CIECA - CIECA NEWS & EVENTS #Membership

New Member: SalesCaptain

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 15:51:44 -0600

CIECA welcomes SalesCaptain as a new corporate member. The company was established in 2022 by Utkarsh Singh, Ravi Sharma and a team of technology and marketing professionals. Since then, SalesCaptain has grown to include 50 team members.

Sharma said the company is focused on building an advanced communication platform, integrating AI-powered agents capable of talking, chatting and taking action across various software and use cases.

“These AI agents will enable businesses to deliver 24/7 customer support linked to CRMs, handle after-hour reception, confirm appointments, and much more,” he explained. “The platform offers solutions that help businesses centralize communication, enhance reputation management, boost lead generation, and provide a superior customer experience.”

Singh and Sharma learned about CIECA through industry networking, research on technology standards, and the company’s integration with CCC ONE to enhance data connectivity and workflow automation.

“As a company focused on providing AI-powered solutions for collision repair shops, we actively seek organizations like CIECA that lead the development of standards to drive efficiency, interoperability, and innovation in the automotive, collision repair, and insurance sectors,” said Singh.

Sharma said they joined CIECA to collaborate on advancing standards that facilitate seamless integration with other vendors within a unified ecosystem, creating forward-looking AI-driven tools specifically designed for collision repair shops.

“We are excited about developing solutions that enable these businesses to enhance customer experiences, automate routine processes, and handle customer interactions when their teams are unavailable or limited by bandwidth,” he said. “Being part of CIECA allows us to contribute to industry innovation and drive the adoption of next-generation communication and automation technologies.”

Singh said that CIECA standards are crucial for fostering interoperability, reducing inefficiencies, and enabling smoother integration between diverse technology solutions.

“For SalesCaptain, adopting these standards enhances our platform’s ability to provide a unified communication experience, supporting our mission to simplify customer interactions for businesses and drive measurable business growth,” he said.

As a CIECA member, Sharma said the team looks forward to staying ahead of industry trends, participating in discussions shaping the future of technology standards, and building relationships with other forward-thinking businesses.

“By aligning with CIECA's standards, we aim to continuously enhance our platform’s capabilities and contribute to creating a more connected, data-driven industry ecosystem,” he added.

Learn more about SalesCaptain.

Thank you to the following publications for sharing this announcement:

BodyShop Business

New Member: Claim Transparency Innovations

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 13:28:33 -0600

CIECA is excited to welcome Claim Transparency Innovations as a new Corporate member. Established by Robert McDorman and Brian Deorsam in September 2022, the company developed an in-house proprietary collision claim management portal for body shops called Transparent Claim.

“Transparent Claim was developed to move the control of claims from the insurance carriers into the hands of the body shop and make the entire collision claim process transparent for all parties involved,” explained McDorman.

McDorman and Deorsam learned about CIECA through CCC Intelligent Solutions and joined the organization shortly after.

Deorsam, the portal’s developer, said that it’s critical that everything is centralized into one standard.

“This enables us to communicate more efficiently with each other and share data,” he noted. “You cannot operate without one given standard. It's like having multiple languages. People can't communicate, certainly not communicate well.”

“It is important that we have a transparent industry standard for using and sharing data,” added McDorman. “I applaud CIECA and its vision.”

Learn more about Claim Transparency Innovations.

New Member: National Calibration and Diagnostic Solutions

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 12:38:45 -0500

CIECA welcomes National Calibration and Diagnostic Solutions (NCDS) as a new Corporate member. Established in 2022 by Darren Sodoski and Cliff Fegert, the company provides Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) calibration tooling, OEM diagnostics, training and support to independent garages, dealership body shops and calibration businesses.

With more than six years of experience performing ADAS calibrations and diagnostic programming, the partners identified the need to provide tools, equipment and training to those performing calibrations.

“We're committed to helping people bring ADAS calibrations and diagnostics into their business model so they can do the job effectively,” said Sodoski.

With ADAS calibration increasingly being part of the repair process, Sodoski said the company is currently developing calibration software for the industry. With their award-winning NCDS 360 Laptop launched at SEMA 2023, shops can have all desktop OEM diagnostic and programming software on one device.

Sodoski said they are looking forward to getting involved in a CIECA Committee and sharing their expertise to help create new standards for the industry.

Learn more about National Calibration and Diagnostic Solutions.

