Reach Your Peak at NORTHEAST®

by Alana Quartuccio

When it comes to your future, you can’t afford to let anything hold you back. It’s time to steer the wheel and push the speed limit toward your maximum potential. And the best course of action starts at AASP/NJ’s NORTHEAST® Automotive Services Show!

Set your GPS for the Meadowlands Exposition Center – 355 Plaza Drive, Secaucus, NJ –  March 20-22 to drive your future! Get ready for a non-stop weekend of events set to fast-track automotive and collision repair professionals of all skill levels to peak performance. The largest – and fastest growing – automotive show of its kind is the go-to source for repair professionals up and down the East Coast and beyond.

NORTHEAST is the ultimate destination every March! Repairers come from all over the country to get the first look at the newest equipment, innovations and resources from more than 100 exhibitors, gain new insights and ideas from some of the automotive industry’s most well-informed professionals, partake in some fun and friendly competition, network, win prizes and more.

There’s always something new and exciting happening in every zone of the show from start to finish!

Speaking of getting in the zone, collision repairers looking to show off their skills for a chance to win some amazing prizes will want to enter the Fourth Annual BodyWork Bowl. This fun-filled competition, which lets repairers test their skills in welding, estimating and painting, has become a staple of NORTHEAST in a very short time.

“I’m so excited for the 2026 BodyWork Bowl,” expresses Jill Tuggle, executive director of the Auto Body Association of Texas, who returns once again to coordinate the competition annually for AASP/NJ.

“We mean it when we say it gets bigger and better each year, and this year is no different! We expect the biggest group of competitors to date and more spectators than ever before to cheer them on. And the stakes are high! We have some amazing prizes thanks to our generous sponsors.”

BodyWork Bowl Sponsors to date for 2026 include CCC Intelligent Solutions, Spanesi, Telwin and Chief Automotive Technologies/Collision Equipment Consulting.

Tuggle extends an extra special shout out to Teddy Dinella of Chief Automotive Technologies/Collision Equipment Consulting, who in coordination with Chief will be donating a welder as this year’s first place prize in the body/welding category, for the fourth year in a row.

Be sure to visit aaspnjnortheast.com to register and take a shot at scoring some amazing prizes, plus bragging rights! Competition takes place on Saturday, March 21. Finalists will be notified that evening and invited to attend the award ceremony set for Sunday, March 22.

NORTHEAST 2026’s exclusive educational program is once again proudly sponsored by AirPro Diagnostics. This year’s lineup will be bigger, bolder and more inclusive than ever before as AASP/NJ has turbo-charged the roster with the addition of both mechanical and Spanish-speaking courses!

A powerhouse schedule of mechanical courses presented by Expertech Automotive Training & Consulting, Bosch and NAPA have been added to accommodate AASP/NJ’s growing mechanical sector.

Ira Waldman (Expertech Automotive Training & Consulting) and Tim Iezzi (Iezzi’s Auto Service) will present “Fixing the No Start” on Saturday, March 21. Waldman, owner of Expertech Automotive, is an ASE Master Technician with more than 40 years of hands-on experience diagnosing complex drivability and electrical issues. He’ll team up with Iezzi, co-owner of Iezzi’s Auto Service and a 23-year veteran of the automotive industry with hands-on experience, to “give attendees procedures that they can take back with them and use Monday in the shop to help them diagnose no starts.”

They will use case studies to help attendees understand how to stay away from traps and go about diagnosing the issues the right way. Waldman and Iezzi will also present “Introduction to Module Programming” for mechanical repair professionals.

“TPMS (tire pressure monitoring systems) and alignment are no longer ‘tire services,’ they are now a critical integration into a vehicle’s safety system,” says Kennith Pollin (NAPA). His “TPMS & Alignment: Turning Two Overlooked Systems into Reliable Profit Centers” discussion will show attendees how to turn those systems into standardized, documented and dependable profit centers.

“Modern vehicles depend on proper tire pressure and suspension geometry for stability control, braking performance, ADAS accuracy and overall handling. Yet, many shops still treat them reactively. In today’s market, that leaves both safety and profitability untapped.”

Mechanical repairers will leave the course with a simple three-step TPMS verification process, an “alignment trigger list” that increases capture rates, advisor language that positions these services as safety verification and not an “upsell,” Pollin promises. Attendees will also gain a workflow that reduces comebacks and increases trust and will take away clear KPIs to measure success.

To be best prepared to get the most out of the course, Pollin encourages attendees to analyze how their shop currently handles TPMS and alignment. “Understanding their existing process will make the session even more impactful,” he suggests.

