The idea of completely restructuring your staff seems impossible, right? So how did Vinnie Lucido do it after his brother and partner retired from the business? And how did his role as the sole owner and operator change? I asked Vinnie all these questions, in the Vision KC studios, including his perspective on interns and how he can work such a few hours a week.

Vinnie Lucido, Owner, CoAuto, Reno, NV. Listen to Vinnie’s previous episodes HERE.

Key Talking Points

• 2018 Facility of the Year for Vision
• 8 people total including Vinnie attending Vision 2022- $30,000 with flights, balanced classes with some employees in the same class and some on their own. 
• Completely restructured staff- his partner/brother left the business to travel with his family in an RV. Vinnie became the singular owner. Over a year span, some staff left and some were let go Keep your mind open to opportunities for other people to join that can exceed your expectations 
• Has team leader (manager) full time- his morales align with Vinnie 
• Started watching his team orchestrate on their own and not being needed- works 4-8 hours a week. Focuses his time on marketing and social media/commercials
• Has student intern that started by pushing brooms to successfully taking apart and rebuilding lead tech’s Audi 
• No risks, no rewards- say yes and be vulnerable
• Weekly and monthly meetings
• Networking together- power comes from peers you meet, take golden nuggets from classes

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Jacquie Walter Hower is the Director of Operations and 3^rd generation at her family’s business, Zimmerman’s Automotive, in Mechanicsburg, PA. During high school and into college, Jacquie worked part-time for the company working in the Quick Lube department as a technician changing oil and maintaining customer vehicles. After her sophomore year of college, she was given the chance to become a manager for a new Quick Lube location for the company. Since then Jacquie’s love for the industry grew into a passion. As director of operations, she handles a number of different jobs such as customer service, service auditing, daily accounting, training, and community involvement/events. In the summer of 2016, Jacquie began the Aftermarket Management program at Northwood University where she hopes to complete her bachelor’s degree in two years. Jacquie is involved with the Car Care Women’s Board and sits on the board of directors at the Mechanicsburg Chamber of Commerce. She resides in Mechanicsburg, PA with her husband, Dan, and their two young boys, Brantley (4) and Mason (2). Hear Jacquie’s Previous Episode HERE.

Scott Pelava is a Certified Master Auto Technician, L-1 Advanced Engine Performance Specialist and ASE-Certified Service Consultant. In 2015 Scott created the Auto Shop Owners Group (ASOG) on Facebook which today has nearly 5,000 members. ASOG has developed into a 501c3 Educational Foundation whose mission is to enable & empower shop owners to learn and grow to provide the best business environment for their customers, employees and themselves. Scott is also very active in his community. He is currently a third term Lonsdale City Council Member, has held numerous leadership positions with Scouts BSA, and is a director of the Lonsdale Chamber of Commerce. Hear Scott’s Previous Episode HERE.

Justin Morgan is the tech support for LMV Bavarian and tech ambassador for AES Wave. Hear Justin’s Previous Episode HERE.

Anthony Williams is a Special Projects Manager at Advance Auto Parts, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Anthony’s Previous Episode HERE.

Vinnie Lucido has had his hands in the automotive industry since 1996, starting in High school as a CSR at one of the last 76 Full-Service Gas stations in Reno. He found a passion for helping people through their most prized possessions, their automobile. Vinnie and his brother Anthony partnered together & opened CoAuto in 2014 and have been nothing but success in their new undertaking. Vinnie is ASE certified and has operated in every capacity of the automotive repair field. Throughout his career, he has been a customer service representative, a service writer, a technician, a manager and now an owner. Ultimately, he finds he is happiest when he is in communication with his clients and gets the opportunity to get to know his guests. Vinnie spends his time building relationships and networking and in turn, the shop continues to grow. Listen to Vinnie’s previous episodes HERE.

Kent Bullard. Find Kent’s other episodes HERE.

Jim Cokonis. Find Jim’s other episodes HERE.

