The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) has announced the approach of its fifth annual Affiliate Leadership Conference on Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 22 and 23 at the Gulf States Toyota (GST) Training Center in Lewisville, Texas. The modern, state-of-the-art facility will provide a stimulating backdrop for the open discussion of activities, successes and challenges that is the conference’s hallmark, SCRS says.
"Our affiliate ranks recently have grown at an accelerated rate, and we expect event participation to increase significantly as a result," says SCRS Chairman Barry Dorn. "It’s exciting because for the first time, many collision repair professionals will get to witness the effective strategies that are forged when SCRS’ national perspective intermingles with the local, grass roots focus of the affiliates."
The "ground level" industry view of the affiliates forms the bedrock upon which SCRS is formed and keeps the organization attuned to membership needs. The Affiliate Leadership Conference is perhaps the ultimate reflection of this aspect of SCRS. Attendees gain exposure to, and learn from the experience of, their affiliate peers in other states as does SCRS. Local initiatives often contribute to the formation of solutions that can be applied elsewhere, including on the national level.
"The conference features collective insight to address issues you won’t find anywhere else, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to foster it," says SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg. "Our affiliates and the thousands of businesses that support them want workable solutions to trying issues. The Affiliate Leadership Conference provides the content, context and analysis to provide those answers through candid discussion bred from a forum structured specifically for our affiliate associations."
The conference will maintain a similar proven format to previous years, with the first day featuring a focused review from each association in attendance. Local market issues and successful approaches to resolving those issues will be reviewed and analyzed through candid peer discussion.
Day two will feature updates from SCRS on its most recent national level activity, targeted discussions on prevailing industry issues, and a conversation on how SCRS can better help assist the collision repair industry. Toyota will make a presentation on Auto PartsBridge, an electronic parts ordering system that allows body shops to send parts orders to Toyota dealers through a Web-based application. In addition, CEICA Executive Director Fred Iantourno will join the group to share content from the CEICA Implementation Conference being held the two days preceding the SCRS conference.
"This dynamic forum for experienced affiliate leadership generates an incredible amount of useful content over the course of two days," adds Schulenburg. "I advise anyone that hasn’t previously attended to bring a pen and the biggest notepad you can find — you will be taking a lot of notes."
More information:
For information about the upcoming Affiliate Leadership Conference, contact Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg at (302) 423-3537 or via e-mail at [email protected].
You may also contact the SCRS administration office at (877) 841-0660 or via e-mail at [email protected].
