NEW ORLEANS — The Automotive Service Association (ASA) is expanding its benefits offerings beyond the management and business side to the parts side.
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During ASA’s annual press conference at ASRW, President Ron Pyle announced a new partnership with Install Parts Group (IPG) for benefits related to parts procurement to be rolled out in the next six months.
“We made a conscious decision to really partner to do that particular part of our benefit portfolio. We couldn’t have a better partner than IPG,” Pyle says. “We fell really condiment that we have an opportunity here to make an impact for our members.”
Gary Bean, a principal owner of IPG, says they serve as a partner and administrator for programs. He explains that independent shops today are competing against national chains and franchises that have groups to lobby on their behalf for cost.
“We’re able to take those independent owners and represent them so they have a fair share market. There’s not hidden agenda. We look at it very cleanly,” Bean states. “We want to be treated the same as the guy across the street that may have a big name. … There’s no unleveling of the playing field, in fact we look at it as trying to level the playing field.”
Also at the conference, Bill Moss, ASA Mechanical Division director, and Dan Stander, ASA Collision Division director, gave updates on their divisions progress in the past year.
Stander’s update included information on the State Farm Parts Trader program, including that members of the division and ASA board of directors traveled to State Farm to meet with representatives about the program.
He notes that the division has talked with many people around the program, including repairers, vendors, dealer associations and those involved with Parts Trader to gather more information.
Moss’ update focused on the Mechanical Division’s look at parts quality and education and training. It also has looked at communicating better with Gen X and Gen Y.
“We need the influx of new faces and new thought patterns in our business,” he says. “We tried to educate ourselves and our membership on how to best communicate, best interface with them, and across the counter. They’re a huge buying power.”
Bob Redding, ASA’s Washington, D.C., representative, gave a brief update, including a look at how the election could change Congress’ makeup, including on the House Financial Services Committee, and some state legislation. He expects to see some airbag legislation in the beginning of 2013.
He also anticipates more salvage pool bills and more environmental bills relating to mechanical repairers in 2013.
“Those kinds of things were seeing more and more of, where we don’t have a baseline licensing in a state or at the federal level, more and more (local municipalities) are taking that into their own hands,” Redding says.
Pyle also addressed the event as a whole ahead of his closing press conference on Saturday. He noted that some changes were made this year to give more business training to the attendees, including the Mechanical Management Symposium on Thursday and having a business-focused keynote address.
“(Dick Cross) really honed in on what all of us are really concerned with today, which is trying to run a better business, and doing the job at the top more effectively,” Pyle says.
Also included in that is the virtual 20 Group, Twenty 2.0., which had its first meeting Friday. “We had our first session with the group. It was more of an exploratory session to see what the proposed participants would like to see,” he states.
That group will roll out in January.
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