Seeking national perspective, NATA affiliates with SCRS

The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) announced the affiliation of the Northwest Automotive Trades Association (NATA), an Oregon-based organization with a storied tradition of addressing the needs of automotive professionals in the Pacific Northwest.   NATA serves and represents virtually every segment of the automotive specialty markets in its region, including the collision repair industry. The association's desire to support and strengthen this segment of its membership helped drive the importance of affiliating with SCRS. "Any time you have the opportunity to affiliate with the expertise and information found in a national association like SCRS, you do it because of the benefits it ultimately provides to members locally," said NATA Executive Director Barbara Crest. "SCRS brings us an informed national perspective. They have proven time and again to be a valuable resource that contributes to the success of the industry-the exact kind of partnership that can help collision repairers get up to speed on the issues affecting their businesses. Affiliation will help our members better plan for the future and form strategies that will allow them to grow and thrive." NATA provides a variety of services to its members, but its close alignment with SCRS is most apparent in the industry advocacy work they do in the Pacific Northwest, being a voice for repairers as they work to correct complicated and expensive regulations, and being a source of information as the sponsor of management and technical training classes. "NATA and SCRS share a passion for industry improvement," said SCRS Chairman Ron Reichen. "Training and education have become more critical than ever in reaching that goal given the growing sophistication of collision repair. Smart resource planning and mastering new technologies is more important than ever, as is motivating qualified men and women to enter our workforce by compensating them appropriately, creating more professional working conditions and improving trade school curricula and apprenticeship programs. NATA has made outstanding efforts to date in addressing these needs in their region. Working with them to find solutions on a regional and national basis is an exciting prospect, and we look forward to it."About NATA NATA is rooted in the first Oregon automotive association, the Pacific Automotive Trades Association (PATA), formed by ten automotive aftermarket entrepreneurs in 1914. PATA merged with the Oregon Autobody Craftsman Association and the Automotive Service Association of Oregon in July of 2001 to create NATA. Today members include collision, repair and transmission shops, auto dealers, auto recyclers, parts and shop suppliers, tire installers, and tow operators. The association continues to support the automotive industry and NATA members through education, representation, and excellent member benefits. Visit NATA on the Web at www.aboutnata.org.About SCRS Through its direct members and 41 affiliate associations, SCRS is comprised of over 6,000 collision repair businesses and 58,500 specialized professionals who work with consumers and insurance companies to repair collision-damaged vehicles. Additional information about SCRS including other news releases is avail-able at the SCRS Web site: www.scrs.com. You can e-mail SCRS at the following address: [email protected]