SOS - Shop Owner Solutions

Everybody talks about the need for technicians, but is there anything you can do about it? Shops today are competing for new employees with every other industry, and as you've probably found out, the results can be frustrating. Is it time to head to the basement and ride out the storm, or are there blue skies ahead?
In this episode of Shop Owner Solutions, Doug Kaufman discusses the challenges of finding technicians for automotive shops and interviews Roy Niemi, the owner of A&D Auto and Body Repair in Haslett, MI, who has successfully grown his shop from seven to over 30 employees during a very difficult business environment.
Niemi explains that he focuses on hiring individuals with great qualities, work ethic and drive, rather than solely relying on technical skills. He also emphasizes the importance of creating a family-like culture within the shop and investing in the development of his employees. Niemi shares his strategies for finding potential employees, including partnering with local trade schools and community colleges, as well as high school vocational programs. He also discusses the mentorship program in his shop, where experienced technicians pass on their knowledge and skills to the next generation.
Niemi says he believes in a people-first approach and prioritizes the long-term growth and success of his employees over immediate profits. This episode of Shop Owner Solutions is sponsored by AP Emissions, a manufacturer of emissions and exhaust technologies.

There has been a lot of technology in the automotive industry that has come and gone, faded into history and really forgotten by the next generation. Remember eight track players or CD players for that matter, digital speedometers, power antennas, ashtrays, and cigarette lighters? Still, some things introduced decades ago are still found on every vehicle, and despite their long, healthy history, catalytic converters may be the most misunderstood component on a car.

In this podcast episode, Doug Kaufman, editor of Shop Owner Magazine, interviews Clint Cooper, a strategic Account Executive at AP Emissions Technologies, about catalytic converters in the automotive industry. They discuss the misconceptions surrounding catalytic converters and how they work to reduce harmful exhaust emissions.

Cooper explains the changes in technology and the advancements made by AP Emissions in the coating process of catalytic converters, which allows for more efficient use of precious metals and lower costs. They also touch on the issue of catalytic converter theft and the impact of electric vehicles on the future of catalytic converters.

Overall, they conclude that catalytic converters will continue to be an essential component in vehicles for many years to come.

For more information, visit APEmissions.com or ShopOwnerMag.com.

Common wisdom tells us that cats have 9 lives – you just can’t kill ‘em. Or, if they go missing, must wait and they’ll eventually come back. As a shop owner, of course, those facts are far from realistic - at least when it comes to the most important and enigmatic cat in the shop, the Catalytic Converter.

In this episode of Shop Owner Solutions, Clint Cooper - Strategic Account Executive at AP Emissions Technologies and a master of explaining what goes on in a vehicle’s exhaust system - explains what can kill a cat, what you can do to help your customers prevent it and how to prevent it from happening again.

Cooper explains how emissions requirements have changed, exactly what a catalytic converter does (and how) and what techs can look for to diagnose why a converter failure happened in the first place.

Shop Owner Solutions has been created to help throw a lifeline to shop owners, helping you understand that the struggles you're facing are not unique. Shop Owner Solutions is presented by AP Emissions. Since 1927, AP Emissions Technologies has been serving customers in the light and commercial vehicle aftermarkets with a passion for innovation enabling them to stay at the forefront of emissions and exhaust products.

Visit APemissions.com to learn more.

Science fiction and Hanna-Barbera promised us all sorts of fantastic things to make our lives easier - moving sidewalks, robot maids, mind-reading appliances and flying cars should have BEEN here by now. As it turns out, The Jetsons were only PARTLY ahead of the game.
What's the most important thing you're looking for in your automotive repair facility today? Some might say more customers, some might answer faster technicians, some might say higher repair orders. All of these are important factors, but they're not mutually exclusive. Today we're here to discuss one resource that can possibly help you solve all three dilemmas - perhaps foreshadowed by science fiction cartoons.

It seems like 40 or 50 years ago, artificial intelligence meant robots, and that was either scary or totally comedic depending on your generation. They were never really considered a partner – but we've come to rely on artificial intelligence to assist us in many aspects of our daily lives, so much so that we don't even think about it anymore. In this episode of Shop Owner Solutions, Doug Kaufman, editor of ShopOwner magazine talks about the ways artificial intelligence can make a real difference in your shop's personality, productivity and profitability. His guest is Eric Turkington, Vice President of Growth at Ortho, creators of shop-specific artificial intelligence resources.

Have you ever felt that someone knew more about a topic than you? In this industry, you’re not alone. For well over 100 years vehicle technology has been advancing, and when it comes to servicing vehicles, someone somewhere likely has been doing it longer than you have.

But with the newest generation of hybrid and electric as well as alternative fuels and ADAS, the educational playing field may be such that we're ALL on the same level.

While some of this terminology used in today’s shop is already causing fear about tomorrow these topics they already a significant part of the world of a trainer?

