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Ryan has spent more than 20 years building scalable, revenue-growth engines that drive customer, employee, and enterprise value. Prior to joining Mechanic Advisor, he accelerated the growth of numerous tech companies over the past decade with his data-driven approach. When Ryan is not coaching winning teams in the business world, you’ll find him doing the same with youth sports. And if he’s not on the sidelines or behind the bench, you will find him enjoying quality time with his family.
Doug Robison is the Director of Sales and Partnerships here at Optimize Digital Marketing. He started at Optimize early 2021 but has over 20 years of experience working in the automotive industry. Doug started his career working in a shop where he learned firsthand what shop owners and managers look for in their marketing solutions. He then moved to the digital marketing realm in 2012 to create and offer programs tailored to every shop owner’s needs. As a small business owner himself, Doug has a passion for educating others on the importance of a strong digital presence.
If you would like to get in touch with Doug to learn more about how Optimize can enhance your digital presence, you can call him at 651-410-1416 or email him at drobison@optimizesocialmedia.net.
John Gillespie has been an ASE CMAT for almost forty-five years, learned to do alignments in the early 1980s and has done thousands of them over the years. Alignment and suspension work is one of his favorite tasks in the shop. In fact, when he would be in the shop doing more difficult work and needed to take a break from it, grabbing a vehicle that needed suspension or steering repair often let him relax a bit and get ready to head back to the more challenging work. John knows all too well what it’s like to knock out fifteen of twenty alignments that are a breeze only to then have one that ends up being very difficult to complete. In this class we will a
Although a graduate of West Point, Rich will always say Roll Tide! Cattle ranching and military service runs in the blood of Rich’s family. Thus, he followed in the family footprints and served in the Army as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot. Following his military service, Rich helped fellow Veterans make the transition into corporate America.
While helping many of America’s top companies, he recognized that the recruiting industry largely ignores the need of blue-collar workers and employers desperate for their talent. Rich knew our nation’s great workers and companies needed a solution to our nation’s growing talent drought, and this inspired him to lead the team at BlueRecruit.
Rich lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his wife, son, and daughter.
Aaron has been an integral force in the industry, starting at a Chevrolet dealership as a service advisor before moving into a sales position and finally opening his own shop in 2018. With a help-first mentality and the lessons learned in his career, he knows what it takes to rise above the competition. Joining The Institute, Aaron looks to give back to the industry he loves through group facilitation, business coaching, & individual mentorship.
As a native of Maine, and along with his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Utah State, Tom began his journey in the world of customer service at a very early age. Since then, he’s spent the majority of his life helping others by sharing his product knowledge, and helping his customers make good decisions that are in their best interest.
Tom has worked with the Cintas Corporation for many years where he was in the top 20 of over 1,000 Customer Care Representatives. Before his time with Cintas, he worked for a company that produces educational material for children, where he ultimately ran their summer sales program as Director of Summer Sales. During his time there, he won many awards, one of which was top team in the nation.
Using his broad knowledge of business, teaching skills, and his customer service skills, Tom acquired a job at Elite Worldwide. He currently is the Lead Trainer for the industry-acclaimed Master's Service Advisor course and has helped numerous service advisors achieve success and also works as a Business Performance Analyst. Tom has spoken at many events and his personal stories, knowledge of sales and business help audiences connect and learn from him.
Darrin’s automotive journey began working with his father and brothers repairing and fixing up Jeeps. In 2003, he started his own auto repair and 4X4 business with a core business philosophy of treating every customer like a personal friend, and creating the best customer experience possible. By having a dedication to the success of his employees that is unlike any other, as well as to the care and safety of his customers, Darrin’s shop has grown to be one of the largest independently owned auto repair facilities in North America, and they have customers, literally around the world. His unparalleled success quickly caught the attention of the industry, and it’s brought about his being featured in countless podcasts and nationally published articles, he’s been on the cover of Auto Inc. magazine, and he’s spoken at number of the industry’s largest events.
