Global Finishing Solutions (GFS) announced that Platinum Equipment has joined its automotive and truck refinish distribution team, bolstering GFS’ ability to provide service to collision repair facilities in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and western Wisconsin. Founded in 2020, Platinum Equipment supplies and services a variety of automotive repair equipment, including paint booths and frame […]
1Collision Adds Collision Repair Centers to Network in Minnesota and Iowa
1Collision announced the addition of 1Collision Waconia in Waconia, Minn. and 1Collision Grimes in Grimes, Iowa. 1Collision Waconia is the tenth collision center in Minnesota to affiliate with 1Collision and is owned and operated by Chad Bijou. Bijou said, “I’m excited about the opening of our new store that will serve the collision repair needs […]
NICB Reports Texas Continues to Take the Top Spot for Hail Claims
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) today, released a three-year analysis of insurance claims associated with hail storms in the United States. The report is based on a review of claims data from ISO ClaimSearch during the period of January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2019, totaling 2,769,362 hail loss claims. The top five states […]
Registration Open for AASP-MN April 23 Annual Meeting and Leadership Conference
The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Minnesota (AASP-MN) announced its Annual Meeting and Leadership Conference will be held April 23, at Delta Hotels by Marriott Minneapolis Northeast. The event, with the theme “Power Up Your Leadership,” offers a line-up of seminars that are tailor made for auto service and collision repair shop owners and […]
CARSTAR Adds Collision Repair Center to Network in Minnesota
CARSTAR announced the opening of CARSTAR Precision Collision Auto Body, an 8,000 square foot collision repair facility,located at 13928 233rd Street, in Cold Spring, Minn. Gary Spychala, Erik Gebault and Mark Seidenstricker are the owners of CARSTAR Precision Collision Auto Body. The team has been in the industry for over 15 years, with Spychala and Gebault […]
AASP-MN Scholarship Applications Available
The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Minnesota (AASP-MN) will be awarding scholarships to select students enrolled in post-secondary automotive service and collision repair programs. Scholarship awards will be $1,000 per student and can be applied towards tuition or tool purchases. Applications can be downloaded from the Alliance’s website or submitted online. Recipients must be […]
MNCARS Highlights Minnesota Automotive Careers on YouTube
Minnesota Careers in Auto Repair and Service (MNCARS) announced the release of new video resources on its YouTube channel to expand its outreach and raise awareness of career opportunities in the automotive service and collision repair industry. The new videos feature students who are currently enrolled in automotive programs telling their stories about how they […]
CARSTAR Adds First Collision Repair Center to Network in Minnesota
CARSTAR announced the opening of its first Minnesota location, CARSTAR Bighley Auto Body, located at 2409 Margaret Street N., in North St. Paul. A three-generation business for this family of repairers, Mike Bighley, owner of CARSTAR Bighley Auto Body, has grown up in the industry. Sweeping floors, washing cars and cleaning the parking lot were […]
GMG EnviroSafe Acquires Compliance Services, Inc.
GMG EnviroSafe, the provider of environmental, health, and safety (EHS) services in the automotive repair industry, announced the acquisition of Minneapolis, Minn.-based Compliance Services, Inc. Compliance Services, founded in 1995, provides EHS compliance assistance to small-to-medium sized companies across many different industries in the Midwest. “Our acquisition of Compliance Services accelerates GMG’s strategy to expand […]
Minnesota Legislation Seeks to Enact New Collision Repair Steering Restrictions
Legislation would also prohibit insurers from disregarding estimating system procedure pages or OEM collision repair procedures. A bill introduced in the Minnesota House of Representatives on May 20 seeks to amend the state’s existing standards for automobile claims handling expanding restrictions on steering prohibiting an insurer from attempting to influence consumers choice of a repair […]