Last Chance to Reserve Space in AUTO Membership Directory

AAIA Announces Casting Call for Town Hall

GAAS Lapel Pin Slogan Chosen, Orders for Collectible Pins Now Being Taken

Ford Escape Hybrid is AAPEX Buyers Appreciation Grand Prize

It's Time to Order Be Car Care Aware Merchandise for Fall Car Care Month

A Word from the President

July 2007 marked our first-year anniversary as a segment of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA). During the year, the AUTO board held regular meetings at the fall 2006 and spring 2007 AAIA Leadership Days. As a group, AUTO held its bi-annual Face-2-Face meetings in Florida and sponsored an "ALL Industry" Reception at Showpower in St. Louis, Mo. in April. These events were coordinated by AAIA and by the feedback we received, were very successful events.

With AAIA helping both financially and administratively, we were able to start thinking about working as a group pro-actively in regards to the health and well being of our industry. We held our first "roundtable" discussion at Showpower, where more than 30 members brainstormed OEM: competition or customer, new materials, computer ordering systems and brand importance were just a few of the topics discussed. We are planning to do this again at the next Showpower.

Speaking of Showpower, there is still booth space available for the upcoming show in Chicago, Ill., March 27-30, 2008. For more information, contact Bob Jacobsmyer, MD Publications, at 800-274-7890 or e-mail jake@showpowerexpo.com.

Just around the corner are the AAIA Fall Leadership Days in Chicago, Ill., Sept 5-7. AUTO will be having their board meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 5, where among other things we will be starting a "strategic planning process." In this newsletter, there is a note about a survey each AUTO member will receive in the coming weeks. It is imperative that we hear from you. It is this information we will rely on to chart our direction, both short term and long term.

Have you checked out the resources that are available to you through your membership in AAIA-AUTO? To learn more, visit www.aftermarket.org. There are market research publications, membership lists, government affairs updates and more. The information you need is there, but you have to take the initiative to find it.

I look forward to writing to you again in the fall with an update on our September meeting, and giving you a heads-up about the events going on at AAPEX this November.

Malcolm Sissmore
UltraFit Exhaust Systems

WANTED: Your Opinion

The AUTO board will be meeting in September during AAIA Fall Leadership Days to discuss the direction of the segment for the next year. In order to facilitate this process effectively, we need your input. Within the next week, you will receive a link to an electronic survey that will take just a few minutes to complete. Your response is critical in helping the board determine how best to meet the needs of the members and we strongly encourage everyone to participate. If you have any questions regarding the survey, contact Kimberlee Berry at 301-654-6664, ext. 1026 or e-mail kim.berry@aftermarket.org.

Last Chance to Reserve Space in AUTO Membership Directory

Promote your company and support AUTO and the automotive aftermarket by signing up for sponsorship in the AUTO membership directory. The deadline for all submissions is Friday, Aug. 24, 2007. For pricing and insert specifications, click here.

AUTO Welcomes Two New Board Members

This summer the AUTO Board of Directors appointed Jody Rupe, Jody's Muffler & Brake, Inc., Ft. Smith, Ark. and Brent Florus, IMCO, Schulenburg, Texas, as its newest members, replacing seats vacated by retiring directors.

"We are proud to have Jody and Brent as part of the AUTO board, and look forward to the talents that each brings to the table," said AUTO president Malcolm Sissmore.

AAIA Announces Casting Call for Town Hall

Building on the popularity of "YouTube" and other online public forums that have transformed American politics, AAIA will incorporate videotaped questions from aftermarket professionals around the country during a special segment of this year's Town Hall featuring Bob Schieffer, anchor of "Face the Nation" and CBS News chief Washington correspondent.

Hosted by AAIA and sponsored by NASCAR Performance, the 2007 Town Hall will be held Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 7 a.m. in the Palazzo Ballroom in the Venetian Hotel. The program will be moderated by Kathleen Schmatz, AAIA president and CEO, and will also feature Dick Morgan, AAIA chair and president and CEO of Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance, Inc.

"This year we wanted to add some interactive fun to Town Hall and further engage aftermarket professionals in the program, so we decided to borrow the popular 'YouTube' concept and invite videotaped questions from aftermarket folks for our special guest Bob Schieffer to answer on stage," Schmatz said.

Schieffer has anchored the CBS Evening News and covered Washington, D.C. for CBS News for more than 30 years. He is one of the few broadcast or print journalists to have covered all four major beats in the nation's capital – the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department and Capitol Hill. He is the winner of six Emmy awards and has written two books on his career: Face the Nation: My Favorite Stories from the First 50 Years of the Award-Winning News Broadcast and This Just In: What I Couldn't Tell You on TV.

Video questions recorded from digital cameras, camcorders, cell phones and Web cams should be submitted in the WMV, AVI, MOV or MPG file formats and no longer than 45 seconds. Please e-mail videos under 10 MB to townhallvideos@aftermarket.org. Videos over 10 MB should be burned to a CD and mailed to: AAIA Town Hall, 7101 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1300, Bethesda, MD 20814. Please include name, business/company name, city and state. For more information, contact Rich White or Cory Royster at 301-654-6664.

Tickets for the 2007 AAIA Town Hall are now available. Individual tickets are $90 and a table of 10 is $750. For ticket information, go to www.aftermarket.org and click on the "Town Hall" button.

GAAS Lapel Pin Slogan Chosen, Orders for Collectible Pins Now Being Taken

"GAAS Fuels Education" has been chosen by the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) Scholarship Committee as the slogan for 2007-2008 collectible GAAS lapel pins.

