Each year, the Automotive Recyclers Association Annual Convention & Expo draws attendees from across the globe. This year’s gathering is a sure bet for professional growth and productive networking as ARA celebrates 81 years of representing the industry in beautiful Reno, Nevada. We hope you will join us October 23-26, 2024 at the recently renovated Peppermill Resort & Casino!
81 Years of Industry Education
As usual, ARA has put together an exciting lineup of speakers and topics, using feedback from last year and reviewing proposals submitted earlier in the year.
Throughout the day on Friday and Saturday, nearly 50 automotive recyclers and industry experts will be sharing their insights on topics that YOU, ARA members and attendees, have requested. Topics such as parts preparation and shipping, wheel stands, cyber security, EV battery handling, process standardization, increasing efficiencies, 2024 market changes and leveraging opportunities in your control, and more! ARA also welcomes several new speakers this year that you have not seen elsewhere.
The always popular Tech Talks will continue, this year interspersed throughout the educational program to allow time for more attendees to take advantage of these focused timeslots dedicated to providing insight into new tools or more efficient ways of using tools you currently have.
Attendees can benefit from the ARA Expo, a highlight each year and one of the largest in the industry. It offers the unique opportunity to interact with approximately 80+ industry vendors face-to-face and learn about innovative products and technologies to enhance your business.
“The valuable insights from peers and the relationships built at ARA Conventions are priceless” says Sandy Blalock, ARA Executive Director. “Attendees have told us that they get a lot out of the educational sessions, but the biggest assets to attending are the long-term relationships built and the invaluable insight shared between industry colleagues – not only what does work, but what doesn’t as well! The return on investment of attending an ARA Convention is immeasurable.”
Networking Opportunities Abound
Since networking is so beneficial, ARA provides several opportunities to encourage further sharing of ideas.
Start your day off right at our daily prayer meetings hosted by ARA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Mike French. This group meets, shares prayer needs and starts the day off on a positive note!
Our international delegates will benefit from Global Best Practices session on Friday afternoon, and an International Networking Reception on Thursday night following the close of the Exposition. This provides an opportunity for conversations about the similarities and differences in the market for recycled parts experienced by our friends from around the globe.
The Ladies of Automotive Recycling Association (LARA) just keeps growing. We will again host a LARA Wine & Cheese social prior to the Friday night Awards Dinner – we hope all ladies in attendance will join us for the special event.
Keeping in line with our location – this year’s theme for the Friday night Networking & Awards Dinner is Cowboy Casino Royale! Don your western wear, bling it out, be James Bond or somewhere in between – it’s your night, your choice! We’ve listened to input and over the last few years, have made this popular event more relaxed and fun – and the increased attendance for this evening is proof that we have moved in the right direction! Enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of the night – and celebrate your colleagues as the 2024 STAR Award winners as are recognized.
Closing out this year’s event will be our new “Afterglow Party.” This is your chance to relax, share last minute tidbits with colleagues, enjoy some tunes from our DJ, dance and just enjoy the night.
This will also be the end of an era as ARA says thank you to Executive Director Sandy Blalock and Meeting Planner Kim Glasscock as they return to the consulting sector – so come celebrate with them and thank them for their years of service and dedication to ARA!
Agenda
For full agenda, go to a-r-a.org/convention and follow links to the official convention site.
Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024
Opening Keynote: A Conversation with Keith Webster, J.D. Power
Friday, Oct. 25, 2024
Welcome, Friday Highlights, and Advocacy Highlights
Recycler Keynote: Amber Kendrick
Is the U.S. Facing a Shredded Scrap Shortage
Rob Rainwater
Proper Income Statement Setup
Tech Talks: Buddy Automotive/Vin Match Pro, Hollander, Car-Part
Battery Registry Panel
Mike Kunkel
When, Not If: Strategies for Cyber Incident Preparedness
CAR Technical Session: Safety & Stormwater Compliance
Global Best Practices Panel
Ryan Mandel
LARA: Wine & Cheese Social
Networking & Awards Night
Reception
Dinner
Awards
Band, Dancing, Fun
Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024
Interchange Contest
Carbon Credits Panel: Opportunities for the Recycler
Parts Prep & Shipping
Self-Service Panel: Hybrid Operations
Tech Talks: eBay/Power DB
EZ-Suite
Smart Cycle, Auto Bid Live
Hotlines
Standardizing Work: A Workshop for Full
and Self-Service Entities
Rob Rainwater
Gold Seal Quality Assurance Program
Bookkeeping Best Practices Panel
2024 Market Changes and What’s in My Control
eBay
Opportunities and Resources for Today’s Independent Operator
Chad Counts
Self-Service Panel: Wheel Stands
Afterglow Party
Getting to Know Your Recycler Keynote: Amber Kendrick
Many people know Amber Kendrick, our 2024 Recycler Keynote. She’s the owner at Pete’s Auto Parts, and is an active member of many recycler organizations, including the ARA, Automotive Recyclers of Michigan, and other known acronym organizations. She is always willing to help wherever possible – and is one of the ones you can count on in this industry.
