ABRA Acquires New Hope, MN Center

    MINNEAPOLIS--Dec. 10, 2002--ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a Minneapolis-based damaged vehicle repair company, announced today the acquisition of Auto Body Pros of New Hope, MN. With this acquisition, ABRA now operates seventy-four repair centers in ten states.
    "ABRA has been analyzing the Minneapolis market to determine how we can provide the best coverage to our insurance partners and their insureds", stated Tim Adelmann, Chief Operating Officer of ABRA Auto Body & Glass. "The New Hope repair center is located in an area that was previously without coverage. This will allow load leveling to and from other nearby ABRA repair centers for the convenience of our customers."
    The repair center, located at 7701 42nd Avenue, formerly operated as a combination collision repair center and mechanical shop. ABRA will convert the mechanical area into productive collision repair space, and completely upgrade the equipment in the repair center. Tim Peacock has transferred from ABRA-Forest Lake to become General Manager of ABRA-New Hope.
    According to Bill Prince, Vice President ABRA-Minnesota, "This acquisition further enhances ABRA's position as a leader in the collision and glass repair industry in Minnesota. The professional staff at Auto Body Pros will be a huge asset and integral part of ABRA's future growth. We are pleased that they are now a part of the ABRA family."
    Along with full-service collision repair, ABRA-New Hope will also provide paintless dent removal and auto glass repair and replacement.

    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 seventy-four facilities in ten states. Their plans for accelerated national growth over the next several years include acquiring existing facilities and building new locations.