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Current Events/News: E-newsletter: 2009 Archives
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I-CAR TO ADJUST PRICING ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2009
The new full-price cost of a typical training class will move to $160 per point, however with the advance purchase of discount coupons, the cost of classroom training can be reduced to $112 per point. Gold Class Professionals businesses and Platinum Individual students will continue to receive further discounts, reducing the cost to $95 per point. The most economical pricing will be available to students who bypass the coupon process and who register and pay online using a major credit card. The use of online registration reduces the cost to $108 per point. In keeping with the practice of providing the best price incentives for Gold Class Professionals businesses and Platinum Individual students, the on-line registration and payment rate will be $91 per point for these groups, making this the lowest-price training option available. In response to feedback from the industry, I-CAR will also be lowering its price for online training to $40 per one-quarter point which will make the pricing of online and live classroom training more comparable. “I-CAR training offers an exceptional value and we are committed to continuing to provide a high level of quality to the inter-industry that is both timely and relevant,” said Joyce Kasmer, Director of Marketing for I-CAR. “The industry is quickly responding to the availability of an online registration process and online training opportunities and we’re excited about being able to provide lower pricing in these areas.” Prices for live classroom training in Canada, New Zealand, and Australia will not be affected. Additional information is available at www.i-car.com.
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I-CAR 30th ANNUAL INDUSTRY CONFERENCE RECOGNIZES VOLUNTEERISMNearly 300 volunteers, instructors, and inter-industry professionals gathered in July for I-CAR’s 30th Annual Industry Conference at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. This year’s conference focused on the legacy of volunteers as the not-for-profit training organization celebrated its 30th anniversary. The conference opened with a new event, an inter-industry tradeshow, on Tuesday, July 28, where 26 exhibitors, who also sponsored the conference, had the opportunity to share information with conference attendees and the public.
A highlighted session on Wednesday, July 29 included an economic address from Dr. Martin Regalia, Senior Vice President for Economic and Tax Policy and Chief Economist at the United States Chamber of Commerce. Regalia, whose experience has included roles within the Congressional Budget Office and the Federal Reserve System, offered comments on key economic indicators and suggested that while the worst may be over, economic recovery will be long and slow. Two panel discussions that offered insights into strategies and tactics for success in today’s economy followed Regalia’s address and were led by I-CAR President and CEO, John Edelen. Industry leaders participating in the discussion included Roger Foss, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.; Nick Notte, Allstate Insurance Company; Michael Quinn, 911 Collision Centers; Roger Cada, State Farm Insurance; Randy Hanson, Allstate Insurance Company; Mario Malacara, Service King Collision Repair Centers; Rick Paukstitus, True2Form; and Dusty Womble, Roger Beasley Collision Center.
The focus shifted on Thursday, July 30 to those who have volunteered for the organization during the course of the past three decades. “Volunteers are vital to our organization, without the support of our volunteers I-CAR would not be able to function as a training organization for the inter-industry,” said Jeff Peevy, I-CAR Director of Field Operations. “The years of support offered by the individuals that we’ve honored this year shows their commitment to training and ultimately to the safety of vehicles on the road.”
The conference continued with an all-day session, Friday, July 31 geared toward both volunteers and instructors, who work closely together to bring training to the inter-industry and closed the last day of the conference with a celebration of the achievements of those volunteers and instructors during the last business year. “The I-CAR industry conference is a tremendous opportunity for those in the inter-industry to come together and share knowledge,” said Edelen. “With the rapid rate of change in vehicle materials and design, the need to stay current on repair technologies is more acute than ever. I-CAR stands ready to continue to bring this to the auto collision inter-industry.
