NACAT

Name: Patrick Brown-Harrison

Where you live: Airdrie, Alberta. Canada

Current Position: Automotive Apprenticeship Instructor

Employer: SAIT Polytechnic. Calgary Alberta Canada.

Previous Position(s): Automotive and Marine Technician

Years with NACAT: 12 Years

Years in the Industry: 29 years in the Automotive repair industry

Certifications: Alberta Licensed Automotive technician, Canadian Interprovincial Red Seal. ASE Master Automobile Technician, Medium/Heavy Truck Technician. NACAT member

Affiliations and Positions: NACAT President

Short bio: Over the years that I have worked in the automotive industry I have experience many different aspects. My career started in a small 3 bay Shell service station. I followed the owner to three different branded stations. When the industry changed and the corner service stations began to disappear I moved to the dealership. I have worked with Toyota, Nissan, Honda and BMW. During a short stint I left the service bay to run a Goodyear repair center. Having experienced technician, shop foreman, service manager and business partner I made a larger change in my automotive career. I went to work with Snap-On tools in the equipment division and training department, having worked with then through the merger of Snap-On and Sun. I spent a number of years traveling Canada and the United States delivering training on equipment, systems and sales. Part of my job also included product development and testing. A down turn in the economy and my desire to spend more time at home I left Snap-On tools and moved to SAIT at the time I left the Snap-on Sun equipment division I was a Training Manager. I was one of four instructors that SAIT provided to general motors, I worked in the ACDelco division, performing similar tasks that I did for Snap-On and working directly with GM dealers and fleet divisions. After a few years more on the road I decided to spend less time away from my house and more time in it. I moved to a full time teaching position on SAIT’s campus, where I am still teaching.

While working at SAIT I found an interest in faculty development and trained and became a member of SAIT’s faculty development team, providing instruction and support for the faculty of SAIT. I also turned a hobby into a profession; I became a PADI scuba instructor. Teaching is a family tradition on my mother’s side:  my grandfather, grandmother, aunt, my mom and now myself.

I am fortunate to have a wonderful woman who loves me, she is my anchor she keeps me grounded. My daughter is my other pleasure in life. Without family a person is incomplete. One of the most important things in my life is my family and my career as an instructor has afforded me the ability to spend more time with them. That will change as my daughter finishes university soon a will move off and create a life of her own.

In 1999 I attended my first NACAT conference. It was in Charleston South Carolina. That changed a lot of things for me. I met automotive instructors from around the US and Canada. I found an organization that was centered and its direction was to support automotive instructors. Over the years I have made many new friends. I have come to value my NACAT friendships; this is what motivated me to become a board member. I have often said “it is better to be part of the solution than part of the problem.” I believe in and stand behind the mission statement of NACAT.