Northwest

Northwest Calendar of Events - April 2019

April 1-30 * National Car Care Month (Be Car Care Aware), coordinated by the Car Care Council. Visit www.carcare.org for details on sponsoring an event. April 4-6 * 2019 Portland International Raceway Swap Meet, Portland. Visit www.portlandraceway.com. April 5-7 * 55th annual Portland Swap Meet,...

Key players at the Jan. 15 planning meeting of the Automotive Industry & Education Roundtable in April were, from left, Walt Commans of ASE, Margaret Ragan of NATA, and Dave Burnett of ASA Northwest.

Automotive Industry & Education Roundtable set for April 27

Portland, Ore.-Since mid-2018, a small group of industry and education professionals have been planning what has been described as a ground-breaking roundtable event that may alter how the industry markets itself to prospective students who show interest in automotive-related careers. At a planning...

The 2020 Jeep Gladiator has best-in-class payload at 1,600 pounds. (Photo by Jerold B. Smith )

Northwest People & Places - March 2019

People & Places compiled by Jerold B. Smith IDAHO The 47th annual Boise Roadster Show will be March 8-10, at Expo Idaho in Boise. The event is a 2019 Western Division Summit Car Show Series stop that also features an International Show Car Association (ISCA)-sanctioned...

Jack Brito says community involvement is good marketing and a “way to give back to those who have supported us for so many years.”

Collision shop owner tackles expansion, switch to waterborne, community involvement

Canby, Ore.—Jack Brito points to a number of factors that have helped his business, Hot Rod Dreamworks Collision Repair, grow to 12 employees in recent years: customer care, online reviews, the addition of three insurance direct repair programs, and perhaps most of all, community involvement. For...

Brian Thorpe poses on a custom motorcycle that is on consignment with Global Elite Motors, which shares space with Global Car Care.

Leading the pack in service

Wenatchee, Wash.—Brian Thorpe has few illusions about what it takes to operate a full-service automotive repair shop and provide exemplary customer service. “With us at Global Car Care, it involves our technicians who have a high level of expertise and are accurate, caring, and persistent,” he said...

Brothers Nathan (left) and Joel Baxter say their experienced staff leads their shop to $1.3 million in annual business with an average RO of $742.

Embracing all makes, models, and more to cast a wider net

Bremerton, Wash.—Brothers Nathan and Joel Baxter have been providing service and repair to Olympic Peninsula customers for 36 years at B&B Auto Repair. And with precise tracking, they said their underhood service represents 75 percent of overall business in today’s market. “Diagnostic work is...

The Precision Tec Platinum Plus diagnostic tool has offline European programming and data graphing.

Diagnostic tools, equipment, and specialty products to be displayed at ATE

SeaTac, Wash.-The Automotive Training Expo (ATE) has sold out its more than 60 management and training classes for the March 22-24 event at the Doubletree Hotel across from Sea-Tac International Airport. For those registered for training classes, there is a trade show on Friday and Saturday...

Conrad “Butch” Jobst honored Kandie Jennings-Molly with the ASA-NW Outstanding Member of the Year.

As snow falls, ASA huddles for packed agenda at winter conference retreat

Leavenworth, Wash.—Much was discussed at the recent ASA Northwest (ASA-NW) Semi-annual Retreat & Management Conference, Jan. 24-27, in the Bavarian village of Leavenworth. From its new apprenticeship program to government affairs and various chapter reports, members from Washington and Oregon...

Northwest Calendar of Event - March 2019

March 2-3 * 2019 Mega Show, Competition Specialties, corporate headquarters, Auburn, Wash. Visit www.compspecialtites.com. March 8-10 * 47th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Boise Roadster Show, Expo Idaho, Boise. Visit www.firebirdonline.com. March 10 * Spanaway Moonshiners 4x4 Swap Meet, Washington...

This 1949 Hudson from Oregon, shown here on display at SEMA 2018, is one of the featured cars in the 2019 Sherwin-Williams shop calendar.

Northwest People & Places - February 2019

OREGON The Petersen Collector Car Auction will be Feb. 2, at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem. Oregon’s original and only Oregonian-owned vehicle auction is one of the most popular on the West Coast. For details, visit www.petersencollectorcars.com. Ken Scales Auto Repair in Medford...