The extensive offering of technical and management courses drew automotive shop owners, managers, service advisers, technicians, and others from Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. Instructors for the classes included some of the top automotive trainers in North America.

"We were extremely pleased with the turnout and the training programs we presented at ATE," said Jeff Lovell, president of ASA Washington, a sponsor of ATE and the event producer. "The overall feedback from those who attended courses was excellent, verifying that we offered classes that were pertinent to the needs of the industry."

Courses presented at ATE were recommended by a committee of Northwest shop owners and technicians who reviewed dozens of potential classes for the event and determined the most in-demand management and technical subjects required for service, repair, collision, and tire shops.

"We had eight of our staff at ATE, and we feel it was a positive experience and a great value," said Craig Bassitt, owner of Bassitt Auto Co. in Beaverton, Ore. He said his staff is still providing data learned at ATE to fellow employees each day at company meetings. "I've also had an opportunity to discuss ATE with a number of shops that attended, and the overall opinion is that the event was excellent."

Todd Black, who owns two repair facilities in Bellingham, Wash., and had five staff members at ATE, said, "It was a good mix of training, and the trade show was the right size. We learned a great deal and attended a number of classes, including hybrid and diesel classes."

Courses were held all day on Friday and Saturday and on Sunday morning. Lovell said most were well attended. "While some classes had six to 10 people, others had more than 60 people in attendance," he said.

Classes included subjects that ranged from a commercial tire certification course and I-CAR certification classes to hybrid service, diesel engine diagnosis, marketing courses, estimating, and EVAP system testing.

In addition to a full schedule of training courses, ATE also offered motivational speakers at breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday morning (Steve Beck and Kelly Bennett, respectively), plus an industry overview by Bill Haas, AAM, of the Automotive Service Association at the Saturday luncheon. All three presentations were attended by hundreds of ATE participants.

The trade show was staged Friday and Saturday evenings after classes concluded each day. More than 80 trade booths exhibited automotive parts, tools and equipment, training venues, marketing services, and industry service and support programs.

ATE is sponsored by ASA Washington, the Northwest Tire Dealers Association, and the Washington Automotive Wholesalers Association. Parts & People is the official media sponsor of ATE.

The next event will be March 13-15, 2009, at the same location. For information on ATE, visit www.automotivetrainingexpo.com or call 253-473-6070.

See more photos of the ATE show in the Northwest People & Places section at  www.partsandpeople.com/article/2237/