ASA Affiliate Holds Successful Expo

On behalf of ASA-Arizona, Dave Martin, left, member of the ASA-Arizona board of directors and owner of Martin's Auto Repair, Phoenix, accepts the Affiliate of the Year Award from B.J. Johnson, ASA's vice president of membership services.

B.J. Johnson, ASA’s vice president of membership services, presented the award to Dave Martin, member of the ASA-Arizona board of directors and owner of Martin’s Auto Repair, Phoenix.

“This year’s recipient increased ASA collision membership and the association’s ability to impact the collision repair industry through a merger of a state collision organization into the ASA family,” Johnson said. “In addition to membership growth, the affiliate also provided ongoing management education and technical training, state legislative involvement, and assisted member-businesses in pollution prevention and conservation of our natural resources.”

“Our board of directors is an amazing group of businessmen and women,” said Kathy Draskovic, ASA-Arizona chairman. “They have taken our affiliate to a new level of professionalism by decidedly looking toward the future of our industry, making the changes and meeting the challenges. We are so thankful to be awarded the ‘Affiliate of the Year.’ It affirms that we’re moving in the right direction.”

Chat with ASA Online

Have a question for ASA and don’t have the time to pick up the phone? Log on to ASA’s Web site, www.ASAshop.org, and chat with an ASA representative to answer all of your questions about membership, the association or the many products and services ASA has to offer.

ASA’s online chat tool is yet another way of providing enhanced and more efficient customer service support to ASA members. Chat support is live and you will have instantaneous answers to your inquiries and immediate solutions to your problems. By providing live online service on the Web site, ASA is offering members and nonmembers personalized support that is fast, easy and convenient.

ASA’s chat line is open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. CST. You can also send us a message for a prompt reply if you log on after hours. Log on today to speak with an Automotive Service Association representative ... and remember, Service is at the center of everything we do!

AutoNetTV Increases Customer Education Offers for ASA Members

AutoNetTV, an ASA sponsored benefit provider, recently added five new customer education videos for ASA members to use as part of their waiting room infotainment.

The following consumer education titles are now available:

•“Maintenance Services to Improve Fuel Economy” – tips for vehicle owners to get better mileage, and how their service center helps.

•“OE vs. Aftermarket” – covers Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, and the fallacy that “certified” parts are only available at new car dealerships.

•“Tire Tread Depth” – addresses the new quarter versus penny recommendations on replacing tires.

•“Making Cars Last 200,000 Miles” – encourages customers to perform factory-recommended services to get the most out of their vehicle investment.

•“Intro to Diesels” – an overview of the high-growth diesel market, and the maintenance services that are necessary on this type of vehicle.

ASA’s member benefit agreement with AutoNetTV features an automotive television network that may be viewed in the waiting areas of service and repair centers nationwide.

To learn more about AutoNetTV – including a special promotion to receive a free DVD player – call ASA at (800) 272-7467, ext. 295.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Two ASA representatives attended the International Bodyshop Industry Symposium (IBIS) in Montreux, Switzerland, June 9-11 – Ron Pyle, ASA’s president and chief staff executive, and Darrell Amberson, AAM, director of ASA’s Collision Division and president of Lehman’s Garage, Bloomington, Minn. This was the eighth year for the annual event, which focused on vehicle safety systems and related topics.


• The 2008 Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) was held May 20-21 in Chicago and included a presentation by Ron Pyle, ASA’s president and chief staff executive. Pyle and Steve Handschuh, president and COO of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA), discussed parts issues from a shop owner perspective, including distribution, labeling and quality issues. Also attending the event on behalf of ASA was John Scully, executive vice president; and Bill Haas, vice president of education and training. Net proceeds of the event go toward scholarships to benefit students preparing for automotive aftermarket careers. For more information on the scholarship program, visit www.automotivescholarships.com.


• ASA Summer Hours of Operation: Expanded hours of operation at ASA headquarters are 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday (Central Time). This schedule is offered during the summer months on a trial basis, with regular hours of operation scheduled to resume Sept. 2. ASA will measure its level of success during this trial period based on the association’s core focus – a continuing commitment to serving its members.
  

Look Who's in the Running for an Expense-Paid Trip to CARS or NACE

No one can recruit another shop into your trade association better than you. That’s why the Chairman’s Club has always been an integral part of the Automotive Service Association’s membership recruitment program. For every member application processed at the national office that is submitted by a regular member, that member will earn 5 points.

The member with the most points Sept. 15, 2008, will receive one expense-paid* trip to CARS or NACE. In the case of a tie, a drawing will be held to determine the winner. To be eligible for the trip you must have a minimum of 50 points. Here are the current leaders:

Bob Schlanger - 20 points	Danny Hernandez - 15 points
Jeff Bly - 15 points	Scott Benavidez - 15 points

Let ASA Help You Recruit New Members! To help with your recruitment efforts, ASA has a new flier, "5 Reasons to Join ASA," which you can download for free from the Chairman's Club page in the Members Only section of www.ASAshop.org. See you in 'Vegas!

