COLORADO
The Colorado Automotive Recyclers (CAR) held its annual meeting at the PPA Event center in Denver on Jan. 26. It included several meetings on marketing, employee recognition, customers, and general business operations. The event was highlighted by an evening of laughter from comedian David Bublitz. For more information on CAR, visit www.coloradoautorecyclers.com.
The Automotive Parts & Services Association (APSA), a trade association representing aftermarket parts wholesalers and service providers throughout the Midwest and Rocky Mountain region, has named Debbie Hooge director of market 
development and Marc Beasley as APSA field representative for Colorado and Wyoming. Hooge joins APSA after serving 10 years as the executive director of the Texas Independent Automotive Association. Beasley, a licensed insurance agent, joins APSA after selling his CARQUEST jobber store in Longmont.
The NAPA Denver Distribution Center (DC) held its annual NAPA Denver Marketing Conference at the Westminster Westin on Jan. 12. The daylong event featured corporate updates and marketing and sales initiatives for 2008. During the morning presentations, Mike Marsolek of NAPA's Electrical Sales Group was named Manufacturer Rep of the Year. Marsolek accepted the award from NAPA Denver DC Sales Manager Will Rogers.
Chrysler LLC recently donated a 2008 Jeep Liberty, valued at $26,395, to the Automotive Technology program at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling. "This donation by Chrysler guarantees that the technicians we train gain the necessary experience to meet the immediate needs of customers promptly and efficiently," said Charles Irwin, Chrysler's national manager of vocational education.
Also at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, the school's Automotive Technology program was selected by the Automotive Industry Planning Council (AIPC) as national runner-up in the Post-Secondary Non-Manufacturer Affiliated category for 2007. The
school's instructors were honored in mid-December by AIPC during the Association for Career and Technical Education Convention in Las Vegas. Kent Wright, coordinator of Automotive Technology, and Layton Peterman, Automotive Technology professor, were both in Nevada to accept the national award. The school received a Snap-On gift certificate for $1,000, NACAT membership, and a donation from Chrysler of a Jeep Liberty along with $14,000 in of training materials.
NEW MEXICO
The Automotive Parts & Services Association (APSA) reported that Dick Cottrill, executive director APSA of New Mexico (APSA-NM), retired last December. Cottrill, who spent 16 years with APSA-NM), had served as APSA's field representative for El Paso and the west Texas area.
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