43 Years, One Forum: Why CIC Still Shapes the Industry

Never underestimate what one disgruntled collision repairer can do.

In 1983, California collision repairer Al Estorga attended an inter-industry event hoping to spark a conversation about the issues affecting his business and the collision repair community. He came prepared to speak up and, more importantly, to get others talking.

Things didn’t go as he had hoped. When he was told that the event was neither the time nor the place to address those concerns, Estorga took a different approach. If there wasn’t a place for collision repairers to have those conversations, he would create one.

And he did.

Estorga helped launch the Collision Repairer Conference (CRC), built around a simple but powerful philosophy: when an issue affects collision repairers, the right time to speak up about it is now.

What started as a modest gathering of a dozen or so industry participants quickly gained momentum. More repairers began showing up, but they weren’t alone. Representatives from insurance companies and other corners of the collision industry soon joined the conversation. Different perspectives came to the table — sometimes agreeing, sometimes disagreeing, but always talking. By the end of the decade, CRC had rebranded as the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) to better reflect the welcoming nature it had adopted.

Although many of the faces have changed over the years, the spirit behind Estorga’s original vision is still very much alive. Today, CIC remains a home for genuine inter-industry collaboration, communication and, at times, spirited debate. Organized around quarterly meetings held in different locations across the country, CIC continues to bring together voices from across the collision repair field and beyond.

Naturally, staying relevant for more than four decades is no small accomplishment. CIC has weathered sweeping changes in the industry, contentious issues and controversies, evolving business models, advancing vehicle technology and even the unprecedented challenges of a pandemic. Through it all, the organization has continued to provide something the industry still needs: a place where stakeholders can come together, put issues on the table and have that all-important conversation.

Forty-three years after its creation (and two years after Estorga passed away), the forum remains as unique to this industry as the voices, perspectives and volunteers who continue to drive it forward.

Debates, Dilemmas and Defining Moments

Considering CIC’s commitment to open communication, it’s perhaps no surprise that tension can sometimes be felt in whatever conference room hosts the discussion. As just one example, the rise of insurer-mandated parts-procurement programs, spearheaded by State Farm’s controversial partnership with PartsTrader, drove a considerable amount of CIC’s work in the early 2010s.

Those with a few years in the industry will surely remember the showdown at CIC’s July 2012 meeting in Texas, when dozens of industry leaders voiced their opposition to the insurer’s plan — a particularly memorable move given that State Farm’s George Avery was named incoming CIC chair later in the same meeting. Few events in CIC’s history have more clearly exemplified the freedom of expression the forum extends to all industry stakeholders.

Beyond providing a place for the industry to tackle difficult topics, CIC has demonstrated a remarkable ability to evolve with the times. When COVID-19 shuttered airports and sent participants home to work remotely, CIC organizers adapted almost overnight. The forum became one of the first industry groups to embrace Zoom and other remote technologies, keeping the conversation going even when meeting in person was no longer an option.

That spirit of adaptability has helped CIC become a cornerstone of what is commonly known as “Industry Week.” Its quarterly meetings are frequently scheduled to accommodate gatherings of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS), the National Auto Body Council, and other national organizations and associations in the same (or a nearby) location, creating an opportunity for industry leaders to network, collaborate and address issues that extend well beyond the CIC meeting room.

CIC’s decision more than a decade ago to make its November meeting a permanent fixture of the SEMA Show in Las Vegas further cemented that role. By placing its flagship gathering within one of the global automotive industry’s largest annual events, CIC strengthened its ties to the broader industry while ensuring its activities remained part of the larger trends and conversation that have shaped where this industry has been and, most importantly, where it is headed.

A Participant’s Perspective

Anyone who has attended CIC in the last several years has likely crossed paths with the industry’s resident “Collisionista,” Petra Schroeder.

Despite retiring from the collision repair industry in 2016, this longtime industry advocate (formerly of Axalta Coatings Systems and DuPont Performance Coatings) remains an active CIC participant. In fact, she hasn’t missed a meeting since her first one in Palm Springs, CA, nearly 20 years ago. When asked what keeps her coming back, her response was clear and enthusiastic: “Networking, networking, networking!”

The level of connection that staying engaged with CIC affords her remains relevant well into her retirement, as she remains actively involved in the Collision Industry Foundation and the Collision Industry Electronic Commerce Association. Not surprisingly, her ongoing work on behalf of the industry in her golden years hasn’t gone unnoticed. She was inducted into the Collision Industry Hall of Eagles in 2021 and was named CIC’s Volunteer of the Year in 2023.

Perhaps most significantly, Schroeder’s history with CIC includes spreading the word about the Women’s Industry Network, which she credits the forum for embracing with open arms.

“When I first joined [CIC], there were very few females in the audience, and I’m glad to see that this has totally changed. There are more women than ever before — and this is not only CIC’s doing, but in general. But CIC supports these women by giving them space and giving them participation in the committees [and as] co-chairs, chairs, presenters. It’s fun to see how inclusive CIC is.”

Expanding Possibilities and New Experiences

While inter-industry conversations are important, CIC’s growing focus in recent years on serving the people not in the room has been its greatest achievement. Nearly a decade ago, then-CIC Chair Jeff Peevy (I-CAR) symbolically placed an empty chair on stage to represent the most critical person of all: the consumer. This refined mission has continued to influence much of CIC’s purpose and direction, with now-Outgoing Chair Dan Risley (CCC Intelligent Solutions) announcing the formation of the CIC Consumer Advocacy Task Force earlier this year. Current volunteers on the task force include WMABA Secretary Barry Dorn and Auto Body Association of Texas Executive Director Jill Tuggle.

As a sign of CIC’s willingness to evolve alongside the industry and the consumers it represents, its Insurer-Repairer Relations Task Force recently morphed into the Industry Experiment Committee. Co-chaired by SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg, the committee brings a decidedly nontraditional spin to CIC discussions by offering podcast-style conversations with an eclectic array of guests, ranging from former Montana Chief Deputy Insurance Commissioner Frank Cote to Brunno Moretti, president of ADAS solutions at Ascential Technologies. Much like the industry itself, CIC continues to adapt and expand as new challenges, victories and goals perpetually redefine its work.   

What began with one determined repairer refusing to accept the status quo has grown into a 43-year tradition of repairers, insurers, vendors and other industry members coming together for discussions that matter. Al Estorga may no longer be here to see it, but the forum he helped create continues to carry his original vision forward — one conversation, one debate and one new voice at a time.

The next CIC meeting will be held November 3 during the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. For more information, please visit ciclink.com.

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