Carolinas Collision Association partners with SCRS on integrated membership

The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) and the Carolinas Collision Association (CCA) have announced a first-of-its-kind integrated membership model that unifies local and national association participation into a single, streamlined membership experience.

Existing and future CCA members can now receive SCRS membership.

“The initiative is designed to provide collision repair professionals with the full benefits of strong local representation combined with national level advocacy, resources, and support, without requiring separate memberships,” states a joint press release from the associations.

It adds that the integrated model removes barriers that have traditionally existed between local participation and national involvement.

“This collaboration is about unity and alignment,” said Kyle Bradshaw, CCA president, in the release. “We feel confident that our members gain the most value when we can leverage the strengths of our local community and voice, with the scope and resources of our national counterparts. By bringing SCRS membership into CCA, we’re strengthening the collective voice of repairers and ensuring our members have access to the innovation, programs, education, and advocacy they need to succeed.”

He told Repairer Driven News that it doesn’t make sense for CCA to duplicate or invest resources into something that SCRS has already done when the society has done a great job of putting things together.

“For us, it was really a no-brainer and we think it’s going to provide an immense amount of value for our membership base as well,” Bradshaw said.

Through the partnership, all CCA members gain access to the full suite of SCRS programs and resources, including:

• • National advocacy and representation on issues impacting collision repairers;
  • Healthcare and retirement solutions designed for independent businesses;
  • Employee support programs that help shops attract and retain skilled professionals;
  • Ongoing industry intelligence, with daily news and regular delivery of technical insights and estimating guidance; and
  • National caliber education and training, including a library of educational opportunities and consumer and employee-focused video content.

“This initiative strengthens the value we are delivering to our members,” said Kaitlyn George, CCA executive director, in the release. “It was clear to me as the CCA board discussed how the proposal would serve our members’ interests, how unified we were in approving a program that would enhance our ability to serve shops of all sizes. This isn’t about supporting associations, but more about how associations can collaborate to support the market they serve. I strongly believe our members will feel how this alignment reinforces CCA’s mission to support safe, proper, and professional collision repair.”

She added in an interview with RDN that CCA membership was previously $500 a year. Now, the cost is $59.99 a month, and includes all of the extra benefits members will get through SCRS.

As of December, CCA had 307 members.

SCRS emphasized the significance of the partnership and the leadership demonstrated by CCA in advancing a more connected association model.

“Our relationships with state and regional affiliates are incredibly important to SCRS,” said Aaron Schulenburg, SCRS executive director, in the release. “The affiliate structure is essential to delivering meaningful value to repair facilities in their home state. I’ve often told repair audiences that if they could only be a part of one group, it should be their local association.

“But this structure allows for strong local connections to be further bolstered by the national resources and broader connection to the community that exists within our Society. We are grateful to the Carolinas Collision Association for leading the way and helping define what a unified, member focused model can and should look like for the industry.”

Both organizations view this integrated membership as a step forward in strengthening the collision repair industry through collaboration, alignment, and shared purpose; while ensuring repairers have access to the tools, education, and advocacy they need to operate successful and sustainable businesses, the release states.

Collision repair businesses looking to join CCA and take advantage of SCRS benefits can visit carolinascollisionassociation.com.

Other organizations outside of the Carolinas interested in learning more about SCRS membership opportunities can contact the SCRS office via email at [email protected] or online at scrs.com.

Images

Featured image provided by CCA and SCRS