Las Vegas, Nevada — On Monday, repairers from across North America gathered at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada for the eighth annual MSO Symposium, where they came together to network, learn from their peers and gain pertinent knowledge on trends and topics that could be influencing their businesses.
The half-day conference was moderated by Darrell Amberson and offered an action-packed agenda and extensive networking opportunities.
Amberson, who has attended the MSO Symposium since its inception in 2012, has also served on the Automotive Service Association’s (ASA) board of directors for 12 years. He has more than 40 years of experience in the auto repair industry and has received awards such as the ASA Pheonix award and the ABRN leadership award.
After Ray Fisher, executive director at ASA, gave his opening remarks, the event began with a networking lunch sponsored by Sherwin Williams, followed by several information sessions.
Following opening remarks, Vincent Romans, managing partner and CEO of the Romans Group, led “Advancing Our Insights into the Collision Repair Marketplace”, where he discussed his take on the total addressable market (TAM). Touting four decades of consulting experience within collision repair markets, Romans discussed the secular trends he has observed in the industry, including consolidation and transformation, private equity buying sprees and deep influence, connected cars with ADAS and 5G capabilities and the industry’s technician shortage.
After Romans, Susanna Gotsch, director and industry analyst for CCC Information services took the stage to discuss the latest data from the collision repair industry. Leading the crowd through the data analysis process, Gotsch touched on factors such as accident frequency, as well as how advanced materials and new vehicle tech are transforming the industry.
Collision Repair had the opportunity to ask Gotsch about her thoughts on autonomous vehicle technology in Canada.
“You mentioned that you believe that we won’t be seeing full autonomy in consumer vehicles for another decade at the very least. For cities like Toronto, which proposing a tentative deadline of just a few years to reach full autonomy, do you think they are being unrealistic?”
Neal Watterson, head of guest products and services for Uber for Business then delivered a pitch on the future of Uber, mobility and the automotive industry. The seminar marked the first time Uber has addressed a group of collision repair banners. Watterson discussed the company’s goals in aiding organizations that want to deliver safe, reliable transportation to everyone everywhere, maintaining that, by combining Uber’s platform with state-of-the-art auto services, the repair industry can increase reliability, accessibility and convenience for riders and drivers.
At 2:30 p.m., David Black, corporate collision director at Body by Cochran; Shawn Griffin, national collision director for Asbury Automotive Group; and Gene Kozash, regional director, collision for Berkshire Hathaway took to the stage to discuss the rise of dealership collision centres. The trio delivered insight on how dealership repair centres are handling industry challenges and preparing for the future, as well as educating the crowd on understanding what makes dealership facilities different—and what makes them the same.
A question-and-answer session followed the talk, with the panel consisting of Michael Macaluso, president of Driven Brands; Vince Claudio, senior vice president of Gerber Collision and Glass; Marty Evans, chief operating officer of Certified Collision Group; and Mark Sanders, president and COO of Caliber Collision. The faced-paced session gave attendees an inside look at how these executives tackled some of the industry’s toughest challenges and how they are preparing their facilities for future success.
Tying in with the influx of advancing automotive technology, Jason Verlen, senior vice president of product strategy and management for CCC Information Services, delivered a discussion on the trends currently leading to the rapid transformation in claims processes. Verlen took a moment to examine these changes in a larger context before sharing his own ideas for streamlining the claims and repair processes.
Following Verlen’s tech talk was a 45-minute panel discussion on the evolution of OEM certification programs. While these programs originated in the early ’90s, their presence over the last three decades has restructured the inner workings of the collision repair industry. Mark Allen, collision repair program manager for Audi of North America; Mike Anderson, president of Collision Advice; and Bob MacDonald, president of Summit Consulting International took a look at the current state of OEM certifications, and also shared their firsthand experiences with the OEM certification expansion process.
A final session on future trends in auto insurance and claims handling featured Allstate director Clint Marlow, who delivered a transparent discussion on the top trends impacting the property and casualty insurance industry. Attendees gained a greater understanding as to how these trends could impact the collision repair process and multiple shop owners in North America.
MSO Symposium attendees closed out the successful day with an industry networking reception, featuring hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and conversation.
This year’s MSO Symposium was surely chock-full of networking opportunities, repairer relations and industry insights.
And it’s only just begun—stay tuned to Collision Repair this week for all your SEMA Show updates, and check out our exclusive photos from the Symposium below!
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