In the small city of Chatsworth, located in the northern part of Georgia, Babb’s Body Shop prides itself on performing high-quality collision repair work.

The business was established by Kelly Babb in 1973. His son, Jason, began working full-time in the body shop after graduating from the University of Georgia in 1997. As their business grew, Kelly and Jason realized they needed a larger location and moved into a 22,000-square-foot facility in 2004, where Babb’s Body Shop has operated ever since.

As the operations manager in charge of day-to-day operations, Jason said he does “everything and anything it takes to keep things going” and ensure his staff is pointed in the right direction.

Autobody News talked to Jason

When you walk into the main office at Orlando Auto Body in Mesa, AZ, one of the first things you’ll notice is the numerous magazine articles and awards that decorate an entire wall.

They are reminiscent of the custom cars Shane Orlando has worked on throughout his career.

He and his younger brother, Jason, began repairing and restoring cars and trucks as teenagers working out of a 600-square-foot garage. They quickly attracted the attention of car enthusiasts, classic car restorers and those who were involved in auto collisions. It wasn’t long before the brothers opened Orlando Auto Body in a 1,500-square-foot facility in Tempe, AZ, repairing about 100 vehicles per year.

Fast-forward to today---30 years after working

Jim Guthrie and his son, Sean, have always had a passion for cars---whether that has been repairing them, restoring them or racing them.

Currently operating Car Crafters in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the father-son team’s mission is “to be the body shop of choice for customers, insurance companies and employees, while providing the highest quality and safest repairs available today.”

As a teenager, Jim spent his free time repairing cars in his parents’ two-car garage. They eventually told him to either focus on college or open a body shop. Jim opened Car Crafters in 1982. When Sean was old enough, he helped out at the shop---sweeping floors, throwing out the trash and working on vehicles. He began working there full-time during high

Tom & Ed’s Autobody dates back to 1983 when Tom Tylka and his partner, Ed, moved their garage operation into a 2,000-square-foot facility in Schererville, Indiana, after quitting their jobs at an engineering company.

Tom spent time marketing the business during the day and repairing vehicles at night. The business arrangement soon became very stressful for the partners, and a few years later, Ed left the company.

“My dad decided to keep the name Tom & Ed’s because he had recently purchased signage and stationary,” said Tom’s son, Andy, who joined the company in 2009. “He felt the business was more about the products and services offered, rather than the name, so he put his finances into running the shop

Prior to opening Exclusive Auto Collision in 2003 in Ramsey, NJ, Tony Lake was an auto damage appraiser for 20 years.

“I saw that high-end vehicles were not getting repaired the way that I thought they could be repaired back to OEM manufacturers’ standards,” said Lake. “There was a big gap between a quality repair and a non-quality repair going on in the industry.”

A body shop was for sale in an exclusive area of New Jersey, so Lake decided to purchase it and build a specialty business. He now repairs high-end vehicles such as Audi, Mercedes and Porsche.

Autobody News talked to Lake about the importance of OEM certifications and the steps he is taking to stand up to insurance companies to ensure vehicles are repaired back to

In Waipahu, HI, employees from Oka’s Autobody and their families recently met at the local bowling alley for the company’s summer time family fun event.

“We hope it helps bring our employees together in a setting other than work,” said Brandon Okahara, part owner of the body shop. “We often joke that we spend more time with these guys than our own families. You have to find that balance between working hard and still having family time outside.”

Brandon and his siblings, Marlo and Kyle, have a good understanding of what it takes to balance family and business while working together. Oka’s was established by their father Eddie, uncle Fred and uncle Henry Okahara in

Just one year ago, Pamela Weese joined ReCARnation Total Automotive Solutions as the company’s COO. With extensive experience in organizational management and business development, Weese was named CEO this past April.

Autobody News reached out to Weese to find out more about the Albuquerque, NM, body shop and how it sets itself apart from neighboring shops by being a “values-driven company.”

Q: As a prior director of business development, how did you get involved in the collision repair industry?

A: The business was established in 2009 by Marc Powell as a car dealership with in-house financing. A small garage was created the following year and the company has continued to grow. We now operate the mechanical, paint and body shop out of an 18,000-square-foot facility

In Anchorage, AK, body shop owner Ryan Cropper often tells customers that Able Body Shop is where strong values merge with quality work. Cropper currently operates two locations in The Last Frontier and said he has built his business on relationships and trust---one customer at a time.

Autobody News spoke to Cropper about how he and his team go the extra mile to provide excellent customer service while dealing with collision repair challenges in Alaska.

Q: How has your background enabled you to run two successful body shops?

A: From an early age, I learned the benefits of hard work and found that true commitment and dedication carry value. I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. When I was 10 years old, I began mowing lawns

When Jim Pfau talks to his customers at Alan’s Collision Center, he often asks if they are familiar with their vehicle insurance policy. The general manager of the Philadelphia, PA body shop said that since the average person does not have a clear understanding of their policy, he takes the time to explain the issues associated with the repair process, such as labor rates and parts usage.

