Shan Lathem, Cocoa Auto Salvage, Inc., ARA Immediate Past President
It wasn’t long after I was asked to join the Executive Committee five years ago that a very enthusiastic woman named Lezlie Wright introduced herself to me. She explained that she would be coordinating my Presidential Study Abroad trip and I needed to start thinking about where that would be.
I knew that there would be a lot of work involved in accepting the position on the EC but for me, the presidential trip was the summit and the reward for time and commitment. I was so excited about the possibilities! Anywhere in the world? For a small town girl from East Central Florida that’s a really big deal. I had never crossed the pond until last year when Eric Wilbert, ARA 1st VP and I had the opportunity to visit the UK and participate in the CARS conference.
Growing up and still working 10 minutes from Port Canaveral, I feel quite certain I could slide into a position as a cruise director fairly easily. Cruises are an easy way to travel – the dreaded pack just to unpack to pack again isn’t fun.
After looking at the options, I decided on an 11-night cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas and this trip was THE ONE because of the amazing itinerary – an itinerary that encompassed so many amazing locations, many of my “bucket list” destinations. Starting in Barcelona and ending in Athens, Greece with stops at Nice, France; Rome, Italy; Naples, Italy; Malta, Turkey; Rhodes, Greece; Santorini, Greece; and Mykonos, Greece, with only two days at sea. It truly was a trip of a lifetime!
We worked site visits to auto recycling facilities into the front-end of the trip. We spent two days in Barcelona and we were able to visit — and in the surrounding areas. One of the facilities operated much like we do in the U.S. and the other focused more on export. The hospitality from both of our hosts was overwhelming! Recyclers are like family, and from my experience this holds true no matter what continent we are on.
After our day of visiting the recyclers, our group was taken by bus to an area with spectacular views of Barcelona. We stopped for a photo opportunity, because if you don’t have the pic did it even happen? Ha! Lezlie had arranged for us to have tapas and experience a Flamenco show – a dance rich in the Spanish history. Their passionate performance resonated in the room. The next morning it was off to the ship!
Some of the cruisers coordinated their shore excursions with others and some did their own thing. That is one of the things I enjoy most about cruising – you can do whatever you want and meet back at dinner and share your experiences from the day. I was thrilled that my mom was able to join me on this trip along with my oldest daughter, Madison and my niece and nephew, Abbey and John. We also had a few family friends that made the trip with us as well. In total there were 50+ cruisers in our group. That is an ARA record for a Presidential trip!
Everyone is invited to participate in this annual trip. I’m not sure how I had never heard about it until I started participating on the EC. I made it a priority to invite people to come with us, and so many accepted! There were a lot of first timers on the ARA trip, including me. It was an honor for me to have so many people from my recycling family join us. I know I’m making this sound like this amazing vacation, checking things off my bucket list, living my best life summary (and it was!) but it was a two-and-a-half week networking event with some of the best in the business!
At the ports of call, we covered a lot of ground walking and it was so hot during the day, except the day I had a private boat taking us snorkeling in Mykonos. That day it was cold but that was the worst thing that happened so there shall be no complaining. It was a great trip from beginning to end.
I have so many wonderful memories of the trip. Too many to list them all here, but there are a couple of highlights:
The history in Rome was overwhelming and was definitely a highlight of the trip for me. Being able to walk through the Vatican, St Peter’s Basilica, and to see the Coliseum. Things I’ve only read about in history books I was actually looking at.
One of my most surprising discoveries: We do Greek salad all wrong over here.
There is no lettuce in a real Greek salad. We were served a Greek salad in Rhodes where we visited a family vineyard and were shown how to prepare a few Greek dishes. The salad was so fresh with tomatoes, green peppers, olive oil and so delicious that I had to see if Mykonos and Santorini’s salads would compare – and they did!
You’ve not had a Greek salad until you have one in Greece. To be able to share this experience with my family and so many friends made it so much more special.
I came to learn that Lezlie volunteers her time. She works so hard to coordinate it all and does an amazing job and I will be forever grateful.
THANK YOU to Gruas Sant Jordi in Masquefa, and Reciclauto in Barbera del Valles, Spain, for their generous hospitality!
Matt Bender, Vice President, Speedie Recycling
Greg and I both loved Shan’s presidential trip this year. All of the stops were great, so it’s hard to pick just one. I think if we had to, it would be Nice, France. We enjoyed exploring the city on our own, and loved the food and views. It’s definitely a place we’ll visit again soon. More than any of the stops, we enjoyed the camaraderie of the recyclers that we were traveling with. What an amazing group of friends and colleagues! Visiting with old friends, and making many new ones is what made the trip for both of us.
Amy & Gary Coln, Formerly of Raceway Auto & Truck Parts, LLC
Amy and I enjoyed the ARA trip and yard tours. It seems the yards in Europe are at least a decade behind recyclers in America in the YMS and interchange. They have a huge language barrier with everyone needing to know six to seven different languages. They did not have an interchange system so it sounded like it was mostly trial and error. We are so thankful we have that in America. What surprised us the most was very few trucks are salvaged, most were small older cars, but then you don’t see trucks on the road either like you do in America.
