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AMI Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Bedford, Texas, April 28, 2009 — This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Automotive Management Institute (AMI), the leading provider of management education for the automotive service and collision repair industry. The Institute currently offers more than 1,000 approved courses, a faculty of 260 accredited instructors and the Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation. Its programs have attracted 177,000 enrollments throughout North America.

The Institute was founded 20 years ago based on the concept that there was an abundance of technical education in the market but very little industry specific management education. At the start, AMI offered 26 courses taught by 10 instructors. Today, courses are offered on a range of topics including marketing and sales, operations and service, management and administration, financial management, and personnel management and human resource development. Students can choose from several formats including webinars, online courses, DVD-quality downloads, self-study workbooks and traditional classroom settings.

“AMI has experienced significant growth during the years and the need for management education remains constant,” said George Witt, AMI Board of Trustees chairman and owner of George Witt Service, Inc., Lincoln, Neb. “Most of the students who enroll in AMI courses started in the automotive industry as technicians with a passion for working on cars. No one ever taught them how to manage a business – that’s where AMI becomes such a valuable resource.”

Steve Louden, one of the founding members of AMI and owner of Louden Motorcar Services, Inc., Dallas, Texas, said, “After 20 years, many shop owners would not be in business if not for the management education they received from AMI. For them to succeed in the future, management education is a must.”

Louden also is one of the first to earn the Institute’s AAM designation. In the past 20 years, more than 1,400 students have completed 120 credit hours of education and graduated from AMI with the AAM designation. The Institute recently launched a new and innovative “Specialized Designation” program, which is the first of its kind for the automotive aftermarket, and has 10 new defined curriculums and designations for specific positions in a mechanical and collision repair facility. The goal of this new program is to provide management education for those other than shop owners and managers.

“AMI has been able to develop these new programs and new ways to deliver management education largely due to the financial and leadership resources provided by its EXCEL partners, including manufacturers, suppliers and automotive service business owners,” said AMI Executive Director, Toni Slaton, AAM. “Similar to AMI, these partners share a common commitment to providing and promoting practical business management education and we appreciate their generosity and continued support of AMI.” 

The Institute will celebrate its anniversary with special events throughout the year, including a Dessert Reception during the Automotive Service Association (ASA) Annual Convention, April 30 - May 2, in Orlando, Fla., and a similar event to be held during Automotive Service & Repair Week (ASRW), Nov. 4-7, in Las Vegas, Nev. The Institute also will be giving away 20th anniversary lapel pins.

AMI was established to answer the demand for continuing education tailored specifically for the business needs of the automotive service industry. The Institute offers the Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation, the first business management accreditation exclusively for the automotive service professional. To date, AMI programs have attracted more than 177,000 enrollments throughout North America. AMI is a not-for-profit educational foundation to which tax-deductible contributions can be made. For more information about the Institute, its curriculum, or EXCEL, please contact AMI at (800) 272-7467, ext. 239, or visit the AMI  Web site at www.amionline.org.

** Attn Editors: Click here to download a ZIP archive of the 20th anniversary logo.**