A key presentation was a panel discussion on “Impact after Georgian College: Alumni leading the way in the aftermarket featuring Costa Haitas, President at The Mufflerman,  Stephanie Cooney-Mann, General Sales Manager at UAP Inc., Devin TerMarsch, Strategic Account Manager at DRiV Incorporated, moderated by J-F Champagne, president ;and CEO of AIA Canada

The Student Aftermarket Day at the Georgian College Automotive Business School of Canada gave budding automotive professionals the opportunity to hear from aftermarket industry insiders and mentors, and to be celebrated themselves.

Organized by the Young Professionals in Auto Care community of AIA Canada, the event featured a number of speakers providing guidance and insights on how to succeed in Canada’s automotive aftermarket.

Presenters included Shannon Langsford, Director, Human Resources, Operations, Mevotech.

Her “Unleash your talent: How to cultivate the career you want” presentation offered valuable guidance to students in attendance: “We all have areas we have to work on, though we want to understand our strengths and use them to offset our weaknesses. Ask for feedback to identify your strengths. Feedback is a gift. It is what you do with it that matters.”

Saar Haimovici, Automotive Operations Manager, Canadian Tire Corporation, on “Transitioning out of the ICE age.”

J-F Champagne, president and CEO of AIA Canada, moderated a panel “Impact after Georgian College: Alumni leading the way in the aftermarket featuring Costa Haitas, President at The Mufflerman,  Stephanie Cooney-Mann, General Sales Manager at UAP Inc., Devin TerMarsch, Strategic Account Manager at DRiV Incorporated.

Champagne also presented an the industry outlook in “Driving excellence: Navigating the roadmap to success in Canada’s strong auto care industry.”

“If we want to maintain 26.6 million vehicles on the road,” he said “It all depends on the strength of the auto care sector and that’s why it is the biggest part of the automotive industry in Canada.”  

Student Aftermarket Day was more than an opportunity for students to sit back and take it all in. Student teams were tasked with presenting on “Electric Vehicles in Transition.” Students were asked to conduct research HR, marketing, finances, technologies, infrastructure, environmental impact, and other facets affected by the transition..

The winning team members of John Brackett, Adeline Forget, and Flynn Barrett were each presented with $500 scholarships through the AIA High Fives for Kids Foundation and Apple Watch Series 9 by Raymond Proulx, Chair of the AIA High Five for Kids Foundation, Tom Dunlop, Board of Director of the AIA High Five for Kids Foundation, and Joe Mercanti, AIA Canada ambassador.

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