Scott is a professional automotive service technician and an independent automotive service and repair facility owner with over 38 years of professional experience. He is dedicated to continually advancing his technical competencies on current and future automotive systems. Scott is also a technical instructor with a strong focus on vehicle electronics, vehicle network communications, engine performance, automotive service information systems, and advanced driver assistance systems service, diagnostics, and repair.
Cecil Bullard has spent most of his life in the Automotive Service and Repair Industry as a Tech, Service Advisor, Manager and Owner of multiple successful shops, and as a consultant, trainer and teacher. He believes that there is unlimited opportunity and potential in today's shops and that your business should be designed and run to give you the life you want.
He is currently CEO of the Institute. He has trained and mentored thousands of owners, managers and service advisors that want to run the best businesses in the industry and be at the top of their game.
He has published over 100 articles and has been a featured speaker at CARS/APEX in Las Vegas, VISION in Kansas City, ATE in Washington State, ASTE, and various other conferences throughout the years.
Kent manages operations for the Institute for Automotive Business Excellence, contributing to creative projects as much as possible. He practices minimalism in his personal and professional life, believing in finding meaning in our experiences. As an expert in gamification, he provides insight and consultation on training, business practices, and lifestyle changes. Kent was paramount to building the industries leading educational platform
Mike Christopherson has been in the Automotive Industry for over 30 years. Most of the time has been working for independent shops. In 2000, Mike ventured into programming when J2534 was fairly new. He has been programming automotive modules with both J2534 and OEM tools. In 2010 Mike became familiar with Automotive Labscopes and started to really get into Automotive Electronics. He specialized in electrical, diagnostics and programming.
In 2015, Mike Started studying EEPROM and MCU work. The goal was to find ways to program used modules where the OEM software prevented it. In 2020 EEPROMicon was born. Mike and his team teach how to program with many aftermarket and OEM tools.
Mike Cleary is an eight time award winning Ford Senior Master Technician and Powerstroke Diesel Engine Specialist. He is an ASE Certified Auto and Truck Master Technician as well as certification in ASE specialty areas L1, L2, L3, and F1. He has received a Bachelors Degree in Industrial Technology from California State University, Fresno, and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers. He has a lifetime of experience as an automobile technician and manager in independent shops and dealerships. Currently he is the CTO at Cleary Automotive, specializing in high tech diagnosis and repairs on automobiles and light trucks. Also an internationally recognized trainer, he presents high tech driveability, electronics, and shop management training for technicians and shop owners worldwide for his training company, Automotive Technical Support Services, in addition to writing automotive diagnostics articles for industry trade magazines.
I’m Chris Cloutier, founder of Autoflow and co-owner of Golden Rule Auto Care in the Dallas, Texas area since 2011. I came from the software industry developing solutions for companies including Southwest Airlines and Wyndham International, where I saw the benefits of the marriage of software and service. After opening my own shop, I observed how communication gaps created bottleneck situations and wasted valuable rack time. I created Autoflow, a digital solution for workflow management, communication, vehicle inspections, work orders, quality control, and rewarding customer loyalty. I have since sought to help the industry move forward with adopting technology.
Jim's career has spanned work in diesel fuel system repair and service, large fleet maintenance and repair as well as support services. He has provided on-site service for other shops and started teaching part time in 2007.
Brandon Dills, the owner and founder of Jarhead Diagnostics is a Marine Corps veteran with over 19 years of both automotive and aviation repair. Brandon is Master ASE Certified with L1 Certification. In the automotive world Brandon started his career at Firestone then shortly went to Toyota as a technician. After leaving Toyota, he went to Kia where he did the majority of his automotive career. He became Master Elite certified with Kia. In 2019 Brandon left dealership life and went to his first independent repair facility. Shortly after starting at the independent shop Brandon founded Jarhead Diagnostics. In 2020 Brandon went full time with Jarhead Diagnostics where he developed industry leading diagnostic equipment and started his mobile diagnostic and programming business. After a year and a half being a mobile diagnostician, Brandon started his brick-and-mortar independent repair shop.
