Around ASA

By B.J. Johnson

ASA-Oregon Member Awarded CARQUEST Excellence Award

CARQUEST Auto Parts hasannounced Bob Anderson, owner of A.J.'s Auto Repair in Salem, Ore., as the 2001 CARQUEST Excellence Award winner. A.J.'s Auto Repair has been an ASA member since 1988.

The CARQUEST Excellence Award is based on criteria such as industry involvement, number of ASE certifications, community involvement, training, shop appearance and customer service. The editors of top industry trade publications selected the finalists and the top shop. According to CARQUEST, 402 entries were received.

In its 10th year, the Excellence Award is announced annually in conjunction with the CARQUEST Technician's Advisory Council meeting. “It's a great honor to be this year's Excellence Award winner. As a winner, I won't miss the opportunity to promote CARQUEST's professionalism and integrity,” said Anderson.

ASA-Ohio Schedules Tradeshow, Convention

Management education, technical training and a tradeshow are all on the agenda for the ASA-Ohio Annual Convention. The two-day event will be held Feb. 8-9 at the Cincinnati Marriott North Hotel, Union Centre in Cincinnati.

The affiliate has lined up two Automotive Management Institute seminars to be presented by John Peake that offer insight into running the business side of an automotive repair facility and profitability in the computer age. In addition, Jim Linder will present the technical course, “Ignition Systems Service,” that will include information on the new 42-volt systems.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to view the latest in automotive products and services from more than 35 exhibitors. For more information, contact ASA-Ohio at (740) 548-4889.

ASA-Oklahoma City Has Successful Year

The ASA-Oklahoma City chapter presented several informative meetings throughout 2001 to automotive repair professionals. Beginning in February, the chapter presented the “Choose to Win” seminar and in May the chapter conducted a two-day workshop titled “Process to Profits.”

The chapter gained momentum and continued to offer information on various topics such as the CCC information provider management software, an estimating seminar, and a session with a representative from the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. One of the many highlights of the year was a meeting with Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher to discuss material caps.

“We owe a lot of gratitude not only to ASA, but to Francis Tuttle Vo-Tech, which unselfishly provided us with a meeting space several times throughout the year. The support we have received from Sherwin-Williams and Akzo-Nobel has been incredible,” said Gary Wano, Jr., chapter president. In addition to these sponsors, the chapter has received commitments from DuPont, B & H Supply and PPG for upcoming events.

In November, Dennis Foley, ASA membership coordinator, attended the chapter meeting to discuss the many benefits of ASA membership. “This meeting afforded us the opportunity to express our gratitude to ASA,” said Wano.

With a new year upon them, the chapter is optimistic that the momentum gained in 2001 will continue this year.

ASA-North Carolina Plans Tradeshow

The ASA-North Carolina Annual Meeting and Tradeshow will be held March 22-23 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. The two-day event will offer longer exhibit hours and an education program.

A highlight of the meeting will be the Richard Petty Driving experience. Attendees will have the opportunity to get behind the wheel or ride in an authentic NASCAR Winston Cup style stock car.

For more information, call ASA-North Carolina at (919) 846-8799.

Hall of Eagles Adds Merwin

ASA Collision Division Manager Sharon Merwin was inducted into the Hall of Eagles at the Collision Industry Night of Achievement banquet held during NACE 2001. “I was quite amazed when they called my name, since no one had breathed a single thought to me about winning this award,” she said. “To receive this award was quite an honor considering that two-thirds of all of the past winners had to recommend me.” The Hall of Eagles was established to recognize individuals for their outstanding contributions to collision repair and their desire, as demonstrated by their industry involvement, to advance the professionalism of the industry.

ASA, SCRS Present Collision Award

ASA and the Society of Collision Repair Specialists presented the first-ever Collision Industry Award of the Year to the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) Encryption Committee. Presentation of the award was made during the Collision Industry Night of Achievement banquet held during NACE in November.

Jim Keller, ASA chairman, said the award was presented to this committee because “it had the greatest positive effect for the collision repair industry for the year 2001.” The CIC Encryption Committee was chosen because of its work with electronic information providers and for securing the providers' agreement to allow access to previously encrypted data.

Joining Keller in presenting the award was Don Keenan, SCRS chairman. The two organizations plan to make this an annual award recognizing the “outstanding effort and positive contribution made by any group, committee, association or company,” Keller said.

NATIONAL NEWS

Bill Haas, AAM, ASA mechanical division manager, and Dennis Foley, ASA membership coordinator, attended a meeting Nov. 7 with automotive repair professionals in Tulsa, Okla. Haas and Foley discussed the advantages of ASA membership, as well as the possibility of developing an ASA affiliate in the Tulsa area.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the clean air plans of five major metropolitan areas: Houston, Milwaukee, Chicago, Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Smog is a form of air pollution that irritates many asthma sufferers. The EPA believes improving air quality will improve respiratory problems in children and adults. According to the Centers for Disease Control, asthma affects more than 15 million Americans, including 5 million children.

Pictured left to right: Tiger Cubs Connor Barkley and Houston Elliott, both of Fort Worth, Texas, recently visited the AutoInc. offices as part of their Den's study of communications. The boys belong to Cub Scout Pack 179. The tour was conducted by Angie Wilson, AutoInc. editor.

Reminder of the Month

Elections for the 2002 ASA national board of directors will be held Jan. 14 to Feb. 28, 2002. This year the ASA membership will elect members to one position of general director, one position for collision division director and one position for mechanical division director. All ASA national regular members in good standing are eligible to cast their vote for the position of ASA general director. The positions of collision and mechanical divisions directors are elected by their respective divisions only. Members were assigned to the appropriate divisions based on information provided when they joined the association.

The voting process is conducted electronically using a toll-free telephone number. ASA members will vote by entering their member number plus a three-digit security code number. These numbers can be found on the mailing labels of this issue and the February issue of AutoInc. The member number and security code are directly above the addressee's full name and enclosed by parenthesis. Example: (123456 789).

For more information regarding the voting process, please contact ASA at (800) 272-7467, ext. 213.

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