Bedford, Texas, April 15, 2008 — CARSTAR joins the Automotive Management Institute's (AMI's) resource development and industry partnership. EXCEL. with a Charter Guarantor commitment of $25,000. The commitment to AMI will be combined with other leadership contributions to continue AMI's mission of providing and promoting practical business management education tailored to the automotive service and collision repair industry.

Headquartered in Overland Park, Kan., CARSTAR is the largest group of auto body repair shops in North America. The privately held company currently has 292 locations in 27 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, and 115 Canadian locations.

"CARSTAR is committed to assisting our franchise partners in improving their businesses. CARSTAR and AMI are equally committed to improving the collision repair industry through education and training," said CARSTAR's President and Chief Operating Officer, Dan Bailey.

AMI Board of Trustees Chairman, George Witt, AAM, stated, "If the industry is to meet the challenges of the future, shop owners, managers and technicians will all need to acquire and develop an array of business management skills. AMI is proud to work with industry leaders like CARSTAR to provide this essential ingredient for success."

"We extend our greatest appreciation to CARSTAR for their support and commitment to the collision repair industry and the Institute," said AMI Executive Director, Toni Slaton, AAM.

AMI was established to answer the demand for continuing education tailored specifically for the business needs of the automotive service industry. The Institute offers the Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation, the first business management accreditation exclusively for the automotive service professional. To date, AMI programs have attracted more than 163,000 enrollments throughout North America. AMI is a not-for-profit educational foundation to which tax-deductible contributions can be made. For more information about the Institute, its curriculum, or EXCEL, please contact AMI at (800) 272-7467, ext. 239, or visit the AMI Web site at www.amionline.org.