When I was elected to be the 2019-2020 Collision Industry Conference (CIC) chairman, I was honored, but I also felt the responsibility.
This motivated me to sit down with as many collision repair business owners and managers as possible to better understand how I could best serve. One of the things that stood out to me was how few were familiar with CIC.
In fact, of the 308 owners and managers I spoke with, 81 percent had never attended and 68 percent didn’t know what the CIC was. Those statistics are unfortunate, as it represents missed learning opportunities.
So here are the basics.
The CIC is a forum made up of participants from all industry segments for the expressed purpose of discussing and exploring the issues that occur among them. Through discussion and research during meetings and extensive interim committee work, CIC attempts to form a consensus on various issues, aware that all such findings are non-binding and voluntarily accepted. CIC is not a trade association.
The meetings are open to all interested individuals of all segments of the industry to include repairers, insurers, paint and material companies, equipment, vehicle manufacturers, data providers, representatives of trade associations, anyone with interest in creating a more professional industry. Each agenda has time set aside for participants to publicly address their concerns that are not on the published agenda through the time set aside as “open microphone.”
On Tuesday, Nov. 5, at the Renaissance Hotel in Las Vegas, the CIC will be hosting its last meeting of 2019. The agenda will be impactful, both professionally and emotionally. CIC committees will present their research and work on the industry’s Talent Pool, Emerging Technologies, Data Access, Privacy and Security, Education and Training, Governmental, and Estimating.
In addition, the will be a panel discussion on “The Cost of Quality.” It will explore the advantages and challenges with business decisions that can impact quality. This presentation will be followed after lunch by an interview with Marcia and Matthew Seebachan, owners of a 2010 Honda Fit involved in the Texas accident and resulting lawsuit.
When I became chairman, I placed an “empty chair” on the stage at each meeting to remind us of the families riding in the vehicles our industry repairs and that they are not considered enough in our industry’s decisions. I promised to fill this chair with real people who have been impacted by our repair decisions, and so Marcia and Matthew will fill our “empty chair.” This interview will focus on the personal impact repair decisions had on this young couple’s life and their future. Most people have read about the court case, but few have heard directly from them. I promise this interview will be impactful on those that make an effort to attend. Don’t miss it.
If you are going to SEMA, please make an effort to come to the CIC on Tuesday. I am confident you will be glad you did. If you are within driving distance of Las Vegas and did not intend to attend SEMA, the CIC meeting is well worth the day to come over. For more information, go to www.ciclink.com.
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