AUTOINC. ONLINE - Around ASA

Q: What are you doing currently?
A: In September of 2001, I sold my business to Marvin Rickard, who had worked for me for 13 years. After selling the business, Marge and I did some traveling with our motor home. In 2003, we moved to Iowa, and I started driving a semitruck hauling grain for a large farmer. We moved back to Oregon in 2006 after a tornado came within 30 miles of us. I now drive for Capitol Auto Group, hauling new vehicles three to five days a week. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, I am the daytime Santa Claus at one of the local malls. Marge and I celebrated our 52nd wedding anniversary in September, and we're both healthy and not on any medication.

Q: What advice would you give to ASA members aspiring to serve on the board?
A: My advice is to keep up on the issues concerning your industry. Get active in the local chapter of ASA. Get involved with local legislators who are changing the way you can do business. With the training from the Automotive Management Institute (AMI), I was able to prepare a business that would practically run itself and would be successful after I left. My involvement with ASA was probably the most important step in improving my business practices.

Q: What are your best memories and accomplishments as chairman?
A: My term was one of change, but the group of leaders on the board of directors and staff was very supportive. Our major change was the way membership was handled. I realize today that this has been changed back to the original way it was done. It was a new idea that we thought would be better; however, change isn't always good. I'll never forget the 100 or so letters with tea bags I received after we made the change. The friendships developed during our time with ASA will be forever.

Motor Age magazine has announced that Brian and Kim Walker, owners of Peak Automotive, Apex, N.C., are among winners of Motor Age Magazine's Top Vehicle Repair Shops contest. Peak Automotive is a member of ASA.

To help determine the winners, each repair shop submitted an essay along with a photo describing the history of their business and information on merchandising, customer service and community service practices. Then, a panel of qualified judges - considering uniqueness, sensible business sense and inventiveness - chose the winners.

Peak Automotive, an ASE Blue Seal of Excellence Recognized Shop and Bosch Authorized Service Center, is the only shop in the country to receive this honor for two consecutive years. In addition to the Top Vehicle Repair Shop award, Peak Automotive was recently voted as "The Best Mechanic" in the Cary News' "Best of the West."

Kim Walker is very involved in educating female consumers about their cars and the importance of maintenance. Walker is an automotive expert adviser for AskPatty.com, a Web site and forum designed to help female consumers understand automotive repair and maintenance. Walker has also been nominated to the Triangle Business Award and the Triangle Business Journal's 40 under 40 Award. In addition, she was selected to receive the Right Choice Business Frontrunner Award. Peak Automotive was recently awarded the Apex Chamber of Commerce Innovative Business of the Year for 2007.

The Automotive Service Association recently announced a new member benefit for collision members. Interstate Marketing Corporation, manufacturer of UniCure Spray Booths, is offering ASA members a 15 percent discount off list pricing.

Please contact the ASA membership department for more information on this and any other member benefits at (800) 272-7467, ext. 295.

Reminder of the Month: For the 2008 ASA board of director's elections, ASA members will have the opportunity to cast their votes for candidates either by telephone or on the Internet from Jan. 2-Feb. 29, 2008.

Members can access the electronic ballots by calling a toll-free telephone number or logging on to a secured Web site. Once members have phoned in or entered the Web site, they will vote by entering their member number plus a three-digit security code number following the prompts. These numbers can be found on the mailing labels of the December 2007, January and February 2008 issues of AutoInc. The member number and security code are directly above the addressee's full name and enclosed by parentheses ( ). Example: (123456 789).

All regular members in good standing with ASA are eligible to cast their vote for the single position of general director, the single position of mechanical division director and the single position of collision division director. More information will be provided as the election date draws near.