*Expenses covered – round-trip airline ticket plus registration to the event and four nights in a hotel. Food and beverage are the responsibility of the winner. All accommodations must be arranged by ASA.

ASA Announces Benefit of the Year Award

Brian T. Farrington, left, accepts the 2007 Benefit Provider of the Year Award from John Scully, AAM, ASA’s executive vice president.

The annual award was given in appreciation of Farrington’s long-term relationship with ASA and for the value, quality and professional service he offers to ASA members.

On receiving the award, Farrington said: “I have been associated with ASA since 1991, when my late associate, Harry Weisbrod, and I first entered into a retainer agreement with the organization. Since then we have advised countless members, put on a lot of speeches and seminars for local and state chapters, and have helped more than a few shops with wage-hour investigations. I have always enjoyed working with ASA’s staff as well as the membership. ASA members are decent, hard-working people who provide honest service to their customers, and jobs for lots of employees. They have to cope with a lot of rules and regulations, and it’s been a pleasure for me to be able to help them deal with the labor and employment issues they face. I look forward to many more years of working with this fine organization.”

Farrington specializes in federal wage and hour programs. He also offers two courses through the Automotive Management Institute: “Compensation Plans: What’s Right for Your Employee?” and “How Do Wage and Hour Issues Affect Me?”

For assistance pertaining to wage and hour issues, please contact the ASA membership department at (800) 272-7467, ext. 295 and allow its staff to assist you.

Meet Your Board of Directors

With the annual convention behind us, let’s take a closer look at the new ASA board of directors for 2008. Reggie Denney, AAM, Reggie Denney Auto Repair, Eden, N.C., is the new chairman of ASA’s board of directors for 2008. He succeeds Aaron Clements, AAM, C&C Automotive, Augusta, Ga., who moves to the immediate past chairman’s seat for one year.

Other members include Earl Dohner, AAM, chairman-elect, E&E’s
Garage, Brookville, Ohio; and Jerry Burns, AAM, secretary/treasurer, Automotive Impressions Inc., Rio Rancho, N.M.

Serving as general directors are Daniel Guido, AAM, Tony’s Service Center, Phoenix; Diane Rodenhouse, Rodenhouse Body Shop Inc., Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Carroll Proctor, A.C. Proctor’s Paint & Body Inc., Augusta, Ga.

Serving as affiliate directors are Russell McCloud, AAM, Accurate Automotive Attention, Yuma, Ariz.; Ron Nagy, AAM, Nagy’s Collision Center, Wooster, Ohio; and Dan Torbeck, AAM, Torbeck’s Auto Repair, Cincinnati.

The final two board positions are held by the Collision Division and Mechanical Division directors: Darrell Amberson, AAM, Lehman’s Garage, Bloomington, Minn. (Collision Division); and Rolf Werner, AAM, Werner’s Mastertek Auto Repair, Aurora, Colo. (Mechanical Division).

Ron Pyle, ASA president and chief staff executive, also serves on the ASA board of directors in an ex officio capacity. Members of the ASA Executive Committee are Denney, Dohner, Burns, Clements, Nagy and Pyle.

Denney	Clemments	Dohner	Burns	Pyle

 

ASA Convention Attendees Reap Rewards of Company Contributions

The Automotive Service Association is giving a great deal of credit for the success of its recent Annual Convention in Santa Clara, Calif., to the many companies that lent their support.

Support and participation came from the following sponsoring companies: Audatex, Auto Shop Lifeline, AutoZone, Customer Link, Meadowbrook Insurance Group, Mitchell 1, Toyota and Zurich.

Alan Otto, right, of Otto Service of KC Inc. in Kansas City, Mo., was the winner of a one-year Identifix subscription presented at the Saturday luncheon by Bill Sauer, AAM, the founder of Identifix.

ASA also wishes to thank the companies that participated in the Benefit Provider Networking Reception with tabletop displays: ALLDATA, AutoNetTV, Auto Shop Lifeline, AutoZone, Cintas, Delphi, GM Powertrain, Meadowbrook Insurance Group, Mitchell 1, Sunergeo, Unifirst and Zurich.

“The format for the industry reception facilitates an excellent opportunity to network and provide additional information about company products and services in a one-on-one setting to attendees,” said John Scully, ASA executive vice president. “Thank you to the sponsors of the 2008 convention, as well as the companies that had a presence during the reception with their tabletop displays.”

Also prize winners, but not pictured, were Bob Constant and Paul Louwers. Constant, of Forest Hill Auto Service in Pacific Grove, Calif., was the winner at the Saturday luncheon of the Toyota Tech Stream diagnostic tool valued at almost $8,000. The diagnostic tool was presented by Jerry Raskind, wholesale development manager for Toyota. Louwers, of Automotive Video Inc., won a free trip to ASA’s 2009 Annual Convention, which will be held in the spring in Florida (dates and location have not been announced). The free trip to its 2009 convention was awarded by ASA at its luncheon Saturday, May 3, during the Annual Convention in California.