Jason Lightbody is co-owner of Houska Automotive, a 40-bay repair business in Fort Collins, Colorado. A military veteran with a background in tire shop management, he joined Houska in 2010 and helped expand its tire and heavy-duty service operations. His approach to hiring automotive technicians draws on that operating experience and the company’s investment in employee development.

In this episode…

An open technician position puts pressure on the people carrying the workload. Filling the position addresses the immediate schedule, but the person joining the team also needs the skills and support to meet the shop’s repair standards. Across multiple locations, those expectations need to hold from one shop to the next.

Jason describes an earlier approach at Houska that kept production moving but brought in people with little interest in developing a career. The company changed its approach to hiring automotive technicians by seeking skilled candidates and supporting them with strong pay and benefits. He reports low turnover and recalls more than 50 applicants for one technician opening.

Several candidates were worth bringing onto the team. Houska adjusted existing roles to make room, including moving a younger technician alongside a shop foreman for additional training. Recruiting experienced people and developing current employees became part of the same staffing decision.

The commitment continues after the offer. Houska tested technicians on electrical repairs to establish a consistent process and invested in technical and leadership training for managers. For operators overseeing several locations, the practical work is defining the repair standard and giving managers the training to reinforce it.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[02:03] Building automotive management expertise through tire and repair operations

[04:04] Using tire services to increase customer visits and retention

[11:55] Building a technician hiring strategy around compensation and development

[14:07] Establishing consistent repair standards backed by quality parts

[17:24] Using the 300% rule to guide transparent repair recommendations

[23:04] Managing shop expansion through operational lessons and complementary partnerships

[26:23] Strengthening shop teams through diverse employee perspectives

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Jason Lightbody on LinkedIn
• Houska Automotive Website
• Tread Partners
• Gain Traction Podcast on YouTube
• Gain Traction Podcast Website
• Mike Edge on LinkedIn

Quotable Moments:

• “100% of those inspections get estimated, and 100% of those estimates get presented to the customer.”
• “We had to learn how to run a tire company.”
• “Leadership is humility.”

Action Steps:

1. Make the employment offer concrete. Update the posting you use for hiring automotive technicians with a clear pay range and benefits details. Describe the training attached to the role so applicants understand how they will develop.
2. Review staffing needs across locations before making an offer. Have each manager identify the work that requires an experienced technician and the employees who need closer supervision. Assign a foreman and schedule training for technicians moving into apprentice roles.
3. Standardize one recurring repair. Ask each location to demonstrate how its technicians perform a common electrical repair. Agree on the procedure and required materials, then review the standard at the next shop meeting.
4. Audit inspection follow-through. Review five completed repair orders per location. Check that each vehicle received an inspection and that the findings were estimated and presented to the customer. Address missing steps with the responsible manager.
5. Schedule development and invite employee input. Have each manager select one technical or leadership skill to develop and book a training session. At the next team meeting, ask a newer technician to suggest a process improvement and assign someone to follow up.

Nick Best owns B&B Tire & Auto Care, a two-location tire and auto repair business in South Carolina. A second-generation shop owner, he learned the trade through hands-on work in his father’s business, including a year operating a service truck and time performing alignments. He is a Tire Pros dealer and a member of ITDG.

His perspective on auto repair shop expansion combines experience in an established family business with the work of buying and developing a second location. Nick also participates in a 20 group with other multi-location owners.

In this episode…

A second shop needs its own operating approach. The people running it and the customers using it bring different demands. For a multi-location owner, the work of auto repair shop expansion includes deciding which processes to keep consistent and which ones to adapt.

Nick expected to carry established processes into his second location. He was able to adopt many of them, but others required another look. Success at the original shop did not settle how the next one should run. Those differences need attention as soon as another location becomes part of the business.

The ownership model also shapes the work. Nick’s father built a successful operation by staying closely involved with customers and daily activity. Nick respected that commitment while recognizing how difficult it was to take time off. He hired a business coach and began reconsidering how much of the operation needed his direct involvement.

