Auto Glass Week has a multitude of ways for industry members to improve their craft and business acumen—something crucial for companies to thrive and improve their business. You can watch the multitude of competitions taking place on the show floor—windshield repair, auto glass technician, calibration and customer service. You can talk to sponsors about the latest products they have to offer, and even inquire about future developments. You can also attend more than a dozen seminars over the course of three days and watch world-class competitions. There are so many more educational and networking opportunities so look at the next several pages and map your show strategy to get the most out of this event.
No Better Place Than at Auto Glass Week
No Better Place Than at Auto Glass Week
Your plan of attack for what companies to see, should include a look through the list of sponsors on pages 20 and 21 and prioritize your list. If you are looking for a sampling of
some of the new products on display, turn to page 38 to do your research. The sponsors include returning and new companies who will have a wide variety of products on display.
One of those new sponsors is Verax Chemical Company, a company that manufactures a wide array of maintenance chemicals. The company’s focus at Auto Glass Week will be
its Dyna-Wipes product line, which the company describes as “the best hand and tool wipe available.”
“We look forward to showing the attendees how safe and effective they are for removing urethane sealants, adhesives and more,” says Warren Curkendall, general manager.
“We’ve worked with a few distributors in the industry over the last 10 years, but we’re looking to expand that presence,” he adds. “Auto Glass Week seemed like the best way to dive deeper and make additional contacts.”
Watch and Learn From Others
With every year there are new and returning individuals in all of the competitions, and all are equally as excited. One of those is both a returning competitor, and a newbie of sorts.
Matt Anderson of Novus Auto Glass in Spokane, Wash., has competed in the Windshield Repair Competition in the past, but this year is entering the Auto Glass Technician competition.
“Having done the WRO in the past I wanted to see how I could do in the AGTO,” he says. “Attending the event as a competitor helps me to demonstrate my commitment to quality and professionalism to my customers and referral sources.”
LeAnn Lawrence of Glasspro is a returning competitor in the Auto Glass Customer Service Representative (CSR) competition.
“I wanted to come back and compete again because I know I can do better,” she says. “This is an ever changing industry we are in and with technology playing such a big role in that, it pays to step up your game if you will,” she says.
In fact, her preparations will continue right up until the final round.
“I plan on attending every CSR seminar that is provided during Auto Glass Week before the competition,” she says. “There is always something helpful that can be taken away from the ones that Auto Glass Week provides!”
The CSR competition debuted last year, and in 2018 the Inaugural Auto Glass Calibration Competition makes an entrance. Chris Pridgen, Intermountain Auto Glass, is one of the individuals who will be showing off his skills.
“I chose to compete so I could learn more and stay on top of this rapidly evolving industry,” he says. “I have always wanted to attend Auto Glass Week to get a close up of all the new tools and technology that comes with it. The industry has come a long way from manual caulking guns and butyl, to now computers required for a windshield replacement.”
Learn from Two Dynamic Keynote Speakers
Richard Rawlings
Host, Fast N’ Loud
Moderated Q&A:
Running Your Business Loud and Fast
Thursday, September 27
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Meeting Room 214C
Richard Rawlings, the host of the wildly popular Fast N’ Loud on the Discovery Channel and owner of Gas Monkey Garage in Dallas, will provide an amazing session at Auto Glass Week™ 2018.
A true entrepreneur, he started with nothing but a vision based on his passion for cars and has since grown his Gas Monkey Garage, which includes its full-service car restoration business and serves as the home base for his fl agship show on Fast N’ Loud on Discovery Channel. On his show, Rawlings searches the far-flung corners of Texas and surrounding states for forgotten and derelict classic cars to buy and restore at his famous Dallas garage. His other shows on Discovery include Misfit Garage, Garage Rehab and Demolition Theater. Additionally, his Gas Monkey Garage brand includes restaurants, a live music venue, Gas Monkey Garage apparel, its own brand of tequila and an energy drink. Rawlings also has a number of corporate partnerships including Dickies, Havoline and Advance Auto Parts.
