Tylka, Andy

Working hard to maintain his family legacy, Andy Tylka became the second generation owner and operator of Tom Tylka's Tom and Ed's Autobody in 2009. Andy's parents started the family business back in 1983, which was also managed by their daughter and son-in-law up until 2009. However, after they quit abruptly, the fate of Tom and Ed's Autobody remained uncertain. At this point, Andy Tylka decided to sell his own Indianapolis-based business, as well as his home, in order to prevent the sale of Tom and Ed's to a national chain. A Legacy Preserved. By purchasing the family business Andy Tylka was able to keep Tom and Ed's Autobody in the family. With some hard work, he took a declining business and fostered its growth from 3 to 5 locations – including a 24 hour towing division. Even during the challenging Covid pandemic, Andy succeeded in acquiring a second brand: Riley and Sons Collision. This new procurement brought Tom and Ed's Autobody to a total of 9 auto body shops situated throughout Northwest and Central Indiana with Andy as the sole owner. Setting Sights on the Future. Andy's goal for the collision repair business has remained focused on the education, transparency, and empowerment of others. With a big demand for unity in Indiana, Andy was encouraged to take on the role of President of the Indiana Autobody Association (or IABA). During his tenure as President, a role he still maintains, Andy developed a duplicatable structure to quarterly meetings for all 5 of the IABA Chapters. Andy continues to develop standard agendas for each quarter, heavily influenced by the blueprint of the SCRS. This process enables a more unified state, with unique presentations developed for each Chapter designed around the same topics and talking points. The flexibility of the IABA being fully “volunteer only” based allowed for the funded implementation of a government liaison – through the utilization of membership dues and sponsorships. With a liaison working with the association on a monthly basis on government relations, the concept has grown toward protecting consumer rights through relationships with the Department of Insurance, as well as shop education. Additional Opportunities. Through other various opportunities within the auto repair industry, Andy has been enabled to develop the “Auto Apprentice Program” standard for the Department of Labor. He is also in the midst of redesigning the Auto Repair Program at the Hammond Career Center, which remains the only Collision Trade School in NW Indiana. Andy also continues to operate as the Education Chair for the I-Car Committee. Other passions include working regularly with the Department of Labor, in an effort to direct grants and funding toward apprenticeship programs, in addition to Indiana's collision education. Andy aspires to further enable the training of apprentices for Indiana's workforce, under the intention of a lessened financial burden, through the receipt of grants and funding. Mindful of his opportunities to travel between CIC meetings, SEMA, and SCRS events, Andy was enabled to observe the industry influence from a national level, throughout his jump-in experience. “I am grateful for both the knowledge and relationships I have been fortunate enough to gain. My personal goal is to make the process easier for others to enjoy and for people interested in the collision field to develop within the industry as much as I have.”