Patrick Egan has over 30 years of marketing and branding experience with businesses ranging from startups to Fortune 100 corporations. Prior to founding SPARK, he led the marketing efforts of AutoVitals, AutoServe1, and KUKUI visiting over 2,500 repair centers to understand what works at the best shops in the world. Today, Patrick is the industry's leading expert in video marketing and video storytelling. Get in touch at patrick@sparkinteractive.com
· ASE Certification(s): ASE Certified Master Technician, L1
· Years of Experience: 31 Years
· Years as an Autotech Instructor: 7 years
· Experience in: Hybrid and Electric Vehicle repair. Automotive repair for all makes and models
My name is Chris Enright. I have been in the Automotive industry for 15yrs. I have been running my shop for just over 3yrs currently on my own. I also run my social media pages as well which together have just over 130,000 followers with over 100 million views. I am passionate about helping other shop owners & mechanics better themselves and their businesses and I have been able to do that through my social media pages sharing mistakes I've made. Changes I've made and being transparent to people through social media sharing the journey and process of owning and operating an Automotive repair shop.
Richard is an ASE Master Technician L1 with over 25 years in the auto repair industry. His technical experience includes Domestic, Asian, and European vehicles both at the dealership level, and as a successful shop owner. He has instructed technicians and college students in all aspects of automotive repair, and currently takes care of our customers throughout the Southeastern U.S.
I'm Oscar Gomez, and I'm the director of Master Automotive Training as well as an ASE Master Technician. My goal is to improve the auto industry one technician at a time, and I believe the most effective way to do that is to invest in education. I love teaching others what I know. When I'm not teaching, I like to go for long bike rides on the road or fly planes. My goal is to encourage both new and experienced technicians to keep learning and growing, both as people and as professionals, so that they can become better. I want to give back to the industry that has helped me so much by one day sitting in on one of my students' classes and watching them teach.
Todd Hayes is the magic behind the first $1 Million monthly repair shop, Adams Automotive.
35 year technician. 2 years as a shop owner. Currently a mobile diagnostician focusing on module programming. Community college automotive instructor. Lead electric vehicle instructor for the college.
Jaron Kleber is the National Sales Manager for Repair Shop of Tomorrow. He has been in the automotive industry his whole life. He began working when he was 12 years old for his parents who owned three NAPA stores in Southern Illinois. In 2009, Jaron came to work for NAPA corporate and worked in numerous roles with the company for 12 years. Over the last six years, Jaron worked with the NAPA TRACS shop management team and has helped coach hundreds of shops on best practices to help them become more productive and profitable owners. His accomplishments within the NAPA organization include - youngest TRACS Regional Manager in the company's 30-year history, Masters Club Achiever, Rookie of the Year, and 2015 Triple Crown Award for the Owatonna Distribution Center. Jaron brings a fresh perspective to the automotive industry and understands what matters to the "new age" clientele and employees.
