A father�s role is to nurture the talent and abilities in each of their children, providing what they need to become who they were meant to be. After pouring their time, affection, and acknowledgment of their child�s identity, into their child, they are then ready to release and empower them to their destiny. As a third generation recycler, Kristin Allen, is an example of this principle in action. She feels she has always had a �calling� to the family business, one that was nurtured and grew over the years as she worked alongside her father.

For me, born and raised in a yard was the norm. My dad started A-Reliable Auto Parts, just south of Chicago, when I was in my mother�s womb when she was 16 years old. So, growing up at the yard was second nature for me. Over the years I have had just about every job within the salvage business. Overall, sales were my passion for the longest time, until I really grew up and realized that I needed to know the entire business to take it to the next level.

On March 14th, ARA members representing 25 states flooded the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. to make over 80 visits to their Senators and Representatives. ARA�s Annual Hill Day provided even more opportunities to educate legislators this year, by hosting a Congressional Staff briefing following a day of ARA arranged visits to members� Congressional delegations. The first ever ARA Educational and Policy Briefing provided a forum for ARA leadership to educate staff members of Senators and Representatives on the professional automotive recycling industry. ARA President Chris Wright opened the briefing with �Recycling 101.� Wright covered full-service facility issues; Steve Levetan, Pull-A-Part, LLC spoke on the basics of self-service facility operations; Safety Committee Chairman Doug Reinert educated attendees about the definitions of parts; followed by Gold Seal Committee Chair Eric Schulz who explained the importance of Green Recycled Parts�. ARA Educational Foundation President Fran Reitman informed attendees about ARA�s educational programs and foundations, while Certified Auto Recycler Committee Chair Shannon Nordstrom provided an overview on ARA�s certification process. ARA Past President Sandy Blalock ended the presentation by outlining the challenges and barriers facing the profession, many of which were discussed during the earlier individual congressional visits.