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PARKSINDUST

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Hey guys I am new to the forum. My boyfriend & I started our shop Parks Industries Motorsports & Performance in January here in Rifle, CO. Mike Parks is owner & main mechanic, has worked at Eliminator Motorsports in San Diego, 4Wheel Direct, other shops locally till we started our own shop in January of this year. We have one employee, one bay, two lifts 1500 sq ft. i posted a question in the help section hopefully you guys can help me out.

We have been super busy from word of mouth and recommendations, and the internet never ceases to amaze me... :) We do mostly oilfield trucks out here, it has really boomed in our area..getting a little slow now. A lot of diesel performance & repair, aftermarket parts & accessories. And being your own boss is the best. But I want to know how everyone keeps their head above water.... I know winter is coming up and definitely our slow time until about February. Im surprised how much we have grown in the little time we've been open and not screwing over people like other shops have around here has kept us in business thus far but I wonder how other people are fairing across the country.

 

Thanks,

Amanda

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Amanda, I welcome you to the forum. However, I will say that I will be curious to know whether your opinion that other shops are screwing over people will be the same opinion after you have been in business a few years. I think a few shops may do that but I do not think the majority do at least where I am at.

 

 

I should say this isn't the first time I have been in this business so I know how quotes and repairs go...so the shop that is charging their customers $400 for an oil change, I say yes they are screwing them over. I get more business from one of the shops doing crap repairs and charging way over what repairs should be for a vehicle; car or truck, gas or diesel. And thanks for welcoming me to the forum...I never said all shops do, its just where I am at I know of a couple.

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Amanda, I welcome you to the forum. However, I will say that I will be curious to know whether your opinion that other shops are screwing over people will be the same opinion after you have been in business a few years. I think a few shops may do that but I do not think the majority do at least where I am at.

 

And I guess I meant how are other people holding their head above water in this business in this economy right now...

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest 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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