New England Automotive Report January 2014

PLUS: Industry Roundtable: State Associations Share Successes, Challenges & Goals for 2014 & Beyond - pg. 25

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MASSACHUSETTS

BUILDING THE SUCCESS OF THE AUTO REPAIR INDUSTRY

2 January 2014 New England Automotive Report

FEATURES 25 | INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLEState associations share their successes, challenges and goals for 2014 and beyond.as told to Alicia Figurelli

34 | EDUCATION FOR THE REALWORLD: INSIDE ASSABET VALLEYREGIONAL TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOLA look at a vocational insititution as they keep the industry going with eager, talented future techs.by Joel Gausten

42 | THE POWER OF PROGRESS:AASP/MA REBRANDS, MOVES INTO 2014Armed with a revamped logo and an impressiveagenda, AASP/MA hits the ground running in theNew Year. by Joel Gausten

DEPARTMENTSPRESIDENT’S MESSAGE8 | A Year to Rememberby Paul Hendricks

NATIONAL NEWS16 | Right to Repair Signed into Law in Massachusetts

LEGAL PERSPECTIVE18 | Back to the Basics (A Multi-Part Series):

Direct Payment Plans - Referral Shop Provisionsby James A. Castleman, Esq.

VENDOR SPOTLIGHT22 | True Camaraderie: Sarat Ford-Lincoln Helps AASP/MA

Move Forward

180BIZ FEATURE52 | What Are You Worth?by Rick White

New England Automotive Report January 2014 5

CONTENTS

10 | A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR11 | ADALB REPORT19 | AASP/MA SUSTAINING SPONSORS61 | AASP/MA MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION62 | INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

25

January 2014 • Volume 12, No. 1

ALSO THIS ISSUE

42



STAFF

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AASP/MA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEPRESIDENTPaul HendricksVICE PRESIDENTMolly BrodeurSECRETARYGary CloutierACTING TREASURERMolly BrodeurIMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENTRick Starbard

AASP/MA STATEWIDE DIRECTORSCOLLISION DIVISION DIRECTORAdam IoakimASSOCIATE DIVISION DIRECTORDon Cushing

AASP/MA CHAPTER DIRECTORSN/E CHAPTER COLLISION DIRECTORAlex FalzoneS/E CHAPTER COLLISION DIRECTORKevin GalleraniS/E CHAPTER MECHANICAL DIRECTORMichael PenachoMIDSTATE CHAPTER COLLISION DIRECTORTom RicciMIDSTATE CHAPTER MECHANICAL DIRECTORJustin ForkuoWESTERN CHAPTER COLLISION DIRECTORPeter LangoneWESTERN CHAPTER MECHANICAL DIRECTOREd Nalewanski

New England Automotive Report is published monthly by TGP, Inc., 244 Chestnut Street, Suite 202 Nutley, NJ 07110. Distributed free to qualified recipients; $48 to all oth-ers. Additional copies of New England Automotive Report are available at $5 per copy. Reproduction of any portions of this publication is specifically prohibited without writ-ten permission of the publisher. The opinions and ideas appearing in this magazine are not necessarily representations of TGP Inc. or of AASP/MA. Copyright © 2014 by ThomasGreco Publishing, Inc. Cover image ©www.istockphoto.com/Sintez

PUBLISHERThomas Greco ([email protected])

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WWW.AASPMA.ORG

AASP/MA EXECUTIVE DIRECTORJillian M. Zywien

Lynch Associates, Inc.

Phone: (617) 574-0741Fax: (617) 695-0173

Email: [email protected]

JANUARY 2014January 14, 2014

AASP/MA Statewide MeetingDoubletree Hotel

5400 Computer Dr., Westboro, MA

January 28, 2014AASP/MA Board of Directors Meeting

Doubletree Hotel5400 Computer Dr., Westboro, MA

FEBRUARY 2014February 11, 2014

AASP/MA MidState Chapter MeetingDoubletree Hotel


MARCH 2014March 11, 2014

AASP/MA Statewide MeetingDoubletree Hotel


March 21, 22, 23, 2014AASP/NJ’s NORTHEAST® Automotive

Services ShowMeadowlands Exposition Center

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MASSACHUSETTS


Please note new

phone/fax numbers!

I hope that all of our members andreadership are having a happy andhealthy New Year so far. If you’re like me,you ended 2013 on a very busy notethanks to a minor pre-Christmas snowstorm. Here’s hoping that 2014 bringsjust as many jobs through our doors!

As we wipe the slate clean and startfresh for the New Year, AASP/MA is poisedto make some major changes. First andforemost, I have to bid a fond farewell toour own Joann Nalewanski, who recentlyannounced her retirement as event coor-dinator for AASP/MA’s Annual Casino

Night after six incredible years. Joann hashelped elevate our annual fundraiser tobecome the pinnacle event of AASP/MA’syear, and has succeeded in bringing to-gether members, vendors and supportersin the spirit of camaraderie and industryunity time and time again. As she stepsdown, we salute her dedication and tire-less efforts, which have yielded truly spec-tacular results for the Massachusettsrepair industry at-large. Joann, thank youso much.

The officers of AASP/MA recentlygathered to discuss our goals and long-term “wish list” for the future at an asso-ciation strategy session, the results ofwhich can be seen in the pages of thisvery issue. Our association will be focusedon making some pivotal changes both in-ternally and industry-wide over the nextthree years, from the revamping of ourlogo to more sweeping change at theCapitol. To learn more about our goalsand hopes for the future, as well as somegreat things we’ve already got cookingpresently, I urge you to read this month’scover story (pg. 42) and Industry Round-table feature (pg. 25). Not only might youlearn something you didn’t know beforeabout your association, but better yet, youmay find you’re able to help us achieveour goals. We welcome all assistancefrom our members and supporters, andno efforts are too small! Please contactExecutive Director Jillian Zywien if you’dlike further information about helpingAASP/MA out on Beacon Hill or anywherethat change is needed.

Let’s make 2014 a year to remember!

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE


AASP/MA President PaulHendricks is the owner of

Hendricks Auto Body inUxbridge. MA. He can be

reached at (508) 278-6066or [email protected].

MASSACHUSETTS


A Year to Remember


A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Happy New Year, Members!

Since my last report, AASP/MA’s Board of Directors partici-pated in a strategic planning session to clearly define the asso-ciation’s mission statement, vision and initiatives. The intent isto deliver to our members a clear understanding of our directionfrom 2014 through 2017. We have also been visiting each Chap-ter to discuss the details of AASP/MA’s strategic plan and re-ceive feedback from our members. The results have beenpositive, and details of the plan can be found on our websiteunder the “About” tab, as well as in the pages of this very mag-azine. You will find that the association’s new mission, visionand future goals will closely align with your own business objec-tives.

One of the most important objectives defined in our planwas a need for a functioning ADALB. After months of 10-minute-long meetings, there is finally news to report! The ADALB hassuggested they may be rewriting the regulations to fix archaiclanguage and practices, align the regulations to current the busi-ness climate and ensure the Board is functioning at its full

potential. This has opened a door for the association to play anactive role in making sure current regulations are strictly andfairly enforced. At the time of this writing, our Legislative Com-mittee has set up a meeting to identify areas of concern andsubmit our suggestions to the Division of Insurance and theADALB. We look forward to working with both agencies to ensureeffective change.

The association has also rolled out several new memberbenefit programs that were many months in the making. You willfind a detailed explanation of these offerings in this month’scover story. These new programs have been designed to not onlysave members money, but to also improve the efficiency of mem-ber businesses. I hope you will consider participating in thesebenefits, as well as all of AASP/MA’s offerings. If you have anidea for a program, we welcome any input from our membersand vendors.

Our Board of Directors has also approved our 2014 calendarof events, which you will find on our website under the “Events”tab. You will also find event listings for January through March onpage 7 of this magazine. We want to give our members the op-

AASP/MA: Building the Success of the Auto Repair Industry


AASP/MA Executive Director Jillian Zywien

has been a senioraccount executive at Lynch

Associates for over sixyears. She can be reached

at (617) 574-0741 orvia email at [email protected].

MASSACHUSETTS


tion to plan for all of these meeting datesin advance. Please check the website forupdated information and meeting con-tent.

Each New Year offers a fresh start,and I am excited for the changes ahead.Find out how you can get involved by con-tacting AASP/MA TODAY at our new localnumber: (617) 574-0741. Let’s make2014 our most successful year yet in“building the success of the auto repairindustry.”

Sincerely,

Jillian Zywien, Executive Director

On December 3, the Auto DamageAppraisers Licensing Board (ADALB)hosted its first meeting since October 2 atthe Division of Insurance. All Board mem-bers were in attendance for this meetingto close out the 2013 year.

As in previous meetings, the Part IIexam was the only agenda item and wasbriefly reported on by Board member CarlGarcia (Carl’s Collision Center, Fall River).The next Part II exam will be held on Jan-uary 7 at the Holiday Inn in Taunton, MA.There will again be a review in Garcia’sshop at 3pm the day prior.

During the meeting, Board memberJoe Coyne suggested that current regula-tions be reviewed by both the ADALB andthe Division in an effort to update anti-quated language, align the regulationswith current business practices and makesure the ADALB is performing all dutiesthey are empowered to.

