Episode 44 – Good Advice As America Goes Back To Work

ASA Legislative Analyst Ben Sharp interviews ASA Chairman Scott Benavidez on latest developments in the industry on the sidelines of MSO Symposium.

In this ASA podcast episode, Scott Benavidez, AMAM, sits down with ASA Legislative Associate Ben Sharp on the sidelines of the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) in Indianapolis to discuss ASA’s new policy position statement on compensation for time spend researching OEM repair procedures. Scott is the Chairman of ASA’s Board of Directors and owner of Mr. B’s Paint and Body Shop Inc. in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Dan Stander is the General Manager at Fix Auto Highlands Ranch in Littleton, Colorado. 

He also currently serves the Automotive Service Association as a General Director and serves ASA Colorado as the Collision President. 

This episode is sponsored by Mail Shark

I am so excited to be welcoming John Firm to the show today.

John Firm is an ASA Member in Fort Worth, Texas and owns Firm Automotive.

He also currently serves the Automotive Service Association as the Mechanical Division Operations Director.

Firm Automotive has been in business for over 37 years and they're known as the go-to crew for diesel and gasoline fleet repair in North Texas.

John shares a little more of his background, how Firm Automotive has withstood a few stock market crashes, and why he has created the culture of family within the shop.

He is BIG on adventure, loves the outdoors, and finds as many ways as possible to give back to the community he serves.

Connect with John on Social Media (Facebook: Buckaroobob Bucknbob) and visit his website, http://www.firmautomotive.com to learn more about Firm Automotive.

Episode Presented by: Mail Shark

I am so excited to be welcoming Brandon to the show today.

Brandon Mehdizadeh is the General Manager at LaMettry's Collision-in Minnetonka. He also currently serves the Automotive Service Association as the Collision Division Operations Director.

Listen in as Brandon shares:

• His path to General Manager and the culture they're building,
• What the ASA Collision Division Operations Committee is working on, and
• How he knew it was time to serve the industry in a greater capacity.

This episode of the ASA Podcast is sponsored by Mail Shark.

I am so excited to be welcoming Al Oramas, President Pro Auto Care, in Colorado to the show today.

Since 1992, Pro Auto Care has been providing the highest quality auto repair services in the Denver metro area.

At Pro Auto Care, they believe in serving the community and building a family culture at both their Denver and Littleton locations.

Join us as Al shares:

• How both of his small businesses give back to their local communities and help make a difference for many of the local non-profit organizations.
• Ways he has worked with his team to build a family culture.
• The importance of being an Automotive Service Association member and how it has helped his business.

With over three decades of service to the automotive industry, we are thankful for Al's commitment and dedication to the elevating the independent automotive repair industry.

This episode is presented by Dell Technologies.

Mark T. Allen joined Audi of America as the Collision Programs and Workshop Equipment Manager in August of 2011, responsible for the collision program, electric vehicle service strategy and workshop equipment for Audi.  

Mark’s 44-year career in the automotive industry has spanned various areas including collision, insurance, parts, machinist and equipment repair and sales.  

Mark holds and B.S. in Marketing/Management from Ramapo College of N.J. and is a long-term member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, is DIN ISO Certified to weld aluminum, and has is Board Member of ICAR having served on the Executive Board for about 5 years.  

In this podcast, Mark discusses how to safely and effectively perform repair and maintenance for electric vehicles (EVs) including: 

• Necessary education and training for service repair professionals working on EVs in shops 
• Safety precautions and protocols for de-energizing high voltage systems, and recommended uniform and tools to be used while repairing EVs 
• Recommendations for safe layout and architecture of shops repairing EVs, and necessary equipment for the repair, transport, and disposal of EV batteries 
• The availability and accessibility of OEM repair procedures to all shop owners, including repair procedures for electric vehicles 

In this episode, we welcome Jeff Buckley, ASA Member from Midlothian, Texas.

