It’s known as “I-Week” or Industry Week, the week that just about everything automotive comes together in Las Vegas, NV. It fills two convention centers with enough automotive “stuff” to last a normal human being a lifetime. And, if you like tools, parts, wheels, tires, gadgets, accessories or gizmos, there isn’t any place you would rather be. Once upon a time, it was reserved exclusively for manufacturers, warehouse distributors and jobbers – the people who bring us the parts and accessories we hang on the cars and trucks we work on – with only the final day of the show open to us. Once upon a time, many of us would kid that the only reason we were allowed in then was to scavenge through whatever was left, so there would be less to drag back to wherever it needed to go. And, once upon a time, in a speech that still reverberates inside my head, I wrote that it was almost as if we, all of us who struggle in the service industry, were badly cast in a poorly written movie. There we were, the waif-like, orphaned children, standing, nose pressed up against the glass as the first flurries of snow began to fall, while the wealthy and the powerful feasted in the warmth of the fire at the banquet taking place within.Where we were once tolerated, we are now accepted; where we were once unwanted,
we are sought after.A lot has changed since I first felt the anger, disappointment and frustration that comes with realizing that you are not welcome at the very party you have made possible by your own sweat and sacrifice. Where we were once tolerated, we are now accepted; where we were once unwanted, we are sought after. In that same speech, or one that was written soon thereafter, I wrote that nothing would change until the last part sat on the last shelf, waiting for a technician competent and qualified enough to inspect, test, diagnose and install it to appear. That technician, because of the conditions existing in the industry at that time, might never come. We must be close. It seems there are finally those in the industry who recognize that without a strong, healthy, vibrant and vital service industry, everything begins to fall apart. Many of the program groups have regional and national automotive service dealer councils to help them better understand our world; a dialogue has even begun between jobbers and shop owners within some markets. Because we find ourselves moving about the same venues, we have the opportunity to interact with each other more often. Within these interactions are born the seeds of awareness and understanding. And, yet, there is still a long way to go and much that remains to be accomplished.In too many cases, we still find ourselves outside, like that small child with his or her nose against the glass, excluded by choice or by chance from the very discussions that will form our future and the future of this industry. For an example, you need look no further than Industry Week 2002. Car Care Month has been moved from October to April, and the Car Care Council has been absorbed by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA). The automotive aftermarket is mobilizing, pooling all its resources and reserves to attack the “$60 Billion” (that’s Billion with a “B”) worth of undone automotive maintenance and repairs just waiting to be done, just waiting for someone to do it. They are telling us that for the first time in our industry, we may have the opportunity to speak with one voice, to spread a single message that being “Car Care Aware” is something every motorist should strive for.This message was hammered home in a Town Hall Meeting at Industry Week that spilled out of a massive hotel ballroom into the halls and corridors outside. The event was sponsored by NASCAR, moderated by Kathleen Schmatz, vice president of AAIA, and included six giants within the automotive aftermarket: George Babich, president and CFO, The Pep Boys; Marc Graham, president, Jiffy Lube International; Paul Klasing, executive vice president, merchandising and marketing, Advance Auto Parts; Richard Morgan, president, Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance; Joe Owen, vice chairman, General Parts Inc. and Ken Walker, president and CEO, Meineke. For more than an hour, I listened as each member of this distinguished panel addressed the problems and challenges associated with capturing at least a piece of the $60 billion brass ring for their shareholders and associates. I listened, and I wondered. Certainly, a chunk of aftermarket service business was accounted for by a number of people on the panel representing parts and service distribution in the thousands of outlets. But throughout the discussion I found myself distracted. There was something wrong, something missing. And, then, all of a sudden it occurred to me. I realized what was missing: We were missing – you and me. Program distribution was represented, as were the retailers, some of whom offer service, and the franchisers, all of which offer service ... But, where were we? Where was the independent service aftermarket?Nothing happens in this industry without you and me – at least, nothing of consequence.There are many