ASA-Ohio

COLLEYVILLE, TEXAS, Feb. 9, 2012 – The Automotive Service Association (ASA) will hold its next annual business meeting May 7-8 at the Grand Hyatt DFW International Airport, located at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport in North Texas.

On the agenda will be open meetings of the ASA affiliate assembly and board of directors. Ron Pyle, ASA president and chief staff executive, will deliver a state-of-the-association address during a Tuesday luncheon, and a new chairman of the ASA board of directors will be sworn in during the event. In addition, ASA will again host an Association Leadership Summit event, following up from previous sessions held during ASRW|NACE|CARS 2010 and 2011, and ASA’s annual business meeting last year.

All ASA members are invited to attend the open meetings during the event. Check out the Events section of www.ASAshop.org for the latest developments. Additional information about the event, including registration information, will be announced soon.

The Automotive Service Association is the largest not-for-profit trade association of its kind dedicated to and governed by independent automotive service and repair professionals. ASA serves an international membership base that includes numerous affiliate, state and
chapter groups from both the mechanical and collision repair segments of the automotive service industry.

ASA advances professionalism and excellence in the automotive repair industry through education, representation and member services. For additional information about ASA, including past news releases, go to www.ASAshop.org, or visit ASA’s legislative website at www.TakingTheHill.com.

WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 8, 2012 – U.S. Reps. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., recently introduced H.R. 3889, the Promoting Automotive Repair, Trade and Sales (PARTS) Act in the House of Representatives. The bill would amend the U.S. design patent law to change the
period of design patent protection for automakers from 14 years to 30 months.

Both members serve on the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet. Lofgren introduced auto parts patent legislation in the last Congress.

The new subsection reads as follows:

            “It shall not be an act of infringement of such design patent to make or offer to sell within the United States, or import into the United States, any article of manufacture that is similar or the same in appearance to the component part that is claimed in such design patent if the purpose of such article of manufacture is for the repair of a motor vehicle so as to restore such vehicle to its appearance as originally manufactured; and after the expiration of a period of 30 months beginning on the first day on which any such component part is first offered to the public for sale as part of a motor vehicle in any country, it shall not be an act of infringement of such design patent to use or sell within the United States any article of manufacture that is similar or the same in appearance to the component part that is claimed in such design patent if the purpose of such article of manufacture is for the repair of a motor vehicle so as to restore such vehicle to its appearance as originally manufactured.”

“Competition is the hallmark of our free market system,” Issa said. “Consumers have dozens of choices in electronics, food, service, clothing and other products – this same array of choices, across all price points, should also extend to automotive repair parts.”

To view the full text of this legislation, visit ASA’s legislative website at www.TakingTheHill.com.

WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 2, 2012 – President Barack Obamahas proposed to Congress a $48 billion legislative package to aid small-business growth. The administration’s package:

• Eliminates taxes on capital gains from investments in small businesses

• Provides a 10 percent tax credit for companies that create jobs or increase wages this year

• Doubles the amount of startup expenses entrepreneurs can deduct from taxes, from $5,000 to $10,000

• Terminates country-specified immigration caps so that the United States can attract highly skilled workers

• Extends 100-percent, first-year depreciation for one year, effective for qualified property acquired and placed in service before Jan. 1, 2013

• Includes measures that will help businesses access financing consistent with investor protections, including:

•  Raising the offering limit under Regulation A from $5 million to $50 million, coupled with strong investor protections

•  Calling for a national framework that allows entrepreneurs and small businesses to raise capital through “crowdfunding”

•  Calling for changes in how current securities laws and regulations are phased in for smaller, young companies in their first years after going public in an initial public offering (IPO)

•  Increasing the Small Business Investment Company program to allow for up to $4 billion in annual support.

Obama addressed small-business growth in his State of the Union speech, saying: “Most new jobs are created in startups and small businesses. So let’s pass an agenda that helps them succeed… tear down regulations that prevent aspiring entrepreneurs from getting the financing to grow. Expand tax relief to small businesses that are raising wages and creating good jobs. Both parties agree on these ideas.”

