The PartsEdge Podcast

Vanessa Ruck is founder of The Girl on a Bike, influencer, and motivational speaker with over 300k followers. She understands how precious every day is. Her mission is to make the most of each day and help others do the same

In this episode, we dive into Vanessa’s story. She is a UK-based motorcycle rider and racer who faced a life-altering accident in 2014. After the accident, Vanessa was diagnosed with multiple mental health disorders, including depression and a fear of the road. Through her journey, Vanessa demonstrates the importance of accepting and overcoming challenges.

Vanessa was an adrenaline junkie, who enjoyed sports like kitesurfing, wakeboarding, snowboarding, and rock climbing. However, in an instant, she was thrown into a new reality when she was hit by a car while on her bike. She had seven surgeries over seven years. She was in a dark place and it was difficult for her to accept the changes that had taken place.

Join us for a powerful and inspiring episode about overcoming challenges and finding success, even in the most difficult of circumstances.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessaprocter

Website: www.thegirlonabike.com

Kaylee Felio

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gotopartsgirl

Website: https://www.partsedge.com

Takeaways:

Quote

“My mission is to make the most of each day and help others do the same.”

Robert Migliaccio is the service director at Carter Myers Automotive in Virginia. He has 22 years of experience!! He is passionate about helping others succeed and has worked his way up the ranks from detailing to becoming a service manager and a service director. Robert knows Fixed Ops.

Robert Migliaccio was a self-starter from a young age, getting into car radios and stereo installations. This entrepreneurial spirit drove him to become a parts counter guy, wholesale guy, and eventually a service manager at a large Ford/Toyota store.

Personal growth is a priority for Robert, and he fell in love with Cater Meyers Aautomotive's mantra: “move lives forward”. He joined as fixed ops director. Robert has been able to help his team members achieve their personal and professional goals, propelling the company forward.

Connect

Robert Migliaccio

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-migliaccio-54643961/

Kaylee Felio

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gotopartsgirl

Website: https://www.partsedge.com/

Takeaways

20+ year career journey to home

Moving people forward

Finding the drive and strive to want and be more

Quote

“I was looking for growth, potential, and position so I can make a difference”

Laurie Halter is the owner of Charisma! Communications, a PR agency specializing in the automotive industry. Her 20 years of professional automotive experience gives her a unique talent for connecting businesses and owners with audiences.

She is the host of the Careering podcast, which interviews fearless female leaders and see what motivates them at work, home, and life.

Laurie learned about connecting people in the automotive industry through LinkedIn. She is a master connector who enjoys watching new relationships bloom. Laurie will be introducing a new person to the automotive industry every month through the Dealer Marketing Magazine, which is an example of connecting people to what they are passionate about. She encourages people to have a giving mindset when connecting with others, and emphasizes the importance of building relationships.

Connect

Laurie Halter

Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-halter-1255b6/

Website: https://www.gocharisma.com/

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/carearing/id1492729033

Kaylee Felio

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gotopartsgirl

Website: https://www.partsedge.com/

Takeaways

Quote

Books from loved ones, nudge you in the direction they want you to go

Owen Moon is an experienced automotive marketing consultant and CEO of Fixed Ops Digital, which was started in 2018. He is working with over 750 dealerships across the U.S. and Canada to help them evolve their service departments from an online standpoint.

Owen believes the fixed operations side of the business will remain a huge part of dealerships going forward. He’s been pushing for new integrations, like repair financing, to help customers.

He also believes dealers need to increase sales. Specifically, Owen has noticed that dealerships are missing out on the sale of accessories and tires, and recommends setting up a separate website specifically for smaller parts.

Connect

Owen Moon

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owen-moon/

Kaylee Felio

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gotopartsgirl

Website: https://www.partsedge.com/

Takeaways

Quote

“We should be doing so much more to prepare ourselves for the future [in terms of fixed operations]”

Charity Dunning is the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at FixedOps Marketing. She helps startup companies build their marketing departments from the group up. She also co-hosts WTF (What the Fixed Ops?!) podcast with Russell Hill.

The automobile industry is changing rapidly, and fixed ops companies need to adapt to survive. Customers are more educated, parts are becoming more refined, and automation is becoming more prevalent.

Charity is specifically interested in the trend of electric vehicles. While electric vehicles are becoming more and more widely accepted, they bring on new challenges. In today’s episode, she’s sharing insights her company has learned from researching data and interviewing experts.

