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ABRA’s Rouse Named as BBB Board Member
Minneapolis, MN, August 24, 2010 – Duane Rouse, President and CFO of ABRA Auto Body & Glass, was named to the Board of Directors for the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota. Rouse’s term on the Board will begin this month.
The mission of the Better Business Bureau is to promote, through self-regulation, the highest standards of business ethics and conduct; and to instill public confidence in responsible businesses through programs of education and action that inform, protect and assist the general public.
“The Better Business Bureau is a very important organization serving the business community and consumers,” Rouse stated. “ABRA takes pride in maintaining a consistent A+ rating, and I look forward to serving with the rest of the Board as we help guide the BBB as they enter their 99th year in operation.”
ABRA’s Benjamin Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2010 Award Winner in Upper Midwest Region
Minneapolis, MN, June 15, 2010 – ABRA Auto Body & Glass announced today that CEO Rollie Benjamin was named a winner of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2010 Award/Retail Division in the Upper Midwest Region. According to Ernst & Young LLP, the awards program recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate extraordinary success in the areas of innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
Benjamin co-founded ABRA Auto Body & Glass in 1984 with one repair center in Fridley, MN. Currently there are 98 ABRA repair centers in eleven states, and the company is pursuing growth through additional corporate-owned and franchised locations. When asked about the Ernst & Young award, Benjamin replied: “I am honored to be among such a prestigious group of individuals. I appreciate being considered for the national award, and thank the nominating committee and judges for this incredible compliment.”
In my opinion, this cannot be considered just an individual award,” Benjamin continued. “For the past 25 years I have worked with an incredible team who has contributed to ABRA’s achievements every step of the way and without all of them this recognition would not be possible.”
As a regional award winner, Benjamin is now eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young LLP Entrepreneur Of The Year® national program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the overall national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California on November 13, 2010. The awards are the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.
Duane Rouse Named President and CFO
of ABRA Auto Body & Glass
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a national damaged vehicle repair company, announced today the appointment of Duane Rouse, currently Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, to the position of President & Chief Financial Officer.
Rouse joined ABRA in 1996 as Vice President of Finance, Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer. In 1998 he was promoted to Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Treasurer. Rouse is a Certified Public Accountant with a degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse. He was employed by Price Waterhouse and held senior management positions in several companies prior to joining ABRA.
During his employment with ABRA, Rouse has helped lead the company in expanding to 98 collision repair centers in 11 states, with additional growth in the pipeline.
ABRA Auto Body & Glass Adds Muscatine, IA Franchise
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, February 1, 2010 - ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a Minneapolis-based damaged vehicle repair company, announced today the opening of its ninety-eighth repair center. Located in Muscatine, Iowa, this is the second ABRA franchise awarded to brothers Tim and Jeff Weber.
Mark Wahlin, Vice President of Franchising, commented on ABRA’s decision to award another franchise to the Webers: “We are very happy with the success of their franchise in Dubuque, Iowa. Their success can be attributed to their team’s in-depth knowledge of the damaged vehicle repair industry, and their emphasis on integrity. Their professional staff and leadership fit perfectly with our corporate philosophy, and we feel confident that the Muscatine location will perform up to the high standards expected of all ABRA centers.”
The 6,000 square feet repair center, located at 3000 North Highway 38 within the Weber Toyota dealership, is equipped with state-of-the art equipment, including a Ultra Liner 360 Rack, an Allvis Auto Measuring System, and a Uni-Cure Paint Booth.
When asked of his decision to open an additional ABRA franchise, Tim Weber responded, “Our affiliation with ABRA has been very rewarding primarily because of their commitment to superior service and excellent craftsmanship. The procedures, training, and marketing support provided by their corporate staff allow us to deliver industry-leading levels of efficiency and quality. We are proud to be a part of ABRA Auto Body & Glass, and look forward to great success in our Muscatine repair center.”
ABRA Opens New Salt Lake City Location
Friday, December 18, 2009
By Victoria Reinart - vreinart@abraauto.com
ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a Minneapolis-based damaged vehicle repair company, announced today the opening of their fourth repair center in the Salt Lake City area. This facility is located at 4080 West 1820 South in the West Valley area, and brings the total number of ABRA repair centers to ninety-seven in eleven states.
“ABRA has been operating in Utah since September of 1998 when we acquired two repair centers,” stated Tim Adelmann, ABRA’s Executive Vice President of Business Development. “Throughout this time we have developed close relationships with our insurance partners and their insureds, and have made a commitment to add centers that will allow us to continue offering our best-in-class service. This repair center will help ABRA better serve consumers in the West Valley and Tooele areas.”
ABRA also announced that Mike Lawrence has been named as General Manager of ABRA-West Valley. Lawrence joined ABRA in 2003 as a Customer Service Manager in their South Salt Lake repair center, and in 2008 he was promoted to General Manager of ABRA-Sandy. Before joining ABRA he was a Service Writer for Goodyear Tires, and graduated from Weber State University with a degree in Technical Sales.
