President’s ARA President’s Chat
I can tell you here in Iowa, as I am writing this, we have more rain than snow – over four inches of rain, which we heard reported equals 85 inches of snow. I hope the weath- er in your area has been as nice as here in Iowa. The only thing about nice weather is that cars don’t wreck as often.
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This issue is about the Convention and all that took place in Charlotte last October. Personally, I really enjoyed my stay in Charlotte. It was great to have my family witness as I became the President of the ARA. My family not only was able to have fun and enjoy conversation with all involved in this great industry, but they also got to see for themselves that while being on the Executive Committee of ARA takes up a lot of time, it is a worthwhile endeavor. So many meetings; Not enough time. But we did have a great time in the ARA Presidential Suite, and stayed up way too late having some pro- ductive “after the meeting” conversation in the room.
The ARA staff and the committee should be commended for another great inform- ative show. I know that anytime I attend a convention I always learn something new that can hopefully help our business sell more parts. With the price of scrap hitting below the bottom, now is the time for auto recyclers to get back to the basics and concentrate on selling more parts. We have to make sure that our game is on and we are ready to take care of all of our existing customers and potential new customers. If you are not concentrating on marketing, there were several seminars on where mar- keting is today and where it is going to be into the future. You need to be selling parts on the Internet and we have lots of vendors that can help you do that, today. ARA once again hosted a great trade show. With over 100 booths, there should be something there that you needed to see to help your business. If you were unable to attend, check out
www.araexpo.org/2015/#exhibitors. At the trade show, we had a variety of vendors that were there to help you make more money, get more organized and, hopefully, keep ahead of the competition. There are other ways to sell parts, too. Cores. In this day and age you need to concentrate on those cores. I can tell you that it has made a difference in our business, and the rebuilders want to buy our cores. They want the OEM take-off part. That is what we have. We have good stuff.
The ARA convention is a great place to connect with friends in the industry – catch up with old friends, remember the friends we have lost, and meet new friends – and discuss this great industry we are in.
I could go on all day and continue to talk about auto recycling. But time to get back to work. Lots to do. Please take a little time out of your day and look at the many com- mittees that ARA has and they all need more input. Today is the day to sign up. ARA is your association. Remember if you don’t tell others what we do, then who will? Happy Auto Recycling! If you saw my Fireside Chat, there will be more to come!
Mike Swift ARA President 2015-2016 4 Automotive Recycling | January-February 2016
appy New Year 2016. Let’s hope for sure this is a good year for the Automotive Recycling Industry and for your business.
ARA Officers
Comments By Mike Swift, ARA President
Swift’s Trails End Auto Recycling Des Moines, IA
PRESIDENT Mike Swift
mike@trailsendauto.com
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT RD Hopper
Sonny’s Auto Salvage Jacksonville, AR
rd@sasparts.com
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT/TREASURER David Gold
david@standardautowreckers.com SECRETARY
Standard Auto Wreckers Scarborough, ON Canada
jonathan@mmauto.com
Jonathan Morrow M & M Auto Parts, Inc. Stafford, VA
Young’s Auto Center & Salvage/Car Crushers Benson, NC
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Ricky Young
ricky@youngsautocenter.com
ARA Executive Staff & Contractors ARA Headquarters • (571) 208-0428
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER & PUBLISHER Michael E. Wilson
michael@a-r-a.org Ext. 14
DIRECTOR OF MEMBER SERVICES & CAR PROGRAM Kelly Badillo
kelly@a-r-a.org Ext. 26
DIRECTOR OF STATE & GRASSROOTS AFFAIRS Jessica T. Andrews
Jessica@a-r-a.org Ext. 23
DIRECTOR OF POLICY & POLITICAL AFFAIRS Delanne Bernier
Delanne@a-r-a.org Ext. 18
MEETING & EXPOSITION PLANNER Kimberly Glasscock (615) 223-6656
kglasscock@awardwinningevents.com
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Maria Miller
maria@a-r-a.org Ext. 10
ACCOUNTANT John Caponiti
john@a-r-a.org Ext. 16
GOLD SEAL PROGRAM, CONSULTANT Ginny Whelan (239) 362-1283
ginny@araeducation.org AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLING MAGAZINE
EDITORIAL, DESIGN, AND ADVERTISING SALES Caryn Smith
Driven By Design LLC (239) 225-6137
ARAEditor@comcast.net
For advertising, editorial, or production information, e-mail
ARAEditor@comcast.net or call (239) 225-6137.
www.a-r-a.org
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