Rawlings is a veteran of transcontinental road rallies, winning the Gumball 3000 and the Bullrun—twice. He is the current world record holder in the Cannonball Run and was even recognized by Jay Leno for this achievement. He broke the record that stood since 1979, covering 2,811 miles from New York to Los Angeles in 31 hours and 59 minutes, with an average speed of 87.6 miles per hour.
Prior to his success with his TV shows and car restoration business, Rawlings held down several jobs which allowed him to pursue his passion for cars. He was a firefighter, police officer and paramedic, all before he was 21 years old. He eventually left those jobs to start his own business, building a printing and advertising company from the ground up. He later sold this business to establish Gas Monkey Garage.
Michael Robinson
The Future of Automotive Design
Friday, September 28, 11:00 a.m. – Noon
Meeting Room 214C
Michael Robinson spent 38 years as an American car designer in Italy, which includes 22 years as Design Director at Lancia, Fiat, Bertone, and ED Design. The hundreds of car design projects include many concept cars as well as many production cars. Some of Robinson’s highlights are the 1995 Fiat Bravo/Brava production cars which won European Car of the Year, the 2001 Lancia Thesis, the 2003 Lancia Ypsilon, and the 2005 Fiat Ducato delivery van. Concept cars include the 1998 Lancia Dialogos, with vis-à-vis seating and an A.I. virtual chauffeur called Ambrogio, the 2000 Lancia Nea, the first two autonomous cars in Europe and Pope John Paul II’s personal limousine in 1999. As Bertone Design Director, he developed the 2010 Alfa Romeo centennial celebration concept Pandion, the 2011 Jaguar B99, the 2012 Nuccio, the 2013 Aston Martin Jet 2+2. Robinson is also a renowned futurist, addressing rapidly arriving scenarios of new mobility around the world. In 2003, Robinson was inducted into the Car Designer Hall of Fame at the Italian National Auto Museum (MAUTO).
Educational Seminar Line-Up
Thursday, September 27
7:00 a.m. – 7:30 a.m.
Morning Coffee with …
Carl Tompkins
Meeting Room 214C
This year, Auto Glass Week presents a series of early-morning, informal sessions called “Morning Coffee with” designed for all, but with a special focus on owners and managers who have been in the auto glass business for less than five years. Whether new to the industry or a “long-timer,” you’ll enjoy coffee with Carl Tompkins as he shares the common themes he’s seen among most auto glass companies that succeed—and those that fail. During the course of his 44-year career, Carl has visited and studied literally thousands of auto glass companies and knows what the successful ones have in common. You don’t have to be big to be the best, but there are some true secrets to success. Carl will show you what they are.
Speaker: Carl Tompkins, global AGR strategic marketing manager for Sika Corporation (retiring 12/31/2018).
7:45 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.
Auto Glass Week Opening Session
Meeting Room 214C
Come for an overview of all that Auto Glass Week 2018 has to offer, along with an update from each of the sponsoring organizations about their current and new initiatives including the advancement of calibration programs in the auto glass industry.
Speakers: Debra Levy, publisher AGRR magazine; Jean Pero, vice president, Auto Glass Safety Council; Gary Hart, executive director of the Independent Glass Association; and Troy Mason, president, National Windshield Repair Association.
8:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Break
8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Second Annual Advanced Driver
Assistance Systems (ADAS) Summit
Meeting Room 214C
Join us for a full day of learning about ADAS technology, standards and practices, legal implications and how to insure you receive payment for calibration services. Then follow up with a visit to the show floor for actual full demonstrations of calibration equipment in operation.
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
OE and Aftermarket Glass and Their
Effect on Calibration
This timely session will provide an overview of the distinctions between original equipment (OE, original equipment manufacturer (OEM), “OE-equivalent” and aftermarket glass. The differences in branding, fit, quality and channels to market will be explained. Telltale signs of counterfeit or mislabeled glass will also be discussed. Then, the session will explore the factors important when assessing how to calibrate each type of glass and how to be sure you are set up to do so properly.
Speaker(s): Liz Jakacki, sales manager at NSG Pilkington.
