ones and reviewing the national organization’s member benefits and goals, industry concerns and proposed federal legislation in support of safe repairs. 

WMABA President Kris Burton (Rosslyn Auto Body; VA) was re-elected and will serve as vice chair. Ben Bowman (Cliff’s Body Repair; NY), Kena Dacus (Dacus Auto Body & Collision Repair; KS) and Justin Lewis (Accurate Auto Body; WA) were sworn in to their first term on the Board. Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg noted changes to the Executive Board: Tony Adams (AkzoNobel) will serve as director-at-large, Todd Hessford (Community Collision Centers; CA) has been elevated to treasurer, and Andrew Batenhorst (Pacific BMW Collision Center; CA) rose to secretary. 

Amber Alley (Barsotti’s Body & Fender; CA) closed out her term as chair, handing over the gavel to Michael Bradshaw (K&M Collision; NC). Alley, who now serves as immediate past chair, called her time as chair a “humbling experience. I’m really proud of the work we’ve done. I’m looking forward to working with the organization as we have some amazing things to support the industry.” 

“Amber and I came on the Board together, about three months apart,” Bradshaw relayed. “We experienced a lot together as we worked our way up through the ranks of the Board. As I think back on the last 10 years, I am fortunate to have been surrounded by such great mentors. I’m really looking forward to continuing to do the work and really continue to push the envelope for the things that repairers are out there fighting for every day. Because that’s ultimately who we’re here to support. And I’m just so excited, thankful and humbled for the opportunity to be a part of that.”

Exiting Board members Erin Solis (Certified Collision Group), Dave Gruskos (Reliable Automotive Equipment) and Robert Grieve (Nylund’s Collision Center; CO) were presented with clocks “to represent the time they spent serving the industry,” Schulenburg noted. He also acknowledged “the sacrifices and contributions the people around this table make. Unlike a lot of organizations, our Board is entirely volunteer. The travel to the events, the dinners out, the flights, the hotels and the time away from business is all on their dime. They do it because they want to invest themselves back into the industry.”

The industry issues portion of the meeting brought light to an alarming issue that most collision repair professionals – and others – may not be taking into consideration: the exposure to dangerous narcotics such as fentanyl, which has been uncovered in stolen recovery vehicles. Alley noted a situation where a vehicle was out of the customer’s possession for 45 days, and when it came to the shop, it was suspected that someone had been living in the vehicle. 

“Our protocol is to recommend that testing be done. We educated the consumer on this and spoke to their insurance. They denied and denied.” The car sat on the lot taped up, guarded from anyone going near it. Finally, the customer decided to pay for the “expensive testing,” conducted by a team in Hazmat suits who took samples from various areas of the car. Days later, the results came back positive for fentanyl. Substance was found on the driver’s seat. Alley noted the danger this posed to the tow truck driver, police officers and anyone who could’ve entered the vehicle who were unknowingly exposed. 

It’s something worth talking about at the shop, Alley stressed, adding, “We are often faced with moving quickly to take keys, and there can be risks. Safety protocols need to be thought through to protect yourself.”

Conversations regarding Right to Repair concerns were spearheaded as Schulenburg noted SCRS’ work in Washington, DC in regard to safe repair. He cited that repairers were not the ones championing previously proposed Right to Repair legislation, which “is a problem because you have groups who aren’t repairers, speaking for repairers. Somebody should be speaking for repairers to tell the actual repair story [and] work on things that actually reflect the challenges our members and their customers face.”

He introduced Megan Ekstrom, head of federal affairs for the Alliance of Automotive Innovation (Auto Innovators), who relayed what the framework is at the Capitol for the consumer-driven landmark Safety as First Emphasis (SAFE) Repair Act legislation proposed jointly by SCRS, Auto Innovators and the Automotive Service Association (ASA). Ekstrom shared the strategy behind getting the bill attention at the Senate and the House of Representatives with the goal of getting the bill introduced and how that can be achieved. Testimonials from repair professionals have helped shape the initiative and could play a valuable role in garnering attention for the bill. 

“I think the end result of this is we want to be able to tell the industry’s story,” Schulenburg stressed. “I think that’s a really important piece because everything I’ve seen on the other side has been opponents telling the industry what they should believe or put in the words in their mouth. We have the ability to take the words from your mouth and use them to your benefit.”

WMABA Executive Director Jordan Hendler and Kris Burton took the mic during the affiliate committee report to update the Board about the 57-year-old association. Hendler expressed, “The affiliate community cannot be undersold. It’s not just about getting together to talk about issues, to commiserate and celebrate and share knowledge. The most important thing is that we as an association have gained great insight and resources. One of the best things is our collaboration with the Carolinas Collision Association and co-hosting the Southeast Collision Conference.

“We’re grateful to have the opportunity to bring CIC and the trade show together, utilizing that to bring national level speakers to our educational event,” she continued. “It’s changed the bar of what we are giving to our members.” Hendler also reported on WMABA’s fundraising efforts to give back to schools and up-and-coming technicians. She noted that a lot of work the association does with legislation also involves putting a stop to unwanted bills. “We were able to stop some bad legislation over the past few years, and I don’t think that’s celebrated enough.” 

Discussion included an update on benefits, including the SCRS healthcare program and 401(k) plans. Schulenburg recently learned the plan saved a technician’s life because he didn’t go to the doctor previously, but because of the SCRS plan’s accessibility, he sought medical care, and it saved his life. “I got goosebumps; that’s impactful. Changing people’s lives for the better is what everyone around this table wants to invest their time in.” 

SCRS is gearing up for the 2025 Repairer Driven Education series at SEMA which will feature many first timers presenting, including Kyle Motzkus (Hunter Auto Body; MO) and Maria Quintero (Collision Advice). The IDEAS Collide showcase will also feature a new slate including Jordan Hendler (WMABA), Rachel James (Torque Financial Advisors) and John Yoswick (Crash Network). Registration information can be found at bit.ly/2025SEMAShow.  

Find videos from the 2024 SEMA Show at rde.scrs.com.

Want more? Check out the June 2025 issue of Hammer & Dolly!