Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper’s Service Center Advisory Council has put another successful meeting on the books. Valvoline hosted the eight-man council for its semiannual four-day meeting Oct. 8-11 in Lexington, Kentucky. 

Shop owners from across the U.S. and Canada joined representatives from the Alliance’s product, sales, and marketing departments as well as the Sales & Marketing Committee chairman for fun, a tour of the Valvoline headquarters, and several discussions on potential enhancements and improvements to the Alliance’s Certified Service Center (CSC) program. 

The meeting kicked off Tuesday with arrivals and dinner, followed by a full day of events Wednesday. The attendees enjoyed a tour of Valvoline’s beautiful, fittingly V-shaped world headquarters and lunch. That afternoon the group’s meeting focused on product and program elements for Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper. They enjoyed an evening of dinner and MB2 Grand Prix Racing.

“What an honor and a privilege it was to be hosted by Valvoline, this proud American automotive supplier,” said Bill Nalu, shop owner at Interstate Auto Care in Madison Heights, Michigan. “I was particularly struck by how innovation is woven in and through the people and the products of this 150-year-young company. As a company that is first-to-market in countless categories, they get the last word on where we take mass transportation tomorrow and beyond.”

On Thursday, Valvoline again hosted the group for a morning tour of its Research and Testing Lab. That afternoon, the Council visited the Woodford Reserve distillery, learned about the process of making the Kentucky bourbon while enjoying a tasting of the iconic spirit. Following the distillery stop, they headed over to Keeneland for horse racing during the track’s fall meet. The group finished up the day with dinner at Goodfellas in Lexington’s Distillery District.  

“What a fantastic meeting we had at Valvoline headquarters. Valvoline’s Director of Marketing Christa Bryant was the star of the show. She was on top of every move we made from our working meeting to our entertainment,” said Fred White, shop owner of Miles Auto Service in Sewell, New Jersey. “Seeing the products at work in the lab demonstrated by the chemists who create them, was another highlight. I will now be using these great Valvoline products at my shop as well as sharing this experience with the other CSCs in my area.”

The Council regrouped Friday morning to discuss the Certified Service Center program. They worked on developing program elements, discussed challenges they face as shop owners, and shared a few of the tactics that help them achieve success in their own markets. 

“I thought this meeting was great,” said Joe Miles, owner of Kaiser Tire and Auto in Louisville, Kentucky. “Having Moog Louisville Warehouse owner Doug Washbish involved brought more to the table. It’s nice to get a different perspective on things from the warehouse distribution level. It’s also important for owners and warehouse distributors to hear directly from us on the council. Our host company, Valvoline, could not have been any better. The trip was outstanding. What a great channel partner to have on our side!” 

Council members are selected by their warehouse distributors and appointed by the Alliance to the council based on their high-quality shop operations. Each member serves for two years, with an annual rotation replacing half the members. All members are either Auto Value, Bumper to Bumper or Confidence Plus Certified Service Centers.

For more information go to www.autovalue.com or www.bumpertobumper.com.