Replacement Parts Inc., a founding Bumper to Bumper member of the Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance, was honored with two major awards at the Auto Care Association’s Fall Leadership Days on Sept. 18.
“Replacement Parts Inc. and E. Fletcher Lord are truly deserving of these awards, particularly as the company celebrates its 100th anniversary this year,” said JC Washbish, vice president of sales and marketing for the Alliance. “We are proud to be affiliated with a company that is so committed to education and training.”
E. Fletcher Lord, Jr., chairman of the board of Replacement Parts, won the prestigious Mort Schwartz Award in Education, which is annually given to an individual committed to advancing education in the North American auto care industry. The company as a whole won the association’s Career and Education (ACE) Award for large businesses, which recognizes companies that have invested in the growth of their employees’ knowledge, skills and professional development.
“We’re always evolving our training, and within the past 10 years we’ve doubled the size of our sales and training classes,” said Fletcher Lord III, president of Replacement Parts, Inc. and son of E. Fletcher Lord Jr. “It’s kind of been a drive of my father’s for many years to train and better our people, and by doing this we can grow our customer base. It’s a win-win situation.”
E. Fletcher Lord Jr., an industry veteran of more than 50 years, took over the presidency at Replacement Parts (which also does business as Parts Warehouse, Inc. – PWI – and Crow-Burlingame) in the 1970s. Throughout his time there, his commitment to education and training proved to be a way of life. As Crow-Burlingame expanded its presence from 46 stores at the start of Lord’s presidency to more than 175 today, Lord recognized and utilized training and education programs as a method for demonstrating and furthering the values of integrity, professionalism, customer service and personal success that are an integral part of their enterprise.
PWI, a Bumper to Bumper member of the Alliance, boasts 300 locations and a network of 2,000 people. Throughout its 100 years of business, the company has adapted, changed and grown to meet the challenges of the times, but one constant has always remained: the company’s dedication to education. With E. Fletcher Lord Jr., at its helm, the company employs a number of internal and external tactics to promote education and training, including utilizing Northwood University programs, ASE certification, Alliance-sponsored training, and much more.
“We won an education award a couple years back, so Replacement Parts winning another education award just proves that we’re trying to be the best we can through education,” Fletcher Lord III said. “We have an outstanding team of trainers, it’s not just one person doing one particular class. It’s a huge group who train and continue to push this forward.”