Adele Rivas (Koplin Auto Body; Elizabeth) is taking the reins at bringing two exciting and interactive sessions geared toward Spanish-speaking repair professionals on March 21 and 22, making NORTHEAST the first automotive show of its size and stature to offer courses specifically for the Tri-State area’s large Hispanic/Latino community.

With these courses, Rivas will empower those in the automotive community who have an entrepreneurial spirit and want to develop and achieve their goals. She’ll have an expert VIP panel made up of managers, technicians, estimators, parts, customer service and a paint representative to take part in discussions and answer questions.

“We’ll have conversations in 10-minute intervals where we will converse about real life issues based on our day-to-day. I’ll also share my own story about how I used my creativity to become an owner of an auto body business, despite not having come directly from the industry.”

She says the courses will really be trilingual. “I say that because we’ll be using a Portuguese-Brazillian dialect, as well as English, and that is because a lot of people tend to speak all three languages.”

Rivas will also host a special VIP invitation only “Havana Nights” event with a classic 1960s-1970s theme following the Saturday session between 5:30pm and 9pm.

Her mission is to “introduce our inner city communities and shop owners to AASP/NJ, so they can see the education and the knowledge the association offers. A lot of shops may know about AASP/NJ, but they really don’t know all the benefits of what can be available to them, so this will be a great opportunity for them to gain new knowledge.”

Planning for the future doesn’t just mean sharpening your craft in the shop; it also means preparing for life after your automotive career ends.

Matthew DiFrancesco (High Lift Financial) and Laura Gay (Consolidation Coach) return to NORTHEAST with “The Next Chapter of Your Life: Three Owners, Three Decisions, Three Very Different Outcomes” on Friday, March 20.

“One of the best sayings I’ve ever heard is ‘people don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan,’” observes DiFrancesco. “I think most shop owners don’t think about what that next chapter can look like, and when the time comes, they’re not prepared for it.”

Using real life examples, they will show attendees what can happen when a shop attempts to exit the business with little to no planning in place and how it differs from another business owner who had put strategy and planning in ahead of time.

Panel discussions are always a favorite at NORTHEAST. Liz Stein (Certified Collision Group) returns to moderate “Survey Says: NORTHEAST Tackles In-House v. Outsourcing ADAS” on Saturday, March 21. This lively “Family Feud” style-session will explore today’s most common questions and misconceptions to help shop owners determine whether doing the work in-house or subletting is the right thing for their business. Panelists include Joel Adcock (REVV), Josh Cascanet (AirPro Diagnostics), Ben Johnson (asTech/Repairify), Troy Domstead (Car ADAS Solutions) and Joffrey Starcher (TEXA).

A panel of industry experts will give audience members a better understanding of how invoking the Right to Appraisal can be a powerful tool when an insurer’s estimate doesn’t match what it really takes to safely repair a vehicle. Led by Stein, expected panelists include Jerry McNee (Ultimate Collision Repair; Edison), Sean Preston (Coverall Law), Jill Tuggle (ABAT) and Kyle Bradshaw (K&M Collision; Hickory, NC).

Don’t miss other top name presenters like the one-and-only Mike Anderson (Collision Advice) who is teaming up with Gold Show Sponsor Matthew’s Auto Supplies’ Benjamin Stephens to present “Estimating is a Lifestyle: How Top Estimators Think, Document and Defend Repairs.” The day-long discussion will kick things off on Friday, March 20. Check out page 32 for the full schedule!

“The level of education available at NORTHEAST is one of the many reasons that repair technicians around the country make the trip to New Jersey each year,” says AASP/NJ President Ken Miller. “NORTHEAST is already well-established as the premier event where professionals can access current, relevant and crucial information on the industry’s most prevalent topics. And this year, we’re delivering an unprecedented amount of value! No matter your specialty, this show is custom-built for YOU. You need to be at NORTHEAST 2026!”

Each NORTHEAST educational session costs $35. Get a huge discount on a Full Access NORTHEAST Educational Pass for just $249. Returning for 2026, NORTHEAST attendees who register for educational offerings have the option to add a “plus one” to that same class at no additional cost; sign up for classes and bring a friend for FREE.

Whether you come to peruse the wide choices of market tools and equipment, learn from the best minds in the industry or win big in the ring, NORTHEAST is the place to be this month!

Register now for a FREE attendee badge at aaspnjnortheast.com.

Want more? Check out the March 2026 issue of New Jersey Automotive!