Haakan has spent over 15 years of his professional career in the automotive industry. He is certified as a service advisor, parts specialist and technician. His automotive journey began working as a general services technician at a local tire franchise in High School. Haakan worked at a European specialist shop as well as some "All Makes" independent and franchise shops. He graduated High School and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Communication at Hamline University. Haakan has a unique perspective on the industry as someone who has held many different roles in the field. His experience includes time as a technician, service advisor, service manager, repair shop (store) manager, parts manager, diagnostic specialist and trainer. Haakan also spent over 5 years working for Identifix in several roles: Bosch technical hotline, training, taking hotline calls and providing support to the other hotline staff as an information resource specialist. He also worked at Garage Gurus as a Technical Product Specialist and Trainer. His passions include using advanced diagnostic equipment such as an oscilloscope and thermal imager. He started the Automotive Technician Roundtable Event which is held roughly 2x a month over Google Meet and designed to help technicians of ALL levels share and learn through case studies. He also has his own website: shotgundiagnostics.org where you can view previous sessions of the roundtable. Haakan loves tra
Certifications: • ASE-Certified Master Technician • ASE Advanced Level Specialist • ASE-Certified Undercar Specialist • ASE-Certified Medium/Heavy Truck Mechanic • ASE-Certified Collision Repair Technician • ASE-Certified Parts Consultant • ASE-Certified Service Consultant • Master Certified Worldwide Trainer for Volkswagen Corporation  • High Voltage Certified Technician • Certified Vehicle Fire and Explosion Investigator Bio: Bill has spent his entire career in the automotive industry, from building and racing cars and trucks as a teenager to beginning his professional career at a Ford dealership in the parts department while still in high school. After a short stint there, his desire to wrench took over and he moved into the service department. Since that time, he has performed nearly every service department role imaginable, including body shop roles and even classic car restoration.Â
Darren McLea graduated from San Diego State University and quickly returned home to Santa Rosa to build his family tire and automotive business into a world-class commitment-based company. 15 years later, he sold the company to AAA and signed on with the Molloy team as a Business Development Consultant working with clients on all areas of their business. During his career he has performed every duty and worked every position possible within his own tire and automotive business at McLea’s Tire and Automotive, served as a member of Board of Directors for the Independent Tire Dealer Group; was the Director of Automotive Repair for AAA NCNU; a top performer and contributor to the DSP 20 Group; and served as the founder and Inaugural Chairperson for ITDG Next-Gen. His commitment, his mission, his purpose is to help people. Help them do what? Exceed their wildest dreams – and have a ton o’ fun along the way.
John began helping work on the family cars when he was young, and by the time he was 13 he received a Craftsman Mechanic’s tool set for Christmas. John graduated from NC State with a degree in Technology Education and then worked as a technician and service advisor at Pep Boys, and at a multi-franchise dealership. He began teaching high school automotive in 2007, and then moved to Wake Tech in 2015. John has taken on the Hybrid and EV content because he enjoys the challenge of learning new technologies. He has taken OEM and aftermarket training at every chance he was able. John has all the A1-A9 ASE certifications, and added L1, L2, L3, and L4 over the past few years.
Tony Mercury is the Vice President of Revenue for Autoshop Solutions. He's been helping shop owners market their businesses since 2015. He works closely with all internal teams to make sure we are offering the best solutions and marketing for our clients. If you call his desk phone he’s probably not in the office, odds are he’s traveling for a trade show, conference, or business meeting. He is also an active member of ACA and previously YANG, and fun fact – he has owned over 25 cars!
Rich Camacho, CEO, Blue Recruit
Although a graduate of West Point, Rich will always say Roll Tide! Cattle ranching and military
service runs in the blood of Rich’s family. Thus, he followed in the family footprints and served
in the Army as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot. Following his military service, Rich helped fellow
Veterans make the transition into corporate America.
While helping many of America’s top companies, he recognized that the recruiting industry
largely ignores the need of blue-collar workers and employers desperate for their talent. Rich
knew our nation’s great workers and companies needed a solution to our nation’s growing
talent drought, and this inspired him to lead the team at BlueRecruit.
Rich lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his wife, son, and daughter.
Dan Molloy is President and CEO of Molloy Business Development. Dan has been in the industry for 25 years and was a partner in Procare Automotive, a chain of 104 stores. He started Molloy Business Development business full time in 2001 and works with clients nationwide. Along the way Dan has created The Language of Commitment Philosophy for business owners, Power Sales Training and the SalesMaxPlus software, which analyzes and reports on sales calls, all of which are designed to help dealers improve the way their company operates. All Molloy Business Development services are focused on improving communications skills for all employees and transforming businesses into commitment-based organizations. Dan has a book out titled “The Language of Commitment.”
Starting out his career working all makes and models in 2006. He quickly chose to narrow his focus to the BMW carline. Justin joined LMV Bavarian early on as a member and after 10 years as a member & student he eventually came on board as Level 1 Tech Support in 2019. Justin brings with him a unique 17 year experience from the independent world, where he continues to stay active in online tech support, hands on repair of BMW's, and providing training for the aftermarket repair trade. He currently carries ASE CMAT, L1, & L3..
