Shop Owner of the Year: Jamie and Eric Carlson, Ervine’s Auto Repair and Grand Rapids Hybrid, Grand Rapids, MI. Years in Business: 28. Number of Full-Time Technicians: 3. Number of technicians with ASE Certifications: 3

Eric Carlson, co-owner of Ervine’s Auto Repair & Grand Rapids Hybrid, has been a technician for over 45 years. His formal automotive education came from Ferris State University where he took all 8 ASE tests prior to graduation in 1977. Eric has been recertified every 5 years since. He took the L1 when it was introduced and is now L3 hybrid certified. Eric is a subject matter expert for ASE and has participated in writing test questions for the L3 test. Eric has been named NAPA and ASE’s technician of the year 5 times. Jamie Carlson, co-owner of Ervine’s Auto Repair & Grand Rapids Hybrid. She loves her job and is very proud of how her shop has kept ahead of technological changes to stay relevant and customer-focused. Her shop was awarded the 2018 ACE (Auto Care Career and Education) Award in recognition of her dedication to investing in the growth of their employees’ knowledge and skills through access to professional development and career opportunities. Jamie is also nurturing the next generation by working closely with her daughter, Megan Dineff. Megan was named one of Ratchet + Wrench magazine’s All-Star winners for 2019 and Auto Care Association’s 4 for the Future Impact award in 2020.

Technician of the Year: Matt Fanslow, Lead Diagnostician/Shop Manager, Riverside Automotive, Red Wing, Minnesota. ASE Master Certified Technician – A1-A8 and L1 #ASE-1597-7187

Matt’s primary responsibilities are to diagnose driveability and electrical/electronic issues, and perform most all programming, coding, initializing, adoptions, etc. Basically, if it needs to be figured out or has wires, it goes to Matt. He’s been a tech since 1996. Matt is also a subject matter expert for ASE and has instructed at Vision Hi-Tech Training and Expo. Matt has participated on 18 ASE technical committees for the ASE Practice Test, A6, A7, A8, and L1 tests. He’s also done case studies for Standard Motor Products. Fanslow’s goal is to do everything in his power to improve the overall level of professionalism within the automotive and light truck repair trade and also raise the level of its public image. Matt Fanslow’s Previous Episodes HERE.

Service Advisor of the Year: Brittany Schindler, Service Manager Rod’s Japanese Auto Care Bellingham, WA. Years in the industry: 11 years. Brittany loves working at the shop and being able to help people every day. Brittany has learned so much over the years by going to classes with great trainers and having a great business coach. One of her main focuses is to raise the standard of the automotive service and repair industry. Listen to Brittany’s previous episodes HERE

Key Talking Points

• Rebranding Grand Rapids Hybrids- ½ the cars that come in are hybrids, over 6 cars a day. 
• Networking groups- wisdom and knowledge shared by other professionals. It’s essential for growth. 
• Reinforcing the hard work, time and investments 
• Training- online and in person
• Family in the business- shared values, ethics 
• AAPEX- training classes, networking and learning. Go to booths, ask questions, get contact information

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Important Books

Check out today’s partner:

Gold Certification recognizes top tier NAPA AutoCares with a high level of participation in the AutoCare program. The program was built by AutoCare Centers for AutoCare Centers to provide a consistent consumer experience, maximize technology leverage, and reward NAPA’s most committed partners. In other words, Gold Certified AutoCare Centers are the standard bearers for the AutoCare brand nationwide. Simply put, the Gold Certified NAPA AutoCare program, powered by your local shop brand, will separate you from the rest helping you boost your bay counts and your average repair orders.

Learn more about NAPA AutoCare, Gold Certification, and the hundreds of other benefits the NAPA family has to offer by talking with your servicing NAPA store or visiting www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Craig Van Batenburg, AMAM, is the CEO of Automotive Career Development Center [ACDC] and a former repair shop owner. Craig is engaged full time in the understanding of the technology used in hybrid and electric cars. His 45 years of automotive experience serves him well. He travels throughout the world doing training on Hybrid and Electric Vehicles. Previous Episodes HERE.