Key Talking Points:

• Virtual trainingWhat doesn’t work in live class doesn’t work virtually either
• The audience is more willing to ask questions when they aren’t in a full classroom- questions in the chat or during live
• Producer-moderator on the side that can look for chat questions for interruption and interaction
• Opportunity for more trainers that wouldn’t want to stand in front of large class due to social anxiety and cost-effectiveness But also removes the opportunity for trainers to earn living with the redistribution of video content
• Zoom burnout happened during in-person classes as well but phone screen/Netflix burnout Burnout from poor practices- work on practices instead of platform
• Presentations, training, and teaching- Information, engagement, and transformation they will experienceMust be reformatted- text and PowerPoint
• Don’t have to be the “star” of the screen- the audience is the star of the show
• Engage the person watching – movement with different camera shots
• Content- fluid with room for questions and engagement
• Build-in breakpoints between topics/segments
• Talk less and facilitate growth otherwise you are giving a presentation that is recorded-telling isn’t teaching, showing isn’t teaching
• “EDGE Method”- explain, demonstrate, guide, and enable
• ChallengesTraining- no faces, internet delays, going through content faster than in person
• Microphone- not muted/talking over each other
• Not prepared with audio connections and lighting prior
• Too casual- PJs, background location (hot tub)
• No boundaries when you’re at home- School, training, cocktail hour, graduations etc. is all virtual
• Mental stimulant burnout with looking at the different screens, watching multiple people, answering chats
• “Solitary confinement” on screen and miss being with people in person
• “Being watched” -you have to constantly perform on screen
• SolutionsProduction- invest in good equipment (camera and audio) and have backups
• Continue the same personal routine that you would when you left the house to help with burnout
• Create a home office
• Mobility- take a break as a viewer and get up to stretch

Resources:

• A special thanks to Jacqui Hower, Jim Cokonis, Justin Morgan, Scott Pelava, Anthony Williams, Vinnie Lucido, and Kent Bullard 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 buy 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

The Panel:

• Erick Bock, Bock Auto, Amagansett,  NY
• Dutch Silverstein, A & M Motors, Pineville, NC
• Vinnie Lucido, Co-Auto, Reno, NV

Highlights:

• Support local restaurants. Great ideas
• Support hospitals and health care workers with Video Greeting  Cards
• Concierge Service
• Protective Masks
• Lego Contest

Panel:

• Vinnie Lucido from CoAuto, Reno, NV
• Andy Bizub, Midwest Performance Cars, Chicago
• Matt Fanslow, Shop Manager, Riverside Automotive, Redwing, MN
• David Johnson, DJ Auto, Provo, UT
• Ron Tinner, Sparks Tire and Auto, St. Charles, MO



Brian Bates, AAM  is the owner of three Eagle Automotive in the Southwest Denver area. He began his career in 1996 working as a technician in a local dealership.  Brian is an ASE L1 Master Technician. He earned a BA Degree in Business Management in 2000, and bought his 1st shop in 2004. Look for Brian’s other episodes HERE.

Vinnie Lucido has had his hands in the automotive industry since 1996, starting in High school as a CSR at one of the last 76 Full-Service Gas stations in Reno. He found a passion for helping people through their most prized possessions, their automobile. Vinnie and his brother Anthony partnered together & opened CoAuto in 2014 and have been nothing but success in their new undertaking. Vinnie is ASE certified and has operated in every capacity of the automotive repair field. Throughout his career, he has been a customer service representative, a service writer, a technician, a manager and now an owner. Ultimately, he finds he is happiest when he is in communication with his clients and gets the opportunity to get to know his guests. Vinnie spends his time building relationships and networking and in turn, the shop continues to grow. Listen to Vinnie’s previous episodes HERE.

Jeff  Rudnick has been involved in the Automotive Industry since 1993. He spent 9 years as a Manufacturer’s Representative selling Automotive Parts and Accessories to clients in the Pacific Northwest. During that time, he worked directly with dozens of Manufacturers and Importers of Parts and Accessories to find distribution across all levels of the Automotive Industry.