Mike Kunkel, Consultant, Profit Team Consulting
As one of the last historians of the auto recycling industry, the ARA study aboard trip plays a historic role in our industry. This year saw a number of new people, me included, that went. The trip included sharing of common history, recanting of tales from the past, discussions on the future of the industry along with gaining historical perspective on how auto recyclers and businesses in other countries operate and remain competitive under the guise of having some fun along the way. This trip is another example of the camaraderie that exists in our industry and I was truly blessed to be able to attend with a great group of auto recyclers and finer group of human beings.
Shannon Nordstrom, VP/GM Owner, Nordstrom’s Automotive
The study tour and trip for President Shan was an incredible experience! Traveling with ARA friends and family to see operations in the Barcelona region was enlightening. We saw different business models that were heavier into bulk recycling and export and some more closely patterned to a modern full-service operation here in the States. Also, we witnessed them dismantling and cataloging without the benefit of the interchange we have here in the U.S. As much as we enjoyed the learning experience, my wife Tamie and I jumped in headfirst with the group for our first cruise. We were eyes wide open as we scheduled and saw so many countries and amazing venues, in what was a relatively small window of time for the miles we covered.
We had an experience of a lifetime, at least up until today! Interacting with friendly faces from the industry all along made the journey that much more comfortable to embark on.
Thank you for the planning by Lezlie Wright and all involved. It was a memorable experience that we will never forget and we fortunate to be in a position to make it all work in our busy lives.
Bo Wroten, Owner, Recyclers Cross Dock
Thank you so much for letting me know about this great trip! Vickie and I enjoyed the trip to Barcelona, Rome, and the Greek Isles more than we could have imagined. From the tours of the recycling facilities in Barcelona, to the Coliseum, the Parthenon, to the Acropolis in Lindos, Greece (my personal favorite), and the Vatican. It was amazing to see things that we were taught about in school, and showed pictures of as a kid. To see them in person, up close was an amazing life experience.
One of the most enjoyable things about the trip was seeing and visiting with our fellow ARA members after a full day on our own and winding down with an adult beverage discussing each of our trips that day. We were all able to do exactly what we wanted to do on a daily basis and return to share with our new friends. Most of us knew each other before the trip, but became friends while sharing these wonderful experiences while on the trip.
It was a trip that we will remember and talk about forever. Great experience!
Thanks again! We’ll be looking for what adventures await next year!
Sandy Blalock, Executive Director, ARA
For many years ARA has promoted and participated in an Annual Presidential Trip that is selected by the outgoing ARA President. This year over 50 people enjoyed Shan’s Presidential Trip touring the Mediterranean on the Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas. It was a 13-day adventure starting in Barcelona where we spent a day touring recycling facilities. “It was very educational to tour the facilities in Barcelona, Spain and experience their operations. Traveling with peers of our industry included many conversations, sharing lots of industry tips to bring home and implement within our own business to keep improving,” said Sherri and Bob Smith from Smith Auto in Pawnee City, NE.
“I have really enjoyed all the trips planned for ARA groups. They are always filled with lots of recycling-related discussions, the ability to speak freely with facility owners from around the world, pre-trips that allow for facility tours in the area of our travel, and most of all, lots of social time,” said Lezlie Wright of Stadium Auto Parts, CO. Those of us who have been involved with these trips know that the success of these trips is attributed to the dedication of Lezlie, who has been at the forefront of planning many of them for several decades now. I think it is important that ARA make the effort to be present and learn from international travel. I hope we continue making this happen.
I trust that everyone who traveled with us this year enjoyed the trip as much as I did. Shan, thanks for selecting a great destination. I really enjoy being able to have visits with our global auto recycling partners and we had a couple of great visits this year. Thanks to the talented team a Gruas Sant Jordi in Masquefa, Spain just outside Barcelona, for the hospitality, tour and great snacks. It is always interesting to see how our global auto recycling partners adapt to their market and make sure to make the most of processing end-of-life vehicles responsibly and efficiently.
Our second tour was at Reciclauto in Barbera del Valles. This facility operated on a much smaller footprint than Gruas Sant Jordi but they had their own unique way to make it work. “We really cannot thank the team at Reciclauto enough for taking the time to show us behind the scenes at your ‘spares’ (as they call it in Europe often) business. The delegation from Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) appreciates your warm hospitality and open doors,” said Shannon Nordstrom, Nordstrom’s Auto Recycling, Garretson, SD.
Kathy and Ron Wilbert said that this was their first President’s trip but promised it would not be their last. “We met so many great recyclers and formed relationships that I feel could last a lifetime. Kathy and I wish to thank all those who put together the great agenda that made this trip so memorable,” Ron said.
After our tours, we got to spend time touring Barcelona before we boarded our ship for the next 11 days of our tour of the Mediterranean area. We cruised the seas with stops in Nice, France; Rome and the Amalfi coast, Italy; Malta; Mykonos, Greece; Kudadasi, Turkey; Santorini, Greece; and disembarked in Athens. Many stayed over to spend additional time in Greece, but this weary traveler headed home along with my traveling buddy Fran Reitman (seen in photo, below).
