By Mike Davey (www.collisionrepairmag.com)
The Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C. has seen more than its fair share of dignitaries and VIPs over the years, but recently it played host to a new group: representatives of Canada's automotive recycling industry.
Every year, the Automotive Recycler's Association (ARA) holds its Mid-Year Board Conference, Hill Day and Legislative Summit. It's a chance for automotive recyclers to network with their peers and meet with legislators and government officials to discuss their concerns.
The Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC) is an affiliate chapter of ARA, but more and more each association sees the other as a peer with much to offer. This year, ARC coordinated one of its bi-annual Board Meetings in Washington, and for the first time ever, the two association Boards met as one. ARC also sponsored a morning educational session with all delegates.
"It was an extension of the strategic planning workshops that took place earlier this year in Florida," says Steve Fletcher, Managing Director of ARC. "We looked at a number of issues, such as how do you develop volunteers, how do you develop your board, how do you work more closely with your association and so forth."
A combined ARC/ARA board meeting followed, with representatives of the two organizations discussing the various programs they're currently working on cooperatively, such as Gold Seal certification, CAREC/CAR certification,Green Recycled Parts branding and the next iteration of the International Roundtable on Auto Recycling (IRT) held in Phoenix AZ this year after the ARA Convention.
The evening saw 80 auto recycling professionals attend a special reception at the Canadian Embassy. Steve Fletcher of ARC welcomed attendees, highlighting the international cooperation between the two organizations. Chris Wright, President of ARA also spoke, before giving the floor to Ed MacDonald, from Maritime Auto Salvage and the past ARC Chair and incoming ARA President in November.
The ARA Mid-Year meeting continued the next day with an all-day board meeting for the members of ARC, while their opposite numbers from the ARA met with legislators on Capitol Hill.
"This is the first time ever there's been this level of joint effort," says Fletcher. "Both organizations got a lot of value out of it. We found out how they're using some of our programs and what's coming up for them in the near future."