Jim recently retired as an Advanced Engine Performance instructor at a Post Secondary Trade School in Pa for over 21 years and now Happily Semi Retired, Living in SW Florida. He owns and operate Morton's Automotive Technical Services (MATS), which offers training for working technicians. Jim was selected by Import Service magazine as one of the top Independent Trainers. With more than 50 years in the industry as a technician, shop owner and trainer and awarded Educator of the Year at Vision Hi-Tech Training in 2018. Morton has been a requested presenter at National Training expos, including NACAT, CARS, TST Big Event, KC Vision, Automechanika and ASA. Jim has written diagnostic procedure articles for Motorage, Import Service and ASA Auto Inc magazines. Morton has contributed many diagnostic procedures and information to authors of training manuals including Jim Halderman's well respected Advanced Engine Performance manual. Morton has held ASE Master Tech, L1, C1, G1 and A9 certifications for more than 35 years and is a member of CAAT ,ASA, IATN and NACAT.
Jim recently retired as an Advanced Engine Performance instructor at a Post Secondary Trade School in Pa for over 21 years and now Happily Semi Retired, Living in SW Florida. He owns and operate Morton's Automotive Technical Services (MATS), which offers training for working technicians. Jim was selected by Import Service magazine as one of the top Independent Trainers. With more than 50 years in the industry as a technician, shop owner and trainer and awarded Educator of the Year at Vision Hi-Tech Training in 2018. Morton has been a requested presenter at National Training expos, including NACAT, CARS, TST Big Event, KC Vision, Automechanika and ASA. Jim has written diagnostic procedure articles for Motorage, Import Service and ASA Auto Inc magazines. Morton has contributed many diagnostic procedures and information to authors of training manuals including Jim Halderman's well respected Advanced Engine Performance manual. Morton has held ASE Master Tech, L1, C1, G1 and A9 certifications for more than 35 years and is a member of CAAT ,ASA, IATN and NACAT.
With over 40 years of automotive industry experience, Maylan Newton has literally been there and done that. From shop owner, technician, service advisor to one of the most renown industry trainers and speakers in the country. Maylan combines his real-world experience with profit building take-a-ways in a humorous and engaging manner that only Maylan can deliver.
As the president and CEO of ESI seminars for the past 20 years, Maylan travels the country, sharing the keys to being successful in the automotive repair industry in his sold out classes.
Maylan is also the author of The Joy of Hiring available now on Amazon.com or where great business books are sold.
Kieran O'Brien is the 23-year-old founder of Shopgenie, an all-in-one auto repair marketing platform. He is also the owner of the "Auto Shop Owners Hangout" Facebook group. Kieran is an industry leader in empowering auto shop owners to succeed in the digital landscape. Kieran has spent most of his career in and around auto repair shops, his first job in high school was working as an intern at a local auto repair shop in his hometown of Chantilly, Virginia.
Randy is the owner/principal of Dealer to Dealer (D2D) Development Group (formerly MTD TEN & DSP20 Group) helping members improve their bottom lines and guiding Independents to be best-in-class operators. Randy is an industry veteran & strategic specialist with a talent for analyzing and improving process and procedure. He's been successful throughout his career working with industry players such as Colony Tire, American Tire Distributors (Tire Pros), Big Brand Tire & DSP 20 Group. All of his roles add up to a breadth of experience that define him as a solid solutions influencer driving long term profitability.
Craig O'Neill
From a young age, the family transmission shop provided Craig O’Neill with priceless experience in a variety of roles. With his greatest interest being in technology, Craig was always looking for ways to make a difference in his family’s business. By leveraging simple solutions such as DVI and texting he quickly recognized the positive influence digital systems played in enhancing both sales and client satisfaction. In 2018, he joined the Autoflow team and has developed training processes to support shops of all sizes as they launch digital systems. Craig and his team share a vision to promote the auto repair industry’s professional image through technology and excellence in communication.