Jeff founded The Rudnick Group in 2002 calling directly on Automotive Repair Facilities to serve their marketing needs. Initially, The Rudnick Group focused on Reminder Mailers utilizing CustomerLink’s services; this relationship continued until CustomerLink sold to Intuit. Quickly, The Rudnick Group added Brand Development, Website Design and Management, Web Marketing Services and a comprehensive Direct Mail offering. The Rudnick Group became Pit Crew Marketing in 2006 when eWardMe Auto Shop Rewards was launched.

Jeff is an avid skier, backpacker, mountain biker and traveler. Jeff’s home base is currently The Big Island of Hawaii just outside Hilo.

Key Talking Points:

• A client loyalty program will not fix broken systems, processes and a weak selling system
• What is the end game? What are you trying to do?
  • Recruiting
  • Retention
  • Bring in declined work
  • Community fundraising
  • Rewards to drive down the cost of repair
• Many clients are loyal. These programs wrap your arms around them.
• Find every competitive edge to build a relationship with your client
• What is loyalty?
  • People who trust you and you trust them
• Ideas from this episode:
  • Christmas cards to ‘best’ clients.
    • Best is relevant to your situation
  • Christmas poem is created with a staff picture with ‘cash’ coupons
    • Vinnie sent out $160,000 in Co-Auto Cash. Good toward labor only
    • Different version every year to see how long they’ve collected
  • Co-Auto works with:
    • Military
    • Hippies
    • Art
    • Education
    • Women
    • He partners with a restaurant for $20gift cards for a referral program
    • Veterans car giveaway each year. For Vinnie and his brother, it is about how it makes them feel rather than the publicity he receives
• A rewards program does not replace doing quality work. Don’t include a loyalty program if you don’t have great processes and system that are producing quality repairs.
• We are hyperlocal businesses and you need to consider that your rewards program can have a flair of supporting the local community
• Talking about your charitable programs must be talked about at the counter
• People do business with people
• Design your program to make a real connection
• Data collection on your loyalty program is important to find out what is working and is you are getting a return
• 90% of Brians customers have his loyalty card
  • Reward for loyalty and include charitable programs in his community
  • Allows him to reach out to his customers through this program when he is slow
• There are stakeholders that include your team members, your customer, and the business.
  • Team members should be involved in deciding what community organizations you will support
  • Involve your people to make connections with the groups you work with. Let them lead
  • Ask your customers what charities are they close to or involved with
  • Create a spirit committee among your team and decide your company events and what you community involvement will be
• Customers must be reminded of their loyalty program earnings to make this effective
• Research found that when a one and done customer became involved in a loyalty program they came back to the shop for a second and third time
• Create a containerize loyalty program. Rewarding for taking care of their vehicle. Explain in detail how it works and benefits them.
• Careful not to increase discounts or create expanding discount and not increase loyalty.
• Loyalty is about giving as little as possible to get the best possible result
  • Do not get too complicated
• This is no replacement if you don’t have a good selling system
• Brian started to discover why some customers don’t come back
  • Called them. He discovered:
    • Bought new cars
    • Moved out of the area
• Vinnie is texting to customers if they have not been back
  • He also likes to send surveys. People one on one may not tell you exactly how they feel so he believes a survey get close to the truth.
• Why should someone be loyal to you?
  • A client loyalty program means nothing if they don’t have trust and a relationship
  • A program will not necessarily create loyalty on its own

Resources:

• A special thanks to Brian Bates, Vinnie Lucido, and Jeff Rudnik for their contribution to the aftermarket.
• Books Page HERE
• Leave me an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one of them.

Vinnie Lucido has had his hands in the automotive industry since 1996, starting in High school as a CSR at one of the last 76 Full-Service Gas stations in Reno. He found a passion for helping people through their most prized possessions, their automobile. Vinnie and his brother Anthony partnered together & opened CoAuto in 2014 and have been nothing but success in their new undertaking. Vinnie is ASE certified and has operated in every capacity of the automotive repair field. Throughout his career, he has been a customer service representative, a service writer, a technician, a manager and now an owner. Ultimately, he finds he is happiest when he is in communication with his clients and gets the opportunity to get to know his guests. Vinnie spends his time building relationships and networking and in turn, the shop continues to grow.

