We left this past Monday for our first show of the season at the 21th Annual Cruisin’ Ocean City in scenic Ocean City, Maryland, which is scheduled May 19-22. Jasper Engines and Transmissions is one of the many sponsors appearing in this year’s event. Visitors can expect to see more than 3,000 Hot Rods, Customs, Classics and Trick Trucks, live on-stage DJ’s, daily on-stage trophy awards, automotive and pop culture trivia contests and special give-aways.

Activities began Thursday morning with the Cruisin’ Ocean City Parade on Ocean City’s Boardwalk. Meet Danielle Colby Cushman, star of the History Channel’s show American Pickers. Danielle will be available for autographs and photo opportunities Saturday 11-4 and Sunday 10-1. The Batmobile will also be on display at the Convention Center all four days of the show.

Visit our JASPER exhibit for the latest product literature and on-line pricing or take a picture with our Wild Vendetta Trike or Cobra Kit Car. Our experienced and knowledgeable sales staff will be on hand to answer your drivetrain component questions. We are looking forward to seeing you here! For more information about this event ‘click’ this link: www.specialeventsponsorships.com

Would you like your repair facility to be busier? Would you like to grow and improve your profits? Are you looking for simple and effective things you and your staff can do to grow? If you answered YES to any or all of these questions, the JASPER “Strive To Thrive” program will benefit you.

“Strive To Thrive” was designed by JASPER’s Customer Advisory Group to help independent garage owners (IGOs) grow and be more profitable. The program has been tested in major cities with amazing results. Some IGOs have reported some super results in just 60 days!

The cost to attend Strive To Thrive? Four hours of your time, initially. If your spouse, child, partner or key Associates want to attend, they are welcome too. Doug Bawel, President of Jasper Engines & Transmissions, is the presenter of Strive To Thrive. His resume reads like the “Who’s Who” in the automotive industry:

• 1973-1976 - Ruxer Ford, Youngest member of the Ford 500 Club
• 1976-Present - JASPER Engines & Transmissions
• President of Jasper Motorsports
• President of Penske Jasper Racing

Doug’s real passion is helping others. He believes in the success of the small independent business operation and has devoted a large portion of his life to helping others. In 2003, Doug was named Business Man of the Year by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

“During the presentation, we will share over 50 ideas that work,” says Bawel. “Only ideas that work will be shared.”

Upcoming Strive To Thrive events in 2011 include:

• Buffalo, NY April 5th

• Boston, MA April 6th

Take advantage of this opportunity to help your business grow. Learn more about the Strive To Thrive program by contacting your JASPER Sales Representative!

Jasper Engines & Transmissions has named Matt Weinzapfel Vice President of Engine Manufacturing.

Matt’s duties will be to oversee the remanufacturing processes of the Gas Engine and Diesel Engine Divisions, as well as the Jasper Authentic Custom Drivetrains Division. “Matt was selected based on his recent experience as Diesel Division Manager, and his prior work as manager of JASPER’s Crawford County operations,” says Mike Schwenk, Executive Vice President of Production.

“I appreciate the opportunity to serve the JASPER family in this new role,” says Weinzapfel. “It’s an exciting time at JASPER, due to solid sales growth and our recent move to 100% Associate ownership. I look forward to working with all JASPER Associates on our journey of continuous improvement.”

Matt began his career at JASPER in May of 1994 working in Branch Auditing and Accounting for four years. After that, Weinzapfel spent five years as General Manager of JASPER’s Crawford County operations. Matt later spent three years as General Manager of Gas and Diesel Engine operations for the Jasper and Crawford facilities, two years as a member of the JASPER Production System and, most recently, has been Diesel Division Manager for the past three years.

JASPER also announced that Ryan Dooley has been named Diesel Division Manager. Ryan will oversee the day-to-day duties within the Diesel Division.

Dooley began his JASPER career in July 1997, when he was assigned to the Gas Engine Failure Analysis Department. After that, Ryan spent 11 years in Customer Service, including two years as Department Manager. Since August of 2008, Ryan’s recent position has been Manager of the Diesel Fuel Room, where he established JASPER’s Fuel Components Program in February of 2010.