ABRA Auto Body & Glass is a national damaged vehicle repair company specializing in collision repair, paintless dent removal, and auto glass repair and replacement. Started with one repair center in 1984, they have grown to ninety-seven facilities in eleven states.
ABRA Acquires Colorado Repair Center
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
By Victoria Reinart - vreinart@abraauto.com
ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a Minneapolis-based damaged vehicle repair company, announced today the acquisition of a repair center in Pueblo West, CO. This facility, formerly known as Advanced Paint & Body, is located at 455 East Enterprise Drive, and brings the total number of ABRA repair centers to ninety-seven in eleven states.
“ABRA has been operating in Colorado since late 1997 when we started with two acquired repair centers,” stated Rollie Benjamin, ABRA’s President and CEO. “Throughout this time we have developed close relationships with our insurance partners and their insureds, and have made a commitment to add centers that will allow us to continue offering our best-in-class service.”
ABRA-Pueblo West, which had been owned and operated by Jerry and Dawn McCarthy since it was opened in 1987, consists of 27,800 square feet.
Along with this acquisition, ABRA also announced the appointment of Keith O’Daniel as General Manager. In this position, O’Daniel will be responsible for leading the repair center and implementing ABRA’s proven operating system. He brings to ABRA-Pueblo West forty years of collision industry experience, including five years as a General Manager for ABRA in Minnesota.
With the addition of Pueblo-West ABRA now operates eighteen repair centers in Colorado.
ABRA Auto Body & Glass is a national damaged vehicle repair company specializing in collision repair, paintless dent removal, and auto glass repair and replacement. Started with one repair center in 1984, they have grown to ninety-seven facilities in eleven states.
ABRA Auto Body & Glass Awards Sioux Falls, SD Franchise
Monday, August 17, 2009
By Victoria Reinart - vreinart@abraauto.com
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, August 17, 2009 - ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a Minneapolis-based damaged vehicle repair company, announced today the awarding of a franchise repair center to Randy Nehring in Sioux Falls, SD. Nehring is also the owner of Saturn of Sioux Falls, Cadillac of Sioux Falls, and Sioux Falls Ford.
Rollie Benjamin, President and CEO of ABRA, commented on ABRA’s decision to award this franchise to Nehring, “Randy and his team have been running extremely successful new car dealerships in Sioux Falls for many years. With their emphasis on integrity, their professional staff and leadership fit perfectly with our corporate philosophy. We are confident that the Sioux Falls repair center will perform at the high standards expected of all ABRA centers.”
The 10,000 square foot repair center, located at 4001 West 34th Street, employs Elmer Baker as its General Manager. In addition to collision repair, ABRA-Sioux Falls also offers auto glass repair/replacement and paintless dent removal.
When asked of his decision to open an ABRA franchise, Nehring commented, “I became very interested in the ABRA system after seeing the metrics of their Aberdeen franchise. The procedures, training, and marketing support provided by their corporate staff will allow us to deliver industry-leading levels of efficiency and quality.”
ABRA Auto Body & Glass Celebrates 25 Years of Success
Monday, June 22, 2009
By Victoria Reinart - vreinart@abraauto.com
ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a Minneapolis-based company, is celebrating 25 years as a national leader in the damaged vehicle repair industry. In June of 1984, Rollie Benjamin, ABRA’s President and CEO, co-founded ABRA’s first repair center in Fridley, MN, in an upscale, commercial development. The almost immediate validation of their business format created growth opportunities that led to the opening of a second repair center only eight months later, and established the model for further expansion of the ABRA Auto Body & Glass system.
Tim Adelmann, ABRA’s Executive Vice President of Business Development, joined the company in 1985 as General Manager of the second repair center, and became a partner in ABRA. Things moved quickly thereafter, and in 1987 ABRA launched a franchise program to promote accelerated growth. After two and one-half decades, ABRA now operates 73 corporate repair centers and 23 franchised centers in eleven states and six major markets.
As ABRA continued its growth, it did not lose sight of its most valuable asset: its team members. According to Benjamin, “At ABRA our three strategic initiatives include recruiting and retaining talent, franchise growth, and operational excellence. I believe hiring and keeping the best people is absolutely number one.”
Adelmann added to Benjamin’s statement, “When the day is done, ABRA isn’t about paint booths or buildings or frame equipment. Over the years our commitment to our team members has not only remained the same, but actually become stronger. We want ABRA to be the ‘employer of choice’ in the collision repair industry.”
“I’m proud to say that our 25-year success story is directly attributable to the dedication and hard work of our team of professionals,” Benjamin continued. “We are moving forward with the best team in the industry, and look forward to continued success in the next 25 years.”
ABRA Auto Body & Glass is a national damaged vehicle repair company specializing in collision repair, paintless dent removal, and auto glass repair and replacement. Started with one repair center in 1984, they have grown to ninety-six facilities in eleven states.
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