Some Parting Words of Thanks

This will be my final Chairman’s Message, as the duties of ASA chairman will shift to Roy Schnepper in April. My wife, Christy, and I want to thank you for your friendship and support that have been a hallmark of my 14 years with ASA – from serving on the board of ASA-Colorado to most recently on ASA-National’s board of directors.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet hundreds of you, and what strikes me most is our shared mission to take care of America’s drivers and their vehicles. After all, there are many easier ways to pay the bills than repairing cars.

Conversely, only one in five vehicle owners trust their repair shop. I’m sure that our members are servicing the 20 percent who have confidence in them, but it still represents a massive disparity. And this disconnect, above all other reasons, is why my family has devoted so much time to causes that affect people who turn a wrench, paint a car or wield a scan tool.

Some of you might not know that my father, Don, served as ASA chairman 20 years ago, and my mother has been an industry educator for more years than she would allow me to mention here. We believe independent repair shops are the backbone of the transportation industry and deserve to be held in high regard, not only by customers but also by the rest of our industry.

We’ve made significant progress over the past few years, but our future depends on demonstrating to students, and their parents, what a fantastic job opportunity awaits them in this industry. There are opportunities to make a difference in their communities and on a national level. They’ll be pleasantly surprised how easy it is to contribute, and the rewards far outweigh the time spent learning the business. That’s been true for my family’s shop: Seyfer Automotive.

I want to thank a few people on my way out. First, my wife, Christy, and our kids, Lorin, Xander and Chase, who have given up their dad so that I can teach, preach, take late-night phone calls and attend a lot of meetings. I also want to thank my dad and business partner, who keeps the lights on while I’m away, and my mom, Margie, who listens to my stories as only a mother can and gives advice as only she can.

Thanks, too, to the ASA board, staff and operations committees, whose dedication matches the professionals they serve, my mentor and dear friend Bob Redding, who represents all of us in Washington, D.C., and all of the industry friends who have supported my big ideas and brought their considerable talents to bear on the issues we face. If I were to list all these industry friends, there wouldn’t be room for anything else in AutoInc. You know who you are, and I do too.

Finally, I want to thank all of you ASA members whose continued success is the only reason we do what we do.