ASA-Washington Announces New President/Executive Director

Pictured are Carla and Jeff Lovell

Jeff Lovell, AAM, has been promoted to the position of ASA-Washington president/executive director, following Pete Hunt's retirement in February. Lovell has been involved with the ASA-Washington affiliate since 1998. As a sales representative with Overall Laundry in Bellingham, Wash., Lovell served as chapter treasurer for three years. After 20 years of service with Overall, Lovell was approached by Hunt to take the position of ASA-Washington vice president of membership in May 2000.

For the next couple of years, Lovell traveled the state to recruit members, assisted with the affiliate's annual trade show, organized seminars and earned his Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation.

"My responsibilities changed when Pete and Cherie Hunt decided to retire. I was promoted to executive vice president," said Lovell. "Over the last year, I have been learning from one of the best, Pete Hunt. He is a great mentor and with his retirement, I officially became ASA-Washington's president/executive director on Feb. 1," he said.

In addition to Lovell, the affiliate also needed to fill the position of administrative assistant/bookkeeper. The obvious choice was Lovell's wife, Carla. "She has worked in the travel industry and as a customer service representative of a large medical insurance company for the past six years," said Lovell. Carla began working for ASA-Washington in November 2003.

The affiliate's office staff is completed with Donna Washut, AAM. Washut has been with ASA-Washington for 11 years as the affiliate's coordinator and will continue to provide top-notch service to the members.

"We are blessed to be working with all the dedicated members that truly make a difference in the association and the industry," said Lovell.

ASA-Washington to Hold NAIT

The 17th annual Northwest Automotive Industry Tradeshow (NAIT) will be held May 21-22, 2004, at the Western Washington Fairgrounds in Puyallup, Wash.

This two-day regional trade show and educational event is sponsored by ASA-Washington and will offer more than 290 booths, management and technical seminars, a new I-CAR program and much more. For additional information, contact Jeff Lovell, AAM, at (253) 473-6970.

ASA-Rhode Island to Hold Management Education Event

The ASA-Rhode Island affiliate will hold an educational event May 15-16 at the Radisson Providence Airport Hotel in Warwick, R.I. The two-day event will feature three Automotive Management Institute (AMI) seminars. Attendees will earn 24 credits toward the institute's Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation. George Witt, AAM, and Bill Haas, AAM, will provide attendees with information on survival skills for the service advisor, facts on the service information availability issue and customer loyalty techniques.

In addition to the management education lineup, ASA-Rhode Island will hold a dinner for attendees to network and enjoy live entertainment. For more information, contact ASA at (800) 272-7467, ext. 213.

ASA and AMI to Hold Spring Break Seminars

The Automotive Service Association and the Automotive Management Institute (AMI) will hold the Spring Break seminars, a four-day educational event featuring 11 business management seminars designed for automotive repair professionals. The seminars will be taught by six AMI faculty members. The event will be held April 29-May 2 at the Embassy Suites Hotel Palm Desert Resort in Palm Desert, Calif.

The seminars are part of AMI's accredited curriculum and will earn students credits toward AMI's Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation. Students may opt to take seminars on all four days of the event, earning 36 credits; on two days to earn 24 credits; or one and one-half days to earn 18 credits.

In addition to the seminars, AMI's Spring Break event will feature a Reunion Dinner honoring AAMs and industry leaders.

To register for the Spring Break seminars or for more information, call the seminar reservation office at (650) 340-6315. For full course descriptions, go to www.amionline.org.

ASA Member Named CARQUEST Excellence Award Winner

Don and Janette Fowers

CARQUEST Auto Parts named Don Fowers of Fowers Service Center in Clearfield, Utah, as the 2003 CARQUEST Excellence Award winner. Fowers is a National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certified master automobile technician, master medium/heavy duty technician and is advanced level (L1) certified.

He received the award from Andy Stockel, chairman of CARQUEST professional markets, and Steve Massarelli, director of marketing/professional markets, CARQUEST, Nov. 15, 2003, in Tampa, Fla.

"I was in total shock when my name was announced at the awards banquet," said Fowers, who is serviced by C&H Auto Parts in Layten, Utah. "This was my first experience with the award and I was impressed how thorough the judging was and that I was able to win as a first-time entrant. It's an honor to win and I'm impressed in seeing how much CARQUEST cares and listens to the input from service dealers like myself," Fowers said.

Fowers is a 30-year veteran of the automotive repair industry. He and his wife of 30 years, Janette, have three daughters and two sons. Fowers Service Center has earned the ASE Blue Seal at its two locations, which have 16 employees and 17 service bays.

Along with his ASE certifications, Fowers is a member of the advisory board for the Ogden City and Weber County School Districts automotive programs, Weber State University Automotive TTECH program, member of the board of directors of the Automotive Aftermarket Advisory Council, member of the MAP organizing council, committee chairman for EPA's Car Care for clean air project and a 17-year veteran of the National Ski Patrol. Fowers has been an ASA member since 1998 and earned his Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) from the Automotive Management Institute in 2000.

The CARQUEST Excellence Award, in its 12th year, is announced annually in conjunction with the CARQUEST Technician's Advisory Council meeting. Winners are judged in five areas: technical expertise, customer relations, industry involvement, shop appearance and community involvement. In 2003, there were more than 500 entries.

NATIONAL NEWS

• The 2004 Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) will be held Nov. 4-6 at the Flamingo Las Vegas. CARS 2004, sponsored by ASA's Mechanical Division, is an official event of Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week (AAIW), held annually in Las Vegas.

  This year marks a change of venue for the event. The Flamingo Las Vegas was chosen as the new site for CARS because it is conveniently located to the Sands Expo Center, the home of the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX). The overall goal of the venue change is to bring attendees closer to other industry events taking place in Las Vegas.

  The CARS theme will be "Feel the Power." CARS 2004 will offer cutting-edge technical training and management courses approved by the Automotive Management Institute (AMI). The event will also provide ample networking opportunities, including the third annual Service Professionals Industry Reception co-sponsored by ASA and the International Automotive Technicians' Network (iATN), and an exhibitor showcase featuring the latest in automotive products and services. In addition, automobile manufacturers will be on hand to present new product technology seminars during the show.

  Additional information about CARS 2004, including schedules and online registration, will be available on the official CARS Web site, www.CARSonline.org. And make plans now to attend ASA's Celebration of Excellence, a special evening function Nov. 5 at the Flamingo Las Vegas.

• The annual exhibitor space draw conducted by the International Autobody Congress & Exposition (NACE) has been completed and the assignment process has begun.

  This year's NACE will be held in Las Vegas during the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week (AAIW) at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. The exposition takes place Nov. 4-6 (Thursday-Saturday) and the conference begins Wednesday, Nov. 3, and continues through Saturday, Nov. 6.

  Companies that did not participate in the space draw but wish to take part in the exposition are being assigned space on a first-come, first-served basis.