On the Horizon By ARA Interim CEO Sandy Blalock
Inspiring Industry Change I
know most of you are not used to see- ing articles from me in this column, however, my interim position as the CEO of ARA will likely be one of the most fulfilling of my automotive recy- cling career. I look forward to helping forge the future of our Association alongside the dedicated auto recyclers on the Executive Committee and our Board of Directors. As we move forward, ARA leadership is engaged in an enhanced review of our current governance model and all committee operations to assure that we are meeting or exceeding our members and future member expecta- tions. This is not necessarily a bad thing; just a function of change in mindset of what is best for ARA as we move onward and upward. We have faced many challenges in the last few years and will continue to see more challeng- es in the future as the continued evolu- tion of the automo- tive market continues to develop.
Part of this review will include how we empower our management and enhance our staff competence. We are extremely fortunate to have some of the most knowledgeable staff who understands the needs of our mem- bers. We are looking at ways to help them expand and evolve by assuring we have the necessary tools in place to make their jobs easier and allow them more time with member engagement. Our primary functions as the leading association representing the automo- tive recycling market are representa- tion and education. We will strive to
6
I like to think of ARA as the umbrella that works hard to provide the fi rst line of defense for all auto recyclers.
make sure we leave no stone unturned as we fi nd ways to improve the access to all ARA programs by all members. We are also looking for ways to better sup- port our many affi liate organizations to ensure they continue successfully as our grassroots network.
One necessity to assure we meet the required benchmarks will entail rigor- ously defi ning our member market. It’s been a very long time since we have done any type of industry market re- search to understand exactly the current auto recycling market share. We must review this as we move forward to assure all programs moving forward are function- ing, again, in the best interest of all our mem- bers and potential future members. Once we have
the well-defi ned member market analyzed, we can then rationalize our programs and/
or services while we seek to develop and implement the necessary changes required after a careful and thorough review of all information. We will soon be launching a new membership management system in the ARA offi ce that will allow us to inte- grate more effi ciently all management areas of our organization. I ask for your patience as staff undertakes this new challenge in the coming months. We hope that sometime in the next 90 days it will be fully implemented. This new system will help to move ARA into the
new phase of advanced technology re- sources.
By now many of you have received your renewal notices for membership in ARA and we hope that you will con- tinue supporting our industry by re- newing your membership. I also ask that you continue spreading the great news about the exceptional job ARA is doing for auto recyclers worldwide. Of course, we do all this alongside our affi liate partners working hard in their states, provinces and international or- ganizations. I like to think of ARA as the umbrella that works hard to pro- vide the fi rst line of defense for all auto recyclers.
I want to make sure that ARA works hard to maintain a strong member ser- vice culture while aligning all our ser- vices into our mission. We will utilize the pillars of our strategic plan to help keep us focused on our key issues to assure ARA is running effi ciently and effectively to reach our goals. We will utilize data-driven strategies to ensure we continue to meet all bench- marks and move forward with the idea of more organizational adaptability to ensure we carve the path into the fu- ture of our industry. Our members are the heart and soul of our Association, so your success and profi tability are cru- cial defi ners that we have met the most basic needs of our members. Member engagement and alliance building will be at the heart of everything we do moving forward.
Email Sandy Blalock at
sandy@a-r-a.org with your thoughts on this topic and other ideas pertaining to the advancement of professional automotive recycling. Your letter could be published in an upcoming Industry Letters column.
July-August 2018 • AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLING
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64