New Member: ComCept Solutions

Fri, 19 May 2023 13:25:08 -0500

ComCept Solutions has joined CIECA as a Corporate Member. Founded in 1986 by Glenn Atwell, the company is based out of Seminole, Florida, and has built distribution management solutions for U.S. paint jobbers for almost 40 years. These include National Coatings & Supplies / Single Source, Painters Supply and Equipment Co., Colours, and many more. Most of ComCept’s 16 employees have worked with the company for 20+ years.

Rob GambleCTO, said that the business’s software provides paint, body and equipment (PBE) distributors several ways to add value to their customers’ shops, including perpetual inventory control, automated replenishment and reporting.

About five years ago, a ComCept customer wanted to integrate with a shop’s accounting system using BMS-formatted data.

“ComCept hadn’t interacted with body shop management systems at that time, so it was a relief to see industry standards in place for data exchange,” said Gamble. “Ultimately, the project didn’t go through, but we learned about CIECA and its role in creating standards for the collision industry ecosystem.”

Atwell said that becoming a CIECA member will broaden the company’s knowledge and enhance its toolset to build additional offerings that will help differentiate ComCept distributors from those using other systems.

In today’s digitally connected world, Gamble said that no system stands alone.

“Systems integration is the lifeblood of an industry, and standards bodies make these integrations possible,” he said. “We expect to enjoy completeness and consistency in our future integrations because of the work CIECA has done in standardizing interchange formats.”

Gamble and the team are looking forward to networking with other CIECA members and discussing data usage and challenges.

Learn more about ComCept Solutions.

Thank you to the following publications for sharing this announcement:

Autobody News

New Member: Classic Collision

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 12:02:14 -0600

Classic Collision has joined CIECA as a Corporate Member. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, the company was established in 1983 with a single goal: to offer quality service to its customers with integrity and honesty.

Kayla Clark, Classic Collision’s VP of Business Development, said the company is one of the largest privately held national providers of auto body repair services with 213 repair facilities in 15 states across the U.S. Classic Collision holds numerous manufacturer certifications and factory-direct training.

“For almost 40 years, the company has put customer satisfaction first in all we do,” said Clark. “We are proud to provide high-quality auto body repairs with properly trained technicians and the appropriate equipment.”

“Technology is becoming a bigger component of the collision business and the many processes it entails,” says Ryan Alley, Classic Collision’s CIO. “We joined CIECA to take part in industry collaborations and be an industry leader in developing the fast-evolving data and technology standards for the collision industry.”

“With accelerations in emerging technologies, calibrations, and electric vehicles (EVs), coming together with peers is the best way to create standards and maintain workflows of safe repairs through this evolution,” said Clark.

Learn more about Classic Collision.

New Member: Opus IVS

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 11:17:14 -0600

Opus IVS (Intelligent Vehicle Support) has joined CIECA as a Corporate Member. Established in 2020, the company focuses on helping the vehicle maintenance and collision industry safely repair and maintain complex vehicles through OEM-approved diagnostic tools, remote services and live repair assistance.

Opus IVS was formed from a consortium of companies, including Drew Technologies, Autologic, AutoEnginuity, Farsight, Bluelink, and Auto Techcelerators. The earliest, Drew Technologies, was established in 1996.

Approximately 400 employees work for Opus IVS in seven offices spread over three continents. The company is a part of Opus Group, a global inspection company with over 2,700 employees worldwide. Opus Group's largest owner is Searchlight Capital.

Opus IVS learned about CIECA through the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) and other organizations and personnel. After working with MSOs that needed data integration, Opus IVS decided to join CIECA.

“We are very excited about our CIECA membership to be able to meet and work with other organizations that are utilizing CIECA standards,” said Brian Herron, CEO of Opus IVS. “We believe CIECA standards are important for the industry and OPUS IVS because they help companies like us share data utilizing a standard format.”

Herron said CIECA standards also allow the company and the industry to implement integrations quicker.

“We look forward to meeting and working with other CIECA members to enhance existing standards and create new ones,” said Herron. “We also plan to get involved in CIECA committees and attend future events.”

Learn more about Opus IVS.

New Member: Mountaineer Business Technology (MBT)

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 14:45:37 -0600

Mountaineer Business Technology (MBT) has joined CIECA as a Corporate Member. The company was incorporated in 2021 by Peter Sheehan, a software engineer and technology consultant. Before forming MBT, Sheehan was the executive vice president of the Independent Automotive Damage Appraisers Association (IADA).

MBT assists small business owners to build, expand and maintain websites, servers, apps and APIs. The company’s slogan is, "If you can dream it, we can build it.”

