Nick Staub, on the mezzanine level of Romaine Electric warehouse where new products are stored, says China tariffs could pose “serious problems” in the near future.
Necessity is mother of reinvention
Kent, Wash.—Nick Staub has been in the electrical remanufacturing market for 36 years, and as president and CEO of Romaine Electric he said he has witnessed major changes in the electrical products industry over the years.
Rhodes engines has been named Jasper’s largest installer in the nation multiple times, most recently for 2015, 2016 and 2017. From left are Jessica Rhodes (Scott’s Daughter) and owner Scott Rhodes, Technicians Rick Dahl and Allen Jamerson, and Sales/Front Office Kimberly Trendley.
Top installer in nation three years running
St. Charles, Mo.—Efficiency is the driving force that Scott Rhodes, owner of Rhodes Engines, attributes the bulk of his shop’s success.
From left: The front office team includes Vic Barseghyan, estimator, Genavieve Garza, office manager, and Kevin Martirosyan, CEO.
Spreading their wings in Eagle Rock
Eagle Rock, Calif.—Rick’s Auto Body & Paint, owned by four Martirosyan brothers, Peter, Arman, Vahan, and Kevin, opened its first location in Silver Lake in 1998 and moved to a new, larger location in 2001.
Kyle Neely uses a file belt sander to dress a weld at Schaefer Autobody in St. Louis, recording with his “Snap Spectacles” for his vlog, BlueCollarKyle.
‘BlueCollarKyle’ sparks interest in youth with ‘Inside the Bodyshop’ videos
St. Louis—Immersed in the automotive repair trade at an early age, Kyle Neely knew the potential of a blue-collar career.
Students display parts received for the first-ever SEMA Student Vehicle Build at ECO. Teacher Chris Coriz took students to the 2017 SEMA show and helped them prepare resumes, business cards, and a pitch to companies for donations.
Rising to the occasion
Santa Fe, N.M.— When the moment arose for Chris Coriz and his students to take their program to the next level, they were ready.
From left: Auto Collision student Hanna Quinteros pauses for a photo with Becky Taylor, manager of the Laird Noller Collision Repair Center in Lawrence, Kan., and president of the Topeka I-CAR chapter; and PPG Automotive Refinish Territory Manager Faith Schoovaerts.
Getting into the game
Topeka, Kan.—After first hosting the events in 2016, the Collision Repair Education Foundation has grown the number of its transportation career fairs to 20 this year, partnering with the TechForce Foundation. Debuting Oct.
From left: Chris, John and Kevin Hinkley with technicians Frank Kurowski and Kevin Ortiz complete 200 hours of training classes annually.
Cheerleading for schools and programs
Castro Valley, Calif.—Kevin Hinkley says he’s a big supporter of two schools in his area that offer auto tech classes and has hired several of its graduates over the years.
Nick Staub, on the mezzanine level of Romaine Electric warehouse where new products are stored, says China tariffs could pose “serious problems” in the near future.
Rhodes engines has been named Jasper’s largest installer in the nation multiple times, most recently for 2015, 2016 and 2017. From left are Jessica Rhodes (Scott’s Daughter) and owner Scott Rhodes, Technicians Rick Dahl and Allen Jamerson, and Sales/Front Office Kimberly Trendley.
From left: The front office team includes Vic Barseghyan, estimator, Genavieve Garza, office manager, and Kevin Martirosyan, CEO.
Kyle Neely uses a file belt sander to dress a weld at Schaefer Autobody in St. Louis, recording with his “Snap Spectacles” for his vlog, BlueCollarKyle.
Students display parts received for the first-ever SEMA Student Vehicle Build at ECO. Teacher Chris Coriz took students to the 2017 SEMA show and helped them prepare resumes, business cards, and a pitch to companies for donations.
From left: Auto Collision student Hanna Quinteros pauses for a photo with Becky Taylor, manager of the Laird Noller Collision Repair Center in Lawrence, Kan., and president of the Topeka I-CAR chapter; and PPG Automotive Refinish Territory Manager Faith Schoovaerts.
From left: Chris, John and Kevin Hinkley with technicians Frank Kurowski and Kevin Ortiz complete 200 hours of training classes annually.
Nick Staub, on the mezzanine level of Romaine Electric warehouse where new products are stored, says China tariffs could pose “serious problems” in the near future.

