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Seyfers Celebrate Shop's 50th YearPosted 3/9/2011
Marking five decades is the Seyfer family, which owns and operates Seyfer Automotive Inc. in Wheat Ridge, Colo. The family includes Donald C. "Don" Seyfer; his wife, Margie; and son Donald L. "Donny" Seyfer. All have contributed mightily to ASA and to the automotive repair industry. They are also very supportive of their local community. Don started it all. Even as a youngster, all he wanted to do was work on cars. At the age of 14, he overhauled his first flathead V-8 Ford engine. He joined a hot rod club when he was 16 (he's still a member) and after graduating from high school, went to work for a Ford dealership. He gained experience and in 1961, opened his own shop. It was originally housed in his parents' garage, but Seyfer Automotive has moved twice since 1961. Its current location is 4501 Harlen Street in Wheat Ridge. When the shop opened, Don was the only employee. His wife helped him run the shop at first but now has her own business (see "Margie Seyfer Contributes Too!" below). Donny joined the firm later and is now co-owner. Don, Margie and Donny have all earned the Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation from the Automotive Management Institute (AMI).
Their shop is an ASE Blue Seal of Excellence and AAA-approved repair facility and a NAPA Auto Care Center. Seyfer Automotive repairs, maintains and services domestic and Asian cars and light trucks, and specializes in restoring and modifying collector cars. Starting, growing and directing a state-of-the-art shop is a demanding occupation. But Don has always found time to contribute to the automotive service and repair industry. He has been a member of ASA since l963 and has served as president of ASA-Colorado. Don has also served on ASA's national board for 12 years, including as chairman of ASA in 1996-1997 and director of ASA's Mechanical Division from 1989 to 1994. He was also event chairman in 2005 of the Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS). In addition, Don has served on the board of directors for the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence and as chairman of the board of trustees of its educational foundation, the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF). He has also been chairman of ASE and NATEF's Continuing Automotive Service Education (CASE) program. He is a past NAPA Auto Care Council president and a current council member. He is also a four-time NAPA/ASE Local Technician of the Year. During one of his busiest years, Don logged more than 100,000 airline miles.
Although he has scaled down his national activities, he is still busy volunteering locally. He is heavily involved in Wheat Ridge 2020, a nonprofit corporation that plans and conducts events and projects for the betterment of business and housing. And he works in programs for troubled teens, including serving as vice president on the board of directors for Beacon Center. Meantime, Donny has taken u p nationally where his father left off, serving a two-year term as general director on ASA's board of directors (he's up for re-election as AutoInc. goes to press). He has served the association by testifying, on behalf of ASA, before Congress in regard to the Right to Repair issue. He also has traveled all over the nation representing ASA and teaching shop owners and technicians the best ways to access service information from original equipment manufacturers' websites. Donny won the ASA Communicator of the Year Award in 2007, and the ASA Legislative Award in 2007 and 2008. He has also served as chairman and education director of ASA-Colorado.
Donny was the recipient of the NAPA/ASE Regional Technician of the Year award in 2000 and 2001. He has served the industry in many other ways, including being a judge for the Colorado finals in Vo-Tech SkillsUSA Competition, and as a test question contributor for four of the ASE technician certification tests. He also was a member of the 2004 curriculum development panel for the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation. Donny also has hosted GearHeads and Drive Radio in the Denver market since 1997. Gearheads is a one-hour hot rod show and Drive Radio is a two-hour weekly call-in car show that covers consumer automotive news and questions. Perhaps no other ASA family has done more to help their community, ASA and the auto service and repair industry than the Seyfers. What's ahead for them and their shop? "We are in the process of reinventing ourselves," says Don. "We have a very experienced staff that has been with us for 10 to 22 years. We are looking seriously at how we make our unique skills and talents more of our focus. Our strengths lie in the diagnostic and information technology side of cars. We have been asked numerous times to represent individuals and businesses as expert witnesses and arbitrators. Customers are looking for more than just certifications today. Industry and community involvement have paid a huge dividend." Shop StatsName of Shop: Seyfer Automotive Inc.
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