.James Copeland, Owner of Midwest Autoworx, Inc, and MWACA Treasurer.
“I have been attending VISION for decades, and as a second-generation automotive technician, I can tell you that VISION was the annual training event that re-energized my spirit and helped to reaffirm why I had chosen such a challenging career. The excitement would build throughout the year in anticipation of the wide variety of cutting-edge technical training classes. In the past, these would be sent by postcard (dating myself here), but now they’re conveniently posted on the VISION Hi-Tech Training and Expo website. The rush to return your reservation to secure your first choice of classes before they filled up, and to book a hotel near the conference venue, was all part of the exhilaration. VISION was the training event that kept me enthusiastic about repairing automobiles! I relished the fact that advancing technology would make cars harder for ‘Do it Yourselfers’ to work on, but I knew that I would have to keep training for the future, and VISION was the place!
As a shop owner now, I’ve always considered myself a technician first, and the transition has been much harder than expected. Fixing cars doesn’t necessarily translate to making a profit. If it hadn’t been for the management training that I have received and still participate in, my business might not have been as successful, or even survived at all. The networking with other shop owners has been invaluable and therapeutic. I’ve built relationships with other attendees who share the same challenges in their businesses with customers, employees, and government regulations.
I can honestly say that my association with MWACA and the VISION Hi-Tech Training and Expo has been the best thing I could have done for my career and my business!”
