Next week, on February 13 and 14, the annual Winter Meeting of the Auto Glass Safety Council (AGSC™) and National Windshield Repair Association (NWRA) will occur. At these meetings all of the committees meet and compile the work that was completed during the past year, discuss what needs to be done for this year and plan strategic moves for the future. All attendees are volunteers and spend their own time and money working to better our industry through fresh ideas and hard work. Some times they make history and other times they fall short, but all the time they try.

I have been honored to be a part of this event for the past several years as an attendee, committee member, committee chairman and board member. I know the work that goes into the planning, coordination and execution of this event and hope that all appreciate the effort expended.  However, the things I see missing in all of this effort are the support and contributions from the citizens of our industry.

Hold on. I am not talking about “support” as attendance or “contributions” as financial.  When I talk about “support” I’m suggesting simply saying something good about what was done for the good of the industry through the AGRSS™ Standard, Auto Glass Week™ or ROLAGS™. When I talk about “contributions,” I’m hoping some one will share their knowledge and experience to better the industry instead of anonymously criticizing the industry on the industry forums. If there is one thing that can be said about the National Glass Association, AGSC, Independent Glass Association or NWRA, is that at least they care, at least they are a good industry citizen, and at least they tried to make our jobs easier or better somehow.

I’ve got a great idea and it won’t cost anyone a single penny. The next time you are reading or contributing to glassBYTEs.com or meeting someone for a beer after work, say something good about the industry you belong to instead of complaining. The next time you have a disagreement with an issue or action that the industry took that they thought was in the best interest of everyone, speak up and contribute your ideas and solutions to the problem. Don’t sit back and let it happen. 

I am the chairman of the Standards Committee. I want to hear from you concerning the AGRSS™ Standard, is it good or bad?  Does it need changing? Does it need tweaking?  Does it go too far? Does it go far enough?

I am also a member of the Education Committee which also oversees the AGSC Certification Program. We want to hear your thoughts on certification, continuing education and training.

Most of you know me and how to get a hold of me, but for those that don’t, my number is 800/695-5418, my cell is 608/225-8543 and my email is bob@autoglassconsultants.com. You are also welcome to comment through this blog.

It is not too late to get things on the agenda. Get involved. Be apart of our community of technicians and business owners. Together we can succeed, divided we flounder.