Vinnie an avid outdoorsman and enjoys all the Tahoe area offers. In his spare time, you will find him in the rivers, whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddle boarding. In the mountains, snowboarding, timber sledding, and mountain biking. In the desert, dirt biking, rock climbing, and hiking. In the lakes, kiteboarding, wakeboarding, and swimming. In the city, one-wheeling, biking, and hanging out. Vinnie also lives a yogic lifestyle and teaches the art of Budokon. Budokon like a triathlete has 3 disciplines which are martial arts, yoga, and calisthenics. He is passionate about health and wellness. He and his beautiful wife Dawn are in the works of opening a yoga retreat in Belize where he plans to retire and enjoy all the Caribbean has to offer. Listen to Vinnie’s previous episodes HERE.

Key Talking Points

• Vinnie was deeply moved when he did a social post on his team doing some yoga stretches.
• Seems like the ‘community’ had their say and it cut sharp
• What is happening in your life that puts your ego out front
• Vinnie is a yoga teacher. It is a form of stretching
  • You can sit still, self reflect and stretch
• Get up early and do something for you.
• Look inward, find self-awareness
• Why do we judge everyone else?

• A special thanks to Vinnie Lucido for sharing his passion – For The Record.
• Books mentioned in the content library HERE
• Leave me an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one of them.
• Email Carm HERE.

Be socially involved and in touch with the show:
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This episode is brought to you by FlexCheck Auto Digital Vehicle Inspection Software.

Savvy shop owners use vehicle inspections to find additional work on a vehicle that the vehicle owner may not know is needed. The most successful shop owners fully inspect every car, every time. It benefits the vehicle owner more than the shop because most vehicle owners want their autos to be reliable.

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Today’s vehicle owners want to receive their vehicles health status electronically, this makes FlexCheck Auto the most transparent way to do sell auto repair. Try it for free for 30 days! Go to FlexCheckAuto.com to learn more.

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 Your Learning Curve Never Sounded So Good

The Extreme Value of Shop Tours Panel:

Frank Scandura from Franks European in Las Vegas, NV started working on cars as a teenager in upstate New York and moved to Las Vegas in 1988. After years writing service for Mercedes, he opened Frank’s European service in 2001 and grew to a 12,000-square foot, 10 bay shop in the northwest part of Las Vegas, not far from the famous Strip!

Photo courtesy of Shari Pheasant

He has 15 team members and is partnered with his wife Deborah. From his first immersion, in the business, pumping gas at 15 years old in Orange County New York, to writing service at a Mercedes dealer in Las Vegas Frank Scandura shares his business acumen and offers insights and trends on leadership as a business coach. Frank’s previous episodes HERE.

Vinnie Lucido has had his hands in the automotive industry since 1996, starting in High school as a CSR at one of the last 76 Full-Service Gas stations in Reno. He found a passion for helping people through their most prized possessions, their automobile. Vinnie and his brother Anthony partnered together & opened CoAuto in 2014 and have been nothing but success in their new undertaking. Vinnie is ASE certified and has operated in every capacity of the automotive repair field. Throughout his career, he has been a customer service representative, a service writer, a technician, a manager and now an owner. Ultimately, he finds he is happiest when he is in communication with his clients and gets the opportunity to get to know his guests. Vinnie spends his time building relationships and networking and in turn, the shop continues to grow. Listen to Vinnie’s previous episodes HERE.

Deb Van Batenburg is the vice president of Automotive Career Development Center [ACDC] and a former repair shop owner with his husband Craig. She and her husband engaged full time in the understanding of the technology used in hybrid and electric cars. Students worldwide attend their comprehensive six-day trading class called ‘Up Your Voltage’. Deb also writes human interest ideas, business trends and critical thinking for Auto Inc and AASP magazines. Listen to Deb’s previous episodes HERE.

Andy Bizub is a native of Chicago. His first career was 25 years as a commodity trader. He entered the professional auto industry in 2014 by acquiring a failing shop in downtown Chicago that he was a customer of and start a turnaround. At bought his first car at age 19, a 1972 Triumph Spitfire, which was the start of his gas, oil, and automobile obsession. Listen to Andy’s previous episodes HERE.

