Driven: Legislative Success in Illinois - and more!

The Voice of the Independent Repair Industry in Illinois

June/July 2018

ASA Illinois Delegation Meets with State Senator TomCullerton to Successfully Oppose Senate Bill

Members Meet with Senator Tom CullertonPictured, from left: Greg Waite, Naper Auto Works; Jason Brennan, Fine Tune Auto Service; Doug McAllister, Douglas Automotive; Mike Larson, My Mechanic; Matt Weber, Clark's Car Care; Senator Tom Cullerton; CJ Powers, Hi-Tech Addison Auto Repair; Abraham Salazar, Salazar's Auto Repair; and Donna Kelly and Deb Bullwinkel, ASA Illinois

We are the Voice of the Independent Automotive Repair Shop in Illinois

ASA Illinois continues to monitor State legislation, and advocates on behalf of our members. Earlier this year ASA Illinois found out about a State Senate Bill that would have made life miserable for our member shops by mandating that we post fees for labor, diagnostics and all commonly used parts. The association responded immediately and a group of our members met with Senator Tom Cullerton who was sponsoring the bill. We were able to help him understand why the law he was proposing was a very bad idea. Thankfully, we were able to kill that State Bill. Had we not acted as the voice of the independent automotive repair shops in Illinois, we may all have been saddled with a horrible new State law that would have created much confusion for our shop customers.

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Letter from the PresidentMichael Kenyon, Jr., K & S Automotive in ElginPresident of ASA Illinois

This summer is in full swing and I hope everyone finds their bays full of customer vehicles needing repairs. At our shop we have been blessed with an abundance of work.

2018 has been exciting for ASA Illinois members. We had ourfirst HOTT events and they were a great success with theclasses full of technicians eager to learn from a few of thetop trainers in our area. We have the dates set for fall and are working on dates forwinter, and registration will open soon. Our first Leadership Summit is set for thisOctober, with Aaron Stokes coming up from Tennessee to share his knowledge of leadingthe charge into a successful future for shop owners. Registration is open and moreinformation is in this newsletter. Be sure to check out what Dave Hinz is doing in ourCrystal Lake Chapter - GROW-A-TECH Scholarships.

As we reach the half way point for 2018 we are reaching out to all the vendors thatprovide support through the year to continue their commitment to our members byrenewing their associate membership in ASA Illinois. We also welcome support from newvendor members, and have a number of great opportunities available to reach ourmember shops through sponsorship.

If you haven't seen the news, ASA-Midwest is making some changes to better serve theirmembers. I have included these links so our membership can stay informed. Click hereto link to the ASA-Midwest press release that was sent to their membership on 6-15-2018. We also received a press release from ASA's National office (click here tolink) later that same day.

I hope your shops have a great summer and you find the time to enjoy some fun andworthwhile summer activities.

Leadership Summit Set for Friday, October 12 How to Grow: Taking Your Shop to the Next Level

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the acclaimed trainer AaronStokes ready to lead ourshop owners and managersin a day of important andinspiring information at our2018 Leadership Summit!"How to Grow: Taking YourShop to the Next Level" willshow you the simple processto success, breaking it downstep by step.

Bring your hot topics to cover and Aaron will include these to give the most value to you.We will also:

Discuss the step-by-step process to successRebut the myths about growing a shopShare systems to make shop life easier Learn how to sell betterDiscover how to find good techs and when to hire techsAnd more

Special Early Bird Registration Rates are available only through August:$195 for ASA Members$295 for Non-membersCost will increase 35% on September 1: $265 Members; $365 Non-membersRegister now to take advantage of the early bird rates!

Aaron, the founder of Shop Fix Academy, is an operationalguru with a unique business and leadership philosophy thathas led his business to great heights. Aaron has grown hisbusiness, AutoFix and EuroFix, from a one-car garage to a six-shop operation that is widely regarded as one of the top repairbusinesses in the country.

