Collision Repair Education Foundation

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#100Floors75Days

The Collision Repair Education Foundation and Rust-Oleum are partnering this summer to provide 100 collision repair schools with new flooring. The #100Floors75Days project seeks to build relationships between the local collision industry and their collision repair schools by providing the materials necessary to refinish the schools floors during the summer break. The freshly refinished floors will increase the professional appearance of school collision programs, helping to attract students to careers in the collision industry.

The Foundation has identified 100 schools in 23 states in need of new floor coatings.

The schools will apply the coating over the summer while school is not in session.
Sponsoring companies will be recognized on a banner presented to the school.

Industry members interested in supporting the effort should contact Brandon Eckenrode at (312) 231-0258 or Brandon.Eckenrode@ed-foundation.org

The list of schools currently identified is below:

School: City/Town: State: Floor Coating Cost Sponsor
LeCroy Career Tech Center Clanton AL $3,100.00 AVAILABLE
Career Technical Educational Center Columbiana AL $4,400.00 AVAILABLE
Earnest Pruett Center of Technology  Hollywood  AL $4,660.00 AVAILABLE
Calhoun County Career Academy Jacksonville AL $2,580.00 AVAILABLE
Walker County Center of Technology  Jasper AL $3,100.00 AVAILABLE
H. Councill Trenholm State Community College Montgomery AL $8,820.00 AVAILABLE
Muscle Shoals Career Academy Muscle Shoals  AL $3,100.00 AVAILABLE
Northeast Arkansas Career and Technical Center Jonesboro AR $2,580.00 AVAILABLE
Page High School Page AZ $3,620.00 AVAILABLE
Buena High School Sierra Vista AZ $2,580.00 AVAILABLE
Sacramento Academic and Vocational Academy Sacramento CA $1,800.00 AVAILABLE
Contra Costa College San Pablo CA $5,700.00 Service King Collision Repair Centers
Santa Ynez High School Santa Ynez CA $3,880.00 AVAILABLE
Warren Tech Lakewood CO $6,220.00 AVAILABLE
Hodgson Vo-Tech Newark DE $7,780.00 AVAILABLE
South Florida State College Avon Park FL $5,180.00 AVAILABLE
Cocoa High School Cocoa FL $10,900.00 AVAILABLE
Sheridan Technical College Hollywood FL $1,800.00 Diamond Automotive, Inc.
Miami Northwestern Sr. High  Miami FL $5,700.00 AVAILABLE
Colonial High School / Mid Florida Tech  Orlando FL $500.00 AVAILABLE
Thornton Fractional High School Calumet City IL $2,580.00 Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Capital Area Career Center Springfield IL $2,580.00 AVAILABLE
J. Everett Light Career Center Indianapolis IN $13,500.00 AVAILABLE
McKenzie Center Indianapolis IN $3,880.00 AVAILABLE
Walker Career Center Indianapolis IN $4,660.00 AVAILABLE
Kokomo Area Career Center Kokomo IN $2,840.00 AVAILABLE
Prosser Career Education Center New Albany IN $21,300.00 AVAILABLE
Coffeyville Community College Columbus KS $5,700.00 AVAILABLE
Gateway Community & Technical College Ft. Wright KY $3,880.00 AVAILABLE
Eastside Technical Center Lexington KY $2,060.00 AVAILABLE
Upper Cape Tech Bourne MA $12,980.00 AVAILABLE
Diman Regional Voc Tech High School Fall River MA $13,500.00 AVAILABLE
Leominster Center for Technical education Leominster MA $5,180.00 AVAILABLE
Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School Palmer MA $760.00 AVAILABLE
Harford Tech High School Bel Air MD $3,100.00 AVAILABLE
Center for Applied Technology South Edgewater MD $3,360.00 AVAILABLE
Gaithersburg High School Gaithersburg MD $1,800.00 AVAILABLE
Arcadia Valley Career Tech Ironton MO $2,580.00 AVAILABLE
Dallas County Technical Center Louisburg MO $2,580.00 AVAILABLE
North West Technical School Maryville MO $1,280.00 AVAILABLE
