• Colleen Yarger
  • New Shop Owner January 2021
  • Owns Marks Independent Service, Chatsworth, CA
  • The youngest member of this panel
• Carolyn Coquillette
  • Luscious Garage, San Fransico
  • CEO Shop-Ware
• Esteban Gonzales
  • Proshop Automotive, Colton, CA
• Matthew Lachowitzer
  • Matt’s Automotive Service Center, North Dakota, Minnesota
  • Multi-Shop Operator, 5 Locations includes Collision Shop
• Greg Buckley
  • Buckley’s Auto Care
  • Grooming the third generation of family
• Scott Brown
  • Shop Owner, Connie and Dicks, Claremont, CA
  • CEO Diagnostic Network
• Frank Leutz
  • Desert Car Care, Chandler, AZ
  • Wrench Nation Radio show and podcast
• Seth Thorson
  • Euro-Tech Auto Service, New Brighton, MN, Multi-Shop Owner
  • LMV Bavarian, BMW Tech Support Company

Thanks to ASCCA – Automotive Service Councils of California
Link to Youtube:

Talking Points:

Greg Buckley

• Are we as a profession proactive or reactive to change? Some are miles ahead while others won’t get out of the gate. Why? Is it a mindset? Opportunity? or do some think it’s time for a sunset. 
• It’s not so much what we do has changed, but how we do it certainly has. 
• Are there collaborations or partnerships that will be needed for our success that we don’t even know yet? 
• Less shops / more cars / lower ARO?
• And again – Miles Driven Per Capita vs Volume Of Miles Driven. Miles driven won’t necessarily decrease in the future, in fact, they’ll probably increase. But who will be driving them? Individuals, fleets, autonomous?   

Colleen Yarger

• Technician training internal and external for ADAS and Electric Cars. 
  • I’m working on hosting ADAS classes at the shop along with purchasing a connecting shop to support the parameters for calibrating these cars.
• Creating a more ‘on-demand’ guest experience. 
  • Text message capability with after-hour support. A web portal that will allow people to speak directly to me. And of course, using Shopware!
• Setting clear defined goals for my team and hiring like-minded individuals. 
  • We all want multiple shop locations 🙂 

Matt Lachowitzer

• Small shops will have the biggest challenge to keep up. Most of these won’t be able to afford to and as you stated, there will ultimately be way fewer shops in the future.
• The technician shortage continues to grow, how are we going to be able to staff our stores with the top talent?
• More and more people are leasing than ever before, how do we adapt?
• How do we continue to move away from just fixing cars and making ourselves stand out and be an experience and a destination for our guests so we aren’t a commodity?
• How do we as an industry continue to grow and keep up with the constant change?
• How do we continue to provide the best training available to our teams?

Scott Brown

• Technical challenges – If you’re a multi-carline shop I can only see it becoming extremely difficult to maintain the technical competencies required to deliver professional-grade service.
• One of the drivers of the 1st bullet is the lack of highly qualified technicians. Some OEM’s provide the framework for growth, on the independent side not so much. NASTF’s vision for Road to Great Technicians is a great starting point.
• Consumers – The automobile is one of the most complex devices most humans interact with daily and most don’t understand the technical competencies a service provider must possess in order to properly service their vehicle. 

 Frank Leutz

The Future Concept. Every Service Experience Point We Thought we Knew Changes Completely

• The future will entail a much more consumer based experience with themes leading away from the actual service work and more towards “Charge & Chill” “Vibe & Drive” , “Pit & Lit” , “Volt & Jolt”,   –I
  • Investment and Training in Hospitality Critical (aside from the normal TECH Training)
  • Partnerships with Restaurants Concepts 
•  Increasing Value in The Marketplace 
  • Replacing the Oil Service With Family Fun Based Experiences
  • Battery Disposal Services 
  • Vehicle-Based Subscription Partnerships 

Carolyn Coquillette

• The pace of technical innovation is not going to slow.  We must adapt or die.
• Good news is that we are the technologists.  That’s good job security.  
• As we figure out how to adapt, health care is a good potential reference point: how it is facing this challenge in a similar way, enabling humans to make sound decisions based on their own priorities.
• Additionally, jumping onto what Greg and Matt mentioned, participation in networks is going to be essential, both for car count (future fleets) and technical support (avoiding isolation, esp. for smaller shops).  Enter cloud-based shop management, technician forums, industry advocacy, and associations, all of which are represented here on this panel.

Esteban Gonzales came from a family with a dad that worked as a diesel mechanic and a brother that owned his Auto Repair shop, it gave him the opportunity to be involved in the automotive industry. Being fascinated by automobiles and always wanting to start his own business, he had the opportunity to open Proshop Automotive in 2013. Not having a clear business plan, he quickly realized that there was a whole lot more to running an automotive repair shop than just “fixing cars”. He had to change his mindset and adapt to what it actually took to run a proper auto repair business. Knowing how to fix a vehicle is not that difficult with proper training. Knowing how to run the business by understanding your numbers and putting together a team that shares the same passion as you is a whole different story. In the last couple years, he has grown into a person and as a business operator and is always eager to learn as much as possible. Joining ASCCA has been one of his highlights because of the community that is built around this organization. Being involved in a chapter level and now in a state level has given him the opportunity to help in ways he never imagined. It also made him realize that he is not alone in this journey and there is a lot of help if everyone is willing to accept it. Esteban’s episodes HERE.

Key Talking Points:

• Shop owner at 36 years old 
• Brother was technician right out of high school- became shop owner for 9-10 years then closed business
• Esteban was involved with the front office and received technician license- always wanted to be a business owner and saw opportunity when brother closed shop
• Wife told him “If you start, you better not quit.”- supporter and cheerleader for Esteban. Reminds him of the progress he’s made, initiated training and boot camps    
• He didn’t realize the amount of money needed to make the business run- thought he would be making a profit and paycheck for himself immediately 
• Monitors numbers daily, has daily and weekly meetings with team
• Joined ASCCA 2 years ago- pivotal point in career, started networking and receiving support with other shops owners 
• There is no ‘secret sauce’ between you and the shop down the street- Esteban started going to neighboring auto shops to try and convince them to better themselves 
• Training boot camps/seminarsAt first, Esteban would come back fired up and ready to implement new changes but employees weren’t completely on board and eventually, he lost the fire. Continuous cycle. 
• Elite Worldwide Fly with the Eagles- all about appreciating your team and thanking them. Started thinking differently. Realized the team has to be on the same page together.  
• ChallengesHaving the right people around you to keep you informed on changing rules and laws (CPA, ASCCA)
• Family affairParents house is next to shop- home-cooked meals almost every day 
• Sister and younger brother works on the front counter 
• Older brother master technician 
• Advice for other young shop ownersNetwork with people in the industry and seek the advice of people that have ‘been there, done that.’ 
• Keep an open mind with changes and different perspectives you aren’t used to 

Resources:

• Thanks to Esteban Gonzales for his contribution to the aftermarket’s premier podcast.
• Link to the ‘BOOKS‘ page highlighting all books discussed in the podcast library HERE. Leaders are readers.
• Find every podcast episode HERE.
• Every episode segmented by Series HERE.
• Key Word Search HERE.

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