Colorado Springs, Colo. -- A group of Colorado collision repair shop owners have launched a new trade association to serve the interests of the collision repair industry. The Unified Collision Center of Colorado (UCCOC) began soliciting members this spring and has grown to 16 member facilities, said Executive Director John Doremus, owner of #1 Collision Center in Colorado Springs.
Doremus said the objectives of the association are to promote common business interests, deal with common management challenges, and promote activities designed to improve economy and efficiency within the industry.
The association's mission statement: "The Unified Collision Centers of Colorado is committed to the future of the collision repair industry: to provide the leadership needed; raise the professional image of the individual and the industry; and develop new leaders to carry forward. Our goal is to educate, inform, and represent the collision repair professional in all aspects of the industry."
Doremus said he decided to form a new association after examining the work of other associations in the area. "I tried to get involved with ASA, but they didn't seem to have the same priorities that I do," he said. "Also, while they seem to be fairly strong on the mechanical repair side, they have far fewer collision repair shop members."
Doremus said one of the goals of UCCOC will be to work with other trade associations on issues and interests they share. For example, he said the association has become an affiliate of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) in order to have national input on issues.
One of the first actions of UCCOC was to request a meeting with Colorado Insurance Commissioner Marcy Morrison to discuss member concerns, Doremus said, including steering, refusal to pay for repair procedures, and the accuracy of insurance industry surveys.
"They were very interested in our concerns," said Joe Little of Body Beautiful Collision Repair in Aurora. "We were encouraged to build our membership and to continue to bring our concerns to them."
Little said the commissioner acknowledged that shops could have legitimate concerns over retaliation and that some of those issues are better addressed by the association rather than by the individual shops.
"The commissioner hasn't really heard from our side of the table," Doremus said. "(Her office has) have only heard from the insurance industry." One of the tasks that the association is going to take up is teaching shop owners the proper way to file a complaint, he said, adding that the association has volunteered to review the complaint forms to ensure that they are filled out properly.
In addition, Doremus said the association will file briefs in support of appropriate complaints to help the commissioner's office understand the industry's view.
In the past year, Little said Morrison's office has received fewer than a dozen complaints. "To increase the quality of our industry we need to solicit input," he said. "The fact that there are so few complaints suggests that people don't understand the process."
Doremus said that between now and the end of the year, the association intends to do a number of surveys to determine how it can be of most help to collision repair shops. On of the things that he said he envisions is management classes to help shop owners on subjects ranging from understanding profit-and-loss statements to what standard shop procedures are and how to ensure that you are paid for them.
"In order for the consumer to be made whole, the shop needs to be paid to do the work properly," said Troy Fallers of Painters Supply of Sheridan. "If you're not being compensated properly, how are you going to reinvest in your business?"
Through meetings of the state associations and local chapters, Fallows said members can learn more about their business and the industry through discussions with other shop owners facing the same challenges. "There's a promise in knowing your neighbors," he said.
"We're not competitors anymore, we're colleagues," said Tom Constant of Crestone Collision of Highlands Ranch.
"We understand that all of this is not going to happen overnight, but we are going to keep after it," Doremus said.
Doremus said that annual dues for the association are $350, and shops interested in more information about the association may reach him at 303-859-2211 or by e-mail at john@uccoc.net .
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