Moberly Area Technical Center Moberly  MO $3,100.00 AVAILABLE
Lewis and Clark Career Center St. Charles MO $2,580.00 AVAILABLE
Warrensburg Area Career Center Warrensburg MO $3,100.00 AVAILABLE
East Central Community College  Decatur  MS $3,100.00 AVAILABLE
Westover High School Fayetteville  NC $1,280.00 Hendrick Auto Group
Central Academy of Technology and Arts Monroe NC $8,300.00 AVAILABLE
Wilkes Community College Wilkesboro  NC $3,100.00 Axalta Coating Systems
Dover High School and RCTC Dover NH $500.00 AVAILABLE
W.D. Ormsby East Aurora NY $3,100.00 AVAILABLE
Genesee Valley Educational Partnership Mt. Morris NY $10,900.00 AVAILABLE
Monroe 2 Orleans BOCES Spencerport NY $3,100.00 AVAILABLE
Hudson Valley Community College  Troy NY $13,500.00 AVAILABLE
Four County Career Center Archbold  OH $3,880.00 AVAILABLE
Miami Valley Career Tech Center Englewood OH $4,140.00 Dayton CARSTAR Business Group
Springfield- Clark Careeer & Technical Center Springfield OH $3,100.00 Dayton CARSTAR Business Group
Northeast Tech Afton Afton OK $5,700.00 AVAILABLE
Great Plains Technology Center Lawton OK $6,740.00 AVAILABLE
Butler Area County Vocational Technical School Butler PA $500.00 AVAILABLE
Steel Center Tech  Jefferson Hills PA $3,620.00 AVAILABLE
Carbon Career & Technical Institute Jim Thorpe PA $2,580.00 Axalta Coating Systems
Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology Lewistown PA $2,580.00 AVAILABLE
Cumberland Perry Vocational Technical School  Mechanicsburg  PA $2,060.00 J.W. Smith Auto Body 
Lawrence County Career and technical Center New Castle PA $1,280.00 AVAILABLE
Northern Westmoreland CTC New Kensington PA $2,580.00 AVAILABLE
Venango Technology Center Oil City PA $2,320.00 AVAILABLE
Career Technical Center of Lackawanna County Scranton PA $2,320.00 Axalta Coating Systems
Enoree Career Center Greenville SC $57,700.00 AVAILABLE
G Frank Russell Technology Center Greenwood SC $2,060.00 AVAILABLE
Academy for Careers & Technology Mullins SC $3,100.00 AVAILABLE
Fred P. Hamilton Career Center Seneca SC $2,580.00 AVAILABLE
Sumter Career And Technology Center Sumter SC $3,620.00 AVAILABLE
Sumter Career And Technology center Sumter SC $3,620.00 AVAILABLE
Tennessee College of Applied Technology Chattanooga Chattanooga TN $4,140.00 AVAILABLE
Northwest High School Clarksville  TN $5,700.00 Nashville I-CAR Committee
Bradley Central High School  Cleveland TN $2,840.00 AVAILABLE
Central High School Knoxville TN $2,060.00 Dalton Collision
Judson High School Converse TX $1,020.00 Service King Collision Repair Centers
Donna High School Donna TX $2,580.00 AVAILABLE
Kingwood Park High School Kingwood TX $1,280.00 Service King Collision Repair Centers
United South High School Laredo TX $3,100.00 AVAILABLE
JB Hensler College & Career Academy Manvel TX $7,780.00 AVAILABLE
Mesquite High School Mesquite TX $3,100.00 Service King Collision Repair Centers
West Texas Training center Central High School San Angelo TX $3,100.00 AVAILABLE
Holmes High School  San Antonio TX $3,620.00 Service King Collision Repair Centers
Texarkana College Texarkana TX $3,620.00 AVAILABLE
South West Texas Junior College Uvalde TX $6,740.00 AVAILABLE
Hopewell High School Hopewell VA $2,060.00 AVAILABLE
Northern Neck Tech Center Warsaw VA $1,800.00 AVAILABLE
New Market Skills Center Tumwater WA $3,880.00 AVAILABLE
Lakeshore Technical College  Cleveland WI $9,860.00 AVAILABLE
Randolph Rounty Techinal Center Elkins  WV $760.00 AVAILABLE
Tucker County High School Hambleton WV $2,580.00 AVAILABLE
Cabell County Career Tech. Center Huntington WV $3,100.00 AVAILABLE
Wood County Technical Center Parkersburg WV $5,700.00 AVAILABLE
Brooke High School Wellsburg WV $2,580.00 AVAILABLE

