Auto Care Insider Volume 91 - (Page 2)

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE AN OUTSTANDING YEAR KATHLEEN SCHMATZ AS the sun sets on 2014, and I reflect on the association's achievements, I must say this past year has been one of the best, if not the very best ever. There's not enough room on this page to elaborate on them all, but I'm delighted to highlight a few key successes. Thank you to our talented and dedicated professional staff and our supportive and engaged volunteer leaders. After a decade-long battle over the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Legislation, we secured a landmark Memorandum of Understanding with the car companies that will ensure that all information, tools and software available to new car dealers to repair late-model computer-controlled vehicles will be affordably available to the independent auto care industry. The rebranding initiative, which changed our name to the Auto Care Association and introduced the term auto care industry, has been very well received inside and outside of the industry. The Car Care Council reported the largest number of industry-hosted vehicle check-up events during April and October car care months and the highest level of overall involvement in the Be Car Care Aware campaign. AAPEX 2014 was the most successful ever, based on attendee feedback regarding expanded education sessions, quality of buyers, record AWDA attendance and one-on-one meetings, the new Wednesday morning General Session with Steve Forbes, and other show enhancements. 2 AUTO CARE INSIDER | VOL. 91 We significantly expanded our international activities on behalf of members through hosting a U.S. pavilion at an international trade show, co-hosting industry summits in China and Europe, establishing strategic relationships with automotive associations around the world, participating in foreign trade missions and working more closely with the Department of Commerce to create and implement a strong trade promotion program aimed at helping members find new international business partners and markets for their products and services. We established a place at the association table for young industry professionals - our future leaders - called the Young Auto Care Network Group (YANG). The association has taken a leadership role in the battle to ensure that the independent auto care industry has access to embedded vehicle telematics systems, spearheading the formation of the Telematics Task Force. Composed of all of the major trade groups and many interested auto care companies, the task force is developing technological and policy solutions that seek to our industry will be able to compete for access and use of the vast amounts of repair data being transmitted wirelessly by vehicles. Auto Care Association President & CEO We saw record attendance at Spring and Fall Leadership Days by volunteer leaders, demonstrating support for the association's initiatives and a desire to be involved. We began creating a first-of-its-kind auto care industry career website with information and resources about working in our dynamic industry (launching in early 2015 - more information in the next Insider!). Clearly, this sampling doesn't do the year's work justice, but you get the gist. Thank you to our talented and dedicated professional staff and our supportive and engaged volunteer leaders. We are looking forward to an exciting and productive 2015. I will share some of our goals in my next Auto Care Insider column.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Auto Care Insider Volume 91

President's Message
Association News: A Century of AEA
Best of the Best
AAPEX News
Market Intelligence
Member Profile
Toolbox
Impact Awards
Market Intelligence
Association News: YANG 2015

Auto Care Insider Volume 91