9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Break
9:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Successfully Integrating Calibration into Your Business
The advent of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) has led to a variety of business challenges for the glass industry. Once you have determined that the glass you have repaired or replaced requires calibration, how do you get it done and receive payment for this additional work? A number of different business models have emerged in the past year including the purchase of in-house equipment, work with car dealerships and/or manufacturers and the development of separate companies. In this session, company owners and managers who have chosen a specific method talk about what’s involved in each and the advantages and disadvantages they have found, as well as ease of getting rimbursed from insurers. A must for anyone planning a future that includes calibration. Moderator: Jeff Olive, chair of the AGSC ADAS committee and auto glass technical training manager for Glasspro of South Carolina.
Speakers: Doug Clarke, owner and operator of The Pit Stop Automotive Center; Dan Knowlton, president of K&K Auto Glass in Florida; Rupert Armitage, managing director of Auto Windscreens in the United Kingdom; and George Weller of City Auto Glass.
11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Break
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Keynote: Richard Rawlings
(See keynote on page 17).
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch on Your Own
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Calibration Considerations: Repair, Replacement and Manufacturers
Meeting Room 214C
When must recalibration take place? Some car manufacturers require it in certain models, others do not. This session will explore the science of calibration and what the manufacturers say about when it is necessary. The recently completed study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) will also be discussed. Bring your questions.
Speakers: Sean O’Malley, Senior Test
Coordinator of the Insurance Institute for
Highway Safety.
Friday, September 28
7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Morning Coffee with …
Turning Price Shoppers Into Sales
Meeting Room 214C
It may seem like it’s all about price, but it’s not. Your potential customers ask you about it because they don’t know what else to ask. This workshop will teach you how to overcome price objections and change the conversation to what’s really important in auto glass repair and replacement. Find out that when price shoppers understand what’s important,
they choose YOU!
Speaker: Nancy Friedman is one of the country’s foremost experts on customer service, communications and telephone skills and the President of Telephone Doctor in St Louis, Mo.
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Trends in Auto Glass Insurance Claims
Meeting Room 214C
This session will explore the trends in insurance claims involving auto glass, including a look at frequency, severity, cost and more. National and state fi ndings will be included. The information presented provides great insight into the future of the auto glass-insurance claims relationship.
Speaker: Kay Wakeman is a research
analyst for the Highway Loss Data Institute (HDLI), based in Charlottesville, Va.
9:30 a.m – 9:45 a.m.
Break
9:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Consumers, Automakers, Attorneys, Insurers and More: How Technology Will Change Aftermarket Liability
Meeting Room 214C
The arrival of ADAS will bring radical changes to government regulations, industry practices, as well as the legal landscape for consumers, automakers, attorneys, insurance companies and others. According to “Automated Vehicles: Liability Crash Course,” a report released by J.D. Power and Miller Canfi eld, consumers are suspicious of technology failures and, relatedly, they desire to resolve ADAS product liability claims out of court.
Such an option provides consumers with a balance of time, compensation, personal investment and fairness that they seek. This session will focus on liability issues affecting ADAS, with a particular focus on how ADAS product liability claims may be resolved, as well as which data is most useful in reconstructing ADAS accidents. It also explores how likely consumers are to pursue litigation and under what circumstances.
Speaker: Zlatina (Tina) Georgieva is a product liability and regulatory compliance attorney at the global law firm of Miller Canfield. She is a co-author of “Automated Vehicles: Liability Crash Course” report released in March of this year and referenced above. She is
licensed to practice in multiple states in the United States and Canada.
11:00 a.m. – Noon
The Future of Glass in Automotive Design
Meeting Room 214C
Come hear from renown car designer Michael Robinson. (See keynote on page 17).
Noon – 12:15 p.m.
Break
12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Brown Bag Lunch: Your Customer’s Experience
Meeting Room 214C
Bring your lunch and a drink and come learn the results of a very unique research project that studied the decision-making process and experience of customers who had their glass replaced in the last six months. This research project is unique in that it studies customers that used multiple companies and multiple insurers. Gain some quick insights into your customers’ buying experience while you munch on your lunch during this informal session.
Speaker: Nick St. Denis is the director of the research division at Key Media & Research.