 

 

Floors Before and After

 

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Join the Collision Repair Education Foundation for the Inaugural Top Tech Competition!

Enter a mentor/mentee team or observe the competition.

Did you know that those who receive mentoring are 77 percent more likely to stay in their job?

The competition will consist of 12-15 mentor/mentee teams that will compete on September 28, 2019 at Ranken Technical College in St. Louis, Mo. Companies can enter their top mentoring team to compete to see who is best.

Goals for this event:

  • Improve employee retention
  • Develop the next generation of mentors
  • Encourage more mentoring within the industry
  • Recognize mentors

Requirements:

  • Must be 18 years of age
  • Must have been enrolled within the last two years, or is currently enrolled, in a collision repair program at a technical high school or college.
  • $200 team fee

Cash Prizes:

  • 1st- $2500 each team member
  • 2nd- $1000 each team member
  • 3rd- $500 each team member

Online Registration:

 


 

Hotel Information:

The Foundation has arranged a special rate of $119 at Drury Inn/Forest Park for the event. The rate code that can be entered online is 329146. When booking online go to promo code and enter that in, it should pull up the rate.

The link for the hotel is below:

Drury Inn/ Forest Park
2111 Sulphur ave
St. Louis , MO 63139

Sponsors:

Gerber Collision & Glass logo

Sponsorship Information:

Download the Competition Flyer

Competencies to be included in competition:

The following is a list of expected competencies for technicians, based on industry standards. Technicians should be proficient in all of the following:

Basics:

  • Moving and staging vehicles
  • Shop organization and clean up
  • Safety and how to use personal equipment
  • Placement of keys/work orders during repairs

 

Beginning Skills:

  • Damage analysis
  • Supplement writing ,ability to read and understand the manufacturer’s guidelines (AllData)
  • Disassembly and reassembly, part/hardware organization
  • Nut, bolt and clip recognition
  • Ability to inspect work and QC
  • Checking lights, sensors and functions
  • Final vehicle checks
  • How to identify and remedy wind, water and air leaks
  • Electrical testing of circuits and wiring repair
  • Corrosion protection
  • Removing spot welds
  • Draining radiators and discharging ac systems; Vacuum filling radiators and charging ac systems
  • Set up and measure on frame rack and floor pull set up
  • Tram measuring and reading/following manufacturers measurement specifications
  •  Repairing bumpers
  • Sheet metal adjustment and fit
  • Small dings and dents
  • Medium sized metal and filler work, metal shrinking
  • Weld on panel mapping, removal and preparation
  • Resistance welding
  • Plastic welding
  • Plastic repair with epoxy
  •  Introduction to mocking up and fitting weld on outer panels
  •  Demonstrate the ability to replace bedsides and door skins from start to finish (resistance welding only)
  •  Basic knowledge of outer weld on panel joints

Contact Christen Battaglia for more information on how to become a sponsor at: Christen.Battaglia@ed-foundation.org or 302-377-5202.

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3M Hire Our Heroes

The 3M Hire Our Heroes 500 during 2018 SEMA Show raised funds to support scholarships and tool grants to military veterans and their families.

 

Collision Repair Industry’s Top Shop Owners, MSO Leaders and Industry-Leading Companies Raced to Claim the Honors

Donate to the Collision Repair Education Foundation to support the 3M Hire Our Heroes campaign

 

Hire Out Heroes 500 logoWhen the tire smoke cleared and the final results tallied, Gary Boesel, owner of CARSTAR Alpine and CARSTAR Jordan Road took home the top honors with a fast time of 153.87 in the 3M Hire Our Heroes 500, outpacing representatives from top collision repair companies and industry partners.

