NESSARA Joins ASA As 'Supporting Association' Member

COLLEYVILLE, Texas – The Automotive Service Association (ASA) has announced the New England Service Station & Auto Repair Association (NESSARA) as its newest “supporting association” member. ASA launched this membership category earlier this year to encourage unity among industry groups as they address common issues.

NESSARA was created in 1974 to protect and enhance the rights of small service stations, repair facilities, convenience stores, tire dealers, car washes and related automotive service groups. It remains the largest recognized 501c (6) non-profit organization supporting the automotive industry in New England.

“NESSARA is excited to become a supporting association of ASA,” said Rusty Savignac, NESSARA president and co-owner of Paxton Garage Inc. in Paxton, Mass. “While we have collaborated closely in the past, particularly with respect to ‘Right to Repair,’ we feel that it’s critical that the two groups interact to remain on top of industry issues on a regional and national level for the benefit of our members. The landscape is changing fast with automotive electronics and the ‘connected car’ – and the independent needs to be prepared for the opportunities offered by these innovations. No better way to be prepared for the ‘connected car’ than to be connected.”

Dan Risley, ASA president and executive director, added, “ASA is proud to welcome NESSARA as a supporting association. They represent a strong group of automotive service repair professionals in the Northeast. We have a history of working together with NESSARA. The results have produced tangible benefits to the industry and our respective associations. We look forward to strengthening our existing relationship to better serve our respective memberships and leveraging our scale legislatively.”

“John Howell, NESSARA’s executive director, and I want to express our gratitude to Donny Seyfer and Dan Risley for their efforts in making this affiliation a reality,” added Savignac.

To learn more about ASA’s supporting association membership program, contact Risley at (817) 514-2912 or [email protected].

Bill Hanvey, Auto Care Association president and CEO, reacted to the USTR four-year review of Section 301 China tariffs.

“We commend the Biden Administration and the USTR for their thorough review of the Section 301 China tariffs that were implemented in 2018 as a way to address China’s unfair trade practices,” said Hanvey. “We applaud our members’ efforts in reducing their reliance on sourcing from China and investing in resilient U.S. supply chains. However, we want to reiterate that tariffs continue to negatively impact our members and the automotive aftermarket industry. Many products lack manufacturing alternatives outside of China due to infrastructure issues, significant investments in tooling and the knowledge to produce a high-quality safety product.