The Indiana Department of Labor has announced the Merit Certification of Jasper Engines and Transmissions’ Crawford County facility in Indiana’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP).

VPP, Indiana’s Voluntary Protection Program, was established to recognize and promote safety and health management programs throughout the state. All companies, regardless of size or business, can participate in VPP - where management and employees work together to create and maintain a healthy working environment.

The Crawford County facility is the second of JASPER’s remanufacturing facilities to achieve VPP status, and is one of only 56 Indiana companies to reach this level. The Jasper, Indiana, remanufacturing facility earned its Merit Certification in 2008. “It is always gratifying to witness companies that proactively address and manage workplace safety and health,” commented Commissioner of Labor Lori Torres. “The Department of Labor is pleased to partner with and congratulate Jasper Engines and Transmissions for achieving VPP Merit status.”

“The JASPER Safety Committee and Associates have been working on this program, and its benchmarks, for four years,” says Jason Pieper, JASPER Safety Director. “We understand we still have a lot of work to do, but we have now created more awareness, more Associate involvement and made sure JASPER has Safety Systems in place.” The VPP Merit Certification ceremony was held September 24th at the Crawford County facility. The ceremony provided an opportunity for JASPER Associates, staff and management to showcase their exemplary status to state officials and local elected officials.

JASPER has been successful in reducing the number of OSHA recordable injuries and illnesses by 30% in a three-year span. “VPP sites are demonstrated leaders in the occupational safety and health arena,” added Torres. “The reduction of recordable injuries and illnesses at JASPER is proof positive in how successful implementation of a safety and health management system has an impact on not only injury and illness rates, but also on employee satisfaction and morale.”

“Management commitment and Associate involvement are the two main components of the VPP program,” added Pieper. “JASPER has both these elements, which has improved our safety program. JASPER’s goal is to have all of our remanufacturing sites in the VPP program”.

A special Veterans Day luncheon was held yesterday, November 11^th, to honor JASPER Associates who served in branches of the U.S. military. Approximately 90 Associates participated in the lunch (pictured above) at the Jasper facility. It was JASPER’s way of saying “Thank You” to the men and women who served in the Armed Forces of our great country.

One such vehicle that made the trip was a rare 1930 Model A pickup owned by Michael and Denise Cannon of Rolling Prairie, Indiana.  The vehicle’s 3.3L (201 cubic inch) watercooled four-cylinder was remanufactured by JASPER about five years ago.  It was later discovered that many of the Model A’s that made the trip to the Convention had an engine remanufactured at some point by JASPER.

Model A engines were among the first products remanufactured when JASPER first opened in 1942.  The same can be said for the transmissions, after that division was started in 1957.  The ability to remanufacture both components remains today in our Jasper Authentic Custom Drivetrain division, putting 50 plus years of experience into each transmission and over 60 in each engine.

“We still have the equipment necessary to pour the babbitted bearings in-house & cut them to the strict tolerances & specifications required to meet JASPER standards,” says Division Manager Alex Ernst.  “Replacement parts for the engine and transmission are still readily available.”

The Model A was the second huge success for the Ford Motor Company, replacing the iconic Model T.  Ford produced over 4.8 million Model A’s between 1927 and 1931 in many different body styles, including roadsters, coupes, sedans, pickups, panel trucks, station wagons, taxi cabs and top-of-the-line Town Car.

Jasper Engines and Transmissions hosted “America’s Best” School Bus Training and Skills Challenge at the Jasper, Indiana, facility September 28 through October 1. The nation’s top school bus technicians and inspectors competed to become America’s Best Technician or America’s Best Inspector.

Participants competed in two separate competitions: one for technical diagnostic skills and the other for vehicle inspection skills. Both competitions included a written examination and multiple “hands-on” components.

The written exam was designed to evaluate technical diagnostic skills, which covered various aspects of school bus components, including: electrical systems, brakes, engines, suspensions, drive trains and body systems. All topics were relative to actual school bus applications. The examinations were administered by The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE).

