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Letter to the Editor

Former Shop Owners Purchase CTA Back from Ford

Well, the rumors floating around the Collision Repair Industry are true: the shops of Collision Team of America (CTA), Ford Motor Company's stake in the independent body shop facility arena, have been sold by the automaker back to its individual-shop owners. While a confidentiality agreement shrouds much of the terms and price tags, a group of former shop owners headed up by Dan Hall and Paul Tatman have definitely purchased CTA from Ford. They have since dispersed the shops and assets among the collective group.

For the last several months, Ford was negotiating with several of the consolidators, with California and Texas-based Caliber Collision and Minneapolis-based ABRA Collision and Glass mentioned most frequently as potential buyers.

The word around the industry was that Caliber would be the deal-maker. Then negotiations apparently broke off. At the last minute, according to Scott Biggs, CEO of eMergent Technologies, Ford turned to the former owners who were left with tough choices and a near impossible task to execute, but they managed. True to their past reputations for leading the pack and making things happen, they were able to execute the deal.

Press releases are in the works, but for now, INSIGHT has confirmed that:

• Dan Hall has Church Brothers in Indianapolis.
• Craig and Kyle Van Cleve have purchased their Dallas/Fort Worth shops as well as the B&B chain in Austin.
• Tim Ellis has Jacksonville, Florida.
• David Larson bought back his three Orlando facilities.
• Mark Fuller and Wayne Baker bought the Alamo Group in San Antonio.
• Paul Tatman got back the Tatman Group in Illinois.

Sources close to the deal are sure that all the former/current owners are extremely pleased with the results. Apparently, the group plans to go their separate ways, with one owner claiming that there is no Collision Team of America entity any more.

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