MECHANICAL DIVISION DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE

See You at the Leadership Conference!

by Jeremy Nordgren AASP-MN Mechanical Division Director

It’s time for the 2021 Leadership Conference! It’s hard to believe that it’s been two years since we got together at our last conference. I’ve been looking forward to this year more than ever.

If you haven’t ever been to an AASP-MN conference or are unsure about attending, I can tell you that attending will be a decision that you will not regret. I was hesitant to go my first year – taking a whole day off to leave the shop when it was busy. Plus, I felt like I wouldn’t know anyone there and wasn’t really sure what I would get out of it. As soon as I got there, I met several outgoing individuals and the “shop talk” got started right away. I could tell that I had made the right choice.

The day was packed with a variety of great speakers and small group breakout sessions. I wasn’t sure what to expect of the speakers and I quickly found out that there was a lot of time and effort put into selecting the right speakers with the right topics that we could learn and benefit from. One spoke about employment, recruiting, hiring and retaining. I learned a lot from the session and got a chance to speak to the presenter and ask him a few questions afterwards. The small group breakout session had a nice variety of topics that you could choose from. Tony Newman of Dale Feste Automotive did a great job leading a discussion on computer programming, where I found good feedback on a device that I had been looking into buying for the shop.

I am really looking forward to Sam Silverstein speaking this year. His topic of accountability in your life and organization is a perfect example of how the conference is not just a meeting about the normal day-to-day work in the shop – it covers a lot more. So much of what we learn will not only apply to the shop but also to our lives at home.

Above all other reasons to attend this year’s conference, is the relationships that you will make with other individuals in our industry.

I look forward to seeing you all on May 20!