At the annual gala dinner held during Industry Week, Micahel Rukov was installed as the 2022 Chair of the CAWA Board of Directors. Other officers installed were: Young Suhr, Jr. of APW Knox-Seeman Warehouse as Vice-Chair; Tom Ogaz of Parts Authority as Treasurer, Wayne Schaack of the Automotive Distribution Network as Secretary and Mike Mohler of the Automotive Parts Services Group as Immediate Past Chair. They will officially take their positions on January 1, 2022.

The dinner was seen as successful in attracting 90+ guests and raising several thousands of dollars for the Association’s scholarship programs. Past chairs of the board participated in the traditional red vest ceremony in presenting the red vest to outgoing 2021 Chair, Mike Mohler. Thanks to the Motorcar Parts of America and their President & CEO, Selwyn Joffe, for exclusively sponsoring the event, once again. The next event for CAWA will be the February 10-11, 2022 Leadership Meeting to be held in Napa, California at the Silverado Resort & Spa (www.silveradoresort.com). For immediate information regarding this event, email programs@cawa.org.

Chair of the Board, Mike Mohler, has appointed Andrew Steczo of Motorad and Sean Ruitenberg of Premium Guard to the Manufacturers' Advisory Council. In welcoming the new appointees, Mr. Mohler spoke highly of their commitment to CAWA volunteerism and said he looked forward to their participation in a leadership capacity. See Andrew's complete press release here and Sean's press release here.

CAWA is excited to announce that through the work of Board member Curt McDowell, of NA Williams Company, that the Association has received membership applications from the following companies to participate in a newly developed group in the Association, called the eCommerce Task Force:

Chair of CAWA’s Board of Directors, Mike Mohler, has appointed Board member Mr. McDowell as the Chair of the eCommerce Task Force to bring these companies together along with traditional aftermarket companies to understand the challenges CAWA members are facing as it relates to eCommerce today. Once these challenges are documented and prioritized, the eCommerce Task Force’s goal is to present best solutions to help members achieve success with this ever-important channel.

The eCommerce Task Force will be comprised of representation from suppliers, distributors, retailers, marketplaces, and solution providers who will work to identify and solve business and technical challenges with the objective of enabling CAWA members to participate and flourish in the eCommerce channel. Their purpose will be to identify and solve business and technical challenges for the overall betterment of the automotive aftermarket. The Task Force will be holding their inaugural session at the CAWA February 10-11, 2022 Leadership Meeting in Napa, California next year.

CAWA thanks Mr. McDowell for his leadership on this project and looks forward to the results of the Task Force’s examinations and work products.

Contact admin@cawa.org for more information or if your distribution company is interested in participating on the Task Force.

Among the many new California bills signed into law this session are two that amend the state’s workplace safety laws. Senate Bill (SB) 606 creates new classes of health and safety violations and dramatically increases liability for non-compliant written workplace safety and health programs. Assembly Bill (AB) 654 makes notable revisions to an employer’s COVID-19 exposure notification and reporting requirements. Learn more. Source: Littler

Supply took a big hit in 2020 from COVID while demand continued to increase electric vehicle impact on demand negligible over next 5 years. TechForce Foundation® has released its 2021 Transportation Technician Supply & Demand Report, revealing the transportation technician shortage continues to worsen. Demand for technicians nearly doubled in the past year - from 136,503 in 2020 to 258,000 in 2021. Last year demand outpaced supply by nearly three to one; now it is estimated to be five to one. For more report details, see here. Source: TechForce

See the enclosed PowerPoint Report of BAR regarding catalytic converters theft prevention and outreach (Catalytic Converter Theft Issues). Submit your questions and/or comments to: Terry O’Neill, Email: Terry.O’Neill@dca.ca.gov, Phone: 916-403-0150 or Tim Wilson, Email: Tim.Wilson@dca.ca.gov, Phone: 916-403-0166, Bureau of Automotive Repair, 10949 N. Mather Boulevard Rancho Cordova, CA 95670.

The awards celebrate technicians who mentor and inspire the next generation of techs, bring excellence to their workplaces and communities, and demonstrate passion and commitment to the profession. See details here.

Should you be interested in serving the Association in a leadership capacity, let our President & CEO know. Rodney Pierini can be reached at admin@cawa.org or 800.332.2292. To understand the extent of your commitment in serving as a Board member, see the enclosed document here.

The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released a Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) that will require employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their workers are:

See more details here. Source: Auto Care Association

Update: A U.S. federal appeals court issued a stay Saturday (11.06.21) freezing the Biden administration's efforts to require workers at U.S. companies with at least 100 employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 or be tested weekly, citing "grave statutory and constitutional" issues with the rule.

CAWA Arizona Health Trust provides high quality, affordable employee benefits programs to employers in the automotive industry, headquartered in Arizona.

As a member of CAWA, groups may choose from several medical plan options underwritten by BlueCross BlueShield of Arizona. Ancillary benefits include mandatory $15K Life/AD&D through The Standard Insurance Company, dental coverage through BlueCross BlueShield of Arizona and vision coverage through VSP.

Participating groups must have a minimum of 2 employees enrolled in the plan. Another member benefit.

To personally request a quote or by your current broker contact the team at DiMartino Associates:

Phone: 206-623-2430

CAWA Quotes: cawaquotes@dimarinc.com

General Information: cawa@dimarinc.com

All Employee Benefit plan companies must be dues-paying members of CAWA. Please view and complete the CAWA Membership Application.

The CAWA dental program—exclusively for CAWA members is available! Using the leverage and buying power of our whole Association, we are able to offer members 3 excellent benefit levels from a National A++ rated carrier. See here for details. Contact Mat Nabity, our insurance partner in California, at mnabity@coremarkins.com or 916.835.1676.