The National Auto Body Council has created a veteran-led Military Affairs Team that it says will help continue its long service to military members and veterans in need, primarily through the NABC Recycled Rides program.

Team members are collision industry professionals, military service leaders, and military advisers, including:

Tim Bates, Solution Works executive vice president, and a decorated U.S. Army and Air Force veteran, will lead the team. He served during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm as well as Operation Enduring Freedom following 9/11.

U.S. Army Ret. Maj. Gen. Chuck Swannack — After he retired from active duty, Swannack became the COO of U.S. Logistics, Inc. and in 2014, became executive director of Speedway Children’s Charities.

U.S. Air Force Ret. Maj. Gen. Kevin Pottinger — Following his service, Pottinger, started the Freedom Mobility Foundation in answer to mobility solutions needs for military members and veterans by building a network of supporters to provide mobility package funding for active military service members, veterans, and first responders.

U.S. Army Ret. Maj. Mark Lear — Lear is an insurance industry executive and founder of Return To Base of Missouri, Inc. in Texas County, Missouri. Base Camp provides camp housing, equipment, hunting blinds, and other recreational opportunities for veterans and their families.

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Frank Pickering — Pickering is an insurance industry executive and board member of Western New York Heroes and the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF). 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.

The team will work with national and state military affairs departments, Veterans Administration offices, military service organizations, and military-focused charities to help NABC continue to secure recipients for its Recycled Rides vehicles, NABC said.

“This also helps build our presence among defense companies, which frequently provide grants and gifts to organizations like ours that serve the military community,” the NABC told RDN.

Recycled Rides has gifted more than 3,500 vehicles since 2007, including more than 300 vehicles annually. About 75% of the donated vehicles go to veterans and military members. The remaining 25% go to single mothers, families in need, and young adults aging out of foster care. NABC says it will continue to follow that breakdown in who the vehicles go to.

“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, NABC Board of Directors chairman, in the release.

“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,” Wolf said. “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.”

Stateside, Bates worked his way up to become a car dealership general manager. Following work in Australia for seven months as an independent adjuster in the paintless dent repair business, he returned to the U.S. as a regional manager with Catastrophe Solutions International which later merged with Auto Works to become SolutionWorks.

“It was an honor to serve my country over the years,” said Bates, in the release. “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.”

Images

Featured image: U.S. Army veteran Damielle Reynolds received a Recycled Rides vehicle on Nov. 16, 2024, in Pomona, California. (Credit: NABC)