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Jeff and Donna Hazeltine- Owners of American Import Auto, Venice FL

Troy Vaninetti– Troy has been married to wife Kori for 27 years and has four children with one still living at home with one 15-month-old granddaughter. Troy started working in a Texaco full-service station at age 17 and progressed through the following: from service attendant, tire attendant, apprentice technician, lead technician, shop manager, to purchasing Graham Auto Repair in 2006. Troy knew the importance of having coaching he joined ATI in 2012 and increased his business revenue every since. Troy leased a six-bay building in Graham for ten years before being forced to build his own 7 bay building due to losing His lease in 2016. In his first full year in the new building, Troy doubled his annual revenue. Since then Troy has won the National Top 12 ATI awards in 2018,2019, and 2020. Capturing the number one National Top Shop Award in 2020. Now Troy is working on His second location in Yelm Washington. Listen to Troy's previous episode HERE

Key Talking Points

  • Losing 14-year employee-store had plateaued with the technician. It was difficult leaving the comfort zone to get to the next level. Had employee go through 2-year leadership class and join 20 group with no results. 
  • Are you ready to go backward to move forward?
  • Started to build a team- hired shop manager and another advisor to buffer losing employee. The 14-year technician put his two weeks notice in to see if they would make him stay, but Jeff and Donna gladly accepted it.  
  • Also lost A tech to retirement at the same time- things felt like it was falling apart 
  • Donna saw the struggle the shop and Jeff were enduring and reached out for support from 20 group- Troy called Jeff and told him he was at the bottom but it was a turning point to restart the shop. Jeff had seen Troy go through twice as difficult issues with his shop and rise above. Jeff felt encouraged and revitalized. Started getting wins.     
  • Jeff had to let employees go that was not accepting of the change. Has all new employees. 
  • Jeff was the center of the business and was never able to take a vacation until now
  • Biggest takeaways- get yourself in a 20 group and start building relationships with other shop owners. Own your dirt instead of leasing for business. 

 

  • Thanks to Donna and Jeff Hazeltine and Troy Vaninetti for their contribution to the aftermarket’s premier podcast.
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This episode is brought to you by AAPEX, the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo. AAPEX represents the $740 billion global automotive aftermarket industry and has everything you need to stay ahead of the curve.  The Virtual AAPEX Experience 2020 is in the record books. Virtual AAPEX lived up to presenting leading-technical and business management training from some of the industry’s best and brightest. Now set your sights on the homecoming in Las Vegas in 2021. Mark your calendar now … November 2-4, 2021, AAPEX // Now more than ever.

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         0 comments
      It always amazes me when I hear about a technician who quits one repair shop to go work at another shop for less money. I know you have heard of this too, and you’ve probably asked yourself, “Can this be true? And Why?” The answer rests within the culture of the company. More specifically, the boss, manager, or a toxic work environment literally pushed the technician out the door.
      While money and benefits tend to attract people to a company, it won’t keep them there. When a technician begins to look over the fence for greener grass, that is usually a sign that something is wrong within the workplace. It also means that his or her heart is probably already gone. If the issue is not resolved, no amount of money will keep that technician for the long term. The heart is always the first to leave. The last thing that leaves is the technician’s toolbox.
      Shop owners: Focus more on employee retention than acquisition. This is not to say that you should not be constantly recruiting. You should. What it does means is that once you hire someone, your job isn’t over, that’s when it begins. Get to know your technicians. Build strong relationships. Have frequent one-on-ones. Engage in meaningful conversation. Find what truly motivates your technicians. You may be surprised that while money is a motivator, it’s usually not the prime motivator.
      One last thing; the cost of technician turnover can be financially devastating. It also affects shop morale. Do all you can to create a workplace where technicians feel they are respected, recognized, and know that their work contributes to the overall success of the company. This will lead to improved morale and team spirit. Remember, when you see a technician’s toolbox rolling out of the bay on its way to another shop, the heart was most likely gone long before that.
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