$75,000 Grant Funds
Aluminum-Repair Training
More than 50 collision school instructors will convene in the Chicago area in March 2016 for intensive aluminum-repair training, thanks to a generous grant from the Alcoa Foundation.
As the philanthropic arm of Alcoa, a global leader in lightweight metals technology, engineering and manufacturing, the foundation has awarded the Collision Repair Education Foundation $75,000 to provide aluminum repair-focused training to high school and college collision instructors.
Instructors play a major role in educating the collision industry’s future repair professionals. And because more vehicles are being constructed with aluminum, it’s crucial that current and future repair professionals complete aluminum repair technical training.
Working with industry partners, the Collision Repair Education Foundation will host several days of its “train the trainer” courses designed to teach the instructors the proper techniques for repairing consumers’ collision-damaged, aluminum-intensive vehicles.
“Alcoa Foundation seeks solutions that reduce weight, improve fuel efficiency and minimize the environmental footprint of mass transportation,” says Alice Truscott, program manager of the Alcoa Foundation. “As aluminum usage becomes more popular in the making of cars with these very sustainable properties, we value partnerships with organizations like Collision Repair Education Foundation that will help prepare the workforce.”
Brandon Eckenrode, director of Development for the Collision Repair Education Foundation, notes, “We’re very appreciative of Alcoa Foundation’s continued support and willingness to work together on providing collision school instructors with technical information about aluminum repair training. These instructors are able to bring this knowledge back to their classrooms and help students understand that repairing aluminum isn’t difficult, it’s just different.”
You can find more information on the Alcoa Foundation at alcoafoundation.com. And direct any questions about the aluminum training grant and/or the Collision Repair Education Foundation to Eckenrode at (847) 463-5244 or Brandon.Eckenrode@ed-foundation.org.
Sunny Prospects: A surge of renewed interest from local shop owners led to a recent planning meeting to reconnect Florida’s ties to the Automotive Service Association. Charting the revitalized ASA-Florida’s future were, seated: Dave Mays; Charlie Elder; Janie Jeffries, ASA’s director of Membership; Terry Wynter and Don Stone. Those standing are Ray Carr, John Mechas, Gary Keyes, Orestes Triana, Tony Mechas and Tony Molla, ASA’s vice president. According to Jeffries, all attendees offered their support and shared great ideas for getting ASA-Florida off to a strong start.
Fill Your Next Opening the Easy Way
It’s easier than ever to find qualified auto repair professionals. Just post your job opening on the new Industry Job Board launched by the Auto Care Association.
At autocarecareers.org, you’ll reach first-rate techs in both the collision and mechanical sides of the industry. And that’s not all. You’ll also find specialists in other automotive fields, including marketing, finance, legal, human relations, information technology, logistics, sales, facility management, international trade and more. With so many millennials using online resources, don’t miss out on the opportunity to discover talented and energetic young people interested in starting their careers in the auto care industry.
Take advantage of the Auto Care Association’s complementary 30-day job postings until the end of 2015. After Jan. 1, 2016, all auto care industry employers are welcome to post for a fee, with association members receiving discounted rates. Once your shop posts a job, it will have access to the association’s résumé database to seek qualified candidates.
For more information, visit autocarecareers.org or contact Katy McQuiston, coordinator, Job and Career Development, at katy.mcquiston@autocare.org or (301) 654-6664, ext. 1048.
ASA-Member Shop Offers First Responder Training
Removing accident victims from late-model cars can pose safety risks for first responders. Anyone unfamiliar with hybrid vehicles, for example, could be shocked or even electrocuted because of the cars’ high-voltage batteries.
That’s why LaMettry’s Collision, an ASA-member shop in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, recently hosted two-nights of events designed to help first responders learn how to avoid safety hazards in those sorts of complex vehicles.
The events, sponsored by the National Auto Body Council, were held the first night at LaMettry’s Collision in Lakeville and the second-night at EP Auto, Tire & Glass in Eden Prairie. Firefighters who attended said they appreciated the training.
“I benefited the most from being able to pull things apart,” said firefighter Aasa Just, “seeing where the air bags are and where good cut points are. The event was fun and informative.”
Automotive Organizations Fill Two Executive Posts
Bill Hanvey
The Auto Care Association has announced the appointment of Bill Hanvey as president and chief executive officer. He succeeds Kathleen Schmatz, who is retiring at the end of the year after leading the association for 14 years.
Hanvey has more than 25 years’ experience in the auto care industry. Most recently, he was senior vice president of programs and member services at the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association.
At Identifix, Jeff Lagges has been named managing director. His appointment followed Jeff Sweet’s decision to retire as president.
Jeff Lagges
Identifix is in its 28th year as an industry leader in vehicle diagnostics, repair and maintenance. Prior to joining Identifix, Lagges was president of ALLDATA, which is also a leading provider of OEM service and repair information to the professional automotive service and collision industries.
Sweet was a member of Identifix’s original board of directors when founder Bill Sauer assumed majority ownership of the company in 1992. “With the last names of Sweet and Sauer, we knew we had to be together,” says Sweet.
