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Call for Board of Director Nominations
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ASCCA is asking members desirous of running for a position on the ASCCA Board of Directors to fill out the application below. This is a two-year term commencing January 1, 2014. Please complete the application and profile and return to ASCCA Executive Director, Jackie Miller at jmiller@amgroup.us or via fax at (916) 444-7462 no later than AUGUST 19, 2013. You may contact ASCCA staff at gpeterson@amgroup.us if you have questions.
Click here for Board of Directors Application.
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NASTF Fall 2013, Spring 2014 Meetings Scheduled
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The National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) Fall 2013 General Meeting will be held 1 PM - 4:30 PM (Pacific), Wednesday, November 6, 2013 during AAPEX/SEMA in Las Vegas. Information for this event is available at www.nastf.org. NASTF General Meetings provide a rare opportunity for aftermarket technicians and shop owners to interact directly with key service operations managers employed by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) automakers.
The NASTF General Meeting Planning Committee expects to release the Spring 2014 agenda and registration information in December. The event is scheduled for 1 PM to 4:30 PM (Pacific), Thursday, March 20 in the Doubletree Hotel Seattle Airport.
NASTF was established in 2000 to identify, communicate and resolve gaps in the availability and accessibility of automotive service information, service training, diagnostic tools, and equipment for the benefit of automotive service professionals and their customers. NASTF was incorporated in 2006 as a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit organization. Additional details can be found at www.nastf.org.
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Nominate a Member of the Month
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The ASCCA Member of the Month is a new recognition & appreciation program developed by your ASCCA Leadership to recognize our members who go above and beyond to support our core purpose: ToElevate and Unite Automotive Professionals and Give them Voice.
Each Member of the Month will receive a certificate and a $50 visa gift card. Additionally, the member will be recognized on the ASCCA website homepage for one month, announced on Team Talk, featured in the WYNTK and in the California Independent.
Send your recommendations for ASCCA Member of the Month to Heather Vigil via email at hvigil@amgroup.us with "Member of the Month Nomination" in the subject line. Include a description of why your nominee should be recognized as ASCCA Member of the Month! Click here for more information and how to send in your Member of the Month nomination. |
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GM Cuts Volt Sticker Price
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General Motors has announced that it will reduce the sticker price of a new Chevy Volt by $5,000, making it the latest electric car to be steeply discounted as automakers battle for buyers. Customers will be able to get the discount on 2014 Volts, reducing the car's starting price from $40,000 to $35,000. Government tax rebates can bring the price down as low as $27,495, GM says.
Pricing and incentives on electric cars have been getting more aggressive recently as automakers try to improve sales. GM has already offered steep rebates on the 2012 and 2013 editions of the Volt. In similar fashion, Nissan and Honda have offered aggressive discounts on their Leaf and Fit EV electric cars.
While automakers often lose money on electric cars, they are nevertheless an important part of the business. California -- the largest auto market in the United States -- requires car makers to sell a certain number of plug-in cars if they wish to do business there.
Even with the built-in tax breaks for eligible buyers, electric vehicles have struggled to gain market share. No more than a few thousand Volts are sold each month in the U.S., a tiny fraction of overall auto sales. According to Kelly Blue Book, GM has sold only 11,643 Volts so far this year. In 2012, GM sold 23,461 of the cars. Nissan's Leaf, which had consistently trailed the Volt in U.S. sales until March this year, has since pulled ahead because of the introduction of a $199 a month lease and increased production at its plant in Tennessee. Leaf sales totaled 11,703 through July, according to tracker Autodata.
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August Member of the Month
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Jack Scrafield, North Hollywood Auto Repair, North Hollywood, CA
In his own words:
"I originally joined ASCCA Chapter 5 Foothill in 1985 as an associate member as I was managing the Los Angeles operations for Mission Uniform Service. Through ASCCA Chapter 5 Foothill I developed many business relationships and numerous friends in the industry. In 1990 I left Mission to pursue another career.
In 1998 I was approached by a good friend that owned No. Hollywood Auto Parts and No. Hollywood Auto Repair. My buddy wanted to focus his efforts on the parts business and asked if I would consider buying his repair business. Since I was the one that enrolled him in membership at Chapter 5 years before, we both knew that I would have a support team in our friends at Chapter 5 with this endeavor.
That is exactly what happened! I immediately became involved with Chapter 5 again to learn from the other successful shop owners. My background was in business, not automotive, so at first it was difficult, costly, frustrating and the process was slow. However, I received only encouragement and direction from my ASCCA mentors. It is important to point out here that involvement and participation are the keys to learning. The more I gave of myself, the more I learned and the more my business grew. There is no "Silver Bullet" in this process for a shop owner. Through ASCCA involvement I was able to pick up bits and pieces of information and ideas via general meetings, board meetings, conferences, and other ASCCA activities that when put together and correctly implemented these components made my automotive business grow. Whether it was choosing a shop management software system, management training company, purchasing a scan tool, developing a work flow system, deciding on a customer retention marketing program, etc., ASCCA members have helped me with these and many more decisions from their invaluable experience. The best part is that now I am in a position to help other new members"
ASCCA members like Jack are shining examples of how One Member CAN Make a Difference! |
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