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I-CAR RECOGNIZES 30-YEAR LEGACY OF VOLUNTEERSI-CAR recognized its longest-serving volunteers during the organization’s 30th Annual Industry Conference held in July at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. As a part of a Legacy Reception, held on July 30, I-CAR recognized volunteers who have served the collision inter-industry for the 30 years since I-CAR was founded, and also recognized those individuals with 25 and 20 years of service. “For 30 years volunteers have been the heart and soul of I-CAR. They have been instrumental in the origins of the organization and continue to carry the vision and mission forward,” said Tom Moreland of AkzoNobel and Chairman of the I-CAR International Board of Directors. “Our volunteers are recognized throughout the industry and now are even recognized nationally through the President’s Volunteer Service Award.” “I-CAR is here today, thirty years later, due to the efforts of our volunteers and instructors,” said John Edelen, President and CEO of I-CAR. “It is the unique and generous commitment of their time over the past thirty that has sustained the organization and enabled it to continue to serve the collision repair inter-industry. We are grateful to each of them.” In addition to recognizing long-serving volunteers, Moreland also announced that the organization’s Chairman’s Award – an award chosen by the Board of Directors – went to Doug Middleton, who helped found I-CAR and has continued his involvement since that time. “Doug’s contributions to I-CAR since its founding 30 years ago are numerous,” said Moreland. “On our 30th Anniversary, it is an honor to recognize Doug for his dedication to the collision inter-industry and the vision of I-CAR.” During his years with I-CAR, Middleton has served as a local volunteer on the San Antonio committee, worked as a consultant for I-CAR, worked as a Regional Manager, and most recently served on the International Advisory Committee. Bill Stage, Chairman of the International Advisory Committee added, “Doug was there, as an employee of USAA, helping to found I-CAR 30 years ago. When I-CAR started, USAA provided Doug full-time to I-CAR for a year to help get things rolling.” Volunteers honored during I-CAR’s 30th Anniversary Legacy Reception includes:
Additional award recipients honored at the conference include: Superior Performance Award Superior Performance awards are awarded to a volunteer committee in each zone or country that has achieved the highest percentage of goal attainment in students taught and sets the standard for consistently offering I-CAR classes to the industry.
Founder's Awards are presented every year to the one individual in each zone or country Founder’s Award
In honor of the late Lon Baudoux, the Instructor of the Year Award was renamed the Lon Baudoux Instructor of the Year Award. As each year passes Lon’s devotion to instructing will be shared with those instructors fortunate enough to receive this award and his memory will continue to be celebrated because of it. The Lon Baudoux Instructor of the Year Awards are presented to the I-CAR instructor in each zone or province who most exemplifies the I-CAR presence in the classroom, a commitment to excellence, and keeping pace with technology. Recipients include: Lon Baudoux Instructor of the Year
The Central Zone earned the Zone of the Year Award (Hubcap Award) which is awarded
The Tech Centre Award was awarded to Mike Melnyk of BASF Corporation and Phil Scholl of FinishMaster, Inc. for their help in developing I-CAR training courses and programs. North Kitsap Auto Rebuild, Inc. earned the Russ Verona Memorial Award for leading by
Canada earned the Horizon Award which is given to the zone or country that has the Education Foundation Awards were presented to: the Committee of the Year: Broward County I-CAR Committee; Best Fundraising Event Award: Atlanta I-CAR Committee; and the Fueling the Future Award: Springfield I-CAR Committee.
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THANK YOU I-CAR 30TH ANNUAL INDUSTRY CONFERENCE SPONSORS37 organizations helped make it possible for I-CAR to hold the conference including: 1-800-Radiator; ABRA Auto Body & Glass; AkzoNobel; ALLDATA; Allstate Insurance; Audatex, a Solera Company; Auto Data Labels; Automotive ID; BASF; BMW of North America; Carfax; Car-O-Liner Company; CARSTAR; CCC Information Services, Inc.; Celette North America; CSi Complete; Cyncast; DuPont Performance Coatings; Enterprise Rent-A-Car; Fix Auto USA; IADA Association; IAnet; Keenan Auto Body; Liberty Mutual Insurance; LKQ Corporation; Mitchell International; Nationwide Insurance; Panasonic Computer Solutions Company; Performance Radiator; PPG Industries, Inc.; Safeco Insurance; Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes; State Farm Insurance; Sterling AutoBody Centers; Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc.; True2Form Collision Repair Centers; Wurth USA, Inc.
