NATEF Celebrates 25th Anniversary

The National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) is marking its 25th year in 2008.

NATEF was founded in 1983 as an independent, non-profit organization with a single mission: to evaluate technician training programs against standards developed by the automotive industry and recommend qualifying programs for certification (accreditation) by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). The NATEF process has resulted in certified automotive training programs in all 50 states at the secondary and post-secondary levels.

For more information, visit www.natef.org.

AkzoNobel Honors Influential Women

The honorees for AkzoNobel's 10th year of the Most Influential Women in the Collision Repair Industry awards program will be introduced at a program Nov. 6 in Las Vegas.

Since 1999, the company has honored women who have enriched the industry with their leadership, vision and commitment to excellence.

Sixty-five women have been recognized since the awards program began. They represent all aspects of the industry, including collision repair shop owners, managers, and suppliers, as well as women who hold positions with associations, government, insurance companies, publications and more.

Registration Opens for MACS Convention

Registration for the 29th annual Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) convention and trade show is open.

You can register for this event at www.macsw.org or by calling the MACS office at (215) 631-7020, extension 0. MACS' "New Frontiers in Mobile A/C Service" will take place Feb. 5-7, 2009 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas.

Help Yourself, Industry Via TakingTheHill.com

ASA's Web site - www.TakingTheHill.com - zeros in on legislative and regulatory initiatives impacting the automotive service industry. If you haven't visited this great legislative resource before, or it's been awhile since you've last been to the Web site, be sure to visit soon. The site contains lots of information on ways to stay informed about legislative issues affecting automotive service and collision repair.

By using its capabilities, you can help yourself and your industry. You can make your voice heard. And you can make a difference.

Through www.TakingTheHill, you can:

• Find out ASA's positions on issues such as super warranties, right to repair and association health plans.

• Shoot an e-mail or letter to your state or federal representatives.

• Find sample pre-written letters. Pre-written letters are available on opposition to Right to Repair, opposition to Super Warranties and repeal of the McCarran-Ferguson Act, among other issues. These letters only take a few minutes of your time, but they can make a great impact in Congress.

• Get Legislative Alerts when issues come up on which you need to take action.

• Keep track of your senators' and representatives' votes on important legislation.

• Get some help in trying to figure out who to vote for in the upcoming presidential election. Find out who is industry-friendly, take a look at their biography and voting records, and find out how to get in touch with them.

All this, and more, is available through the Web site. The Web site will guide you through what you need to do and with just a click of a button, you can accomplish what you want.

It's quick, it's easy and it represents just another benefit of belonging to ASA.