I-CAR celebrates 35 years of training leadership

Hoffman Estates, Illinois — July 7, 2014 — I-CAR, the inter-industry conference on auto collision repair, is announcing the celebration of its 35th anniversary of improving the quality and safety of collision repair to benefit the industry and consumers.

The organization was formed in 1979 when leaders convened to create a technical focus on collision repair education in order to address a significant shift in vehicle technology—the advent of the unibody. Today, I-CAR is more relevant than ever to the collision repair inter-industry due to ongoing changes in OEM technology, materials, manufacturing capabilities and standards. As a result of the 2025 Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) legislation requirements, driver safety and industry-wide customer satisfaction initiatives, vehicle technology changes are accelerating unabated.

I-CAR has not only greatly expanded and enhanced the training it provides, but the organization has expanded beyond a training-focused business model to a platform of education, knowledge and solutions, all designed to provide complete, safe and quality repairs for the ultimate benefit of the consumer.

“I-CAR has worked hard over the years to expand our relevance to the collision repair industry with a focus on building the knowledge and skills necessary to support complete, safe and quality repairs,” says John Van Alstyne, I-CAR President & CEO. “We believe in excellence and we are committed to the ongoing success of our industry. Thus we are helping prepare the industry for the accelerating period of vehicle technology change we are just entering, we are encouraging industry-wide commitment to the learning culture this technology shift requires, and we are focused on better educating the consumer. On this important anniversary, I want to extend my gratitude to all those who embrace the I-CAR vision and mission, especially all our volunteers and instructors, which without their support our work would be impossible.”

Since I-CAR’s humble beginnings the organization has grown immensely. Today, I-CAR:

• Trains nearly 9,000 individual businesses and over 56,000 students
• Serves the industry with over 2,600 volunteers, instructors and staff, with 315 local committees across the US
• Offers 178 courses delivered through various live, online and virtual formats
• Delivers training through international partners in Canada, New Zealand and Australia
• Provides the industry with a growing suite of services and solutions

“Without I-CAR, the industry would not be in a position to repair the vehicles of today vehicles and those of tomorrow,” says Tim O’Day, President of Gerber Collision & Glass, one of the largest auto collision and glass repair companies in North America.

Gerber is among the 10 percent of collision repair facilities in the U.S. that currently have achieved I-CAR’s Gold Class designation.

“The Gold Class designation is critical to us,” O’Day said. “In fact, we’ve committed to Gold Class for our entire organization—all Gerber locations have achieved this level of distinction. This achievement gives us comfort that we have the necessary skills to properly repair vehicles.”

For more information on I-CAR, please visit I-CAR.ca.