BBB Accepting Entries For 2010 Competition

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is now accepting entries for its 2010 International Torch Award for Marketplace Excellence competition. The award program recognizes businesses - both small and large - that build trust in the marketplace through a strong sense of accountability and responsibility.

Award guidelines, judging criteria, entry form, suggestions for completing an entry packet and profiles of past winners are available online at www.bbb.org/International-Torch-Awards or by calling (703) 247-9312.

The winning businesses will be honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., in April 2010.

Identifix's Direct-Hit Has 20,000 Subscribers

Identifix, an ASA sponsored benefit provider and one of the nation's premier sources of online and vehicle diagnostic information, has announced that it now has 20,000 subscribers to the company's Direct-Hit product.

Direct-Hit is Identifix's subscription-based online diagnostic information source offering real-world, proven diagnostic and fix information. It was developed from more than 3.6 million Identifix Repair Hotline calls to the company's 45 ASE master-certified technicians.

I-CAR Introducing Two New Courses

The Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR) is launching two new classes designed to teach collision repair professionals and insurers important repair considerations for some of the most popular vehicles on the road. The courses also will provide information about emerging technology in today's vehicles.

I-CAR said it would launch "Collision Repair for Select High Volume Vehicles (POPO1) Aug. 3 and "Vehicle Technology and Trends 2010 (NEW10)" Aug. 10.

For more information, go to the I-CAR Web site, www.i-car.com.

ASE Announces New Assessment Test

From ASE comes word that secondary and post-secondary automotive technology programs nationwide have enthusiastically adopted the National Automotive Student Skills Standard Assessment (NA3SA), the new comprehensive end-of-program assessment test.

The NA3SA was developed by ASE in partnership with AYES, NATEF and SkillsUSA to replace the existing end-of-program assessment used by NATEF programs and others.

For more information, visit ASE's Web site, www.ase.com.

GE Money Offering New Program

GE Money - an ASA sponsored benefit provider - has announced a new Web-based portal, the Business Center, designed to bring online tools to businesses to help them effectively manage credit programs.

"The Business Center essentially takes our back office and places it on the business' desktop, with real-time sales information, analysis and training tools they can't get anywhere else, to manage their promotional financing programs more productively and profitably," said Mark Hayes, chief marketing officer for GE Money-Sales Finance.

For more information, visit GE Money's Web site, www.gemoney.com