The I-CAR board of directors announced changes to the organization’s governance model, in an effort to “provide a stronger, more robust and modern framework for leading I-CAR, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair, into the future with continued relevancy and responsiveness.”

John Van Alstyne, I-CAR CEO and president, joined Tim O’Day, I-CAR chair and president and Boyd Group COO; Jim Roach, I-CAR immediate past chair and retired VP parts & service for America Honda; and Kyle Thompson, I-CAR vice chair and VP USAA, in announcing the planned changes at the most recent Collision Industry Conference (CIC). They shared how the refreshed model reflects a broader, strategic focus that captures the dynamic framework of a growing and evolving not-for-profit organization that supports an industry experiencing unprecedented transformation.

The new model is expected to become operational in July.

O’Day said the updated governance model ensures I-CAR remains ahead of the curve in its quest to support and accelerate its critical, mission-based work: to equip each and every person in the collision repair industry with the training to perform complete, safe and quality repairs for the ultimate benefit of the consumer. I-CAR has doubled its training services since 2010, according to O-Day, and offered 243,000 online, live, in-shop and virtual courses in 2018, a significant increase from 2017.

“I-CAR was created 40 years ago by the collision repair industry, to serve the industry, and if there’s one lesson we’ve learned these past four decades, it’s the need to continue leading with relevancy and responsiveness,” said O’Day. “I’m confident this refreshed governance model represents a stronger business architecture that keeps pace with increased levels of training, information and service amid significant operational changes, with all roads leading in support of our mission.”

Van Alstyne: “We have embarked on one of the most defining periods of industry, and thus I-CAR change, driven by the confluence of today’s increasingly complex and sophisticated vehicles, or the ‘Technical Tsunami’, the need for more innovative training coursework and associated delivery-system complexity, to serve a growing population of Gold Class shops with diverse needs and a record number of students, with greatly increased levels of OEM collaboration. All of this requires I-CAR’s continued evolution in ways that support nimble execution and greater responsiveness than ever before.”

Van Alstyne summarized details of I-CAR’s extraordinary growth:

• Since 2013, Gold Class shop count has more than doubled – from approximately 3,100 shops to more than 6,800 shops.
• I-CAR’s total portfolio of products and services has grown to 164 courses, including four Hands-on Skills Development and Steel and Aluminum Welding Training & Certification courses, involving a daily stream of collaboration with I-CAR technical relations and OEMs.
• I-CAR now offers more 460 I-CAR Official Training sites, with greater demand of delivery strategy, coordination and resources.
• The “Ask I-CAR” team fields approximately 400 to 500 monthly repairer and insurer requests for technical-information assistance.
• I-CAR manages a vast national network of 2,200 volunteers, instructors, assessors and staff who are organized in 189 local committees.
• More than 70% of the nation’s career and technical schools use I-CAR’s Professional Development Program Education Edition (PDP-EE) curriculum.

Van Alstyne provided details of the updated governance model, reflecting more than 18 months of research, design and debate, incorporating insights from Quantum Governance L3C and including industry benchmarks of other organizations of similar size and makeup for validation:

• Board size and composition – Reduced size, while maintaining inter-industry representation: Collision repair (four); OEM (three); insurance (three); equipment, tool & supply (one); related services (one); education (one); and hybrid (zero to four). Hybrid seats allow the board to elect members who bring functional expertise in support of I-CAR’s strategic business needs, including those who may come from outside the collision repair industry.

• Membership-program expansion – Significant expansion to include automatic membership status for Gold Class shops, Sustaining Partners, Platinum individuals, career and technical schools, volunteer committee chairs and others (organizations and individuals) interested in becoming more involved in I-CAR’s work. Fee-based membership applies to general members, including industry association/society or other not-for-profit organizations.

• Introduction of a new Member Council – This council takes the principles of I-CAR’s ISAC (Industry Segment Advisory Council) process to an expanded representation across the industry for a total of 29 members, each with three-year, two-term limits. Members will provide a voice to the customer as it relates to current and future service offerings to the industry, serve as a sounding board to review and provide feedback to I-CAR service and program planning, and be an ambassador of goodwill and advocacy in pursuit of the industry’s adoption and betterment. Membership comprises collision repair (eight), OEM (six), insurance (six), education (two), related services (two), equipment, tool & supply (two) and committee member (three). The Member Council, combined with expanded and recurring segment-level voice-of-the-customer programming, will allow for sunsetting of the organization’s ISAC programs in the coming year.

“These are extraordinary times, and yet we remain unwavering in our goal to make training and our technical services more relevant and accessible for the industry,” O’Day said. “The most sustainable change comes from the inside out. That’s why this updated governance model offers the nimble, relevant and responsive infrastructure to better serve more of the industry with greater efficiency, with our mission at the very core of all that we do, now and into the future.”