2021 NABC® AWARDS PROGRAMS WINNERS
National Auto Body Council® Announces Winners of the
Second Annual NABC® Awards
The National Auto Body Council Body® has recognized leaders and philanthropists in the collision repair industry for the past two decades. This spring, the NABC® Awards program is announcing the recipients of the second annual awards to formally recognize leadership of and commitment to improving the collision repair industry.
Last year, the organization introduced two new awards in place of the previous ones – the NABC® President’s Award and the NABC® Changing and Saving Lives Award.
The NABC® President’s Award is designed to honor the NABC® member company that supports the vision of the National Auto Body Council® through donation of their time and resources. For 2021, the NABC® President’s Award was presented to Farmers Insurance®, which was selected by a vote of the NABC® Board members. The Farmers Insurance nomination received overwhelming support from the NABC® Board based on Farmers® strong commitment to the NABC®. Throughout 2021, Farmers Insurance assisted with the gifting of nearly 30 NABC Recycled Rides® vehicles as well as provided their staff with the time and resources to act as chairman of the NABC® Fundraising committee and support NABC® activities.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by the National Auto Body Council for our efforts to help give back and make a difference in the lives of NABC Recycled Rides® recipients across the country,” said Farmers Insurance Head of Auto Claims Tim Murray, who accepted the lifetime traveling trophy on behalf of the organization. “Farmers has a proud tradition of community engagement and volunteerism, which is reflected in the hard work, dedication and passion for service Farmers team members demonstrate in their communities every day. I’d like to thank the many people at Farmers who have dedicated their time and talent to help make our participation in the NABC Recycled Rides® program, and this award, possible.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” said Clint Marlow, chairman of the NABC® Board of Directors and Allstate Claims Director, of Farmers Insurance. “Despite the impacts of Covid 19 and other challenges, Farmers Insurance continued its work with the NABC® and its community programs. Rather than scaling back, Farmers Insurance did the complete opposite by significantly increasing its activity. Farmers has stepped up and stood out as one of the NABC’s most engaged members.”
The NABC® Changing and Saving Lives Award recognizes the individual in the collision repair industry that has delivered exemplary service in the NABC® mission of Changing and Saving Lives Every Day, far beyond their role in the industry.
This 2021 award recipient is Josh Byers, general manager of Automotive Color & Supply. He was selected by the NABC® Awards Committee via a thorough review of nominations. Byers is highly engaged in his community and is actively involved in changing the lives of young people through his active support of the Boys & Girls Club of Fort Wayne, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana, Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana, and the World Baseball Academy. He also is a member of the Indiana Auto Body Association Board of Directors, sits as President of Refinish Distributors Alliance (RDA), and serves on the advisory board for Ivy Tech’s collision program in Fort Wayne. The NABC® Awards committee will donate $250 to WIN (Women’s Industry Network) in his name, which he has offered to match. The committee also will donate $250 to Byer’s charity of choice — Skills USA.
“It’s really an honor to be recognized with this award by my peers in the collision repair industry,” said Byers. “My family has always been involved in giving back to the community and I’m proud to carry on that tradition. This award inspires me to continue our efforts to help those in need, encourage local students to pursue careers in collision repair and help guide the collision repair industry in our state.”
“For the second year, it is very exciting to recognize an outstanding recipient,” said Clint Marlow, Allstate Claims and co-chair of the NABC® Awards committee. “Having Josh Byers as this year’s recipient of the second annual NABC® Changing and Saving Lives Award sets the standard going forward for this recognition. Josh personifies the individual behaviors that this award was created to cherish. He sets a high standard for future recipients and is truly deserving of this honor.”
Nominations for the 2022 awards will open in Spring 2022. For more information, contact the NABC® Awards Committee Co-Chairs Kevin Creegan or Debbie Teter at NABCAwards@nationalautobodycouncil.org.