This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR) serving the collision repair industry as its technical training provider. To achieve this remarkable accomplishment is a testimony to the vision of the industry leaders in 1979. This anniversary is also a testimony to the thousands of industry volunteers and supporters who have donated their time, effort and resources to make that vision an ongoing reality. A reality that is unmatched in any other industry. Nowhere else can you find an industry coming together in a common cause to ensure that the quality of its services to the public will not suffer due to a lack of technical training.

The task was not an easy one. There were no previous examples to follow in setting up such an organization. The blueprint had to be created. There were no existing organizations that could be adapted or enticed to make training available to all our technicians. Technicians who were located in virtually every city, town and village in the United States. This was the challenge. How could professional, high-quality training be made available at a reasonable cost, on a timely basis, and at thousands of locations throughout the country. In 1979, there was no existing solution. One had to be created!

The only way such a challenge could be met was through a joint effort of all segments of the collision industry. That effort became I-CAR! The collision industry was, as it is now, composed of many diverse segments - each having its own distinct characteristics and economic motivations. Fortunately, one of the things that was agreed upon then and continues to be true today is the recognized need to provide the consumer with a complete and safe repair. To accomplish that, it is vital that the repairs be done by technically qualified personnel. The task to train the industry's personnel to this qualified level was to be accomplished through the creation of I-CAR.

I-CAR, through the continuous support of the industry and the efforts of its volunteers and instructors, has successfully met that challenge these past 20 years.

But what of the next 20 years? Will there continue to be a need for I-CAR? Will it continue to be the only viable solution to the industry's training needs?

The answer is an emphatic yes - as long as I-CAR continues to meet the needs of the industry it serves!

During the past 20 years, our industry has undergone many changes. It, like every other industry, is quite different than it was in 1979. I-CAR is also quite different than it was in 1979, but it remains true to the ideals and mission set forth by its founders. I-CAR's ability to fulfill its mission in the future will depend on its ability to properly recognize and act on the challenges and changes that will surely take place in the next 20 years.

In this respect I-CAR is well positioned since its current and future direction is guided by the industry itself through the industry's representation on all I-CAR boards and committees. I-CAR has been - and still is - a volunteer organization directed and supported by the industry it was created to serve. This was its greatest strength in 1979 and continues to be so in 1999. Those who have played a role during the past 20 years in creating the success of I-CAR are to be congratulated on I-CAR's 20th Anniversary. The industry owes them a big "Thank You."

Tom Mack is the executive vice president of the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR) and has more than 20 years of experience in the automotive industry. He has a master's degree in business administration from Northwestern University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame.

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