The Board selected the following sec-tions of regulations to be reviewed:

• Conflict of interest• Contact with Claimant and Selection of

repair shops• Revocation and suspension

• Conduct of appraisals• Requirements of personal inspection and

photos

Per the discussion at the December3 meeting, both CMR 211 and 212 will bereviewed by the Division of Insurance’sGeneral Counsel and his staff. Those rec-ommendations will be reviewed by theADALB at their next meeting, scheduledfor February 25, 2014 at 9:30am. Follow-ing this review, a notice of a hearing willbe sent out for public comment and a for-mal hearing date will be set.

AASP/MA’s Legislative Committeehas set up a meeting to review the regu-lations and formulate and submit our re-sponse to the Division and the ADALB.This is an important opportunity for ourmember shops to play an active role inthe rewrite of these regulations. Pleasepay close attention to all future associa-tion communications as this initiative de-velops. If you are not a member ofAASP/MA, please go to our website andjoin today so you will be part of these im-portant deliberations.

ADALB REPORT

MASSACHUSETTS



NATIONAL NEWS

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed the Massa-chusetts Right to Repair legislation into law on November 26,ensuring that the Commonwealth’s citizens will have access toa competitive vehicle repair market.

In a recent press release by the Automotive Aftermarket In-dustry Association (AAIA), AAIA President and CEO KathleenSchmatz stated, “The signing by the Governor represents amajor victory for Massachusetts car owners, who took the majorstep last year in voting for the nation’s first Right to Repair law.AAIA and our partner, the Coalition for Auto Repair Equality(CARE), will now devote our full attention to completing work ona memorandum of understanding with the vehicle manufactur-ers that is intended to ensure that motorists across the nationcan enjoy the same market benefits that Massachusetts carowners now enjoy.”

The newly-signed legislation was needed in order to recon-cile two laws that were on the books in Massachusetts mandat-ing car companies provide affordable access to all tools,software and information used to repair late model computer-

controlled vehicles. The first law was the result of an agreementreached between the Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalitionand the vehicle manufacturers that was passed unanimously bythe state legislature in late July. The bill was approved by the leg-islature too late to remove a ballot measure that had been spon-sored by the coalition. That ballot measure was approved inNovember 2012 by an overwhelming 85-15 percent margin,thus ensuring that there were two Right to Repair laws on thebooks in Massachusetts.

The recently-signed bill is similar to the one that passed thelegislature in 2012, but includes provisions that require that in-formation and tools be available for heavy-duty vehicles (thoseover 14,000 pounds). The ballot measure included these vehi-cles, but they had been deleted from the bill that passed the leg-islature. Through efforts of a coalition of aftermarket heavy-dutyservice providers, the state Senate adopted an amendment thatrestored heavy-duty vehicles back into the bill.

RIGHT TO REPAIR SIGNED INTO LAW IN MASSACHUSETTS

MASSACHUSETTS


Before the “Direct Payment” system of settling insured autodamage claims was instituted 25 years ago, the ability of insur-ers in Massachusetts to direct their claimants to particular repairshops was greatly limited. That, however, was changed drasti-cally by the Auto Insurance Reform Act of 1988, which allowedinsurers to develop “Direct Payment” plans for settling claims.

Under the Act, the Commissioner of Insurance had to issueregulations governing Direct Payment plans. When the Com-missioner issued those regulations, a “referral shop” componentfor the plans was required. Yet, the Commissioner-issued regu-latory requirements for referral shops were unique when com-pared to how referral shops or Direct Repair programs existedin the rest of the country. And if you are a referral shop for oneor more insurers, have ever considered becoming a referral shopor even if you are not a referral shop but compete for businesswith them, then it is imperative you become aware of what theCommissioner’s regulations say about referral shops.

Regulatory Requirements for Referral Shop ListsAll insurers adopting Direct Payment plans in Massachu-

setts must include a referral shop component and develop rela-tionships with a group of referral repair shops that meet thedictates of the Commissioner’s regulations. Yet, according to theregulation, no Direct Payment plan (and no insurer adopting aplan) can require a claimant to have repairs made at any spe-cific shop. Further, an insurer cannot require a claimant to haverepairs made at one of their referral repair shops. The ultimatechoice of where to have repairs made must always lie with the

claimant. However, what is not entirely clear from the regulation- and the Commissioner’s interpretation of the regulation overthe years - is how far an insurer may go to try to influence aclaimant to use one or more of its referral shops. (That is a topicfor another article covering more than just “the basics.”)

According to the regulation, when an insurer receives noticeof a claim, it must give its insured claimant a list of all registeredrepair shops in the state. That requirement has been modifiedthrough an interpretive Bulletin issued by the Commissioner,who requires the list contain only those registered shops locatedin the claimant’s county. The list can also indicate by asterisksor other markings “at least five repair shops geographically con-venient for the claimant which will perform the repairs on re-ferred claims without undue delay.” These are the insurer’sreferral shops. In practice, insurers indicate all their repair shopsin the county, which usually number significantly more than five.The regulation has a provision that allows an insurer to requesta waiver of the five-shop requirement from the Commissioner,but I am unaware of any insurer actually requesting such awaiver, certainly not within the past 20 years. An insurer maynot give a claimant a separate list of only its referral shops.

The list of all registered repair shops is to be updated quar-terly by the Automobile Insurers Bureau of Massachusetts (AIB)from records of the Division of Standards, which oversees theregistration of shops. The AIB is an insurance industry organi-zation that represents the auto insurance industry in the state invarious regulatory proceedings, and which also provides statis-tical and actuarial forms and other support for its member car-riers. Auto insurers must use the AIB list of registered shops togive to their insureds.

Requirements for Referral ShopsMassachusetts requires insurers to accept almost all shops

as referral shops if they meet certain minimal requirements. Es-sentially, insurers have to accept all registered shops “whichhave entered into an agreement satisfactory to the insurer, to

LEGAL PERSPECTIVE

BACK TO THE

BASICS:DIRECT PAYMENT PLANS -

REFERRAL SHOP PROVISIONSby James A. Castleman, Esq.

*This feature is the sixth installment in a series of articles giving overviews of the major laws affecting collision repair facilities inMassachusetts. Read previous parts of this series by visiting www.grecopublishing.com to view past issues.

*

Attorney James Castleman is a managing member of Paster, Rice & Castleman, LLC in Quincy, MA.

He can be reached at (617) 472-3424 or at [email protected].



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complete repairs for claimants referred by the insurer withoutundue delay, for the amount of the direct payment to the insuredplus any applicable deductible, plus any supplemental paymentauthorized by the insurer.” So, referral shops do have to enterinto a written contract with their referring insurer, and they haveto contractually agree to perform repairs for the amount even-tually allowed by the referring insurer, less only the deductible.Any dispute as to the appraised cost of repairs has to be re-solved between a referral shop and its referring insurer, withoutgetting the claimant involved.

There are some questions left open by the regulation: Whatif the shop believes that repairs should be made in a mannerdifferent than that written by the insurer? How are bettermentdeductions for wear items to be treated? What is the effect ofthe claimant not wanting the repair shop to perform some of therepairs? Again, these are topics for other articles, but they are is-sues that you should be aware exist.

Insurers can use certain criteria to determine which shopsthey should accept as referral shops. The regulation sets outwhat those criteria are, and mandates that insurers must usethese criteria, and only these criteria: “[T]he quality and cost ofrepairs at a particular shop, the quality of the service given thecustomer, the responsiveness of the shop to the customer’sneeds, the ability of the shop to perform repairs without unduedelay, the geographic convenience of the shop for the claimant,cooperation of the shop with the pre- and post-repair inspectionsand the shop’s compliance with applicable laws and regula-tions.”

Some of the specified criteria are subjective; i.e., how is aninsurer to determine the “quality” of repairs made by a particu-lar shop, or their “quality” of service? In light of this, the regula-tion further requires each insurer to develop its own individualwritten guidelines for applying the criteria. Bizarrely (in my opin-ion), an insurer’s guidelines for determining whether a shopmeets the criteria do not have to be made known to a shop whenit is deciding whether or not to become a referral shop for the in-surer. The guidelines do have to be made known to the Com-missioner upon request, however, and also have to be madeknown to a shop that is denied placement on the insurer’s re-ferral list or which the insurer intends to try to remove from itslist.

Protections for Referral ShopsAs noted above, insurers must accept a repair shop as a re-

ferral shop if the shop wants to be a referral shop for the insurer,meets the insurer’s criteria for being a referral shop and signsthe insurer’s contract. An insurer can deny a shop placement onits referral list or remove a shop from its referral list only if it filesa statement with the Commissioner of Insurance, specifying howthe shop failed to meet the requirements of the insurer’s plan orviolated its referral contract.

A repair shop that believes that it has been improperly de-nied placement on, or removed from, an insurer’s list has theright to demand arbitration of the issue. The arbitration is

conducted by a single neutral arbitrator jointly chosen by theshop and the insurer. If the parties are unable to agree on anarbitrator within 21 days, then the Commissioner chooses theperson to conduct the arbitration. Generally, the parties equallybear the costs of the arbitration, but the losing party may be re-sponsible for “costs.” If the arbitrator determines that one partyacted in bad faith, then he or she may order the losing party topay the other party’s attorney fees. The arbitrator’s decision isfinal; no appeal is allowed. On the other hand, the arbitrator canonly make a determination of whether a shop was improperlydenied placement on or improperly removed from a referral list;he or she cannot make any award of damages.

For what it’s worth, I know from personal experience thatthe arbitration provisions of the regulation can and do work fora shop that believes that an insurer acted improperly.

