Sept. 13, 2017—Motor vehicle aftermarket suppliers have been supporting the mission of the University of the Aftermarket Foundation in record numbers, funding industry scholarships and educational initiatives to help attract and retain talent through the aftermarket supply chain.
“The aftermarket supplier community has really stepped up. They recognize the importance of education to the future of our industry and they’re doing something about it,” said Joe Pomaranski, MAAP, secretary of the University of the Aftermarket Foundation and senior vice president and general manager global aftermarket for Tenneco Automotive. “Whether through named scholarships, participation in the AWDA Challenge or contributions to the University of the Aftermarket Foundation, the generosity of the supplier community grows each year.”
This year, the University of the Aftermarket Foundation has administered several scholarship programs for aftermarket suppliers, namely Affinia (Mann+Hummel), Bosch, Dayco, Gates, Harvest Partners, Mitchell 1, Multi-Parts Supply and Standard Motor Products.
The 2017 AWDA Challenge will be held in conjunction with the annual Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association (AWDA) meeting in Las Vegas. Participating suppliers sign up in advance to donate $25 to the University of the Aftermarket Foundation for each one-on-one meeting they have during AWDA. Supplier donations are matched by participating distributors. Last year, the AWDA Challenge raised over $83,000 for the industry education, a 30 percent increase over the previous year, with 73 suppliers taking part.
“We are grateful to have the active involvement of the supplier community. Their support, and the support of so many in the industry, helped the University of the Aftermarket Foundation award 235 scholarships totalling more than $345,000 this year alone,” said Bill Maggs, MAAP, treasurer of the University of the Aftermarket Foundation and CEO of National Pronto Association. “The University of the Aftermarket Foundation may have been founded in 1986, but we’re just getting started.”
