2021_ADN_V6_No3_web

IDA
COLUMN
A Year
of
Firsts
for the
IDA
We’re Doing
Things a
Bit Differently
These Days
By Erin Reyes
IDA Communications Coordinator
Over the past year-and-a-half, we at
the International Detailing Association
(IDA), like so many others, have had to
find new ways to reach and engage our
members due to the reduced ability to
gather in person. Thankfully, due to our
international nature, many of our activities
were already optimized to take place
virtually. However, there were still certain
offerings – like events and education –
that needed to be reconfigured to meet
the changing needs of our members and
the detailing industry. Since the beginning
of the year, we have worked tirelessly
to introduce new and first-of-their-kind
initiatives, aimed to support not only our
members and Certified Detailers, but the
professional detailing industry as a whole.
As in-person gatherings have slowly returned,
the IDA has taken advantage of
the opportunity to once again meet faceto-face,
but we will also continue to devel-
op programs geared toward an increasingly
virtual world.
• Coming Together
Virtually to
Recognize Industry
Leaders
Our signature event, the IDA Business
Meeting and Awards Presentation, held
each year at Mobile Tech Expo in Orlando,
Florida, marks our largest annual
gathering. The event has been experiencing
steady growth over the past few years,
garnering our largest crowd yet in 2020.
So, when we received the news that Mobile
Tech Expo Orlando had been cancelled
earlier this year, we, of course, were understanding
due to the circumstances, but
disappointed that we would not be able to
get together in-person and continue building
that momentum. Thankfully, the IDA
Tradeshow & Education Committee pivoted
quickly and planned our first-ever virtual
Annual Business Meeting and Awards
Presentation, held on February 15, 2021.
This date was not chosen by accident – it
coincided with our 4th annual Love Your
Detailer Day. So, even though we all could
not be together in-person to celebrate, it
was easy to feel the love for our growing association
and industry through the screen.
While it was a different event format
for us, we made sure that we were still
able to cover all the usual bases, including
providing an update on the status of
the industry and the association, as well
as recognizing the 2020 IDA Award winners.
The award recipients were honored
for their dedication to the profession and
their many accomplishments throughout
a challenging year. The 2020 IDA Award
recipients were:
• Detailer of the Year:
Mike Karlen, CD (FastLane Detailing;
Stanley, Wisconsin, United States)
• Detail Supplier of the Year:
PRO Products (John Bell; Tustin,
California, United States)
• Mobile Detailer of the Year:
Magik Touch Detailing, LLC (Kendall
Honore; Dania, Florida, United
States)
• Detail Shop of the Year:
Classic Appreciation World Class
Auto Detailing (Greg Swett;
IDA Recognized Trainer Prentice St. Clair,
CD-SV, RT, hosts an in-person certification event
on Day 1 of the IDA Global Certification Week.
(Photo Credit: Prentice St. Clair, CD-SV, RT)
Rochester, Michigan, United States)
• Outstanding Service Award:
Rob Schruefer, CD-SV, RT (On The
Spot Mobile Detailing; Annapolis
Junction, Maryland, United States)
During the meeting, we also inducted
our sophomore class of the IDA Hall of
Fame. Inductees to the Class of 2021 were:
• Keith Duplessie, CD-SV, MC,
RT (President, Duplessie Products;
Portland, Oregon, United States)
• Jim Goguen, CD-SV, MC (Owner,
Jim's Auto Installations & Detailing
Center; Ipswich, Massachusetts,
United States)
• Elmer Rich (Co-Founder, Simoniz;
deceased)
• Prentice St. Clair, CD-SV, RT
(President, Detail In Progress, Inc.;
San Diego, California, United States)
• Greg Swett (President, Classic
Appreciation World Class Auto
Detailing; Rochester, Michigan,
United States)
Interested in being recognized by the
4 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 6, NO. 3 • FALL 2021