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Hi ASO fellows !


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Hi ! :)

 

i've been around for a few months but never took the time to introduce myself.

 

i've been reading the ASO topics since May, 2012 and i'm catching so many helpful informations, this forum is a must read for a car repair shop owner !

 

While at mechanic school, i started my automotive shop life at GM goodwrench (also only job i could find that i could fit job+school in the schedule, as school was from 4pm to 11pm).

 

After graduating from school, i went to my local Acura dealer as the tire guy (harsh Canada winter means everybody changing tires twice a year).

 

I had very small chances to stay at this place because there were more mechanics than there were shop bays (2 guys off everyday on a rotation)....but a guy leaving, another off for injury, one guy started his repair shop at home : i finally got my spot !

 

I stayed there for 7 years (2 last years as a team leader).

 

I left for BMW as the new service manager at Acura was a real pain in the a*$ (he got thrown out from his last 2 dealerships by the whole shop teaming up against him.....we unfortunatly found out why on the long run !)

 

Stayed at BMW for nearly a year, but didn't like the product and manufacturer's vision + i started dreaming about owning my own shop, but equipment prices quickly discouraged me.

 

I left BMW after a friend talked me into car transportation : easier physically and better salary.

There was so much work, transporters were cutting prices to get more clients, but the recession hit later than the US, the market went down and now we're into low transport rates + very few cars to carry..

 

So i'm back to my "3 years ago dream", currently under government programs for business starters....not yet completely approved, but slowly in the steps of opening my repair shop. (i also have to sell my 53' trailer, F350 dually, summer car and that'll help me financially)

 

 

I thought there were forums on the net for about every subject we could think of, but i never thought about shop owners sharing tricks and ideas to help other owners ! Congrats to the ASO owners for this great idea and initiative !! B)

 

 

ps. today i declined a job offer: my local Acura wants me back

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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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