GENE CROZAT
PRESIDENT I was an auto painter as well as a body shop manager for thirty-five years. I took up body and fender work in the air force in 1961. I spent 3 years at Castle Air Force Base body shop in Merced, Ca. I then opened and ran a Plymouth, Chrysler, & Dodge Body Shop for Marasti Motors in Merced for two years. I moved to Santa Rosa in 1968 where I opened and ran a body shop for Torvick Enterprises, which was a Mercedes, Volvo, Fiat and Datsun Dealership. In 1972 I opened G & C Auto Body with a body man named Leo Gassell. Leo was 58 years old at the time. Four years later in 1976 Leo retired and the name was shortened from Gassell & Crozat’s Auto Body to G & C Auto Body. My sons have opened two more body shops, one in San Rafael, one in Petaluma, and we are about to break ground on one in Windsor. We currently have approximately 65 to 70 employees and independent contractors. I am very fortunate to have my three sons, daughter, and son in law all working in the business with me. They are the reason that I got involved as a founding member of this association. We have to protect the collision repair industry for our children and our employees. Gene Crozat TODD BISHOP
VICE PRESIDENT OF LEGISLATURE I grew up in the automotive industry. My father is a retired machinist/mechanic. At the age of fourteen my father started teaching me Autobody. At eighteen I decided to follow in my fathers footsteps and become an automotive mechanic. Two years into my apprenticeship I had to leave due to an allergic reaction from the solvents. My experience opened the door into the insurance industry where I worked for The California Automobile Assoc., IIB as an insurance adjuster, then appraiser. In 1987, disgruntled with the corporate business climate I left the insurance industry and went to work for an independent auto body repair shop. With the knowledge I learned from the insurance industry, I was able to excel in the collision arena where my passion became being the advocate for the consumer. In June of 1995 I purchased Dibble’s Collision Work’s the smallest shop in town. Today we are the third largest. I have seventeen employees and we concentrate on Service, Quality, and watching out for our customer’s best interest. I feel that the collision industry is at a turning point and it is up to us to make the effort so we can make the difference. Todd Bishop BLAKE ANDROS
VICE PRESIDENT OF MEMBERSHIP My passion for the collision repair industry began when I was 16 years old. I brought my motorcycle to a collision repair facility and received it back six weeks later! My experience was less than ideal. It was then that I decided I wanted to learn how to paint and repair vehicles with the premise of doing it better and quicker to meet customer needs. Everyone should have an “ideal” experience when they need to have their vehicle repaired. At age 19 I left college to open my first collision repair facility in San Francisco. Many of my clients were in Marin so I headed back over the Golden Gate to open Blake’s Auto Body in San Rafael in 1980. The opening of a Novato location followed in 1986. We expanded into Sonoma County in 1998 to Santa Rosa, and built our Blake’s Auto Body Corporate Headquarters in Rohnert Park in 1999. 26 years later I still have that same passion, respect for, and belief in the collision repair industry. After much hard work, a lot of investing, and a dedicated staff, I am extremely proud to have four locations and over 80 employees. It is a continuous process to grow with the technology, and the times. We are committed to reaching new milestones. The Blake’s Team is constantly striving to better itself for our customers and the community. Blake Andros ROY CARNAVALE
TREASURER I began in the auto Body business by helping in my father’s shop in San Francisco and then took over management in 1968. I left San Francisco in 1977 and purchased Anthony’s Auto Craft in San Rafael. Starting in 1984, Anthony’s auto Craft expanded to Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park and Napa. Currently we are operating the one shop in San Rafael. We specialize in high end vehicles such as Ferrari, Mercedes Benz and BMW. We are Mercedes Benz Certified and have approximately 30 employees. The shop is under the supervision of our General manager and partner, Todd Ballenger. I am beginning semi retirement in the Napa Valley with my wife Diana. We are enjoying having time for our two sons and three grandsons. Roy Carnevale BYRON ORRIS
SECRETARY I served my apprenticeship FROM 1972 TO 1976 at the local Cadillac dealership in their body shop, then worked within the industry for the next couple of years. During 1978 and 1979 I ran a Dodge Dealership Body Shop and from there I opened Byron’s Autobody in 1980 and have been in business in Napa ever since. I opened up my own shop because I saw horrendous work coming out of the repair industry and thought that I could do better by running my business with more vision on integrity in our repairs and less focus on how much volume we could run through our shop. We have achieved a very high customer satisfaction because of this, and with the help of our business partner and manager Dave Reynolds. In 1990 we became Lexus certified and in 2000 we became Toyota certified. My wife Pam and I have 2 girls in high school, and Pam is actively involved in the day to day operation of our business. We are also involved in the community supporting local events such as relay for life, hospice, Local softball teams and the 4-h youth programs. We are currently members of the Elks Club. Byron Orris
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