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Northwest Auto Care Alliance launches its first-ever collision training event, May 6

In response to member input, the all-new and all-day Collision Training Expo will feature classes on ADAS, blueprinting, diagnostics, welding and more — open to all

Lakewood, Wash.—The inaugural launch of Northwest Auto Care Alliance (NWACA)’s all new Collision Training Expo (CTE) is around the corner, slated for May 6, at Clover Park Technical College in Lakewood, Wash.

“It’s all about bettering the industry,” Micah Strom, co-owner of Modern Collision Rebuild & Service in Bainbridge Island, Wash., told Aftermarket Matters (see shop profile here). “We’re not trying to sell anything to anybody — it’s all about training to improve our industry.”

The Clover Park facility has dedicated classrooms to hold 125 attendees and will go from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. with a two-hour lunchtime from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., which will include an exhibitor area for collision-related businesses to talk with attendees.

Strom said that CTE has been in the planning process for a year. “We have members in both mechanical and collision, and we had one of our top collision shops backing out of membership because they didn’t see a lot of value for their segment. As an owner of a collision shop, myself, I tended to agree with him. While NWACA has discount programs for everyone to take advantage of — and the ATE for mechanical training — there was nothing available in terms of training for collision shops. It’s been a long road getting here through a team effort.”

There will be a strong focus on training for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and diagnostics, as well as classes such as “Do We Manage Our Business from a Check Book?” “Estimating & Damage Analysis,” “OEM Adhesives for Today’s Vehicles,” “Welding Technology & Advanced Metals,” and “Blueprinting and Measuring for the Body Technician,” which is a hands-on class. Also to be featured is a shop owner roundtable for discussion and answering attendee questions.

“We expect CTE registration to fill up quickly,” Strom said. “It’s not something that you typically see in the collision industry — a one-day event full of classes that’s local.”

In addition to being open to members ($175) and non members ($250), CTE will also be available to Clover Park Technical College collision students at no charge. Shops can register here.

CTE sponsors and instructors include 3M, CCC, ALLDATA, ATI, Velitek, LDC Equipment, 1-800-Radiator & A/C, P Tech Payments, and Wesco. Those interested in exhibiting can fill out a registration form here. For questions, contact Brenda or JoAnna or at office at 253-473-6970

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