Yudu - July/August 2018

President’s Comments By ARA President David Gold

The Greater Good

s summer kicks into high gear, I want to report that Interim ARA CEO Sandy Blalock, the ARA staff, volunteers and your Executive Committee are actively engaged in initiatives that will better the situation for all auto recyclers. It’s hard for any of us to accept that change for the better within an association is not snap-your-fi ngers quick, yet we are all committed to collaborating, learning from mistakes, and moving swiftly and positively forward. One important improvement going forward for those engaged auto recyclers who are ARA volunteers is the initiative we have undertaken recently for better communication between the committees and the Board. We value that each committee representative brings some- thing unique to the table. We hope that this improved communication will facilitate a team- based collaborative approach and will be helpful to the heightened demands of volunteers. Being accountable to the greater good of a membership organization on such a high-level is a humbling task for any Executive Director, President or Executive Committee member. Anyone who has been involved in making ARA what it is today understands the deep passion we have to give back and promote the association to which we owe so much of our success. Your leadership team strives diligently to be as active as possible at industry meetings and participate on committee calls. At all times, I can attest we have the best future interests for the Association at heart. We see change coming quick, just like you do. We work to hone our efforts towards initiatives that will be most benefi cial to you to meet change with confi dence. This special pre-convention issue is important because as a collective group – and especially your dedicated Events Advisory Committee led by Steve Holland, Becky Berube and Kim Glasscock – we want to make sure that we not only provide a glimpse of what is to come, but also share our plans and vision for a very inclusive and welcoming 75th Annual ARA Conven- tion & Expo! We are sincere in our invitation that “everyone is welcome,” including new members or new attendees, small or large facilities and any size in between. Whether you have attended or par- ticipated on committees in the past, or are waiting to be voluntold to do so (that’s a new word for the Webster’s Dictionary, soon, I’m sure), we would love for you to attend and help celebrate with us our Association’s milestone 75th anniversary.

And, this year truly is a celebration. As we honor (with good reason) the legacy of the asso- ciation and those that helped make it great, we are making sure to blend that history with a new twist to add as much value for each convention attendee as possible. In short, we are em- bracing networking on a more robust level and tailoring sessions that will inspire questions, comments, and feedback from the membership on what’s important to them. In the meantime, at corporate headquarters we are improving our association manage- ment. We have just begun to integrate a new system to better support all membership activ- ities. This will allow us a more seamless approach at the staff level to assist members accord- ingly – and even offer new invoicing options, as well! Most importantly, we see this new tool as a way to facilitate better member-to-member communication, inside a comprehensive and real-time membership-driven website for us all to use and benefi t from. We want to grow the membership base exponentially in the next 12 months and I know we can do it with your help! The ARA leadership works to collaborate with many recyclers and stakeholders to gain needed insight to help pave the way for a larger, stronger membership. We believe that the relationship with the OEMs and the recyclers will be one of mutual ben- efi t – and that is a line of thought that the Executive Committee hopes to share more about in Orlando. Also, our fi rst ARA Advisory Council meeting will be held at the convention as we look to brainstorm with the key stakeholders and vendors to the industry that we need to be successful, just as they root for our success!

Please feel free to reach out to me at any time! I will see you in sunny Orlando! David Gold 2017-2018 ARA President 4 July-August 2018 • AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLING

ARA Offi cers

Standard Auto Wreckers Scarborough, ON Canada davidgold@fenixparts.com

FIRST VICE PRESIDENT jonathan@mmauto.com

SECOND VICE PRESIDENT/TREASURER Chad Counselman

Counselman Automotive Recycling, LLC Mobile, AL

chad@counselmanauto.com SECRETARY

Robertson’s Auto Salvage, Inc. Wareham, MA

jr@robertsonparts.com

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT R.D. Hopper

Sonny’s Auto Salvage Jacksonville, AR rd@sasparts.com

ARA Executive Staff & Contractors ARA Headquarters • (571) 208-0428

INTERIM CEO & PUBLISHER Sandy Blalock sandy@a-r-a.org