Future-Proof Your Business: When ‘What If’ Becomes ‘Now What?’ [FTR 113]

Joe Sevart discusses the critical importance of preparing for unexpected events.  He shares personal experiences and client stories to illustrate the potential impacts of not having a contingency plan. Joe advises business owners to organize essential information and consult with professionals to ensure their business can withstand unforeseen tragedies.
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Leadership in Times of Transformation [RR 933]

Dr. John Passante and Dr. Thomas Litzinger, titans of the automotive aftermarket industry, steer through the intricacies of professional development and organizational strategies. Some key takeaways: Innovation is non-negotiable, education is critical, and leadership makes the difference. 
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Family Business: The Dads [THA 349]

Shop owners and fathers Charlie Marcotte and Paul Campanella discuss the topic of passing down a family business to the next generation. They emphasize the importance of aligning roles and skill sets, providing training and guidance, and setting realistic expectations for children joining the family business. They also explore the value of mentorship, learning from outside sources, and the challenges and rewards of running a family business. Whether you’re considering integrating your family into your business or looking for ways to make adjustments, this episode is a must-listen!
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A Collective Think Tank – Marconi – Murphy – Morrill [RR 759]

Nothing beats live in-person industry events. There is power in the collaborative minds from around the country in one room. The podcast attended the 2022 Elite Invitational in San Diego and we recorded some incredible stories with essential aftermarket voices. At the end of the conference, I had the idea to grab Jim Murphy, Gene Morrill, and Joe Marconi for a recap of the event and their perspectives on our industry. Keep listening, you have the best seat in the house right next to these 3 aftermarket icons.

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A Tribute to Bob Greenwood – [Bonus 12]

I never thought I’d ever be doing a tribute like this for a good friend, Bob Greenwood. His passing really hit me as it did for so many others. You can’t help but realize we lost him way too early in his life. His mission wasn’t close to being done.

If you ever heard Bob Greenwood’s passion for this industry you know that he held high hopes for the future success of the independent aftermarket. His passion for making this great industry a profession instead of a trade was one of his biggest talking points (a signature of his) where ever and whenever he had a chance to pontificate.

I reflect on a few of Bob’s accomplishments, some of the thirty-three episodes he contributed to and I welcomed some friends to share their memory of Bob.

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The Benefits of Brainstorming Dr. John Passante and Phil Moore [RR 602]

The Benefits of Brainstorming [RR 602]

Let’s create ideas and let’s talk about solving problems. That’s what this episode is all about. I’m with my friend Dr. John Passante, CEO of the Organizational Development Group and a Legacy Aftermarket Human Resource Professional, and Phil Moore, Vice President Sales and Marketing at Federated Auto Parts.

Both have important insight on the power of brainstorming and the discussion will prove to be relevant with tips for your own brainstorming sessions. Also learn how to apply SWOT analysis and make it your own competitive advantage.

You can find my panel’s previous episodes, their bios, and the key talking points for this episode at remarkablersults.biz/e602.

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Life After Succession – Randy Pickering [RR 576]

Life After Succession – Randy Pickering [RR 576]

Family businesses can survive the generations, needless to say, you’ve got to do a lot of things right. It’s the culture, discipline, and the brand that gives the necessary template for a successful transition.

Today we welcome Randy Pickering, legacy owner of Pickering’s in Lakewood, CO. Pickerings is an amazing company that is transitioning into the 5th generation, Randy’s two sons. That is a rare thing.

To help gain their independence Randy says his sons both wanted to join a 20 group of their own and opened their 2nd store to scale up for a solid exit plan. Randy shares his newfound life after leading Pickerings in Lakewood, CO.

Find the show notes at https://remarkableresults.biz/e576.

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The Moment of Impact – Validate Your Leadership – Paul McCarthy and John Passante [RR 564]

RR 564: The Moment of Impact – Validate Your Leadership

I am with John Passante and Paul McCarthy as we discover ways to learn and understand the intricacies of leadership and being a shop owner. A big point John makes is validation and how it connects to leadership. We will learn the concept behind how to be understood properly when communicating with your employees and how to give the right prop ups to deserving employees!

Dr. John Passante is a legacy automotive aftermarket Human Resource professional and the President and CEO of The Organizational Development Group and Paul T. McCarthy is the President of Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association. AASA is the voice for the automotive aftermarket supplier industry.

Find the talking points, bios and key talking points of John Passante and Paul McCarthy at remakableresults.biz/e564

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Decade the Seventies – Talking Auto Repair [THA 184]

Decade the Seventies: Talking Auto Repair – THA 184

What was auto repair like in the decade of the seventies? In order to make this panel work, I needed to find aftermarket leaders that are still active in the industry and who were in the trenches in the seventies. I found them. And what you are going to hear is an incredible journey from their collective memories.

