Back to Basics: What’s Next for ABAT?

by Burl Richards, ABAT President

Now that ABAT’s 2024 Texas Auto Body Trade Show has successfully concluded, you may be wondering what the association has planned for the rest of the year.

If you don’t know ABAT Executive Director Jill Tuggle, our Board of Directors or me very well, you may suspect that little will happen over the last months of the year as we rest on our laurels after the association’s largest annual event…but if you’ve actually met any of us, you’ll know there’s not a chance in Hades of that! Sure, the show takes a lot of hard work, but now it’s time to refresh our intentions and get back to the basics.

For starters, ABAT will be hosting several meetings via Zoom this fall and winter. Various chapters will hold in-person gatherings to air the meetings while also providing an opportunity for attendees to network with like-minded collision peers. I know it can be difficult for some of us to find time away from the shop, but because we are utilizing this meeting format, you have no excuses to miss out! You can attend from home or the office – you don’t even have to wear shoes if you don’t want to – what’s most important is that you show up, not for ABAT but for yourself and your business.

Plans are still being finalized, so you’re going to want to stay tuned to Texas Automotive and ABAT’s social media channels to keep updated on announcements as they become available, but I want to tease y’all by sharing a little of the information I have so you can start getting excited about what’s coming up in your own backyard (or on your screen if you choose that route). So, like I said, it’s about getting back to basics. We’re going to have experts presenting on important topics like repair planning and other things that impact a shop’s profitability, and by experts, I mean people who have had success doing the things they’re going to teach us about. Participants will be able to take notes and then head back to the shop with a list of items to implement to improve their own businesses. Because that’s what ABAT is all about: helping shops get better, but you have to be there to benefit from what we offer. 

Meanwhile, anyone who has been paying attention has probably noticed that insurance companies are starting to pull out that whole “prevailing competitive practice” nonsense that was really popular about 10 years ago, and I’m hearing that some shops aren’t asking for necessary repair items. I’m not sure I believe it – we all know insurers will sell things however they want to get their way – so ABAT will be sending surveys out to find out what shops are actually doing instead of taking the carriers’ word for it. None of us should be relying on what they say to determine how we want to run our shops, but we cannot get stuck in our bubble, unaware of what’s going on outside of our four walls. 

That’s why it’s so important to attend ABAT’s meetings, participate in the surveys and show up for yourself, your shop and your industry. We need everyone to get involved instead of sitting around asking, “What’s the association doing for us, anyway?” The answer is “A LOT!” But ABAT can’t just wave a magic wand and fix everything in this industry. A group of 20 or 30 people cannot change what happens throughout the entire state. When we come together, there is strength in our numbers. The association is here to educate and inspire Texas repairers, but it’s up to us – the shops – to make the magic happen. So stay tuned and make sure to participate because what’s next for ABAT is really about what’s best for YOUR shop, and we need YOU to get back to the basics and beyond for our industry to be its very best. 

Want more? Check out the September 2024 issue of Texas Automotive!