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I Have a Favor to Ask of YouPosted 5/10/2004By Geralynn Kottschade, AAM, Chairman
I have met many of you, and many of you I hope to meet throughout the coming year. For those who don't know me, my husband, Jerry, and I own a collision repair business in Mankato, Minn. (Jerry served as ASA chairman from March '95 to April '96.) We have been in business more than three decades now and have been involved with ASA on local, state and national levels since the early '70s. ASA has always been close to me, in part because the issues it takes on are closely examined and addressed with its members in mind. I've seen the association change over the years and have watched it grow. And this will continue to be the case in 2004. My predecessor, Kevin Caldwell, had a full agenda. In the year ahead, we will continue to address not only the items on the table, but also those issues to come that will affect our industry and our individual businesses. The progress made by the vehicle manufacturers to release service information to independent repairers is exciting news for our industry. ASA will continue to monitor service information availability and educate those who can benefit from this information. In fact, ASA has developed a class titled "You Have the Right to Repair" that thoroughly explores service information availability. Accredited by the Automotive Management Institute (AMI), the course is designed to specifically meet the needs of repair professionals. Among the many issues ASA monitors, opposing insurer-owned shops and supporting Association Healthcare Plans (AHP) legislation promise to be key areas of importance in the coming months. These and other legislative issues are tracked on ASA's new legislative Web site, www.TakingtheHill.com. If you haven't already done so, I urge you to visit the site. You can send prewritten letters regarding these vital issues directly to your state and federal representatives. With a few simple keystrokes and clicks of the mouse, you can change the course of this industry. Visit the site, and then go a step further. Ask a colleague to do the same. Let me also mention the online membership directory. Set to launch in early June, it will provide "always current" information you can use to stay in touch with associates and assist customers in finding other ASA businesses. ASA is a member-first organization, so here's the favor I'd like to ask of you: Please share your comments and suggestions about our association with me. The phone numbers of each national board member are published on this page in each issue of AutoInc. Your voice will be heard and can purposefully affect the direction of ASA. I look forward to serving as your chairman in the coming months, and I'm honored to have this opportunity.
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Hello! As your new chairman, my interest level in hearing what you want and need from your association is elevated to its highest plane. While I'm open to direction from my fellow board members, our ultimate compass is you and the entire membership of ASA. It's the hopes, dreams and desires of members that steer an association such as ours. And in today's highly competitive world, you should get - and make - the most out of your membership.
