KECO Celebrates Milestone Collaboration with SkillsUSA

KECO Body Repair Products announced its significant contribution to the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference, marking a pivotal moment in the integration of Glue Pull Repair (GPR) technology into the Automotive Refinishing Technology competition.

KECO’s journey with SkillsUSA began in 2020, driven by a vision to incorporate GPR into the national competition. This vision took a major step forward in April 2023, when KECO was invited to provide a GPR system for evaluation by SkillsUSA.

By June 2023, KECO’s commitment and support helped facilitate SkillsUSA’s official announcement of GPR’s inclusion in the 2024 competition. In the following months, KECO collaborated closely with SkillsUSA to plan the inaugural competition featuring GPR.

In May, KECO donated nine GPR systems, valued at approximately $30,000, to SkillsUSA. This generous donation ensured that students nationwide could access and utilize the latest in GPR technology during the competition.

In June, Chris White and Matt Moore from KECO attended the national SkillsUSA event at the World Congress Center in Atlanta. The GPR competition was executed on a pass/fail basis, with participants attempting to repair a specific dent using GPR technology. The event generated significant excitement among students and faculty, many of whom expressed interest in further exploring GPR and integrating it into their trade school curriculums.

“We are thrilled to see the enthusiasm and interest in GPR from students across the country,” White said. “Our goal has always been to advance the industry by empowering the next generation of automotive refinishing professionals with cutting-edge technology.”

Looking ahead, GPR will evolve into a scored competition at the national event in 2025. KECO will continue its collaboration with SkillsUSA leaders Jerry Goodson and Jason Bartenan to develop rules and a scoring system reflecting the skill and precision required in GPR repairs.