Bodyshop News: March 2004

Canadian Named Among The Most Influential Women In Collision Repair

Canadian Bertha Bertrand was named as one of only five winners of a special award recognizing the most influential women in collision repair.

Bertrand, co-manager of the Collision Centre at Brian Cullen Motors in St. Catharines, Ont., has been active in the industry for 14 years, where collision sales have reached $2 million a year from $1.25 million when she started.

She was honoured at a special awards dinner held in conjunction with the NACE show in Orlando, Fla. Akzo Nobel Coatings was the lead organization making the awards.

The ceremony, held at the Citrus Club on December 4, has been held annually since 1999, highlighting the career accomplishments of women in the trade.

This year, Akzo Nobel also donated scholarships to female students across Canada and the United States both to assist in their training and to encourage more females to join the collision repair industry.

Speaker at the event was Janet Guthrie, the first woman ever to compete in the Indianapolis 500 race.

Bertrand is an active participant and leader in local industry organizations, including I-CAR, the Hamilton District Autobody Repair Association, the Collision Industry Action Group, and the Niagara College Motive Power Advisory Board.

She is personally involved in the “Help a Child Smile” organization, focused on children with cancer being treated at the Children’s Hospital and Hamilton Health Science Corporation MUMC centre.

Collision Group Appoints New Executive

The Collision Industry Action Group has appointed refinish industry veteran Mike Bryan as its executive vice president.

“As the voice of Ontario’s collision repair industry, we’ve got to become louder,” says Bill Finan, president of the Collision Industry Action Group (CIAG). “But first we need to listen to our members, reach out to non-members and ensure that we are truly focusing our resources on representing their needs.”

Bryan will lead this initiative to communicate with collision repairers. Experienced in trade association activities and with the collision repair industry throughout his entire career, Bryan is familiar with the issues it faces. “Our industry provides an essential service,” says Bryan, “but we must secure a brighter future for it by making it more customer friendly, profitable, and a great place to work.”

Quinte Acquired By Keystone

Keystone Automotive Industries, Inc. has announced that it has acquired Quinte Bumper & Fender, Inc., a privately held company based in Trenton, Ontario, that distributes automobile collision replacement parts.

Quinte recorded sales of approximately $8.7 million during its most recent fiscal year. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.