Florida collision professionals are trying to stay a step ahead of the industry curve by banding together. This October, after years without an official state-level organization, the Florida Auto Body Association will celebrate its inauguration with a weekend-long kickoff event in Orlando.
“It's really important that we have a united front as far as education and the procedures that are coming our way,” said FABA Vice President Leo Serrano about the decision to start a new association at a time of change for the industry.
‘This Makes Sense’
The start came about, he said, when Ementi Coary, a longtime industry networker and executive director of the Oklahoma Auto Body Association (OKABA), began circulating the idea among Florida shops late last year.
“The idea just kind of caught on,” Serrano said. “We said, ‘Absolutely. This makes sense. It’s something that we're interested in doing.'"
This first event Oct. 19 will include a talk from Collision Advice owner and Autobody News columnist Mike Anderson, along with food, vendors and networking.
“We're keeping it kind of centrally located. We want as many vendors and shops to participate as possible. The whole purpose of the kickoff is to let people know who we are, what we're about -- get people excited about the association itself. Think of it as like an open house for the association,” Serrano said. “We want to make sure we're offering something of value.”
Change and Challenges
That value includes looking at ways to weather and even thrive as the way cars are made shifts.
“We've had a lot of things change and a lot of challenges as an industry on multiple fronts from parts suppliers changing the way they manage their supply chains to price fluctuations and paint availability,” Serrano noted.
The fact that vehicles are becoming more complex with more features is exciting though, he said, and collision repair professionals need to be on top of new procedures and technology that will come with the continued electric vehicle boom alongside vehicles that have higher levels of autonomy.
Meanwhile, shops still have to keep up with customer service trends.
“It's our job as an industry to take care of people. You know, they usually see us on their worst days -- they got in an accident,” Serrano said. “It's a scary event for them. It's new. And while we deal with this every day, it's still very much our responsibility to handle that in the most responsible way. The decisions we make a difference to people's lives.”
Putting Together Participation
There’s been initial participation from across the state as FABA prepares to officially launch. Serrano mentioned a smaller association that existed a few years ago in North Florida as an inspiration for a statewide iteration. FABA will be the first effort since then, he said.
Other officers include President Drew Bryant, Treasurer Aaron King, Secretary Tarin Ocasio and Coary, who is also serving as executive director of this association, in addition to OKABA.
Education will be a main focus for the fledgling association, said Serrano, who himself helps run a Jacksonville-area family owned shop, Serrano Paint & Body Shop. There will be, at minimum, an annual gathering, and quarterly regional lunch and learns will also be on the calendar.
“We could really use something like this association to further education and help everyone stay on the same page,” Serrano said. “It's very easy for us as shops to kind of put our heads down and do our own thing, but we all really benefit when there is dialogue at the local levels.”
Find more information at floridaautobodyassociation.com.
Elizabeth Crumbly