National Auto Body Council® Announces Military Affairs Team Led by Veteran Tim Bates of SolutionWorks

Team to Work with National Veterans’ Service Organizations and Veteran-Focused Events for NABC Recycled Rides® Presentations

PORT CHARLOTTE, FL (March 20, 2025) — The National Auto Body Council® announced it has created a NABC® Military Affairs team led by veterans to help continue its long service to military members and veterans in need, primarily through the NABC Recycled Rides® program. The team will be led by Tim Bates, Executive Vice President for Solution Works is a decorated U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force veteran.

The NABC® Military Affairs team, which includes distinguished military leaders, both inside and outside the collision repair industry, will work with national and state military affairs departments, Veterans Administration offices, military service organizations and military focused charities to support these groups’ efforts to serve military members and veterans in need, primarily through the NABC Recycled Rides® program. The NABC Recycled Rides® program has gifted more than 3,500 vehicles since 2007, with some 75 percent going to military members, veterans and veterans’ families.

“At the National Auto Body Council®, we have a long history of working to give back to our country’s military members and veterans, primarily by providing reliable transportation through our NABC Recycled Rides® program,” said Tom Wolf, chairman of the NABC® board of directors. “It’s an honor to build upon our relationships with these military leaders, through whom we’ve been working for a number of years, to create a focused team engaged with the military community. And we’re proud to name Tim Bates as the leader of this team and look forward to his guidance as we expand our work serving military members and veterans in need.”

Bates had a distinguished military career prior to joining the automotive industry. A native of Kansas, he joined the U.S. Air Force after high school, trained as a satellite systems communications operator and then was stationed in Misawa Air Base in Japan. He served in support of Operations Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. After Desert storm, he returned to Kansas with his family to become a Corrections Officer and enlisted in the U.S. Army National Guard, then re-enlisted in the U.S. Army and regained his active-duty status. While stationed there, he worked in the car dealership business and determined that was his new career path. But when 9/11 occurred, he felt it was his duty to serve so he answered the call and went back active duty in September 2001 to support Operation Enduring Freedom, after which he received an honorable discharge, once again. He retired as a staff sergeant.

“It was an honor to serve my country over the years,” said Bates. “It provided an incredible foundation on which I’ve built my career, and I learned to truly value duty, honor and commitment to service. It’s equally an honor to work with the National Auto Body Council® and the NABC Recycled Rides® program to give back to veterans in need of reliable transportation. I look forward to collaborating with these distinguished veterans on the NABC Military Affairs team to continue to build our relationship with and services for the military and veteran community.”

While serving, Bates received the U.S. Army Lapel Button, U.S. Army Achievement Medal, U.S. Air Force Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal with three bronze service stars, U.S. Army Service Ribbon, U.S. Air Force Overseas Service Long Tour Ribbon, U.S. Air Force Training Ribbon, Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait), Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia), Expert Rifle Badge, Grenade Bar, and the National Training Center Desert Hero Award twice.

Bates returned to the car business and moved up to general manager. He joined the paintless dent repair business in late 2009 as an independent adjuster to work a large hail storm in Melbourne, Australia for seven months. After returning to the U.S., he became a regional manager with Catastrophe Solutions International which, after a merger with Auto Works, is now SolutionWorks, in his current role.

The NABC® Military Affairs team includes collision-industry professionals, military service leaders and military advisers:

• Major General Chuck Swannack (U.S. Army Ret.), Speedway Motorsports, Inc. – Maj. Gen. Charles Henry “Chuck” Swannack Jr. (Ret.) is a 1971 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He later earned an M.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.  Swannack’s last position within the Army was Deputy Commanding General of the 18th Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg. Prior to this assignment he served as the commander of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. His last rank was major general. After his retirement from active duty, Swannack became the Chief Operating Officer of U.S. Logistics, Inc. In 2014, he became Executive Director of Speedway Children’s Charities.
• Major General Kevin Pottinger (U.S. Air Force Ret.), Freedom Mobility Foundation — Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Kevin Pottinger, an Air Force veteran, is the former Vice Chairman of the Airpower Foundation, and Commissioner and Chairman of the Texas Military Preparedness Commission. Following his service, he saw a need to help provide mobility solutions for military members and veterans, and built a network of supporters to provide funding for mobility packages for active military service members, veterans, and first responders—and the Freedom Mobility Foundation came to be.
• Major Mark Lear (U.S. Army Ret.), Return to Base of Missouri, Inc. – Maj. Mark Lear (Ret.) is an insurance industry executive who founded Return To Base of Missouri, Inc. in Texas County, Missouri.  In April 2024, they acquired 53 acres of ground adjacent to 7,000 acres of The Paddy Creek National Forrest near Licking, Missouri   Return to Base of Missouri, Inc. Base Camp provides high-quality camp housing, equipment, hunting blinds and other recreational opportunities for veterans and their families.
• Sgt. Frank Pickering, (U.S. Marine Corps), Western New York Heroes – Sgt. Frank Pickering is an insurance industry executive who serves on the board of Western New York Heroes and the Collision Repair Education Foundation. The mission of WNYHeroes is to provide veterans, members of the armed services, and the widows and children of deceased veterans with access to essential services, financial assistance and resources that support their lives and sustain their dignity.

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 the NABC Recycled Rides® and NABC First Responder Emergency Extrication (F.R.E.E.™) programs. 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.