Malcolm Sissmore of Delphi Products & Service Solutions will keynote CAWA's 2016 Gala Dinner to "kick -off" Industry Week in Las Vegas. The gala will be held at Caesar's Palace on Sunday evening October 30, 2016. All proceeds from the event, which is exclusively sponsored by Motorcar Parts of America, will benefit the CAWA Memorial Scholarship Fund (which promotes quality and high standards through education within the auto care industry).

To register for the event click here.

Access to embedded vehicle telematics is a significant issue for the independent auto care industry. Telematics could be either a very real threat to the industry or a tremendous competitive business opportunity. Recently, the Auto Care Association conducted research regarding telematics in preparation for educating consumers, industry members and policy-makers. See the enclosure ( here) to understand the findings of this most important research.

Telematics

 

Electronic retailing, or e-tailing, is the fastest growing trend in the automotive aftermarket, according to the Auto Care Association. The shift to e-tailing in the automotive aftermarket will grow at about 17 percent a year during the next 20 years, from a $6 billion market in 2014. Given those numbers, auto parts e-tailing should reach $13 billion in 2019 and $24 billion in 2024. See more information regarding e-tailing in Richard McKeon's blog ( here).

 

CAWA is proud to announce a new insurance partner in Arizona and Nevada. Reliable Risk Management will actively partner with CAWA by providing exclusive insurance solutions to our members. As your independent broker their team works for you, not the insurance company. Through their current involvement in the auto care industry on a local and national level, they stay current with changes relevant to CAWA Members. For more information on Reliable Risk Management see the enclosure ( here). Another member benefit. 

"Can I drug test my employee who is acting strangely and not answering questions correctly? His behavior is very suspicious." 

Every California employer can require pre-employment drug testing as one of the last steps in the hiring process. Once someone is an employee, however, he/she has a higher expectation of privacy. See the enclosed article ( here) from our colleagues at the California Chamber of Commerce. 

Recall, too, as a CAWA member you can receive up to ½ hour a month of FREE legal consultation on matters such as this. See www.cawa.org for the attorney in your state.   Another member benefit.

AB 2153 ( here) represents a collaborative effort to codify an extremely effective recycling program for lead acid batteries and also enact a method to fund the clean-up of the communities around a former lead acid battery recycling facility in the Los Angeles area, which is in Assemblymember Garcia's district. CAWA, along with the Auto Care Association, Battery Council International and Coalition for Auto Repair Equality (CARE) joined efforts to ensure the legislation addressed the lead contamination problem while not disrupting the current existing successful battery recycling system or imposing fees on the retail industry.  

"The final bill signed by the Governor represents a working compromise which addresses the environmental issues of concern as well protect the current lead acid battery recycling system between retailers and consumers, which boast over a 98% success rate", according to Rodney Pierini, CAWA President & CEO. 

To see Governor Brown's support language for AB 2153 click on this link: https://www.gov.ca.gov/docs/AB_2153_Signing_Message.pdf

The Association created a Political Action Committee (PAC). A PAC allows CAWA to: sponsor legislative bills to promote and protect its members and the industry it serves, as well as, award political contributions to increase the visibility and understanding of the Association and its members' issues.

In short, a PAC allows an individual business to make a greater impact in the public policy arena than if they acted alone. The PAC also educates members of the legislatures on issues and situations that matter most to the Association and its membership. Absent these efforts, elected officials might not realize the importance of our industry to their constituency or how issues they are deciding might impact both auto care businesses and their customers, the motoring public. Thus, the CAWA PAC helps strengthen our Association's voice by supporting key decision-makers who truly understand our industry and the work we do. The political climate is constantly changing and it is important that we have resources to help look out for the best interests of our industry.

Every member has the opportunity to contribute to the PAC when they pay their dues invoice. It's not a lot of money but it does contribute to the overall effectiveness of the PAC and sustains it into the future.

For more information on the PAC and where the funds go, contact Rodney Pierini, President & CEO at 800.332.2292 or [email protected].

While the internet, social media, and advances in technology have altered some of the peripheral aspects of selling, the foundational principles and keys that lead to sales success have remained the same. For example, 99.9% of the time failure in sales is due to a lack of activity. In other words, not making enough calls. Now that we have the internet, some sales reps spend hours looking up background information on prospects before they call them. This is a mistake. Look up the information a prospect would reasonable expect you to have, but don't spend hours being perfect. Just look up some quick information and make the call. For more on selling ideas, see the enclosed article ( here) by John Chapin.

Most employers understand that they may not terminate someone for being a member of a protected class (or otherwise having protection under the law). But in states where at-will employment is the law of the land (all states except Montana), any other reason is fair game. Theoretically, then, an employee who isn't getting along with his or her coworkers (and who has no contractual promise of employment) could be fired for a lack of chemistry. However, one recent case reminds employers that they must consider both the company's actual reason for termination and also what could appear to be the reason for firing an employee. Read more here. Source: Katie Loehrke

The last couple years have brought about a lot of changes within the merchant services industry, from new security measures to new methods of payment, and everything in between. Click here a brief run-down of the more notable changes and updates. Feel free to call our partner, Todd Lazar at 888.737.7762 for more information on processing credit cards. Another member benefit.