A New Beginning

by Ken Miller, AASP/NJ President

When I sat down to write this message, my first message as AASP/NJ President, I started thinking about beginnings. As I begin this journey, a quote by Plato comes to mind: “The beginning is the most important part of the work.” 

Of course, this is not the beginning of the association; AASP/NJ has been around for 60 years, longer than many of us have been around. I like to think that time has given us the opportunity to mature as an organization, but at the same time, we’re entering a new era. 

This past year, we’ve seen a big difference in the level of training the association has brought to its members, and we’ve received some great responses from attendees about the quality of those offerings. We’ve also been able to schedule sessions a little more consistently, and that’s really important when it comes to making sure repairers in the Garden State receive the knowledge they need when they need it. 

I’ve had a great time planning those events with the Education Committee, and I’m proud that we’ve done such a phenomenal job of steering our training sessions in a new direction to make sure the association is bringing the type of education that everyone in our industry needs. The different committee members offer a variety of perspectives, and by collaborating to come up with relevant training topics, we’ve been able to create comprehensive guidance to help shops move forward and succeed in their businesses. 

Walt Disney said, “We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

I want more of you to be curious. As I take the reins as president of AASP/NJ, I’m looking forward to meeting more shops in New Jersey, so I invite you to come to our next meeting and see what we’re doing differently – and maybe even help us identify areas where we can improve what we’re doing for members. We need fresh outlooks as we continue to grow and explore new paths; we need YOU to get involved and join us in this new beginning.

Want more? Check out the December 2023 issue of New Jersey Automotive!