Although MBT does not exclusively serve clients in the collision industry, it has been a strong focus since its founding due to Sheehan’s knowledge in this area.

Sheehan has been familiar with CIECA since his early career when he worked for an independent auto damage appraisal firm.

“We support CIECA's mission and see the great value it provides,” said Sheehan. “We have several clients who utilize CIECA standards in their technologies and there are many more businesses in the industry that need to work with these technologies.”

As part of the company’s commitment to serving the technical needs of small business owners, he said MBT became a CIECA member to provide services to those working with CIECA's EMS, BMS and API Standards.

“From a technical perspective, having a defined universal standard is essential,” said Sheehan.

He said if every estimating platform used its proprietary standard, it would be very challenging for companies trying to build technologies that integrate and interact with those platforms.

“Having an independent organization like CIECA, which is universally respected and supported by all industry players, helps to foster interoperability and cooperation throughout the industry, helping us all to do our jobs better,” said Sheehan. “In this day and age, business is fundamentally about the exchange of information and fostering the free exchange of information is what CIECA is all about. Supporting CIECA is a no-brainer.”

Learn more about Mountaineer Business Technology.

Thank you to the following publication for sharing this announcement:

Autobody News

New Member: E-Nikio Appraisals

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 13:37:38 -0600

E-Nikio Appraisals, LLC has joined CIECA as a Corporate member. Established in 2022, the company employs 19 appraisers and specializes in collision repair operations/repair plans, insurance claims, diminished value, fair market valuations, and pre-purchase inspections.

Bill Vallely, founder and CEO of E-Nikio Appraisals, said the company is forward thinking and prides itself on providing services that address current industry challenges.

Most staff are based in New York; however, there is representation across the United States. All appraisers are licensed in states requiring a license to practice negotiation.

Vallely and his partners, Steve Baktidy and Nelson Baez, have extensive collision repair and insurance experience that spans over 50 years combined and hold certifications in Tesla, Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, Land Rover, and many other OEMs.

Vallely learned about CIECA through industry colleagues. “Being active in the industry, you tend to align with organizations that have the same objectives,” said Vallely who is also the CEO of the Collision Training Institute and an I-CAR Platinum instructor.

The company is currently developing products and services to scale its business. “CIECA allows us to expand our network with like-minded individuals and organizations,” said Vallely. “We feel CIECA standards help lead the industry forward.”

New Member: 3E Ventures

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 10:38:26 -0600

3E Ventures joined CIECA as a Corporate Member. The company was founded in 2021 by a small group of former Tesla executives and founders of large repair and service centers across the United States. The core executive leadership team is focused on building various ventures under the 3E umbrella.

The company’s flagship location, Evolve, opened in October and is an electric vehicle specialist collision repair and service center on the East Coast of the United States. Plans include expansion across the East Coast and then westward.

While installing and implementing CCC One for the first Evolve location, Chief Technology Officer Aner Marks identified the need to integrate the data entered and managed into the Clarity shop management system. The system is being developed for in-house use and eventually to sell to other collision and repair shops worldwide.

“The CIECA BMS implementation, and eventual CIECA JSON API Standard, is the perfect solution for this,” said Marks. “We are excited to be able to closely integrate data directly to and from our shop management systems to be able to add value and automation.”

Marks said that it’s important for the team to be able to count on the long-term stability and viability of their integration into the Clarity system to use it in-house and eventually market and sell it to others in the industry.

“We’re looking forward to working with CIECA to help develop, maintain and suggest improvements for current and future data integrations,” said Marks.

New Member: Vaultoniq

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 10:09:33 -0600

Vaultoniq has joined CIECA as a Corporate Member. Founded by Tom Zoebelein in 2022, Vaultoniq is a sister company to Stratosphere Studio and Capture the Keys.

“Vaultoniq software is a management system built for body shops to help eliminate the communication breakdown between customers, insurers and employees,” explained Zoebelein. “It centralizes all customer and insurer communication and stores data, estimates, photos, invoices, OEM procedures, measurements, scans, authorizations and more in each customer record.”

The software also utilizes an AI-powered Siri or Google function.

Zoebelein has been involved with additional businesses in the collision repair industry since 2011, including the National Auto Body Council (NABC). He worked with CIECA over a decade ago and helped coordinate videos for the organization.

With the launch of his new company, Zoebelein said he is looking forward to being involved with CIECA and having Vaultoniq software communicate with the industry management systems.

“I don’t think you can build collision industry software without CIECA Standards,” he said.

Read more about Vaultoniq.