In the high-octane automotive world, one name has roared through the ages with the power of a supercharged engine – Jimmy Rodd. For decades, he’s been...
Popular Articles
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...
A lot of things have changed for RK Trans & Auto Repair in Raleigh, North Carolina, since the shop profile we published in April of 2020. We contacted...
GEARS Staff
GEARS Staff
Were you in the armed services? Which branch? I was in the Army National Guard and the Army Reserves, six years total. I trained at Ft. Polk, Louisiana; Ft...
GEARS Staff
Each January we set out to make some new goals or reflect on the previous year or just think about a few changes and improvements we’d like to work toward...
The ATRA Powertrain Expo, held at the prestigious Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville from October 25th through October 29th, proved to be a remarkable event...
Now is the time of year that we start thinking about what we’ll do differently next year. We make New Year’s resolutions, set goals, and make other...
For many people, Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world. All of the largest hotels and casinos are here. It’s become famous for its ability to...
For decades, transmission repair was a hands-on mechanical trade. But as modern transmissions evolve—incorporating hybrid and electric drivetrains...
My wife, Jenn, and I, recently sold our home of over twenty years. It was a tough decision because just about everything of meaning happened in that house. It...
My major in college was Marketing, which, to my chagrin, required an accounting course to graduate. In those days, the homework assignments required pencils...
Is it time to move to a new location? A new state? Who should I vote for – the person or the positions? Should I hire or replace some people soon? Am I...
There’s nothing in this article that you don’t already know.
Now, please continue reading anyway, because I promise that it will be worth your...
ATRA’s Midwest Chapter has a long and rich history of being one of the most active ATRA chapters and providing members technical training, support, and...
It’s 1954, and vehicles like the Buick Roadmaster, Chevy Belair, Ford F-100 Panel Truck, and Dodge C Series were among the makes and models frequenting the...
ATRA’s University Project isn’t a place or even a thing. It’s a concept for advancing the transmission-repair industry — as a whole. This includes not...
Last month, ATRA’s Executive Director, Lance Wiggins, shared some history about ATRA. As a rebuilder, I can go back decades and recall the tech I learned...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about real business and life challenges.
To get the...
As the great basketball coach Phil Jackson once said, “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” This...
Where are all the good employees? As I’ve seen on forums and in articles throughout my 50 years in the automotive industry, one complaint is constant, “I...
You hear about customer loyalty all the time. Businesses offer “frequent buyer” programs of varying types and people have come to expect that there’ll be...
GEARS Staff
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life. How did I become a...
Knowing what to do is different than actually doing it. Which is why I always ask: What will you do?
What keeps us from doing the things we know we should do...
GEARS Staff
It is with heavy hearts that the TCRA Directors share the loss of Martin Dale Brooks. He passed peacefully at his home on January 9, 2021 at the age of 69...
When I started in this industry back in 1987, things were much different. Very few shops had computers, there were no smartphones, and social media didn’t...
It’s been a few weeks since the 2018 TCRA event, the preeminent training and meeting program for the torque converter professional. This year’s event took...
Last July , I shared the news about ATRA moving to san Antonio, Texas. Actually, and more specifically, China Grove. Never heard of it? Sure you have. It’s...
Here we are, almost a year from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Wearing a mask to a grocery store is commonplace, and we see many other examples of the...
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...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about real business and life challenges. The names...
In the second installment of this AI series, we’ll look at how AI can assist you in diagnosing problems. Think of all the times a customer has come in...
I predict that journalists everywhere will soon be writing articles about “2020 Vision.” It’s just so convenient to think about the year as a metaphor...
Guest Author
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...
There are different kinds of buyers for transmission shops: consumers, moms, dads. But, as I learned while speaking at ATRA’s Expo last October, some of you...
Simple. Easy to understand.
So why do we find it so hard to tell a customer NO?
I’ve been on the front line of customer interaction for over 30 years. I was...
The 2022 “End of Summer” Powertrain Expo is a wrap. It was held in Las Vegas at the Caesars Forum. What a magnificent facility this is – in beauty...
GEARS Staff
It’s been a while since I’ve written an article about a customer complaint, a small claims court or arbitration matter, or an example of bad customer...
There was a time when ATF (automatic transmission fluid) was specifically used to identify fluid for the step-automatic transmission. Today, there are three...
Recently I was contacted by a business creation team from UCLA’s MBA school of management. They had come up with the idea of using clips of films created to...
As geopolitical tensions continue to rise globally, the defense sector remains a critical area of investment. The fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization...
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...