The Insurer’s GuaranteeIf a claimant has repairs made at an insurer’s referral shop,

then the insurer is required to guarantee the “quality of the ma-terials and workmanship used” in the making of the repairs. Theguarantee by the insurer is mandatory, and is in addition to anyguarantee of the repair shop or parts manufacturer.

In my opinion, this is a major obligation for auto insurers inMassachusetts, particularly since insurers are required to ac-cept almost all repair shops as referral shops. This is temperedsomewhat by the regulation’s provision that an insurer’s referralshop contract can require the shop to indemnify it for any costsassociated with the insurer’s guarantee. But between theclaimant and the insurer, the guarantee is direct.

Miscellaneous Referral Shop ProvisionsThe governing regulation also has a few additional provi-

sions related to referral shops. One is that, when conducting re-quired reinspections of repaired vehicles, insurers cannotconsider whether repairs were made by a referral shop or by anindependent shop when determining what vehicles to reinspect.

Additionally, there are provisions in the regulation that makeit a conflict of interest for a shop to give any employee or agentof an insurer a “payment, gift or any other thing of value” in orderto become a referral shop. By the same token, it is also providedthat no employee or agent of an insurer can ask a shop to giveit anything of value as a condition of becoming a referral shop.But for purposes of the regulation, “[a] discount on parts, glass,Labor Rate or other item or customer service in connection withthe repair of motor vehicles offered by a repair shop to an in-surer” is not prohibited.

Other parts of the Direct Payment regulations set out cer-tain information that insurers are required to disclose in writingto all claimants. Among those disclosures are two relating to re-ferral shops: (1) The claimant “may choose to have repairs madeat any repair shop, whether or not the shop is an insurer’s re-ferral shop;” and (2) If the claimant chooses to utilize an in-surer’s referral shop, then “the insurer will guarantee thematerials and workmanship of the repair, and the cost of the

LEGAL PERSPECTIVE

continued on pg. 62


VENDOR SPOTLIGHT

A longtime member of AASP/MA who has served as a Sus-taining Sponsor since 2007, Sarat Ford-Lincoln in Agawam is oneof the Commonwealth collision industry’s closest allies. The com-pany has a long history of sponsoring AASP/MA events like thehugely successful Clambake, while it is not uncommon to seedealership owner John “Jack” Sarat attend association gather-ings and lend his personal support.

Celebrating their 85th year in operation in 2014, Sarat Ford-Lincoln currently boasts an $800,000 inventory in high-qualitymechanical and collision parts. Up an impressive 25 percentsince 2012, this stock is delivered daily to a wide service areathat includes western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut.

“If a part is on our shelves, you’re going to have it that daynine times out of 10,” says Sarat Ford-Lincoln Parts ManagerJim Loomis, who has been in his current position since 1992.

In the spring of 2012, Sarat Ford-Lincoln took a substantialstep forward in their services by introducing an extensive$160,000 powertrain product line to its parts offerings. Not sur-prisingly, these products (engines, transmissions, etc.) continueto elicit a fantastic response from Massachusetts repairers.Later that year, the dealership added an eight-bay truck servicecenter that has been fully operational since January 2013.

Despite the ups and downs hitting a variety of automotivebusinesses in today’s economy, Loomis has seen his wholesaleoperation consistently grow even during difficult times. In fact,business grew five percent in 2013.

“I think the name on the door has a lot to do with it,” hesays. “We’ve been very successful this year in getting cars outinto the market, whether they’re new or used, and getting thosecustomers coming back to us. The more units in operation out

there in the area, the more business we’re going to get, whetherit be retail, wholesale or service.”

As a way to give back to his loyal parts customers, Loomisenters any shop that spends $50 or more a month into a specialdrawing for a $100 Pride Gas Station gift card. Additionally, hisdepartment offers “hot shot deliveries” every Tuesday throughThursday.

In addition to utilizing RepairLink, a unique online catalogthat allows customers to look up parts and submit orders elec-tronically, Sarat Ford-Lincoln utilizes OEConnection’s Collision-Link system.

“It would be in the best interest of anyone who does busi-ness with us to use CollisionLink,” Loomis offers. “There are ben-efits where you can meet aftermarket pricing. The programmakes it enticing for shops to put OE parts on the car.”

Looking ahead, Loomis is confident that Sarat Ford-Lincolnwill continue to grow its customer base despite heightened com-petition in the industry.

“What happens nowadays is people get focused on pricerather than service,” he says. “Some places are just giving stuffaway to get the business. Some parts departments are comingin and saying, ‘Hey, you give us business for the first two months,and we’ll sell you everything at dealer cost. After that, we’ll giveyou a high percentage off.’”

Loomis cautions his body shop friends that dealers that usesuch sales gimmicks won’t be around forever.

“It’s going to hurt these dealers in the long run,” he says.“To me, volume is not necessarily everything. You still have toemploy all your people. If you can’t pay your help, you’re alldone.”

TRUE CAMARADERIE: Sarat Ford-Lincoln Helps AASP/MA Move Forward

The Sarat Ford-Lincoln parts team: (Top Row, L-R) Bob Bartnik, driver; Bob Beauchene,driver; Brian LaBorde, driver; Chad Farham, roadsales. (Bottom Row, L-R) Rachel Loomis, parts counter;Mike Olson, parts counter; Mike Barbarisi, partscounter; Tony Mileskie, wholesale; Corey Weeks,parts counter; Ray Dagenais, assistant parts manager.


With AASP/MA gearing up for an ex-citing year, Loomis and Sarat Ford-Lin-coln look forward to supporting theassociation as it works to achieve itsgoals.

“We’ll try to do anything we can forthem,” he says. “We’re all in this auto-motive industry together. Just showingthem that you care and are there forthem means a lot.”

For more information on the SaratFord-Lincoln parts department, pleasecall (413) 786-4474.

Sarat Ford-Lincoln Parts Manager Jim Loomis.

MASSACHUSETTS



The value derived from being part of an industry association is indisputable. Membership in a trade group can bringcritical information, professional camaradarie and access to the latest industry updates to shop owners’ fingertips,while keeping them both relevant and successful in a constantly changing landscape. For many industry professionals,association membership is part of what makes him or her a great businessperson.

But what makes the leading associations across the country tick? What are their goals, both for their individualmemberships and the industry as a whole? Recently, New England Automotive Report sat down with several state as-sociations from across the nation to learn just that. Join us for an invigorating dialogue on each group’s commitmentto their membership, their drive toward future endeavors and philosophies on the collision repair trade in general.

FEATURE

How would you sum up the automotive repair industryduring the past year?AASP/MA: There are several items that have been sweepingthemes throughout the industry over the past year. First, tech-nology: The cars do everything but fill their own tanks thesedays! As a whole, the vehicles are changing so rapidly, and weare facing a shortage of help to fix them. Over the past year,we’ve also noticed an increasing number of shops seeking legaladvice in order to get properly compensated for the work theydo. This is something we never even thought of! Shops are start-ing to get to a breaking point. In addition to seeking legal advice,there are many businesses out there that are becoming moreand more vocal in their opposition to the DRP model, as insur-ance companies try to become more heavily involved in the re-pair process. Many shops are starting to realize that, in somecases, they are running their business for another industry alto-gether.

AASP/NJ: Over the past year, I’ve seen the auto repair industryface a number of challenges and changes to the way they dobusiness. And yet, I see them continuing to stand strong, and in-voking positive change nationwide.

AASP-MN: 2013 has really been a great year for us as an asso-ciation and for our members. The shops have stayed consistentlybusy throughout the year. AASP-MN enjoyed legislative success,great attendance at events, a 94-percent retention rate and willend the year with membership growth of more than five percent.

WACTAL: In general, we have found that as 2013 drew to a close,sales are roughly the same; however, profits among memberswere down a bit.

WMABA: Over the past 12 months, I’ve witnessed the automo-tive repair industry becoming an increasingly worrisome place.Our members are facing shrinking profit margins combined with

image ©www.istockphoto.com/aerogondo


constantly changing vehicle technology and mounting insurerpressure to use aftermarket, used or reconditioned parts on newvehicles, not to mention pressure to perform repair processesthat they don’t necessarily agree with. I would say the term ‘wor-risome’ is an accurate one.

What are the issues that you feel could have a major im-pact on the industry in 2014 and beyond?AASP/MA: I see repair standards taking center stage in the nearand long-term future for our industry. It’s a crucial topic, plainand simple; we need to be repairing these cars properly. Themanufacturer-approved standards do exist, and we can get ourhands on them. The major repair associations are in agreementthat this should be a priority. Increasing vehicle technology andthe necessary certifications to handle them will become a hugeissue in the future, as the Mom and Pops who cannot or will notevolve begin to be phased out of business, and those who domake the financial and time investments take their place. Sadly,the small shops will not allhave the resources to makethese repairs, or even to attendtraining or purchase the equip-ment necessary to do so.

AASP/NJ: Insurer-mandatedparts procurement is, ofcourse, a huge issue for allareas of the repair industry,from the small shops to thehuge dealership parts depart-ments. If platforms like Part-sTrader become the norm inthe industry, everything aboutthe way we perform repairs willchange. Vehicle technologycontinues to be a very impor-tant issue to watch, as well.Safety features like collision avoidance, for example, are intri-cately technical and will require new processes, skills and equip-ment to repair properly and safely. Repairers will need to work onthese cars in a much more interactive way than they have in thepast.

