Barry Dorn Recognized as a Mentor and Leader 

by Alana Quartuccio

One does not need to look very hard to see Barry Dorn’s passion and dedication for this industry. The owner of Dorn’s Body and Paint (Mechanicsville, VA) is well known throughout the WMABA community – and the entire industry – as a successful shop owner, subject matter expert, mentor, leader and friend. 

Dorn recently took on one more designation, when his WMABA peers honored him as Board Member of the Year during the Southeast Collision Conference kick-off awards ceremony held in Richmond this past May. 

The WMABA team worked very hard to surprise Dorn during the award ceremony. Before revealing Dorn as the recipient, WMABA President Kris Burton (Rosslyn Auto Body; Alexandria, VA) referred to him as a “mentor who has become more like family, a brother and a confidant” who he credited for “pushing me forward and pushing me to be a better person.” 

And a surprise it was! Dorn was completely shocked when his name was called.

“To say that I was surprised is an understatement,” reflects Dorn. “They slid that right under the rug; I had no clue it was happening. It’s truly inspiring to have my peers feel this way about me. I am truly humbled by them and their actions. There are so many other great folks that could be up there, beside me, and I mean that. I am honored that they feel that way, and I hope they know I feel the same way about them. 

“I’ve been doing this my whole life,” says Dorn of his enthusiasm for the collision repair world which started at an early age. He grew up around the family business, attended college and then “decided this is what I wanted to do. Once it’s in your blood, it’s difficult to get it out.”

One of his biggest achievements as a professional is developing his team at Dorn’s Body and Paint. “How they set the standard for the collision industry, watching them grow and become the phenomenal folks they are. One of the things I’m most proud of, other than my family, is my team and what they do.” 

In addition to his family and work family, Dorn has also built strong ties through his commitment to association work. More than 25 years ago, he got involved with the Virginia Auto Body Association and later became president. “It was a group based here in Central Virginia that was struggling to get members, so we wound up merging with WMABA.” 

Once active with WMABA, Dorn went on to hold just about every position on the Board over the past 20-plus years, including his current role serving as past president. He’s still very active with the WMABA Board and also serves on the Society of Collision Repair Specialists Board of Directors. 

Association involvement gives Dorn “the ability to work with the finest and smartest men and women in the collision repair industry. They inspire me. They push me forward and help me get to where I want to go. If I can contribute somewhere along the way, that is a good thing. They deal with the same things I deal with, so to be able to have that level of camaraderie and understanding is an incredible thing. I can reach out to Kris, Phil or John – or anyone on the Board – if I’m having an issue, and we can have a conversation about it. It’s invaluable.” 

Dorn stresses the power of industry involvement through local association work. 

“In order to affect change, you have to be involved. In terms of my own involvement, it’s the least I can do for an industry which has helped me along the way – in my personal and my professional life. 

“In today’s world, how a shop owner or repairer can get by without being part of their local association is beyond me,” Dorn ponders. “In my opinion, I think it’s foolish not to be involved. How can you expect to know what is coming and how to compete in the market when you don’t know the peers around you? I just don’t get that.”

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