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A Note From the
President
2008
AUTO Membership Directory Now
Available
ROL
Manufacturing Files for Creditor
Protection
John
Van Heel Promoted to President of Monro Muffler
Brake
2008
AAPAC Committee Challenge to be Held at Spring
Leadership Days
New
Version of Car Care Guide Shows How to Save Gas and
Drive Green
Fotios
Katsardis to Discuss European Aftermarket at GAAS
2008
WELCOME NEW AAIA
MEMBERS
A Note From the
President
Is that spring I feel? The
winter this year (in the Northern climates) has been
record-breaking in inches of snowfall and now it seems
we will have record flooding this spring. OK enough of
talking about the weather… and on to what AUTO has been
up to since our last newsletter in December.
This past Friday, during
Showpower, we had our second annual “Round Table”
discussion, and our always popular “AUTO Reception” on
Saturday evening.
I want to take this
opportunity to thank Denise Kotowicz for organizing the
participation and content for the round table. Many
thanks to the companies and individuals that
participated and special thanks to Undercar Digest for
providing lunch. A summary letter will be going out to
the participants and will be available on the AUTO Web
site for download. Click
here for your copy.
Another big “thank you” goes
out to the sponsors of the AUTO Reception. This event
would not have been possible without your
support.
Next week we are off to AAIA
Spring Leadership Days in Bonita Springs, Fla. AUTO will
have its bi-annual board meeting and a few of your
directors will attend other AAIA segment and committee
meetings as well. I will conclude the week by attending
the AAIA Board of Directors meeting.
During the AUTO Board meeting
we will be discussing the upcoming Face-2-Face in
January 2009, the summary of the round table, a review
of the AUTO Reception at Showpower, AUTO membership and
the board vacancies and officer nominations.
I started this note writing
about weather-related records; let’s hope we can talk
about record sales of undercar products in the next
newsletter!
All the best,
Malcolm Sissmore,
UltraFit Exhaust
Systems
President
2008
AUTO Membership Directory Now
Available
The 2008 AUTO membership
directory is now available. Copies will be mailed to all
current AUTO members in the upcoming weeks. If you would
like to order additional copies, contact Kimberlee Berry
at 301-654-6664 ext. 1026 or e-mail kim.berry@aftermarket.org.
ROL
Manufacturing Files for Creditor
Protection
ROL Manufacturing has
recently filed for creditor protection in Canada under
the “Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act.” The filing
is also recognized by the U.S. Courts.
Commenting on the
announcement, Julian Haller, president and CEO, said,
“Certain factors related to economic pressure have
driven us to this decision. Our objective is to
re-organize, emerge and strengthen our
company.
“A major contributor is that
most of our manufacturing of gaskets, rubber components
and exhaust parts is in Canada. The continued strength
of the Canadian dollar, coupled with the fact that the
majority of our Canadian made parts are exported to the
U.S. and sold in U.S. dollars, has had a significant
negative impact on our financials.”
Haller added that an
important part of the company’s re-organization plan is
to move more of its high-labor content, commodity
manufacturing to its Mexico facility. Canada will remain
ROL’s hub for engineering, R&D and high-tech
manufacturing.
“This will help reduce our
costs and get our company back to the financial strength
we are accustomed to,” Haller said.
John
Van Heel Promoted to President of Monro Muffler
Brake
Monro Muffler Brake has
promoted John Van Heel to president, effective
immediately. Van Heel most recently served as executive
vice president and chief administrative officer. In his
new position, Van Heel will lead the company's
acquisition efforts and will work more closely with
store operations on the implementation of the company's
growth strategy for existing stores. He will continue to
report to Robert Gross, chairman and CEO.
2008
AAPAC Committee Challenge to be Held at Spring
Leadership Days
AAIA recently announced the
return of the Automotive Aftermarket Political Action
Committee's (AAPAC) annual Committee Challenge to be
held during Spring Leadership Days in Bonita Springs,
Fla., April 9-11. The winners of the Committee Challenge
will be treated to an authentic Mexican-style fiesta
along San Antonio's historic River Walk the evening of
Wednesday, Sept. 3, during this year's Fall Leadership
Days. The winning committee and two winning segments
will have the pleasure of taking part in an all
inclusive fiesta, including authentic Mexican cuisine
and drinks, while enjoying the atmosphere of one of
Texas' most popular attractions.