So, you may think you know her pretty well; but maybe there are a few things you may not know:
What was your professional aspiration as child? Why?
I thought I would be an author or a teacher, I love to read and write.
What is your favorite vacation destination? Why should auto recyclers take time away from the business?
I love to hike and kayak, and some of my favorite vacations have been up North in Michigan and out west in Colorado, but anywhere in nature is great by me. The first ten years of my career I did not take a lot of time off and I consistently worked overtime, thinking that work ethic was the key to success. I still believe it’s really important to work hard, but I also recognize it’s better for me, for my employees and for my business for me to have a healthy life/work balance. I think I am more productive at work when I am at work for a more normal 40 hours a week and when I take time to rejuvenate. I have gone overboard in the other direction, though, too, taking so much time off of work that things started to suffer, so it’s important for me to find a balance. Getting away from work allows me better perspective and helps me attack projects with gusto when I return!
How do you balance working with your spouse, and not taking work “home”?
My husband works from home and I drive into the office every day, so that helps a lot! We do end up talking shop at home but it’s because we love what we do. I am definitely guilty of bringing stress home with me but Andy is great at reminding me that work is just one slice of what is important in life!
What is the most important quality to you that makes a customer a GREAT customer?
My favorite customers are my fellow auto recyclers, they send in parts requests electronically.
What is your least favorite auto part that you sell, and why?
The most difficult parts to sell are the “trinkets” that do not have interchange – I’m so grateful to ARA for working with Car-Part.com on getting interchange on small part types that did not have interchange before, and for VIN Match Pro which has enabled us to sell a lot more parts that were not in inventory, but were requested by customers!
Who inspires you daily to be a better person/business owner?
There are so many role models and leaders in the industry that inspire me! On the daily, I try to feed my mind with positive and interesting podcasts, and one of my favorites is Armchair Expert with Dax Shepherd and Monica Padman. Like me, Dax Shepherd is sober and works a 12-step program, and I really enjoy learning from him and with him, and his approach to things like apologizing when he is wrong, being open to new ideas, and asking lots of questions. I spend time everyday meditating and I practice yoga four times a week or more, and that helps me a lot to calm my mind and focus on the present. I am prone to future-tripping, getting anxious about future possibilities that will probably never come to fruition, and it helps me so much to ground myself in what is really happening now and what I can do just for today.
Who is always in your corner, no matter what?
My husband Andy is really my rock and is always in my corner. From the day we met, he has never played any games, there has never been a power struggle, our relationship has been built upon unconditional love and acceptance in a way I never experienced before I met him.
What is one thing about you that people don’t know?
I hate swans. I’m a huge fan of bluegrass music and the Grateful Dead! I’m a hippie at heart. I was a vegetarian for 18 years; I had given up meat because of the ethics of factory farming, but realized as a vegetarian a lot of my food was still coming from factories and was not much more ethical, so now I eat whole foods, no processed foods, mostly from small family farms, and I eat a lot of meat these days!
What is your favorite MOTTO?
My Grandpa Pete’s motto was: Seek God, clean house, help others. That’s my favorite.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
The ability to travel through space and time! I would love to see the world and go back in time to a Grateful Dead concert and to hang out with my Grandpa Pete again. We used to have lunch together every week and I would love to have another lunch with him.
Attend the ARA 81st Annual Convention & Expo to hear Amber Kendrick and other speakers who are coming with the intention to enrich your knowledge and help shape your business, and get to know you, too!
Sponsors
PREMIERE
eBay Motors
Solera/
Hollander
DIAMOND
Amwins
Program
Underwriters
Car-Part.com
United
Recyclers Group, LLC
SILVER
Copart
BRONZE
Cyclic
Materials
EZ-Suite
OVB Holdings LLC dba
OverBuilt
PMR, Inc.
VIN Match Pro
ASSOCIATE
PGM of Texas
Amazing Opportunity for EARLY Registrants
We have secured a limited number of exclusive tours of the nearby Tesla Nevada Gigafactory. We have nine tours over three days, for a total of 90 total slots available. Register early to attend the 81st Annual ARA Convention & Expo and be entered in the lottery, and donate to ARTI to be entered again. Find more details at www.a-r-a.org/convention.
Why gamble with your future?
Don’t miss this opportunity to increase your odds for future success! Come learn, network and celebrate with us at ARA’s 81st annual Convention and Exposition and be the big winner!
Hotel Information
https://book.passkey.com/e/50689190 This year, our convention is being held at the Peppermill Resort Reno. Meetings, educational sessions and the Exposition will take place at the hotel unless otherwise noted.
ARA Room Rates:
$129/night Peppermill Tower
$149/night Tuscany Tower
The ARA room block will close on September 14, 2024.
Should you wish to call the hotel to secure accommodations, you must indicate you are with the Automotive Recyclers Association Annual Meeting, code AARAC24 to receive our group rate. In an effort to reduce last minute cancellations and the liability this creates for ARA, all reservations will require a 1-night non-refundable deposit. Note: No third-party company is hired to assist and/or proactively reach out to ARA members in any way.
