Feb. 28, 2014—CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts will host two collision industry events in Colorado next week that will allow body shop owners to learn about the critical business issues and trends impacting their businesses.

CARSTAR said the events, called Collision Industry Night, will be lead by a group of the industry’s top professionals. The events will feature the following speakers and topics of discussion:

• Kurtis Keala of Mitchell International—Mobile Estimating Technology
• Ryan Cassella of Hertz—Car Rental Technology
• Steve Witt of BASF—Repair Planning
• Robert Foster of 3M—The Impact of Technology for Future Vehicles
• Chris Johns of FinishMaster—Collision Industry Overview
• David Byers of CARSTAR—Insurance Industry Trends

“When you’re an independent body shop owner, it’s hard to take the time to step away from your business to look at longer-range changes and developments in the industry,” said Mark Algie, business development manager for 3M Automotive Aftermarket. “This Collision Industry Night provides a great way to understand how the changing marketplace will impact your business, and plan now for those changes.”

The first event will take place March 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Denver-Tech Center in Centennial, Colo. The second event will take place March 5 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Sky Sox Security Service Field in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“For any body shop owner who is looking to grow their business, expand to an additional location, or transition their ownership to the next generation, this is an excellent event,” said David Byers, CEO of CARSTAR. “We’re joining with the top professionals in the collision industry to bring these events to local markets so owners have the opportunity to explore the major issues, trends and solutions in our changing industry.”

Body shop owners interested in participating can contact Mike Davids at mdavids@carstar.com.