ASA reorganization leads to exodus of state affiliates

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas — The Automotive Service Association (ASA) is starting the new year with organizational and executive changes that have sparked several defections of its former state affiliates.

The association, which represents the independent automotive repair and collision industries, dissolved its state affiliate structure a few months ago and replaced it with regions. However, several of those state affiliates have since left the ASA to join the Auto Care Alliance, an umbrella organization created by the Mid West Auto Care Alliance (MWACA) to accommodate the new member groups.

MWACA itself was the former ASA-Midwest affiliate which left ASA in 2018 to become an independent regional association.

Since the reorganization was announced last fall, seven state affiliates have voted to join the Auto Service Alliance, effective Jan. 1, including the ASA of Florida (now the Florida Auto Care Alliance), ASA Northwest (now Northwest Auto Care Alliance), ASA Illinois (now MWACA Greater Chicagoland), ASA Pennsylvania (now Mid-Atlantic Auto Care Alliance), and ASA Texas (now Texas Auto Care Alliance).

Both ASA and Auto Care Alliance said members of the former state affiliates may choose to belong to both organizations.

Under the ASA reorganization, announced in September, the national footprint is now divided into six regions: Northeast, Southeast, Great Lakes, Southern, Mountain and Western.

"The re-envisioned regional structure will allow the organization to expand its reach and improve member benefits including advocacy, education, events and training for independent repair shops across the country," the association said.

The ASA also has implemented a new fee schedule for members. Membership dues will transition to a single monthly subscription, "effectively solving the disjointed and complicated national and affiliate dues structure of the past," ASA said.

"We are very excited about the opportunities we see for the Automotive Service Association," ASA Chairman Fred Hules II said. "Our board of directors is taking the necessary steps to ensure the future of ASA and its members. With the changes occurring in automotive innovation and public policy, it's critical that the automotive repair industry speaks with one voice. ASA is the voice for automotive repair."

Immediate Past Chairman Roy Schnepper told Tire Business that the reorganization was necessary because the 10 state affiliates were struggling with membership and finances.

"The way that things were set up originally, the affiliates were struggling. It just didn't work anymore the way it was set up. ...

"If you look at all associations, even dealer associations, they've been struggling with their membership, which also makes it a financial issue. If you are having a hard time maintaining members, it becomes a financial issue. This regional position and direction allowed us to be able to lower the dues, make it more affordable for the members," Schnepper said.

Nearly all the former state affiliates have signed on to the Auto Care Alliance except for the former ASA Colorado, ASA Arizona and ASA Ohio.

"Since ASA National announced the dissolution of the affiliate agreement, the ASA Florida leadership team has been working tirelessly to consider what's best for Florida's automotive service industry," Brin Kline, president of the former ASA Florida and owner of Assured Auto Works in Melbourne, Fla., said in a statement, echoing other affiliates who joined the alliance.

"The Auto Care Alliance is like a well-oiled machine. Joining forces with this powerhouse will allow us to offer our Florida members the benefits and support system that they need to succeed in this challenging business," he added.

"Once ASA national made the decision to eliminate the affiliates, within days the (ASA) Northwest had already signed on to us. Then others quickly followed," MWACA Executive Director Sheri Hamilton told Tire Business. She is serving as the contact point for the groups in the alliance.

She said she didn't reach out to anyone, everybody reached out to her.

"I didn't anticipate any of this over the last three months. My whole priorities and office and to-do list got turned upside down with this unexpected turn of events," she said.

Now that all the members have come on board Jan. 1, she said she has been busy helping the affiliates with name changes and new websites.

The overarching Auto Care Alliance entity was created to facilitate communication and programs among the new alliance groups. It does not have an executive director, only a website.

"We are just aligning our marketing and our benefits and using our member power. We're not creating an overarching board executive... All of these affiliates have operated very effectively on their own and I think we will be able to do that going forward," Hamilton said.

"What we'll do is respect their territories when they come on. … They were looking for some of our benefits and programs, and we became somewhat of a national entity and we really want to serve the Midwest," Hamilton said.

MWACA was created in September 2018 by the former ASA-Midwest affiliate, which claimed to be ASA's second-largest affiliate at the time, "due to concerns and issues that weren't being addressed," Hamilton said.

"Many members had come to us and felt they were not getting value for their ASA dues and we were losing membership because of that."

The MWACA began with about 250 members and has since grown to 420 members. Adding the seven affiliates has boosted membership to an estimated 1,200 in 31 states, according to Hamilton.

"We created a franchise agreement with these associations and gave them an opportunity to maintain their local organization and they could no longer use the branding of ASA after Dec. 31. We gave them the option to join our organization and they could take on our branding and the programs and benefits and such and align with other auto care alliances that would come on board," she said.

Members will only pay dues to the local association and the local group in turn will be in charge of soliciting members and handling finances, Hamilton said.

"Some (ASA state affiliate) members have dropped out because of the excessive dues and, now that it's just local dues, I think some of the alliances will be able to get those members back as well And now they have some marketing power, some assistance and support which these alliances haven't necessarily felt like they've had over the last five-plus years coming from the national organization," Hamilton said.

She said MWACA will share its products, services and benefits with the other alliances and help them implement their own programs.

Some of the benefits MWACA offers are a shop owner support program, akin to a 20 Group program; a mentor program for shop owners; parts rebates; and free lobby TV programs. The MWACA hosts the annual VISION HiTech Training & Expo in Kansas City, Kan.

"The addition of so many ASA affiliates to the Auto Care Alliance further proves the desire of leaders to have a member-focused and member-directed organization. These leaders are listening to their members' needs and making the bold move to change the brand of their long-time state and regional associations," Hamilton said.

ASA's Schnepper said he believes the ASA hasn't lost many members with the state affiliates' defections.

"I don't think we are losing the members. They may be affiliated with both organizations. That's kind of what we're seeing right now. It's very early in the stages right now," he said.

He added that the reorganization will allow the ASA to reach areas of the country where no affiliated organization exists and may help membership growth.

"There may be tweaks to try and improve things," he predicted.

As part of its new organizational model, ASA promoted Blair Calvo to vice president of regional services, responsible for overseeing the implementation of the new membership model, including managing six regional executive directors, along with overseeing membership, marketing and events.

Calvo previously served as director of member services.

She is also serving as interim executive director, following the resignation of Executive Director Ray Fisher, who left the association in November for personal reasons. The association said it will begin searching for a new executive director in January.

The ASA also named three regional directors so far, including:

• Julie Massaro to regional executive director of the Mountain region; she was the executive director of ASA Colorado. The Mountain Region covers Colorado, Montana, North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Utah, Kansas and Missouri.
• Mike McManus, an association management veteran and sales manager, to regional executive director of the Great Lakes Region, overseeing Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.
• Mary Steele as regional executive director of the Southeast Region; she was executive director of ASA Florida and a past executive director of ASA of Pennsylvania. She will oversee a territory that includes Florida, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.