By Howard Lewis, AAM
Inside this issue of AutoInc. you will find a shop licensing survey. As the industry association representing your business interest, it is important for ASA to know your opinions regarding this important issue. Please take five minutes to complete the survey and mail or fax it back to ASA. The input we receive will help us shape our policies and positions on this matter.
Because we are trying to draw concrete answers from the survey, the questions are matter-of-fact, yes or no questions. Shop licensing is an important and potentially emotional issue. We would like to know as much as we can from you and all our members regarding your beliefs and experiences with licensing. In addition to completing the survey, I would hope that you would comment on any additional ideas you have and send those to us as well.
Rick Allison, a member of the ASA Mechanical Division Operations Committee and a transmission shop manager in Oregon, has written this month's guest editorial in support of shop licensing. You will find his comments on page 36.
Perhaps you agree with nearly everything Rick says. Or, maybe you think none of his arguments hold water. Either way, ASA wants and needs to know what you think. Maybe there's something in Rick's editorial that you would like to comment on. If so, send a “Letter to the Editor” to AutoInc., P.O. Box 929, Bedford, Texas 76095-0929. We would welcome the opportunity to present different views and ideas regarding shop licensing.
ASA has not conducted a licensing survey since 1993. It will be interesting to see how much or how little attitudes have changed since then.
Shop licensing is just one of many issues about which ASA needs to hear your views. Two others that come to mind immediately are information availability for mechanical shops and “not-included” operations as it relates to electronic collision repair information. During the past couple of years, in both the Mechanical Division Dispatch and the Collision Repair Report newsletters, ASA has asked - begged - members to correspond with us on these two issues. Unfortunately, few have responded to these requests.
The 12-member board of directors wants to represent you and your concerns. To do so effectively, we must first know what those concerns are. The shop licensing survey is an easy way for you to tell us what you think about this issue.