To view more information regarding the proposals, visit ASA’s legislative website at www.TakingTheHill.com.

COLLEYVILLE, TEXAS, Feb. 1, 2012 – Elections for the 2012 Automotive Service Association (ASA) national board of directors are being held
now through the end of March.

All regular members in good standing with ASA are eligible to vote for one position of general director; mechanical members may vote for the ASA mechanical division director; and collision members may vote for the ASA collision division director. (Division assignments are made at the time a member joins ASA).

Casting a vote is done by calling a toll-free telephone number or visiting a secure voting site, which may be accessed from ASA’s website (www.ASAshop.org). Whether voting by phone or via the Internet, ASA members will need their member number plus a three-digit personal identification number to vote. More information is available in the February issue of AutoInc. magazine.

The voting line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until voting closes at 5 p.m. Central Time March 31, 2012. Candidate bios and audio campaign messages are also available online by visiting www.ASAshop.org.

ASA-Ohio is happy to announce that two members have received scholarships to attend Automotive Service and Repair Week in Orlando, Florida, October 5-8. James Noe, manager for Nagy’s Collision Specialists, Orrville, Ohio, is the recipient of this year’s Richard Cossette/Gale Westerlund Memorial Scholarship. Donald Schnitzler, owner, Don’s Auto Repair, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio., is the recipient of the “Tom B. Babcox Memorial Scholarship.”

James Noe

Noe has worked in the collision industry for more than 6 years and is currently working on completing the necessary requirements to earn the Institute’s Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation. He is I-CAR trained and holds several ASE certifications. When not working in the shop, he contributes his time to various community and industry organizations.

“The opportunity to attend the education and network with other industry professionals enables me to become a better manager and leader,” said Noe.

Don Schnitzler

Schnitzler has worked in the automotive service industry for 13 years and a shop owner for the past year and a half. He is currently working on completing the necessary requirements to earn the Institute’s Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation. When not working in the shop, he contributes his time to various community and industry organizations.

“I’m honored to be selected as the recipient of the Tom B. Babcox Scholarship and to be given this opportunity to improve my management skills,” said Schnitzler. “I wish to thank AMI and Babcox Publications for their commitment to education and training.”

Each year the Automotive Management Institute (AMI) with the help of corporate and private sponsors provide six scholarships to ASA members and their employees. The recipients receive $1,000 to be applied to the expenses of attending educational sessions and view the latest technologies and equipment at the International Autobody Congress and Exposition (NACE) and the Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS).

Columbus – The Ohio Board of Motor Vehicle Collision Repair Registration, in conjunction with the Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s Office, the Belmont County Common Pleas Court and the Belmont County Sheriff’s Department, carried out a court order Wednesday to lock down an illegal auto repair facility.

An injunction was granted against Caz Krupinski, owner of Martin’s Auto Service in Lansing for failing to register with the Board. When the owner failed to meet the registration requirements after the injunction, the Board filed a “Contempt of Court” complaint. The Court issued a deadline for the owner to become compliant with the Board and pay back fees. When the deadline passed without compliance, the Board was granted a “Lock-down” order. The business will remain locked down until it becomes registered.

Michael Greene, Executive Director of the agency, indicated, “Enforcement efforts against illegal repair facilities have increased, and that trend will continue. It is not the Board’s intention to close down repair shops, but rather bring them into compliance with state and federal regulations.” He added, “It’s a consumer issue, and I would suggest everyone visit our website at www.collisionboard.ohio.gov prior to selecting a repair facility. Consumers can check for registered shops at our e-licensing verification link, and learn the rights of a motorist when seeking auto repairs.”

The Ohio Board of Motor Vehicle Collision Repair Registration was created in 1999 to regulate the collision repair industry and provide consumer protection. The Board is entirely funded by registration fees from collision shops, auto glass businesses, paintless dent repair companies and airbag replacement units throughout Ohio. The Board is made up of five collision repair shop owners, one mechanical repair shop owner, and one person to represent the public, who has no financial interest in the auto repair industry.