Northwood University honored Collin Francis, vice president of sales & marketing, U.S., at Spectra Premium, with a 2019 Automotive Aftermarket Management Education Award (AAMEA). The event, held at the Venetian Hotel this week during AAPEX, recognized his achievements toward his alma mater.
In addition to his tenure on Northwood University’s Aftermarket Advisory Board that started this year, Francis’ involvement as a mentor to the BMW Project Car furthered the university’s cause of aftermarket education and helped the students of the Northwood University Aftermarket Club (NUAC) gain important real-life skills beyond the classroom.
“I am grateful to be in a position to give back to my alma mater, and I enjoyed working with the students,” said Francis. “It was a privilege to help guide them as they achieved their goal from the beginning when they first presented to Project 100 all the way to bringing a fully-functioning car here at AAPEX. Initiatives like this one foster and develop talent from Northwood University in order to improve the industry.”
Over the course of nine months, these students revamped an 80’s BMW with aftermarket parts. They started by approaching companies for support, then proceeded to bring the car back to life themselves. The 1989 BMW E30 is on display at the Sands Expo for the duration of the AAPEX.
Collin graduated from Northwood University in Marketing, Business Management (2007) and earned a Master of Business Administration degree from DeVos Graduate School at Northwood University (2010).
