NACE 2006 Highlights

Saturday's Town Hall Breakfast at the International Autobody Congress and Exposition brought together a panel of experts on "Total Loss Dilemma." The panel was moderated by former CNN correspondent Gene Randall (far right). Seated beside him is Ron Nagy, AAM, a member of ASA's Collision Division Operations Committee and an affiliate director on ASA's board of directors.

NACE offered 56 conference sessions this year and more than 75 percent of those topics were new. During the Wednesday session above, attendees listened to a presenter from Sherwin-Williams discuss waterborne basecoat technology and how volatile organic compound regulation can impact collision repairers.

Geralynn Kottschade, AAM, NACE 2006 chairman and vice president of Jerry's Body Shop, an ASA member shop in Mankato, Minn., discussed an array of industry issues that directly affect today's collision repair professionals in an interview format led by Babe Laufenberg, former NFL quarterback and current sports anchor for KTVT/Channel 11, a CBS affiliate covering Dallas-Fort Worth.

The Automotive Service Association's new booth featured a more open layout, free coffee service and kiosks for NACE attendees to check their e-mail.

NACE keynote speaker and former quarterback extraordinaire of the Dallas Cowboys, Troy Aikman delivered a message about the importance of teamwork during the opening session at NACE. Aikman, who is a recent Hall of Fame inductee, owns a Ford dealership and body shop in Dallas. Aikman spoke to NACE attendees about his "Aikman's End Zone" charity. Established in 1992, the project provides interactive playrooms for hospitalized children.

On behalf of the Automotive Service Association, Darrell Amberson, ASA's Collision Division director, presented Aikman's charity, "Aikman's End Zone" with a $2,500 check at the conclusion of the keynote presentation.

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