Having children gave his staffing decisions a personal purpose. Nick still works in the shop, but additional help gives him more choice over when he is involved. He values the time that support creates for his family more than the money saved by doing the work himself.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[00:47] Nick Best and B&B Tire & Auto Care

[05:19] Why processes need adjusting when adding a second shop

[08:30] Building a team that reduces dependence on the owner

[11:24] Understanding the responsibilities of taking over a family business

[15:14] What retired business owners would choose to do differently

[21:06] How salespeople create value through candid advice and useful information

[26:56] How parenthood changed Nick’s priorities at work and home

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Nick Best on LinkedIn
• B&B Tire & Auto Care Website
• Tread Partners
• Gain Traction Podcast on YouTube
• Gain Traction Podcast Website
• Mike Edge on LinkedIn

Quotable Moments:

• “So my model is very different now, and it starts with the people.”
• “Little did I know that I had it really good and easy working in the shop outside of running the business because that was where everything just piles up on you.”
• “It's not worth it to sacrifice what time I can get with them.”

Action Steps:

1. Review a shared process before standardizing it across locations. Make this part of planning auto repair shop expansion. Ask each manager to walk through how jobs move from the service counter to technicians, then document an adjustment needed at that location.
2. Give a manager clear ownership of one recurring responsibility. Start with a task such as routine customer follow-up. Agree on the decisions they can make independently and when they need to involve you. Review the handoff at the end of the week.
3. Ask a peer or coach for feedback on a specific operating issue. Schedule a short conversation with another shop owner or your business coach. Bring a process that needs attention and ask for a concrete change to test at your location.
4. Get a retired owner’s perspective on time spent in the business. Contact an owner who has sold or retired. Ask what they would change about their daily involvement, then write down one responsibility to reconsider in your own operation.
5. Arrange coverage for a family commitment. Put a commitment on next week’s calendar and discuss coverage with your manager. Confirm who will handle the work normally assigned to you during that time.

Kyle Blankenhorn is co-owner of Ken’s Tire, a 50-year tire and automotive service business with three locations in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, plus a commercial truck tire center and road service operation. Its stores have warehouse space and carry roughly 2,500 to 3,000 tires per location.

Kyle brings an operator’s perspective to tire inventory management, supplier relationships, customer retention, and hiring. He also helps lead a team of about 50 employees and reports very little turnover across the business.

In this episode…

Tire inventory creates two expensive problems: empty racks send time-sensitive customers elsewhere, while slow-moving stock consumes cash and warehouse space. Strong tire inventory management requires enough size and price-point coverage to serve the local market without treating every available tire as a necessary purchase.

New vehicles continue to introduce additional tire sizes, making broad coverage harder for shops and distributors. Kyle’s position is practical: customers often buy the tire that is available because waiting until the next day interferes with work and daily responsibilities. The shop with the tire on hand often gets the sale, regardless of brand.

First tire sales also shape the long-term customer relationship, at Ken’s Tire, repair work follows the trust built through tire sales, consistent service, and quality work. Customers return over time, and entire families continue using the business.

The same operating discipline extends to hiring. Kyle prioritizes consistent work history over formal credentials because technical skills can be taught. A dependable employment record gives him greater confidence in the time, energy, and money required to train someone properly.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[03:33] From career pivot to tire business leadership

[05:38] Strategic tire buying and supplier relationships

[08:06] Inventory capacity, product mix, and sales

[11:36] Aging vehicles and rising repair demand

[13:37] How tire sales build long-term customer relationships

[16:55] A retention-focused approach to technician hiring

[21:22] Hands-on experience as a technician training standard

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Ken’s Tire Website
• Tread Partners
• Gain Traction Podcast on YouTube
• Gain Traction Podcast Website
• Mike Edge on LinkedIn

Quotable Moments:

• “The more you have, the more you sell.”
• “Bottom line, can’t sell from an empty cart.”
• “But he who has it is going to sell it.”
• “The only thing that matters to me is work history.”
• “I can teach you the rest of the way through.”
• “I do not want to train new people every six months.”

