Mountain June People & Places

COLORADO             Josh Ingram, a service adviser for Colchin Automotive & Diesel, recently earned his Accredited Automotive Management (AAM) designation from the Automotive Management Institute (AMI), an organization that offers training courses for individuals in mechanical repair and collision repair. Ingram received recognition at AMI's graduation ceremony at the Automotive Service Association's (ASA) national convention last month in Nashville, Tenn.                 Foree Tire Distributors, a wholesaler of tires, supplies, and equipment, has promoted Terry Baker from sales representative to sales manager of its Denver warehouse. Baker said his initial focus for his four salesmen is to emphasize Yokohama truck tire sales as well as Coats and Ammco equipment sales. Foree also operates warehouses in Colorado Springs and Gering, Neb.               Mercedes Benz of Westminster has hired Scott Leach to serve as its parts manager. Leach said he has more than 27 years of parts experience, working at dealerships in Colorado. Former Parts Manager Gerald "Ditto" Daughtrey now holds the title of service manager and oversees operations of the parts and service departments. "He brings a great knowledge of the wholesale parts market," Daughtrey said of Leach, "and has a great understanding of parts operations.             Case Logic, a Longmont-based manufacturer best known for its automotive organization products, has been acquired by Thule, a Swedish car-rack company.             Carstar, a nationwide network of collision repair facilities, and FinishMaster, a distributor of automotive paint and supplies, recently teamed up to offer two training coursesin May, "Identity Theft and Insurance" and "Ethics for Insurance Professionals." The events were May 16 and 17 at Loew's Denver Hotel. For future training announcements, call Chris Johns at 303-426-7700.             The Ski Area Vehicle Maintenance Institute (SAVMI) held a conference and trade show May 14-17 in Grand Junction. The event featured several technical courses and many area vendors had their products on display. For information on next year's event, visit www.savmi.org.             Matthews Automotive Super Shop is holding a Dyno Day the first Saturday of each month this summer at its shop in Longmont. Owner Jack Matthews said his setup includes a Mustang Chassis Dyno and a Sun 450 diagnostics machine. For more information, visit www.matthewssupershop.com.             The NAPA Denver Distribution Center hosted the state Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills competition on May 12. On May 11, the students and instructors had a dinner reception where "Willie B," a disc jockey at KBPI 106.7, who is a car enthusiast, spoke to the audience. The team from Doherty High School won the competition, which involved fixing a bugged Mercury Grand Marquis.   NEW MEXICO             Performance Tool & Equipment Inc. of Albuquerque hosted a training course on May 21 for the Automotive Service Association of Central New Mexico (ASA-CNM) titled "Understanding Alignments." A course on diesel engines is scheduled at the same location on June 25. For more information, contact Scott Benavidez at 505-255-7022.   WYOMING             Finishing Touch, a collision repair shop in Cody, recently remodeled its facility, said Owners Chad and Theresa Wollschlager. The pair also offers a 24-hour towing service and U-Haul rental.             Mike Scott, owner of Scott's Auto Body and Glass, marks 10 years of business this year in Bridger Valley.             Frank Kraut, who owns Cody Paint & Body in Cody, marks 50 years of business this year. Kraut said the majority of his business comes from motorists hitting deer and elk.