I-CAR, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair gathered for its 30th Annual Industry Conference at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC from July 28 through July 31 and attracted over 260 participants from the collision repair inter-industry.
This year’s conference focused on the legacy of volunteers as the not-for-profit training organization celebrated its 30th anniversary. The conference opened with a new event, an inter-industry tradeshow, on Tuesday, July 28, where 26 exhibitors, who also sponsored the conference, had the opportunity to share information with conference attendees and the public.
A highlighted session on Wednesday included an economic address from Dr. Martin Regalia, Senior Vice President for Economic and Tax Policy and Chief Economist at the United States Chamber of Commerce. Regalia, whose experience has included roles within the Congressional Budget Office and the Federal Reserve System, offered comments on key economic indicators and suggested that while the worst may be over, economic recovery will be long and slow. Two panel discussions that offered insights into strategies and tactics for success in today’s economy followed Regalia’s address and were led by I-CAR President and CEO, John Edelen. Industry leaders participating in the discussion included Roger Foss, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.; Nick Notte, Allstate Insurance Company; Michael Quinn, 911 Collision Centers; Roger Cada, State Farm Insurance; Randy Hanson, Allstate Insurance Company; Mario Malacara, Service King Collision Repair Centers; Rick Paukstitus, True2Form; and Dusty Womble, Roger Beasley Collision Center.
The focus shifted on Thursday to the individuals who have volunteered for the organization during the course of the past three decades. “Volunteers are vital to our organization, without the support of our volunteers I-CAR would not be able to function as a training organization for the inter-industry,” said Jeff Peevy, I-CAR Director of Field Operations. “The years of support offered by the individuals that we’ve honored this year shows their commitment to training and ultimately to the safety of vehicles on the road.” The conference continued on Friday with an all-day session geared toward both volunteers and instructors, who work closely together to bring training to the inter-industry and closed that evening with a celebration of the achievements of those volunteers and instructors during the last business year.
“The I-CAR industry conference is a tremendous opportunity for those in the inter-industry to come together and share knowledge,” said Edelen. “With the rapid rate of change in vehicle materials and design, the need to stay current on repair technologies is more acute than ever. I-CAR stands ready to continue to bring this to the auto collision inter-industry.
