Farming Instead of Hunting

By Dan Gleason, AASP-MN Mechanical Division Director

Hello, my name is Dan and I am happy to be taking on the role of Mechanical Division Director. I have worked alongside my father, Tom Gleason at Pro-Tech Auto Repair in the northwestern suburb of Corcoran, full-time for 21 years. Before that, I spent my summers mowing the lawn and sweeping the floors at the shop. We are proud to be celebrating our 40th year in business this year. Although a lot has changed over the years, our purpose has stayed the same.

I have had the privilege of being able to learn the ropes from my dad, who taught me how to change oil, write estimates, set goals, hire new team members and how to continually improve the shop. My roles have changed throughout the years, but the hard work ethic instilled in me has helped me to continue to succeed. Like you, we have faced many challenges. Sometimes they are put there to teach us a lesson; others test our skills at adapting and overcoming.

I am blessed to have a great team that continues to impress me with their hard work and dedication. One challenge that continues for our shop is trying to grow to meet our goals. We have had people come and go that just weren’t the right fit but helped fill a gap. We have taken chances on people with zero experience but were willing to train. And we’ve taken in technicians with very little training and waited for them to grow, like planting a seed and waiting for its fruits.

We had hired a junior in high school that was in the local vo-tech program as a shop helper for two summers. We were very excited when he said he wanted to go to technical school, also nervous that he would get eaten up by the dealerships throwing around big offers. We decided to pay for his tools and stayed in frequent contact with him. He would work for us during his school breaks and throughout the summers. Now he will be graduating in a few weeks and will return to us full-time as a fully trained technician. I can finally see the fruit from the seed that we planted four years ago. It has not been an easy wait, but it is worth it.

So, with the continued labor shortages, how will you continue to survive? Do you have a plan to start farming your own technicians instead of hunting for them? Maybe now is the time to start growing your own employees. Creating and updating your procedures, policies and employee handbooks are all essential tools. You have all figured out how to succeed, now WRITE IT DOWN. Having a playbook helps you to duplicate your successes. Be as detailed as you can. You could even have your “A” technicians and experienced service writers help you by writing down their successful actions.

The dealerships already have their own in-house training programs that we must compete with. But there are some tools, like the NAPA Autocare apprenticeship program, with tons of online training modules, followed by hands-on training to demonstrate what was learned in the shop to move on. Look into vendors, tool guys and other suppliers for help with training materials. Who in the shop handles the training is another hurdle – technician training mentor or shadowing? This hat usually falls on the owner or manager. Could there be a retired mechanic who could help part-time?

Growing our own technicians takes time, but when they are ready they will be trained the way you want them to be. We must start looking at the candidates who are available and try to see their potential. These are some ideas that hopefully can help you take on someone who may not be your ideal candidate today and make them part of your success in the future.