AGRR - 2009 - Sept/Oct

Volume 11, Issue 5 - September/October 2009

AGRSS News
the latest in safety

AGRSS Validation Program Begins

The long-anticipated Auto Glass Replacement Safety Standards (AGRSS) Council Inc. third-party validation program launched on September 1.

“This is a banner day for the auto glass industry,” said AGRSS Council president Debra Levy as the program got underway. “Quality glass companies seeking a means to differentiate themselves can now do so through the validation process.”

AGRSS-registered companies will begin welcoming independent, third-party validators into their shops over the coming months. The validators will conduct an extensive review of the shop’s compliance to the AGRSS Standard.

“Our ultimate goal is to provide those who use AGRSS-registered companies for their auto glass replacement needs with a level of confidence that their auto glass is being replaced properly. We are excited that so many companies are part of this initial program,” says Cindy Ketcherside, chair of the AGRSS credentialing committee.

Throughout the month of September, www.agrss.com posted daily validation tips for member companies as they prepared for the validation process. The tips were submitted by companies that have been preparing for the validation process over the past months. The group also held a webinar on September 23 to help companies prepare.

International Auto Glass Safety Conference Approaches
This year’s International Auto Glass Safety (AGRSS) will be held November 4-5, 2009, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center as part of Auto Glass Week™ in Las Vegas.

The conference again runs concurrently with the International Autobody Congress and Exposition (NACE) event, but moves upstairs to the Surf Session Rooms, located on the second floor of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, this year.

Safety expert Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the pilot who made the famous miracle landing on the Hudson River early this year, will keynote the event.

The event also will offer several networking opportunities, including the Welcoming Cocktail Party and AGRSS Charity Auction on Wednesday, November 4. As it has been since the International Auto Glass Safety Conference co-located its event with NACE, admission to the event also allows attendees to visit the NACE Trade Show and view both the Auto Glass Technician Olympics and the Walt Gorman Memorial Windshield Repair Olympics—all for free (see related story on page 24).

AGRSS-registered companies or AGRSS members also will have the opportunity to meet Captain Sullenberger in a private breakfast prior to his keynote speech on Thursday.

Third Annual AGRSS Charity Auction Approaches

The AGRSS Charity Auction will once again be held this year in conjunction with the International Auto Glass Safety Conference in Las Vegas during the conference’s welcoming cocktail party.

Auction chair Jean Pero is still accepting donations for the fundraiser, which will take place on the evening of Wednesday, November 4, 2009. If you’ve got a special service to offer, a special pastime—or vacation place—you’d like to share or have rare, unique or one-of-a-kind items others might clamor for and want to help support the AGRSS Council efforts, contact Jean Pero via telephone at 303/475-7302 or email jeanmygrantglass@comcast.net.

Last year’s auction included popular items such as a two-week stay at a secluded cabin in New York; a fishing trip with Carl Tompkins (offered for the second year in a row); a Nintendo Wii and an iPod Nano. The 2008 event brought in a total of $4,300.