Tad Dowling, marketing services manager, Perfection Clutch, Timmonsville, S.C., is the slogan contest winner and will receive a complimentary registration to the 2008 GAAS Symposium, which will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, May 20-21 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Chicago, Ill. Nearly 100 entries were submitted by individuals in the aftermarket industry.

The lapel pins, which were introduced in 2006, help generate funds for the GAAS scholarship program that has distributed $1.3 million in total aid to more than 1,300 students pursuing aftermarket careers. Pete Kornafel, chairman, GAAS Scholarship Committee, asks that companies consider the pins as a goodwill gesture during the holiday season.

"While it's customary that many companies show their appreciation every year during the holidays by giving their customers, vendors, employees and others a small gift, this year we ask that companies consider giving a GAAS lapel pin or a donation in the name of the recipient in order to benefit a future member of the aftermarket," Kornafel said.

GAAS collectible lapel pins can be purchased at major industry events for a donation of $20 each and GAAS organizers are providing volume discounts for purchases. To purchase 15 pins is a $250 donation (plus shipping), 30 pins is a $500 donation (includes ground shipping), 90 pins is a $1,000 donation (includes ground shipping) and a purchase of more than 90 pins includes an additional $10/pin in boxes of 30.

Companies interested in purchasing lapel pins should send an e-mail to Pete Kornafel at pete@carquest.com. The GAAS Scholarship Fund is part of the overall AAIA Foundation for Aftermarket Industry Research, which is a 501c(3) organization, making an investment in the industry's future a deductible gift donation.

For details about the GAAS scholarship program, visit www.automotivescholarships.com. For more details about GAAS, visit www.globalsympsium.org.

Ford Escape Hybrid is AAPEX Buyers Appreciation Grand Prize

The grand prize for this year's AAPEX Buyers Appreciation Contest is a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid, to be given away by long-time AAPEX exhibitor Ford Motorcraft. AAPEX will be held Tuesday, Oct. 30 through Thursday, Nov. 1, at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, Nev.

Entry forms will be sent to buyers who pre-register for AAPEX and will also be available on-site at the Ford Motorcraft booth (#1632). Completed, original entry forms must be deposited in the sweepstakes drums located in the Ford Motorcraft booth. The drawing will take place on Thursday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m. at the Ford Escape Hybrid display in the upper lobby of the Sands Expo Center. The winner need not be present at the time of the drawing to win.

"Ford is proud to once again be back at AAPEX and supporting the Buyers contest," said Lou Folino, Ford customer service division, brand development and e-business manager, motorcraft marketing department.

According to Folino, the Ford Escape Hybrid was the first full-hybrid SUV built in and available for sale in America, and it remains the most fuel-efficient SUV on the planet. The 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid comes with a 2.3-liter DOHC 16-valve Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine and a permanent magnet AC synchronous motor. The gasoline engine produces 133 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 124 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,250 rpm. The electric motor produces 70 kw @ 5,000 rpm and 330V maximum voltage. The net result is 155 horsepower with 0-60 acceleration comparable to a 200 horsepower V-6 engine. The Escape Hybrid achieves 34 miles per gallon (mpg) in city driving and 30 mpg on the highway. A smooth-shifting, electronically-controlled Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) is the only available transmission on the hybrid model. Escape Hybrid continues to be a "full" hybrid. This means that, unlike other "mild" hybrid vehicles, Escape Hybrid can run on 100 percent electric power up to about 30 miles per hour, maximizing in-city fuel economy. Escape Hybrid automatically switches between pure electric power, pure gasoline engine power or combined operation of the two to maximize efficiency and performance.

"The hybrid vehicle display and giveaway will add even more excitement and interest to the first-ever AAPEX 'Green Zone' planned for this year's event," said Bill Glasgow, Sr., AAPEX show manager. "'Green' cars, such as the hybrids, are gaining popularity and will present significant service and repair opportunities to the aftermarket."

The AAPEX "Green Zone" will feature products that service providers and retailers can sell to consumers to help make their vehicles more efficient and environmentally friendly. It also will have tools and diagnostic equipment used to repair new green cars, as well as suppliers that recycle waste or remanufacture parts, or that have environmentally friendly aftermarket parts.

For more information on AAPEX 2007, visit www.aapexshow.com.

It's Time to Order Be Car Care Aware Merchandise for Fall Car Care Month

Now is the time to order the Car Care Council's branded "Be Car Care Aware" merchandise on the council's Web site at www.carcare.org.

Visitors to the "Industry" section of the site will find a virtual store containing items such as long-sleeve denim shirts, short-sleeve "polo" shirts, t-shirts and caps, as well as premium items such as calculators, key chains, travel mugs, balloons, pens, calendars and memo pads.

"With Fall Car Care Month right around the corner, many organizations are starting to plan for Fall Car Care Month events," said Rich White, executive director, Car Care Council. "We're offering this merchandise to help businesses remind their customers to 'Be Car Care Aware,' not only during Fall Car Care Month in October, but year-round."

In addition to the merchandise, the Web site features content specific to the industry, including useful information about National Car Care Month, logo downloads, brochures, newsletters and on-hold messages. To help organizations conduct vehicle check-up events, the council has created tools to enhance their efforts, including point-of-sale starter kits, the newly updated "How To" DVD/CD and the one-of-a-kind Car Care Guide.

For more information about the "Be Car Care Aware" campaign, visit www.carcare.org.