AASP-MN: Insurers continue to come up with new and evermoreintrusive ways to micromanage the repair process and businessoperations of the shops. It is certainly an issue for our memberscurrently, and I don’t see it changing in the near future. As anindustry, it’s imperative that we remain vigilant and stand ourground. Secondly, advancements in vehicle technology will con-tinue to be an ongoing challenge for our members, as well.

WACTAL: PartsTrader and insurer-mandated parts procurementprograms are by far the most controversial issues affecting theindustry. The practices of insurers not following [and not payingfor] P-Page procedures and recognized and recommended re-pair procedures affect our members now and into the future, aswell. Additionally, the Affordable Care Act [ACA] and its impacton businesses and individuals is a concern for everyone, not just

those in the collision repair industry.

WMABA: Two issues that WMABA feels will affect the industrymajorly in the immediate and long-term future are education andinsurer mandates. The need for continuous high-quality trainingshould already be a priority for automotive repairers. As the tech-nology continues to evolve on these vehicles, those who do notmake the commitment to better themselves through industrytraining will quickly be left behind. Of course, insurer mandatesalso stand to have a huge impact on the entire auto repair sup-ply chain, as well. PartsTrader, for example, has already forcedits way into numerous markets in spite of mostly negative feed-back from those using it, and it’s only a matter of time beforeother insurers follow suit and implement their own similar plat-forms mandating the use of specific suppliers for parts, paint,materials, you name it.

What is your association’s position on the concept of in-surer-mandated parts pro-curement (i.e., PartsTrader,etc.)?AASP/MA: Quite simply, we are100 percent against insurer-mandated procurement pro-grams. The concept of havingan insurer forcing you to buyanything from one specific lo-cation or vendor is so com-pletely against anti-trustregulations already in place. Ithasn’t hit home yet in Massa-chusetts, but we would be kid-ding ourselves to think that itwon’t. In terms of PartsTrader inparticular, I have not heard anypositive feedback on the pro-gram from anyone other than

the insurer itself. I believe PartsTrader is just the beginning –the insurers are attempting to interfere with every aspect of ourbusiness. State Farm isn’t the only one trying this by a long shot.They’re all trying their hand in controlling our industry, and no-body should be able to tell a shop where to buy their parts, theirpaint, anything.

AASP/NJ: We find insurer-mandated parts procurement plat-forms, PartsTrader or otherwise, 100-percent unacceptable inany form.

AASP-MN: We are adamantly opposed to PartsTrader and anyinsurer-mandated program in general. AASP-MN is presentlyworking on enforcement of legislation already in place in Min-nesota that would prevent PartsTrader from being mandated inour area, as it restricts market options for parts procurement.We are fighting to make sure that PartsTrader and any similarprograms are not allowed to be required in Minnesota.

WACTAL: The Wisconsin Auto Collision Technicians AssociationLtd. [WACTAL] urges shops to think seriously of the impact on

FEATURE

Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Massachusetts(AASP/MA) President Paul Hendricks

Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey(AASP/NJ) President Jeff McDowell

Alliance of Automotive Service Provideres of Minnesota(AASP-MN) Executive Director Judell Anderson, AAM, CAE

Wisconsin Auto Collision Technicians Association Ltd.(WACTAL) President Art Krolikowski; Vice President Larry

Terrien; Secretary Ronnie Goss

Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association (WMABA) President Don Beaver

THE PLAYERS:

their business, their future in the collision repair industry andthe industry as a whole when considering State Farm’s Part-sTrader program. Contracts should benefit all parties that agreeto the terms within. Contracts with insurers have created op-pression and control upon our industry and have also causedsome to lose sight of the real customer: The vehicle owner. ThePartsTrader program is another example of insurance compa-nies trying to force their way into the process of repairing thecustomer’s vehicle. Insurers should not be involved in any waywith the parts purchasing process, nor any other part of the col-lision repair process. State Farm says PartsTrader will be a ‘win-win’ for the collision shop, the parts supplier, the customer andthe insurance company, yet there’s no win for collision repairers,parts suppliers or consumers. WACTAL believes that the Part-sTrader program will increase cycle time, increase administra-tive costs, decrease supplier participation and create oppressionand control on our industry. Therefore, the WACTAL Board of Di-rectors goes on record opposing State Farm and PartsTraderpractices.

WMABA: WMABA’s opinion of insurer-mandated parts procure-ment is that it is an absolute nightmare, from both a consumerand collision repairer standpoint. Mandating the use of a par-ticular product, service or system removes the ability of a shopto be flexible and fluid during the repair process, and saddlesthem with unnecessary, unwanted and cumbersome processes.PartsTrader in particular increases cycle time, reduces profitsfor the collision shop and creates administrative bottlenecks.There are many good part procurement programs out there thatdo expedite the repair parts ordering process; PartsTrader is notone of them.

How active is your association in the political/regulatoryarena? AASP/MA: We have become very active in the Legislaturethanks in part to aligning with Lynch Associates. Lynch, who pro-vides lobbying, administrative and consulting services to our as-sociation - as well as the leadership of Executive Director JillianZywien - has many great contacts on Beacon Hill, and has facil-itated some great meetings for us in recent months with Insur-ance Commissioner Joseph Murphy and the CommonwealthAuto Reinsurers group [CAR] to voice our concerns and initia-tives as an association. We’ve never had an audience with enti-ties like this before, and regardless of the outcome, we are very

excited to be in the room having these discussions. We are mov-ing forward in the legislative arena, with experienced peoplebacking our goals.

AASP/NJ: AASP/NJ has a good presence at the Capitol in boththe Assembly and the Senate, with various successes over theyears. Most recently, the association was instrumental in pre-venting mobile repair shops from entering the state, which couldhave had a hugely negative impact on the collision repair in-dustry in New Jersey.

AASP-MN: We are extremely active legislatively. We have a greatlobbyist in place who has worked with AASP-MN for many years,and is in tune with our association’s goals and needs. We’ve ex-perienced a number of successes in the legislative arena andwill continue to work in both the legislative and regulatory sec-tors to protect and advance the interest of our members.

WACTAL: WACTAL has and continues to address appropriate in-dustry issues through the legislative process. Other issues andconcerns are addressed with state agencies such as the Officeof the Commissioner of Insurance, Department of Agriculture,Trade and Consumer Protection, Department of Natural Re-sources and Workers Compensation Rating Bureau. Currently,there is a bill pending in the state assembly that clearly statesthat a consumer has the right to select the motor vehicle repairfacility of his or her choice.

WMABA: Our association is very active in the legislative arena,in both Maryland and Virginia. Without tipping our hand, I’ll justsay that there are some good things in the works and when thetime comes, we will need the support and voices of our mem-bers to jump in feet-first with us.

Reaching out to consumers is always an important goalfor any auto body association. What are some methodsyou use to better inform the motoring public of theirchoices and rights during the repair process?AASP/MA: I don’t think we reach out to consumers as well as weshould, but we are working on improving that. Our website,www.aaspma.org, is very consumer-friendly, and provides somegreat facts and tips to help spread information to both shopsand drivers alike. Years ago, we did do a consumer-targeted mar-keting campaign in local newspapers and on radio stations, in-forming the public about the importance of choosing a repairshop. We would love to start that up again in the future to helpincrease our community outreach.

AASP/NJ: As an association, I feel this is an area where we couldimprove. I don’t think we do as good of a job of giving informa-tion to the motoring public as we should. However, where we doexcel is in distributing information to our Board of Directors andmembers through our magazine, our trade show and varioustrainings and meetings. This helps our members share the in-formation with their customers and be individual advocates fortheir consumers’ rights.


”“Getting ‘fresh blood’ into this industry will always be an issue.

The schools – and we as an industry, for that matter – really need to do a

better job of promoting this trade as agreat place to work for our students.

- AASP/MA President Paul Hendricks


AASP-MN: AASP-MN has information available on our websitefor both repairers and consumers, but it is not presently an association priority to reach out directly to consumers. The shopsare the ones seeing motorists on a daily basis, and are in a bet-ter position to share and spread information. So, our strategy isto provide our members with various tools to help them educateand inform their customers about their rights in the claims-han-dling and repair process.

WACTAL: WACTAL has a ‘Motorists’ Bill of Rights’ brochure inplace to better communicate with the motoring public. Thebrochure takes time to personally explain consumer rights andchoices to each and every customer.

WMABA:WMABA is committed to consumer awareness. Our re-cently revamped website, www.wmaba.com, is a great sourcefor consumer information. We are also taking advantage of therecent social media explosion over the past few years, and com-municate with our members and the motoring public in our areathrough our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages. We encour-age WMABA members and the customers who go in and out ofour shops every day to ‘like’ us and share our pages for real-timeupdates on WMABA activities and announcements.

When you “talk shop” with members, what topics comeup the most?AASP/MA: The topics of conversation are frequently the same:Aftermarket parts, Labor Rate suppression and the lack of qual-ity help are the concerns I hear being voiced by our membersmost often. Lately, many have been having problems with the“prevailing rate” being told to them by various insurers. If youdeal with four insurance companies, for example, you might begiven four different figures of what the prevailing rate – or inother words, the rate the particular insurer is willing to pay theshop – is in the area. It can be incredibly frustrating.

AASP/NJ: I’ve been talking about this industry for 50 years, andafter five decades I still hear the same topics coming up overand over again when talking with shops locally or nationally:Steering and Labor Rate suppression. The intricacies of the is-sues may change over the years, but those are still the twobiggest issues after all these years.