Listen to this cast: Mitch Schneider, Chris Chesney, Maylan Newton, Jerry Kezhaya, and Bob Pulverenti. Needless to say, this group had so much fun sharing their escapades as technicians or shop owners. Even if you weren’t a member of the class of the seventies you’ll appreciate the stories of how things were and without them, we wouldn’t have what we have today.

Key talking points and links to my guest’s previous episodes at remarkableresults.biz/a184

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Unscripted – Mitch Schneider – The Broken Arm Episode [RR 558]

Unscripted – Mitch Schneider – The Broken Arm Episode [RR 558]

My fourth episode with industry icon Mitch Schneider. I’m calling it the “Broken Arm Episode.” Hear all about it in this episode. Mitch brought his unmistakable wit and charm to this interview as we turned on the recorder and just let it flow. No intended agenda so this is pure and raw podcasting at it’s best.

The video was also recorded. You can see it on my Youtube Channel or on the website on the show notes page at remarkableresults.biz/e558. You get a chance to see a behind the scenes of a podcast recording session.

Every time I can have a chat with Mitch Scheider I feel honored and as you’ll hear, like two old shoes, worn-in, comfortable, and coveted. You never want to get rid of ‘em.

If you’ve read Mitch for decades in our aftermarket press, In fact, he is still writing, this is like a live article on many topics, We talk about his book Misfire, wisdom on learning, the power of reading and his perspective on the tech shortage and much more.

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RR 468: Mitch Schneider – Misfire: What to Do When Things Aren’t Running on All Cylinders

Mitch Schneider – Legacy Industry Influencer.

You know Mitch Schneider. He is truly a legacy icon of our industry. He has dedicated his life to run a great shop for decades and at the same time write and speak to help our industry grow. There isn’t an issue that he hasn’t tackled where his reader could take his wisdom and improve themselves and their business.

One thing I wanted to know is how did it all start. If you are a Mitch Schneider fan or follower you may not know this story. You’ll hear how Mitch found his stride and passion for helping the industry by writing and speaking on industry challenges and solutions.

Coming up is a very transparent and personal discussion with Mitch in a way that you may have never heard before. He is also sharing with you his biggest challenge of his life and his extreme confidence in his total recovery. It is in nature to win.

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RR 463: Mitch Schneider – His First Speech 35 Years Ago, Still Relevant today!

Mitch Schneider – His First Speech 35 Years ago, Still relevant today!

Mitch Schneider is here for his second time. Mitch is an award-winning journalist, former shop owner and soon to be published novelist. For more than 37 years, Mitch operated Schneider’s Automotive — a successful 6-bay, family-owned and operated service facility in Simi Valley, Calif. Mitch has recent great news on the biggest challenge in his life as he has taken on Primary Myelofibrosis head-on. He is in his recovery mode from a bone marrow transplant. Mitch is a survivor of this rare procedure and I’m so glad to have him back to have another conversation with him.

When Mitch wrote his speech 35 years ago, he was angry. He showed his frustration and he is now reflective at the state of the industry today. It is sad to say that not much has changed. Listen and learn the issues then and now and some discussion on what we need to do remedy. Are you onboard?

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RR 458: John Passante and Rob Tinson – Is Face To Face Communications Gone?

Fundamental Communicating and Selling. Is Face To Face Communications Gone?

Guests Dr. John Passante is a legacy automotive aftermarket Human Resource Professional and President/CEO of the Organizational Development Group. He is an adjunct professor at the University of the Aftermarket, listed in Who’s Who in Training and Development and in the Automotive Hall of Fame. John is also an Executive Coach to many aftermarket leaders.

Rob Tinson has held key sales and marketing roles in the industry. Rob is Director of Sales for North America at Schrader TPMS Solutions a leading manufacturer of Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems, a part of Sensata Technologies.

Do you understand the basics of communicating and selling? Learn the intricacies of creating a partnership before making a sale. Understand the importance of humanizing a lot of things which were oversimplified by the use of technology.

Life works better when we communicate either using tech or better yet face to face. (Do you remember how to do that?) Communication is very important because it is where we build trust and credibility and how partnerships are built.

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RR 415: Mitch Schneider – Legacy Aftermarket Influencer

Mitch Schneider – Legacy Industry Influencer.

You know Mitch Schneider. He is truly a legacy icon of our industry. He has dedicated his life to run a great shop for decades and at the same time write and speak to help our industry grow. There isn’t an issue that he hasn’t tackled where his reader could take his wisdom and improve themselves and their business.

