BETHESDA, MD – Mark Paling of Alvarez & Marsal will kick off the 2006 Aftermarket Financial Symposium (AFS) with a presentation titled "Outsourcing for Success," which will highlight results of the new 2006 Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) Outsourcing Survey. Hosted by AAIA, the 2006 AFS is scheduled for Sept. 26-27 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Chicago.

The survey results, which will be included in the printed materials distributed to AFS attendees, contain findings on outsourcing topics such as:

• Governance and decision-making authority for outsourcing

• Outsourcing as an enabler for growth and profitability strategies

• Strategic and business case goals by functional area

• Perceived versus actual risks when electing to outsource

• Benefits of outsourcing

• Factors impacting outsourcing agreements

Mark Paling serves as national solution leader for Alvarez & Marsal's Outsourcing Advisory Services practice, specializing in helping clients define and implement sourcing strategies that drive performance improvement and enable operational goals across multiple business functions. Alvarez & Marsal is a privately-held global professional services firm that offers a range of professional services including business consulting, turnaround and restructuring advisory, crisis and interim management, performance improvement, transaction advisory, creditor advisory services, corporate finance and tax advisory.

"Outsourcing has proven to help companies drive significant business value, but also presents certain risks and complexities that must be managed," Paling said. "We will discuss lessons learned about outsourcing as it has grown over the last decade, review current market trends and highlight key factors for designing, implementing and managing successful outsourcing transactions."

AFS is geared toward CEOs, CFOs, financial service providers, investment analysts, CPA firms and others with interests in the automotive aftermarket. As an added benefit to attendees, the 2006 AFS has been authorized to offer 12 continuing professional education (CPE) credit hours for financial professionals that participate in both days of the symposium.

For more information on AFS or to register, visit http://www.aftermarket.org, or contact Susan Medick, CFO, AAIA, at 301-654-6664 or e-mail susan.medick@aftermarket.org .