Greg Bunch is the owner of Aspen Auto Clinic, a five-location automotive and service business in Colorado. Greg started his passion for cars at 15 when he began rebuilding a 1966 Volkswagen Bug.  Greg has moved from a Volkswagen mechanic to ASE Master Technician, to Management, to starting his shop 18 years ago in his garage, to an award-winning multi-location business.

Greg is currently a board member for the STEM-based charter school call “Automotive Institute of Science & Technology” and on the Advisory board of Ratchet and Wrench Magazine. Greg is also a board member of the Autocare organization and a certified instructor for the  Worldpac Training Institute and Carquest Technical Institute.  Greg’s unwavering passion for the industry has also led him to form a company called Transformers Institute, a coaching and training company dedicated to transforming the automotive industry. Listen to Greg’s previous episodes HERE. Transformers Institute HERE.

Bill Nalu is President of Interstate Auto Care in Madison Heights, Michigan and has been in business for 30 years. Bill collaborates with industry professionals, in building today’s “high-tech/old-fashioned” customer service system. Bill has been a big contributor to the podcast and he currently serves on several industries and educational advisory councils including AutoValue/Bumper to Bumper, Dorman Industries, and Cardone. Listen to Bill’s previous episodes HERE.

Shari Pheasant, the Queen of Horsepower, believes in building people first and uses her own brand of horsepower to drive people from the inside out. She is a dynamic speaker, multi-award-winning business innovator and president of the Reno-Sparks NAPA Elite Business Development Group. Shari owns A Master Mechanic, with her husband Jeff, and transitioned to an “out of the shop owner” in 2014.

Shari has over thirty-five years of business management, team building, project management, operational development, marketing/branding and sales experience building scalable, sustainable models. Her strategies strengthen the value of your company brand, improve relations and motivate your team to bring in greater profits naturally, confidently and with ease. She has worked successfully with small businesses and companies to create thriving, sustainable cultures that build profit and wealth through accountable, responsible actions. Find other episodes that feature Shari HERE.

Vic Tarasik is the Founder and Managing Partner at Shop Owner Coach. A business management consultant to shops across North America that assists shop owners in achieving their dreams through the intentional application of best practices and personal development.

Shop ownership, public speaking, business management, finance, and leadership skills are some talents he acquired as a service professional that made this position perfect for him. 

A recipient of Montgomery County TX business of the Year and a congressional commendation are a couple of achievements Vic is proud of.

Vic took an interest in all things mechanical at a young age. He worked on a variety of vehicles for friends and family. His interests grew into racing at local drag strips driving his 55 Chevy, which he still owns.

In 1986, he returned to his roots and launched Vic’s Precision Automotive from his two-car garage. The heart of Vic’s Precision Automotive was galvanized for Vic as a boy; he watched his single mom struggle with service providers over the years. When he opened his shop, he was determined to make it a place where female customers felt comfortable. Listen to Vic’s previous episodes HERE.

Jimmy Lea is the Regional Sales Director at Kukui Corporation. Kukui enables success. The Kukui All in One Success Platform® empowers Independent automotive shops with quantitative data showing their return on investment, the number of new clients based on their POS system, statistics revealing their customer retention rate, and areas to improve their business through the tracking of phone calls, appointment forms, digital inspection results, and feedback from customer reviews.

Key Talking Points:

• Understanding the client experience. This allows you to walk into a new shop and have a clean slate & an unbiased perspective of what the client is experiencing. Its too hard to analyze your own tornado, as your in it. It’s much easier to see issues with other shops from an outsiders perspective.
• Gaining a new perspective into your own shop by visualizing & feeling what other shops are doing then noticing where you can Improve your space. The end result may be taking some of those good ideas and implementing them in your own shop. I do not consider this stealing as if we better our services then our industry as a whole will be lifted.
• Establishing relationships with other shop owners. No one understands a shop owner like another shop owner. Visiting other shops allows you to converse with the owners and staff about what’s working and what’s not working. In the Independent automotive industry its all to common to keep things to ourselves and not share with other shop owners. Sharing our struggles and triumphs can be very helpful and positive to our fellow shop owners and our industry as a whole. 
• Learned not to work on pre-1995 and older vehicles
• Reach out when you visit a city and tour a great shop.
• You will find ideas to compare what you are doing.
• Willing to share your ideas and success will help elevate the entire industry.
• Share facility ideas. Both can learn.
• Ask questions to find out why ‘things’ are what they are.
• Work hard to build the comfort level of your clients. Vinnie Lucido.
• R & D: Rip off and Duplicate and make ideas your own.
• When you are in your tornado you cannot see what is wrong or analyze an issue because you are in it too deep. It may take a visit from another shop owner to ask a question to get you to re-think what you are doing.
• Start locally. Call up a friend across town.
• When you travel to look up a top shop and call to get an appointment to visit.
• Use social media to search for or request a shop tour in a city you are going to be in.
• Shop tours help build your network.
• Twenty groups by rule do shop tours and benefit their business through this learning mode.
• Be honored if you get asked to offer your shop for a tour.
• On shop tours:Andy learned a lot about intercommunication among your team.
• Vinnie looks for what makes shops unique.
• Frank says: Don’t be afraid to make a decision and don’t let analysis paralysis cloud action.
• Greg Bunch: Visited a shop in Ireland. Challenges on tariffs to buy equipment. They use forklift type lifts. No waiting room. They have a four-year program for technicians with six months doing apprenticing. The real diag guys run around in their vans. There is a higher respect for technicians and the industry in Europe better than the US.
• Shari hears the excuse, ‘It’s different here’ (overused)
• Deb says that if your webpage and physical presence do not match you will get a big disconnect with your brand.
• Jimmie Lea says that ‘curb’ appeal is critical.There is no tech shortage at shops that are involved in education either high school or post-secondary.
• Vic recommends that you listen to everyone while you are in the shop. Listen to the Advisors, Technicians, and all the staff. They see a lot more than we think and might have valuable ideas we might not have considered.
• When on a shop tour ask a lot of questions to the entire team and share with the owner.

Resources:

• 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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The Town Hall Academy is supported by:

Jasper Engines & Transmissions. When a car’s engine or transmission fails, it’s not the end of the road. A remanufactured drivetrain 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

RepairPal. Many of our industry’s high-quality shops have gone through an evaluation with an independent automotive team to ensure their techs are trained, they use the right tools, and their customers are happy. In fact, over 2,200 repair shops have met these requirements, have become RepairPal Certified and are getting new customers every month.

Why has the number of RepairPal Certified shops grown so much? These shops are proud to have passed the certification and value the new customers they’re getting, both from the 5 million monthly visitors to RepairPal.com and their partnerships with CarMax and USAA. Certified shops can cancel at any time, so RepairPal works hard to produce value for them. Learn more at repairpal.com/shops to learn more.

BIO:

Anthony Lucido started working in the service station business in 1995.  He has been tinkering with cars since the ripe age of 12 years old.  The first car he ever drove was an older Subaru he tuned up for his dads’ friend, after the repair he drove up and down the long driveway (official test drive)

In 2017 Anthony received his Integrative Nutrition Degree for Health coaching as he was planning on going into another field after building this business, but after attending Vision in 2018 Anthony has a renewed passion for the automotive industry.  Anthony is married with 2 boys and a beautiful wife. Listen to Anthony’s previous episodes HERE.

Vinnie Lucido has had his hands in the automotive industry since 1996, starting in High school as a CSR at one of the last 76 Full-Service Gas stations in Reno. He found a passion for helping people through their most prized possessions, their automobile. Vinnie and his brother Anthony partnered together & opened CoAuto in 2014 and have been nothing but success in their new undertaking. Vinnie is ASE certified and has operated in every capacity of the automotive repair field. Throughout his career, he has been a customer service representative, a service writer, a technician, a manager and now an owner. Ultimately, he finds he is happiest when he is in communication with his clients and gets the opportunity to get to know his guests. Vinnie spends his time building relationships and networking and in turn, the shop continues to grow.