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Round Tables with … America’s Top Auto Glass Retailers
Meeting Room 213B
Meet with the owners and managers of the top auto glass retailers in this country … all ready and willing to share their wisdom with you. Hear what they did well to grow their businesses and what did not work. Find out how their early days in business went. Learn from their successes and their mistakes. This session is set up in roundtables with different topics at each table. You can table-hop as much as you wish and ask questions of our experts.
Retailers: Dan Knowlton, K&K Glass, Zephyr Hills, FL; David Leach, Don’s Mobile Glass/Wardrobe and Bath Specialties, Modesto, CA; Paul Morris, Jack Morris Auto Glass, Memphis, TN; Mike Schenian, South St. Paul, MN.; and Ron Schiebler, Binswanger Glass
Saturday, September 29
7:00 a.m. – 7:45 a.m.
Morning Coffee with ….
Dustin Anderson of HGTV’s Fixer Upper
Meeting Room 214C
Long before he was Chip and Joanne Gaines go-to-glass guy on the HGTV show Fixer Upper, Dustin Anderson opened his own glass company in Waco, Texas, and he’s been facing the same struggles you do. Dustin has a strong passion for young people who enter the trades and will share with you his strategies for helping advance the glass industry as a
noble profession, while finding qualified workers.
Speaker: Dustin Anderson, owner of Anderson Glass in Waco, Texas, and a spokesperson for Glass.com®. Dustin has been in the glass industry for almost his whole life and probably is best known for providing the glass and glazing services on the HGTV show Fixer Upper.
7:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
AGSC Certifi ed Auto Glass
Replacement Technician Training
Meeting Room 207B
Now is the time for every technician to get certified. This intensive three-hour training and review course helps you get ready to take the Auto Glass Safety Council (AGSC) certified technician test that very afternoon. There is no charge for this training or testing for any Auto Glass Week attendee, even those attending the trade show only, so come and bring
all your installers. Take the training, the test or both. Pass and leave proudly wearing the badge that shows you are a certified professional.
Instructor: Bob Beranek founded his own company in 1991, and is president of Auto Glass University, where he developed and conducted training programs for leading companies in the automotive and auto glass industry.
7:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
NWRA Certified Auto Glass Repair
Technician Training
Meeting Room 206B
The National Windshield Repair Association (NWRA) will hold technician training, which is open to everyone registered to attend Auto Glass Week, including those attending the trade show only. The exam will be held from 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. the same day. Those taking the training may take it the same day or receive a coupon to take it online within
30 days.
Instructor: NWRA board members Korey Gobin and Aric Haarala will serve as the instructors of the course. The training is free to both NWRA members and Auto Glass Week™ participants.
7:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Being the World’s Best Auto Glass Repair and Replacement CSR and Second Annual CSR Competition
Meeting Room 213A
Customer Service Reps (CSRs) are the heart of any auto glass company. They are the first people a customer talks to and can make or break a company’s bottom line. They take calls, answer customer questions and schedule auto glass repair and replacement appointments. This is their moment in the spotlight—with lessons in great customer service for the rest of us. Don’t miss the second annual Auto Glass Customer Service
Representative (CSR) Competition Finals to be held at this time. Listen in as judges ask basic price questions and put these CSRs through a test of their mettle. Watch and learn as CSRs stand up under the pressure of direct questions (some more diffi cult than others) and as our judges educate the audience with real-life, real-time lessons on what makes
the best.
Moderator: Holly Biller, AGRR magazine. Judges: Nancy Friedman, The Telephone Doctor; Joel Timmons, Profitable Glass Solutions and Carl Tompkins of Sika Corporation.
9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
Break
9:15 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
SPECIAL SESSION:
A Continuing Evolution of Glass Pricing
Meeting Room 214C
As vehicle complexity is increasing, so too is the complexity of glass, forcing a need for an evolution of pricing in order to keep upwith the increasing expectation of proper and safe repairs. Be a part of this informative session as John Gilmartin, senior vice president of
service, operations, and global markets at Mitchell International, walks through what can be expected in regard to NAGS as the year draws to a close, and what the future holds.
Speaker: John Gilmartin is the senior vice president for service, operations and global markets at Mitchell International.