Cameron Lee-Ernie Lee’s Service Center was founded in 1972 by Cameron’s grandfather. His father and Cameron now currently operate the business as a team. He went to work in the family business right out of college and started as a Tire and GS Tech and moved my way up to being the Lead Technician. Cameron serves as the Shop Manager and focuses on the day-to-day operation of the shop, developing the business, and meeting the needs of the ever-evolving aftermarket repair industry. Early in 2020 after attending Up Your Voltage by ACDC, Cameron opened another division of Ernie Lee’s known as Raleigh Hybrids due to the ever-growing demand of Hybrid and EV repair and maintenance. In many ways, his role is modernizing and expanding the family business and the development of Raleigh Hybrids was a natural progression of that. 

Eric Carlson has been a technician for over 40 years. His formal automotive education came from Ferris State University where he took all 8 ASE tests prior to graduation in 1977. Eric has re-certified every 5 years since. He took the L1 when it was introduced and is now L3 hybrid certified. Full disclosure: Eric is a subject matter expert for ASE and has participated in writing test questions, in the past 2 years, for the L3 test.

Eric and his wife Jamie bought Ervine’s in 1994 and added Grand Rapids Hybrid to the family in 2013 after Eric became the first Master Hybrid Service Technician in Grand Rapids, MI. Eric has been interviewed by several local television stations and publications seeking his expertise on everything from basic maintenance to the ramifications of “Right to Repair” legislation. Ervine’s Auto Repair and Grand Rapids Hybrid became an ASE Blue Seal of Excellence shop when it was introduced and have been since. Previous episodes HERE

Key Talking Points

• HybridsAnother revolution in emissions 
• Stepping stone to pure electric cars
• Another means of controlling pollution 
• Honda announcement- no internal combustion after year 2040You MUST be a part of the evolution and start handling hybrid repairs
• “It’s not a question of should you get into hybrids, it’s a question of why haven’t you done it 10 years ago?”
• SpeedbumpsReceive rare unicorns that other hybrid shops don’t want to touch
• Need to say yes to every hybrid vehicle- capitalize on marketing as the shop that can “fix everything”
• Tools you need- test every connection
• Advice- buy Gen 2 and start working on it
• Get into hybrid first to learn basics before EV (electric vehicles)Properly trained
• Proper tooling- inexpensive compared to others
• Hybrid car owners will turn into EV owners- natural evolution to be conscious of the environment
• Fixev.com- keep independent shops in businessOffer management training
• Webinar training- learning at your own pace 
• Move your 12 volt brain to high voltage thinking Conditioned at early age that a car sound is “vroom vroom”
• Pure electric vehicles First fluid change is 150,000 miles or 10 years, all LED lights
• Need level 2 charging station.
• Lift fixtures to take 1500lb batteries out
• A special thanks to Craig Van Batenburg, Cameron Lee and Eric Carlson for their contribution to the aftermarket.
• Books Page HERE
• Listen to all Remarkable Results Radio, For The Record and Town Hall Academy episodes.

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This episode is brought to you by Shop-Ware Shop Management. It’s time to run your business at its fullest potential with the industry’s leading technology. Shop-Ware Shop Management will increase your efficiency with lightning-fast workflows, help your staff capture more sales every day, and create very happy customers who promote your business. Shops running Shop-Ware have More Time and generate More Profit—join them! Schedule a free live demonstration and find out how 30 minutes can transform your shop at getshopware.com

This episode is brought to you by Shop Marketing Pros. Your guides are Kim and Brian Walker with a rich history as shop owners and industry veterans. When someone searches for a shop, who are they finding? Your competitors? It should be you! The good people over at Shop Marketing Pros know how to drive website traffic and make Google work for you! www.shopmarketingpros.com



In the photo, left to right: John Long, Frank Scandura, Jennifer Wiens, Vic Tarasik, Jeannie and David Light, Jammie and Eric Carlson, Carm Capriotto

You’ll learn the value of shop tours from this Remarkable Panel:

• Our host, Jennifer Wien, Ted Wiens Tire and Auto, Host, Las Vegas, NV
• John Long, Shertz Automotive, Shertz, TX
• David and Jeannie Light
• Eric and Jammie Carlson, Ervine’s Auto Repair and Grand Rapids Hybrid
• Frank Scandura, Franks European, Las Vegas. 
• Vic Tarasik, Shop Owner and Coach. Vic’s Previous Episodes HERE.