The winners of the challenge
this year will be the two segments and one committee
with the highest average contribution per member, and
only those members of the segment and the committee that
have contributed to AAPAC will be eligible to
participate in the dinner. Of course there are only
winners in this challenge since all contributions go to
strengthening the association's government affairs
efforts to protect the future of the aftermarket. We
hope that you will join your fellow volunteer leaders in
helping to make this the biggest Committee Challenge
ever. Watch for more specifics on the prize and the
contest in the coming weeks.
For further questions, e-mail
Ryan Carroll at ryan.carroll@aftermarket.org or call 240-333-1036.
New
Version of Car Care Guide Shows How to Save Gas and
Drive Green
New sections on Fuel Economy
and Environmental Awareness have been added to the Car
Care Guide to show consumers how to get better gas
mileage and make their vehicle environmentally friendly.
Published by the Car Care Council, the guide is a
popular consumer give-away at repair shops and retail
stores.
The Fuel Economy section
covers the parts of the car that need proper maintenance
in order to maximize efficiency and save money at the
pump. It recommends typical service intervals and
includes questions to ask the automotive repair
technician.
The section on Environmental
Awareness explains how motorists can do their part to
protect the environment in terms of driving habits and
vehicle maintenance. This section has tips on Driving
Green and lists the components of a vehicle that should
be routinely checked to make sure a car’s performance is
as environmentally friendly as possible.
“The new sections are
designed to help people better understand that the
amount of gas they use is directly related to how they
maintain and drive their vehicle,” said Rich White,
executive director, Car Care Council.
The Car Care Guide uses
easy-to-understand everyday language, instead of
technical automotive jargon, and fits easily in a glove
box. The guide covers the most common preventative
maintenance occasions and procedures that need to be
performed to keep cars safe, dependable and efficient.
It also includes descriptions of 12 major vehicle
systems and parts, and a list of questions to ask when
maintenance or repair procedures are being done on a
car. A Car Care Checklist reminds motorists what vehicle
systems need to be maintained and when service or repair
should be performed.
For more information on the
Car Care Council, visit www.carcare.org.
Fotios
Katsardis to Discuss European Aftermarket at GAAS
2008
Fotios Katsardis, managing
director, TEMOT International Autoparts GmbH, will
present "Opportunities in the Changing European
Aftermarket" at the 2008 Global Automotive Aftermarket
Symposium (GAAS) on Tuesday, May 20 at the Hyatt Regency
O'Hare in Chicago, Ill.
Katsardis, the head of
Europe's largest aftermarket parts program group, will
provide a brief overview of the European aftermarket
structure that existed before the new block exemption
took place. In addition, Katsardis will present a more
detailed overview of the European aftermarket as it
stands today and its future outlook. He will also
address the opportunities for U.S. manufacturers and
distributors to work with the European Union (EU)
independent aftermarket.
Katsardis has been the
managing director and CEO for TEMOT International
Autoparts GmbH for the past three years. Prior to
joining TEMOT, Katsardis worked in the automotive
aftermarket for 12 years with Robert Bosch GmbH. He held
various managerial positions with the company, including
director of global accounts. For three years, he worked
in the wire and construction industry as general manager
for Ergon GmbH. He began his career as director of
European relations for AMOCO S.A. in its lubricants
business.
Born in Patras, Greece,
Katsardis is a graduate of Aristotle University (Greece)
with a B.A. in economics. In addition, he holds an M.A.
in European economic studies from the University of
Exeter (UK) and an MBA from European University
(Belgium). Katsardis is fluent in English, German,
Italian, Greek, French and Finnish.
For GAAS 2008 program details
and registration information, visit www.globalsymposium.org.
WELCOME NEW AAIA
MEMBERS
March 28 – April 3, 2008
All Transmission
Parts, Portland, Ore.
(AWDA)
Seneca Auto & Truck Supply of
KY, Louisville, Ky.
The
Hoffman Group, Portland, Ore.
(AWDA) | 