Keith Perkins has been in the industry over 18 years, serving in various capacities, including; engine machinist and assembler, dyno tuner, diagnostic technician, instructor, technical information specialist, and many more roles through the years. Keith currently holds the title of ASE Master Certified L1 Technician, holding ASE certifications: A1-A9, L1, L4, X1, P2, xEV Level 2 and various other industry certifications, he also serves as a Subject Matter Expert for the ASE A1, L1 and L4 test. Keith enjoys spending time with his wife of 15 years, and 2 daughters in his off time. His favorite non automotive activity is skydiving where he has over 25 jumps!
Isaac is an alternative fueled vehicle, and automotive module specialist. Starting his automotive career with bio-diesel conversions on Mercedes and Honda Civic Hybrid in high school, Isaac's passion for alternative fuels led to an electrifying career! Isaac currently operates Auto Rescue Tools, an automotive scan tool and diagnostic equipment supplier. Isaac is the training manager for WTI's Alternative Fuels Program, including xEV and Fuel Cell Vehicles.
Stuart Schuette is President and Chief Executive Officer of American Tire Distributors (ATD), located in Huntersville, North Carolina. Since joining ATD in January 2016, he has led the company’s three-year transformation to becoming the most connected and insightful automotive solutions provider. Through a customer-centric focus, Stuart has enabled ATD to help customers and manufacturer partners prepare for the future through an unrivaled network of sales specialists, a rapid distribution network, industry-leading digital platforms and a variety of advanced analytics tools. Prior to joining ATD, Stuart held a variety of executive sales, finance and operations positions at US Foods.
Mark Seawell has been training Service Advisors, Leaders, Managers, and Salespeople for more than 20 years. His unique approach brings education and entertainment together, as Mark believes that learning should be fun. Mark is currently The Director of Training, Development Coach, Trainer and Facilitator with the Institute for Automotive Business Excellence.
Mark has been a Successful Technician, Service Advisor, Manager, Trainer and Business Owner. Mark’s goal is to show you how to learn, lead, manage and grow as an individual in the Automotive Aftermarket.
Whether you are new to the industry or you’re a seasoned professional, Mark can show you something that you can do to maximize your potential.
Personal Mission Statement
To help maintain or improve the level of professionalism amongst today’s diagnosticians and to help grow the number of competent diagnosticians of tomorrow.
Professional Background
-GM ASEP Certified Technician
-SATURN certified Master Technician
-Honda Factory Certified Master Technician
-Certified Master Hybrid Technician
-Diagnostic technician in multiple shop locations around the country
-Training instructor
-Training Curriculum Development
Certifications
-ASE CMAT A1- A9
-ASE C1 Service Consultant
-ASE L1, L2, L3, L4 Advanced Level Specialist
-xEV Electrical Safety
Professional Accomplishments
Brandon began his career at Northampton County Community College in Bethlehem, PA. There, he was a student of GM’s Automotive Service Educational program. In 2001, he graduated top of his class and earned the GM Leadership award for his efforts. He later began working as a technician at a Saturn dealership in Reading, PA where he quickly attained Master Technician status. He later transitioned to working with Hondas where he aggressively worked to attain another Master Technician status.
Always having a passion for a full understanding of system/component functionality, he rapidly earned a reputation for deciphe
Aaron Stokes has been in the automotive industry since 1999 and owns 9 shops (and growing) in the Middle Tennessee Area. Aaron started Shop Fix Academy after he and his repair shops hit an unexpected and extremely challenging set of obstacles. He almost lost everything but was able to find a way through it all. Soon after, other shop owners began seeking his advice. It was clear he was operating his shops with a level of expertise that matched what they needed. Eventually, Aaron created a course teaching what he learned, and thus Shop Fix Academy was born. Little did he know coaching a handful of shop owners would eventually turn into coaching hundreds of owners in and out of the country, with topics that range from training their technicians, training their service advisors, managing high level financials, and becoming better business owners, leaders, and happier people.
