What is ABAT Doing for You?

by Burl Richards, ABAT President

It seems like a lot of Lone Star shops want to know what ABAT is doing for them, so it’s no surprise that was an important topic of conversation at our recent Board meeting.

A very small portion of the many shops in Texas have joined the association, and one of our main focuses in 2025 is to grow that membership because we know there’s strength in numbers, and we cannot accomplish everything we want to do without the support of more industry professionals. But we also recognize that, in order to attract more members, we need to make sure y’all understand what we have to offer.

And ABAT has a lot to offer!  

When we first started this group in 2014, we recognized the many needs this industry has. Of course, we all want to be profitable, but any successful shop knows that begins with safe repairs. That means that we need to invest in the training and equipment needed to perform those processes properly…and if we aren’t getting reimbursed the way we should, none of that is possible. That’s why one of our main goals has always been to provide Texas shops with a forum for education, communication and sharing information so we can all be successful.

We’re going to keep doing that, but we’re working on ways to make it more accessible to every shop across the 268,597 square miles that make up this great state. For the past several years, we’ve held a lot of our meetings virtually, and while we’ll continue to do that to give everyone a chance to participate, there’s a lot of value in getting together face to face as well.

Each quarter, we’re going to switch it up; we’ll hold a Zoom meeting one quarter and then an in-person meeting. Then, we’ll repeat. We’re also discussing the possibility of holding some chapter meetings in different geographical regions to give repairers more opportunities to connect with their local peers. 

And on September 12-13, we’ll host our 2025 Texas Auto Body Trade Show at the Marriott Dallas Allen Hotel and Convention Center in Allen, so make sure you mark your calendars and stay tuned to Texas Automotive for more details as they become available. You don’t want to miss it!

Training is vital, but ABAT also realizes that questions may arise throughout the course of business that require a more immediate response, so we’re working on creating a forum through our website where members can ask questions and get responses from anyone who might be able to add value to the conversation. We’ve got a great Board that consists of shop owners, managers and jobbers from all different parts of the state who can offer a lot of insights to help shops make better decisions on the day-to-day issues that pop up. 

I encourage all of our members to make sure you’ve got access to our updated website to be able to take advantage of this feature once it becomes available. And if you’re not a member, we want you to be! ABAT introduced new levels of membership earlier this year to provide more people with the opportunity to join (for more information, visit grecopublishing.com/txa0225presmessage to read my February 2025 message), and we’ll be testing out a new social media marketing campaign to make sure we’re reaching more industry professionals who need to hear our message.

Because insurers seeking to under-indemnify policyholders continues to be a pressing concern for many shops, ABAT will also be supporting Senate Bill 369, proposed legislation to mandate that all Texas insurance policies include the Appraisal Clause (more details on page 16 about why this is so important). Right now, we are gearing up for our 2025 Collision Day at the Capitol later this month (information on page 14). We’d love to have you come out and help us educate legislators about how SB369 impacts our small businesses! 

So, what is ABAT doing for you? A lot! But after 11 years of doing this, I know there’s no magic wand that we can wave to address everyone’s concerns. ABAT was created to serve the Texas collision industry, and our Board is trying our best to do just that. If everything we have to offer hasn’t made you join yet, I want to know what we’re missing. What can we do to better serve this industry? How can we better support your shop? Please reach out and share your thoughts. 

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