11.29.21 – Last month, the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey (AASP/NJ) hosted its Annual Meeting at the Gran Centurions Banquet Hall in Clark, NJ. As part of its yearly proceedings, the association pays special tribute to various industry members by presenting a number of awards. This year’s Russ Robson Scholarship, created in memory of the former AASP/NJ president, was presented to Gavin Danitz of Compact Kars, Inc. (Clarksburg).

Robson was president of the association during the formative years when the Garden State Automotive Federation transitioned to AASP/NJ and was well known in the industry for his dedication and training of others. The scholarship award in his honor is presented to a promising young person working in a member shop. This year’s award was presented by AASP/NJ Treasurer Tom Elder and Robson’s wife, Luci.

“I was honored to present the vo-tech scholarship award honoring my late husband,” Luci Robson comments. “I am proud that he was part of AASP/NJ, an organization which works for the betterment of the collision repair industry.”

“One of the things that Russ was very adamant about was trying to provide training for young people coming into our industry,” AASP/NJ Treasurer Tom Elder recalled during the ceremony. “He taught at a vocational school, and he’d tell us, ‘We’re never going to get through this together unless we have trained help. Today, I can’t even begin to understand how we’re going to get enough people trained to help with those roles we need filled; between people leaving, retiring, moving on or finding they can make more money at McDonald’s than as skilled labor, it’s very difficult to attract young people to this industry. Russ had the right idea many years ago.

“Russ Robson was our friend, and in his memory, we give away the Russ Robson Award every year,” Elder continued, noting, “This year hits close to home. My son Jeffrey is here with his son, Gavin – the recipient of this award. So, here we have three generations, and hopefully, Gavin will be involved in our business. Right now, he’s working in our business as a high school senior with excellent grades. This is a very prestigious award, and Gavin, you’ve very much earned this award. Congratulations!”

Danitz was presented with a plaque during the ceremony, and he will also receive scholarship funds to use toward his ongoing education and training in the collision repair industry.

“I’m enjoying my experience working at Compact Kars,” Danitz shared. “I’ve been around cars basically my entire life, and I’ve always had a passion for it. I love the working environment, I love working on cars, and I love solving problems. I want to continue to better myself, and I’m very honored to have the opportunity to win this award. Thank you to everyone who made this possible.”

For more information on the AASP/NJ Annual Meeting, please stay tuned for coverage in the December 2021 issue of New Jersey Automotive, which will be available at grecopublishing.com.

For more information on AASP/NJ, visit aaspnj.org.