NABC Military Affairs Team Leads Veteran Support Efforts

The National Auto Body Council announced the creation of the NABC Military Affairs team, led by veterans, to help continue its long service to military members and veterans in need, primarily through the NABC Recycled Rides program.

The team will be led by Tim Bates, executive vice president for Solution Works, who is a decorated U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force veteran. Members include retired Army Maj. Gen. Chuck Swannack, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Kevin Pottinger, retired Army Maj. Mark Lear, and Marine Corps Sgt. Frank Pickering.

The team will work with national and state military affairs departments, veterans administration offices, military service organizations, and military focused charities to support their efforts to serve military members and veterans in need. The NABC Recycled Rides program has gifted more than 3,500 vehicles since 2007, with 75% going to military members, veterans, and veterans’ families.

“At the National Auto Body Council, we have a long history of working to give back to our country’s military members and veterans, primarily by providing reliable transportation through our NABC Recycled Rides program,” said Tom Wolf, chairman of the NABC board of directors. “It’s an honor to build upon our relationships with these military leaders, through whom we’ve been working for a number of years, to create a focused team engaged with the military community.”

Bates had a distinguished military career prior to joining the automotive industry. The Kansas native joined the U.S. Air Force after high school, trained as a satellite systems communications operator, and was stationed at Misawa Air Base in Aomori, Japan. He served in support of Operations Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. After Desert Storm, he returned to Kansas with his family to become a corrections officer and enlisted in the U.S. Army National Guard, then re-enlisted in the U.S. Army and regained his active-duty status.

While stationed there, he worked in the car dealership business and determined that was his new career path. After 9/11, he felt it was his duty to serve and he returned to active duty in September 2001 to support Operation Enduring Freedom, after which he received an honorable discharge.

“It was an honor to serve my country over the years,” Bates said. “It provided an incredible foundation on which I’ve built my career, and I learned to truly value duty, honor and commitment to service. It’s equally an honor to work with the National Auto Body Council and the NABC Recycled Rides program to give back to veterans in need of reliable transportation. I look forward to collaborating with these distinguished veterans on the NABC Military Affairs team to continue to build our relationship with and services for the military and veteran community.”

Following his service career, Bates returned to the car business and moved up to general manager. He joined the paintless dent repair business in late 2009 as an independent adjuster to work a large hail storm in Melbourne, Australia for seven months. After returning to the U.S., he became a regional manager with Catastrophe Solutions International which, after a merger with Auto Works, is now SolutionWorks.

“We’re proud to name Tim Bates as the leader of this team and look forward to his guidance as we expand our work serving military members and veterans in need,” Wolf said.

Swannack is currently the executive director of Speedway Children’s Charities. He is a 1971 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and has a M.S. in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. After his retirement from active duty, Swannack became the chief operating officer of U.S. Logistics, Inc. In 2014, he became executive director of Speedway Children's Charities.

Pottinger is the former vice chairman of the Airpower Foundation, and commissioner and chairman of the Texas Military Preparedness Commission. Following his service, he saw a need to help provide mobility solutions for military members and veterans. He built a network of supporters to provide funding for mobility packages for active military service members, veterans, and first responders — the Freedom Mobility Foundation.

Lear is an insurance industry executive who founded Return To Base of Missouri, Inc. in Texas County, Missouri. In April 2024, they acquired 53 acres of ground adjacent to 7,000 acres of the Paddy Creek National Forrest near Licking, Missouri. The non-profit organization provides high-quality camp housing, equipment, hunting blinds, and other recreational opportunities for veterans and their families.

Pickering is an insurance industry executive who serves on the board of Western New York Heroes and the Collision Repair Education Foundation. Their mission is to provide veterans, members of the armed services, and the widows and children of deceased veterans with access to essential services, financial assistance, and resources that support their lives and sustain their dignity.