November 20, 2014 - On November 7th, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) in partnership with Car-O-Liner provided two lucky SEMA Show attendees with fabulous prizes to help perform both aluminum and traditional steel repairs. For the fourth year in a row, SCRS' Ultimate SEMA Giveaway gave attendees the chance to win by visiting SEMA booth locations of companies who have generously stepped up to support the association's Repairer Driven Education (RDE) series. This year's prizes - the newly launched Car-O-Liner Aluminum Workstation and QP-1 Steel Dent Puller - were won by K. Michael Bradshaw (K&M Collision, Hickory, NC) and Paul Rudow (CARSTAR Elmira, Ontario), respectively.
"When I got the call from Aaron [Schulenburg, SCRS Executive Director] telling me that I had won, I asked if he was messing with me," chuckles Bradshaw. "It was such perfect timing; we are already Porsche-certified at the shop for aluminum, but were looking to buy this exact piece of equipment as we look at expanding our services to work on Ford's new aluminum vehicles. It couldn't have come at a better time."
This year marks Bradshaw's first-ever trip to SEMA, and as he explains, SCRS was a major factor in getting him to the Las Vegas Convention Center. "The RDE series was the main reason we came to the SEMA Show. Of course there are a ton of cool products on the floor to see, some of which we purchased, others we're looking into for the future, but we got so much out of all the educational opportunities provided by SCRS. The OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit in particular was so informative - to have representatives from manufacturers like Audi, Tesla and BMW sitting right up there and available to answer repairers' questions was amazing. At our shop, we've always held SCRS in high regard - we actually just recently joined as a member - and we've always appreciated all they do for the industry. Winning this workstation just makes us appreciate them, as well as the generosity of Car-O-Liner, even more!"
 |
| SCRS Awards Ultimate Prize Package From SEMA 2014 |
Coming all the way from Canada to attend the SEMA Show, Rudow had no idea he would be leaving Las Vegas the proud owner of a new QP-1 Dent Puller. "It was definitely a nice surprise being one of the prize winners," he says. "We've already been in touch with the Canadian Car-O-Liner rep, who will be delivering the equipment to us. We're very excited!"
"This was my second SEMA traveling with my brother and business partner," Rudow continues. "One of the nicest things - other than this great prize from SCRS, of course - is the enthusiasm that the vendors we meet seem to put into their presentations, and also just into general conversation. Everybody asks questions about Canada, and we had many nice chats going on. We're already looking forward to coming back next year and meeting some more friendly faces!"
Car-O-Liner has partnered with SCRS in past years to offer valuable prize giveaways for SEMA attendees. As National Sales Manager Doug Bortz explains, the decision to once again team up with the association was a no-brainer, especially in light of rapid changes coming to the industry. "With the focus on aluminum, Car-O-Liner feels we have the best solution for repairing damaged aluminum panels when they can and should be repaired," he says. "The Car-O-Liner Aluminum Workstation provides the best mix of tools to provide accurate and efficient repairs. Car-O-Liner works closely with those organizations that promote topics and agendas important to our industry, providing growth and relevancy for collision centers to be successful. This is what we see in the hands-on team at SCRS, and they have been wonderful to work with."
The 2014 RDE Series at SEMA was sponsored by industry organizations including PPG Refinish Products; AudaExplore, a Solera Company; BASF; General Motors Company; The Hertz Corporation; Ford Motor Co.; Alliance of Automotive Service Providers; AkzoNobel Coatings; LKQ Corporation; Paint Body & Equipment Specialists (a division of the Auto Care Association); SATA; Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes, Inc. and Spanesi Americas Inc.