In this episode of Shop Owner Solutions, Rob Morrell, director of Training of WorldPac Technical Institute and Isaac Rodell, program manager for alternative fuels with WTI, explain the training beliefs and realities faced by today's shop owners, service advisors and technicians.

Shop Owner Solutions is presented by CTI WTI, the Carquest and Worldpac Training Institutes. CTI WTI offers world-class technical and business management training for automotive service professionals. To learn more visit my.advance.pro/shoptraining.

The American Cancer Society estimates that each year, more than 250,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die. Cancer is an insidious disease that has touched nearly everyone, but two Ohio shop owners have decides to do something to try to make a difference.
In 2011, Leigh Ann Best, marketing director with Mighty Auto Pro in Medina, OH, and Laura Frank, owner of Auto Repair Technology in Brook Park, OH, introduced the Brakes For Breasts program. Brakes for Breasts is an organization that unites the hands of independent auto repair shops during the month of October. The participating repair shop provides its customers with free brake pads and the customer simply pays for the labor and any other parts that may be needed. The shop then donates 10% of that total to the Cleveland Clinic's Breast Cancer Vaccine Fund.
In 2019, Kerry Pryor, with Advance Auto Parts and TechNet Professional Automotive Service in Raleigh, NC, was so inspired by the grassroots efforts of the founders that she offered to bring her networking and marketing skills to the organization.
Since its founding, Brakes For Breasts has raised more than $1.5 million to help support the Cleveland Clinic's Breast Cancer Vaccine research fund.
In this episode of Shop Owner Solutions, Leigh Anne and Kerry discuss the program's successes and goals with ShopOwner editor Doug Kaufman.
For information on how to get involved, visit BrakesForBreasts.com; TechNetProfessional.com or ShopOwnerMag.com.
This episode of Shop Owner Solutions is presented by Advance Auto Parts. Advance is a leader in supplying automotive aftermarket parts and technology solutions to vehicle repair shops across the U.S. Visit my.advancepro.com to learn how Advance can help your shop.

Keeping yourself on track every day can often be a big enough challenge so it's not not surprising that keeping everyone else motivated toward excellence can seem overwhelming at times. That's why it's helpful to recognize that resources are available to ease the pain points of running and growing your business.
In this episode of Shop Owner Solutions, Doug Kaufman talks with Enzo Dibenedetto, Leader of Operational Strategies for the Mike More Miles family of repair shops in the Chicagoland area, and Andrew Dremak, VP, Strategic Partnerships & Growth with Mechanic Advisor. Together, they explain the marketing partnership they've implemented to meet the needs of Mike More Miles shops and their customers.
This episode of Shop Owner Solutions is presented by Advance Auto Parts. Advance is a leader in supplying automotive aftermarket parts and technology solutions to vehicle repair shops across the U.S. Visit my.advancepro.com to learn how Advance can help your shop.

When the air horn sounds and the ship starts slowly pulling away from the dock, do you head to the buffet, or do you sit up and pay attention? If you’ve ever been on a cruise you know that one of the first and most important activities is the muster drill, where you locate your life vest and rescue boat, even while the ship is in calm waters.

Doug Kaufman, editor of ShopOwner magazine, looks for rough seas and icebergs dead ahead with his guests on this episode of Shop Owner Solutions. Joining Doug are Vic Tarasik, from Shop Owner Coach; Greg Buckley from Buckley’s Auto Care in Wilmington, DE; and Murray Voth from RPM Training.

https://shopownercoach.com/
https://www.buckleysautocare.com/
https://rpmtraining.net/

If you ever walked into restaurant and ordered the omelette of the day, then proceeded to hand the cook a bag of groceries, you'd get laughed out of the place. And yet, automotive customers often have no problem demanding that you install the parts they bought from an online source - or worse, found in the back of the garage.

When considering whether to install parts that you don't source, consider that it all comes down to the "bilities:" reliability, profitability and liability.

Shop Owner Solutions is your life preserver through the industry’s rapids – getting past those 3 am panics or the things that keep you awake any way. In this episode, Doug Kaufman, editor of ShopOwner magazine interviews three industry veterans who have first hand experience with bad things that can happen and good ways to avoid falling into the parts trap.

Everyone complains that there's a lack of willing workers out there, and let's be honest from carry out to car repair, employment opportunities abound, if you could just get the bodies to apply. When it comes to your shop, quality can be a lot more attractive than quantity when it comes to job applicants. How can you ensure that when the right person comes to work for you, you give him or her every chance to succeed? You only get one chance to make a good first impression and you only get one chance to set up a new employee for success.

Shop Owner Solutions is your life preserver through the industry’s rapids – getting past those 3 am panics or the things that keep you awake any way. In this episode, Doug Kaufman from Shop Owner magazine and Vic Tarasik from Shop Owner Coach, talk with Mike Maloney from Convenience Auto Service in Ann Arbor, MI, about the importance of making employees feel welcome and giving them the freedom to not be perfect.