I-CAR appoints John Eck as vice president of business development

I-CAR has appointed John Eck to serve as its vice president of business development, effective today.

Eck will lead business development strategy across the six industry segments I-CAR serves – collision repairers, insurance, vehicle OEMs, suppliers, service providers, and schools – “ensuring that I-CAR continues to deliver maximum value and support to each,” a press release states.

The role emphasizes customer support, collaboration, and long-term industry growth, the release says.

“The appointment of John Eck in this role highlights I-CAR’s ongoing priority to ensure the industry we serve realizes the full benefit of the resources and services we offer,” said Kyle Thompson, I-CAR’s CEO and president, in the release. “I-CAR’s vision – that every person in the collision repair industry has the information, knowledge and skills required to perform complete, safe and quality repairs – is at the forefront of every decision we make.”

Eck brings extensive experience from General Motors, most recently serving as head of product for Collision Assistance in addition to consulting across the GM organization on collision CRM transformation. He previously served two terms on the I-CAR Board of Directors and as president and chairman of the OEM Collision Roundtable Board. Eck currently serves on the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) Board of Trustees.

I-CAR notes in the release that his career accomplishments include leading the creation of the GM Collision Repair Network, pioneering digital solutions to improve the post-collision customer journey, and building strong partnerships with repairers, insurers, and OEMs to drive industry-wide progress.

“I-CAR has always played a central role in my work in the collision repair industry, and I’m honored to join the team in this capacity,” said Eck, in the release. “The opportunity to build on I-CAR’s legacy by serving every segment of the industry and to work side-by-side with so many diverse stakeholders to deliver real, tangible value is both exciting and deeply meaningful to me.”

Eck will report directly to Thompson.

Earlier this month, I-CAR announced the election of four regular members to its Board and amendments to its bylaws.

The board also released a letter from Chair Jennifer Goforth, which provides information about the approval of updated bylaws, updates to the Executive Committee, and enhancements to governance communications.

I-CAR faced scrutiny from the collision repair industry regarding the bylaws. The amendments add eligibility restrictions to the fourth collision repair segment seat and expand eligibility under the “related industry services” segment to include information systems providers, rental car companies, data service providers, operations or financial consulting firms, and third-party service providers.

In June, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) wrote in an open letter that the amendments marginalize the opportunity for voices that could represent the perspective of independent repairers, and provide greater opportunity for corporate interests to govern the entity. Several shops and associations wrote to I-CAR about the proposed bylaws and nominations, and voiced their concerns during an open-mic at the July Collision Industry Conference (CIC) meeting.

Thompson said in July that I-CAR received 35 letters, and not all were responded to. I-CAR’s emailed response to some of the letters can be read here.

I-CAR told Repairer Driven News two weeks ago that it made governance communications enhancements as a result of the open-mic feedback. Those changes are listed here. 

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John Eck, I-CAR’s newly appointed vice president of business development. (Provided by I-CAR)