When the Automotive Service Association (ASA) announced a new Massachusetts/Rhode Island (ASA-MA/RI) affiliate in July, shop owners likely recognized the name of executive director Stephen Regan – he’s long been a presence in the collision repair community there as the former executive director of the Massachusetts Auto Body Association (MABA) and helped spearhead the Right to Repair effort in that state.
The structure of the new affiliate will be a little less familiar, however. In a somewhat novel move, the chapter was not established as a non-profit but rather as a private limited liability corporation (LLC) wholly owned (and initially financed) by Regan himself.
With a new regional chapter, member shops in both states will have the benefits of a locally staffed office, better local communications, regional advocacy in the state legislatures, monthly meetings, and local training seminars.
While there had been a previous Rhode Island ASA affiliate, that chapter had gone idle. Regan was approached by ASA president and executive director Dan Risley about establishing a New England-based affiliate chapter to fill that void. In 2015, ASA also announced that the former Connecticut Collision Repair Specialists organization would become the ASA Connecticut affiliate as part of the organization’s push to expand in the Northeast.
In addition to his role at MABA from 1999 to 2011, Regan also served on the board for the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS), was chair of the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) governmental committee, and also served as chair of the National Auto Body Council’s (NABC) public relations committee. He has also worked with the taxi industry in its fight against ride hailing services like Uber and Lyft.
While most industry associations operate as non-profits, Regan says the LLC structure simplifies management and will free up the advisory board to spend more time on industry issues rather than administrative tasks.
“With non-profit boards, every decision – every contract that get signed, everything – is tied up in board votes. I asked a number of contacts if they had an opportunity to serve on a board, but didn’t have to worry about all the administrative and financial aspects, and could just focus on industry issues, what would you think? Almost universally, they all said ‘Where do I sign up?’”
Regan will steer the organization with input from the advisory board, but day-to-day management decisions will rest with him.
Regan also has a personal stake in expanding the membership of the association. He put the initial capital to launch the association (including paying for staff and office space). “When I get up in the morning, that’s my focus,” Regan says. “This association needs to be successful. If it doesn’t succeed, then it’s all on me.”
There is an existing base of roughly 200 members in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and Regan has established contacts throughout the industry as part of his work with MABA, SCRS, CIC and his efforts in lobbying for the Right to Repair legislation. There are also as many as 600 shops in the region that have belonged to ASA in the past that Regan is contacting.
“The feedback has been good,” Regan says. “The shop owners have said it will be great to have monthly meetings and have some local focus. That camaraderie among the shop owners is really important – that ability to connect and network with like-minded business owners is the real value proposition.”
While Regan is well-known for his legislative efforts on behalf of the repair industry, but says his primary focus with ASA will be on training and education. “With the mechanical shops, and also with the larger collision shops and MSOs, there is much less focus on legislation,” Regan says.
One key priority will be shop management. “That’s a need for both the collision and mechanical shops,” Regan says. “They need that front-office education. Trying to find qualified technicians is also a big challenge, and we’re going to focus on that as well.”
Technology education and new repair procedures and tools will also be on the agenda, as well as OE certifications. “Customers aren’t listening to the insurance companies as much now,” Regan says. “If someone has a $90,000 Mercedes and gets in an accident, they’re calling the dealer and asking who is qualified or certified to fix the car.”
Regan will also push for more I-CAR training, which goes hand in hand with the OE certification process.
The new chapter will hold local monthly meetings starting at the end of September in Springfield, Worcester, Boston, and Providence featuring industry leaders discussing everything from cybersecurity and telematics, parts ordering best practices, AMI and I-CAR training, OEM certification, new technologies, and business management, among other topics.
“It’s an exciting challenge and I’m getting a great response so far,” Regan adds. “People are approaching me to get involved, and I already have the next six months of meetings planned out.”
The new ASA-MA/RI office is located at 167 Washington Street., Ste. 45, Norwell, Mass. The website is www.asamari.com.
