Tomorrow's Technician School of the Year Update

I just finished writing more than 100 individual e-mails to various students, automotive instructors, administrators and automotive industry members who have taken the time to nominate a school for the Tomorrow's Technician School of the Year. It took most of the afternoon. You might be thinking "that's a lot of time to spend communicating with students and instructors", and it is, believe me. But think about it - almost 200 individuals took the time to nominate their school, and we still have about 5 weeks to go before the contest closes and the judging begins. A few hours of my time isn't so much.

I've done this before, and I'll do it again. I'm going to let the entrants tell you how important it is to recognize this portion of the automotive market. No matter what segment you represent, it's probably fair to assume that you haven't spent much of your career thinking about the next generation of automotive technicians.

Tony Southern, Instructor at Alleghany HS, NC says, "One of the smallest schools in NC with an automotive program. NATEF-certified program. Students compete in NC Auto Dealers competition. Very valuable program in small community under stressful economy conditions that allows students to graduate with ability to provide for their families."

NACAT Conference - 2009

Last week, Tomorrow's Technician editor, Ed Sunkin, and I drove down to Charlotte, NC for the 2009 NACAT Conference. This year it was held at the Central Piedmont Community College. The North American Council of Automotive Teachers meets annually in a different city each year. It is a week-long conference filled with day-long seminars and training. Despite the economy, this year's conference had a record attendance level. We went for the trade show portion.

The purple truck below belongs to Dan Perrin's wife. Dan is the NACAT Executive Manager. He tells us his wife Lynda lets him drive it for her because she "likes the attention it gets and would rather wave back than have to watch the road."
Northwood University had a booth. Matco Tools had a booth. They have a program to reach automotive students while at school.

Hunter was there.

Chicago Pneumatic brought this beauty.

Chicago Pneumatic also brought out their beautiful people and beautiful tools.

Delmar was there.

Snap-on had a fun time with their booth. Play darts and win a cap! The instructors liked it.

We highlighted the School of the Year program at our booth, showcasing this year's winning entry.

Gates Rubber.

ISN Show - The Grand Finale

Mechanics Time Savers had a colorful booth.

Some people think Rich Evans is a little stiff and one-dimensional.

But he was everywhere. Here he is at the Chicago Pneumatic booth. The theme was tropical and Rich was hot!

Chicago Pneumatic got in on the giveaway action. One lucky distributor would be leaving Orlando with a 2009 Dodge Challenger.

There's Rich again. This time he's on tv.

Rich insisted on taking his picture with me. I autographed his t-shirt as well.Several of the Chicago Pneumatic employees dressed for the tropical theme of their booth. Did this guy go too far? You be the judge. (Hey, if it sells more tools.......)

Just one of the many new products coming from Chicago Pneumatic.

One young and happy fan of Irwin Tools. She like it so much, she kept trying to eat the display.

It was always very busy in the Irwin booth.

Extreme Tools featured their toolboxes.

And that concludes the coverage (in photos) of the ISN show. Look for commentary next week! (just kidding.)

ISN Show - Part II

Today, just some photos and minimal commentary about the show. Tomorrow I'll post more photos and include some "factoids" from ISN.

The TechShop booth embodied the definition of "cutting edge" (paper-cutting edge that is.)
Waterloo Toolboxes introduced some cool designs. This is their latest on one of the their bigger boxes. I believe Forrest Thompson said they'd be ready to ship by July, 2009 (just 2 days from now).

Just a portion of the Makita booth. In addition to great deals on Makita, they offered a huge flat-screen tv with Blu-Ray DVD to one lucky jobber.

Sam Adams of Clore is shown here, writing orders with one hand, and snapping his fingers to the beat of the loudspeaker with the other.

Chicago Pneumatic featured a tropical theme and rocked it with their very own Steel Drum Guy (not as loud as a Steel Drum Band, but just as fun to listen to. Only thing missing was a Rum Runner.)

Along the hallway leading to the show's entrance, ISN featured various manufacturers' products in these glass cases. I thought it was a very effective way to highlight new products and get the dealers thinking about tools before they even entered the show.

DMT featured knife-sharpening tools.

Sunex expanded their presence. I think their booth was a 40X60 ft. And they had some screamin' deals and cool new products.

It was all about selling tools!

More on the School of the Year

Here's a link to one of our reader's blogs. It's a nice piece about the recent School of the Year program.
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbcrn.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fbutlers-gratitude-to-chicago-pneumatic.html&h=ea7729ea44e6f604a5c8b9f3da9f50f1

2009 School of the Year: Ohio Technical College

We began the day out in their main parking lot. Where else would you bring 800 students and faculty members? Thankfully, it was sunny and warm, an unusual combination for mid-May in Cleveland, Ohio. Jay Lewis, General Manager of Chicago Pneumatic opened the ceremony with remarks about the incredible application materials Ohio Technical College submitted.

