5 ACA executives announcement retirement

BETHESDA, Md. — Five Auto Care Association (ACA) executives, with 83 years of collective service to the ACA, are planning to retire this year, the Bethesda-based trade association disclosed.

They are: Paul Fiore, senior director, government affairs; Bert Hogeman, general counsel; Aaron Lowe, senior vice president, regulatory and government affairs; Larry Northup, executive director, AWDA; and Joe Register, vice president, emerging technologies.

"I want to thank these gentlemen for their many years of dedication and service to the auto care industry," ACA President and CEO Bill Hanvey said.

"Each of them has contributed significantly to the security, agility, and preservation of the aftermarket. Through their work over the years — the decades — we have realized tremendous achievements not only for the industry, but for the American people, as well.

"From securing the right to repair your own vehicles, to developing the technology that empowers independent vehicle service and repair, these men have made life easier for the more than 283 million Americans that make up the motoring public."

Fiore, a one-time auto repair business owner and Tire Industry Association executive from 2003 to 2011, joined the ACA in 2011 as the director of government affairs. In 2016, he was promoted to his current role. During his time with the ACA, Fiore assisted in the Right to Repair efforts in Massachusetts early on, eventually gaining momentum across the country and all the way to Capitol Hill.

Fiore assisted the association's government affairs team in growing awareness and respect from legislators and staffers for the auto care industry in general, and the ACA in particular, culminating with introduction of the "Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair" (REPAIR) Act earlier this year, the association said.

He will be retiring at the end of August.

Hogeman joined the ACA in 2019, providing legal expertise on multiple major projects involving the strength and future success of the association and auto care industry at large. In his role as general counsel, Hogeman advised executives, senior management and the board of directors on all legal matters including legal rights, potential liabilities and the potential impact of new or existing laws and regulations. Hogeman also participated with and advised the association's government relations team in the development and advocacy of its legislative and regulatory initiatives.

Most notably, Hogeman provided legal support and input to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation's lawsuit against the Massachusetts attorney general and for implementation planning for the Massachusetts Right to Repair law, the ACA said.

He will be retiring by year-end.

Lowe has been with the ACA and previously with the Automotive Parts & Accessories Association (APAA) for nearly 40 years. In his most recent role, Lowe oversaw the ACA's federal and state legislative and regulatory efforts, which focus on environmental, vehicle safety, workplace-health and safety and international trade issues.

Lowe also served as liaison to the Upholstery and Trim International Segment (UTIC) community of the ACA.

One of the most significant achievements throughout Lowe's career, according to the ACA, includes the coordination on the ACA's successful effort in 2012 to obtain enactment of the Motor Vehicle Right to Repair Act in Massachusetts.

He will be retiring at the end of June.

Northup's career with the ACA began in 2000, where he served as a lobbyist for the association's government affairs department and as the staff liaison for the Paint, Body and Equipment Specialists (PBES) community.

In his latest role, Northup worked to encourage and support the re-establishment of the Aftermarket Warehouse Distributors Association (AWDA) community's decades-long tradition of leadership within the aftermarket.

Since 2004, Northup's efforts for the AWDA community included the integration of AWDA members into all aspects of the ACA's leadership, including the board of directors; committees; task forces; the association's political action committee; special projects like career promotion, Right to Repair; the University of the Aftermarket Foundation; and many other aftermarket industry advocacy efforts, the ACA said.

He will be retiring later this summer.

Register joined the ACA's technology department in 2016, serving as director, technology solutions, and brought with him more than two decades of industry experience in data and information technologies to the association.

In his most recent role, Register has been responsible for bringing the aftermarket perspective to vehicle technology development as new technologies are designed and introduced to the marketplace. This includes working with his global counterparts in industry standards-setting organizations, such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and SAE International, to identify and address potential opportunities and threats that recent vehicle technology innovations create, the ACA said.

He will be retiring at the end of June.