Around ASA

By B.J. Johnson

ASA-Illinois Affiliate Announces New Executive Director

Tim Seeden, ASA-Illinois Mechanical Division executive director.

The ASA-Illinois Mechanical Division announced Tim Seeden as its new executive director. Seeden is president and founder of Association Solutions Ltd., a multimanagement company that manages professional and trade associations. His background has brought him full circle from hospitality and tourism to association management. He has served as an executive director for national and international associations, as well as state and local organizations.

His professional affiliations include the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), International Association of Association Management Companies (IAAMC) and Meeting Professionals International (MPI).

Seeden's goals include lending his ideas, support, resources and management expertise to the numerous volunteers who have dedicated themselves to the ASA-Illinois Mechanical Division affiliate.

ASA-Mo/Kan Prepares for VISION 2004

The ASA-Missouri/Kansas affiliate will hold its annual VISION Hi-Tech Training & Expo March 5-7, 2004, at the Overland Park Convention Center and Sheraton Hotel in Overland Park, Kan.

Training courses will be offered all day Friday and Saturday, as well as half a day Sunday. The affiliate's objective for the event is to educate automotive industry personnel with the most up-to-date information in the industry, as well as encourage professionalism in the industry.

In addition to technical training and management education, the annual event will provide attendees with the latest technology in automotive products and services through the numerous company exhibits.

For more information on VISION, contact ASA-Mo/Kan at (816) 781-5801 or visit the VISION Web site at www.visionkc.com.

FATA Visits ASA Office

Members of the Florida Automotive Trades Association executive committee pose for a photo outside ASA's headquarters in Bedford, Texas.

Executive committee members of the ASA affiliate, Florida Automotive Trades Association, recently visited the ASA national office in Bedford, Texas.

The visit was designed to provide an overview of the association's capabilities and operations. In addition, attendees were briefed on the ASA Strategic Plan and the future of the association.

Committee members attending were John Deegan, president; Dick Erickson, vice president; Shawn Long, president-elect; Maurice Batista, AAM, vice president; Dave Zwalina, AAM, past president; John Tidwell, secretary; Helen Hofmann, AAM, treasurer; and Jill Mondo, executive director.

ASA Groups Encouraged to Submit Upcoming Events

ASA affiliates and chapters are encouraged to submit a list of trade shows, seminars, conventions or other special events that will be held in the upcoming year.

The calendar of events will be published in ASA official publications, as well as on the ASA Web site, and may help increase attendance at the events.

Please send event information to ASA, P.O. Box 929, Bedford, Texas 76095-0929, Attn: B.J. Johnson; or via fax at (817) 685-0225; or via e-mail to bj@asashop.org.

AutoInc. Seeks Nominations for Top 10 Automotive Repair Web Sites

Is your shop's Web site among the best in the industry? AutoInc. is now calling for nominations for its seventh annual Top 10 Automotive Repair Web Sites competition. Each year, the AutoInc. staff reviews hundreds of automotive repair 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, navigation and innovation. The top 10 will be published in our January 2004 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 by Nov. 12.

NATIONAL NEWS

Beginning April 1, 2004, ASA will implement an all-inclusive membership format. All regular national members will be required to belong to an affiliate if one exists in their area. Likewise, all non-national regular members, in affiliated areas, will be required to belong to ASA national.

Each member will be billed accordingly based on their annual renewal date. ASA will be providing members with more information in the next several months.

Keeping up with the demands of electronic communication efforts, ASA recently launched a customer-interaction platform to better serve its members' needs. Within the Members Only area of the ASA Web site (www.asashop.org), members can now initiate instant messaging technology and chat with a representative from ASA's membership department, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Central time, with no software download needed.

With the click of a button, members are instantly connected with a representative who can provide information about ASA's 30-plus member benefits. This new system provides one-on-one communication and an immediate response to membership questions.

Reminder of the Month

The ASA board of directors elections will be held Jan. 5 to Feb. 29, 2004. Within this issue is the official notification of ASA members seeking board positions.

These candidates are seeking election to one general director position, one collision division director position and one mechanical division director position.

The collision and mechanical divisions directors are elected by their respective divisions only. Members were assigned to the appropriate divisions based on information provided by the member when they joined the association.

All regular national members in good standing with ASA are eligible to cast their vote for the position of ASA general director.

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