LOCAL NEWS
AASP/NJ Gears up for in-Person AASP/NJ is looking forward to the return of its flagship event this fall. The 2021 NORTHEAST Automotive Services Show – originally scheduled for March 19-21 and now set for September 10-12, 2021 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center (MEC) in Secaucus, NJ – is on track to be the first event of its kind to take place since the COVID-19 pandemic began over a year ago. “We are very excited and anxious to get the show back up and running,” says AASP/NJ President Jerry McNee. “With more and more people getting vaccinated and the encouraging case statistics here in New Jersey, everything is pointing to a safe and successful NORTHEAST.” AASP/NJ is working closely with the MEC to implement every necessary safety protocol to ensure that anyone who attends NORTHEAST will feel safe and secure. “We are very encouraged by what we are seeing not only in New Jersey but around the country,” comments Show Manager Thomas Greco (AASP/NJ secretary and president of Greco Publishing). “Trade shows for other industries have already started in places such as Florida and Alabama; we are monitoring all of them closely to see what works and what doesn’t and what we need to do to make NORTHEAST as ‘normal’ as possible.” “Everything is trending in the right direction,” adds McNee. “The Governor has been loosening restrictions. We are confident that by September, we will be as close to normalcy as possible. So, mark your calendar and let NORTHEAST be the cure to your cabin fever. We really can’t wait to see everyone again.” In addition to the action on the NORTHEAST show floor, the Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association
For updates and information on NORTHEAST, please continue to visit the official event website at aaspnjnortheast.com.
28 | New Jersey Automotive | May 2021
(WMABA) has committed to providing its annual Collision Professional Repairer Education Program (Collision P.R.E.P.), which will launch with on-demand virtual courses beginning this month and conclude with inperson presentations at the live show. Two virtual courses – “What is a ‘Retail Door Rate’ and Why Market Surveys Should Not Include Contracted Rates” (presented by Tim Ronak of AkzoNobel Performance Coatings) on May 12 and “Differentiating Labor Rates Based on Certification, Skillset, Tooling and Training” (presented by Mark Olson of VECO Experts) on June 9 – were announced at press time. Ronak’s course will explore a host of topics, including how to calculate a loaded labor true gross profit margin percentage, the impact of credit cards on profitability (and how a retail Labor Rate can help offset that impact), the concept of the Sherman Antitrust Act and why shops should protect themselves from the consequences of the Clayton Antitrust Act by never using a contracted rate as part of any Labor Rate survey. This discussion will provide attendees with a path forward in embracing a retail rate as opposed to basing all of their financial goals on what they’ve agreed to charge insurers. “It’s healthy and reasonable for a retail door rate to exist in the market, and it’s important for businesses to understand the difference of that,” he says. Course information and updates will be available at wmaba.com/collisionPREP in the months leading up to NORTHEAST 2021. Pre-registered NORTHEAST 2020 attendees will not need to re-register, as badge data will be carried over to these new dates of September 10-12. NJA
