Automotive Management Institue

What Automotive Management Institue does

The Automotive Management Institute (AMi), founded in 1989 and headquartered in North Richland Hills, Texas, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational foundation that issues industry-recognized professional designations and certificates to managers, estimators, service advisors, and front-office staff in the automotive service and collision repair segments. Its product surface centers on a hosted Learning Management System at ami.knowledgeanywhere.com delivering more than 500 online, virtual, and live instructor-led courses, structured around a proprietary credit-hour framework with six main designations: Accredited Consultant of Excellence (ACE, 80 credits), Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM, 40 credits), Accredited Master Automotive Manager (AMAM, 180 cumulative credits), Accredited Master Collision-Repair Estimator (AMCE, 55 credits; requires I-CAR and ASE components), Accredited Master Electric Vehicle Manager (AMEV, 102 credits), and Accredited Shop Foreman (ASF, 26 credits). Active credentials are verifiable through amigrads.org, providing an employer-facing verification layer.

AMi monetizes through individual course purchases, tiered team subscriptions (Train the Team at $65-$400/month for 1-10 seats), enterprise EV training bundles distributed via Future Tech/Access OnDemand, white-label LMS services, and third-party course accreditation that acts as a light licensing/royalty stream; revenue is supplemented by an EXCEL resource development effort with industry donors. Go-to-market is multi-channel: a self-serve LMS, channel partnerships (ASA, I-CAR, CCC, ARA, ASE, Mitchell 1, JASPER, Alfa Romeo, BlueRecruit), event-driven presence (SEMA, CARS, NACE) featuring graduation ceremonies, and a community-led 2024 high school apprenticeship pilot in Albuquerque designed to seed the future technician pipeline. AMi has operated with 1-10 employees and accumulated 250,000+ enrollments across North America since 1989; the organization is governed by a Board of Trustees (Chair: Russell McCloud) and is led by President Chuck Searles (appointed September 2020).

Name

Automotive Management Institue

Legal name

Automotive Management Institute

Website

https://amionline.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Automotive Management Institute (AMi) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1989 that delivers industry-recognized professional designations and management training for the automotive service and collision repair workforce through a hosted Learning Management System of 500+ courses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Education and Credentialing Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Construction & Trades Licensure (Contractor, Electrician, Plumber, HVAC CE) (EDAAALAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental, Health & Safety / Sustainability (EHS, Environmental Compliance CE) (EDAAALAO)

Keywords

• Professional certifications
• Automotive training
• Continuing education
• Management designations
• Online learning

Headquarters

HQ city

North Richland Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Course and Designation Subscriptions: Subscription-based pricing for access to learning management system, courses, and professional designation programs. Train the Team pricing tiers for 1-10 users at $65-$400/month.
2. Electric Vehicle Training Bundle: On-demand EV training bundle (51 hours/102 credits) provided through Future Tech and Access OnDemand partnership, with subscription model for shop technicians
3. Third-Party Course Accreditation: AMi reviews, recognizes, and awards credit hours for quality management courses from training providers across the industry, maintaining quality standards
4. Learning Portal Services: White-label LMS hosting, assessment testing, completion reporting, and branding services for companies and training providers transitioning to online education

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Automotive Management Institute (AMi) delivers industry-recognized professional management certificates and designations for the automotive service and collision repair segments through an online Learning Management System. Since 1989, it has enrolled more than 250,000 learners and curates more than 500 courses organized into structured learning paths that satisfy designation requirements (ACE, AAM, AMAM, AMCE, AMEV, ASF) and the ARCN certificate. AMi also licenses/accredits third-party content partners and runs the EXCEL Resource Development scholarship program to expand industry access to formal management education.

Product overview

The Automotive Management Institute (AMi) operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing industry-recognized professional management certificates and designations for the automotive service and collision repair industry. AMi's product portfolio centers on its Learning Management System (LMS), which hosts over 500 online courses and learning paths. The core offerings include five main professional designations: Accredited Consultant of Excellence (ACE/80 credits), Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM/40 credits), Accredited Master Automotive Manager (AMAM/180 total credits combining ACE+AAM+60 additional), Accredited Master Collision-Repair Estimator (AMCE/55 credits with I-CAR/ASE requirements), and Accredited Master Electric Vehicle Manager (AMEV/102 credits). Supporting designations include the Accredited Shop Foreman (ASF/26 credits) and Alfa Romeo Certified Network (ARCN/2 courses). AMi also offers specialized course content series (Mike Anderson, Mark Claypool, Frank LaViola, Frank Terlep), EV training bundles through access-ondemand.com, and scholarship programs through the EXCEL initiative. The organization has attracted over 250,000 enrollments throughout North America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Learning Management System (LMS) Access Online Learning Management System (ami.knowledgeanywhere.com) hosting 500+ courses used by automotive service and collision repair professionals to progress through AMi's designation and certificate programs.
• ACE Designation (Accredited Automotive Manager - Executive) Executive-level professional designation for senior managers in automotive service and collision repair, completed through the AMi LMS credit-hour framework.
• AMAM Designation (Accredited Automotive Manager) Management designation for automotive service professionals, delivered via the AMi LMS and supported by the Mike Anderson and Mark Claypool AMAM course series.
• AAM Designation (Accredited Automotive Manager) Management designation for automotive service professionals working in repair shop management roles, completed through the AMi LMS credit-hour system.
• AMCE Designation (Accredited Mechanical Collision Estimator) Specialist designation for collision estimators focused on mechanical estimating within the AMi credentialing framework.
• AMEV Designation / EV Training Bundle Designation plus bundled training offering for electric vehicle service, allowing individual learners and full shop teams to complete EV-focused AMi training.
• ASF Designation Specialist designation offered within the AMi suite of professional credentials for the automotive service industry.
• ARCN Certificate Program Certificate program issued through the AMi LMS to recognize completion of specialized automotive professional coursework short of a full designation.
• Train the Team Subscription Program Subscription program for automotive repair shops that allows them to enroll teams of 1 to 10 or more users in AMi courses and designations through a single account.
• EXCEL Resource Development Program Nonprofit scholarship program operated by AMi to fund access to its professional designations and credentialing services for qualifying learners in the automotive industry.
• Mike Anderson Course Series Named course series within the AMi LMS led by industry expert Mike Anderson, supporting the AMAM and EV-focused AMi designations.
• Mark Claypool AMAM Course Series Named AMAM-specific course series on the AMi LMS led by industry expert Mark Claypool, supporting AMAM designation completion.