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I-CAR VOLUNTEERS WORK WITH OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY TO “DEVELOP A CURRICULUM”As I-CAR continues to refine its training products based upon feedback directly from the collision inter-industry, it has launched a DACUM, (Develop A Curriculum) process for occupational analysis supported by the Ohio State University’s Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE). Ohio State University describes the DACUM process as “involving local men and women with reputations for being the ’top performers’ at their jobs, working on a short-term committee assignment with a qualified DACUM facilitator. Workers are recruited directly from business and industry. These workers become the Panel of Experts who collectively and cooperatively describe the occupation in the language of the occupation.” Jason Bartanen, I-CAR Technical Director explained, “In the past, I-CAR identified what it felt was most appropriate training for specific roles in the industry based upon a combination of technical research and industry feedback. The DACUM process I-CAR is using in conjunction with OSU provides a more structured process that allows the people who actually do the work to tell us what they do. I-CAR, along with other inter-industry training organizations, can then begin to develop a training and career path for those individuals.” I-CAR included several individuals from both the collision repair and insurance industries in the two two-day sessions that took place in July. Those attending from the collision repair industry included Stacy Bartnik, CARSTAR; Dennis Steinke, ABRA; Paul Blaski, Sterling AutoBody; John Sanders, True2Form; Aaron Clark, Collision Solutions; and Chris Hardin, Autobody of Columbus. Those participating from the insurance industry included Tom Perrett, Allstate; Garrett Fitzpatrick, State Farm; Kenny Hall, State Farm; Craig LeBlanc, Farmers Insurance; Kenny Hall, Progressive Insurance; Kyle Thompson, USAA; John Williams, IADA; Chris Boisvert, Nationwide; Jesse Flaugher, Safeco; and Chad Scott, Safeco. The participation of professionals from within the industry in the DACUM process will allow I-CAR to better-develop training that is relevant to the roles that are represented within the auto collision inter-industry. The DACUM work, in conjunction with existing feedback provided by instructors and volunteers, the International Advisory Committee, Industry Segment Advisory Councils, and I-CAR research with vehicle manufacturers, suppliers and students, will provide information for the development of the next-generation of I-CAR curriculum that the industry has requested to fill its training needs. “Last year, I-CAR launched an aggressive external scanning effort to help identify areas the organization could improve to deliver on its mission to providing timely and relevant training to the collision inter-industry,” said John Edelen, President and CEO of I-CAR. “The work of these dedicated volunteers who are participating in the DACUM process will help I-CAR develop and deliver role-based training that fulfills the I-CAR vision that every person in the collision industry, current and future, has the necessary knowledge and skills relevant to their position to achieve a complete and safe repair.”
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I-CAR INTERNATIONAL MOVES FORWARD WITH DECISION ON POTENTIAL CANADIAN LICENSEEI-CAR has announced that it will enter into negotiations with the Automotive Industries Association of Canada (AIA) to reach an agreement under which AIA would be licensed to provide I-CAR training in Canada in the future. In 2008, the I-CAR International Board of Directors established a task force of Canadian collision industry leaders to support the Board’s effort to find an appropriate solution to ensure that the Canadian inter-industry would have continued access to I-CAR products after I-CAR closes its current US-based regional operation. In 2009, this work continued. At the recent I-CAR’s 30th Annual Industry Conference, as a result of the work of the task force and a rigorous proposal evaluation process, the I-CAR Board of Directors directed I-CAR staff to work with AIA in an effort to establish a solution that will meet the demands of the Canadian collision inter-industry for continued access to I-CAR training. “Throughout the past year, the voice of the Canadian industry has been clear – there is a continued need and demand for I-CAR training,” said I-CAR President and CEO John Edelen. “We are glad to have reached this point in the process, and to have the potential to work with AIA on a solution that is the right solution to ensure that I-CAR training remains viable and accessible in Canada.” Marc Brazeau, AIA President is also happy to have reached this step in the process. ”AIA is committed to the long-term well-being of the Collision sector in Canada and training, in this highly complex field, is essential to maintaining professionalism. We are hopeful that the next stage of discussions will result in a mutually beneficial agreement that will set the stage for I-CAR training in Canada for many years to come.” “We are looking forward to working with AIA to achieve a solution that is right for Canada,” noted Edelen.
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I-CAR AWARDS COLLISION INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS $150 IN GIFT CARDSI-CAR truly benefits from regular feedback from students who have recently completed I-CAR training. To thank those who provide their honest opinions in electronic surveys, I-CAR offers a quarterly drawing with a chance to win a $150 gift card. Ken Carmine of Nationwide Insurance in High Springs, Florida and Randall McGrath of Andrews Chevrolet Sales Inc. in Mason, Michigan are the first and second quarter drawing winners. Their names were randomly chosen to each receive $150 in gift cards from the retailer or restaurant of their choice.