things I could say here, many of which could and probably would be misunderstood or misconstrued as negative. I find myself too willing and, when all was said and done, it would be too easy. I could point out that a lot of that $60 billion dollars worth of maintenance and repairs remains undone because the majority of the individuals who own those vehicles consciously choose not to do it. They either can’t afford to repair or restore their vehicles. They don’t recognize the value in maintenance. They just plain don’t care, or, all of the above.I could point out that regardless of how necessary, how critical, how well-planned, well-endowed, well-financed or well-intended this new program might be, it is doomed to failure if it doesn’t capture the hearts and minds of people like you and me. The reason is simple: We represent the bulk of the service outlets across the continent. Nothing happens in this industry without you and me – at least, nothing of consequence. Nothing happens without our effort, understanding and support. I could point out that regardless of how representative that panel may have seemed to some, it didn’t appear very representative to me. Clearly missing was a representative of the independent service aftermarket. And that is really where I would like to focus the balance of my comments. Instead of talking about what could have been or should have been, I would like to focus on what we have the opportunity to accomplish. What we can and must do now.Every vehicle owner should be Car Care Aware. Suggesting anything less would be ludicrous. I won’t criticize the industry. Nor will I criticize any group within it for supporting this program, because it not only warrants our support, it demands it. It’s the right thing to do for everyone involved: for the shop owner, for the jobber storeowner, for the warehouse, for the manufacturer and, especially for the vehicle owner.Instead, I would like to suggest that we stand at one of those rare, almost pivotal moments in history where we can make a difference – a profound difference – if we can come together and take our place at the automotive industry table with each and every other group representing, or attempting to represent our industry. The choices are clearly ours, and they will clearly define the future of our industry.Up ’till now, it’s been too easy to ignore the greater industry around us, too easy to hide behind the chaos we invite upon ourselves. Up ’till now, it’s been too easy to point a finger and fix the blame for everything that’s wrong in the industry rather than roll up our sleeves to fix the problem. Up ’till now, it’s been too easy to avoid our personal responsibility to the industry we serve, lost in the illusion that someone else will take on that responsibility for us or shrouded in our own lack of interest. Up ’till now, it’s been too easy to remain unaffiliated, too easy to complain that our organizations and associations are and have always been unresponsive to our wants, needs and expectations. The conditions that allowed it to be that easy are quickly disappearing. There is new leadership at the Automotive Service Association (ASA) headquarters in Bedford, TX. And, with that new leadership, a new vision: however, no one, no matter how dynamic or talented can do it alone. That translates into a personal challenge for each and every one of us.Each of us must realize that it is no longer acceptable for us to go our own way ... no longer acceptable to do our own thing. Independence must make way for interdependence, recognizing that that it is only through our ability to stand alone that we will truly be able to stand together. You and I must do whatever it takes to make that happen. In the end, it is very simple: Things can be different, but they don’t have to be.If you were, at one time, a member of ASA or some other state or national association of automotive service professionals and are no longer affiliated, give that organization another chance. Failing that, find another organization to belong to – but affiliate. We need you.If you have never joined, never been asked to join, join now.If you are a member of ASA, get involved. If you are involved, get more involved. If you struggled your way to or toward success, find a young shop owner who has not yet learned the hard lessons you have and adopt him or her. If you have become a master, invest in the future of your industry and become a mentor. If you have just started the journey, invite a friend to travel with you. The quality of the experience is as much dependent upon whom you are with as it is on where you are going and what you are doing.In the end, it is very simple. Things can be different, but they don’t have to be. That’s up to you and me. We can stand, dissatisfied, with our noses pressed tight against the glass, or we can take our rightful and well-earned place at the table. We can stand united and seize this unique opportunity to do something important, something that has never been done before. Or, we can whine about the future we could have had, should have had, if only we had taken the time or had the courage or made the effort....
