08/09/2019 by Greg Peeters
Meet Your I-CAR® Volunteers: Greg PeetersGreg Peeters is a 35+ year industry veteran, who has been volunteering with I-CAR® for decades. Deeply passionate about automobiles and the collision repair industry, Greg has dedicated himself to promoting training, bolstering the overall image of the industry,and improving the quality of service delivered. While Greg is not volunteering with I-CAR, sitting on an industry committee, or at work, he is “mucking stalls” at the Home4Good animal sanctuary he owns with his wife. In this interview, Collision Reporter: The Online Journal, caught up with Greg to learn more about the man behind the volunteer.
NAME: Greg Peeters
HOME: Salt Lake City, Utah
OCCUPATION:National Director, Estimate Quality & Carrier Compliance, ABRA
YEARS AS I-CAR VOLUNTEER: 30+
1. Greg, you’re obviously quite involved in the collision repair industry. How did you get your start? What did your journey look like?
I’ve always loved cars, so I attended Mid-State Technical College, and then an independent in Wisconsin took me under his wing. He really taught me the true craftsmanship of collision repair. I’ve also always had an interest in business management so while I was working as a technician, I went back to school for a business degree.
From there I ended up managing dealerships for 20 years. I saw a lot of potential with dealerships and developing new business models. It’s actually at a dealership where I designed the first drive-thru estimating bay with an early attempt at Blue Printing damaged vehicles. Barcode estimating was just rolling out, and I wanted to capitalize on the efficiencies and accuracy that technology was introducing.
2. How did you first become interested in becoming an I-CAR volunteer, and why have you kept with it all these years?
I’ve been involved in a number of different industry committees, which kind of served as a link to becoming involved with I-CAR, but more than anything, it’s a love for the industry and the ability to network with fantastic people! It’s a combination of trying to get others to train, and trying to improve the overall image of the industry and quality of the service delivered. I also hope to build general public awareness for I-CAR and why it’s important for people to go to I-CAR Gold Class® shops.
What’s kept me motivated all these years is the opportunity to positively influence the industry and give back. I’ve worked with various companies throughout the years that were true industry-leaders, and I want to be able to plug my 35+ years of experience and success back into the industry.
3. You have a pretty unique hobby when you’re not working—tell us about your horse rescue, Home4Good.
My wife Jody and I have always been animal lovers. I grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm, and she grew up in southern Minnesota with horses. So, we decided to start the sanctuary because of our mutual love of animals and out of an understanding of what drives them.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of unwanted animals out there. Either people realize they can no longer afford the animal, or sometimes they have a physical or behavioral flaw. Our ability to rehabilitate animals is continuously evolving, and when we were able to open the sanctuary, it felt right.
We house 6-8 horses at a time at t
he sanctuary. We provide love, care, and training for physical and mental health. When the time is right, the animals are re-homed if possible, but some will live out the rest of their lives here and we’re okay with that. One of the horses we currently have, a 26-year-old thoroughbred, is enjoying the glory days of his retirement!4. With all of your combined passions, you must live a very busy life! Why are you so motivated to juggle all of your different roles?
Life is all about balance—that work/life balance is critical. I’m an early riser, not a TV watcher, so my responsibilities with the sanctuary are how I like to spend my free time. When I’m caring for animals, that’s my personal time to think and process, but also the sanctuary provides great together-time with my wife, who also leads a busy career in the legal profession.
As far as work goes…it’s never really work if you truly love what you’re doing. That’s how I’m able to balance everything. I love what I do, and I look forward to accomplishing wh
at I can each and every day.
Are you an I-CAR volunteer or instructor who wants to share your story? Contact us at Marketing@I-CAR.com