Charity is also a passionate mother, and shares her experience as a working professional. Her understanding of the auto industry challenges and working from home challenges position her perfectly to help you speak and grow leads for your fixed ops business.

Connect

Charity Dunning

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charitydunning/

Podcast: What the Fixed Ops?!

Website: https://fixedopsmarketing.com/

Kaylee Felio

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gotopartsgirl

Website: https://www.partsedge.com/

Takeaways

Quote

“The automotive industry is very tight knit, but there’s also a lot of opportunity” - Charity Dunning

Angela Willoughby is the Fixed Ops Analyst with Foundation Auto Corp, a large auto group with 33 stores across Canada and the US. She has been in the auto industry for 25 years, and is passionate about taking care of customers and growing the business.

Despite having a non-traditional career in the auto industry, Angela has managed to thrive due to her ability to partner with third party vendors. Angela plays a pivotal role in helping the company to grow by supporting their service team and managing the relationship with vendors.

Her hard work alongside Justin Pomeroy have Foundation Auto Corps Fixed Ops on track to provide more automotive solutions to North America.

Takeaways

Connect

Angela Willoughby 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-willoughby-73795ba0/

Kaylee Felio

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gotopartsgirl

Website: https://www.partsedge.com/

Quote

“Be strong, be resilient, and know where you’re headed”

Marcus Aman is the founder of Bayley: The Service Bay Assistant, a technology that helps reduce chaos at the dealerships, by identifying bottlenecks and allowing service staff to work more efficiently using IoT devices and the smart bay sensor system.

Marcus was a former fixed operations director who had worked in the car industry for 14 years. He was frustrated with the efficiency of the dealership, so he decided to create a timer system to track the activity of cars in the shop. Through a mutual customer, he was able to turn this into a business, Bailey, a smart service based system which tracks efficiency. He loves the people he has met in the industry and now has the ability to control his destiny and make a difference in the industry. His daily driver is a Honda Accord, but he loves his Jeep Wrangler for his kids.

Connect:

Marcus: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusaman/

Work more efficient: https://www.getbayley.com/

Kaylee Felio

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gotopartsgirl

Website: https://www.partsedge.com/

Takeaways

Quote

“If you can measure it, you can manage it.”

Mark Haeck is the VP of Business Development at Mainstreet Computers LLC. The company provides glass repair and replacement software. Everything from inventory to insurance is included.

This software provides dealerships with an additional source of revenue. This allows dealers to help employees work more efficiently and give customers a better solution to the problem of damaged windshields.

Connect

Mark Haeck: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-haeck-mainstreet-gms/

Sell Glass Services: https://mainstreetcomputers.com/

Kaylee Felio

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gotopartsgirl

Website: https://www.partsedge.com/

Takeaways

Quote

“Be more proactive” - Mark Haeck

Kyle Winkley is a financial advisor who used to work for BG and in the Auto space. He is now focusing on helping companies retain, recruit, and reward their top or key employees. He is also working with individuals on an individual level to help them with their financial journey.

Connect with Kyle Winkley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-winkley-833a05113/

The Takeaways

Quote

"I think more than anything, the one thing I want to be remembered for would be really what Jesus asked us to do, right? To love him and to love people. So I feel like if you do those two things, then everything else will kind of take care of itself."

Connect with Kaylee

LinkedIn: Kaylee Felio

Website: https://www.partsedge.com/

Ellen Haney is the parts manager at Jeff Schmitt Auto Group. She has been in the automotive industry for 5 years and in management for 3. Shonda Miller is the service manager at Jeff Schmitt Auto Group. She has been in the automotive industry for 11 years and in management for 5.

Ellen Haney and Shonda Miller have been successful in their roles as parts manager and service manager, respectively, at their auto dealership. They attribute their success to their strong working relationship and communication skills. As women in the automotive industry, they feel they have to work harder to prove themselves. However, they have overcome all the challenges they faced to accomplish where they are today.

Connect!

Ellen Haney: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellen-haney🎉🎊-1a882a211/

Shonda Miller: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shonda-miller-a41aa088/

Kaylee Felio

LinkedIn: Kaylee Felio

Website: https://www.partsedge.com/

The Three Takeaways

Quote

"I always felt that I had to prove myself ten times harder than somebody who they wanted in that position."