What a fantastic night was had by all on Friday 22 November at Le Montage in Sydney. Congratulations to all of the winners and finalists and thank you to everyone who attended and helped to create such a positive and supportive atmosphere. It was a beautiful setting and although headline sponsor James Frape has been angling in vain for a Fiji awards venue, we had Fiji weather at any rate.
Le Montage looks out over a lake and just shy of 350 guests enjoyed the view with canapes and drinks before the formalities began. The MC for the evening was comedian Andrew Barnett who guided us through the awards. There were lots of cheers for the winners and finalists. A very popular winner was our third inductee to the Paint & Panel Hall of Fame, Carly Ruggeri of Europanels in Geelong. Carly has worked tirelessly to ensure a fairer playing field for repairers and better outcomes for the motoring public.
Everyone looked a million dollars and it was great to see so many young people in the room. Thanks to Hail.com who had booked a table and then couldn't come because of the hailstorm in northern NSW. They donated their table to apprentices who had a great night and had the chance to see the broader collision repair community.
Competition was fierce as ever and all of the finalists should consider themselves winners. A very embarrassed editor Sam Street was ambushed by headline sponsor James Frape of Compass with a special industry recognition award.
The winners speeches were characteristically humble and demonstrated their passion for the industry. James Frape of Compass said: "It was fantastic to be the headline sponsor on the Industry’s night of nights. Although we didn’t quite make it to Fiji the weather was hot and the drinks were flowing.
"It was great to see so many new winners on the podium and I was even more delighted to be able to surprise the one and only Sam Street with a special award on the night. Thoroughly deserved and warmly applauded by everyone, Sam won her Industry Recognition Award for her long standing and continued support of the industry through excellence in journalism."
After the awards had been presented it was time to mingle or dance to the excellent band, Over the Edge, who played a medley of crowd pleaser tunes. The 360 degree camera was popular too.
The winners of the 2024 Bodyshop Awards are:
Best Shop Awards
Best New Shop: Auto Collision Centre, WA
Best Large Shop: Sommerville Smash Repairs, QLD
Best Boutique Shop: MJB Bodyworks and Fabrication, QLD
Best Dealer Owned Shop: Jacob Body & Paint, VIC
Best Corporate Shop: MotorOne Autobody, (Knox) VIC
Best MSO: DSI Panels, Vic
Best Country Repairer: JVS Bodyworks, SA
Specialist Repair: Pat's Pro Resto's, QLD
Best Practice Awards
Business Excellence: Eblen Collision Repairs, SA
Best Customer Experience: MPSR, NSW
Community & Social Responsibility: JVS Bodyworks, SA
Best Workplace MSO: AMA Group, National
Best Workplace: North Shore BMW Bodyshop, NSW
Individual Awards
Manager of the year: James Kolich, Weststar Prestige Paint & Panel, VIC
Parts Manager of the year: Benjamin Alexander, MPSR, NSW
Emerging leader: Patrick Killen, Killen's Smash Repairs, NSW
Apprentice of the year: Zane Hartley, Fortress Collision Repair Services, QLD
What guests had to say about the night
“A superb event hosted by the team at Paint & Panel. Nominees, finalists, and winners are all to be congratulated on continuing to share their passion and dedication to this ever-evolving industry. BASF are proud to continue to support this amazing event where we all come together to celebrate our diverse and exciting businesses, contributions, and achievements”. Kirsten Dodd, BASF
What a fantastic awards night hosted by Paint & Panel, congratulations everyone we are all winners! It was great to share the room with so much positive energy by all that attended, it just goes to show our great industry is alive and well with so many good people involved." Dave Rogers, Jacob Body & Paint.
"We had a really great evening catching up with so many people and also meeting new faces. It was an honour to be inducted into your Hall of Fame. Carly Ruggeri, Europanels.