Key Talking Points

• Take care of our business so we can take care of you
• We are too close to see what is wrong or out of place or even not working
• R & D does not mean Research and Development it means RIP-OFF AND DUPLICATE
  • Some of your best ideas will come from peers. Make them your own and design them to fit your world
• Best way to participate in shop tour is via a twenty-group
• Shop tours can provide you good constructive criticism that great opportunities for change
• Some shop tours will have you interview their people to gain knowledge for the owner who is hosting the tour
• When you do a tour you can provide
• Jennifer Wiens discovered, on a shop tour, a baby changing table. She implemented.
• When you travel consider calling ahead and asking a shop owner if you could stop by and get a shop tour
• John Long has had 30 shop owners at his shop this year so far
• Learn from the observations of ideas of others
• Top three strategies to improve your company
  • Coaching
  • Twenty-Group (networking group)
  • Shop Tours
• Components of Shop Tours an Excellent Peer Review
  • Repair Order Review/Audit
  • Employee Interviews
    • Amazing discovery for the shop owner
    • The premise is to make the company better
    • The owner picks the people in advance and tells them we are looking for way to improve the company. A casual talk. Some people do not want to talk to their bosses
    • Ask about expectations, if they like working there, know about the process, do you have the opportunity in the company, what things would you change
  • Work Flow (shop)
  • Curb Appeal
  • Show Room
  • Vehicle Re-Inspection
• Bring your power of observation to every shop tour
• An outcome of doing shop tours can be the improvement of your facility by learning from others. It can be remodeling, process improvement, additional bays, different software and marketing ideas to grow the business
  • Invest in your appearance

Resources:

• A special thanks to Jennifer Wien, John Long, Frank Scandura, Vic Tarasik, David and Jeanie Light, and Eric and Jammie Carlson for their contribution to the aftermarket.
• Shop Tours Part One HERE.
• Books Page HERE
• Leave me an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one of them.

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This episode is brought to you by Shop-Ware Shop Management. It’s time to run your business at its fullest potential with the industry’s leading technology. Shop-Ware Shop Management will increase your efficiency with lightning-fast workflows, help your staff capture more sales every day, and create very happy customers who promote your business. Shops running Shop-Ware have More Time and generate More Profit—join them! Schedule a free live demonstration and find out how 30 minutes can transform your shop at shop-ware.com

This episode is brought to you by Jasper Engines & Transmissions. When a car’s engine or transmission fails, it’s not the end of the road. A re-manufactured drive-train product from Jasper Engines & Transmissions will give your car a new lease on life. JASPER has over 2000 Associates, three manufacturing facilities, two distribution centers, and 45 branch offices across the country. They’re all working to produce, transport and deliver the perfect product. That’s what they do best… keep customers happy. Visit jasperengines.com

(Pictured above Eric and Jamie Carlson)

Eric has been a technician for over 40 years. His formal automotive education came from Ferris State University where he took all 8 ASE tests prior to graduation in 1977.  Eric has re-certified every 5 years since. He took the L1 when it was introduced and is now L3 hybrid certified. Full disclosure: Eric is a subject matter expert for ASE and in the past two years has participated in writing test questions for the L3 test.

Eric and his wife Jamie bought Ervine’s in 1994. In 2013, they added Grand Rapids Hybrid to the family after Eric became the first Master Hybrid Service Technician in Grand Rapids, MI.  Eric has been interviewed by several local television stations and publications seeking his expertise on everything from basic maintenance to the ramifications of “Right to Repair” legislation. Ervine’s Auto Repair and Grand Rapids Hybrid became an ASE Blue Seal of Excellence shop when it was introduced and have been since.

Talking Points:

• Ervine’s came about because Eric asked his supplier to keep his eye out for a potential shop to buy.  He and Jamie found a great opportunity in Ervine’s.
• Most painful lessons on running the business were his most expensive lessons. In his previous job, he learned how not to run a business so he did the opposite when he opened his own business.
• His biggest learning curve was the responsibility to feed all the families that worked for him.
• He participated as an ASE subject matter expert on hybrids.
  • He was amazed and respectful for the time it takes to get an ASE test question right.
• He took a Hybrid safety class and that peaked his interest and that set him on a path to become a Hybrid specialist.
• He started to look for a training program and found Craig and Deb Van Batenberg at ACDC. (hear them in episode 116)
• At the time of the interview, he had 5 hybrids in the shop for repair.
  • Most of the work is not Hybrid specific. He is doing brakes, HVAC type work.
• He believes that the impact of a secondary brand had a bigger impact on his business than just saying that they work on hybrids. They kept the pressure on the market in creating the secondary brand. He believes this strategy paid off in spades.
• He has loaner cars and believes that is a competitive edge.
• He is the only tech in the shop that works on the high voltage side of hybrid repair. He is considering sending another tech to get that type of hybrid training.
• Eric was in a mentoring group at the elementary level in his community.
• He places the ASE logo on his building, on his business cards, in the shop and is proud to say the certifications separate the wheat from the chaff.