One thing I wanted to know is how did it all start. If you are a Mitch Schneider fan or follower you may not know this story. You’ll hear how Mitch found his stride and passion for helping the industry by writing and speaking on industry challenges and solutions.

Coming up is a very transparent and personal discussion with Mitch in a way that you may have never heard before. He is also sharing with you his biggest challenge of his life and his extreme confidence in his total recovery. It is in nature to win.

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RR 373: Shop Talk 5 – Retired and Still Helping the Industry

Shop Talk 5 – Retired and Still Helping the Industry

The Roundtable consists of Gary Summerfield, Don Griffin, and Tommy Kendall.

Gary and Don are retired shop owners, who are now landlords and Tommy is still contributing to the industry as a part-timer. They share wisdom of the ages.

Learn how their collective mindset helped transform the shops that they have operated throughout the years. We talk about training, technician pay and paying it forward.

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RR 332: Mort Schwartz – Legacy Interview

Legacy Aftermarket Leader is Passionate for Educating Our Youth.

Mort Schwartz is a legacy leader in the automotive aftermarket. He brought vision to many exciting programs and companies that are stoic brands of our industry.
For years, Mort had a large influence with the way parts got to market. He was one of the original founders of Carquest, former Chairman, and CEO of Strauss Discount Auto, Import Parts of America, Thermo King of Northern California and Chanslor & Lyon.

He is currently a Trustee of the University of the Aftermarket Foundation that awards scholarships to students who show a desire to work in the automotive.
He was a past Director of WORLDPAC, past Chairman of the APAA, AWDA and CAWA and founder of the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS), and inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame. I’ve listed more distinguished positions and honors of Mort’s on the show notes page.

Mort Schwartz realized years ago that the service professional needed the support, marketing, inventory, service, and training, from their supplier, to drive their success; and he set out to deliver just that.

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RR 283: Bob Rodriguez – Legacy Industry Trainer

Bob Rodriguez is a legacy aftermarket professional who spent 18 years as a technical training instructor and the training manager at Robert Bosch in Broadview IL. Bob was instrumental in finding better ways to provide training that went beyond the ‘beer and pretzels’ evening offerings by some vendors at the time’.

Bob drops a lot of names and organization he’s worked with and for. He’s worked for a number of well-known Tier 1 and aftermarket companies (including Bosch, Lincoln Technical Institute, ASE, Mopar CAP and others) and has chaired training committees for a wide-ranging group of aftermarket associations.

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RR 275: Chris Chesney – Sr. Director Customer Training – Carquest Technical Institute

Are You Committed to Be A Lifetime Learner In The Automotive Aftermarket? Learn Why It Must Be Your Most Important Goal.

Chris Chesney is the Senior Director, Customer Training at the CARQUEST Technical Institute and explains that our great aftermarket has its best days ahead, however, the challenge is going to take many people, teams and organizations working together to formulate solutions as we prepare for the largest wave of technology and consolidation we’ve ever seen.

Chris explains that all successful technicians and shop owners know …. that you must be committed to being a lifelong learner. If not … you’re in the wrong profession.

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RR 262: Skip Potter – Retired Executive Director NASTF

Retiring Executive Director Shares His Legacy and the Importance NASTF is to the Automotive Service Industry

Skip Potter has had a storied career working in parts distribution, motorsports, tools, service, collision, and heavy duty. He also had important roles with leading industry associations and a radio career with a syndicated radio broadcast called ‘Virginia Race Line.’

Skip is one of our unsung legacy leaders in our beloved aftermarket. He just retired as the Executive Director of NASTF (The National Automotive Service Task Force). Skip gives us a firsthand account of the value NASTF brings to the industry. You will be surprised.

Skip is one of those very versatile industry leaders and a great example of a legacy aftermarket leader. It is important we hear his story. So prepare for an important understanding of the role NASTF plays for all of us and the storied career of a legacy aftermarket leader.

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RR 258: John Francis from Francis Automotive Services

Be Honest, Speak from Your Heart, Always Be Authentic and Have the Highest Ethics. Your Business Will Boom!

John Francis from Francis Automotive in West Chester, PA has given of himself to further the industry. With support to ASE, ASA and AMi among others, John has helped steer the direction of the aftermarket in many volunteer positions.

He finds the time to be a part-time business coach, is excited about the 3rd generation of Francis’s to join his company, he ran in twenty marathons, and John figured out a long time ago that he needed to work on his business, not in it.

Another Legacy Leader Episode.

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