Around ASA
ASA-New Orleans holds recruiting party
More than 500 people attended the ASA-New Orleans chapter's crawfish recruiting party May 5. The event was held to educate participants on the benefits of ASA membership.
Longtime chapter associate member Lamarque Ford Parts Department sponsored the event. In addition to providing the location and food, Lamarque had Ford Motor Co. representatives on hand to discuss the importance of proper training and equipment.
Attendees were also provided with educational opportunities available from the Delgado Community College. The college regularly offers special classes to ASA-New Orleans members.
Participants were treated to bails of boiled crawfish, corn, potatoes and soft drinks following the presentations. Chapter members pledged to recruit more members, as well as continue the professional growth of the chapter.
ASA-Arizona holds leadership conference
ASA-Arizona held its first annual leadership conference July 11 at the Prescott Resort in Prescott, Ariz. The conference informs elected association leaders of their duties as officers. The morning session provided attendees with a panel discussion covering all chapter and affiliate offices.
Jacque Fox, AAM, ASA-Albuquerque affiliate president, was the guest speaker. Fox, co-owner of Dieter's German Car Specialists, discussed antitrust issues.
Bill Mason, ASA-Arizona executive director, said the first conference went well with 32 people in attendance. Six of seven active chapters within the affiliate were represented by their respective presidents, along with other chapter and affiliate officers. Mason also said the event was a success because of assistance provided by David Ford, ASA-Texas executive director. ASA-Texas also holds an annual leadership conference.
ASA-Missouri helps highway patrol
ASA-Missouri members successfully defeated legislation that would seriously weaken or eliminate that state's safety inspection program. In doing so, the affiliate began working with the highway patrol department on a Mobile Safety Education Center.
Major Gene Lacy, Missouri Highway Patrol Commander, attended several ASA-Missouri board meetings to explain the traveling education center. The 40-foot fifth-wheel trailer is designed to educate consumers on the importance of traffic safety through interactive displays on various traffic dangers. The ASA-Missouri board voted unanimously to donate $1,000 to the highway patrol for the center. In addition, the ASA-Missouri chapters of St. Louis, St. Charles, Hannibal-Quincy, Springfield, Poplar Bluff and Southeast Missouri donated another $1,050. The affiliate board requested that its donation fund the safety inspection portion of the center. The ASA logo will be prominently placed on the rear doors of the education center.
The Mobile Education Center will be on display during the ASA-Missouri annual trade show and training weekend, held Oct. 9-11, in the Lake of the Ozarks, Mo.
Pictured presenting ASA-Missouri's donation to the highway patrol are: (l to r) Doug Willbrand, ASA-Missouri president; Major Gene Lacy, commander, Administrative Service Bureau, Missouri State Highway Patrol; Ron Reiling, newly appointed ASA-Missouri executive director; and Captain Jim Watson, Public Information and Education Division, Missouri State Highway Patrol.
ASA-Greater Kansas City, Universal Underwriters provide training
ASA-Greater Kansas City and Universal Underwriters joined forces to provide ASA members with an easy way to fulfill mandatory training requirements for shop employees. The training covered hazard communication, personal protective equipment, respiratory protection, fire extinguisher use, emergency action fire prevention, and asbestos procedures for brake and clutch work. The affiliate offered the training May 19-20 at the Universal Underwriters' offices in Overland Park, Kan. Sixty attendees participated in the annual event.
NATIONAL NEWS
ASA Chairman Carl Miller, AAM, met with U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., to discuss the Federal Advisory Committee Act and other small-business issues. Wyden agreed to help ASA obtain a seat on the Environmental Protection Agency's Mobile Sources Subcommittee and offered to meet with Miller again in Oregon.
ASA and U.S. BankCard Center (USBC) have announced a new member benefit: a check verification and recovery service called Computer Cheque. Computer Cheque allows an ASA member to quickly verify (electronically) if a check is good and, should the check still bounce, the ASA member will not have to do anything to recover the loss. If a check bounces, it will be delivered automatically to USBC's professional recovery service, and the returned check information will be added to USBC's national database (increasing members' leverage for collections). The collection service, working with the national database, will locate the checkwriter to collect the outstanding debt. The professional recovery service will do all of the collection work and if the check is collected in full, the ASA member will receive 100 percent payment on the check. No collection fees will be charged to the member for full payment of this check. ASA members interested in subscribing to the Computer Cheque service should call Kay Truman with USBC at (800) 727-1143.
The Automotive Management Institute (AMI) has released a new course titled "Increasing Profits by Increasing Proficiency." The course deals with determining and increasing a shop's capacity to produce labor through improved proficiency, and offers attendees 12 credits toward the institute's Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation. The course will be offered at the International Autobody Congress and Exposition (NACE) to be held Dec. 3-6, in Dallas.
AutoInc., the official publication of ASA, annually publishes a software guide in its July issue. The guide provides information on shop management software available to the automotive repair industry. The guide can now be accessed electronically through ASA's Web site in the AutoInc. section.
Reminder of the Month
For ASA member convenience, the monthly newsletters for the collision and mechanical divisions are now online in the Members-Only area of the ASA Web site.
NHTSA Reviews Replacement Crash Parts Safety Issues || Technicians, Environmental Concerns in Service Shops || Managing Risk in Body Shops || Professionals Enhance the Industry's Image || Guest Editorial || Tech to Tech || Tech Tips || News Briefs || Taking the Hill || Around ASA || Net Worth || Stat Corner || Shop Profile || Chairman's Message
AutoInc. Magazine ®, Vol. XLVI, September 1998 (http://www.asashop.org)