3M Automotive Aftermarket Division, along with the Collision Repair Education Foundation, put its effort to provide collision repair education opportunities for military members into high gear this year, hosting the 3M Hire Our Heroes 500 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This year’s program raised more than $150,000 for the 3M Hire Our Heroes program, which provides scholarships and tool grants for military members who want to enter the collision repair industry. All donations for the 3M Hire Our Heroes 500 went to the 3M Hire Our Heroes scholarship fund.

“That was one of the most incredible experiences in my life,” said Boesel, who competed in drag racing as a young adult. “To have my family here and take home the trophy is amazing. Then to have Richard Petty present it to me is unbelievable. What an honor to race for the team at CARSTAR Alpine and CARSTAR Jordan Road and represent the CARSTAR brand.”

Richard Petty (l) presents Gary Boesel with the 3M Hire Our Heroes 500 Trophy at SEMA.

On Tuesday, October 30 during the 2018 SEMA Show, representatives from top MSO and independent collision repair companies industry partners competed in NASCAR stock cars from the NASCAR Racing Experience at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for bragging rights as the fastest collision repair professional in the industry. Legendary automotive designer Chip Foose waved the green flag for the field. The winner was presented the race trophy by NASCAR Hall of Fame member Richard Petty on Wednesday, October 31, in the 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division outside booth at SEMA.

Companies that competed in the race included:  CARSTAR, Gerber Collision & Glass, Auto Body Evolution, Lindsay Collision Centers, Brandywine Coach Works, Skeeter’s Body Shop, Caliber Collision, Fix Auto, Berkshire Hathaway Automotive/English Color and Supply, Certified Collision Group, CARSTAR Jordon Road/CARSTAR Alpine, Garmat and Enterprise Rent-a-Car. 

Each participant generously donated to have a car in the field. All proceeds benefit the 3M Hire Our Heroes program.

“What a great night with many of our colleagues in the collision repair industry,” said Dale Ross, U.S. Marketing Operations Manager for 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division. “There was racing excitement in beautifully branded race cars under the lights at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Chip Foose waved the green flag, top painters from around the country showed off custom helmets for each driver and it all benefited an important cause – providing scholarships and tool grants for military members who want to work in the collision repair industry. This was a unique, once-of-a-lifetime event that engaged many of our collision repair industry’s leading companies in a race for an amazing trophy – and bragging rights. We’re honored to have everyone’s support.”

The partners in the 3M Hire Our Heroes 500 included 3M Commercial Solutions Division, which provided the graphic film for the cars, TriMaxx Graphics, which printed the film, Graphix GearWerks handled the installation, and NASCAR Racing Experience provided the race cars and managed the on-track event.

“The 3M Hire Our Heroes program has been an incredible initiative that will help launch a rewarding career for our scholarship and tool grant recipients and benefit our industry overall,” said Clark Plucinski, Executive Director of the Collision Repair Education Foundation. “The generosity of the industry in supporting this program is heartwarming, and they are playing a critical role in building the success of our industry for years to come.”

This is the sixth year that 3M has partnered with the Collision Repair Education Foundation in support of our industry and our nation’s veterans. Since 2013, the 3M Hire Our Heroes program has generated more than $1.2 million to be used toward scholarships and tool grants for military veterans and their family members. Nearly 330 military veterans and their families have already received scholarships and grants.

If you prefer, you can mail your donation to Collision Repair Education Foundation, 5125 Trillium Boulevard, Hoffman Estates, Illinois 60192. If sending a check, be sure to identify “Hire our Heroes” in the memo section of the check.

Check out the videos below with Hire Our Heroes Grant Recipients


 

 

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Student of the Year Winner Gets Noticed

Annie Michalski, one of two winners of the 2016 Collision Repair Education Foundation’s Student of the Year Award, says she feels welcome in a world where she never thought she would, and she’s planning to stick around. The automotive collision repair industry is lucky to have her; in a time when demands are rising, technology is advancing rapidly, and the vast majority of employees are male and over age 35, it’s in desperate need of people like Michalski. She’s hoping to make the industry more welcoming to others like her: intelligent millennial women.

