By Mike Davey
Norcross, Georgia — September 30, 2013 — The issue of which shops will remain in business for the next 10, 15 and 20 years is extremely important to insurers, dealerships and other potential partners. The total number of facilities has fallen significantly, and there are indications that this trend will continue. This situation makes sustainability a critical factor.
The Sustainability Leadership Symposium began in 2010 as an evolution from the AkzoNobel FIT Sustainability Award, established in 2009 to recognize businesses and associations actively engaged in creating and delivering sustainable business practices.
AkzoNobel has announced the key industry stakeholders participating as panellists in the third annual Sustainability Leadership Symposium. The event will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Room #N231 on Monday, November 4, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., as part of SEMA’s educational offering.
Keith Hudd, National Manager for Economical Insurance, is the sole Canadian appearing on the panel this year. Working in conjunction with AkzoNobel, Economical created an assessment program for shops on its DRP network, to discover where the shops are on their lean journey.
This assessment is a necessity, according to Hudd, as it helps to indicate which shops stand the best chance of surviving well into the future. He will discuss some of the results as part of the panel discussion.
“They want the Canadian perspective, because we’ve found success with including vendors in our processes,” says Hudd. “We understand that lean is really continuous process improvement, and it takes investment. We need to know they’re doing it, and the shops that are making that investment will be rewarded.”
The symposium will be facilitated by Mike Shesterkin of What’s Next Sustainability Consulting, and Sarah Tollin, Global Sustainability Specialist, AkzoNobel. Three of the 2013 symposium’s panellists are recipients of 2013 AkzoNobel FIT Sustainability Award. Guest panellists include:
Jay Givens, Owner, Givens Collision Repair Center / FIT Honouree
Jeff Butler, Owner, Haury’s Lake City Collision / FIT Honouree
Clark Plucinski, Executive Director, Collision Repair Education Foundation / FIT Honouree
Jake Weyer, Editor, Fender Bender Magazine
Trish Serratore, President, NATEF
Michael Giarrizzo, President & CEO, DCR Systems
Marcy Tieger, Consultant, Symphony Advisors
Keith Hudd, National Manager, Economical Insurance
Eileen Sottile, VP of Governmental Affairs, LKQ Corporation
“We are delighted that this formidable list of industry professionals has agreed to engage in this important event,” said Laura Costello, Director of Marketing for AkzoNobel Automotive & Aerospace Coatings Americas. “Their collective insights and expertise will play a critical role in helping create awareness, build knowledge and ultimately advance the development of an independent industry coalition dedicated to advancing sustainable business principles throughout our industry. For this reason, we are equally excited that the symposium will receive a wider level of visibility as part of SEMA’s educational offering and will be open to all interested parties within the automotive industry attending the show.”
