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APH Hosts Congressman at St. Cloud Facility

APH President and CEO Corey Bartlett and Congressman Tom Emmer

As part of an ongoing effort among Auto Value members to connect with elected officials and educate them on the automotive aftermarket, Automotive Parts Headquarters (APH) President and CEO Corey Bartlett recently hosted Congressman Tom Emmer at the company’s St. Cloud facility.

Bartlett offered the Minnesota congressman a facility tour as Auto Value member APH celebrates 100 years in business. He spoke with Emmer about Right to Repair (the independent technician’s right to access the data necessary to repair vehicles) and the Your Car, Your Data Campaign (the consumer’s right to control who has access to their vehicles’ data), among other topics.

“Industry advocacy has become increasingly important, particularly in this past year as we’ve navigated COVID-19 and what constitutes an essential business,” Bartlett said. “It was an honor to meet with Congressman Emmer, and I look forward to continuing to work with him on behalf of the automotive aftermarket in the months to come.”

Bartlett, chairman of the Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance, Inc. Board of Directors and vice chairman of the Auto Care Association Board of Directors, has been an active industry advocate for many years and attended the most recent Auto Care Association Legislative Summit in the fall of 2019. His July 10 visit with Congressman Emmer was the company’s first hometown summit.

“Facility tours are an excellent opportunity to build direct relationships with your lawmakers, allowing our elected officials to see firsthand how your business operates and helps them better understand our industry,” the Auto Care Association said in a LinkedIn post about the visit.

In April 2021, Bartlett and a number of other APH representatives plan to join Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper in Washington, D.C. to rally and meet with legislators at the Alliance Takes the Hill 2021 Convention. The event will mark the first time an automotive program group has brought thousands of aftermarket professionals to the nation’s capital to advocate.