AASPMN Association Updates – September 2026
AASPMN’s St. Paul Saints Game Outing Highlights
AASPMN hosted “A Night Out with the St. Paul Saints” on Thursday, August 6 at CHS Field in St. Paul. Nearly 60 AASPMN members, their employees and families attended the event, which kicked off with a tailgate party at Lancer Service – just a few blocks from the field.
Along with the free parking provided by Lancer Service, attendees enjoyed a barbeque of hamburgers, hot dogs and brats, and great conversation before heading to the game.
The game featured the St. Paul Saints versus Louisville Bats. Walker Jenkins of the Saints led the charge by hitting two home runs in the game, earning two RBIs and two runs scored. In the end, the Saints defeated the Louisville Bats 5 to 4, securing their fourth consecutive win.
MTTIA Conference Recap
Each year, the Midwest Teachers of Transportation and Industrial Areas (MTTIA) Conference takes place in Brainerd during the first week of August. This three-day event provides automotive and auto body teachers with education to fulfill their continuing education credits and keep them up to date on the rapidly changing automotive industry. It is an amazing opportunity to connect with teachers from across Minnesota and neighboring states.
AASPMN and MNCARS had a tabletop display at the tradeshow to remind teachers of the benefits of placing students in independent shops and other resources available through the two organizations. The biggest topic of interest was the Dual Pipeline grant program available through the state, made possible, in part, by AASPMN member advocacy. Efforts are underway to make I-CAR and ASE continuing education training expenses eligible for reimbursement through the grant.
If you are interested in learning more about MTTIA or the Dual Pipeline grant, please reach out to Linden Wicklund at linden@aaspmn.org.
Back to School Season = Interns & Career Fairs
Students are heading back to school and looking for internship and job opportunities that align with their schedule. If you are interested in mentoring a student or have openings in your shop, please reach out to AASPMN and your local technical school. Dealerships are very involved with the schools and thus often snatch up top talent, but there is no reason why you can’t do the same! Reach out to your local school, offer to go into a classroom to talk about automotive careers or see if any of the unused tools laying around your shop would be a welcome donation to the school.
Want more? Check out the September 2026 issue of AASP-MN News!