from the editor

Champion Material
by Penny Stacey

RECENTLY, WE’VE ALL BEEN hearing story after story about Olympic champions and how they came to achieve their dreams. Most of them were just ordinary people who found something they loved and strove to succeed at it. For this issue, I had the opportunity to interview several champions—of a different sort, though. These were champions in the Auto Glass Technician Olympics (AGTO) and Windshield Repair Olympics (WRO) from the past four years. I set out to talk to each of them about how both competing and winning these competitions has helped them in their daily workdays and in their businesses. Each of them had a different story to tell, and you can read these on page 52. But a few things each of them said—particularly when it came to how to train for the competitions—resonated throughout our conversations.

Each of them said, in their own unique way, that if you do your job well everyday, you’ll naturally do well in the Olympics. And, many of them even suggested that the key to practicing is treating every single job—whether it’s an installation or a repair—like it’s a competition.

If we all do this, in whatever it is we do, shouldn’t we succeed? Or at least make a gallant effort?

In this issue, I hope you’ll find many articles that will help you in your business each day—and help you to become a champion at it. On page 36, contributing editor Les Shaver takes a look at five major trends that will affect every aspect of the industry. Please be sure to read this important article that deals with everything from automotive trends to the economy woes and how these issues could trickle down to your auto glass business. On page 60, there is an article on the Repair of Laminated Auto Glass Standard (ROLAGS) and where it is a year since its acceptance by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). While there is still much disagreement about how this Standard should be used and where it might be headed, if you do repair in your business, I hope this will help you to stay abreast of its current status.

Moving away from industry issues for a quick moment, on the back page of this issue is an article about a different kind of champion—a rodeo champion who also owns an auto glass business, Jason Martin of Wisefly Auto Glass. This section is always a fun one to write, and I hope you enjoy it as well—and can even use his tips for what helps him to succeed in his competitions in your daily business.

And, finally, I hope to see many of you in Las Vegas this November, where the AGTO and WRO will be held in conjunction with Auto Glass Week™ at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. I’m sure you have tips on what makes a champion as well, and I look forward to hearing them. If you won’t be there, please e-mail me your thoughts at pstacey@glass.com.

AGRR
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