CIC Recap: Industry Instruction for the Greater Good

by Alana Quartuccio

Fixing cars safely and properly matters. Shops being fairly reimbursed matters. Establishing a shop culture employees can thrive in matters. And ultimately, protecting the well-being of consumers, their families and their property matters.

The most recent Collision Industry Conference (CIC) covered all bases crucial to the collision repair industry with conversations about cybersecurity, attracting new employees, parts sourcing issues, repair planning – even mental health awareness. 

A special presentation was made in honor of mental health awareness month. In the words of CIC Chair Dan Risley, one may wonder what it has to do with CIC, but in fact, “it impacts us all” and everyone who works in the shop or whom we interact with daily. He welcomed Ben Christiansen (Carcraft) who travelled from Australia to spread the message “Don’t shut the bonnet on it” and showcase a fundraiser through the sale of automobile-themed shirts to provide free counseling services. 

Candid conversations are one of the most effective ways to explore burning issues that can plague the industry. Risley and Aaron Schulenburg (Society of Collision Repair Specialists) took the CIC stage to announce the launch of “The Industry Experiment,” an unfiltered “conversation-cast,” an in-person program that will encourage thought-provoking, candid conversations on such issues and “explore sometimes uncomfortable truths or perceptions.” They invited everyone in the industry to come to them with topics for this soon to be rolled out platform. 

The Data Access, Privacy and Security Committee set out to “educate everyone as to what some of the challenges regarding data access privacy and security are in our marketplace,” outlined Committee Co-Chair Trent Tinsley (Entegral), as he introduced Alex Pavlinik and Allan Polak of StoredTech to present an eye-opening cautionary tale about “Lucky Bob,” the shop owner who found himself victim of a very costly bitcoin ransom scam. It wasn’t Bob’s “lucky” day at all as Pavlinik and Polak relayed how his innocent click in an email from a “trusted tool supplier” was all that threat actors needed to lock up all his files.

Pavlinik relayed the horrors that came next: “Now, Lucky Bob thought, ‘Maybe this is a fluke. Let me check with my parts department.’ Lucky Bob checks with parts. They can’t access order forms that were stored on the computer as well. The computer files aren’t opening anymore on any of the computers in the offices. Also, something strange is happening in the office. It’s eerily silent. The phones have stopped ringing. The phones have disconnected from the cloud, no longer getting calls in. We now have customers coming up to the desk of the service department and the parts department. They can’t check out. The computers and terminals can’t access the internet.” 

Lucky Bob faces the ugly game of “Let’s Make a Deal” and pays the half-bitcoin ransom which amounts to roughly $50,000. Did it solve his problem? “The hackers lied, and they did not release all the information. These are criminals, and there’s no honor among thieves,” Pavilnik stressed. Not only was Lucky Bob’s information compromised and leaked, he was out another $150,000 in recovery fees. 

Being educated and aware in order to avoid situations like this is the key in all this. However, if a shop owner were to find themselves in Lucky Bob’s shoes, the first person they should contact is their lawyer. Some may think to call their IT manager first or their insurance company, but according to Pavlinik, “You call your lawyer. And the reason for that is you want to establish a term client privilege in this situation. You are now facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in civil penalties, and depending if you pay, felonies. I would highly suggest that you establish that communication first, and then you move on to the insurance company.”

I-CAR’s Scott VanHulle moderated the Emerging Technologies panel featuring Chuck Olsen (AirPro Diagnostics), Chris Chesney (Repairify) and Greg Peeters (Car ADAS Solutions) who focused on steering the industry away from the “easy button” mentality when it comes to calibrations. VanHulle lamented about the countless times he’s heard people from all segments of the industry say, “If it’s not on there, you don’t need to do it” because it “is the most untrue statement I’ve ever heard.” He stressed that those who believe that “should be stopped in their tracks and be corrected.” 

While “software programs are a great tool, they are not necessarily the advancement we need,” Olsen pointed out, and Peeters highlighted the fact that “feedback, response time and follow-up, when there is a gap or an error, continues to get better, but I would love to see it get easier and better as time goes because ultimately that makes the product better and more accurate.”

“Reach out to us and let us know what you saw,” encouraged Chesney. “At the end of the day, feedback only works if we get the feedback.” 

Moderated by Kye Yeung (European Motor Works), the Repair Process and Procedures Committee panel – featuring Barry Dorn (Dorn’s Body and Paint; VA), Justin Lewis (Accurate Auto Body; WA), Shawn Powell (Dorn’s Body and Paint), Jeff Butler (post-repair inspector) and Tim Ronak (AkzoNobel) – covered the various considerations involved with the clear coat process from the application to negotiation and post-repair inspection. 

Consumers need to be aware of the process, and as Powell explained, it begins with the estimating process. “A lot of times, we offer to bring the customer back to the paint department and show them what the process looks like and explain why we are doing it that way to provide them a best as possible pre-loss condition and allow us to build a warranty repair when we’re done with it.” 

Panelists outlined the importance of documentation to support one’s stance and to be sure repairs are done right because if there is an issue, “you can have the customer come back to you and say ‘you didn’t give me a choice; you chose to do it this way, so you owe for the correction.’ So, you can see how complicated things can get when you do a repair. Obviously, it’s not just the matter of pleasing the consumer in the present, but it can have ramifications down the road,” Yeung stressed. 

Parts and Materials Committee Co-Chair Andrew Batenhorst (Pacific BMW Collision Center; CA) and panelists Kyle Pierce (Dorn’s Body and Paint; VA), Michael Giarrizzo (DCR Systems, Inc.), Tim Schneider (Car-Part.com) and Jason Camden (Mills Auto Group) spoke about the blind spots often seen in the parts sourcing process.

Camden cited certifications for aluminum as an issue when a shop has a vehicle to work on but they can’t get parts for it due to the OEM requirement in aluminum. “It’s a process for us as we have to tell them to tow the vehicle to a shop that’s certified or we have to go through another process that’s a little more painstaking, but a lot of times we cannot get the parts for shops that are not certified in aluminum. Collision shops are blindsided when this happens because they’re capable of doing the repairs, but the manufacturer requires that they be certified.” 

Cycle time uncertainty is another issue “especially when you have a lot of alternative parts that come into play,” said Giarrizzo. “We are OE certified in every brand that we represent, so what we want to do for our customer comes into play. We have a diverse customer base with some who are willing to contribute and some who can’t, but they want a safe and proper repair, so there’s a lot affecting when those parts need to be ordered just for the purpose of determining how they will be used. Then there is the whole return issue that goes along with it creating a lot of uncertainty and a lack of predictability in delays. There’s multiple platforms as well that sometimes have different price matching models from the same vendor so it creates a lot of noise in the whole process.”

When asked how tariffs may come into play, Pierce believes, “It’s still up in the air because it keeps changing day to day. It’s a very moving target. At the end of the day, it’s going to ultimately affect price. As a body shop, our cost will go up potentially across the board or maybe just for supplies or parts, or both.”

The Talent Pool and Education Committee explored ways toward effective leadership and good shop culture in order to attract and retain employees. Edgar Chaves, Jr. (Britland Auto Body; NJ) said it starts with “consistent communication” with employees to learn about their ambitions and struggles and “just be human to them.” 

“We try to get a buy-in from the team and let them make some of the decisions,” stated Michael Bradshaw (K&M Collision; NC). “It was a big decision for us to go to a four-day work week. We talked about it and took a vote as a team. We have an open door, open dialogue policy.” 

The next CIC is set for July 23, 2025 in Philadelphia, PA. Learn more about the event and how to register at ciclink.com.

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