Current Events/News: I-CAR Press Releases

October 20, 2008

I-CAR CEO EDELEN PROVIDES UPDATE TO CCIF PARTICIPANTS AT MEETING IN MONTREAL

HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL –October 20, 2008 – On October 18, with the support of CCIF Chairman Tony Canade and Canadian Collision Industry Forum CCIF Executive Director Mike Bryan, I-CAR President and CEO John Edelen addressed the 300 attendees at the CCIF conference, and updated these key industry leaders on the events of its own Annual Meeting held the prior day.

“Roughly a year ago, the I-CAR International Board of Directors established a Task Force under the leadership of Roland Taube, to consider the issue of I-CAR in Canada. The Task Force commissioned Creative Partners in Performance Inc. to conduct a market study to provide insights into these issues, including the level of support for training by the inter-industry, generally, and the implications that this has for I-CAR in the future,” said Edelen. “The Task Force will use this research, and the feedback gained at yesterday’s “Town Hall” meeting, to formulate its position and to prepare its recommendations to the I-CAR International Board. This will take place in February 2009.”

“The question of what changes need to be made in order for I-CAR to be successful in Canada is not a question that
I-CAR can answer for itself or on its own. It is a question that must be answered by the inter-industry.”

Edelen closed his comments to the CCIF participants by stating, “Over the course of the discussion yesterday, the level of engagement of the participants and of industry thought-leaders from across the industry segments suggests that there is still great support for I-CAR in Canada in the future.”

Edelen concluded by emphasizing that, “In the meantime, as the Task Force and the Board and the inter-industry sorts through what form this might take, we are here. We are scheduling I-CAR classes, conducting I-CAR training, and continuing to support the training needs of the inter-industry as best we can under our current structure. And, we intend to continue to do so until we can transition, hopefully, to an industry-supported alternative in 2009.”

		I-CAR Press Release ( 48K) in Adobe Acrobat Format