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CCPN Director’s
Corner
CCPN
Member POS Kits Available for National Car Care
Month
CCPN
Repair Shop Owners Dialogue with
Manufacturers
CCPN
Adds Hybrid Course to Learning
Center
Entries
Being Accepted for Second Annual Tire Review
Top Shop Awards
2008
AAPAC Committee Challenge to be Held at Spring
Leadership Days
New
Version of Car Care Guide Shows How to Save Gas and
Drive Green
Fotios
Katsardis to Discuss European Aftermarket at GAAS
2008
WELCOME NEW AAIA
MEMBERS
CCPN
Director’s Corner
Mitch Schneider,
Schneider’s Automotive
Yesterday, Today,
and Tomorrow…
A lot has been written to
and about the service industry over the years. I know,
I’ve written a bit of it myself. But, almost all of it
was written before the important role you and I play in
the success of the aftermarket was duly recognized and
the repair community was offered a seat at the industry
table.
Perhaps the best example of
the changes that have occurred since the birth of the
Car Care Professionals Network (CCPN) can be found in
two articles that recently appeared in Import
Car, Brake & Front End and
Underhood magazines. One column focused on the
serious iniquities that exist between what automotive
service professionals can expect to earn through a
lifetime investment in tools, technology and continuous
education and those realized by the other skilled
trades. The second addressed the river of pain,
frustration and rage that runs just under the façade of
“Business As Usual.”
Before CCPN was born, these
two columns would have constituted nothing more or less
than another two attempts to document the state of an
industry in crisis. With the birth of CCPN, they become
a call to action: an outline of where to start and what
needs to be done.
The ability to participate as
equals in the important discussions that will frame the
future of our industry: the opportunity to ensure that
our wants, needs and expectations no longer go
unnoticed, ensures that our tomorrows will be different
than the yesterdays we have known.
The ability to share the
realities we experience both at the service counter and
in the service bays with our manufacturing and
distribution partners is essential. This association
makes that possible. In fact, members of your Board of
Directors recently took those wants, needs and
expectations to a meeting of aftermarket manufacturers
in Orlando, Fla. The dialogue that began in Florida will
continue when those manufacturers are joined by
distributors and the three critical elements of the
aftermarket: manufacturing, service and distribution sit
down at the same time and at the same table to chart the
course to a better future for all at Spring Leadership
Days in April.
Our mission is to prove to
you that the kind of powerful and positive change we
must have to both survive and then succeed, is not only
coming – it has already begun. But, we need you to keep
this dialogue going! Let us know what it is you want,
need and expect from your future as an automotive
service professional. Share your wants, needs and
expectations; your hopes and your dreams. If we don’t
have your current e-mail address, send it to me at
mitch.schneider@aftermarket.org and I’ll make sure you’re a part of
this exciting new future.
Don’t hesitate. Nothing
changes without you. Nothing changes unless or until you
are ready to help facilitate that change.
CCPN
Member POS Kits Available for National Car Care
Month
Car Care Professionals
Network (CCPN) members who have not requested their free
“Be Car Care Aware” kit along with their membership can
do so in time for National Car Care Month in April. The
starter kit includes consumer education brochures,
posters, bay banners, mirror hangers, vehicle inspection
forms, an English/Spanish countermat and the very
popular Car Care Guide. To order your POS kit, click
here to access the order form and fax to the number
provided.
CCPN
Repair Shop Owners Dialogue with
Manufacturers
Building on the productive
dialogue between aftermarket manufacturers and repair
shop owner members of the Car Care Professionals Network
(CCPN) at the recent AASA Vision Conference, a repair
shop/manufacturer forum will be hosted by CCPN at AAIA
Spring Leadership Days, April 9-11, in Bonita Springs,
Fla.
Representing CCPN at the AASA
Vision Conference was:
- Mitch Schneider,
Schneider’s Automotive, Simi Valley, Calif.
- Vic Tarasik, Vic’s
Precision Automotive, The Woodlands,
Texas
- Jeff Walter, Zimmerman’s
Automotive, Mechanicsburg, Pa.
- Mick Cipolla, Courteous
Car Care, Largo, Fla.
In addition to participating
in the Vision Conference, CCPN members have held
valuable dialogue with members of the Automotive
Warehouse Distributors Association (AWDA) during past
AAIA Leadership Days. CCPN is also planning to increase
its role in education and training and networking at
this year’s AAPEX and is considering hosting regional
symposiums for independent repair shops. Topics to be
addressed at AAIA Leadership Days include shrinking
margins, support for education and training, information
accessibility, telematics, super warranties and
environmental regulations.
CCPN
Adds Hybrid Course to Learning
Center
CCPN is pleased to announce
the addition of a Hybrid Overview course to the CCPN
Learning Center. This course will introduce you to
hybrid vehicles – the design, concept and technology
behind them. You will learn about the various types of
hybrid vehicles, their unique components and the special
safety measures and tools involved in servicing them.
You will also get an overview of the hybrid makes and
models available in the market, and the features of each
that are important to know for vehicle servicing or
customer handling. The course also features a shop
activity which will guide you through a visual
identification of the key components of a hybrid
vehicle.
For more information about
this offering or other learning center courses, visit
www.aftermarket.org/learningcenter.
