Auto Care Industry Takes To ‘The Hill’

The Auto Care Association kicked off its Fall Leadership days today in Washington, D.C., which will be followed by the association’s Legislative Summit tomorrow on Capitol Hill.

Following committee meetings, the Auto Care Association presented a number of awards today in D.C. At the awards ceremony, the Association awarded the “4 for the Future Impact award. This award recognizes aftermarket professionals who are under the age of 40 and have displayed extraordinary leadership and made remarkable strides in our industry.

The winners were:

Ashlee Arnold, vice president, Arnold Oil Company of Austin;
Ethan Bregger, training content and curriculum manager, DRiV;
Jacki Lutz; head of global market communications and intelligence, Sensata Technologies; and
Ryan Samuels; vice president, Samuels Inc.

E. Fletcher Lord Jr. accepts his award from Bill Hanvey.

The Mort Schwartz Ward for Excellence in Education went to E. Fletcher Lord Jr., chairman of Replacement Parts Inc., while the. 2019 Auto Care Association ACE Award went to RPI in the large company category and Aspen Auto Clinic in the small company category.

This year’s Legislative Summit, taking place tomorrow, has garnered record attendance, with more than 300 participants making their voices heard on Capitol Hill. A preparatory briefing before Congressional visits will include training on how to conduct a meeting with a senator or representative, as well as facts and figures on the impact of the aftermarket on those states.

Each state delegation will be talking about two key issues. First and foremost, will be the data issue and how important it is that an individual owner should have the rights to their vehicle’s data and who is allowed to access that vehicle for vehicle repairs. Second is the effect tariffs could have on our industry. Both of these issues not only affect businesses in the space but ultimately raise the cost for owners in maintaining their vehicles. This could result in delayed or ignored safety repairs.

A major announcement at the event was that the Auto Care Association and the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association have signed a partnership agreement to work together on the new “Your Car. Your Data. Your Choice” campaign. This was heralded as an unprecedented move by the two associations. For more details on this announcement, see today’s news story.