Taking the Table to Techs

by Burl Richards, ABAT President

Anyone involved in this industry knows that technicians are the backbone of what we do in our shops every day, and over the years, ABAT has made efforts to draw more techs into the association through the training we offer and the addition of the BIG SHOTS Competition at the annual Texas Auto Body Trade Show. 

Since our techs are the ones performing the repairs, they get firsthand experience with a lot of the issues that shop owners should be aware of – but if they aren’t bringing it to their bosses’ attention, those shops may not be getting reimbursed for the processes and procedures being performed! At the same time, many technicians would love to get some additional training and expand their knowledge of our industry.

Technicians have a lot to offer the association, and ABAT has a lot to offer them, yet the vast majority of the association’s membership consists of shop owners, managers and vendors…and I want to see that change! We want techs to have a voice in our association, but unless they have a seat at the table, that just isn’t possible. 

At the same time, we’ve heard from repairers that, though they see value in membership and want to be part of something bigger, they haven’t all been able to convince the owners of the shops where they work to get involved with ABAT. Those repair professionals want to invest in themselves; they want a seat at the table, and now, ABAT is making it easier than ever with the introduction of individual memberships (please visit the following link at grecopublishing.com/txa0125coverstory for more information). 

We’re offering a really sweet package – technicians can sign up for next to nothing and gain access to everything the association provides, from the information hub on our website and inclusion on ABAT’s mailing lists to opportunities to attend training events and updates on our legislative initiatives. Individual technician memberships cost just $2 per month, and since today’s collision students are tomorrow’s technicians, students have the opportunity to join for that same low monthly rate. Attracting fresh voices and ideas are vital to making sure this association is focusing on the things that matter most to Texas repairers, so please encourage the technicians and collision students you know to join us by taking advantage of these new membership opportunities by going to members.abat.us/application-to-join.

I recognize that there’s often a disconnect between owners/managers and the technicians performing the repairs, and we need to bridge that gap; we need more technicians involved at all levels of the association so they can educate us on what they’re seeing every day. Technicians have a lot to offer, and it’s past time to bring their voices into what we’re doing. I’m looking forward to getting more technicians involved in ABAT to share the wealth of knowledge they can bring to the table, and I’d love to get a technician on our Board of Directors to make sure we’re attuned to the techs’ needs. 

Listen – we all know there’s strength in the camaraderie that ABAT offers, and we believe that technicians and future technicians should be part of that; in the long run, we support one another and make each other smarter, stronger and louder. And that volume comes in particularly handy when it comes to our legislative initiatives because when more voices share our message, more ears hear what we have to say. ABAT wants to hear what technicians think and learn what they know, so please join us and share your experience to help ensure your local association remains the strongest one around!

Want more? Check out the February 2025 issue of Texas Automotive!