OUT OF BODY (AND MECHANICAL) EXPERIENCES
Why Not? by THOMAS GRECO, PUBLISHER Are we ever going to be done with this COVID-19 crap? As I write this, we are in the final stages of planning the 2021 NORTHEAST® Automotive Services Show. You know, the show that was supposed to take place in March 2020? The show that was supposed to take place in August 2020? Here I sit wondering again as I write these words if the show will take place. Don’t get me wrong. I am very confident it will, but after the last year and a half, who the hell knows. My best hope is that you’re reading this on the morning of September 10, preparing to come see the best show of its kind at the Meadowlands during the weekend. With a little luck and a little faith, that’s exactly what will happen. (Then again, you may get this issue after the show takes place because, you know, all the mailboxes have gone missing…) It’s hard for me to believe that I was the same age as my son when I went to my first NORTHEAST show in 1985 (and now he’s laying this magazine out for us). I was 24
and an innocent pup. I didn’t know a damn thing about how vehicles are repaired. Actually, I probably still don’t know a damn thing about how vehicles are repaired. But you guys sure do. And it’s been my job for the last 36 years to put your words into print. I kinda know how to do that. That first NORTHEAST was pretty daunting. I had never been to a show like that. Thankfully, there were people like George Petrask and Ron Mucklow (shout out to Ron and George, who I know still read New Jersey Automotive all these years later!) and the late George Threlfall around to guide me through. Thirty-six years is a long ass time. So many people. So many vendors. So many speakers. So many stories. So many facilities (actually four). The journey has had plenty of bumps along the way. Moving from the Hilton to the Sheraton. From the Sheraton to Suffern. From Suffern to Secaucus (and the lawsuit that came along with that move). Breaking up brawls at the continued on pg. 34
10 | New Jersey Automotive | September 2021
