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Vol. 37 / Issue 9 / September 2019
U. S. District Judge Dismisses Repairify’s Lawsuit Against AirPro Based on Venue, Without Prejudice
Solving the Tech Shortage: Focusing on Kina’ole: Doing the Right Thing for the Right Reason
by Chasidy Sisk
by Stacey Phillips
On July 15, U. S. Southern District of Texas Judge Ewing Werlein Jr. released a final judgment in the lawsuit filed against AirPro Diagnostics by asTech parent company Repairify. The case was dismissed because Judge Werlein found there were insufficient grounds for Repairify to sue AirPro in the federal Texas district; however, the ruling merely addressed the venue, not the merits of the case on relevant laws. Because the case was dismissed without prejudice, Repairify is permitted to refile the law-
suit, though the company has not yet indicated whether it intends to do so. In a statement released on July 17 about what it referred to as “asTech’s second unsuccessful attempt to use litigation to damage AirPro’s growth in the marketplace,” AirPro President and CEO Lonnie Margol said, “AirPro remains confident that its ‘Truth Campaign,’ listed on our website, can easily be verified through an independently conducted, side-by-side comparison and renews its challenge to asTech to participate. We are, however, confident that See Lawsuit Against AirPro, Page 12
Mid-Year Update From CAA Chapter President Tiffany Silva by Ed Attanasio
Tiffany Silva is a second-generation shop owner whose father Ed Cichon opened Accurate Auto Body in Richmond, CA, 36 years ago. In 2017, she and her husband/co-owner Dan Silva opened a new 27,000-squarefoot state-of-the-art facility that fixes 150-200 cars every month. For the past 15 years, Silva has served the California Autobody Association (CAA) by holding every office available within the organization, as well as being the president of the organization’s East Bay
Samantha McCauley, a collision repair refinish instructor at Hammond High School in Hammond, IN, said it can be very challenging to acquire the proper tools and equipment needed in her classroom to properly instruct students.
Chapter since.
How long have you been a chapter president for CAA and how has the industry changed during that time?
Q:
I became a board member of the East Bay Chapter in 2012 and became the chapter president in 2013 and the state president in 2019. I’m currently the president at the chapter and state levels. The technology has changed everything drastically within just the last six years.
A:
See Tiffany Silva, Page 26
Toby Chess presented Samantha McCauley, a collision repair refinish instructor at Hammond High School in Hammond, IN, with two full toolboxes during the CIC in July, courtesy of March Taylor Scholarship Fund.
“There are a lot of times that I request equipment and I’m sure other teachers across the country are in the same predicament,” she said. “Our administration says to put our requisition forms in; every week for months, we follow up to find out what happened to the requisition forms only to find out the funds are already gone.” McCauley recently received a special gift to help alleviate that frustration. During the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) in Indianapolis, Toby Chess presented McCauley with two toolboxes, one for her own needs and the other for her students to use. The toolboxes were awarded on behalf of the March Taylor Scholarship Fund. “I truly appreciate what you are See Focusing on Kina’ole, Page 20
ASA Northwest Conference Generates Energy and Fresh Solutions by Chasidy Rae Sisk
On June 27-30, ASA Northwest held its 2019 Summer Retreat and Management Conference at the Clearwater Resort in Suquamish, WA, with nearly 80 industry professionals in attendance. Conrad Jobst Jr., ASA Northwest chairman of the board, stated, “After receiving the weather report predicting rain for the entire weekend, our members were treated to beautiful weather which added energy to the event. I always learn a few things at each of these retreat gatherings. The younger members bring fresh solutions to shop operations and industry issues which is so refreshing.” During the event, ASA Northwest held one of its four annual meetings, reviewing the association’s accomplishments thus far in 2019
and planning for upcoming events. The roundtable on Friday, June 28 was allotted three hours instead of the usual two hours and according to Jobst, “The conversation continued
The conference was held at the Clearwater Resort in Suquamish, WA. Credit: ASA Northwest
after we adjourned, so the additional time was beneficial and we are thankful to everyone who participated. I took several pages of notes to share back at work.” See ASA Northwest, Page 28
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