HOFFMAN ESTATES , IL – I-CAR, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair, and the I-CAR Foundation have announced plans for a re-organization that will streamline operations, bringing increased focus and aligning resources around industry market segments and activities.
Following the announcement of Tom McGee’s decision to step down from the roles of president and CEO, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of I-CAR International, John Edelen, and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the I-CAR Education Foundation, Chris Evans, have announced, jointly, the re-organization of both I-CAR entities.
Education Foundation Chairman Chris Evans advises, “The re-focusing of the I-CAR Education Foundation on the philanthropic activities in support of inter-industry technical training and development is consistent with the intent of our founders. In addition, having the interests of the education market fully represented in I-CAR International’s content development and training delivery priorities and decisions will ensure that the efficient and effective servicing of the training needs of the Education segment will continue.”
Earlier this year, the I-CAR Education Foundation’s Board of Trustees approved a plan to re-focus the I-CAR Foundation on fundraising, grant activity and scholarships. As a consequence of this re-positioning, the education segment, which has long been served by the foundation, is migrating to I-CAR International.
In anticipation of the migration of the education segment, I-CAR International has undertaken an evaluation of its organization and, as a result, is restructuring to provide more direct alignment and linkage to the industry segments that it serves.
“The rapidly increasing pace of change in vehicle design and manufacture has a direct impact on I-CAR,” said Edelen. “As vehicle design and materials drive new and more complex repair techniques and technologies, I-CAR needs to be better positioned to identify and address the training needs of the inter-industry that are associated with these developments. The inter-industry needs a more focused, forward-looking, nimble and responsive I-CAR.”
Edelen added that Tom McGee will assume the position of director of Industry Relations and Product Operations following his decision to step down from his role as president and CEO.
“Tom will bring focus and expertise to relations at an industry leadership level,” said Edelen. “Tom will continue to build upon the excellent relationships he has forged with the associations, representatives and thought-leaders in the auto collision inter-industry. In addition, Tom is charged with a review of I-CAR’s process of training content design and delivery, with the specific objectives of improving the ‘opportunity identification to p rod uct delivery’ cycle-time, the quality of content, and the efficiency with which it is developed and p rod uced.”
Another key step in streamlining the organization and bringing p rod uct design closer to the marketplace that I-CAR serves is the creation of a Marketing and Distribution organization under the leadership of Director Joyce Kasmer. This area will include: p rod uct design and p rod uct marketing, field operations and volunteer relations and corporate marketing. A key feature of this new organization is the creation of six market segment teams to ensure that within I-CAR’s operations the “voice of the customer” for the six industry segments – collision repair; vehicle insurance; vehicle manufacturing; tool, equipment and supply; education, training and related research; and, other related industry services – is sought and utilized to shape the direction of I-CAR’s activities in the future. Consistent with this direction, former Education Foundation Executive Director Ron Ray will join the Marketing and Distribution organization, representing the interests of the education, training, and related research segment.
Internally, a number of functions will be centralized under Finance and Administration, to gain economies of scale and ensure optimal resource utilization. I-CAR’s Controller, Mike Brey, will assume responsibility for the area of Finance and Administration.
Corporate Administration will continue to be the responsibility of Margaret Knell. Shirley Pincus will continue to be responsible for I-CAR’s Human Resource Systems.
“These changes represent the recognition that I-CAR needs to re-position itself relative to the needs of the industry segments we serve, and to improve upon our ability to respond to industry concerns, needs, and opportunities,” said Edelen. “We are building on the strong foundation of I-CAR’s technical expertise, and the great support from the inter-industry, our employees and volunteers. These changes are designed to improve the quality and relevance of our training and its delivery, and to enhance our abilities to support the training administration needs of the inter-industry, now and in the future.”
Chairmen Evans and Edelen have advised that both the I-CAR Education Foundation Board of Trustees and I-CAR International Board of Directors have initiated a search process for chief staff executives for the newly re-structured I-CAR organizations. In the interim, the Executive Committees of each organization will work closely with staff leadership and with the industry to ensure a successful migration to the new organizational structures. In the interim, Edelen, will be available on-site to assist staff during the transition.
