Chairman's Message
|
Bill Maggs, Chairman
2011-12 AWDA Board of Governors
|
Aftermarket Distribution: It’s A Great Place to Work!
I am honored to have been chosen by my peers to Chair this great association over the next 12 months. AWDA is an association with an attitude to change and survive, but most important, an association with leadership that strives to provide value for its members and a great industry.
Several years ago the AWDA board of Governors met to develop a strategic plan that reaffirms the value AWDA provides its members. It will be my goal to work with the Board of Governors to insure we continue on our mission to provide Advocacy, Networking, and Leadership to keep the independent aftermarket a vibrant and growing industry.
And we are achieving success!
The truth is, we are all in this room tonight because the aftermarket is a Great Place to Work! The aftermarket employs nearly 4 million people. And AWDA members are a big part of that employment picture.
The future of the aftermarket is bright and the career choices are many. Within our industry, countless opportunities exist in warehouse operations, sales, marketing, inventory and fleet management, information technology, administration, H.R., accounting, financial management, real estate and much more. These jobs are fulfilling and competitive and – significantly - we thrive when other sectors of the economy stumble. If you consider the people and jobs offered in your own companies and the people who you meet at networking events like AWDA and AAPEX, you can’t deny this is a people business that rewards smart and hardworking people.
The problem is, many of these opportunities are unknown – maybe even invisible. One of my goals for AWDA over the next year, we will be to expose and quantify these opportunities, to compile stats about careers in the distribution sector of the Independent Aftermarket.
We will use that data to create fact-based tools for AWDA members to get the message out to career counselors, vocational schools, and community colleges. We will present the facts about employment opportunities, longevity, growth potential and - critically in this economy - job security. The goal of this initiative is to educate students and other potential employees that our industry is a “Great Place to Work”, that AWDA distributors can provide a great place to make a living.
Our business is stable, some say recession proof, and right now business is pretty good. Fact is, history has shown we are a resilient industry. There’s good reason for this. Even with miles-driven down, gas prices up and consumer confidence low - positive momentum is being felt by many in the aftermarket. As we all know, there are fewer dealerships; the average age of the vehicles on the road continues to increase and people are generally resisting the urge to spend mindlessly on new cars. Many car owners who lost dealerships have found their answer at independent shops and we all know who can best serve the independent shops. Yes, there are many factors in play, but overall, Independent Distribution is working successfully to gain the business.
Yes – It is a GREAT place to Work.
So our challenge now is to keep the aftermarket a Great Place to Work. That’s where your trade associations come in and where your support becomes most critical. The fact is, all of you plus many of your constituents back home, need to help your Association, and through them, your industry and your businesses. Yes…I’m talking politics. You really need to learn to understand the issues and how to communicate them to your legislators. There were several training sessions offered at this year’s AAPEX Show and AAIA’s Legislative Action Center is always available on the website.
If you have not contributed to our Political Action Committee and are eligible…please consider doing so. The 365 Club asks you to donate $365 a year – just $1 a day - to increase awareness on Capitol Hill for our industry’s issues. It’s a small price to pay to help the aftermarket and your businesses. I’m proud to report that during Fall Leadership days AWDA and AIA took the honors of contributing the most money to our industry’s PAC. A special shout out to the Alliance for its members’ support of our PAC this past year. But all of us can do better, much better.
Please try to participate in the AAIA Legislative Summit in Washington DC, March 14-15th, 2012. It’s a terrific event that gives you the opportunity to personally lobby your Senators and Representatives, to describe who we are and why our industry needs to remain a Great Place to Work!
Another way to keep opportunity alive in our industry is through operational efficiency. I would like to thank all of the early adopters of AWDA MCR PIES format. This program, started by Willi Alexander, builds on common ground – with all of the program groups accepting a common data format. This project is just a year old, but through the efforts of AWDA distributors and manufacturers, the number of compliant suppliers has grown tremendously and is nearing 100. If you have not jumped on this bandwagon yet…get with it!
AWDA has just introduced another major initiative to enhance efficiency in our industry – this time in the area of labor claims processing. You will hear and read a lot about this project over the coming months. But the bottom line is this: through standardization and simplification, we are helping to reduce the massive cost of dealing with claims related to failed or damaged parts; a cost that is being borne by all of us: shops, WDs and manufacturers.
I can assure you that my group, National Pronto, is on board with this project and we will be working closely with the other major groups to develop the same impressive level of support that we saw with the PIES initiative.
Education can also help make this a Great Place To Work. We have all said it one time or another, “We just can’t seem to get the shops in for training.” Now is our opportunity to attend training – the question is will we? There is always a very robust training program at AAPEX and for the big picture, AWDA members should consider attending the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium in May. The registration fees support the GAAS Scholarship program, helping educate young people who want to make a future living in the aftermarket, which by the way, is a Great Place to Work!
And speaking of Work, I am looking forward to getting it done with your board of governors, Larry Northup and the AAIA/AWDA staff in the upcoming year. I plan to push them hard, but know that everyone is up to the task, as they always have.
I would also like to acknowledge my wife of 30 years, Stella, who has inspired me to remember that “excuses only sound good to those who make them”; to my father, Jake Maggs, who introduced me to this business when I was about 5 and helped me see it truly is a people business. You really can have fun and work at the same time.
And of course the Pronto Board of Director’s, members and staff for their support.
Finally, thanks to all of you for your confidence in me and your commitment to this great industry and our association!