Canadians Among Industry Professionals at Leadership 2.0 Experience

Two Canadians are among the 26 members of the 2009-2010 University of the Aftermarket Leadership 2.0 class that has reconvened on the West Palm Beach, Fla., campus of Northwood University to begin the final week of the aftermarket industry’s annual executive development experience.

David Vaughan of Eastern Auto Warehousing, Fredericton, N.B., joined Trevor Tennant of Piston Ring Supply, Winnipeg, Man., for the event.

Session 2 began with a reception and dinner at the University’s Jeanette Hare Art Gallery, followed by a speech by Steve Handschuh, president and chief operating officer of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA), an affiliate association of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA). An industry veteran of more than 30 years, Handschuh discussed the characteristics of effective leadership within the automotive aftermarket.

The agenda for the balance of the week includes daily aftermarket news discussions led by University of the Aftermarket Director Brian Cruickshank, AAP, as well as presentations by a variety of industry and academic experts. Another key element of this week’s session will be presentations of team research projects completed during the six-month intersession period.

Each year the team with the best research project, as judged by the class and University of the Aftermarket leadership, is invited to present its findings during the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium. The 2010 GAAS will be held May 18 and 19 in Chicago.

 “Based on the energy level and engagement of class members during our first session in September, I am looking forward to an exciting and intellectually challenging week,” Cruickshank said. “We have an excellent group representing each level of the aftermarket – and every one of them is focused on the long-term success of our great industry.”

Members of the 2009-2010 Leadership 2.0 class are:

Michael Anderson, Activant Solutions Inc.

Carl Arnold, NGK Spark Plugs USA

Gary Bostic, Remy International, Inc.

Jeremy Denton, Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association

Justin Dwyer, Heavy Duty America

Todd Erwin, One Stop Parts Source

Timothy Feddema, Automotive Parts Headquarters

Joe Gage, International Parts Warehouse

James Gonzalez, Gonzalez Auto Parts

Lisa Henkel, Gates Corporation

Bill Johnston, Tenneco Inc.

Paul Kratzer, KYB America LLC

Matthew Laguardia, U.S. Chemical & Plastics

Mike McKee, Federal-Mogul Corporation

Tom Myroniak, Specialty Equipment Market Association

Tom Piper, ASA Parts Plus

Sherri Rains, Blitz USA

Ron Rossi, Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association

Scott Sutton, Standard Auto Parts

Ryan Tarbert, The Timken Company

Trevor Tennant, AAP, Piston Ring Service

Loretto Thompson, CARQUEST

Dean Toole, Alliance Parts Warehouse LLC

Debbie Vandecaveye, Tenneco Inc.

David Vaughan, Eastern Auto Warehousing

Tony Zanders, Heritage Auto Repair

Registration will begin soon for the 2010-2011 Leadership 2.0 experience. The first session will take place Sept. 12-17, 2010, on Northwood University’s Midland, Mich., campus. The second session will occur April 3-8, 2011, on the West Palm Beach campus.

For more information regarding the Leadership 2.0 experience and other programs available through the University of the Aftermarket, please visit www.universityoftheaftermarket.com, or call 1-800-551-2882.