IDAHO
Coeur d'Alene Honda has begun work on a new 23,000-square-foot showroom and service center on its five-acre property near I-90. The firm will retain its 30,000-square-foot facility that houses other Honda products including all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles, and lawn mowers.
Go Green Electric Car LLC has opened in Post Falls and plans to market several lines of electric cars and scooters.
OREGON
Electric Rides has joined forces with Cape-Ape Imports LLC in Tillamook to sell a variety of electric vehicles.
Joe Davis has purchased the T&O Autoworks in Hermiston, a CARQUEST Auto Parts store. The store has been renamed Average Joe's Auto Parts.
Don Deiter has purchased A-1 Auto Body in Lakeview from his parents, Don and Cindy Deiter, and has renamed the business Don Deiter's Auto Body & Towing.
All About Automotive, a repair facility in Gresham owned by Steve and Karen Johnston, has become a GREAT-certified shop by the Gresham Resource Efficiency Assistance to Business program. The program certifies businesses that reduce waste and protect the environment by containing toxic liquids from storm drains.
The longtime Brookings-Harbor Ford has closed it doors, leaving some 30 employees without jobs, said General Manager Pete Amblin. The nearest Ford store is almost 200 miles away from the closed Brookings dealership.
Advantage Truck Accessories Inc. has named T.H.C. Sales & Marketing Inc. its sales representatives for the Pacific Northwest region that includes Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Advantage manufactures and distributes snap-on tonneau covers for trucks.
Lord Corp, maker of Fusor Automotive Repair Adhesives, recently named Total Sales and Marketing as its 2007 rep agency of the year. Headquartered in San Marcos, Calif., Total Sales covers Oregon, California, Washington, and Alaska in marketing automotive products.
Patricia McConnell, president of Old Dominion CARSTAR in Eugene and Springfield, received the National Autobody Council (NABC) Pride Award at the recent NACE event in Las Vegas. She was recognized for her outstanding charitable efforts in her communities.
WASHINGTON
Sunrise Chevrolet has recently opened in Omak. General Manager Jason Bernica said the dealership will offer the largest selection of new and used cars in Okanogan County.
Roy Restad, the longtime owner of American Collision in Burien, has opened Automotive Service near the autobody repair business. The auto repair shop is co-owned by Dan Hurley.
Drivelines NW Inc. has moved its Seattle branch into a new 8,000-square-foot building at 311 S. Brandon St. that offers expanded parts and service departments. The longtime family-owned business is run by David "DJ" Lee and provides service and fabrication for driveshafts, PTOs, front-wheel-drive axles, and affiliated products to the trade from three branches in the Puget Sound area. The Seattle branch had operated at 1943 Fourth Ave. South for more than 30 years. Five employees plus a driver will work out of the new location.
South Seattle Community College held a dedication ceremony Dec. 11 for its expanded Automotive Collision Repair training facility on the campus. The $1 million improvements to the program include new state-of-art painting and paint prep equipment, new locker and restroom facilities for students, and a new reception/work area that supports learning related to customer service.
Cost Less Auto Parts has broken ground on a 17,400-square-foot store on Northeast 53rd Street in Vancouver. The firm currently operates at two locations in Vancouver.
Dan Emerson has opened Albion Car Care in the small town of Albion, about 15 miles north of Pullman.
Permatex Inc., a supplier of chemical products for the automotive repair industry, recently named Seattle-based Team Marketing its 2007 Representative of the Year for outstanding sales performance and customer service. The award was presented at the AAPEX show in Las Vegas. Team Marketing serves Western states with offices in Washington, Oregon, California, and Arizona.
J and J Auto Repair and Detail has opened in Wilbur. It's owned by Arnold Dawson and managed by James Robinson.
Glenn Davis, a collision repair technician at ARA Carstar in Everett, was recently awarded the VeriFacts March Taylor 
Technician Achievement in Collision Repair award at the 2007 Collision Industry Achievement ceremonies held during NACE in Las Vegas. "Glenn exemplifies all the qualities we look for when deciding on the winner of the Technician ACE Award," said Mark Olson, chief operating office of VeriFacts Automotive.
Seattle Automotive Distributing (SAD) held a ceremony Dec. 8 at the Western Washington Fairgrounds Expo in Puyallup to honor its top 150 auto repair shop customers who had earned "Bogus Bucks" the past year based on purchases from the automotive parts distributor.
More than 300 people attended the affair, where SAD customers were able to purchases more than 170 items at silent and live auctions with the "Bogus Bucks." Auction items included flat-screen TVs, iPods, jewelry, home improvement packages, and a trip for two to Panama. More than 300 people attended.
In memoriam: A memorial service for C.R. "Bob" Gedney, 69, was held Dec. 3 at Fauntleroy Church in Seattle. More than 250 family, friends, and business associates attended the service for the longtime automotive aftermarket marketing representative who spent most of his career selling automotive products in the Northwest, including a long tenure with the rep firm Rogovoy & Horn. Gedney was long active in the former Automotive Booster Clubs, as well as other organizations. He was remembered as a hero for a 1985 accident in Seattle where he attempted to alert drivers on Aurora Avenue North after a delivery truck struck a pole that was about to fall across the busy arterial. He was able to stop traffic, but the pole fell on him, causing severe injuries. 
In memoriam: Donald E. Walker died Oct. 31 just two days after his 61st birthday. Born in Seattle, he moved to nearby Mercer Island in the 1980s and spent most of his career in the automotive industry. He was a longtime vice president of purchasing for the former Reliable Distributors in Renton, operated a wholesale parts business in Alaska, and established an automotive rep firm with partner Jim Buckley that he operated for many years until he suffered a stroke in 1998, though he remained active in industry affairs. Walker was a former president of the Automotive Boosters Club in Seattle and served as the chairman of the board of the Washington Automotive Wholesalers Association. He was also a past president of the Seattle Rainier Lions Club, served on the board of Seattle Variety Club, and was active in several other organizations.
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