AASP-MN: We actually just conducted a member survey to get abetter sense of the issues affecting shops throughout the state.The top responses were insurer control, finding quality help andkeeping up with vehicle technology.

WACTAL: It goes without saying: PartsTrader is by far the mostdiscussed topic. Of course, dealing with insurance companiesin general – not paying for certain items, suppression of laborand material rates, etc. – continues to be brought up by ourmembers.

WMABA: In recent months, I’d have to say that the most com-mon topic of discussion has been PartsTrader, but even with somuch discussion on insurer mandates, there is always short-pays and no-pays by insurers as a close runner-up. Additional

topics of concern are the failure of insurers to recognize repairrequirements and procedures and insurers’ attempts to take re-pair decisions away from the facilities, who are not only the realexperts in the repair situation, but also the ones who will ulti-mately be on the hook in terms of liability.

What do you think motivates an automotive repairer?AASP/MA: I think what motivates many of our members is thechallenge and the thrill of a job well done. There is a passionand satisfaction in looking at where you started compared towhere you end up on a job. That’s what our drive is – as well asthe independence of running our own businesses and makingour customers whole again.

AASP/NJ: Personally, the creative process involved in performinga quality repair is what motivates me. I am still fascinated by thefinished product and the art of taking something damaged andbringing it back to its former condition. I think that’s probablytrue for many repairers out there. From a business standpoint,sure, there are some guys in it just for the money. But if you’re asmaller shop like me – and there are many of us – people in oursituations aren’t just in it for the profits. It’s an art.

AASP-MN: Most AASP-MN members are ‘car guys.’ Not only dothey love the actual work of restoring a vehicle and returning itsafely to the road for years to come, but they also get great pleas-ure from creating happy and satisfied customers in the process.

WACTAL: From a shop owner’s prospective, the motivation ex-ists in helping people in a time of need. There’s nothing that canreplace the look of gratitude on customers’ faces when they seetheir vehicle for the first time after repairs. Something that mo-tivates technicians is producing good quality work, and having aclean, well-equipped facility in which to produce that quality re-pair. Availability of training, good pay and benefits are alwaysdriving factors, too.

WMABA: For many, many years, I thought what motivated colli-sion repairers was the love of what we do, the challenge of tak-ing a wrecked vehicle and repairing it to the point of ‘like it nevereven happened.’ These days, I’m not so sure. I know that, forme, I do what I do after all these years and experiences becauseI love this industry, and it’s been good to my family and me. I seesome shops that give the impression of it being all about themoney, and it’s certainly a big part of it for me, too…but it can’tbe all about the money. Safety and quality have to always comefirst, and can never be compromised. At the end of the day, youhave to be passionate about what you do.

With the educational system emphasizing college for allstudents, where do you think the next generation of au-tomotive repairers will come from?AASP/MA: Getting ‘fresh blood’ into this industry is always goingto be an issue. There will always be some who continue becausethey love working with their hands, or love tinkering with a car,and there will always be a few who are interested in working theirway up the ranks to finally own their own shop one day. But theschools – and we as an industry, for that matter – really need to

FEATURE


do a better job of promoting this trade asa great place for our students to work.Schools have talented, malleable kidsgoing through their programs, and theydon’t always do a great job of placementfor these students after graduation, or ofestablishing cooperative programs whilethey’re still in the school. So these kidsgraduate and are left out there, with littleto no guidance on how to succeed, andthey end up working in another industryto get by. It’s on us, too – we’re the oneswho need skilled help the most. We needto be fostering relationships with theschools - maybe opening up our doors tocurrent students and going to speak at aCareer Day - to keep this industry going.

AASP/NJ: It’s a sad commentary on thecountry and our youth, but I feel thateventually, new generations of trade laborare going to have to come from out-sourced countries. Don’t get me wrong;the trades are still alive out there, butskilled labor is getting harder and harderto come by. And unfortunately, some ofthe people coming out of the trade

continued on pg. 58


FEATURE

If you ever need proof that vocational schools pro-vide genuine value to the collision repair industry, take alook at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School.

For decades, the Marlborough-based institution has sup-plied the Commonwealth auto repair community with high-qual-ity professionals. The school’s Automotive Collision sectionthrives through direct input from the industry via an active Advi-sory Committee and extensive co-op program.

An Assabet graduate who has taught at the school for thepast 15 years, Automotive Collision Instructor Ken Stukonis feelsthat the school succeeds through a dual commitment to pro-moting technical skills and academics.

“We’re right up there with anyone in this area as far as ourNECAP [New England Common Assessment Program] scores,”he says. “We have 50 percent of our kids going to college.”

Unsurprisingly, this move to incorporate more traditional ed-ucation into the vocational program has led to changes in thestudent demographic. Currently, Stukonis has four young womenin the junior class, five girls in the sophomore class and three fe-males in his senior class.

“We’re almost at a 50 percent male-to-female ratio at ourschool, which before was more 75-25,” he says.

Stukonis’ fellow Collision Technology Instructor Robert Rig-gieri credits the program’s Advisory Committee for keeping theschool’s goals moving in the right direction.

“We meet on a regular basis to get their input on what weshould be teaching [students] and what we should have forequipment,” he says. “It’s huge for us to be involved with them.”

Riggieri regularly encourages area repair professionals tomeet with students at the school to perform mock job interviews

and other exercises that would help students feel more at homeonce they enter the field.

“I want [students] to learn to be comfortable with strangers,so when they get out on a job site, they’re not afraid,” he says.

As of this writing, the Assabet school is about one-third ofthe way through a major $62 million renovation project that willbring a state-of-the-art paint booth and new lighting, windows,energy-efficient heating systems and doors to the shop’s in-house repair facility. These technological upgrades will un-doubtedly help the school gain further support and interest fromparents – especially as economic woes on the national front con-tinue to negatively impact traditional white-collar trades.

“There has been a refined interest in vocational technicaleducation,” explains Assabet Principal Mark Hollick. “More peo-ple are looking at options. College is extremely expensive, andthere are many kids coming out of comprehensive high schoolswho have what I would call ‘zero skills.’ They have no real-life ex-perience; they don’t know the difference between a socket setand a screwdriver or a hammer. They don’t know how to adaptor apply the skills like Assabet kids do. So many people finishcollege – whether it be a two-year degree or four-year degree –and are basically unemployable because they have no skills orwork ethic.”

Of course, there are several former Assabet students usingtheir skills and work ethics to great success. For more than threedecades, Body & Paint Center in Hudson has regularly employedAssabet students who first worked at the shop through theschool’s co-op program. Currently, shop owner Tom Ricci boastsseven Assabet graduates whose professional experience rangesfrom 31 years (production manager Jose Chaves) to less than a

EDUCATIONFOR THE

REAL WORLDInside Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School

by Joel Gausten


Top (in blue): Assabet graduates and current Body &Paint team members (left to right): Luis DeLeon, Alex

Rodrigues, Jay Wurlitzer, John Resendes, PaulMedeiros and (bottom left) Jeffrey Pelletier.

Middle: Assabet Collision Repair Instructors RobertRiggieri (left) and Ken Stukonis.

Bottom: Assabet graduate Jose Chaves has been withBody & Paint Center in Hudson for more than 30 years.

year (technician Alex Rodrigues). Head painter Luis DeLeoncame straight to the shop from Assabet a little over five yearsago after succeeding at the facility during his co-op.

“A lot of my friends who have worked at other shops told methat it was really hard to get an opportunity to actually spray thegun and have the owner let you spray a whole car, but [Body &Paint Center] gave me a shot,” he says. “I was good at what Idid, and Tom gave me the position.”

The shop’s latest addition, Rodrigues joined Ricci’s team tofurther develop his love of repairing automobiles.

“I like doing body work; it’s easy for me,” he says. “This wasthe first trade I chose. [Mr. Stukonis] knew I was going to dowell.”

A body tech at the shop since his sophomore year in 1999,31-year-old Jeffrey Pelletier has continued to broaden his hori-zons since joining the business full time in 2002.

“The co-op helping you get into a shop while you’re still atschool is a huge benefit,” he offers.

In addition to taking I-CAR classes, Pelletier is actively in-volved in estimating courses in the hopes of getting his appraiserlicense.

“Even now, I’m always learning new things,” he says. For 17-year-old Assabet junior Hailey Escobar, every day is a

new opportunity to grow in her field of endeavor. While still asophomore, she signed on to work at Ricci’s shop last summer,performing a variety of duties including prepping cars, paintingbumpers and mixing paint. An avid car enthusiast, Escobar isthe first member of her family to pursue an education in auto-motive repair.

“I was interested in learning how to paint and taking some-thing that’s all messed up and making it look brand new,” he re-calls. “I thought that was really interesting.”

Once in Ricci’s shop, she experienced some intriguing dif-ferences between learning at Assabet and applying her skills on

the floor of a real-world collision repair shop. “It’s a lot more fast-paced, so you have to learn how to keep

up with everybody,” she shares. “It’s also supportive in a differ-ent way because these people have been in the industry for avery long time; some of them even started here at Assabet. Tohear their stories and see how they work, and to have them sup-port me and teach me new things, was really interesting. Ilearned how to be more effective in a body shop. I also learnedwhat it was like working at a real business outside of school. Youare more responsible for your job; you have to be professional atall times.”

