A tour of the I-CAR Chicago Technical Center, insight from industry experts and networking with body shops and vendors were all part of the two-day 1Collision Summit, June 8-9 in Chicago, IL. The 58 attendees included 1Collision location owners and managers, sponsoring vendor partners, and 1Collision staff from the U.S. and Canada.
“1Collision conferences have always been very well received by the 1Collision location owners,” said Jim Keller, president and COO of 1Collision. “During the pandemic, we were only able to connect virtually with the shops and vendor partners as a group. We are grateful for the partners and speakers that supported the event with their very informative and relevant presentations.”
On day one of the event, there was a behind-the-scenes tour of the I-CAR Chicago Technical Center, which opened nearly a year ago. Attendees had the opportunity to see the latest collision repair technologies and education, including the facility’s welding, flex, ADAS and EV labs, as well as hear presentations at various learning stations related to scanning, calibrations, 3D printing and virtual reality demonstrations.
“The Day at I-CAR event was a dynamic and valuable experience for all in attendance,” said Keller. “Special thanks to Bud Center, Lisa Ferguson and the entire I-CAR and Chicago Technical Center leadership and staff for a memorable experience.”
“We’re proud to aid 1Collision in their collective objective. The Appleton and Chicago Technical Centers are investments in our industry’s technical infrastructure,” said Associate Vice President of Collision Repair Terry Ticel. “With advanced technology impacting all corners of the industry, I-CAR’s role is to support every collision repair professional so that they’re armed with the resources, knowledge and skills to survive and thrive the Technical Tsunami™.”
Following an in-depth technical information presentation from Center, I-CAR’s director of technical products and curriculum development, Brandon Eckenrode, executive director of the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF), discussed CREF’s efforts to support collision school programs and showcased how businesses can get involved with local schools.
Ideas included volunteering on school advisory boards, encouraging students, schools and instructors to take advantage of CREF scholarships and tool grants and sponsoring Cintas uniforms for students. He also urged shops to donate parts to schools through CREF, participate in career fairs, engage with and present to schools, host field trips and introduce local vendors/suppliers to CREF.
“Collision industry businesses engaging with their local schools, students and instructors is crucial to help ensure these classrooms are full but also are graduating properly trained entry-level staff for industry employment,” said Eckenrode.
Greg Peeters, CEO of Car ADAS Solutions, and Frank Terlep, vice-president of collision and ADAS services at Opus IVS, then shared information about setting up and operating calibration centers.
Peeters talked about overcoming the hurdles of building a thriving ADAS calibration business. “With new vehicles now required to have a calibration post-collision repair, is it critical for collision repair facilities across the country to decide how they will meet this increasing demand,” said Peeters.
During his presentation, Peeters addressed the current and future need to conduct ADAS calibrations and shared the requirements to set up an OEM-centric calibration center. He also discussed the potential liability if a safe and proper repair isn’t performed and the importance of proper documentation.
Terlep discussed what Opus IVS is doing to enable ADAS service, calibration and validation businesses to open, operate and succeed.
“Today, no company is able to provide an existing or future ADAS service, calibration and validation business a complete diagnostic tool, software and mobile app solution to properly identify, diagnose, calibrate, validate, document, manage and invoice for ADAS services, calibrations and validations,” said Terlep. During his presentation, Terlep talked about what Opus IVS is doing to solve this problem and help shop owners understand what will be required in the future.
During that evening’s dinner, 1Collision presented four awards to network body shop owners/managers.
Raffi Avetyan and Ellie Adri from All Magic Paint & Body in California were named Promoters of the Year for their help with recruiting new locations. Jerald Stiele and Jake Moser from Hopkins Auto Body 1 and Collision Center 1 Golden Valley and Prior Lake in Minnesota received the Growth Award.
The Community Involvement award was given to Denisse Barragan, J & R Auto Body & Paint in California, and Steve Fishe from Plan B Auto Body received an award for Most Improved Shop.
Keynote speaker Caleb Spitler, founder of Restio, then shared insight on avoiding burnout and the science of having more energy.
“Everyone wants to increase productivity, have lots of energy, feel good and take their organization to new heights, but last year the No. 1 reason people quit their jobs was due to burnout,” Spitler noted. “If we expect a high level of output from ourselves and our teams, we must become experts at restoring our physical and emotional well-being.”
Spitler also shared how organizations can reduce stress, increase engagement and help create thriving cultures that attract and retain top performers.
Abby Andrews