During our interview for this month’s article, 2024 FenderBender Award winner Amber Alley recalled a recent incident involving a Waymo self-driving car for the Uber ride she’d requested. The “confused” car couldn’t figure out how to reach her pickup spot, instead directing her to walk three blocks in the 112-degree Scottsdale, Arizona, heat. Unsurprisingly, that ride got canceled. But it points out just how fast technology is advancing in the vehicles our readers will inevitably be repairing in the near future. At the same time the technology is flawed, conscientious collision repairers will be concerned with restoring crashworthiness and accident-avoidance by following OEM repair procedure, including scanning and calibrations for advanced driver assistance systems.
As I mention in the article, we selected Amber for her role in fostering team-based work structures, OEM certification, training, and quality repairs. And meanwhile, she’s found the time to serve in leadership roles in the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS), including currently serving as chairwoman of the organization.
Our FenderBender Award has been a highly anticipated yearly feature for about a decade and a half. And this year, we wanted to also recognize those individuals who perform at a higher level in capturing all required repair procedures, including scanning and calibrations, for our Best Repair Planner/Estimator Award from FenderBender and ABRN. Judging by the number of entries we received and the interest from sponsors, it was an honor that was sorely needed. It was tough for our panel to select finalists. But when it came to the estimate exercise, designed and judged by Mike Anderson and his staff at Collision Advice, there was one clear winner. Anthony McNee, one of the blueprinters at his father’s shop, Ultimate Collision Repair, in Edison, New Jersey, documented on the estimate the critical safety-related repair procedures Anderson was looking for.
We will be presenting the awards to Amber and Anthony at the Collision Industry Red Carpet Awards ceremony at the SEMA Show in November.
I want to thank sponsors of both our awards, and especially for our inaugural Best Repair Planner/Estimator Award: AkzoNobel, asTech, Collision Careers, Elitek, FinalQC, Goliath Carts, PPG, and Sun Collision, with a special thanks to Mike Anderson and his staff at Collision Advice, without whom we would not have been able to include the critical estimate exercise component.
For all who took the time to nominate someone for either award, thank you and please know it was a painstaking process to select finalists and then the winner. I encourage you to nominate your person again, or another, if you think he or she may be more deserving. I appreciate your interest and support, and I hope to see another flood of entries next spring.
