The Automotive Service Association (ASA) Mechanical Division Operations Committee recently met in Kansas City, Mo., for its annual meeting to discuss several topics affecting the mechanical repair industry. The meeting was held in conjunction with the SkillsUSA 46th Annual National Leadership and Skills Conference where ASA members had an opportunity to serve as judges in several categories.
Eleven committee members divided judging duties among the Automotive Service Technology Competition and the Customer Service Competition. In addition, Jerry Burns, AAM, ASA chairman, served as a judge for the Automotive Refinishing Technology Competition. Judging took place June 24, followed by a two-day operations committee meeting.
“Working with the SkillsUSA staff and student competitors was an incredibly rewarding and enlightening experience.The students were terrific, and the volunteer staff and advisers show a real dedication to our youth,” says Bill Moss, AAM, ASA Mechanical Division director and owner of Ferris Automotive Inc., Warrenton, Va.
Throughout the meeting, the ASA volunteer leadership focused their discussions on a variety of topics, ranging from legislative activities to subcommittee tasks (current and future) to cooperative efforts with other groups and the Automotive Service and Repair Week (ASRW) event coming up Oct. 10-13 in Las Vegas.
“We are very fortunate to have a great group of shop owners willing to take time away from their businesses to work on issues that will benefit our membership and the industry,” adds Moss.
In addition to Moss, the following operations committee members were present: Howard Pitkow, AAM, assistant division director, Wagenwerx Inc., Wyndmoor, Pa.; Mike Brewster, AAM, Gil’s Garage Inc., Burnt Hills, N.Y; Douglass Kirchdorfer, AAM, Downing Street Garage, Denver, Colo.; Dave Kusa, Autotrend Diagnostics, Campbell, Calif.; Diane Larson, AAM, Larson’s Service Inc., Peabody, Mass.; Vernie Menke, Menke’s Automotive Repair, Newburgh, Ind.; Merle Pfeifer, AAM, Sparks Car Care Inc., Federal Way, Wash.; Tom Piippo, Tri-County Motors, Rudyard, Mich.; Terry Wynter, AAM, Terry Wynter Auto Service Center, Fort Myers, Fla.; and Betty Jo Young, AAM, Young’s Automotive Center, Houston, Texas.
“Holding the operations committee meeting in conjunction with the SkillsUSA competition was a great way for ASA’s Mechanical Division leaders to get involved with the program and work with the next generation of technicians and future employees," says Robbie Addison, manager of ASA’s Mechanical Division. "It was a great lead-in to our annual committee meeting. The enthusiasm gained from this meeting as well as SkillsUSA fuels the momentum for accomplishing the objectives of the committee and its subcommittees.”
The members of ASA’s Mechanical Division Operations Committee represent repair facilities of varying sizes from across the United States. The committee works on behalf of all ASA mechanical members to advance and promote the automotive service and repair industry. Several committee projects are handled through various subcommittees, which currently include education and training, marketing, parts quality and shop licensing.
For more information, visit www.asashop.org.