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EDUCATION FOUNDATION NEWS
The I-CAR Education Foundation is directly investing in collision education by offering their largest grant award in their 17 year history. “The Ultimate Collision Education Makeover Program” will award one school with a $50,000 grant to overhaul their current school collision repair program. The winning school will be able to utilize this $50,000 grant to purchase equipment, curriculum, instructor training, and supplies for their current collision repair program. The I-CAR Education Foundation will also be working together with industry partners who will be providing in-kind product donations to the winning school. This grant, officially announced to the collision industry at the I-CAR 30th Annual Industry Conference in Washington D.C., is open to collision repair schools across North America. Applications are currently available at www.edfoundation.org, and are due by September 30, 2009. The winning school will be announced at NACE during the I-CAR Education Foundation’s first annual donor recognition reception on November 4, 2009 The goal of the Ultimate Collision Education Makeover Program is to be able to honor a school that has been doing an outstanding job in educating students in collision repair, but is in need of financial assistance to improve their program’s teaching materials and equipment. The I-CAR Education Foundation is looking to eliminate any financial barriers for the school in order to create the best collision program possible, thereby making a difference in the lives of the students studying collision repair. “The Ultimate Collision Education Makeover Program will be a lasting investment in the lives and careers of every student who attends the winning collision repair school,” said Scott Kruger, I-CAR Education Foundation Executive Director. “School budgets have been under enormous pressure for some time now, and technical education programs seem to bear the brunt of these funding and program cuts. This grant is an opportunity for collision repair instructors to update their equipment and other teaching resources, and it is also a message to schools nationwide from the entire collision industry that technical education is important and worthy of such a commitment.” “We are starting with one school this year, but we all know that a grant to a single program is not going to ensure the next generation of efficient and productive collision repair technicians. The I-CAR Education Foundation is committed to expanding The Ultimate Collision Education Makeover Program with the help of all our collision industry partners. To secure the resources to expand the program into the future, we welcome donations from all our partners, including direct product and equipment donations that will give future technicians hands on training and experience with the tools and equipment they will use their entire career.” This grant opportunity, as well as the other scholarships and grants offered by the I-CAR Education Foundation, are funded by the Collision Repair Education Campaign, which is hosted by the I-CAR Education Foundation. The funds for the Collision Repair Education Campaign are provided through donations from all collision industry segments. If your business would be interested in donating equipment and/or supplies to the winning school, please contact the Education Foundation at 888.722.3787, Ext. 282. I-CAR Education Foundation now accepting applications for the 2009 Instructor of The Year Award The I-CAR Education Foundation has opened the call for applications for the I-CAR Education Foundation's Instructor of the Year award. The winner of the award will receive an expense-paid trip to NACE 2009 where the instructor will be recognized for their achievement. This award is open to all collision repair instructors teaching at career and technical schools and colleges that utilize the I-CAR Live Curriculum. Members of the industry and fellow educators can nominate an instructor for this award by visiting www.ed-foundation.org and downloading the I-CAR Education Foundation Instructor of the Year Award application. Collision repair instructors are welcome to nominate themselves for the award as well. “Education is vital to the collision industry, be it the continuing education a senior technician receives or that first class an aspiring entry-level technician attends in high school,” said Scott Kruger, I-CAR Education Foundation Executive Director. “The I-CAR Education Foundation is proud to recognize those collision repair instructors who successfully inform, excite, and enable a young person’s skill and curiosity, transforming a passion for cars into a successful career.” Applications need to be submitted by September 30, 2009 in order to be considered for the award. Winners will be notified in early October in order to schedule their trip to NACE. Ultrawiz to offer Tool Grants to Collision Schools through I-CAR Education Foundation UltraWiz has donated windshield replacement tool kits to the I-CAR Education Foundation to be distributed to collision repair schools. The kits will be distributed with other scholarship and student support grants this fall. UltraWiz’s donation will ensure that several schools that teach glass repair will have available tools and equipment in order to best instruct their students. ”This is a great opportunity for collision repair students to gain real experience with the tools they may be using in their careers”, said Scott Kruger, I-CAR Education Foundation Executive Director. “Thank you to Robert and everyone at UltraWiz for their donation.” “It’s a great opportunity for us to become a supporter of the I-CAR Education Foundation,” said Robert Nilsson, President of A.N. Designs. “I am very proud to be able to put our products in the hands of these up and coming collision repair technicians.” In total, 15 kits will be available for this grant. Applications for the UltraWiz tool grant are available at www.ed-foundation.org, completed applications will be due by October 15, and the awarded kits will be distributed in November. The grant will be available to schools that meet the requirements designated on the application. About UltraWiz A.N. Designs of Connecticut, manufacturers the full line of UltraWiz® Auto Glass Removal Hand Tools. The company produces cold knife blades in many different styles and cut lengths, along with fully adjustable lever knives for any type of windshield removal. Since 1986, originally known as the Windshield Wizard, the UltraWiz® name is recognized globally as the leader in high quality auto glass hand tools. For detailed information, visit www.ultrawiztools.com.
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