Alan Zeitz founded Alan’s Collision Center in 1973. Just two years later, he decided to move to Florida and sold the business to Dennis Winokur and Bob Neisser.

“Our mission is to ensure vehicles are repaired safely and returned to pre-collision condition,” said Pfau, who has worked in the industry since

Illinois Shop Owner Helps Community in Two Ways

Written by Ed Attanasio, Autobody News
Published April 10, 2017

Last year, I interviewed Jose Esquivel, the owner of Midwest Auto Body in Melrose, IL about his journey into collision repair.

Unlike most people, he entered the field as a shop owner with little or no exposure to the industry, but by working hard and receiving help from his father and two brothers-in-law, Esquivel was able to succeed in a tough and highly competitive market.

During that interview, Esquivel said that he was ready to get involved in some type of

Kathy Mello of TGIF Body Shop in Fremont Wins at Every Level

Written by Ed Attanasio, Autobody News
Published February 9, 2017

By working hard and doing all the right things for the right reasons, Kathy Mello of TGIF Body Shop in Fremont, CA is a shining example of how good things happen to good people.

The owner of TGIF Body Shop, Inc. in Fremont, Mello is well-known both locally and nationally as a top industry leader, a passionate mentor, and a person who cares about her employees and her community.

Kathy Mello and her husband Richard have owned TGIF since 1980. Right on the edge

Vallejo Body Shop Gives Away its 11th Car

Written by Ed Attanasio, Autobody News
Published February 9, 2017

Just like Nigel Tufnel said in the film This is Spinal Tap, "This one goes to 11!"

Sure, it's a fairly obscure movie reference, but it is fitting in this instance, because when it comes to giving cars away, this Bay Area body shop turns up the volume every year right after Christmas for its annual car presentation.

On December 29, Regal Collision in Vallejo, CA presented a completely refurbished 1997 Buick LeSabre to a deserving family from the Vallejo area. This marks the

CA Supreme Court Affirms Authority of Insurance Commissioner Jones

Written by Ed Attanasio, Autobody News
Published January 25, 2017

Within the last six years, the insurance industry has continually questioned the authority of the California Department of Insurance to regulate its industry on several fronts.

But in a sweeping victory for consumers, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced that on Jan. 23 the California Supreme Court, in a 7-0 decision, affirmed his authority against a major insurance industry legal challenge.

Rejecting the insurance industry's arguments, the

Delaware Man Gets Jail for $85K Insurance Scam in Darby

The former owner of a Darby Borough auto body shop was sentenced to 23 months of intermediate punishment Thursday, September 1 after pleading guilty to insurance fraud and receiving stolen property.

Franklin Thomas Wilson, who owned Transformer Collision Specialist at 1006 Summit St., was among 11 people arrested in March 2015 for an alleged $85,000 insurance fraud scheme that included damaging vehicles with a forklift to falsely inflate claims.

Wilson would meet with customers seeking body work on their vehicles and provide them with an estimate, according to a 30-page criminal complaint and affidavit of probable cause written by County Detective Lawrence

Origins of the California Autobody Association as it Celebrates 50 Years

Written by Ed Attanasio, Autobody News
Published June 9, 2016

The California Autobody Association (CAA) is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year after serving the collision repair industry in the Golden State since 1966.

This non-profit trade association consists of more than 1,000 individual and independent businesses within the automobile collision repair industry. Its mission is to enable the auto body industry to survive and prosper by helping its members to produce a quality repair for the consumer at a fair

CDI Takes Action Against Insurers for Various Acts: Capping Labor Rates, Lowballing, Trade Practices

Written by Ed Attanasio, Autobody News
Published Oct. 12, 2015

The California Department of Insurance (CDI) took action recently against Allstate Insurance, Sterling Casualty and Alliance United Insurancebased on allegations listed in three separate statements of charges/accusations concerning illegal labor rate practices that were allegedly unfair and/or deceptive and based on complaints from body shops throughout the state.

These actions are based

Does Being a Green Shop Improve the Bottom Line?

Written by Ed Attanasio, Autobody News
PublishedJan. 21, 2015

Known as the Greenest Shop in the USA, Selecta Body Shop in San Francisco’s Mission District has received major praise, top reviews and now a prestigious award for running an environmentally responsible business.

But, the burning questions that almost every body shop owner has are, “Does being green increase profits or in the end, or does it just help the owner sleep better at night? Do customers care and maybe more importantly---do the

Top 10 California Laws that Auto Body Shops Need to Know

Knowledge is king and truly empowering, especially when it comes to the industry laws of the land. Ignorance of the law doesn’t mean you don’t have to adhere to it. Being in the dark on any law that can impact you or your business can cause you problems, and cost you time and money.

We sat down recently with Jack Molodanof, a California attorney and lobbyist who has distinguished himself in areas of automotive legislative and regulatory law over the past 30 years. He’s the go-to lawyer/lobbyist in California for the automotive repair industry and represents several statewide automotive associations, including the California Autobody Association (CAA) and Automotive Service Councils of