VOL. 1 ISSUE 8 OCTOBER 2010
NACE/CARS Offers Array of Speakers NACE’s 2010 keynote speaker Kelly McDonald—a recognized expert on multicultural marketing and business trends and a former dealership sales executive—will address increasing diversity in the workplace and a changing workforce and customer base during the Opening General Session. Sponsored by DuPont, from 8:30–10 AM on Monday, October 11, followed NACE keynote immediately by the speaker, Kelly opening of the McDonald NACE and CARS show floor. McDonald will address the vast array of differences in the work-
force these days and how businesses can work cohesively with their customer base, their employees and their labor force as a whole. “The consumer really has the power of choice,” McDonald told Autobody News. She detailed how consumers have so much choice and information available to them online that businesses really need to cater to a customers needs, preferences and styles to win their business. For businesses, the bar is set higher than ever and the customer is fully in charge: they have specific expectations about service, convenience and communication. The multilingual needs of our country are more appar-
Mercedes-Benz USA September 8 held a grand-opening ceremony for a new cutting-edge facility in Jacksonville, Florida. Strategically located less than three miles from the Jacksonville airport, the new Southern Region facility centralizes several business units into one complex for more efficient dealer support and correspondingly higher levels of customer satisfaction. The recently constructed building totaling a combined 415,000 sq. ft., is a leased facility built to accommodate MBUSA’s needs. It is located off Interstate 95 at 13470 International
Parkway. MBUSA took official occupancy in July with four business units operating from the site including: Sales Operations Southern Regional Office; Parts Distribution Center (PDC); Quality Evaluation Center (QEC); and Learning & Performance Center (LPC). Approximately 160 employees work at the new facility, which incorporates innovative environmental systems and design using the same criteria as LEED certified buildings within each of the four business areas. “This new facility is an integral
See NACE, Page 13
Mercedes-Benz Officially Opens Facility in Jacksonville, FL
See Mercedes, Page 7
JOB DESCRIPTION— ● Run California’s largest consumer protection agency ● Oversee more than 1,500 insurers with 300,000 workers ● Control a tenth of our largest state’s economy TASKS REQUIRED— ● Manage 1300 employees with a $200 million budget ● Field 300,000 consumer assistance calls annually ● Handle more than 35,000 consumer complaints ● Issue 170,000 agents/brokers licenses ● Investigate 24,000 suspected fraudulent referrals ● Initiate about 1,000 arrests annually ● Recover more than $48 million per year for consumers FULL TIME POSITION, LONG HOURS— ● Requires election by voters of California ● Need to know plenty about collision repair
Who is Assemblyman DAVE JONES and why does he want to be California’s next Insurance Commissioner?
INTERVIEW by Ed Attanasio
see www.autobodynews.com
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