Like so many, perhaps including you, I dabble on social media and chat with friends and colleagues. Even more so during the COVID pandemic, since seeing...
“Investor First!” was boldly posted on a Real Estate investor’s Instagram. Her message was loud and clear. Among dozens of others in social media...
This is my final From the CEO for 2015; the next time you’ll get a chance to argue with one of my published rants, another year will have past into...
“What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas!”
That’s the slogan that the city of Las Vegas, Nevada embraced as a brand message. It seems that they...
A drivetrain is needed in automobiles to propel the vehicle; otherwise, it would just be a horse-drawn buggy. Several main components make up the drivetrain...
You may already know that “Marvelous” Marvin and Laura Wilson have sold Advanced Transmission in Spanish Fort, Alabama. Marvin and Laura have been the...
Most likely, you’ve heard of the fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears. It’s about a little girl named Goldilocks, who, while walking in the woods...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life.
I recently had...
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...
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 was about...
GEARS Staff
A client of ours recently sold an auto service business for a price just north of $3MM. He heard about different financial investment strategies that offered...
The term “Advanced Basics” may seem like an oxymoron (which it is), but it’s no odder than statements like fully empty, only choice, liquid gas, or even...
TransColonial Auto Service stands as a symbol of the art of automotive excellence in the charming town of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. For owner Eric Uchbar, the road...
Imagine traveling to the automotive hub of Las Vegas, where the buzz of cutting-edge technology and the hum of thousands of attendees fill the air. In this...
Many people fear investing in the stock market because of the ups and downs associated with it. Short-term market volatility is normal, but the long-term is...
In the last issue, we covered battery testing and the superior advantage of using a conductance tester in your preliminary inspections. All of us have had...
In 1976, I joined my first and primary professional industry association, The National Speakers Association (NSA). As a speaker, trainer, and consultant whose...
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...
GEARS Staff
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...
A deep recession might not happen in 2023. While the current equity and bond markets seem unpredictable, there are telling trends on where opportunity will...
GEARS Staff
I love racing! Drag races, NASCAR, Formula One, Moto GP, motocross, dirt track, stock cars, mud racing, foot races, horse races, heck, even turtle races...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life challenges.
As we approach...
Just for the fun of it, I’ve been reading a lot of fairy tales and fables lately. It brings back childhood memories, but I also see life lessons and...
First, I want to thank the GEARS readers. Due to your positive response, we have been invited back to feature more Amazing Women in Automotive articles...
We’ve all heard the old adage, “The only thing constant is change.” We’ve heard it so much that many of us have stopped listening to it. Or we might...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life.
In last month’s article...
While exhibiting at ATRA Powertrain Expo this year, more than one transmission shop customer of ETE REMAN’s asked, “How do I get the customer to choose...
GEARS Staff
In this issue of Keep Those Trannys Rolling, we are going to take a look at Nissan’s CVT-Driven All-Wheel Drive System. In 2013, Nissan introduced the 2013...
There have been COVID challenges since 2019 that have affected us all. Expo 2020 went virtual because Nashville shut down, and 2021’s show was...
There’s never a wrong time to think about success planning for your business and your personal life. However, January seems to be when most of us do it. As...
Each year around January, we begin to arrange the speaker lineup and seminar topics for the upcoming Powertrain Expo. Sure, we have a general idea before the...
GEARS Staff
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life.
I recently heard a story...
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
“Why doesn’t that guy just do what needs to be done? He always waits for me to say something!”
Yep, that’s the case, exactly. Some people need a...
For a lot of people who attend Expo, it appears that much of what happens in Vegas stays in Las Vegas. That may be reassuring for some folks, but for most of...
GEARS Staff
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life.
Sometimes, there’s...
Among the many amazing achievements we got to watch in the recently concluded Winter Olympics, two stand out in my mind for the deep lessons they can teach us...
SINCE WE ARE ALL, IN THIS TOGETHER…
Come visit the Superior Technical Seminar at Bally’s Las Vegas ATRA Powertrain EXPO 2021 LIVE in person.
We welcome you...
Welcome to this new column, “Hi-Rev.” The name comes from a book Jim Cathcart and I co-authored, “Hi-Rev For Small Business.” Jim has written over 100...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life challenges.
Torque...
GEARS Staff
“I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.” – Groucho Marx
Welcome to the Worldwide Transmission Fellowship Club, or as I affectionately...
It was a typical drizzly, Pacific Northwest morning back in 1983 when I received a Small Claims Court Summons. A customer was suing us for a differential that...
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