GEARS Staff
Popular Articles
That small businesses across the country have felt unprecedented pain during the pandemic of 2020 cannot be overstated. Even “essential” businesses like...
Professional association membership offers numerous benefits, depending on the type of association and its goals. ATRA’s goals are simple – to make you...
GEARS Staff
If I don’t struggle, I won’t improve.
As I sat at the big round dining table with my Chinese hosts in Shanghai a few years ago, I struggled with my...
Once again, ATRA kicked off Expo with its annual golf tournament, always a big hit with die-hard enthusiasts who look forward to traversing the links in the...
What do you regularly do when you go online? Let’s be honest, you probably aren’t frequently perusing your doctor’s website in your downtime.
Just like...
GEARS Staff
So, let’s talk about performance and what it means. First, what’s your objective? Are you racing the quarter mile? Or are you looking at something for the...
This year Expo came a week early, on October 19th through the 22nd. This was our second year in a row at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, at one of the...
GEARS Shopper advertising costs $325.00 for a one time insertion ad, (2 1/4 X 3) 2.25 X 3. Larger ads can be placed elsewhere in the magazine and are charged...
When my car’s gears are slipping I go looking for a “transmission expert”, yet secretly I hope that I also find a “Professional Expert.”
And so do...
Diagnosing Nissan vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission can be a nightmare. Especially when the vehicle enters limp mode or the transmission completely...
“The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best, but legendary.” – Sam Walton
For Charlie Rakes, owner of AA Quality...
With help from several people, I’ve been able to piece together the following details and stories about Gene. Most helpful was Gene’s daughter Patty, who...
“Built on the Brick and Mortar of Honest Shops — Advancing the Future of Transmission Professionals Worldwide.”
THE ROAD AHEAD ISN’T SLOWING DOWN
As we...
“While you can’t go back and make a new beginning, you can start today to make a new ending.”
– Stephen Covey
Is Your Marketing Obsolete?
What if...
The person who only knows how, may have a job, but the person who understands why, will do it better. “Why?” is a question that can only be adequately...
Guest Author
Welcome, once again to Clash of the Classics. This month we’ll head back to 1969 for a look at two cars that defined a decade. Very few models have had the...
With every passing birthday, it seems like I spend more and more time in medical offices and clinics getting poked, prodded, and tested for one thing or...
GEARS Staff
Over the past few weeks, I’ve received numerous inquiries about my last article. I’ve also helped two shops deal with customer complaints that could have...
“What do you do?” That’s the most common “getting to know you” question in America. Just about equal to “Where are you from?” The odd thing is...
“I’ve been looking at various strategies for investing for and with my kids. I’m currently considering Real Estate investments.” This was also on...
Guest Author
In Part I, we covered base oils and their changes over time. Here, we’ll look at the additive packages that make each oil unique.
Additive packages in ATFs...
Rule #1: The Customer Is Always Right.
Rule #2: When the Customer Is Wrong, Read Rule #1.
OK, that’s clever, and it’s a good philosophy for running a...
Bit by bit over the years, I’ve been renewing and customizing my 2003 Thunderbird. I love this car! For me, it’s what Ford originally called the T-bird:...
If there is one word I hear every day as it relates to automotive lubricants, it’s “synthetic.” Twenty-five years ago, the same word elicited a totally...
During the run-up to the 1848 French Revolution, Fredrick Bastiat, French economist, journalist, and proponent of Austrian Economics, observed, “Everyone...
GEARS Staff
There are two basic ways to grow your company: expanding business with existing customers, or bringing on brand new customers.
This piece focuses on bringing...
Over the past few months, I’ve had conversations with shop owners, software providers, and most recently, with GEARS Managing Editor Rodger Bland. The...
“Hey Dad, when I grow up, I want to be ordinary.” My dad was a WWII Marine Veteran, and I would have never said that to him. If I did, we would have had...
An angry customer posts a negative online review about your shop. Their story is blown out of proportion and falsely asserts that your shop ripped them off...
GEARS Staff
Who would argue over whether we’re living in peculiar times? We’re told to wear masks before entering the bank. Computers ask us to prove we’re not...
It’s another day in the grind. Up before sunrise, coffee to get going, early to the shop.
Turn off the alarm system, unlock the bay doors, check the shop...
If you ask a typical business owner what keeps them up at night, employee retention is likely at the top of the list. Thanks to record resignation rates across...
GEARS Staff
“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”– Henry Ford
For the Wells family of Magnolia, Kentucky...
GEARS Staff
There is no shortage of discouraging financial news today. Rather than jumping on the interest rate and inflation bandwagon, let’s reflect on ourselves. As...
GEARS Staff
GEARS Shopper advertising costs $325.00 for a one time insertion ad, (2 1/4 X 3) 2.25 X 3. Larger ads can be placed elsewhere in the magazine and are charged...
