The Himrod Co. Inc., in Youngstown, Ohio, has been in business since Jan. 1, 1946, and performs collision repair, radiator repair and manufacturing. Bert Toth Sr., president, attributes his company's success and longevity to repeat business. "Many of our customers began with the parents bringing in their cars. Now second and third generations know us and come in for repairs," said Toth. He has been a member of the Automotive Service Association (ASA) since 1955.

Toth began in the collision repair industry while hauling coal in a dump truck. The truck was involved in a wreck and Toth took it to a body shop. The owner told Toth there was not enough man-power in his shop to repair the truck. So Toth suggested the owner rent him space in the shop to repair the truck. The owner agreed and was willing to help when possible. This was the beginning of a new career for Toth. His love for the work and the industry has kept him in the business for more than 50 years.

While many shops in the industry are experiencing a shortage of technicians, Toth is not. The Himrod Co. Inc. has 10 employees and turnover has never been a problem. His employees have been with him from six to 35 years. Bert Toth Jr., vice president, has worked with his father for 35 years and has assumed the daily operations of the company. The elder Toth remains active in the company and works everyday. How does he keep his employees for so many years? Toth said, "I give my employees what I would want from the job. I provide insurance, vacations, uniforms and paid holidays."

Toth is an advocate for vocational training and has worked with two local schools over the years. He periodically checks on the students and assists the schools wherever he's needed. Two of his technicians came directly from the vo-tech schools he has been involved with and have been with him for six and 16 years.

Industry Contributions
As one of the first body shops and radiator repair facilities in the Youngstown area, Toth quickly had a need for technical and management information. So Toth sought this information from the Independent Garage Owners of America (IGO). He is one of three business owners still living who then helped form IGO of Ohio in 1955. In his office, Toth has the original copy of the article of incorporation for IGO of Ohio.

Over the years, he worked diligently for the industry and the association, serving as vice president and later as president of the auto body council of the association. In 1973, after numerous meetings, IGO of America and the Auto Body Association of America (ABAA) merged to form the Automotive Service Councils (ASC). As national auto body council president, Toth was appointed along with Reg Predham, Norm Cohen, Athel Yon, Allen Greenfield and Paul Goldberg to the merger committee, and was instrumental in the talks. Toth was also involved in the selection of the new association's name, Automotive Service Councils. Once the name was agreed upon, the merger was finalized. Toth believed in the merger so much, he paid more than $20,000 of his own money to cover the costs affiliated with the merger.

With the merger came more members, an improved insurance program and the chartering of the Federal Credit Union, into which Toth was one of the first to deposit $500; he still uses the credit union today. Toth served as the national auto body council president for four years and assisted in the hiring of Don Randall, ASA's former Washington, D.C., representative; Bud Merwin, ASA president and chief staff executive; and Marlene Compton, AAM, ASA-Ohio's executive director. (ASC merged with the Independent Automotive Service Association (IASA) in 1986 to form ASA.)

Within the last 50 years, Toth has witnessed many changes in the collision repair industry. "The biggest change has been the way the insurance companies handle the body shops," said Toth. The other most notable change Toth experienced was in 1980 when the vehicle manufacturers began building unitized vehicles. This change prompted Toth to work within the industry to better educate collision repair technicians. He was instrumental in the development of the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR), and served as a member of the I-CAR state coordinating committee. Toth is still actively involved with I-CAR today. In fact, on Dec. 14, 1996, Toth assisted in providing an I-CAR class to 49 students in Youngstown. "I am very proud of my accomplishments in my business, as well as in the association and the industry," said Toth.

Toth is not only involved with the industry but also the community. He is a member of the arbitration board for the Better Business Bureau and holds a seat on the Ohio State Safety Council.

The Rewards
For his continued support of the automotive service industry and the association, Toth has been honored in many ways. He has received 31 awards throughout his career from various organizations. These honors include the I-CAR Hall of Fame; Certificates of Appreciation from the Youngstown City Schools and the Youngstown Public Schools; and most recently Honorary Membership within ASA. "With the help of others, I have made the history of the association through my administrative duties. And I have enjoyed being a part of it," said Toth.

In September 1976, Toth received a plaque and letter from Virginia H. Knauer, special assistant to the president for Consumer Affairs. The letter, written on behalf of President Gerald Ford, acknowledged Toth's efforts on behalf of automobile owners in Ohio and throughout the country for improving the quality of service available.

At the age of 81, Toth still sees the advantages of belonging to ASA. He continues to feel, as he did some 40 years ago, that the greatest benefits of membership are camaraderie and the ability to work on industry issues with other business owners. He continues to support the association and the industry through his board position with ASA-Ohio.

To further demonstrate his dedication to the association, Toth is archiving all the information he has gathered about ASA's history. He plans to send this information to ASA headquarters and have it placed on permanent record.

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