The following is an open letter to the collision repair industry from the Board of Directors of the Washington Metro Auto Body Association:
On July 5th, 2006, the WMABA (Washington Metro Auto Body Association) Board of Directors received notice from Sheila Loftus that she was resigning from the position of Editor/Publisher of Hammer and Dolly, and that she had completed her last issue as such. After 31 years at the helm of this publication, Sheila’s experience, history, and passion will undoubtedly be missed as the WMABA plans to continue to provide our members and the industry with the Hammer and Dolly publication many rely on for local and national information. The WMABA Board has commenced interviews with several industry publishers and intends to have the publication available again within the next few months.
The WMABA board has also addressed some internal changes that are taking place as well. At CIC in San Jose, California, it was announced the Board of Directors have elected to not renew the current Executive Director employment contract, which will be replaced by a new updated contract. This decision was made after many hours and weeks of deliberation by the Board with much consideration of Sheila’s input. This decision was made prior to Sheila’s announcement to remove herself from the magazine. The WMABA Board will be interviewing for the Executive Director position while allowing their current E.D. the opportunity to receive the same consideration under the new contract parameters.
Aaron Schulenburg, WMABA treasurer, explained, “The Board has identified the need to internally cultivate the same business-savvy environment that encompasses our industry and to update our association’s internal processes, much in the same manner we have all done in our own businesses.”
“Our intention is always to make sure the members receive the most value possible from the association” added Torchy Chandler, WMABA president. “Separating the abundant duties of two full-time positions, which can be cumbersome even for an individual as talented as Sheila, was necessary for the association to operate effectively”.
It is important for our members to understand that although there may be a change in the face representing the association, the direction and stance of the board will not alter from years past. “We are a group of collision repairers trying to fix issues that concern collision repairers,” stated Barry Dorn, the association’s vice president.
“The Board [and association] has a mix of shop owners from all sides of the spectrum and it’s our goal to find the balance so that all shops understand we have their best interests in mind,” reiterated Kris Burton, WMABA secretary.
Members and participants of WMABA can look forward to new, cutting edge communication and information from WMABA and the Board of Directors.
We, the WMABA Board of Directors, wish Sheila the best of luck in her decision and intend to proudly carry the torch she helped to light within the WMABA and Hammer and Dolly.
Any members or subscribers to the magazine are welcome to attend a general meeting intended to answer any questions about this change. A membership meeting will be scheduled in the near future to discuss the changes.
The Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association (WMABA) is a nationally-recognized local association of Collision Repair businesses in the Washington-Metro area, with members in Maryland, Virginia, and District of Columbia. For more information, visit our website at: www.wmaba.com
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Updated: Added related link to Letter to the Editor from Sheila Loftus.