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Letter to the Editor

NABC and Member Shops Prepare for PRIDE Month

October has once again been designated as Collision Repair Industry Pride Month by the National Auto Body Council (NABC). The objective of this event is to provide a national annual event to serve as a focal point for mobilizing all segments of the Collision Repair Industry to attract attention to the good news about the collision industry and its people, and to generate positive interaction between members of the industry, and with their customers.

PRIDE Month Committee Chair Stacy Bartnik said, "We sincerely believe that people join the NABC because they are proud of this industry and are offended by the negative image our industry has been labeled with. Participating in PRIDE Month activities enables NABC members to celebrate the professionalism that exists in our industry every day."

According to Bartnik, a consultant with Carter and Carter who has 15 years of experience in a shop herself, the NABC has assembled for its members, free, detailed PRIDE Month kits that guide shops through the complete process of setting up and hosting an open house and more. The kits are very informative and provide shops with the answers they will need to put on an event. "We not only want to encourage our members to host open houses, but we want to assist them in doing them well, that is the purpose of these kits. We also want to entice new members to join us to take advantage of this benefit," added Bartnik.

Chuck Sulkala, Chairman of NABC's Camp Mak-A-Dream campaign is urging shops to incorporate fund raising for the camp's health center as a part of PRIDE Month activities. According to Sulkala, "We are getting very close to our goal and need to raise it all by the end of the year. Wouldn't it be great if we could accomplish our $500,000 goal in the month we celebrate our industry? Let's make it happen!"

The NABC suggests its members participate in a number of PRIDE Month activities, including:

• public open houses held by repair facilities
• organizing and hosting shop tours for high school and grammar school students, administrators, teachers, guidance counselors and parents
• getting vocational technical schools, community colleges and trade schools to do a full day of shop tours
• inviting radio & TV personalities (weather or other) to broadcast from a repair facility
• inviting City officials to association meetings
• have Rotary and other service clubs feature collision repair professionals to speak or set up a shop tour and more.

Local associations can be of assistance in covering events in their newsletters or forwarding material to local papers and other media.

"The tag line on the NABC logo says 'Building Integrity', and that is exactly what our members are doing by running ethical businesses and opening the public's eyes to what today's industry is all about," said Mark Claypool, NABC's Executive Director. "We invite shops out there that share this passion for improving the industry's image to join us in really making a difference. Call us at 888-667-7433 or join on-line at the NABC website."

The National Auto Body Council is a not-for-profit association whose sole purpose is to improve the image of the collision repair industry in the eyes of the general public and to recognize the pride and professionalism of its members. Members and sponsors are all employed in some aspect of the collision repair industry.

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