HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – As I-CAR continues to emerge as a leaner, more customer-focused training organization, its 2008 International Annual Meeting will reflect the change with a new focus. This year’s meeting will center on providing attendees with relevant information that will enhance their roles as professionals in the collision repair inter-industry.
Participants will also have the opportunity to share their thoughts with I-CAR at Industry Feedback Sessions scheduled for the opening day of the meeting, Thursday, July 24. Industry Feedback Sessions are absolutely free and open to the public. Seeking a candid conversation with attendees, I-CAR sincerely would like to know what it does right and more importantly what it needs to improve on. Feedback sessions will be facilitated by Lou DiLisio, Automotive Industry Consulting, Inc.; Michael Condon, Condon Consulting LLC; and Rick Sherwood, OEM Collision Repair Resources, LLC and will be geared toward those in the collision repair, insurance, and vehicle manufacturing industry segments. “This year’s meeting will be an opportunity for those in the inter-industry to share their perspectives and to have I-CAR listen,” explains I-CAR President and CEO John Edelen. “This meeting is a strong indicator of the turn I-CAR has taken for the better. Industry Feedback Sessions will allow I-CAR to engage in its new operating model and become a stronger customer-focused organization.” The feedback sessions will be structured around open-ended questions that will be posed to industry professionals in attendance. The goal of the questions will be to promote a productive discussion around the needs of the industry and I-CAR’s role in fulfilling those needs. “All three individuals are highly-respected in the inter-industry and each will bring a valuable perspective to this important component of the meeting,” says Edelen. “I-CAR is grateful for their commitment to the inter-industry and their willingness to share their expertise during these sessions.” DiLisio, brings several decades of experience to the floor that touches all facets of the collision repair inter-industry. In the 1980’s he began consulting and, in addition to his collision repair shop background, has worked with insurance companies, vehicle manufacturers, refinish paint companies, body shops, salvage vendors, aftermarket parts manufacturers, and equipment manufacturers and distributors in a wide variety of services including strategic and tactical planning and implementation. He is actively involved with the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) and also participates on a number of other industry-related committees. Condon, with an industry background spanning over 30 years, will also be instrumental in facilitating the discussion. Following a successful career with Allstate Insurance Company, in 2007 he established Condon Consulting, LLC, a firm focused on Auto Physical Damage and service to the collision repair inter-industry. Condon is known for his thoughtful approach to inter-industry issues and enjoys an unusual combination of business, technology, and supplierrelations expertise. He is an active participant in numerous organizations including CIC, CIECA, NACE, and various advisory councils. Sherwood owns and operates OEM Collision Repair Resources, LLC. Since 1988, he has assisted a variety of collision repair industry clients in the design, development and execution of programs to deliver the highest quality, most cost-effective collision repair to vehicle owners. In 1998, he formed and has since served as facilitator for the OEM Collision Repair Roundtable, which brings together on a quarterly basis vehicle manufacturer representatives with collision repair and collision repair parts marketing responsibilities to discuss issues of common interest and concern. I-CAR has intensified its market research efforts and the feedback sessions will continue to provide relevant information from the industry that will be used to shape the courses, products and services offered by the training organization. |
