IOWA
    Stew Hansen Dodge City will acquire the inventory and retain most of the 35-member staff of Bud Mulcahy's Jeep in Des Moines. Ken Graff Automotive Group, the Utah company that owns Stew Hansen Dodge City, has purchased Bud Mulcahy's Jeep, closing one of the last downtown Des Moines dealerships.
    Arnold Motor Supply, Auto Value Parts Stores, and independent business owners of Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Certified Service Centers and Parts Stores across the country have launched a vehicle gift program to aid victims of domestic violence and abuse. Participants in the Neighbors Helping Neighbors program are donating their labor, as well as the necessary replacement parts, to refurbish automobiles sorely needed by victims who have escaped a domestic abuse environment and now need financial help in the form of basic, reliable transportation but cannot afford to provide it themselves. To donate a vehicle, call 1-800-CHARITY (800-242-7489) or go to www.arnoldmotorsupply.com or www.800charitycars.org, said Dave Kimbell, marketing manager for Arnold Motor Supply and Auto Value Parts Stores of Nebraska and Iowa. 

KANSAS
    Several local Ford dealerships in the Kansas City market area have closed because of deflated sales and Ford Motor Co.'s declining market share. Blue Valley Ford in Overland Park and Adams Ford in Belton, Mo., have agreed to sell their operations to Rob Sight of Bob Sight Lincoln Mercury Inc.
    In December, White City Mayor Steve Ash presented a Business of the Month plaque to Rusty Rice, owner of White City Auto Parts. The parts store offers parts for vehicles and farm machinery and has been a part of the main street business area for several years. 
     Jasper Engines & Transmissions has named Wichita Sale Representative Kevin Jones the Veteran Sales Representative of the Year at its annual sales convention in January.  In order to qualify for the honor, Jones excelled in annual sales volume, closing percentage, overall statistical performance, time-management skills, product knowledge and presentations, and customer sales training capabilities, said Jim Miles, Jasper sales manager.  Jones started with Jasper Engines & Transmissions in May 2003.


In Memorium: Eldon Larson died Feb. 8 from cancer in Olathe, Kan., at the age of 61. Larson worked for Reliable Automotive from 1970-'87. He founded Automotive Performance Wholesalers (APW), which grew to a group of eight Locations. In 1999, Keystone Automotive Operations bought the APW operations. From 1999 until 2002, Larson joined his son Davin at Renegade Racing Components and subsequently developed Motorville, a wholesale distributor specializing in engine and powertrain components located in Kansas City.

MISSOURI
    Peterson Manufacturing of Grandview in January announced the appointment of Jim Rowden as the company's vice president of Engineering. Rowden, a Peterson associate since 1996, moves up to replace Tim Murphy, a prominent industry figure, who is retiring after more than 21 years with the company.



    Marcus Allen Broadway Ford quit selling new Fords as of Jan. 31. It also changed its service center into Broadway Goodyear and laid off about half of its 42 employees. The dealership will continue to sell used cars as Broadway Automotive.
    The city of Raymore and the Raymore Chamber of Commerce hosted a grand opening on Jan. 11 for Perkins Service Station, an automotive repair facility at 217 N. Madison.
    Brett's Tire Service in Rockville has announced the grand opening of its Blue Flame Muffler Distributorship. The focal point of the exhaust dealer is a state-of-the-art pipe-bending machine.

NEBRASKA
    The Automotive Service Association of Nebraska's meeting will be held at Vision Training and Expo in Overland Park, Kan., on March 2 at 6 p.m. with the location to be announced at the show. The April 4 meeting will at 6:30 p.m. at Harrah's in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
    Tenneco Automotive was named the Business of the Year during the Cozad Volunteer Fire Department/Rescue Unit Awards Banquet in Cozad. The company was recognized for its financial support and other cooperative efforts with the department.
    I-CAR has hired Mike McCormick of Loveland, Colo., as the Mobile Qualification Test (MQT) administrator and driver covering Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Arizona. The tests that are offered via a specially equipped truck are the Automotive Steel GMA (MIG) Welding Qualification Test (SWQT), the Automotive Aluminum GMA (MIG) Welding Qualification Test (AWQT), and the Structural Parts Steel Qualification Test (SPSQT). For information, send your contact information (business name, contact individual, mailing address, phone, and fax) to mqtinfo@i-car.com.
    Powers Automotive Service Inc. in Omaha has moved to 14810 Grover St. Jeff Powers is the owner operator and had been at the old location for four years. The new facility offers more square-footage and better bay accessibility. Powers is an ACDelco TSS shop through Factory Motor and an Auto Value Certified Service Center through the Arnold Motor Group.
    Jeff and Laurie Schnacker have opened the former Foote Oil Co. in Overton and renamed the business J&L Service Center. The station had been closed for several years.
    After 22 years, Karre Diesel and Repair has new owners. Steve and Brenda McClenahan took ownership of the business one mile east of Grant on Nov. 16. Steve McClenahan has been employed at Karre Diesel for 20 years, and his wife has kept books there for eight years.
    For 57 years, Ken-Boy has been the Chevrolet Dealership in Hebron. Owner Ramona Kenning and Manager Ray Henning will close the long-standing dealership this month. The business opened in 1949 as the Hebron Chevrolet-Oldsmobile Co.

OKLAHOMA
     The Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) has expressed its strong support for the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act (H.B. 1584), which that was introduced in the Oklahoma legislature by Democratic Rep. Lucky Lamons. H.B. 1584 would mandate that the car companies provide the independent service industry with access to the same information and tools that they provide to their franchised new-car dealers. "The Oklahoma bill strikes an important balance between preserving competition in the state's repair industry and providing strong protections for the car company's legitimate intellectual property rights," said Aaron Lowe, AAIA's vice president for government affairs.
    The chairman of the Automotive Service Association (ASA), Charlie Elder, has contacted Oklahoma automotive repairers, urging them to oppose Oklahoma House Bill 1584, the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act.
    Elder, in a letter to Oklahoma independent automotive repairers, asked that shop owners contact their state representatives requesting their opposition, calling the legislation unnecessary. Elder said the legislation would risk the progress that has been made through the ASA/automaker agreement, which already provides independent repairers access to service, tool, and training information via automaker Web sites.