Register Now Online at ASAillinois.org or byclicking HERE to our Registration Site.

Leadership Summit Set for Friday, October 12How to Grow: Taking Your Shop to the Next Level

ASA Illinois is proud to have

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More H.O.T.T. events coming in September & October!

In April, we hosted two successful Hands-On Tech Training HOTT events at the College ofDuPage and Triton College. These all-day events featured top instructors Ken Zanders,Kevin Leiby and Louie Nelson, and were sponsored by Advance Professional and CarquestTraining Institute.

"This was absolutely the best way to learn and retain,"stated one attendee. "The instructor helped us learn bydoing." Another participant stated, "This was anoutstanding class. I learned a lot of new tricks andprocedures."

Additional HOTT events are scheduled for Saturdays thisfall -- September 29, October 6 and October 20, andmore will follow in January 2019. Class sizes will belimited to just 16 per class, so register as soon aspossible as these hands-on courses will sell out quickly!

Register online or get more information at ASAillinois.org.

Online Registration will open soon for the Fall HOTT events. The special early bird rateof just $195 for ASA members will be available through September 1. Watch for moreinformation about hands-on course details and special subscription rates forregistering for more than one course!

Hands-On Training Events a Great Success!

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Dave Hinz leads our CrystalLake Chapter (shown with

Doug McAllister)

Our Crystal Lake Chapter Awards $8,300 in Scholarships to 15 students in the automotive technology program at McHenry County College. Shown are student scholarship recipients and vendor sponsors.

Member Spotlight!Dave Hinz, Mastertek Auto Repair

The ASA Illinois Grow-a-Tech Student Scholarship Program, now in its second year, was created by Dave Hinz, owner ofMastertek Auto Repair in Algonquin.

"We are doing this for the kids who are the future of ourindustry," states Hinz. "The program does much more thanprovide scholarships for students pursuing careers in theautomotive industry. The program increases awareness for kidsand parents about careers in automotive repair, helps studentsfind a learning and career path, and provides mentors byconnecting students with key industry vendors and top shop owners."

At Mastertek, Dave employs several young technicians and interns, and has created a culture of learning and growth in his shop over the past 16 years. Dave is the chapter leader for our Crystal Lake Chapter of ASA Illinois, chapter leader for Autowares CSC, and is on the advisory board for the MCC automotive technology program.

Grow-A-Tech Scholarship Program Awards $8,300 inStudent Scholarships

At our recent Grow-a-Tech Scholarship event at McHenry County College (MCC), fifteenstudents were awarded scholarships between $350 and $1,100 each. ASA Illinois shopowners and many key automotive repair industry vendors networked with studentspursuing careers in the automotive industry.

Since 1949, Mark's Auto Service has been a locally family owned business. Many of our technicians are ASE Master Certified and are continuously seeking education and investing in the latest equipment to keep up with the fast changing technology in vehicles on the road today.

Gottman's Automotive Service autoservicerepairrockford.com

Since 1997, Gottman's Automotive Service is absolutely committed to high-quality auto repair work and friendly, honest customer service. We are a highly professional team that's passionate about automobiles.

Do YOU have a story to tell?We want to hear from YOU! Email us your shop story, and we might include you in an upcoming newsletter!

Click the link for an easy-to-use form. =>click here

Do you have Photos or Information to post on the ASA Illinois Website, Social Media pages or include in the newsletter?Send us your news and photos!

Do you have our most current ASA logo on your Shop's Website? If not, email us for that!

Click here to email us

Contact ASA Illinois today at 708.848.4220 or click here to email us!

STAY CONNECTED with ASA Illinois! Follow Us on Facebook

Welcome New Members!This month we welcomed two new members to our Rockford Chapter! Thank you for your membership, and we'll see you on Wednesday, June 20 at our Rockford Chapter Meeting at Lino's!

Mark's Auto Servicemarksautorockford.com

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THANK YOU ASA Illinois Annual Sponsors!