Seth Thorson, has specialized in the service of European vehicles since 1999. Eurotech is a St. Paul, Minn. based shop t with 4 locations that specializes in BMW, Mercedes Audi and Tesla cars. He also runs a BMW tech support company called LMV Bavarian that provides support and programming to over 200 shops via remote diagnostics
Duane Throckmorton has 30+ years experience. He is a ASE Certified Master Technician, L1. He has been a shop owner for 3 years and specializes in Driveability Diagnostics.
Derick Van Ness is a Tax & Wealth Strategist for Auto Shop Owners, Doctors/Dentists, and other small business owners who are great at what they do, but not as well versed in the intricacies of taxes and building wealth. He has an uncanny ability to make complex topics easy to grasp and his clients constantly appreciate his ability understand the unique needs of being an entrepreneur.
Derick is passionate about helping people get the “money game” figured out so they can begin living their BIGGEST LIFE as soon as possible. He deeply believes each person has something unique and valuable to contribute to the world and his mission is to eradicate money as a barrier to his clients creating a life they adore.
His team at Big Life Financial uses little know tax and financial strategies to help clients drastically and legally reduce their taxes and build “money systems” to ensure they build wealth quickly and safely. The combination of the two can create exponential results and the confidence that goes along with having a true plan and knowing how to execute it!
In his free time Derick loves racing sail boats, creating art, west coast swing dancing, and traveling with his wife Jacqui! He currently lives between Saratoga Springs UT and San Diego CA after spending 20 years living all across the US including Washington DC, Brooklyn, Texas and Los Angeles.
Dan Vance is an accomplished entrepreneur and marketing expert known for his visionary leadership in the digital marketing industry. As the CO and Founder of Advanced Local, a marketing agency specializing in serving the independent auto repair industry, Vance has spearheaded the growth and success of the company, establishing it as a dominant force within its niche.
Ira Waldman is the diagnostic tech/owner at Mallue Automotive in Manasquan, NJ. His primary responsibilities are to diagnose driveability and electrical/electronic issues. Additionally he performs all programming, coding, initializing, adoptions, used module solutions and training. He has been in the automotive field for over 40 years. In 1998 he became an automotive instructor and hotline troubleshooter for automotive service technicians with a nationally known training provider, MEA. This is where he learned how to create, develop and deliver automotive training courses. Ira has worked with technicians, of all skill levels, servicing both foreign and domestic vehicles. Through all of this, he continued to diagnose and repair vehicles over the phone and in person. This has given Ira a vast knowledge of vehicles from all makes and models. Ira is a certified instructor for Emission Repair and Inspector licensing in New Jersey. He is also an ASE Certified Master Technician with L1. Ira has instructed at Vision Hi-Tech Training and Expo and ATE training expo, along with running local classes for technicians in his area.
KIM WALKER
Born to connect, teach and serve, Kim is one of the lucky ones who gets to put her life purpose into action while working. Her career roots of being a teacher and school counselor fit perfectly into her role at Shop Marketing Pros. As Co-Owner of the company, Kim enjoys pairing her experiences as a past automotive repair shop owner with her marketing for repair shops. She loves teaching, connecting and serving each shop as if it were her own. Kim is a Master Certified Solution Provider in Email Marketing with Constant Contact, was a StoryBrand Certified Guide and actively involved in numerous civic, professional and community organizations.
BRIAN WALKER
Brian Walker is the Owner and CEO of Shop Marketing Pros, a marketing agency specializing in marketing independently owned auto repair shops. Brian is a Mercedes Benz Master Technician and has owned multiple shops and served as the Mechanical Division Director for ASA-NC.
He's a mechanic at heart who loves fixing things that are broken which is why he loves marketing so much. Digging in and figuring out why a business' marketing isn't working is a lot like it was when he was elbows deep into a car that no one else could fix. When you figure it out, there's nothing else like it. To get to do this for auto repair
Brian Walker is the Owner and CEO of Shop Marketing Pros, a marketing agency specializing in marketing independently owned auto repair shops. Brian is a Mercedes Benz Master Technician and has owned multiple shops and served as the Mechanical Division Director for ASA-NC.
