The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers/New Jersey (AASP/NJ) and the Society of Collision Repairer Specialists (SCRS) will once again co-host their annual East Coast Resolution Forum & Leadership Meeting at this year’s NORTHEAST Automotive Services Show. The meeting, moderated by NYSACT / LIABRA Executive Director Ed Kizenberger, is an outstanding opportunity for market leaders and influential industry representatives to connect with and learn from other state, regional and national association members who are facing similar issues. As has become the norm at this event, the Forum presents the chance for a productive discussion that will benefit the entire industry in the long run. The East Coast Resolution Forum & Leadership Meeting will take place Friday afternoon, March 17 at 1:00pm at the Meadowlands Exposition Center (MEC) in Secaucus, NJ. NORTHEAST 2017, the association’s flagship event, is marking its 40th year as the East Coast’s preeminent automotive services trade show.
In the interest of focusing discussion and further focusing the participants, the 2017 Forum will be limited to collision repairers who are current members of participating trade associations only. Attendees of this event should be prepared to participate, rather than observe. Advance RSVP is required to participate.
“We felt that we could accomplish much more if we kept the participation to collision repairers,” says AASP/NJ President Jeff McDowell. “In the past, we would have outside vendors or the press at the table and the feedback we received from the industry was that they felt that the meeting wasn’t achieving what they thought it could with an open door format. We wanted to change it up this year and see what we’ll be able to accomplish.”
While the Leadership Meeting is sure to address many of the technological advancements to hit the industry in recent times (and some of the common issues they’ve caused), SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg expects to see the afternoon gathering explore an even greater area of concern.
“The resounding response I get from shops when I talk to them about the biggest challenges they face right now is workforce development [and] finding people with the skill set who are capable of addressing the technology that’s pushing this industry forward. I think that’s just as true if you’re in New Jersey, New York or Connecticut as it
is if you’re in California, Texas or Chicago. I think that’s probably one of the biggest common threads facing all of our members at both the national and state levels right now.”
The 2017 NORTHEAST Automotive Services Show will be held March 17-19 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey. Registration is currently open at www.aaspnjnortheast.com. For more information, visit the website, the NORTHEAST Automotive Services Show on Facebook, The NORTHEAST Automotive Services Show on YouTube (www.youtube.com/