The table in front of the stage holds $10,000 worth of tools and equipment that Chicago Pneumatic donated to the 2009 School of the Year.

Channel 5 News was "on our side". They took a lot of footage and aired a 15-second piece this morning at 6.16 a.m.

That's Rich Evans (of Huntington Beach Bodyworks, check out his website), Jordan Brenner, OTC Marketing, and our local news reporter from Channel 5 Kimberly Gill.

Someone brought in their Ferrari for the day. They forgot to ask if I wanted to take it for a spin.

Another view of the stage/presentation area. Ohio Technical College generated a lot of the signage that was used.

They created this decal for one of their shop cars.

I dropped in this picture of Rich Evan's backside to show off his "sleeves". Note his funky red and black shoes, he designs shoes as well as vehicles. He is a very talented man.

This is one of the instructors and a student handling their new tools. Many expressed real surprise at the light weight of the impact wrenches.

About 200 students sat through a session with Rich Evans. He explained how he started at the bottom, literally sweeping the floor of his dad's shop to earn money and learn the business. He is now custom-designing vehicles, rims, shoes, gloves and more automotive-related products. I like his story - it's got a real O. Henry theme. When we poll our student readers, most say they want to own their own shop someday. I hope these type of events, with Rich Evans and others, continues to inspire young people to follow their dreams.

Five students look on and cheer their schoolmate to a victory at the tire changing competition. The cheers were mixed with quite a bit of trash-talk and silliness. I think everyone had a great time. The best time was 30 seconds to remove all lug nuts, remove the wheel, spin it, mount the wheel and mount the lug nuts!

Here's one of the contestants. I like that he's working with a smile on his face. Probably due to the crazy comments coming from his classmates. They were mercilous!

Before the competition, Rich shared the story of how he began his career, and how he continually strives to be the best, and work towards realizing his dreams.

Rich Evans and Tom King (with Ohio Technical College) watch the tire changing competition.

Ohio Technical College is privately held by the Brenner Family. It was started 40 years ago by Julius Brenner, when he was 50 years old. Today he is 90 years old, and OTC is run by his son Marc (President), and his grandson Jordan handles the marketing.

It was a great way to spend a day. Lots of positive comments about the educational facility and the type of professionals they graduate. Lots of positive comments from the students about their faculty. And they were all just thrilled to receive the tools and meet Rich Evans.

And no one gave me the hook while I was on stage. whew!

Remember to Smile

I'm preparing to give a speech to 800 students and faculty members later this week. One of our magazines, Tomorrow's Technician, (along with Chicago Pneumatic) is awarding the 2nd Annual School of the Year Award to one very deserving school, and since I'm Publisher, I have the honor of saying a few words to the school's students, faculty, and assorted guests.

I don't speak to large groups very often. I can say without thinking about it for a second, that I've NEVER spoken to 800 people at one time, so this is a real challenge for me. I'm pretty good one on one, or in small groups where I'm training. But 800 people, most of whom are STUDENTS... I'm a little apprehensive I have to admit. Plus, I have 8-10 minutes to fill. My heart just did a double-beat there for a second, just thinking about it.

When I get nervous, or excited, or sometimes just because it's a great day, I tend to talk fast. I don't like to waste people's time, so I try to get through things quickly, sometimes too quickly. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has experienced this. I can usually make a conscious effort to change this, as I read the looks on people's faces. But what do you do, how do you "read" 800 faces?

I don't really know. But today, I finished typing up my speech. I read it through twice on my monitor, then I went to the beginning of the paper and typed these words in big, bold, black type:
TAKE A DEEP BREATH, SPEAK SLOWLY and SMILE.

It doesn't seem like I should have to write these words, does it? But I do, because I tend to speak quickly and I generally look very serious, regardless of the topic. After I wrote that advice to myself, I wrote SMILE every few paragraphs, just to keep reminding myself.

I have a great message to deliver to this audience, and if I don't SMILE, they may or may not hear me.

Smiling comes naturally to most sales professionals, whether they're on the phone or delivering a message in person. A smile is also one of the best sales tools you have, and it's free (no training required, for the most part).

Perfect example of the power of a smile: these two photos of Rascal.
(disregard the drool factor. Rascal had endured the aroma of popcorn...)
If this dumb dog were up for adoption, which one would you consider? Which one makes you smile?