He's a mechanic at heart who loves fixing things that are broken which is why he loves marketing so much. Digging in and figuring out why a business' marketing isn't working is a lot like it was when he was elbows deep into a car that no one else could fix. When you figure it out, there's nothing else like it. To get to do this for auto repair
Eric has always believed in proper training and education, so he started his career in the automotive industry with achieving an Associate Degree in Automotive Technology from Universal Technology Institute. He continued his path with completing the program in BMW Service Technician Education Program (STEP) and receiving a BMW Master Certification.
With being a technician for more than 30 years and currently in business for over 18 years as the owner of Walker Automotive, he knows the challenges that businesses and technicians must go through to diagnose cars today.
His love of the automotive industry and passion for education is his drive to share his knowledge and experience.
ASE Master Technician (25 Years)
ASE L1 Advance Engine Performance
ASE L3 -Hybrid Certified
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Kim Walker
Born to connect, teach and serve, Kim is one of the lucky ones who gets to put her life purpose into action while working. Her career roots of being a teacher and school counselor fit perfectly into her role at Shop Marketing Pros. As Co-Owner of the company, Kim enjoys pairing her experiences as a past automotive repair shop owner with her marketing for repair shops. She loves teaching, connecting and serving each shop as if it were her own. Kim is a Master Certified Solution Provider in Email Marketing with Constant Contact, was a StoryBrand Certified Guide and actively involved in numerous civic, professional and community organizations.
Kent Bullard
Kent manages operations for the Institute for Automotive Business Excellence, contributing to creative projects as much as possible. He practices minimalism in his personal and professional life, believing in finding meaning in our experiences. As an expert in gamification, he provides insight and consultation on training, business practices, and lifestyle changes. Kent was paramount to building the industries leading educational platform
PJ started his career after attending Forbes Road Career & Technology Center in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. After graduating in 2005, he started working as a technician at a Saturn dealership for 2 years before transitioning to a Toyota dealership in 2007. He quickly became an ASE certified Master technician as well as obtaining certifications Advanced Engine Performance, Light Duty Hybrid/Electric Vehicles and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems through ASE as well. He later became a Toyota Master Diagnostic technician, holding the highest certification offered by Toyota, and got selected into the Toyota Quality Champions program.
Today he is an instructor for WorldPac Training Institute while getting to share his love and passion for the industry with technicians across the country. PJ also started his own mobile programming and diagnostic business providing assistance to independent shops who are having trouble diagnosing difficult vehicles.
As the advertising director at Shop Marketing Pros, Hallie is directly responsible for curating successful digital advertising campaigns on various platforms such as Facebook and Google. In addition to this, she leads the messaging team in the production and management of their client's online advertising. Hallie has a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing, a Google Ad Search Certification, a Google Shopping Certification, and has focused her work experience specifically on digital marketing. She works hard to capture each client's "voice" and build upon that to help their businesses thrive.
[10:24 AM] Jessee Potter
Rick White is a business turnaround and exponential growth expert who helps auto repair shop owners go from struggling to stay open to being recognized as the go-to shops in their market. He helps business owners with average shops transform their shops into the shop of the year in the industry.
Currently, Rick is President of 180BIZ, an auto repair shop training and business coaching company proudly serving the independent auto and truck repair shop owner since 2006. He has also owned multiple successful auto repair shops over the years.
Rick has taught at some of the biggest conferences in the industry across North America, including classes at AAPEX (NV), VISION (KS), ASTE (NC), ATSE (NY), ASA National, and AASP National. Beyond Associations, he has conducted training classes for WorldPac and BG. He has been published many times over the years for publications like Automotive Management Network, Aftermarket Weekly, Ratchet and Wrench, Motor Age, and Autobody News.
Becky Witt has experience working service and parts in dealerships. She has owned her own repair shop for over 28 years and works the front counter every day. She’s developed many shop management classes and is one of the most entertaining and effective presenters in the Industry. She throws donuts.