Toyota, Subaru and General Motors executives are the early confirmations for OEM participation in the March 8 general meeting for the National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF). The meeting is a guest event to be held during the popular VISION Hi-Tech Training and Expo in Overland Park, Kan. Several other OEM service operation support divisions have indicated their possible attendance and the NASTF meeting agenda will include new participants as they are confirmed.
"NASTF plays a unique role in the automotive industry as the contact point between independent technicians and service operation support executives inside each of the original equipment automobile manufacturers (OEMs)," said Skip Potter, executive director of NASTF. "Our general meetings provide the opportunity for shop owners, their technicians and service writers to engage, face-to-face, in productive conversations with OEM service support representatives concerning OEM service resources.
Mark Saxonberg, service technology manager for Toyota; Kelly Geist, service engineering manager for Subaru; and Bob Stewart, aftermarket service support for GM will participate in presentations and panel discussions that will make up the NASTF general meeting agenda. The complete agenda will be released soon.
NASTF holds two general meetings each year. The site for the Spring 2013 NASTF general meeting was chosen specifically in recognition that the VISION educational conference is the single largest gathering of professional independent technicians in the USA. The NASTF general meeting is scheduled for 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 8 in the Overland Park Convention Center near Kansas City. There is no charge to attend the NASTF meeting but there is a fee to register for other educational sessions at the VISION conference. Information and registration for VISION is available at www.visionkc.com. The Fall 2013 General Meeting will be held in Las Vegas during the week of the AAPEX and SEMA trade shows. The details for the fall meeting have not yet been released.
NASTF was established in 2000 to identify, communicate and resolve gaps in the availability and accessibility of automotive service information, service training, diagnostic tools, and equipment for the benefit of automotive service professionals and their customers. NASTF was incorporated in 2006 as a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit organization. Additional details can be found at www.theautochannel.com.