Necessity is mother of reinvention

Kent, Wash.—Nick Staub has been in the electrical remanufacturing market for 36 years, and as president and CEO of Romaine Electric he said he has witnessed major changes in the electrical products industry over the years. With 12 locations in five states, Romaine is one of a handful of medium to...
David Zuby of IIHS says a misaligned bracket on a non-OEM windshield impacted the performance of the vehicle’s accident avoidance system.

IIHS finds misaligned bracket on non-OEM windshield impacts ADAS performance

Atlanta—Perhaps the most notable caution about non-OEM parts and proper calibration of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) came this summer not from automakers, scanning companies or collision shops, but the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Speaking at the Automotive Service...
From left: Auto Collision student Hanna Quinteros pauses for a photo with Becky Taylor, manager of the Laird Noller Collision Repair Center in Lawrence, Kan., and president of the Topeka I-CAR chapter; and PPG Automotive Refinish Territory Manager Faith Schoovaerts.

Getting into the game

Topeka, Kan.—After first hosting the events in 2016, the Collision Repair Education Foundation has grown the number of its transportation career fairs to 20 this year, partnering with the TechForce Foundation. Debuting Oct. 11 at Washburn University Institute of Technology’s Automotive Collision...
Shelly Jones, Business Development manager for Performance Sales Solutions, and Gene Slattery, CEO of Automotive Technology Inc. (ATI), attended Ranken’s career fair. Jones is also president of Women in Auto and Collision’s (WAC) St Louis Chapter, which promotes growth of female roles within the automotive industry.

Regional industry leaders and Ranken students network at annual career fair

St. Louis—“We need young, qualified technicians and support staff.” That was the consensus among the 50-plus employers from the automotive industry, who recently attended Ranken Technical College’s career fair in October. Fixed Operations Manager Derek Christian and Service Manager Andy Stumm of...
Rhodes engines has been named Jasper’s largest installer in the nation multiple times, most recently for 2015, 2016 and 2017. From left are Jessica Rhodes (Scott’s Daughter) and owner Scott Rhodes, Technicians Rick Dahl and Allen Jamerson, and Sales/Front Office Kimberly Trendley.

Top installer in nation three years running

St. Charles, Mo.—Efficiency is the driving force that Scott Rhodes, owner of Rhodes Engines, attributes the bulk of his shop’s success. The shop has achieved the highest honors that Jasper Engines & Transmissions has with the President’s Award, as well as being recognized as its top...
Students display parts received for the first-ever SEMA Student Vehicle Build at ECO. Teacher Chris Coriz took students to the 2017 SEMA show and helped them prepare resumes, business cards, and a pitch to companies for donations.

Rising to the occasion

Santa Fe, N.M.— When the moment arose for Chris Coriz and his students to take their program to the next level, they were ready. As part of SEMA pilot program developed to engage the next generation of automotive professionals and enthusiasts, high-school students from Coriz’s Santa Fe Early...
Jim Pugh, collision center director at Ed Bozarth in Aurora, doubled sales volume at the shop in five years.

Ed Bozarth Collision Center navigates tech tsunami and doubles sales volume

Denver—In the five years since Jim Pugh took over as collision center director at Ed Bozarth Chevrolet in Aurora, the facility has doubled its monthly sales volume, going from $200,000 to $400,000. And while Pugh is proud of those numbers, he’s already looking ahead for training and partnerships...
Kyle Neely uses a file belt sander to dress a weld at Schaefer Autobody in St. Louis, recording with his “Snap Spectacles” for his vlog, BlueCollarKyle.

‘BlueCollarKyle’ sparks interest in youth with ‘Inside the Bodyshop’ videos

St. Louis—Immersed in the automotive repair trade at an early age, Kyle Neely knew the potential of a blue-collar career. But with a shortage of collision repair technicians, he saw a need to inspire and motivate those who may have not considered a career in collision repair or other trades. Neely...
 
 

Parts & People

Parts & People is published monthly by Automotive Counseling and Publishing Company, Inc., a Colorado corporation, P.O. Box 18731 Denver, CO 80203, 303-765-4664. President-Lance Buchner. Founded by Lance Buchner and Dave Lucia.

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