Quantifiable outcome

• 250,000+ professionals trained since 1989
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Automotive Service Association (ASA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024ASA is the parent organization and primary strategic partner for AMi. ASA's chairman Scott Benavidez leads apprenticeship initiatives, and ASA provides industry connections, events (CARS, NACE), and member recruitment for AMi programs.
• I-CARcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024I-CAR provides technical training content and expertise for the high school apprenticeship program curriculum, ensuring students receive industry-recognized technical education alongside management training.
• CCC (CCC ONE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024CCC contributes estimating systems training and curriculum development for the apprenticeship program, providing expertise in information and estimating systems for collision repair professionals.
• Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024ARA participates in curriculum development for the apprenticeship program, bringing parts management and automotive recycling expertise to the training content.
• Boys and Girls Clubs of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024Partnership with local Boys and Girls Clubs branches to support the high school apprenticeship program, helping reach students and provide additional mentorship resources.
• Future Tech / Access OnDemandcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Future Tech provides the Electric Vehicle training content (51 hours/102 credits) delivered through Access OnDemand platform, integrated into AMi's EV certification (AMEV) designation.
• Mitchell 1flagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Mitchell 1 is a key sponsor of the Elite Worldwide Invitational event and provides marketing support for AMi events, co-branded marketing activities for industry education initiatives.
• JASPERflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021JASPER partners with Mitchell 1 to sponsor the Elite Worldwide Invitational, providing marketing and event support for AMi's premium industry training events.
• BlueRecruitminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBlueRecruit hosts AMi's 'Looking to Hire' job board connecting AMi graduates with repair shops seeking qualified candidates.
• ASE (National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence)coreTechnology or IntegrationASE certification (B6 Damage Analysis and Estimating) is required for AMCE designation, integrating ASE testing and verification into AMi's credentialing framework.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• I-CAR (Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair): I-CAR is the dominant collision repair training and credentialing body in the U.S., and a Core strategic partner of AMi. Both serve overlapping collision repair shop professionals with structured education and industry-recognized credentials, making I-CAR AMi's closest functional peer in the collision segment.
• National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE): ASE is the industry-standard certification body for automotive technicians and service professionals. AMi's AMCE designation explicitly requires ASE testing (B6 Damage Analysis and Estimating), making ASE both a partner and a directly comparable credentialing organization.
• Automotive Training Institute (ATI): ATI provides management training, coaching, and consulting specifically for independent auto repair shop owners. ATI directly competes with AMi's AMAM/ACE/AAM management designations for the same SMB shop-owner buyer.
• Future Tech / Access OnDemand: Future Tech delivers the EV training content behind AMi's AMEV designation through Access OnDemand. They are both a partner and a directly comparable EV training provider competing for the same EV-credentialing customer.
• NATEF (National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation): NATEF accredits automotive training programs at secondary and postsecondary institutions. It operates in the same automotive-education credentialing category as AMi, though focused on program accreditation rather than individual designations.

Broad incumbents

• WyoTech: WyoTech is a specialty for-profit trade school focused on automotive, collision, and diesel training. It targets a similar student demographic as AMi's technician and shop foreman audiences but through longer-form, campus-based programs.
• Lincoln Tech: Lincoln Tech is a multi-campus for-profit trade school offering automotive and collision repair training programs. Comparable to AMi's apprenticeship/credentialing offerings but operates a much larger, degree-bearing educational model.
• Universal Technical Institute (UTI): UTI is a large, publicly traded for-profit provider of automotive, diesel, and collision repair training. It competes for the same entry-level technician pipeline as AMi's apprenticeship program but at much broader scale and with degree-bearing programs.

Others

• SAE International: SAE International develops automotive engineering standards and offers professional training/credentialing, primarily for engineers and OEMs. It operates adjacent to AMi in the automotive professional education space but targets a different (engineering/OEM) buyer.
• Babcox Media: Babcox Media publishes aftermarket automotive trade media (e.g., ABRN, BodyShop Business) and co-sponsors AMi's EXCEL scholarships. They are a content/media peer and ecosystem partner rather than a direct training competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AMiOnlineDotOrg
• Facebookfacebook.com/AMiOnlineDotOrg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/automotive-management-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Automotive Management Institue