I-CAR Collision Reporter - The Online Journal
Volunteer Pam Watson Pulls Off a Brilliant Stroke of Timing for Florida CREF Golf Fundraiser
12/05/2024 by I-CAR
She’s never played a single hole of golf, but that hasn’t handicapped I-CAR volunteer and LKQ Refinish area sales manager Pam Watson in coordinating two hugely successful golf fundraisers for the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF). In 2023 and 2024, $5,000 was raised for each of four south Florida schools with a combined annual enrollment of about 125 collision repair students. The ultimate beneficiary, Watson says, “is the industry who will employ graduates of these schools.”
National Apprenticeship Week: Building the Future of Collision Repair
11/22/2024 by I-CAR
National Apprenticeship Week shines a spotlight on the critical role of apprenticeship programs in cultivating a strong, skilled workforce, and I-CAR is leading the charge in these efforts in the collision repair industry. As the industry’s leading provider of education and training, I-CAR plays a pivotal role in advancing training standards and fostering professional growth through groundbreaking entry-level technician initiatives including Collision Careers and the newly launched I-CAR Academy.
Strategy to Be All It Can Be Keeps Vet-Owned Shop Thriving for 75 Years
11/11/2024 by I-CAR
A lucky break launched Gross and Son Paint and Body, but luck has nothing to do with its 75 years of success in far northwestern Florida. The I-CAR® Gold Class® shop is a market leader in the Pensacola region, offering an exceptionally comprehensive and quality service. If the strategic vision for this business was summed up in a slogan, ‘Being all that we can be’ would be appropriate for this army vet-owned shop. With 14 vehicle-maker certifications and counting, this always-busy shop repairs an average of 250 cars a month. Having recently relocated to its newly built 50,000-square foot, two-story facility on its sprawling property, Gross and Son is poised for even greater growth.
Platinum™ and Full-Time at 18, Aluminum Tech Says Shop ‘Kept It Fun’ During Her Apprenticeship
07/15/2024 by I-CAR
Shortly before her May 2024 high school graduation, Emma Chambers made one of the biggest decisions of her young life. The talented volleyball player walked away from the chance to qualify for a sports scholarship and go to college. This cleared the way for an equally big decision: to concentrate on her budding career in collision repair and accept a full-time position at Andy’s Auto Body Collision Repair in the small southeastern Illinois town of Vandalia. She first came to the Gold Class® shop as an apprentice in June 2023 midway through a two-year auto body program at her high school.