Vinnie an avid outdoorsman and enjoys all the Tahoe area offers. In his spare time, you will find him in the rivers, whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddle boarding. In the mountains, snowboarding, timbersledding, and mountain biking. In the desert, dirt biking, rock climbing, and hiking. In the lakes, kiteboarding, wakeboarding, and swimming. In the city, one-wheeling, biking, and hanging out. Vinnie also lives a yogic lifestyle and teaches the art of Budokon. Budokon like a triathlete has 3 disciplines which are martial arts, yoga, and calisthenics. He is passionate about health and wellness. He and his beautiful wife Dawn are in the works of opening a yoga retreat in Belize where he plans to retire and enjoy all the Caribbean has to offer. Listen to Vinnie’s previous episodes HERE.

Talking Points:

• CoAuto- Community Conscious Car Care, Reno,NV
  • Veteran car giveaway every year
  • Local art display in the waiting room- shop doesn’t take commission from sales
  • High school internship program
  • Reverse carbon footprint- Partnered with Arbor day foundation and have a tree planted with every oil service
  • Women’s car care clinic
• Anthony- taking a step back from the business and letting employees learn by themselves and not micromanaging company. Remained motivated from seeing the previous employer working to the bone as an owner who couldn’t let go of control and knew he didn’t want to be that type of owner. Both Anthony and Vinnie on 5-year plan to have the shop run by itself.
• Culture of business
  • Starts with amazing staff that works well together
  • Murals on the wall when you walk in, it makes you feel inviting
  • “Like walking into doctor’s office”  
• Best advice
  • Build your business without you as the main employee, keep replacing yourself
  • Build relationships with customers and network- they trust you when they know you
• Measuring success
  • ARO’s, parts/labor margins, billed hours  
• Facility of the Year 2108 from Vision High Tech Training and Expo.

Be socially involved and in touch with the show:
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This episode is brought to you by Federal-MogulMotorparts 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

Anthony was an intern at the Porsche Service Training facility his senior year in high school where he was taught many valuable lessons that have stayed with him to this day.

Anthony is an ASE Master Certified Technician, Advanced Level Specialist, Service Consultant, Undercar Specialist, Maintenance & Light Repair Technician–He currently holds 15 ASE certifications and 3 advanced level certifications.  He and his brother Vinnie went into business and opened CoAuto in 2014 and become a student of the automotive business.

In 2017 Anthony received his Integrative Nutrition Degree for Health coaching as he was planning on going into another field after building this business, but after attending Vision in 2018 Anthony has a renewed passion for the automotive industry.  Anthony is married with 2 boys and a beautiful wife.

Vincent Lucido – Co-Owner CoAuto
Vinnie Lucido has had his hands in the automotive industry since 1996, starting in High school as a CSR at one of the last 76 Full-Service Gas stations in Reno. He found a passion for helping people through their most prized possessions, their automobile. Vinnie and his brother Anthony partnered together & opened CoAuto in 2014 and have been nothing but success in their new undertaking. Vinnie is ASE certified and has operated in every capacity of the automotive repair field. Throughout his career, he has been a customer service representative, a service writer, a technician, a manager and now an owner. Ultimately, he finds he is happiest when he is in communication with his clients and gets the opportunity to get to know his guests. Vinnie spends his time building relationships and networking and in turn, the shop continues to grow.

Vinnie an avid outdoorsman and enjoys all the Tahoe area offers. In his spare time, you will find him in the rivers, whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddle boarding. In the mountains, snowboarding, timbersledding, and mountain biking. In the desert, dirt biking, rock climbing, and hiking. In the lakes, kiteboarding, wakeboarding and swimming. In the city, one-wheeling, biking, and hanging out. Vinnie also lives a yogic lifestyle and teaches the art of Budokon. Budokon like a triathlete has 3 disciplines which are martial arts, yoga and calisthenics. He is passionate about health and wellness. He and his beautiful wife Dawn are in the works of opening a yoga retreat in Belize where he plans to retire and enjoy all the Caribbean has to offer.

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