In addition to her work at Assabet and Body & Paint Center,Escobar found time to restore her own vehicle – a ’66 Mustangshe purchased from a neighbor. Although she painted it a tem-porary red, she hopes to paint it her preferred color – baby blue– later this year.

“It came a long way from where it started,” she says. Naturally, Ricci is greatly impressed by Escobar’s commit-

ment and talents at this stage in her development. “In her sophomore year, she had already completed a

restoration on her car,” he says. “Most of us didn’t get there untilwe were a senior or later. I was floored by that.”

Asked to offer words of advice to other young students in-terested in pursuing the repair field, Escobar is clear that thetruest key to success is the desire to always explore new things.

“Be confident in your abilities as a body person and be ableto open up and learn new techniques,” she says. “Have an openmind to the possibilities of being in this industry.”

Of course, any co-op or entry level position offered to a stu-dent will only succeed if shop owners keep open minds as well.Although life in the collision repair business in 2014 is fast-paced with increasingly high demands, owners must not forgetthat the eager young kids who walk through their doors are be-ginners in need of guidance. In order to keep kids interested and


FEATURE

enthusiastic in the trade long enough for them to comprise to-morrow’s professional workforce, realistic expectations from theshops’ more seasoned personnel are crucial.

“We do have all the equipment and technology, but we’restill catering to entry-level skills,” offers Stukonis. “If they canleave with entry-level skills, those are employable skills. That’sreally what we’re looking to do with these kids.”

“There are a few kids who come out of school and just havea natural talent for it, but don’t forget that you have to start withbasics,” comments Body & Paint Center Estimator Paul Medeiros,an Assabet graduate who has been with the shop more than twodecades. “Give them those basics, but challenge them and keepworking with them. You’re not going to have a kid come out ofschool and do a four-hour dent in two hours. Have patience withthem.”

One of the area’s most active employers of Assabet talent,Ricci advises his fellow shop owners to look at incoming entry-level talent as an investment.

“It’s similar to the stock market,” he says. “If you put yourmoney in the stock market today, you wouldn’t expect much re-turn in two months. You’re looking for the long-term return. That’sexactly the way to look at it. We have to invest in ourselves. Wecan’t just say, ‘Oh, this kid doesn’t know how to take a car apart,put a frame together or take a motor out.’”

And don’t think for a minute that Ricci doesn’t know whathe’s talking about when it comes to vocational school kids.

“When I got hired to work for the first time, I was replacinga sixth-year guy,” he remembers. “Was I expected to be able todo what he did? I don’t think so.”

While no shop should expect a new kid to be a master repairpro overnight, there is at least one thing they’d like to see stu-dents be aware of when they enter the field: Speed.

“At school, you might work on one car for a month; here, Ihave to paint 30 cars in one week!” offers DeLeon. “You have to

figure out how to move a lot quicker without making errors.”“You’re going to have to work in this field,” adds body tech

John Resendes, a 1991 Assabet grad who has worked at Ricci’sshop since 2012. “It’s not an easy field, but it pays the bills.”

It can also keep those bills paid for a long time. Ricci’slongest-running team member, Production Manager JoseChaves, was the first student to make the transition from co-opkid to Body & Paint Center employee. He first arrived at the shopat the suggestion of then-Assabet Instructor Arthur Balthazar,who encouraged Ricci to give his student – and the co-op con-cept – a chance. Thirty-one years later, Chaves is still at his firstand only industry job and remains an invaluable asset to Ricci’soperation. Naturally, he is quick to offer some straightforwardwords of wisdom for the next group of Assabet graduates: “Thebiggest thing my father told me was, ‘You may think you knoweverything, or [maybe] the teachers taught you one way, butwhen you come into work somewhere else, they may do it an-other way. Keep your mouth shut and do it their way if you wantto survive.’”

While there is undoubtedly a technician shortage in today’sindustry, the continued success of the auto body program at Ass-abet Valley Regional Technical High School shows that there isstill plenty of hope and promise. As students prepare for thestart of their professional lives, they would do well to rememberthese words from Assabet grad and Body & Paint Center teammember Jay Wurlitzer:

“Listen to whoever is teaching you whatever [skill] you’redoing, whether it’s body work or prepping. Listen to what theyhave to say, always ask questions and comprehend what they’remaking you do.”

For more information on Assabet’s Automotive Collision pro-gram, please contact Ken Stukonis at [email protected].


MASSACHUSETTS


17-year-old Hailey Escobar is showing incredible promise in and out of the classroom, as evident in the quality of her '66 Mustang.


If you thought 2013 was a pivotal yearfor AASP/MA, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

Fueled by a strong executive team and Board of Directorsand a few slate of initiatives and programs, the association be-gins a new year poised to move the automotive field forward inexciting ways. From a slew of new preferred vendors to a rejuve-nated focus on legislative and regulator endeavors, AASP/MA isabout to provide a greater member experience than ever before.This month, New England Automotive Report touches base withassociation leaders and benefit providers to gain insight into thisthrilling new era for the organization and the industry it serves.

New Direction In November 2013, the AASP/MA Board of Directors and as-

sociation staff joined moderator Brent Henley for a collaborativestrategic planning session to cement the goals of the associationand to put them into a realistic timeline over the next three years.The primary goals of the meeting were to clearly defineAASP/MA’s mission statement, vision and strategies and to pro-vide members with a clear understanding of the association’s di-rection on behalf of the entire industry.

“This is the first time the Board of Directors has participatedin this kind of exercise, and I believe they did a fantastic job inaligning the new plan to members’ needs,” offers AASP/MA Ex-ecutive Director Jillian Zywien.

“We’re trying to do everything larger,” adds AASP/MA Pres-ident Paul Hendricks. “Everything is growing.”

In addition to establishing a new mission statement (“Build-ing the Success of the Auto Repair Industry”), the strategic plan-ning session yielded the following Vision Statement (at right):

COVER STORY

The Power of

PROGRESS:AASP/MA Rebrands, Moves into 2014

by Joel Gausten

AASP/MA BOARD MEMBERS WERE ASKED IF THEREWERE NO BARRIERS, WHAT WOULD THE ASSOCIATIONLOOK LIKE IN 2016? WE CAME UP WITH THE FOLLOWING VISIONS:

• Have a functioning ADALB• Have 500 members• Have an auto Labor Rate change and a vehicle for sustained increase.

• Strengthen participant appointees from industry to government.

• Be the subject matter expert to legislators, DOI, media and consumers.

• Improve the image of auto repair shops and owners to include setting the standard for the industry.

• Have our member shops be proud to be members and have clout with insurers.

• To be the education provider to the industry and provide continuing education programs for shop and employees

• Have an increase in sponsor and vendor involvement• Have fair negotiation achieved through regulatory restructuring to include parts procurement

• AASP/MA is a known advocate within the industry, government and among consumers and peers.

OUR STRATEGIES: HOW WILL WE ACHIEVE OUR VISIONS?:• We have the intestinal fortitude, resources and determination to win

• We focus on advancing the collision industry• We make you a more successful business owner• We work to solve industry-wide problems• We are the experts for our industry and we have “right” onour side

The Power of

PROGRESS:


Not surprisingly, “have a functioningADALB” has received the strongest feedbackfrom current AASP/MA members. The associa-tion plans to spend 2014 working to ensurethat the ADALB becomes a stronger tool forthe benefit of the collision industry.

“Recent ADALB meetings have been 10minutes or less with little public comment,” of-fers Zywien. “Most meetings end abruptly whenthe Board enters Executive Session. That, cou-pled with a lack of Advisory Rulings, demon-strates the inability of the ADALB to clarifyregulations for appraisers and consumers.

“In 1993, the ADALB published seven rul-ings; another ruling was published in 1997 witha revision and the last advisory ruling providedby the Board was in January 2002,” she con-tinues. “The number of Advisory Rulings in1993 demonstrates the Board’s ability to be ef-fective. AASP/MA wants to see the Board re-turn to that level of efficiency. We are currentlyworking to submit requests for clarification ofcurrent regulations to the ADALB on behalf ofour members. The ADALB has initiated a reviewof their current regulations in an effort to up-date antiquated language and practices, alignthe regulations with current business practicesand make sure they are doing their job.AASP/MA’s Legislative Committee plans to playan active role in the revision of those regula-tions.”

Ultimately, AASP/MA Vice President MollyBrodeur is hopeful that AASP/MA’s new mis-sion and vision will help the association mar-ket to non-members with greater clarity andcoheshion.

“We’re all working from the same mes-sage,” she says. “I think that is going to be agreat selling tool for us in growing our mem-bership.”

All of the results of the strategic plan canbe found on the AASP/MA website (www.aaspma.org) and are available to the publicunder the “About” tab. Additionally, the associ-ation has incorporated the Mission Statementinto a redesigned AASP/MA logo. Memberswho would like a copy of the logo for their com-pany’s website are encouraged to contactColleen Kane at [email protected].

New BenefitsIn addition to re-establishing the associa-

tion’s direction for 2014 and beyond, theBoard of Directors and staff recently an-nounced the first three in a series of a newbenefit providers to serve the AASP/MA com-munity. AASP/MA providers are thoroughly vet-


ted by the AASP/MA Contracts Committee as well as theBoard. Providers must be relevant to the industry, able to drivesavings to the individual shop’s bottom line and demonstratea willingness to support the association either through spon-sorship or other mechanisms.

“Our member benefit providers are companies that willassist our members while providing a financial benefit to theindividual shop,” explains Zywien. “All providers must play anactive role in the association through sponsorships, educa-tional programs and/or other avenues.”

