AkzoNobel Automotive and Aerospace Coatings Americas (A&AC) will showcase its multi-brand refinish portfolio, industry sustainability platform, and exclusive education classes at SEMA 2013. The SEMA Show will take place November 5-8, 2013 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Select products from the Sikkens, Lesonal, and Wanda brands will be on display in Booth #25043 in the South Hall’s Racing & Performance area. In addition, Stickerfix, the first commercial DIY paint solution from AkzoNobel, will be featured in Booth #13049 in the North Hall’s Appearance and Accessories area.

SEMA week will begin for AkzoNobel with a press conference on November 4th announcing the collision repair industry’s first Sustainability Education Challenge Grant. The grant, sponsored by AkzoNobel and administered by the Collision Repair Education Foundation, was created to stimulate the awareness, development, and delivery of innovative sustainability solutions within secondary and post-secondary institutions. The press conference will precede the AkzoNobel Sustainability Leadership Symposium beginning at 1:00 p.m. in room #N231  of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The third annual AkzoNobel Sustainability Leadership Symposium is being presented this year, for the first time, as a learning component under the SEMA Education Program. It is free and open to all show attendees. The symposium is comprised of collision repair industry stakeholders discussing key issues and proposing strategies for advancing sustainability. The ultimate goal of this endeavor is to create an independent industry coalition dedicated to the advancement of sustainable business practices within collision repair. Facilitation will be by Mike Shesterkin of What’s Next Sustainability Consulting and Sara Tollin, AkzoNobel Global Sustainability Specialist.

Guest panelists include:

Jay Givens– Owner, Givens Collision Repair Center / FIT Honoree
Jeff Butler– Owner, Haury’s Lake City Collision / FIT Honoree
Clark Plucinski– Exec. Dir., Collision Repair Education Foundation / FIT Honoree
Jake Weyer– Editor, Fender Bender Magazine
Trish Serratore– President, NATEF
Michael Giarrizio– President & CEO, DCR Systems
Marcy Tieger– Consultant, Symphony Advisors
Keith Hudd– National Manager, The Economical Insurance Group
Eileen Sottile– VP of Governmental Affairs, LKQ Corporation
In addition, three other Education Programs will be led by AkzoNobel Services Consultants, Tim Ronak, Scott Wheeler and Bob Gilbert. The classes are entitled:

The Future of Cars– Self driving cars fact or fiction- Tuesday, November 5th – 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Competing in a Consolidated Marketplace- Wednesday, November 6th – 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Collision Repair Center Parts Management- Thursday, November 7th– 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
“We are very excited to have so many unique opportunities to introduce show attendees to our industry-leading refinish brands and sustainability initiatives,” said Laura Costello, Director of Marketing for AkzoNobel Automotive & Aerospace Coatings Americas. “With the magnitude of SEMA’s global influence in the automotive aftermarket segment, we knew it was the perfect venue to showcase our ongoing commitment to products and practices that are designed to help grow and prosper our industry.”