Kirkland, Wash.--Mark Israel said his company's mix of work gives it a bit different pace than many collision shops.  "In the winter, when most collision shops start getting busy, we end up doing a lot more restoration rather than collision repair work," said Israel, owner of Eurotech Bodywerkes. "And in the summer, when people take out their fun cars, that's when we get buried. It's sort of odd, but it's our market niche."

San Jose, Calif.--Testa's Auto Body has a 40-year history in the Bay Area, but its roots really stretch back to Italy. Company founder Joseph Testa hand-crafted body parts for both Fiat and Ferrari in his home country before immigrating to the United States in the 1950s.

There have been many articles written in the industry about the concept of "lean processing." Most of those articles explain the ideas behind the "5S" as house-cleaning and organization, the shift to a team concept, and the ongoing search for wasted steps, time, and energy.

For the independent collision repair shop trying to equip itself with automaker collision repair information, expenses can very quickly add up. Buying annual access to the OEM service and repair information Web sites is no small proposition, even if you forgo access to the most expensive sites, such as those of BMW ($2,500 a year), Mercedes-Benz ($2,950), Volvo ($2,600), and Porsche ($5,200).

Tacoma, Wash.--Scott and Kristi Martinson said the move two years ago to the current location of their collision repair business, 6th Avenue Autobody, was among their best business decisions. "It's a more attractive building than all the others I've been in, and every month we try to make a significant step in improving our image in the community," Scott Martinson said in early June.

Sacramento--Carlos Ramirez said  his company, Johnnie's Body Shop, has been in business since 1937, which may make it the oldest shop in the Sacramento area. But even if not, he said he doubts there is another 70-year-old autobody business nearby that has only had three owners in its history.

San Jose, Calif.--The "American dream" of success despite humble beginnings has become somewhat of a cliché, but it's hard not to realize that it still can be a reality when speaking with Ninos "Nick" Ternian, co-owner of Arseen Auto Body Inc.

Seattle--When Bill Edleman talks about employees at Big E Auto Rebuild, the company he and his wife, Kathie, have owned for 38 years, he speaks about those who work "with" him, not "for" him.

As State Farm moves to expand its electronic parts-ordering program from two test markets into all of California and Indiana, shops that have been part of the test have widely differing views of it.

As an observer of the auto insurance industry, Brian Sullivan offers a unique perspective on what collision repairers can expect in the future. Among his predictions:
 - A painful reduction in the number of collision repair shops;
 - Continued efforts by insurers to control various aspects of the process; and,
 - Changes in various insurers' market share as the "advertising war" continues.