Entries
Being Accepted for Second Annual Tire Review
Top Shop Awards
Entries are now being
accepted for the 2008 Tire Review Top Shop
Awards presented by Ammco/Coats, which seeks to honor
the “best of the best” independent tire dealers in the
U.S. and Canada. Now in its second year, the contest is
now officially open, and entries will be accepted until
July 11, 2008. Entry forms and information will be
available in each issue of Tire Review magazine
through July, and via Tire Review’s Web site
and Hennessy’s Web site. Dealers can nominate their own
businesses, or others can nominate tire dealer
businesses. The entry process is simple: those making
the nomination need to provide basic information about
the dealership being nominated and write a short
(300-word maximum) essay explaining why that dealership
should be considered.
For more information or to
submit an entry, visit www.tirereviewtopshopaward.com.
2008
AAPAC Committee Challenge to be Held at Spring
Leadership Days
AAIA recently announced the
return of the Automotive Aftermarket Political Action
Committee's (AAPAC) annual Committee Challenge to be
held during Spring Leadership Days in Bonita Springs,
Fla., April 9-11. The winners of the Committee Challenge
will be treated to an authentic Mexican-style fiesta
along San Antonio's historic River Walk the evening of
Wednesday, Sept. 3, during this year's Fall Leadership
Days. The winning committee and two winning segments
will have the pleasure of taking part in an all
inclusive fiesta, including authentic Mexican cuisine
and drinks, while enjoying the atmosphere of one of
Texas' most popular attractions.
The winners of the challenge
this year will be the two segments and one committee
with the highest average contribution per member, and
only those members of the segment and the committee that
have contributed to AAPAC will be eligible to
participate in the dinner. Of course there are only
winners in this challenge since all contributions go to
strengthening the association's government affairs
efforts to protect the future of the aftermarket. We
hope that you will join your fellow volunteer leaders in
helping to make this the biggest Committee Challenge
ever. Watch for more specifics on the prize and the
contest in the coming weeks.
For further questions, e-mail
Ryan Carroll at ryan.carroll@aftermarket.org or call 240-333-1036.
New
Version of Car Care Guide Shows How to Save Gas and
Drive Green
New sections on Fuel Economy
and Environmental Awareness have been added to the Car
Care Guide to show consumers how to get better gas
mileage and make their vehicle environmentally friendly.
Published by the Car Care Council, the guide is a
popular consumer give-away at repair shops and retail
stores.
The Fuel Economy section
covers the parts of the car that need proper maintenance
in order to maximize efficiency and save money at the
pump. It recommends typical service intervals and
includes questions to ask the automotive repair
technician.
The section on Environmental
Awareness explains how motorists can do their part to
protect the environment in terms of driving habits and
vehicle maintenance. This section has tips on Driving
Green and lists the components of a vehicle that should
be routinely checked to make sure a car’s performance is
as environmentally friendly as possible.
“The new sections are
designed to help people better understand that the
amount of gas they use is directly related to how they
maintain and drive their vehicle,” said Rich White,
executive director, Car Care Council.
The Car Care Guide uses
easy-to-understand everyday language, instead of
technical automotive jargon, and fits easily in a glove
box. The guide covers the most common preventative
maintenance occasions and procedures that need to be
performed to keep cars safe, dependable and efficient.
It also includes descriptions of 12 major vehicle
systems and parts, and a list of questions to ask when
maintenance or repair procedures are being done on a
car. A Car Care Checklist reminds motorists what vehicle
systems need to be maintained and when service or repair
should be performed.
For more information on the
Car Care Council, visit www.carcare.org.
Fotios
Katsardis to Discuss European Aftermarket at GAAS
2008
Fotios Katsardis, managing
director, TEMOT International Autoparts GmbH, will
present "Opportunities in the Changing European
Aftermarket" at the 2008 Global Automotive Aftermarket
Symposium (GAAS) on Tuesday, May 20 at the Hyatt Regency
O'Hare in Chicago, Ill.
Katsardis, the head of
Europe's largest aftermarket parts program group, will
provide a brief overview of the European aftermarket
structure that existed before the new block exemption
took place. In addition, Katsardis will present a more
detailed overview of the European aftermarket as it
stands today and its future outlook. He will also
address the opportunities for U.S. manufacturers and
distributors to work with the European Union (EU)
independent aftermarket.
Katsardis has been the
managing director and CEO for TEMOT International
Autoparts GmbH for the past three years. Prior to
joining TEMOT, Katsardis worked in the automotive
aftermarket for 12 years with Robert Bosch GmbH. He held
various managerial positions with the company, including
director of global accounts. For three years, he worked
in the wire and construction industry as general manager
for Ergon GmbH. He began his career as director of
European relations for AMOCO S.A. in its lubricants
business.
Born in Patras, Greece,
Katsardis is a graduate of Aristotle University (Greece)
with a B.A. in economics. In addition, he holds an M.A.
in European economic studies from the University of
Exeter (UK) and an MBA from European University
(Belgium). Katsardis is fluent in English, German,
Italian, Greek, French and Finnish.
For GAAS 2008 program details
and registration information, visit www.globalsymposium.org.
WELCOME NEW AAIA
MEMBERS
March 28 – April 3, 2008
All Transmission
Parts, Portland, Ore.
(AWDA)
Seneca Auto & Truck Supply of
KY, Louisville, Ky.
The
Hoffman Group, Portland, Ore.
(AWDA) | 