Ervine’s Website

Grand Rapid Hybrid Website

Eric was also on the Town Hall Academy on ASE. Listen Here.

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This episode is brought to you by Federal-Mogul Motorparts and Garage Gurus. With brands like Moog, Felpro, Wagner Brake, Champion, Sealed Power, FP Diesel and more, they’re the parts techs trust.  For serious technical training and support – online, onsite and on-demand – Garage Gurus is everything you need to know. Find out more at fmmotorparts.com  and fmgaragegurus.co

I attended the ASA Automotive Service Association, Connected CARS  (Congress of Automotive Repair & Service) event in Detroit on May 18th & 19th, 2017.  It was a very informative event organized by former ASA Chairman and shop owner Donny Seyfer, who brought industry trainers, automotive engineers and service professionals from all parts of North-America to learn about rapidly advancing vehicle technology.

All attendees got an important glimpse into the world of the connected car with in-depth and detailed looks at ADAS, Next Gen Vehicle Networks, V2V and the future of diagnostics.

Safety is one of the driving forces behind ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems). The two-day seminar brought some of the top tech trainers to bring a deeper understanding of how these systems function and what it takes to diagnose, repair and calibrate them today and in the not too distant future.

Listen to an in-studio round table debate along with a ‘man in the street’ interview segment that was recorded at the first night reception. In all, you’ll hear contributions from seventeen of your industry peers in this episode.

You will hear discussions on the course content, personal thoughts on this new technology, new business models and the opportunities that modern technology creates for progressive operators among many more hot and trending talking points.

I’m happy to bring you the pulse of this event. Training events like this must be part of your future. Keep an eye out for the exciting ASA programs being presented for you at AAPEX 2017. ASA-CARS.com

Presentations from:

• Dave Hobbs, Delphi, Radar, Lidar, Sonar and camera-based sensors
• Greg Potter, ETI, and Bob Gruszczynski, VW, scan-tool protocols
• Debra Bezinna, Ann Arbor Connected Vehicle Test Environment, University of Michigan . Debra was interviewed by ASA’s Washingon, DC rep Robert L. Redding Jr. She spoke on V2V Communication
• Jason Ross, Volkswagen, driver-assist systems
• Scott Bolt, Mahle, new vehicle network architecture
• Tarek Taleb, GM, CAN network diagnosis software
• Mohan Sethi, Mahle Aftermarket, secure diagnostics
• Jim Luyckx from Snap-on presented diagnostics by thermal imaging
• Steve Zach, Bosch, ADAS calibration and alignment

Dan Risley, ASA president and executive director, said about the inaugural event, “ASA is committed to providing industry-leading technology and telematics programs to our members and the industry. This program is a first of its kind. Attendees left armed with more knowledge and information on the most current and future ADAS technology than the 90 percent of those repairing vehicles in automotive industry today!”

“Comments and enthusiasm from Connected CARS attendees and presenters exceeded my expectations,” said event organizer Donny Seyfer. “The presentations were spot-on. I’m not sure who was more impressive – our presenters or their audience. But I do know this was an amazing technical networking opportunity.”

List of who was in this episode:

Round Table Studio Interview:
Dan Risley
Frank Leutz
Greg Buckley
Bill Nalu
Joe Hanson
Jeff Buckley
Joe Register
Ray Fisher

Reception ‘Man In Street Interviews’
Donny Seyfer
Pete Rudloff
Dave Kusa
Greg Potter
Tom Piippo
Bob Wills
Greg Buckley
Carolyn Coquillette
Eric Carlson
Frank Leutz
Ray Fisher
Bill Nalu
Craig O’Neill

Be socially involved and in touch with the show:

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This episode is brought to you by Federal-Mogul Motorparts and Garage Gurus. With brands like Moog, Felpro, Wagner Brake, Champion, Sealed Power, FP Diesel and more, they’re the parts techs trust.  For serious technical training and support – online, onsite and on-demand – Garage Gurus is everything you need to know. Find out more at fmmotorparts.com  and fmgaragegurus.com