During the second session of the competition, technicians demonstrated their ability to diagnose, troubleshoot and repair various mechanical school bus components. Inspectors cycled through three stations, which required an examination of all vehicle components and systems to identify defects.

“Jasper Engines & Transmissions is pleased to have been chosen to host the 2010 America’s Best competition,” says Fred Ernst, JASPER Diesel Marketing Manager. “This gives us the opportunity to show our support for the NAPT organization and for their primary mission, which is the safety of the students they transport. JASPER is honored to have been asked to be a part of that mission.”

“Over the years, the America’s Best Training and Skills Challenge has been successful in raising awareness for school bus maintenance and safety,” said NAPT past-president Bill Tousley. “Not only does the competition help technicians share and learn best practices, but the information provided is valuable for continuous improvement and learning. We’re delighted to be holding the 2010 competition in Jasper.”

Jasper Engines and Transmissions broke ground September 8th on a 41,250 square foot expansion to its Crawford County facility.

Upon its projected completion in March 2011, the Crawford facility will have increased in size to over 408,000 square feet under roof.

The expansion will allow the space needed to merge Jasper Innovative Solutions with the company’s Distribution operations for a more efficient flow of finished product, along with allowing both departments to grow.

“Over the past six months we have added over 45 new jobs to our Crawford Operation,” said Doug Bawel, JASPER President and CEO. “With this new expansion, we will add a minimum of ten additional jobs, along with room for needed growth.”

The Crawford County facility is located approximately 40 miles east of Jasper. Originally constructed in 1998 for the purpose of core processing, the Crawford County facility has evolved into a complete remanufacturing operation in the disassembly, machining, assembly and testing of gas engines, transmissions, transfer cases and select manual transmissions.

JASPER’s Product Distribution Center opened at Crawford County in 2000. Nearly 600 JASPER remanufactured products are shipped from the Distribution Center each day to a network of 40 branch locations throughout the United States. The Distribution Center is also the primary location for the unloading, tagging and identification of cores and miscellaneous product from the branch locations.

Jasper Innovative Solutions, a sister company to JASPER, moved to the Crawford County facility in 2008. JIS is a supplier of vehicle parts to the United States Postal Service Vehicle Maintenance Facilities.

JASPER sponsored pro bass angler Chad Morgenthaler hosted the 5th Annual Chad Morgenthaler Bass Tournament to benefit Special Olympics Illinois, Saturday August 28th, at Rend Lake in southern Illinois.

The two-day event also featured a pre-tournament meeting, dinner and auction on Friday, August 27, at the Rend Lake Resort.  On Saturday, ninety-one, two-person, teams fished for the most weight and the biggest bass.  Bryan Mitchell and Tony Mitchell won the tournament with five fish that tipped the scale at 18.32 pounds and had the tournament’s big bass, which weighed 5.27 pounds.

This year, teams had the opportunity to enter the “Beat the Pros” challenge for an additional $25.  Teams tested their talents against Morgenthaler and bass fishing icon Guido Hibdon.  Shannon Toigo & David Guill won that challenge and received a gift pack and a JASPER donated $500 Bass Pro Shops gift card.

This year’s event raised more than $32,000 and all of the proceeds from the contest went to Special Olympics.

The Evansville Iron Street Rod Club will be hosting the annual Frog Follies, at the Vanderburgh County 4-H Center in Evansville Indiana, this weekend.  Approximately 5,000 vintage cars will roll in for the event and the proceeds will benefit Easter Seals and other charities.  The Frog Follies is one of the largest pre ‘49 events in the country.

Entrance fees for adults are only $5 and children under the age of 12 are free.  Concessions are owned and operated by the club to keep prices reasonable.

Jasper Engines and Transmissions will be an attending vendor at this year’s event with static displays, literature, videos and a variety of new performance engine parts and accessories for sale. Our experienced and knowledgeable sales staff will be on hand to answer your re-power questions. We are all set up and ready for you to stop by!