When speaking to students at career day events, I often use my own career path as an example of how technical knowledge and ongoing training can open up many new working worlds most people might never have considered.
Mike Rowe has it right: Job growth in STEM careers looks strong into the foreseeable future. That’s particularly true in the automotive service and repair industry. The U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that the automotive repair…
Being part of a family business offers some comfortable expectations, not least of which is the ability to be married and support a family at a young age. I owe this to the opportunities afforded by my family’s transmission shop.…
During the “lazy, hazy” days of summer, I’m sure you’re getting in many rounds at a more profitable sport than golf? By that, I mean never-ending rounds of business decisions. So what did you learn this year? Maybe you’ll see…
A customer called the shop with a motor home that didn’t have working brake or taillights. He was on day three of the family’s vacation and traveling north. The shop agreed to look at it immediately. When the customer arrived,…
The U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Financial Services has passed the Financial CHOICE Act of 2017. This bill, approved along party lines 34-26, replaces the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 that attempted to address…
I’m not a big believer in coincidences, unless they run contrary to common sense. Say, for instance, a consumer says their car won’t start when they come out of the convenience store unless they first pull down the visor mirror.…
Meet the entire auto industry, from widgets to gadgets and the people who make and repair them. Attend the premier automotive service repair event of the year, taking place Nov. 2-4 at CARS@AAPEX. Back in Las Vegas at the Sands…
What’s the real value of an ASA membership? The board of directors and executive leadership of ASA believe that it’s active involvement. Of course, members enjoy the significant discounts they receive from our Sponsored Benefit Providers, and they frequently tell…
Parents, if becoming an automotive technician is not high on your list of career choices for your child, perhaps it’s time to look again. Automotive service and repair has changed dramatically in just the…
A customer had her ’95 Nissan pickup towed in to our shop and said, “The truck sits a lot, and it won’t start. Just let me know what it needs.” We performed a charging system diagnosis and determined that the…
I’ve been in this business for a few years, and whether I heard it during a training event, picked it up while networking or just figured it out, I’ve learned that to retain or to acquire new clients you have…
Owners should plan all their management and employee training a year in advance. There’s too much to do to think it can be handled in a last-minute fashion. Because proper planning is required to ensure the team continues to develop…
Case studies illustrate diagnosing a vehicle’s misfire and a customer’s misfire. If your shop is like ours, Honda CRVs make an appearance weekly. Mostly…
Julie Massaro has been named as the new Executive Director of ASA-Colorado. Julie is an association industry veteran with extensive experience in project management, member recruitment, meeting planning, cost containment, budget management and volunteer leadership. Julie has more than 20…
Mary Barra, GM’s CEO, recently stated that the car industry will change more in the next five years than it has in the past 50. I don’t know about you, but I think the past five years have been a…
House passes repeal of McCarran-Ferguson Act for health insurers. Two major national issues have pushed insurance reform back in the national spotlight. First, efforts to reform or repeal Obamacare have produced a renewed interest in the repeal of the McCarran-Ferguson…
In 43 years of shop management and ownership, I’ve made every mistake possible. There was a year when my accountant had to prepare 102 W2s. Imagine how broken my systems and procedures were to go through that many employees in…
