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AAPEX 2021 Service Award Winners [RR 697]

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carmcapriotto

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Shop Owner of the Year: Jamie and Eric Carlson, Ervine’s Auto Repair and Grand Rapids Hybrid, Grand Rapids, MI. Years in Business: 28. Number of Full-Time Technicians: 3. Number of technicians with ASE Certifications: 3

Eric Carlson, co-owner of Ervine's Auto Repair & Grand Rapids Hybrid, has been a technician for over 45 years. His formal automotive education came from Ferris State University where he took all 8 ASE tests prior to graduation in 1977. Eric has been recertified every 5 years since. He took the L1 when it was introduced and is now L3 hybrid certified. Eric is a subject matter expert for ASE and has participated in writing test questions for the L3 test. Eric has been named NAPA and ASE's technician of the year 5 times. Jamie Carlson, co-owner of Ervine's Auto Repair & Grand Rapids Hybrid. She loves her job and is very proud of how her shop has kept ahead of technological changes to stay relevant and customer-focused. Her shop was awarded the 2018 ACE (Auto Care Career and Education) Award in recognition of her dedication to investing in the growth of their employees' knowledge and skills through access to professional development and career opportunities. Jamie is also nurturing the next generation by working closely with her daughter, Megan Dineff. Megan was named one of Ratchet + Wrench magazine's All-Star winners for 2019 and Auto Care Association's 4 for the Future Impact award in 2020.

Technician of the Year: Matt Fanslow, Lead Diagnostician/Shop Manager, Riverside Automotive, Red Wing, Minnesota. ASE Master Certified Technician - A1-A8 and L1 #ASE-1597-7187

Matt's primary responsibilities are to diagnose driveability and electrical/electronic issues, and perform most all programming, coding, initializing, adoptions, etc. Basically, if it needs to be figured out or has wires, it goes to Matt. He’s been a tech since 1996. Matt is also a subject matter expert for ASE and has instructed at Vision Hi-Tech Training and Expo. Matt has participated on 18 ASE technical committees for the ASE Practice Test, A6, A7, A8, and L1 tests. He’s also done case studies for Standard Motor Products. Fanslow’s goal is to do everything in his power to improve the overall level of professionalism within the automotive and light truck repair trade and also raise the level of its public image. Matt Fanslow’s Previous Episodes HERE.

Service Advisor of the Year: Brittany Schindler, Service Manager Rod’s Japanese Auto Care Bellingham, WA. Years in the industry: 11 years. Brittany loves working at the shop and being able to help people every day. Brittany has learned so much over the years by going to classes with great trainers and having a great business coach. One of her main focuses is to raise the standard of the automotive service and repair industry. Listen to Brittany’s previous episodes HERE

Key Talking Points

  • Rebranding Grand Rapids Hybrids- ½ the cars that come in are hybrids, over 6 cars a day. 
  • Networking groups- wisdom and knowledge shared by other professionals. It’s essential for growth. 
  • Reinforcing the hard work, time and investments 
  • Training- online and in person
  • Family in the business- shared values, ethics 
  • AAPEX- training classes, networking and learning. Go to booths, ask questions, get contact information

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Important Books

Check out today's partner:

Gold Certification recognizes top tier NAPA AutoCares with a high level of participation in the AutoCare program. The program was built by AutoCare Centers for AutoCare Centers to provide a consistent consumer experience, maximize technology leverage, and reward NAPA’s most committed partners. In other words, Gold Certified AutoCare Centers are the standard bearers for the AutoCare brand nationwide. Simply put, the Gold Certified NAPA AutoCare program, powered by your local shop brand, will separate you from the rest helping you boost your bay counts and your average repair orders. Learn more about NAPA AutoCare, Gold Certification, and the hundreds of other benefits the NAPA family has to offer by talking with your servicing NAPA store or visiting www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

    • Joe Marconi
      Want to End Your Technician Shortage? Focus on Retention!
      By Joe Marconi in Joe's Blog
         5 comments
      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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