(All female-discussion panel at CCIF Calgary. Photo credit: Huw Evans)
Finding opportunities, connecting with your customers and rising to the challenges of a fast changing industry were just some of the highlights of CCIF Calgary 2015.
It was a first for CCIF, an all-female discussion panel that talked about women in the collision repair industry. Moderated by Leanne Jefferies, Director Collision Programs, AIA Canada; the panel included Chelsea Stebner; partner at Parr Auto Body in Saskatoon, Sask., Skills Canada Gold Car Painting Medalist Cecile Bukmeier who now works full time as a refinisher at Baker Boyz Designs Custom and Restoration shop in Edmonton, Alta. and Tifarah Senkow, National Business Development Manager for Advantage Parts Solutions in Vancouver, B.C.
It was interesting to see things from a different perspective; Bukmeier said more shops could pay attention to clean lunch areas and washrooms and that too often, flat rate pay structures mean there’s little incentive for technicians to train young (and female) apprentices. Despite several false starts, Bukmeier has now achieved her dream of working on hot rods and custom cars full time and serves as an inspiration for young women looking to enter the industry. Chelsea Stebner noted that as working mother, it’s important to find the right balance between work and family life and that a gender balanced team can provide many advantages. “Women can bring a softer side to the business that can be very good at building relationships,” she said.
Tifarah Senkow, was looking for another opportunity after a dancing career and says that having joined Advantage Parts Solutions, she’s never looked back. Senkow says that if you’re willing to step up to the plate and have the right attitude, opportunities abound at companies like Advantage. “We’re hiring more women every year,” she says “and I feel the door was open to me just like anybody else.”
Finding your footing in today’s connected world can seem a difficult task for collision shops, but as Frank Terlep, CEO and Lead Sherpa, Summit eMarketing Sherpas notes, it isn’t just millennials that are engaging with businesses via smartphones and social media, it’s everybody. Understanding what your customers desire and creating genuine connections can do wonders when it comes to loyalty, retention and reputation for industry stakeholders, including collision shops, rental car providers and insurance carriers.
Other topics of keen interest at CCIF Calgary included a presentation by David Adams, President of the Global Automakers of Canada on how auto industry dynamics are changing the marketplace as OEMs strive to meet tightening fuel economy targets and the impact this is having on the collision repair process, plus another panel discussion entitled Fast and Furious: The Speed of Change
Hosted by Larry Jefferies, CCIF Chairman and Joe Carvalho of Economical Insurance, this one included collision repair experts and industry innovators Terry Allen of Speedy Collision; Tony Canade of Assured Automotive and Ken Friesen of Concours Collision Centres. The panel discussed a variety of topics including customer expectations when it comes to the entire collision repair process as well as challenges such as the ever-increasing complexity of repairs, the growing influence of OEMs in the repair process as well as parts procurement practices and how to ensure shops remain current on the latest repair procedures via training and equipment.
Other highlights included updates from Andrew Shepherd, Executive Director, I-CAR Canada on the new Gold and Platinum recognition standards, a progress report from
Tony Canade—current AIA Chairman—on CCIF’s progress over the last few years, as well as a presentation from Scott Wideman, Collision Program Manager at Volkswagen of Canada on the impact of Audi’s new vehicle architecture on repair procedures for its Certified Collision repair network.
Updates on the Haiti Arise initiative that CCIF is supporting alongside it’s U.S. counterpart the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) and the Skills Canada competition from Leanne Jefferies served to demonstrate the real progress the collision industry has made over the last several years and what we can expect in the coming years.
As always the attending audience got a chance to vote on the various topics discussed providing a level of interaction and real-time feedback that helped make CCIF Calgary stand head and shoulders above many industry specific conferences.
Here are some of the highlights:
