Meet WMABA Board Member Tracy Dombrowski

by Alana Quartuccio

Tracy Dombrowski’s (Collision Advice) role in the collision repair world is fueled by two things: the people who make up this great industry and a passion for giving back to the community.

Her substantial contributions to collision repair include  serving on WMABA’s Board of Directors, a role she has had since 2024.

“My involvement with WMABA began with a conversation,” she says. “Kris Burton asked whether I’d be interested in participating [on the Board], and I was happy to say yes. Giving back is a big part of our culture at Collision Advice. Many of our team members support their local associations, and as a company we try to support the industry as a whole. At the end of the day, we want to help improve the collision repair industry and make it better for everyone in it.”

Dombrowski did not set out to work in the collision industry, but as fate would have it, her knowledge and experience set her on the right path.

“In college, I wanted to be a novelist, until my mother asked me a very practical question: ‘What are you going to do to eat?’ That pushed me toward journalism, but it never quite felt like the right fit.”

Instead, she found her real passion after taking a job with a technical training company in Denver. “One of our accounts was DuPont Automotive, and they needed someone to help develop an estimating class,” she recalls. “Most of the staff had no background in collision repair and were a little intimidated by the subject. I wasn’t. My dad had taught me the basics of body work, along with how to change my own oil, so I figured I could learn the rest.

“What kept me in the industry, though, was the people,” she adds. “Everyone I met was hardworking and genuine, just trying to make a good living and take care of their employees and their families. I fell in love with that, and I’ve been here ever since.”

That DuPont Automotive estimating class sent her down the road to what would eventually lead to her work with Collision Advice.

“The subject matter expert they brought in to work with me was Mike Anderson, who owned two body shops in Virginia at the time. I flew out and spent a week with him at his shops, and he taught me an incredible amount. Together, we built a really strong class. More importantly, we discovered that we worked well together. I had a knack for pulling the knowledge out of Mike’s head and shaping it into content that was genuinely valuable to the industry. We continued collaborating on and off for many years.

“When Mike founded Collision Advice, he hired me to build all of the company’s training content,” Dombrowski continues. “I would develop the material, and he would teach it. As Mike likes to put it, I write the songs and he sings them. Several years ago, he gave me the opportunity to buy into Collision Advice, and today we’re business partners.”

Through her work at Collision Advice, Dombrowski invests a tremendous amount of time in keeping with industry trends and events. “We work closely with several OE manufacturers, which gives us valuable insight into what’s happening from their perspective. We also run our Spartan 300 performance group, which keeps us in touch with the hot issues affecting shops, not only in the Washington metro area but across the country. On top of that, we spend a lot of time reading, researching and analyzing data. That work helps us anticipate the forces shaping the industry, both the positive and the negative, so we can help shops prepare for what’s ahead.”

As a member of the WMABA Board, she hopes to bring a broader perspective thanks to her Collision Advice experience. “Through our work with OE manufacturers and our Spartan 300 performance group, I see what’s happening in shops across the country, not just here in the Washington metro area. I’d like to share those insights so our local members can spot trends early and be better prepared for the challenges and opportunities ahead. I also hope to contribute my background in training and education. For most of my career, my job has been taking complex information and turning it into something practical that people can actually use. I’d love to help WMABA deliver that kind of value to its members, whether through events, educational programs or simply sharing resources.

“Most of all, I want to support the people in this industry,” Dombrowski pledges. “From the very beginning, what kept me in collision repair was the shop owners, technicians and their families: good people working hard to build something. If I can help make their jobs a little easier and their businesses a little stronger, I’ll consider my time on the board well spent.”

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