The solution to a problem as well as new opportunities are all around us but too often they don’t fit the image we expect or we’re so focused on what we...
To our valued transmission technicians and industry leaders, I hope this message reaches you in great spirits as we move into the holidays and with a...
“You can’t buy the kind of experience that comes from years behind the wheel or under the hood.” – Ford v Ferrari (2019)
In a town like...
For 18 blissful years, I’ve been a member of the “Heartbreak Hiking Fools.” This is a group of over-55-year-old fitness enthusiasts based in Thousand...
“So, what can I purchase to get a tax deduction?” According to my associate, CPA Kevin Lin, “This is a common question taxpayers ask when they...
Chrysler taught its transmissions how to learn. ZF made sure they understood what they were learning — and why.
The Evolution of Clutch Adaptation
When the...
We live in good and interesting times.
If you reside in America, you’re living in the most entrepreneurial country on the planet, where the amount of money...
GEARS Staff
This year, the Torque Converter Rebuilders Association (TCRA) will be in the land of bluegrass… both the famous sod and the home of an amazing category of...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life.
The other day, I had the...
Whenever you get businesspeople together to discuss management strategies, someone’s sure to drag out this old chestnut: The beatings will continue until...
Guest Author
On a recent lecture tour in Malaysia, I met a “busker”, a street performer who was working in hopes of tips. This man was disabled and had an artificial...
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...
Technically speaking, we’ve been virtual for many years already. I mean, look at YouTube. You- Tube has somewhere in the realm of 842 million keywords. They...
When my son was very young, I once lulled him to sleep by chanting, “I love to learn!” softly, over and over. It was my feeble attempt at using subliminal...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about real business and life challenges.
At this...
GEARS Staff
This article is part three of a series that examines the limitations and considerations of common measurements performed with one of the most widely used...
A bevel gear contact pattern is one of the quickest ways to see how a gearset is actually carrying load. It shows where the tooth flanks meet under a defined...
GEARS Staff
Steve Bodofsky passed away on April 29, 2019 after a brave battle with cancer. He’s survived by his wife, Diane and daughter Tara who were both at his...
Laura Pereira has been my good friend for a long time. I met her while she was doing her undergraduate studies in San Francisco, California. Laura is from...
GEARS Staff
“Not mad knowing that the small retail investors do, in fact, have more power than the institutional investors thought…” remarked Mark Post, Chief Growth...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature where I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life.
I remember this story like it...
Dear ATRA Expo Attendee:
For all of you who were here last year, welcome back; for those first-time attendees, welcome. Your being here is the reason that...
Money Matters is a new GEARS Magazine column. Topics appearing in this column will be informative, timely, and selected to address the unique financial...
Thursday
For the folks attending the technical seminars, it was a busy event, with nearly 24 hours of technical training packed into a four-day extravaganza...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature where I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life. I’ve been working on one of...
In my last article in the January Gears magazine, I introduced Carl’s 7-Keys to Highly Effective Transmission Rebuilder Websites. The article explained what...
GEARS Shopper advertising costs $325.00 for a one time insertion ad, (2 1/4 X 3) 2.25 X 3. Larger ads can be placed elsewhere in the magazine and are charged...
GEARS Staff
In the previous issue, we covered how to develop a business culture. There are a lot of phrases to define this, like a mission statement or purpose statement...
The election is over. The holidays approach… and the new year is just around the corner.
Let’s talk about your plan to grow sales in 2017.
Do you have one...
There’s been a lot of talk about “Opportunity Zones” on the news. But what are they, and how might they apply to you? One of my clients recently informed...
GEARS Staff
GEARS Staff
GEARS Staff
GEARS Staff
GEARS Staff
Expanding Legal Immigration from Mexico Can Keep the US Young… The Economic Benefits Are Significant
If we could find a legal framework to expand Mexican immigration, this can keep the US young and economically vibrant. In the early 2000s, while studying...
At the 2015 ATRA Powertrain Expo we covered a lot of topics in the management sessions; many were focused on leadership and employee development. One of the...
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are becoming the norm in modern vehicles, with features like lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and...
GEARS Staff
Guest Author
Technical seminars create a unique air of excitement among the participants. With the expectation of meeting fellow comrades, gurus, and new technicians, as...
There’s an old railroad folk song I’ve always enjoyed about the competition between John Henry — “a steel driving man” — and a steam drill. John...
Guest Author
GEARS Staff
As our country begins the process of re-opening, holding a Grand Re- Opening for your business is worth considering. Think like a start-up business. Maybe...
We’re deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Hiram “Lee” Williams. I had the pleasure of working with Lee as an ATRA Board Member and Northern...
When asked what the number one problem with automatic transmission fluid is, it has never changed or gone away as technology improves and changes. I would have...
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