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Relfections on NACE '98Posted 1/18/1999By Kevin Caldwell, AAM
Awesome! NACE '98 was probably the best week of my life! NACE Fans ... Start Your Engines was the theme for this year's International Autobody Congress and Exposition held Dec. 3-6 in Dallas. That's appropriate because running a business is much like running a race. If you're a good businessman, you have set a course and strategy that will lead you to the finish line. Without that strategy, you may have to pull out of the race and watch someone else take the checkered flag. NACE gives you the tools, knowledge and vision necessary to chart a course for your business that will allow you to persevere until the final victory lap. It was an honor to serve as the chairman for the 16th annual NACE. This honor was even more meaningful because my father, Jack Caldwell, was NACE chairman 10 years earlier in 1988. During the show's opening session, I told my fellow attendees that much has changed in those 10 years. As I look back, it's amazing to see the changes in all aspects of our industry. The greatest benefit NACE '98 provided the 32,000 industry professionals in attendance was that it opened a window on the future. Through courses and seminars, keynote addresses, and the cutting-edge products and technology on display in 2,700 booths, we saw tomorrow. That exposure to tomorrow will prove invaluable. It's human nature to resist, even fear, change. But for those who took advantage of all NACE '98 offered, you have less to fear because you've already had a glimpse of where collision repair is headed. You had the good fortune of receiving an introduction to new ideas, new technology and new ways of doing business. By all measures - number of attendees, number of exhibitors, quality of and participation in seminars, even the weather - NACE '98 was a tremendous success. Now that the excitement of being on the exposition floor has subsided - and I've come down from the adrenaline high that propelled me through a hundred events - I realize there is still work to be done to ensure the lasting success of NACE '98. As collision repair professionals, there are problems and issues we encounter daily that are not in our best interest nor in the best interest of our customers. These are issues that we just seem to accept. What we should be doing is joining forces to change them. Common and ongoing concerns with automatic estimating systems, insurance companies, labor rates and non-OEM parts. These and other issues that you know as well as I should be brought to light and resolved. Is resolving these issues possible, or is it just a shop owner's fantasy? It's not only possible, it's imperative. Many of our peers are already working on finding solutions. ASA's Collision Division, for instance, is working on multiple fronts so we can enjoy a better future. Regrettably, not all of us are working on righting these wrongs. If we unite forces and speak as one voice, think of all that we can achieve. Today, when I look back 10 years, I say NACE '88 was indeed successful. The real measure of the success of NACE '98 cannot be affirmed until 2008. At that time, we'll look back and see how far we've progressed. In 2008, when we look back and see that the inequities we face today are gone, we'll say, "Look how much we've accomplished since NACE '98. That must have been an awesome show." Awesome indeed!
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