BLOCK PARTY

Wren Sleyster of Avenue Auto Wrecking in Kansas City, Mo. (www.avenueautoparts.com), has found an innovative way to protect his auto recycling facility, as well as the environment.

By Karen Crowley

15 MINUTES WITH ED MACDONALD

When Ed MacDonald takes over the ARA presidency in November, he will be the fourth Canadian in that role. But, the owner of Maritime Auto Salvage in Debert, Nova Scotia, will be the first with a truly global, rather than American, focus. Here’s more of what he revealed in a 15-minute interview with The Locator.

By Felicia Lowenstein Niven

ALTERNATIVE PARTS

Three members of the collision repair industry, three auto recyclers and one insurance representative sat down together for an hour and a half at the 2013 Hollander International Innovation Summit for a panel discussion on the utilization of alternative parts.

By Erin Sandage

JIM BUTLER

Jim Butler has been in the auto recycling industry for decades. He is co-owner of Butler’s Auto Recycling, Inc. in Pensacola, Fla. He’s been an ARA regional director, FADRA president (twice) a two-time Locator Most Influential and he worked with the Florida DEP to start the state’s prestigious Green Yards program. Now, he’s Locator UpFront’s 2013 Boss of the Year.

By Erin Sandage

WORK SMARTER

Jason and Carrie Fisher are third generation owners of J & R Truck Parts (www.jandrtruckparts.com). Founded in 1982 by Jason’s grandfather, Jason and Carrie bought the business from Jason’s parents in 2008. They evolved the business from, as Jason and Carrie described, an “old-school junkyard” to a “full-service, state-of-the-art automotive recycling facility.”

By Anna Culp

MARKET SAAVY

You’ve spent years building your company’s reputation. Now, with social media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, etc.) one bad review can possibly deter dozens of potential customers from doing business with you.

By Erin Sandage

ALL-PURPOSE RECYCLER

Leveille’s Auto Recyclers, located in Somers, Conn. (www.leveilles.com), has been around since John Leveille founded it in 1956, but that tidy used auto parts business has kept up with a changing industry. The late Stanley Jablonski purchased Leveille’s Auto Recyclers in 1995, and quickly expanded it to a metals recycling facility.

By Anna Culp

INDUSTRY LEGEND

Don Phelps could have retired a decade ago. But when your job is your hobby, you don’t need to give it up.

By Felicia Lowenstein Niven

1969 Camaro ZL1 Sells For $500,000

A rare 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 sold for half a million dollars at Mecum Auction’s Chicago 2013 event on Saturday, Oct. 12. At $500,000, the Camaro ZL1 took the second seat in the top ten sales. As number 23 of just 69 built that year, the ZL1 was restored to its original factory specifi cations and presented as an excellently documented example. A Harley Earl Corvette, a 1963 General Motors styling car, took top honors at $1.5 million. The event was held at the Schaumburg Convention Center in Schaumburg, Ill.

ASA Asks State Officials To Review State Farm’s Mandatory Parts Procurement Program

The Automotive Service Association (ASA) has sent letters to state insurance regulators and state attorneys general regarding State Farm’s nationwide rollout of changes in its direct repair program, Select Service. The letter requests that state regulators review State Farm’s mandate to use the PartsTrader LLC parts procurement program to determine if it violates state law.

Solera Signs Agreement To Purchase Parent Company Of Service Repair Solutions

Solera Holdings, Inc., a leading global provider of software and services to the automobile insurance claims processing and decision support industries (www.solerainc.com), announced that it has signed a defi nitive agreement to purchase equity interests in a parent company of Service Repair Solutions, Inc. (SRS) from an affiliate of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (Welsh Carson), a leading private equity firm (the Joint Venture).