Three associations recognized collision repair professionals — both shops and individuals — for their efforts to “do the right thing.”
Richburg, S.C.—The 2022 Southeast Collision Conference, June 23-25, hosted by the Carolinas Collision Association (CCA), Gulf States Collision Association (GSCA) and Tennessee Collision Repairers Association (TCRA), kicked off with an awards ceremony, as all three associations recognized collision repair professionals — both shops and individuals — for their efforts to “do the right thing.”
“The greatest act of love and community that you can show is selflessness, and I think everybody here understands the importance of that,” CCA President Kyle Bradshaw stated as the awards ceremony commenced. “Seven years ago, there was nowhere we could go to network and bounce ideas off each other. But a couple people employed selflessness to get this association started, and others gave selflessly — our members and sponsors have given their time and financial resources. We want to reward those who are selfless in their organizations.”
The 10 awards and their recipients include:
- GSCA 2021 Most Improved Shop of the Year, Mississippi – Richie’s Collision Center (Hattiesburg, Miss.)
- TCRA 2021 Most Improved Shop of the Year, Tennessee – Wallace Collision Center (Bristol, Tenn.)
- CCA 2021 Most Improved Shop of the Year, North Carolina – Statesville Collision Center (Statesville, N.C.)
- CCA 2021 Most Improved Shop of the Year, South Carolina – Prestige Collision Services (Pendleton, S.C.)
- CCA 2021 Board Member of the Year – Ted Martin (Bill Black Chevrolet; Greensboro, N.C.)
- CCA 2021 Tech of the Year – Marc John (Statesville Collision Center; Statesville, N.C.)
- CCA 2021 Painter of the Year – Kirt Martin (Palmetto Paint and Body Works; Camden, S.C.)
- CCA 2021 Estimator of the Year – Michaela Hood (Galeana’s Collision Center; Columbia, S.C.)
- CCA 2021 Detailer of the Year – Zack McClure (Starnes Collision Center; Charlotte, N.C.)
- CCA 2021 CSR of the Year – Ashley Stukes (Big Chris Collison; Aiken, S.C.)
Association leaders stressed the importance of coming together as an industry.
“I’m excited that we’re finally having a face-to-face get-together for our industry,” said GSCA President Tracy Lewis. “We want to be about integrity. We want to be about honesty. We want to be about doing our jobs right, taking care of our employees, taking care of other people and helping educate other shops. Because association membership isn’t just about paying a fee; it’s about learning, and we can all learn from each other. We’re not against each other, right? We’re all in the same field, and there’s enough fools who can’t drive for all of us to stay busy.”
TCRA President J. Mark Smith thanked attendees “for wanting to do the job the right way. That’s our goal — we want everybody’s car fixed right, and what we know, we pass around to each other. If anyone’s got a question, call somebody up, and if they don’t have an answer for you, somebody else in the association will.”
“We’re excited about this weekend and this event — it’s been a long time coming, and we’re ecstatic that we decided to collaborate with TCRA and GSCA,” Bradshaw added before introducing CCA Past President Brian Davies who expressed gratitude to sponsors: “We wouldn’t be able to do what we’re doing without the vendors that help us with this, and we truly appreciate them.”
The ceremony also included thoughts shared from long-time association sponsors, including PPG, Autotality, National Coatings & Supplies, Enterprise, Rick Hendrick City Chevrolet and Auto Shop Solutions, as well as Platinum Sponsors Lombard Equipment, Calibrators of the Carolinas and Shopfix, Inc.
Open to collision repair industry professionals from all locations, the 2022 Southeast Collision Conference offered three days of education, networking and exhibitions, hosted by the Carolinas Collision Association (CCA), Tennessee Collision Repairers Association (TCRA) and Gulf States Collision Association (GSCA). Stay tuned for details about the 2023 Southeast Collision Conference as they become available at carolinascollisionassociation.com/scc-home. For more information about this topic, contact Josh Kent at oregon.josh.kent@gmail.com or 704-998-8553.
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