“What we’ve really been looking for are partners that arewilling to put money back into the pockets of shop owners,”adds Brodeur. “There really has to be something good for theshop owner that requires that the vendor partner does leg-work to make these agreements work.”

Hendricks would like to see association benefits translateinto greater member attendance at meetings and events.

“We’re trying to run larger vendors so that we can alsouse them at meetings to make it more interesting so we canbuild up our membership,” he says.

One way that AASP/MA hopes to draw new and existingmembers to meetings is through hosting in-depth educational

seminars on a variety of topics. Scott Gonnello, founder of newbenefit providers Gonnello SEO (www.gonelloSEO.com), hasagreed to provide special workshops and seminars through-out the year to assist AASP/MA members in making the ab-solute most of their businesses’ websites through improvedsearch engine optimization (SEO).

“A lot of small companies think that by just having a web-site, they’re going to be found, but that’s not necessarily true,”Gonnello says. “Google doesn’t really care if you’re an autobody shop or a moving company or a bakery; they just carethat your website is set up dynamically in a way that it com-municates with the search engines and is better than the com-petition.”

Gonello SEO offers a variety of special options forAASP/MA members, including a free review of their website toidentify what Gonnello calls “the good, the bad and the ugly.”

“The review is great because it really gives them a chanceto understand what’s so important about their website, whythey should be on the top pages of the search engines andwhy they’re not getting there,” he says.

The in-depth site analysis will identify everything from howwell the site targets key customers to even the grade level of

the site’s text to see if it is consistent with a business’ indus-try.

Additionally, Gonnello SEO offers discounts on websiteupgrades to association members.

“If they realize they need to upgrade their site, need a newone or don’t have one, we’ll give them a 25-percent discount,”he says. “If they want to do search engine optimization ontheir site on a regular basis, we can break it down for themand give them a discount through AASP/MA.” The company’sfull benefits will soon be available at www.aaspma.org. Moreinformation on Gonnello SEO is available at www.gonnel-loSEO.com.

Offering a vast array of logoed apparel and marketingproducts, the Marlborough-based Promotional Partners hasbeen serving members of the automotive industry for the last30 years. As part of its new partnership with AASP/MA, Pro-motional Partners is in the process of creating an online mem-bership store (slated for a February launch) that will feature avariety of products (tote bags, jackets, polo shirts, etc.) withthe association logo. A portion of the proceeds generated bythe sale of these items will go back to AASP/MA. Additionally,each AASP/MA member who uses Promotional Partners’ serv-

ices will receive a 20-percent discount on goods for their ownbusinesses with their own logo and company name. Logoedproducts available to shops include everything from pens andcalendars to golf balls and dashboard “sticky pads” that holddrivers’ cell phones. A veteran of the merchandising business,company representative Steve Elkinson is committed to pro-viding each AASP/MA client with personalized care.

“A lot of small shops really don’t know where to get themerchandise that I do,” he says. “They’re getting a 30-yearveteran because I’m going to be handling all of this myself.They’re going to get someone with a lot of experience who willbe able to guide them.” More information on Promotional Part-ners is available at www.promotional-partners.com.

Centrally located in Minneapolis, G&K Services has pro-vided uniforms and facility products to businesses since1902. Currently in 93 of the top 100 metro areas in the USand Canada, G&K offers uniform rental services to AASP/MAmembers where they will come to a shop on a weekly basis,drop off clean uniforms and towels, pick up the dirty uni-forms/towels, make any necessary repairs (fix zippers, etc.)and return the items clean and functional. The company alsooffers facility products including floor mats, protective covers

COVER STORY

“By increasing communication vehicles, looking for benefits that save our shops money and increasing our interaction with elected and agencypersonnel, we hope members see the new face of AASP/MA as a stronger

and more focused member-driven organization.”- AASP/MA Executive Director Jillian Zywien

for vehicles and even rest room supplieslike soap and lotions.

“We want to be able to do all that stuffso that the customer doesn’t have to worryabout it,” explains company spokespersonJeff Huebschen. “We’ll focus on what wedo best to allow you to focus on what youdo best.”

G&K Services looks forward to build-ing a fruitful relationship with AASP/MAmembers.

“Association members will be able toleverage the association’s purchasingpower and enjoy preferred pricing onG&K’s full range of uniform and facility

service products,” Huebschen says. “Ournumber one goal is building awareness ofour service offerings with the associa-tion’s membership. We look forward tobringing on a lot of the association’smembers as new customers of G&K andproviding our industry-leading service tothat membership.” Members are encour-aged to contact 1-800-GK-CARES or visitwww.gkservices.com for more informa-tion.

New CommunicationWhile these major steps forward will

undoubtedly succeed in growing the

AASP/MA membership throughout 2014,gaining new supporters is only half thebattle. Once an auto business has paid itsdues for the year, they can expect the as-sociation to be in touch with them on aconsistent basis.

“The association has completely re-designed the way we communicate to ourmembers,” offers Zywien. “We have re-modeled our website, which features a‘join now’ button, Board of Directors’ biosand my favorite, our blog. We tested ourblog with daily updates from SEMA and re-ceived positive feedback from members.With convenience in mind, we have addedonline registration for MidState andStatewide meetings and now send thenewsletter directly to a member’s pre-ferred method of contact. If a memberhas not yet submitted his or her preferredmethod of contact to our office, he or sheshould do so now. We are inviting mem-bers to provide emails for multiple mem-bers of their organization who would alsobenefit from our notices and information.New members are provided with a pack-age detailing all our benefit programsupon joining AASP/MA. We also had theBoard approve the full planned year for allmeetings in 2014, so members can plannow to attend every event. Finally, wehave increased our social media presenceto include Facebook, Twitter and our newLinkedIn discussion group. Our discussiongroup allows our members to share ideas,discuss challenges they face and interactwithin their community. We encouragemembers to join our LinkedIn Group, fol-low us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

“We have also increased our memberbenefit programs and have added newproviders,” she adds. “These programswere designed with our members in mind.We want our members to participate inthese programs, which we hope will drawin new members. By increasing both ourtype and our scope of communication ve-hicles, looking for benefits that save ourshops money and drastically increasingour interaction with elected and agencypersonnel, we hope the members see thenew face of AASP/MA emerging as astronger and more focused member-drivenorganization.”

For more information on AASP/MAbenefits and initiatives, please visitwww.aaspma.org or contact (617) 574-0741.


COVER STORY

MASSACHUSETTS



180BIZ FEATURE

Of course you would! Would you still take it if I folded that$100 bill multiple times? I’d think so. If I took the $100 bill andcrumpled it up in my hands until it was just a little ball, would youstill be interested? Again, I’m betting that your answer is still yes.And if I then I dropped that balled-up bill to the floor, ground itunder my foot like an old cigarette butt, picked it up and offeredit to you again….really? Your answer is still yes?

Why?Because no matter what I do to the $100 bill, in your eyes,

the bill still holds its value regardless of what happens to it. Hereis my question to you: Why do you allow your circumstances todictate YOUR value?

When:

…a customer says NO to your recommendations;…your day doesn’t go the way you want;…an employee pushes back on what you asked them to do;…you have a car comeback;…an irate customer screams at you on the phone; or…you aren’t getting the results you want from the day, week,month or year…

…you allow these circumstances to beat you up and make youfeel that you are worth less than you are.

What you need to internalize is that, just like that $100 bill,you have the same value no matter what happens to you. Whenyou go home at night, you will still be the great person your fam-ily members love to pieces, regardless of what happens to you

during the day.Your dog will stillcome running toyou like a long-lostfriend.

Another pointI want to drivehome is that yourworth is a million –no, a zillion - timesmore valuable than that silly $100 bill. Why, you ask? Becauseyou can always get another $100 bill. There has never been, andwill never be, another you! Understand? You are special and pre-cious beyond belief to the world around you. You have been puton this earth to make a difference.

Life isn’t fair. Life is going to knock you down at times. Peo-ple will mistreat you and sometimes take advantage of you. Lifeis going to teach you lessons, keep you humble and help yousucceed. You need to see a setback as a setup for a comeback!Realize that no one can make you feel inferior or worthless untilYOU give them permission to.

Nothing you go through will ever diminish your incrediblevalue or the GREATNESS within you. So stand up and face theday knowing that you matter and are important regardless ofwhat comes your way. Be a beacon of positivity, enthusiasm andhelpfulness while you focus on your bigger life, the one you arecapable of.

And have FUN today!

About Rick White & One Eighty Business SolutionsRick White is a managing member of One Eighty Business Solutions (180BIZ), a Virginia based coaching

and business solutions provider to the automotive and truck repair industries. Rick’s clients considerhim a trusted advisor, helping them to increase profits and free time while reducing stress. If you would

like more business tips and thoughts just like this, please visit our Facebook page atwww.facebook.com/180biz. 180BIZ provides affordable, down to earth, one-on-one business coaching

with no long-term commitments and a money-back guarantee! To see how we can help you and yourbusiness, please email us at [email protected] or call (540) 833-2014.

WHAT ARE YOU WORTH?

If I offered you a brand new $100 bill, do you think you’d take it?

MASSACHUSETTS


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schools are not willing to work as hard or develop the varied skillset that you need to succeed in today’s industry. And many arenot willing to start at the bottom of the totem pole. We can’t paythese people what they’d like to be making out of the gate. Thereare hard-working, eager young people out there; we just have tomake a greater effort to find them, and to show them that thisis a great industry for a career.

