NATIONAL
The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) has shown its commitment to helping rebuild New Orleans–the site of the 2009 NADA Convention & Exposition in January–with the convention theme "Commitment to Community." Putting the theme into action, the National Automobile Dealers Charitable Foundation has contributed $400,000 to the Brees Dream Foundation–founded by New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and his wife, Brittany, to complete the renovation of the Fortin Campus athletic fields at Lusher High School, the largest public high school in New Orleans.
Yokohama Tire Corp. and The Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. have reached a final settlement agreement with Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. Ltd. pertaining to design patent infringement, with Hangzhou agreeing to destroy the manufacturing molds and remaining inventory of its Westlake H280 tires. In September 2006, Yokohama Tire, based in Southern California, and its parent company, Yokohama Rubber, based in Japan, initiated legal proceedings against China's Hangzhou alleging, among other claims, a violation of Yokohama's tire tread design patent that protects some of its best-selling brands, including the Geolandar A/T+II.
The Hertz Corp. has been named a preferred car rental partner for Kia Motors America's more than 640 dealerships in 50 states, to provide car rental services, including free pickup and return service and an expanded benefit program for Kia's fixed-operations business.
Warn Industries is celebrating its 60th anniversary. What started in 1948 as a small, family-operated business in the Pacific Northwest has turned into a multimillion-dollar corporation with multiple factories, worldwide sales, and is one of the most recognizable brands in the automotive aftermarket. Although Warn is well known for its hubs and winches, the company makes a wide variety of products for trucks, SUVs, powersports vehicles, industrial applications, and more.
Warn Industries, a Tier 1 supplier of wheel end disconnects to Ford Motor Co., has been awarded a Gold-level World Excellence Award by Ford. Warn was one of only 15 Gold-level winners. This is the second World Excellence Award that Warn Industries has won. In 2005, the company received a Recognition of Achievement Award.
The Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) recently named Schnitzer Steel's two auto parts businesses; Pick-n-Pull and GreenLeaf Auto Recyclers, which are part of its Auto Parts Business, as "Recycler of the Year" as recognition for the company's leadership in recycling and mercury-switch removal, which if left in place can release harmful mercury into the environment when the automobiles are processed into scrap metal. The award was presented during SMA's annual members meeting in Washington, D.C., on May 20.
Viking Plastics, a global supplier of engineered, injection molded and assembled sealing solutions, received Delphi Corp.'s 2008 Pinnacle Above & Beyond Award, the second consecutive year Viking has been recognized by Delphi for supplier excellence.
Honeywell Consumer Products Group (CPG) has won three President's Awards for Catalog Excellence at the National Catalog Managers Association's annual Knowledge Exchange conference. The online catalogs feature application-specific information, installation details, product descriptions, and images for its oil and air filter technology and spark plugs and wire 
sets. To access the Web catalogs, visit www.autolite.com or www.fram.com and click on the "Parts Catalog" link. The site's data, updated monthly, list part information for passenger cars and light-duty trucks from 1896 to 2009.
Zurich has announced that Bill Stoothoff, vice president of the finance and insurance division for Zurich's North America Commercial Direct Markets business, received the RoadRunner Award by the Chrysler Minority Dealer Association (CMDA). This award is presented to those who have best exhibited the spirit of sacrifice for the betterment of CMDA's members.
Hastings Manufacturing Co. LLC, a nearly 100-year-old U.S. manufacturer of piston rings, has announced that it was selected as this year's winner of the Polk Inventory Efficiency Award in the 
manufacturing category. The award was presented at the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) in Chicago on May 20 by Mark Seng, Polk's vice president of Strategic Markets. Fred Cook, president and CEO of Hastings Manufacturing, received the award.
At the May meeting of the Off-Road Business Association's (ORBA's) Board of Directors Jason Tolleson, Government and Public Affairs manager for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), was selected to serve on the board. Tolleson serves as the director of SEMA's grass-roots lobbying program, the SEMA Action Network, as well as the primary contact for the association on land access issues. Tolleson will coordinate legislative and regulatory activities with other industry and end-user OHV (off-highway vehicle) organizations.
I-CAR has announced the appointment of Robert Humpal to the position of market development analyst. Humpal will report to Joyce Kasmer, I-CAR director of marketing, and will be responsible for data mining and statistical analysis/modeling to identify factors that influence and/or predict customer behavior.
The board of directors of Automotive Maintenance and Repair Association (AMRA) and the Board of Trustees of Motorist Assurance Program (MAP) have announced the selection of Barry E. Soltz as the organization's executive director and president. Soltz took over June 30 on the retirement of Larry Hecker. AMRA and MAP have been searching for Hecker's replacement since he announced his retirement last fall.
Melissa Marscin has rejoined the staff of the I-CAR Education Foundation as development administrator. Marscin formerly worked as senior products and services specialist for the I-CAR Education Foundation and then for I-CAR. She will be responsible for implementing fundraising and grant programs including school curriculum grants, instructor training grants, and student scholarships.
Michael J. Berns, CPA, has been promoted to chief financial officer for Wildeck Inc., the largest manufacturer of mezzanines, material lifts, and safety-guarding products in North America. "The company has experienced consistent growth and profitability under Mike's leadership, and we look forward to continuing this strong performance in the years to come," said Wildeck's president, Keith G. Pignolet.
Corsa Performance Exhausts has promoted Gautam Pathak to vice president of product and business development. Pathak will oversee new product development and develop strategies for business growth in new channels, including original equipment, Middle East, and the European aftermarket.
Distribution Service Technologies Inc. (DST) has appointed heavy-duty aftermarket industry veteran Glenn Boone to VP of Customer Service. Glenn will lead an ongoing revitalization of service and support for customers deploying DST's comprehensive solutions, including DSTWare supply chain execution management, parts and price management, inventory control and optimization, warehouse management, and two Internet-based parts ordering and sales systems, TurboParts for business-to-business and GetPartsFast.com for business-to-consumer.
Gary Convis, a former president of the Toyota plant in Georgetown, Ky., has been named chief executive officer of auto parts supplier Dana Corp. Convis retired last year after spending more than two decades with Toyota, most recently as chairman of the company's manufacturing operations in Georgetown.
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