News Briefs

By Levy Joffrion

ASE Blue Seal Program Spotlights Shops

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) is reminding shop owners of its Blue Seal of Excellence Recognition Program designed to honor and help market those shops with a high percentage of ASE certified technicians. The program has many advantages including providing members with promotional items to display at the shop, customer brochures to explain the value of using a Blue Seal shop, a marketing kit to help promote your qualifications and involvement in the program, and a listing on the Blue Seal search engine on the ASE Web site.

For qualification guidelines or more information, call Kelly Tran at (703) 713-3065, or visit www.asecert.org.

Caliber 9th Among 500 Fastest Growing

Caliber Collision Centers, which has facilities in California and Texas, is ranked ninth among Inc. magazine's Top 500 fastest-growing private companies in America. It is the only company headquartered in California to break the top 10 and the only multi-location automobile collision repair business to make the list.

AMI Launches Redesigned Web Site

The Automotive Management Institute (AMI) has redesigned its Web site (www.amionline.org). The site, initially launched in October 1997, includes a new look and innovative features, making it more interactive for visitors.

The site includes AMI's calendar of scheduled management education courses, mission, goals, scholarship opportunities, self-study programs, online catalog and information on its activities.

For more information about AMI, its curriculum or EXCEL (AMI's resource development program), call (800) 272-7467, ext. 233, or visit AMI's Web site.

AUTOINC. Seeks Top 10 Web Sites

AutoInc. is now calling for nominations for its fifth annual Top 10 Automotive Repair Web Sites. Each year, AutoInc. reviews hundreds of Web sites found in search engines, links from other sites and shop sites found in the “Find Nearest ASA Shop” section of the ASA Web site. Each site is rated according to design, content, speed and navigation, with the top 10 published in our January 2002 issue. If you would like your shop's Web site to be included in the nomination process, please submit your Web address to colbyh@asashop.org.

SEMA Awards Scholarships to 24

The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Scholarship Foundation has awarded a total of $48,000 to 24 college students who are pursuing careers in the automotive aftermarket or a related industry. Each of the 2001 scholarship winners received a $2,000 scholarship from the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund.

For more information on the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund, visit www.sema.org or www.enjoythedrive.com; or contact Ken Pyle at (909) 396-0289.

Applications for the 2002 scholarship awards will be available from SEMA after Jan. 1, 2002.

Two ASA Members on I-CAR Board

Two Automotive Service Association (ASA) members are on the 2001-2002 board of directors of the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR). The ASA members are Jerry Kottschade of Jerry's Body Shop Inc. in Mankato, Minn., and Nick Gojmeric of Nick's S.O.S. Garage Inc. of Belleville, Ill., and Collision Plus in Swansea, Ill.

Gojmeric is assistant director of ASA's Collision Division. Kottschade was ASA's chairman of the board in 1995.

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