AASP-MN: The next generation of automotive repairers will comefrom the same place they have always come from – young peo-ple who have an interest and passion for all things automotive.Although their numbers may be fewer, there are definitely youngpeople out there in trade schools who see the potential in some-day being in business for themselves. And while they may notbe coming to our industry immediately - for example, some mayinitially go the college route but join the industry later in life - wefeel that they will ultimately find their way here because of theirpassion.

WACTAL: First of all, we don’t necessarily agree that our educa-tional system emphasizes college for all students. Wisconsin hasa very strong technical college system, which has done an ex-cellent job of supplyingtechnicians to all of thetrades for many years.Our next technicians mustcome from the technicalschools. We need to findquality people from thehigh schools to enroll inthese programs, andthat’s not a simple thing.Look at what you pay to have someone come in and repair yourcomputer – they come in with a laptop and backpack and chargea minimum of $95 per hour. Now, take a look at the equipmenta shop must have [spray booth, frame rack, etc.] and the tools atechnician must possess. Compare that against the shop doorrate and technician hourly wage. You get the picture.

WMABA: I don’t know what the college attrition rate is, but I thinkthat is where we need to work on getting the new faces of our in-dustry: Redirecting those kids toward tech schools, apprenticeprograms and mentoring. Collision repair really is a tough busi-ness, and with the technology advancing the way it is, we’regoing to need these younger kids who live by smartphones, com-puters and tablets. We need to get into these high schools ear-lier than we currently do, and show the students that there areoptions out there for people who work with their hands, and thatthey may be more valuable than they thought possible by goinginto collision repair.

Why should an automotive repairer join your association?AASP/MA: Repairers should become a part of AASP/MA be-cause there is strength in numbers. If you have a problem, you’llget the help you need as part of the association, whetherthrough our lobbying efforts or in the training opportunities we

provide. And for me, the best part of membership is the people.You will meet so many great people, and in networking with shopowners like you, you’ll learn the important truth that, in spite ofhow you feel or what outside parties may tell you, you are notthe only one. You may not realize that the issues you’re dealingwith are also being experienced by a neighboring member shop,or that perhaps a solution to your problem already exists. Butuntil you get out there and start communicating with your peers,you won’t have your finger fully on the pulse of the industry with-out membership in AASP/MA. We offer great training, a terrificbenefi package, legal representation and top-notch communi-cation between our magazine and website. And as part of AASPNational, you are privy to more contacts and benefits. You prob-ably can go it alone, but you shouldn’t have to. The leaders of ourindustry are involved in trade associations; that’s not a coinci-dence.

AASP/NJ: A repairer should join AASP/NJ to not be alone in thisindustry, and to gain valuable support, representation, educa-tion and information. The people you will meet by being a part ofour association are truly second to none, and is just one of manyhuge perks of being part of AASP/NJ.

AASP-MN: Joining AASP-MN provides repairers with a collectivevoice to help enactchange, as well as exclu-sive access to industry in-formation, news, savingsand training that they sim-ply cannot get elsewhere.Our members have thebenefit of being informed,educated and in the com-pany of many like-

minded, intelligent automotive repair professionals with whomthey can communicate and share ideas.

WACTAL: Whenever the question of, ‘What will the associationdo for me?’ is asked, our answer is always the same: Whateveryou want us to! WACTAL is run by the members, for the mem-bers. The WACTAL directors are not paid for their time, nor re-imbursed for out-of-pocket expenses to attend meetings. Theydo what they do because they care about the industry and theirown business. The association is only as good as you make it.The industry has many issues to deal with today, and many ofthese can only be dealt with through solidarity. There is strengthin numbers and we need to keep all shops involved in the is-sues.

WMABA: All too often when talking to repairers, I hear their frus-trations: ‘Why did this happen?’ ‘Why won’t this insurer pay mefor this or that?’ ‘Why aren’t I making any money?’ ‘How am Isupposed to compete?’ ‘Who can I talk to about changing this in-dustry?’ WMABA is in place to not only answer those questions,but to actively help change the industry for the better. We providea voice and outlet for collision repair professionals, as well assupport wherever and whenever they need it.

continued from pg. 31FEATURE

MASSACHUSETTS


The leaders of our industry are involvedin trade associations.

THAT’S NOT A COINCIDENCE.


As a member of the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Massachusetts (AASP/MA), I will abide by the association’s bylaws and code of ethics. I understand that membership in AASP of Massachusetts is non-transferable, and I must remain current with my dues in order to be a member in good standing. I understand that if I discontinue my membership that I must immediately cease using any association promotions, logos or materials. Additionally,I understand that as part of my AASP of Massachusetts membership, I will receive New England Automotive Report, the official publication of AASP of Massachusetts, faxes, emails and other mailings.

2013 MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

BUSINESS INFORMATION:

Mr. Mrs. Ms.

Business Representative Name: ______________________________

Business Name ____________________________________________

MEMBERSHIP TYPE

REPAIRER MEMBER (check one)Collision Repair ShopMechanical Repair ShopBoth, Collision & Mechanical Repair ShopsOther Repair Shop

SUPPLIER/ASSOCIATE MEMBER (check one)Auto Paint/Crash Parts/Auto Parts/WholesalerEquipment/Tool SupplierManufacturer/Sales AgentServices (Computers, Software, Vehicle Rental, Other)

LIST OTHER SPECIALTIES __________________________________

________________________________________________________

What benefits motivated you to join AASP of Massachusetts?

________________________________________________________

PERSONAL INFORMATION:

Name ____________________________________________________

Nickname ________________________________________________

2013 ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DUES (The AASP membership year is from January to January 2014)

Total Due .................................................................................$395.00

NEW! Political Action Committee (PAC) Donation ...............$______

Check or Cash

Credit Card: Visa MasterCard

Card Number: __________________________________________

Expiration Date: __________________________________________

Signature: ______________________________________________

Date: __________________________________________________

*** PLEASE TYPE OR PRINT LEGIBLY ***

10 Liberty Square, 5th Floor • Boston, MA 02109(617) 574-0741 | (617) 695-0173 (fax) | [email protected]

FOR OFFICE USE ONLYCheck Number ________________________________Check Date__________________________Check Amount________________________________Date Joined ______________________________Member Number ________________________Next Bill Date ________________________________

Street Address ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mailing Address ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone Number ( ) ____________________________________ Fax Number ( ) ____________________________________________

E-mail Address __________________________________________ Web Site Address______________________________________________

Enrolled By (Name and Address) __________________________________________________________________________________________

Street City State Zip

Street City State Zip

Just like good tools and equipment, membership in AASP of Massachusetts isa valuable investment. AASP of Massachusetts works for you through

such outstanding programs as: (1) management and technical training; (2) discount uniform rental; and (3) a wide variety of other business services.

Put AASP of Massachusetts to work for you today. COMPLETE THE MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION AND

RETURN IT WITH PAYMENT TO AASP OF MASSACHUSETTS.

As required by the U.S. Tax Code, AASP of Massachusetts, Inc. informs its members that 75% of the dues paid to the association are taxdeductible. The remaining 25% is allocated to legislative activities and is not tax deductible.

MASSACHUSETTS


repair to the claimant will not exceed theamount of the insurer’s direct paymentto the claimant plus any applicable de-ductible.”

ConclusionWhether a Massachusetts collision

repair shop wants to become a referral

shop for one or more insurers is com-pletely up to the shop. But in makingthat decision, the shop has to knowwhat the rules are, as well as what theirobligations and rights are going to be asa referral shop.

62 December 2013 New England Automotive Report

Audi Group ..........................................................27

Axalta Coating Systems........................................4

Bald Hill Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram ..................31

Balise Wholesale Parts Express ........................51

Baystate Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge ........................55

Bernardi Group ............................................32-33

Best Chevrolet....................................................IFC

BMW Group ..................................................38-39

BMW/Mini of Warwick ......................................56

CCC One ..............................................................21

Clay Nissan of Norwood ....................................44

Clay Subaru ........................................................55

Colonial Auto Group ..........................................59

Empire Auto Parts ..............................................23

Enterprise............................................................17

Ford Group ..........................................................41

Future Cure ........................................................62

Honda Group ......................................................54

Hyundai Group....................................................26

Imperial Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep ..............................9

Imperial Ford ......................................................41

Infiniti of Norwood..............................................57

IRA Group ......................................................14-15

Jaffarian Toyota/Volvo........................................49

Kelly Automotive Group ....................................IBC

Linder’s, Inc. ........................................................8

Long Automotive Group ..................................OBC

Lundgren Honda ................................................31

Mazda Group ......................................................53

McLaughlin Chevrolet ........................................16

Mopar Group ........................................................9

Nissan Group ......................................................24

Nissan World of Dartmouth ..............................10

NORTHEAST™ 2014 ..........................................13

PPG........................................................................3

Robertsons GMC Truck ......................................44

Sarat Ford-Lincoln ..............................................23

Sentry Group ......................................................60

Subaru Group................................................46-47

Tasca Group........................................................45

Toyota Group ........................................................6

Toyota of Nashua..................................................6

Village Auto Group..............................................12

VW Group ............................................................40

Wellesley Toyota/Scion ......................................17

Woburn Jaguar ..................................................11

AD INDEX


continued from pg. 20

LEGAL PERSPECTIVE

MASSACHUSETTS


New England Automotive Report January 2014

Documents

Transcript of New England Automotive Report January 2014