Jeff is the owner of My Father’s Shop and he is helping lead efforts to give back to high schools around the nation.

Most recently, he has donated five vehicles to the automotive program at Vanguard High School in Mesquite, Texas to help automotive instructors train their students. 

But it isn't all about the vehicles. 

Jeff also shares how his work started with high schools and several ideas that other Shop Owners can do to help the next generation in and around your community.

Episode 114 – What’s Now, What’s New and What’s Next at the ASA Podcast

In this episode, we pass the microphone to the next generation as Kathryne Buckley-Tessem assumes her role as Director of Industry Relations and the new host of the ASA Podcast. This will be Tony Molla’s last episode as he moves into retirement and introduces Kathryne with an in-depth interview covering her new duties with the association and the plans for the future of the ASA Podcast, Wednesday Webinars and much more!

Listen in as Kathryne and Tony share their thoughts on what’s now, what’s new and what’s next at ASA and how the association continues to evolve to meet the needs of ASA members in the 21st Century. Topics include:

·         Kathryne’s experience as Executive Director of ASA-Texas and growing up in the industry.

·         Her new responsibilities as staff liaison with both Mechanical and Collision Operations Committees.

·         Thoughts on taking over as host of the ASA Podcast.

·         Working with the Marketing & Communications department to continue the popular ASA Webinar Wednesday series of virtual educational opportunities.

·         Kathryne’s excitement on being part of the team at ASA National Headquarters and looking forward to working with the next Regional Executive Directors.

·         The rundown on the Wednesday Webinar schedule for the first Quarter of 2022.

·         Tony’s thoughts on retirement and the largest generational change to happen in the history of the automotive service industry and how it will shape our future.

Episode 113 – Meet Mary Steele, Regional Executive Director of ASA Southeast Region

The Automotive Service Association (ASA) recently announced a significant change to their business model, moving to a regional structure and a lower-cost, subscription-based dues model. As of one of the oldest National Associations representing independent mechanical and collision repair shops in the U.S. evolves to meet the challenges of our rapidly-changing industry, new Regional Executive Director positions have been created and are currently being filled. The latest announcement was the appointment of Mary Steele as the Regional Executive Director of the ASA Southeast Region, one of six areas that together cover the nation. Listen in as we talk with Mary about her background and experience in the automotive industry, and her thoughts on her new role with ASA.

Steele is based in Stuart, Florida and will report to Blair Calvo, Vice President of Regional Services at ASA.

In this episode, Mary talks about the opportunities she sees in training and customer service as ASA positions itself to better serve its members as the largest generational shift in the history of the automotive service industry continues and a new cadre of younger shop owners prepare themselves to take the industry into the future. This is another in the ASA Podcast series to help ASA members get to know more about the new leadership and direction of the Automotive Service Association and the plans for helping shop owners meet the challenges of the 21st Century. Hear all about it as Mary discusses:

·       Her background as a shop member and history with ASA in Pennsylvania and Florida.

·       The opportunity she sees in growing the Southeast Region under the new regional model by providing the kind of customer service the members want.

·       Creating a focus on the next generation now taking their place as leaders in the automotive service industry.

·       The existing and planned benefits now being explored to improve the value of an ASA membership.

·       The important legislative advocacy ASA’s Washington Office brings to the industry by being the only organization advocating for and representing the independent shop owner community exclusively on Capitol Hill and State Houses across the country.

·       How ASA will continue to help members develop their business and themselves through training and interaction with their peers in new ways and why communication is key.

·       How the existing training events will be incorporated into the new structure and why the importance of training is an 11 on a 10-point scale.

·       How the new structure and direction is positioned to bring representation, training and events, along with opportunities for networking and education delivered how and where the members want it. 

·       How the new structure is helping ASA evolve into one of the next-generation national associations that can help the industry speak with One Voice.

·       For more information, you can reach Mary at southeast@asashop.org.