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[Podcast] RR 411: Changing of the Guard at ASCCA with Incoming President John Eppstein


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Rocky Khamenian is the owner/operator of Bimmer & Benz Specialists in Costa Mesa, located in south Orange County, CA. He is an active member of Chapters 48 and 50 of the Automotive Service Councils of California. He has served on the Board of Directors for those chapters.

Throughout his 32-year career, Rocky has continually increased his education to maintain the highest possible level of professionalism. He’s achieved the status of Master Technician through ASE and he has completed a wide variety of technical classes on the repair and maintenance of BMW and Mercedes Benz vehicles through WTI. He is becoming certified as a Bosch Master Technician.

Rocky is the outgoing president of ASCCA Automotive Service Councils of California. He gives some life lessons for every shop owners, shares the importance of association membership and gives us a glimpse of the new ASCCA Degree program at Cuyamaca College in El Cajon, California. Look for Rocky’s other Episodes HERE.

Rory Balmer of Twin Peaks Auto Service in Twin Peaks is a past ASCCA Chapter 14 President and a past ASCCA Membership Committee Chair. He is the incoming ASCCA Vice-President. Rory is working full-time at his business.  He attends De Vry University, where he is completing a BA degree in technical management. He will be attending Washington State University, entering into the Executive MBA program. ASCCA Past President Mary Kemnitz says Rory is “One of the most effective committee members I have ever had the pleasure to work with. He has won the “One Member Can Campaign” twice. He has had a significant impact on the growth and energy within Chapter 14.

John Eppstein is the owner of John’s Automotive Care in San Diego, CA. He is the incoming ASCCA President. One thing he credits for his success is making his customer his main focus. John was honored as the 2016 NAPA ASE Technician of the year.  Hear John in our one on one interview in episode 119200 and Academy 003 on the Top Qualities of a Service Advisor. Look for John’s other episodes HERE.

Key Talking Points:

  • ASCCA Presidency- engage and unite  automotive shop owners
    • Follow guidelines
    • Do the guidelines with your own personality
    • On 8 committees, visit chapters, and constant communication with the administration
    • Brought vendors to the association- make industry and association stronger, will only help their business in the end  
    • VP Rory- ETI committee (Education Training and Information)
    • Getting new members- need to continue to connect with shops (what’s working and not working), every shop has different problems, “what can we do to help?”
    • Enroll and inspire other chapter leaders/members to connect with people
    • Legislative day- April, make an impact on shop and industry
  • Biggest challenges for automotive shops
    • Finding quality employees
    • Lack of training
    • HR issues as your business grow larger
  • Connected cars
    • Informing members about the future and beyond
    • Team weekend trainings- 4 times per year
    • NASTAF securities

Resources:

  • Thanks to Rocky Khamenian, John Eppstein, and Rory Balmer for his contribution to the aftermarket’s premier podcast.
  • Twin Peaks Auto Service Website HERE.
  • John’s Automotive Car Website HERE.
  • Bimmer & Benz Specialist Website HERE.
  • Link to the ‘BOOKS‘ page highlighting all books discussed in the podcast library HERE. Leaders are readers.
  • 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 auto care industry is revving up.  New technologies are changing cars and the way people use them. To stay in the driver’s seat of all these advancements, you need to take charge of your learning, your business, and your legacy. That’s where the 2020 NAPA AutoCare-Logo-Color-Horizontal-1440x525.EXPO comes in. With help from industry experts and the best suppliers and manufacturers, the 2020 NAPA EXPO will provide the innovations and answers you need to charge forward into the future.

This is your chance to network with experts in the industry. Discover the latest innovations that will help you stay market competitive. Learn more about new products, services, and equipment. You will be using them every day.

Join us in Las Vegas, April 6-9, 2020!  Contact your NAPA AUTO PARTS store today to reserve your package for this can’t miss event. Enrollment is going on now.

To learn more about NAPA AutoCare and the benefits of being part of the NAPA family, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         1 comment
      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”
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