Presentation of the NABC Recycled Ride® Took Place at the CIECA CONNEX Conference September 24, 2025, in Nashville, TN
MEDIA NOTE: Photos and Video from the NABC Recycled Rides® presentation are available HERE
PORT CHARLOTTE, FL (September 26, 2025) – On Wednesday, September 24, a beautifully refurbished vehicle was donated to Operation Stand Down, a veteran’s service organization serving middle Tennessee. The donation was made possible by the NABC Recycled Rides® program, vehicle donor Allstate and repair partner Crash Champions, and was sponsored by the Collision Industry Electronic Commerce Association (CIECA).
The CIECA CONNEX Conference brings leaders from across the collision industry together for an engaging conference to discuss the intersection of business and technology to ensure the collision industry is prepared for the future. CIECA members and non-members join annually for two days of presentations and discussions about emerging technologies, how they impact the collision industry and what is being done to prepare for the rapidly changing business environment.
The vehicle, a 2018 Dodge Journey, was generously donated by Allstate and refurbished by the technicians of Crash Champions. The presentation took place on September 24 as part of the three-day CIECA CONNEX Conference, which was held at the Hilton Nashville Green Hills in Nashville, TN. Each year, CIECA CONNEX hosts a NABC Recycled Rides® gifting as part of its annual event, to give back to the community in which the conference is held.
“As the father of two daughters who are in the Army, I have a soft spot for veterans’ groups like Operation Stand Down,” said Paul Barry, Executive Director, CIECA. “It’s really important work that they do and much appreciated. CIECA is a proud support of the NABC Recycled Rides® program.”
Operation Stand Down Tennessee, the organization which received the vehicle, engages, equips and empowers military veterans and their families through crisis, career, connection and community services.
“We’re going to use this vehicle to go get the veterans and those who are at risk of homelessness, experiencing homelessness or at high risk of suicide,” said Arlie Haddox, Chief Operating Officer, Operation Stand Down Tennessee. “We’re going to find them and once we find them, we’re going to get them to one of our service centers in Crossville, Nashville or Columbia and if by chance they can’t come to us, we’ll use this vehicle to go to them. I can promise you that we’re going to put this vehicle to very good use over the next couple of years.”
Allstate, a Level One partner of the National Auto Body Council®, has donated several hundred vehicles to people and organizations through the NABC Recycled Rides® program, making it one of the largest car donor partners of NABC Recycled Rides.
Crash Champions, a Level One partner of the National Auto Body Council®, has gifted more than 250 vehicles to people and organizations through NABC Recycled Rides.
NABC Recycled Rides® is a unique program in which businesses representing all facets of the collision repair industry team up to repair and donate vehicles to individuals and families in need of reliable transportation. Since the inception of the NABC Recycled Rides® program in 2007, members of the National Auto Body Council® have donated more than 3,500 vehicles valued at some $51 million.
Additional partners in this presentation included: Bachman Auto Group, Copart, Advanced Remarketing Services and Cars for Charity.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL AUTO BODY COUNCIL®
The National Auto Body Council® is the premier organization of collision industry partners dedicated to strategic networking opportunities that positively change lives in the communities we serve. The collaborative membership of the National Auto Body Council® has gifted more than 3,500 vehicles and provided extrication opportunities for some 6,000 First Responders in communities around the country through NABC Recycled Rides® and NABC First Responder Emergency Extrication (F.R.E.E.™). That effort equates to a 4:1 ROI in dollar value delivered from NABC® membership dollars.
The NABC Changing and Saving Lives Foundation, a 501c3 organization, is committed to the goal of driving change for veterans, military members, first responders and families in need, while harnessing the power of the collective membership of the collision repair industry to positively impact communities where we live and work. As demand for NABC® programs like NABC Recycled Rides® and NABC F.R.E.E.™ grows, so do the needs for resources to manage these important programs. Being able to pursue grants, gifts and donations allows NABC to expand these programs to serve those in need and help communities where we live and work. For more information, visit www.NationalautoBodyCouncil.org.