Action Steps:

1. Strengthen tire inventory management with a location-level report covering the past 12 months of sales. Separate high-volume sizes, steady sellers, aging inventory, and products with no recent movement.
2. Track every lost sale caused by unavailable inventory for 30 days. Record the requested size, preferred price point, available substitute, and whether another location had the tire.
3. Set minimum and maximum stocking levels for each store based on local sales history. Transfer existing inventory between locations before placing another order.
4. Build a supplier reference sheet covering primary contacts, alternate sources, lead times, payment terms, and direct-buy opportunities. Review the list with every store manager.
5. Add consistent work history to the technician screening process. Ask candidates how long they stayed in previous roles, then invest training resources in people who have demonstrated reliability.

Tara Conlin is a service manager and operator at Mango Automotive, an eight-location auto repair group serving Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. She began her automotive career at age 18 and spent most of it as a service advisor before moving into leadership. At Mango Automotive, she grew one location while developing a people-centered approach to customer service in auto repair.

In this episode…

Vehicle repairs rarely feel like neutral transactions. Customers arrive concerned about transportation and unexpected costs. A cold reception adds to that stress before anyone inspects the vehicle.

The old gruff, transactional service model no longer matches the expectations customers bring to today’s repair shops. Every employee departure also puts a familiar customer relationship at risk. Multi-location operators need consistent leadership that supports advisors, strengthens technician morale, and gives customers a reason to trust every location.

A polished lobby helps set the tone, but the experience depends on the people running the shop. Conlin treats empathy as an operating practice that shapes customer conversations and gives employees room to address problems before those problems affect the team.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[01:09] Tara’s transition from service advisor to shop manager

[03:12] Understanding the personal stress behind a customer’s vehicle repair

[09:12] How service advisor turnover affects customer trust

[14:27] Making repair visits less stressful through a welcoming environment

[18:52] Building a team that supports each other through difficult days

[22:36] How a childhood book shaped Tara’s perspective on adversity

[25:16] Tara’s experience as a woman leading an automotive team

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Tara Conlin on LinkedIn
• Mango Automotive Website
• Tread Partners
• Gain Traction Podcast on YouTube
• Gain Traction Podcast Website
• Mike Edge on LinkedIn

Quotable Moments:

• “These are people's livelihoods sometimes, right?”
• “A lot of customers really like that show and tell experience where they feel like they're a part of the process and not just, you know, getting the information second hand.”
• “One of the big contributors to what I feel like is my success is the culture and morale that we built.”
• “I, you know, I want them to feel like they are supported and that, you know, their work has value, they as a person have value.”

Action Steps:

1. Standardize the opening interaction. Set a location-wide expectation for customer service in auto repair that covers the greeting and the timing of the next update.
2. Use explicit trust handoffs. When a customer’s preferred advisor is unavailable, introduce the replacement by name and state your confidence in that person.
3. Assign a daily front-of-house reset. Check the floors, seating, refreshments, and overall comfort before opening each location.
4. Schedule short weekly check-ins with advisors and technicians. Record one current obstacle and assign a clear next step before ending the conversation.
5. Make visual inspections part of the customer experience. Bring customers into the shop safely or use photos to show the work instead of relying only on secondhand explanations.

Jeff Deans is Vice President of St. Lucie Battery & Tire, an 18-location tire and automotive service company based in Florida. His operating experience covers tire shop customer service, centralized phone support, reputation management, customer retention, and multi-location growth.

During the company’s expansion, St. Lucie Battery & Tire built a six-person call center to handle advertised phone lines, appointment scheduling, and customer follow-up. Deans also works on the shared services and technology required to support further growth.

In this episode…

Busy service counters divide an advisor’s attention between the customer in the store and the caller on the phone. St. Lucie Battery & Tire addresses this conflict with a six-person call center that answers tire questions, manages appointments, and follows up with customers while store advisors remain focused on face-to-face service.