Annie Michalski, a 2016 Student of the Year winner, was featured on the cover of the February 2017 issue of Fenderbender magazine.

Currently, Michalski represents two minorities in the industry: women and young people. She hopes that by stepping up and setting an example, she can continue to be a role model for future generations. She said, “I’m a woman, and there aren’t a lot of women in the industry. The thing about that is, every single woman I have met in the industry is amazingly strong and pushing us further every day to equality. The thing that I still see needing much work is the age gap. There are so few technicians entering the scene nowadays.”

When she was first introduced to the collision repair program at her school, Michalski was a little intimidated. “I won’t lie, anytime I was ever approached about the industry… it was older men who were… shown as the standard in the field. I think we need to break that stereotype.” Within a few days, she decided it was the opportunity she needed to prove herself as both a young person and a woman. Michalski has studied collision repair since her sophomore year of high school, and this year, was selected as a CREF student of the year.

Michalski said, “I’d like to say I was selected because my teacher (John Warabow) saw the potential in me… I’m drive and enjoy the art and science of collision repair.”

On being selected as a CREF student of the year, Michalski said, “The Collision Repair Education Foundation helped me understand how far one could go in this industry; without them I would be a lot more lost and have a foggier future.”

The collision repair program at her school has enabled Michalski to complete several certifications. In addition, she is a member of SkillsUSA, she serves on the collision program’s Advisory Committee, and she works at a local dealership as part of the cooperative education program. Her accomplishments in collision repair have helped to shape her dream of continuing to a career in the industry, and enabled her to find a path to do it. Michalski said, “I hope to continue forward into the business aspect of the industry. I plan on attending college in the fall for management or marketing.”

Michalski was also interviewed by CollisionWeek publisher Russell Thrall. The video of that interview appears below.

Michalski, who attended Western Area Career and Technology in Canonsburg, Pa. was nominated by her instructor, John Warabow, who wrote in his recommendation for the award last year, “Anna entered my program as a sophomore and is now a senior. Her ability to communicate with fellow students, staff and faculty has made her well-known and respected. She has become a true leader in the class and her fellow students are encouraged by her positive attitude and the ability to accomplish any given task.”

In the video above, Michalski explains what attracted her to a career in the collision industry, how her family and friends reacted and supported her decision. She also talks about the support she has received from the industry, including from Petra Schroeder, chair of the Women’s Industry Network, as well as the Foundation. Michalski graduated high school in 2017 and is attending college, planning to study business. She plans to combine the business skills she learns in college with the technical skills she gained in collision repair to find a career in the industry upon graduation.

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Donate to the Collision Repair Education Foundation

The future of the collision industry is in your hands, and you can make an enormous difference. It’s time for us to work together to achieve our shared vision and goals – to spearhead a new era of excellence in our industry. With your help, we can make it happen.

Your gift to the Collision Repair Education Foundation is an investment in tomorrow’s repair technicians, estimators, researchers, trainers, salespeople, managers, and owners. Your donation has the potential to inspire the talented young men and women who represent the future of our industry. As we face the challenges of a critical shortage in qualified entry-level collision technicians, there’s never been a better time to give to the Collision Repair Education Foundation.

Join us today in investing in our industry’s shared values. Your generosity will benefit not only today’s and tomorrow’s students, but also the businesses – both local and nationwide – that depend upon collision industry schools to prepare entry-level employees of the highest caliber.

Together, we will fuel the future of the collision industry.

Donor Privacy Policy

Physical Mail Donation

To send in your donation, you can write a check (made payable to the “Collision Repair Education Foundation”) and send to:

Collision Repair Education Foundation
5125 Trillium Blvd
Hoffman Estates, IL 60192

Phone Contact

To speak with someone from the Collision Repair Education Foundation regarding potential support, or make a donation over the phone please contact: Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode at 847-463-5244.