Help assure that the aftermarket will be there for generations to come and join up with the University of the Aftermarket Foundation
Hello, writing to you concerning the University of the Aftermarket Foundation (UAF). I have been honored to be a program and scholarship reviewer for two years now. At the ripe old age of 66, looking at the list of sponsors, donors and other volunteers brings back a flood of amazing memories of the people that make up this business and a number who had a role in building it.
Just last month we completed the annual duty of reviewing all of the students who wish to enter the industry as techs, engineers, parts manufacturing and more. They are the applicants for the UAF scholarships available.
According to Mike Buzzard of the UAF, through 2024, the organization has issued scholarships to 6,500 young people for a total of more than $6 million since 1986. The UAF is a not for profit 501(c) 3. While there are a couple of paid staff people, the reviewers, team leaders, directors and trustees are all volunteers.
Here are the stats just for 2024:
• Students Receiving Awards — over 327
• Amount of Awards — over $721,000
• Categories — 70% for new technicians, collision shop techs, heavy duty truck/equipment. The rest are made up of industry engineers, designers, product managers and others training to grow in our industry.
The UAF also works to support the aftermarket activities at the University of the Aftermarket which is taught through and by Northwood University in Michigan.
While the 2025 work goes on, no doubt we’ll see even higher counts this year. Currently there are nearly 90 reviewers of which 13 are team leaders. Each year the staff of UAF readies the materials for the reviewers. Each and every applicant is looked at by multiple reviewers. Then those identified for scholarship are sent on through.
Being a reviewer is a really difficult job that is taken very seriously by all involved. Last year for me required a lot of time studying a lot of very fine younger people who want to make a big difference in our industry. It was as even harder this year. As one might imagine, the kind of people who would take the time to apply for a scholarship are already top notch.
It’s important to stop here to recognize all of the great companies that support the UAF as well. Chances are you picked up or dealt with parts from one or more of them today. While looking at the UAF website peruse the manufacturers and organizations who help make all of this work.
I would also like to invite you to come along on this journey. There are a couple of ways of involving yourself in bringing and training good young talent for the aftermarket.
- First, help support financially. A few bucks one time, monthly giving through the Coffee Club (as little as $5), or establishing a sponsorship in your name are all possibilities. In many cases people will establish a fixed dollar scholarship in their family name and UAF handles all of the operating end.
- Help spread the word. Stay in touch and spread the word through any auto shop teachers at your local high schools. Ask them to watch for sharp kids and let those kids know about you and UAF.
Just getting ready to write this article has been a very emotional journey for me. The aftermarket, at all levels, has really been my life, from my first day as a detail kid at one of my grandfather’s auto dealerships to retirement. Along the way I worked in dealerships, auto part stores, machine shops, mechanical and collision with some heavy equipment thrown in the mix.
Then came 10 years with incredible mentors and opportunities for a large part’s maker. The final many years doing research for the industry. One thing never changed — all of the people who were so very awesome to have as industry friends and mentors.
The aftermarket is my family in many ways. No doubt it’s yours as well. Help assure that the aftermarket will be there for our kids, grandkids and generations to come and join up with the University of the Aftermarket Foundation.
At a young age, industry veteran Tom Langer started detailing cars for his family’s dealerships, which then led to work in the jobber and warehouse business, along with a machine shop and auto body shop. He held a variety of positions with an auto parts manufacturer for 10 years, and remained in the industry working with shops, warehouses and manufacturers in research and more.
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