Jan. 31, 2012—The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) on Tuesday added the Northern Michigan Body Shop Association (NMBSA) as its newest affiliate association member.
The NMBSA, which was founded in 2008, is focused on assisting collision repairers located in Michigan. The association provides its membership base with information and training through speakers and programs geared toward shop owners, according to the SCRS.
“When we first formed, a lot of shops in our area felt they were losing control over their businesses due primarily to insurance influence,” said Sue Allor, founding member and secretary of the NMBSA. “I felt strongly, as did many others, that we had to educate ourselves to succeed in the face of our challenges—to find out what tools and processes would help us operate better; to hear what our peers had gone through and how they had met and overcome difficulties; and most importantly to become aware of our rights and protections under the law, and understand that the customer is the vehicle owner, not the insurer.”
Allor said the NMBSA joined the SCRS because of SCRS’ ability to provide its members with information to improve collision repair businesses.
“The first thing that impressed us was the letters [SCRS] had written to the paint manufacturers to clarify final sand and polish procedures,” Allor said. “Defining these procedures had been a constant source of friction between shops and insurers, and the fact that SCRS got responses from the manufacturers documenting what body shops needed to achieve a high quality finish was impressive. When you added that to SCRS’ other achievements, like the Guide to Complete Repair Planning, it became clear it was an organization that had body shops’ best interests at heart and worked hard on their behalf. Being part of a national organization that brought that kind of value to repairers had a lot of appeal, so affiliation seemed a natural step forward for us.”
“The addition of NMBSA to our affiliate ranks is indicative of the compelling and distinctive growth SCRS has so far experienced in the early part of 2012,” said Aaron Clark, chairman of the SCRS. “The participation and support of quality affiliates is so valuable to SCRS and our members, not only because of their expertise and passion for the industry, but because their acknowledged support reinforces the fact that our activities and direction are in tune with the needs and desires of the industry. We admire the NMBSA’s commitment and willingness to do what it takes to advance the industry, and welcome them aboard.”
The SCRS is currently comprised of 6,000 businesses and 58,500 specialized professionals affiliated with the collision repair industry. For more information, visit scrs.com.
