Back when you opened your business, one of your first considerations was probably, “How am I going to get customers in the door?” It’s a reasonable thing...
From The CEO
Last year, ATRA conducted a survey of both consumers and shop owners across the USA and Canada. For the industry survey, we were looking for the differences...
The transmission industry, like so many other things, is constantly changing. And that change breeds differing opinions on how to operate a shop. If you put a...
Every year, hundreds of shop owners and technicians make their way to ATRA’s Powertrain Expo: the largest collection of transmission specialists to get...
For the past few years, I’ve heard from many of you about the lack of qualified technicians. For some, this isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s become a...
Over the past forty years, I’ve seen a lot of changes to our industry. In many cases, those changes left people saying, “What’s happening to this...
Every few years Rodger Bland and I set out to learn more about this industry through a series of surveys and focus groups. Since the first What’s Working...
Much of our waking moments are spent with exchanging ideas with others. And much of that is trying to convince people of the merits of our thinking. That is...
Finding people who can rebuild transmissions has been difficult for a number of years. But this is something you may not be aware of until your rebuilder quits...
You’re at a friend or relative’s house for dinner. After about an hour of chit chat, dinner’s served. You’re starved, but then a sinking feeling comes...
January is a time for reflecting on the past year, committing to new goals, and planning the next 12 months of our lives. Sometimes you have a year you wish...
Every year, as we approach Expo, the enthusiasm at the ATRA home office rises to a fever pitch. Folks are busy putting the finishing touches on their...
This issue is GEARS Magazine’s silver jubilee. It’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years since we first started publishing GEARS.
It’s common when...
Training isn’t always going to be interesting or fun. Sometimes learning the basics may seem boring or stupid. But they’re necessary if you’re going to...
In the last issue of GEARS, I presented my thoughts for the graduating class of 2017. I congratulated this year’s graduates and made some observations about...
Every year around this time, students all across the country are finishing school and venturing out into a new phase of life as a working adult. I think of...
You know that hotel chain? The one that ends their ads with, “We’ll leave the light on for you”? I started thinking about that this week while the Torque...
In the March issue of GEARS, we covered some ideas for creating your company’s mission statement. Hopefully you’ve given the idea some thought and come up...
Everyone in the business world has heard of a mission statement and the importance for a business to have one. But, if you’ve ever looked at some...
One of the most famous quiz shows in history was You Bet Your Life, created especially for Groucho Marx. At the beginning of each show, Groucho told his...
