• Provided members in California, Nevada and Arizona with information regarding new laws affecting their businesses in the coming year. 
• Reviewed hundreds of legislative proposals to ascertain their relevancy to the auto care industry and members of CAWA. 
• Kept membership apprised of NAFTA negotiations and what it meant to their businesses. 
• Opposed a fuel tax increase, a health insurance tax, Border Adjustment Tax (BAT) and "split property" tax role, as examples of initiatives that would negatively impact the membership and industry. 
• Identified CAWA members to serve on the Air Resources Board's "Enhanced Education Program for Small Containers of Automotive Refrigerants". 
• Joined coalitions with chambers of commerce and other business groups to speak out against unnecessary regulations and legislation that impedes the growth of business. 
• Partnered with state administrative agencies to inform and educate consumers on their warranty rights, i.e., that parts and service outside their dealership would not void their warranty. 
• Awarded Association political action funds to legislators deemed friendly to the auto care industry. 
• Commissioned its attorneys to provide FREE legal consultation to members for a variety of legal issues. Engaged a new legal firm of Burch & Cracchiolo, in Arizona, for members in the Copper State. 
• Provided daily vigilance on behalf of the industry in the state capitols --- Sacramento, Carson City, Phoenix and our nation's capitol Washington D.C. in partnership with our national colleagues at the Auto Care Association and Coalition for Auto Repair Equality (CARE). 
• CAWA was represented on the Auto Care Association's Government Affairs Committee to assess what was occurring nationally that could impact our members in the states we represent. 
• Consulted during the legislative sessions with executives and lobbyists of other aftermarket associations to assure the industry would speak with one voice in the legislative process. 
• Met with governmental regulatory agencies to research members' issues so that the member could remain anonymous in the discussion regarding the issue. 
• Communicated new laws, case law, compliance alerts, regulations and industry news to members to determine their impact on business.

• Awarded 11 scholarships ($11,250) to deserving students either currently employed or seeking careers in the auto care industry.
• Held training and informational programs for our members. Examples include: "New Aftermarket Realities: Strategic Shifts and Where Do We Go From Here";  "Remote Vehicle Data - Access and Opportunity for the Aftermarket";  "Embedded Software and the Aftermarket";  "The Future of the Connected Car is Now";  "Aftermarket Mergers & Acquisitions"; and "Redefining What is a Good Place to Work", to name a few. CAWA applied for and received University of the Aftermarket Continuing Education Units for these presentations.
• Developed a scholarship program for automotive high school instructors (to be approved in February, 2018).
• Participated in a teleforum panel discussing : "The Trump Administration's Impact on the Auto Care industry".
• Supported career technical training in the states we represent.
• Actively provided information and training on new technologies, including telematics and e-tailing, to educate members and others regarding impact.
• Promoted an industry specific online job board for companies and individuals through the CAWA Career Center. Conducted a pilot program in Arizona to encourage members and others to use the job board to recruit talent to their businesses.

• Hosted nationally recognized guest speakers to present to our membership including Bill Long of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association; Tom Marx and Devin Hart of Hart-Marx Advisors, Jim Dykstra of Innova Telematics Solutions and Peter York, CEO of Voyomotive, LLC, to name a few. 
• Engaged Ted Wise, former Co-President & COO of O'Reilly Auto Parts, as the keynote speaker for the annual dinner meeting.

• Participated in the following events: National Performance Warehouse customer show, Levin's Auto Supply customer event and the NAPA Sacramento Distribution Center customer show. 
• Continued to reach out to members of the Young Auto Care Network Group (YANG) to encourage them to participate in Association training sessions and added a YANG representative to the Board of Directors. Hosted a YANG Meet-up in support of the organization. 
• Attended and participated in the Auto Care Association's Legislative Summit and leadership days. 
• Continued a partnership with the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation and promoted its mission to the industry. 
• Sponsored the High School & College Collision/Mechanical Career Fair.

• Continued to provide quality and competitive business services including FREE legal consultation, insurance programs, website development services, credit card processing, financial services consultation and business forms, as examples. 
• Offered a deep discounted workers compensation and general liability insurance to the membership. 
• Provided FREE access to VIP Employee Benefits Services and an electronic human resource library to answer members' questions regarding human resource-employment issues, personnel policies and practices, etc. 
• Examined establishing a health insurance trust for members in the states we represent.

• Continued to endorse the "American Jobs for American Hero's and Vets" Program which seeks to integrate veterans back into the business sector. 
• Conducted a most successful scholarship fundraising effort at the annual dinner meeting, exclusively sponsored by Motorcar Parts of America (MPA). 
• Expanded an active presence in social media to become a clear voice for the auto care industry out west. 
• Produced a membership recruitment whiteboard underwritten by Vantage Marketing Global, Inc. 
• Answered many questions from the membership and directed them, as appropriate, to where their issue or questions could be resolved quickly.

Our success as an automotive aftermarket trade association comes from an active and contributory leadership made up of the Board of Directors and the Manufacturers Advisory Council. The Association thanks them for their time, effort and commitment to CAWA and the industry we represent. Our general membership, too, gave the Association the capability to make the industry's voice heard throughout the west, as the industry's "first line of defense".
 

Thanks, too, to the following companies that sponsored CAWA events and programs in 2017:

We look forward to another productive year in 2018 and wish our members the best in business and thank them for their support.