CIECA Names New Interim Executive Director

NORTHBROOK, IL—August 16, 2019—CIECA recently announced the appointment of Ed Weidmann as interim executive director, effective August 1, 2019. Weidmann has worked in the insurance and collision repair industry for more than 42 years. He held multiple management positions during his 39-year career with State Farm insurance company and participated on many industry boards and advisory councils. After retiring from State Farm, Weidmann opened WEIDMANN CONSULTING and has been providing services to both domestic and international companies.

“When CIECA’s nominating committee identified a need for an interim executive director, Ed Weidmann’s name surfaced as a logical candidate due to his vast knowledge of the collision repair industry and his recent collaboration with CIECA while working at State Farm,” said Steve Betley, CIECA’s chairman of the board. “His experience in project creation, contract negotiation, and vehicle repair workflows will fit nicely into CIECA’s innovative plans for the future.”

Weidmann is not new to CIECA. He joined the organization more than 10 years ago as a trustee, representing State Farm. Since then, he has held the positions of treasurer, vice-chair, and chairman of the board in 2008 and 2014, and has served on CIECA’s board of trustees.

“I always tell people that CIECA standards streamline the transmission of data among companies, eliminating duplicate programming and minimizing the need for translators when a company works with multiple companies providing similar services,” said Weidmann. “This increases competition and allows companies to use the best product for their needs with minimal programming.”

As the interim executive director, Weidmann said his goal is to help CIECA expand its product offerings, increase the industry’s understanding of its purpose, and streamline CIECA’s internal workflows to more efficiently serve members.

The search for a permanent executive director continues and is spearheaded by CIECA’s nominating committee, led by Roy Schnepper, owner of Butler’s Collision and a member of CIECA’s board of trustees.

“A variety of viable candidates have been identified and are currently being interviewed and vetted,” said Schnepper. “It is our intent to fill the position as soon as reasonably possible.”

For more information about CIECA, visit www.cieca.com.

To contact Ed Weidmann, email [email protected].

The Collision Industry Electronic Commerce Association (CIECA) develops electronic standards, codes, and standard messages and provides implementation guides to make the industry more efficient. All standards are developed by members. CIECA membership is open to the collision repair and property restoration industries, and related segments. CIECA’s goals are to deliver benefits to all participants through reduced development and support costs, lower cost of implementation, reduced barrier to entry, and faster development times. For more information, visit https://www.cieca.com/default.php.