Deans connects this approach to a broader view of tire shop customer service. Advisors need to avoid judging customers by their vehicles, take ownership of service problems, and recommend tires based on driving habits and long-term value. The same discipline guides expansion as the company strengthens its technology and shared services before adding locations.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[03:12] Customer acquisition in a growing tire retail market

[06:50] Centralized call handling and front counter service

[13:11] AI-assisted sales coaching for tire retail teams

[15:55] Tire recommendations based on driver needs and vehicle requirements

[18:34] Resolving service issues and restoring customer trust

[27:41] Building operational capacity for multi-store expansion

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Jeff Deans on LinkedIn
• St. Lucie Battery & Tire Website
• Tread Partners
• Gain Traction Podcast on YouTube
• Gain Traction Podcast Website
• Mike Edge on LinkedIn

Quotable Moments:

• “You give what they need on the phone, they’re going to come in to see you.”
• “We take every opportunity with every customer real serious, and we try and capitalize and make the most of it.”
• “When something doesn’t go right, just put it in a headlock.”
• “And once they understand that they are important to you, it becomes an us against the problem type situation instead of them against us, even though we’re there to fix it.”

Action Steps:

1. Measure counter interruptions. Track call volume, abandoned calls, and interrupted customer conversations during one full shift.
2. Assign phone ownership. Route calls to a dedicated employee or centralized team with access to scheduling, pricing, and inventory.
3. Protect tire shop customer service. Keep advisors focused on active repair discussions instead of routine phone coverage.
4. Review capacity before expanding. Resolve gaps in staffing, technology, and shared services before adding another location.

Bryan Kauffeld is a second-generation operator at Ulmer’s Auto Care Center, a family-owned automotive repair business with 11 locations across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. His father purchased the original two-bay service station in 1981.

Kauffeld joined the company after studying finance and management at Purdue University. He spent about 18 years at the counter in Anderson Township before moving into broader leadership. His experience growing an auto repair business now covers site selection, team development, and customer service across multiple locations.

In this episode…

Most shop operators begin a location search by looking for the busiest road. Ulmer’s starts with the number of households surrounding a property. Bryan Kauffeld looks for locations within walking or short driving distance of roughly 15,000 to 20,000 single-family homes.

Proximity makes auto repair more convenient, customers avoid fighting traffic, and each Ulmer’s location gains access to the car count already living nearby.

Convenience brings customers through the door, but service earns the return visit. Kauffeld focuses on memorable first and second visits because neighbors share their experiences and follow recommendations from people they trust.

Growing an auto repair business also requires leaders who can protect the customer experience without the owner at the counter. Ulmer’s managers and service advisors receive the authority to solve problems, keeping service consistent as the company adds locations.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[01:49] How a two-bay shop became the family business

[03:40] Why Bryan joined Ulmer’s and opened a second location

[06:43] How stepping away from the counter unlocked growth

[10:19] Why rooftops matter more than road traffic

[13:57] How memorable service creates neighborhood referrals

[17:46] Why employee support and autonomy reduce turnover

[23:36] Making “do the right thing” an operating principle

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Bryan Kauffeld on LinkedIn
• Ulmer’s Auto Care Center Website
• Tread Partners
• Gain Traction Podcast on YouTube
• Gain Traction Podcast Website
• Mike Edge on LinkedIn

Quotable Moments:

• “We like to be in the middle of a neighborhood.”
• “Neighbors tend to talk.”
• “We do what I think is an exceptional job of wowing customers, especially on their first and second visit.”
• “It doesn’t matter what that decision cost us.”
• “There’s plenty of room to grow here.”

Action Steps:

1. Transfer one owner-held decision. Choose a recurring front-counter decision and assign it to a manager tomorrow. Review the outcome without taking the authority back.
2. Give advisors customer-recovery authority. Write down the default: take care of the customer. Treat later reviews as coaching conversations rather than approval checkpoints.
3. Audit the first two visits. Review 10 recent new-customer repair orders. Identify where communication, transportation, or personal attention fell short, then correct one step this week.
4. Create a neighborhood location scorecard. Measure each prospective site by nearby single-family homes, neighborhood access, and customer convenience. Give passing traffic a supporting role rather than making it the entire strategy.
5. Protect front-counter continuity. Growing an auto repair business requires customers to trust more than the owner. Identify the advisor who already carries strong customer relationships and schedule a focused conversation about the support needed to keep that person.