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In Episode #45 of Technician.Academy’s podcast series, guest Bruce McDowell discusses changes in the automotive repair industry and what his contributions to the Technician.Academy blog have been. McDowell is an ASE Certified Service Advisor for Garber Diesel Service in Versailles, MO. He is the featured author of Technician.Academy’s Service Adviser Desk that assists service advisors, and he is also working on a featured 10-part blog series called “Not Your Grandfather’s Garage”. In the podcast, host Shawn Collins and McDowell talk about the idea of perception is reality, the potential negative reputation of the automotive industry, automotive industry innovations, and more. Tune in now to hear from Bruce McDowell.

Episode #44 of Technician.Academy’s podcast series provides an energetic discussion with the 2018 Automotive Technology Outstanding Student award recipient, Jaxen Stewart. Stewart is in his third year at Pittsburgh State University. He grew up immersed in the automotive repair industry since his grandfather owned a NAPA store, and he started working there at a very young age, alongside his father and grandfather. The podcast highlights Stewart’s passion for the automotive industry, his opinions on what value the trained technician brings to the table, as well as his goals and expectations for the future of the industry. Tune in now.

Episode #43 of Technician.Academy’s podcast delivers a rich conversation with technical training expert Chris Chesney.

Episode #42 of Technician.Academy’s podcast series provides an in-depth discussion with automotive industry expert Ron Haugen. Haugen is the owner of the 14-bay facility Westside Auto Pros in Des Moines, IA, a shop recently honored by Ratchet+Wrench for being one of the top 20 repair facilities in the country. In the podcast, Haugen discusses the value of having exceptional employees and how important it is to take care of your customers. He also discusses his shop’s history and what the future may hold for both Haugen and Westside Auto Pros.

In Episode #41 of Technician.Academy’s podcast series, Top Alcohol driver Megan Meyer of Randy Meyer Racing and Megan Meyer Racing hops on the mic to talk about her team’s success in 2018, what can be expected for the 2019 season, and a whole lot more.

Episode #40 of Technician.Academy’s podcast series provides an expansive discussion with automotive industry expert Donny Seyfer. Seyfer is a contributing editor to Babcox Publications and a contributor to Autobody Repair News, MotorAGE, and AutoInc. Magazine. Seyfer is also a co-owner of Seyfer Automotive Inc. in Wheat Ridge, Colorado and is an integral member of multiple automotive boards and foundations, including the National Automotive Technician’s Education Foundation (NATEF) Board of Governors and the National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF). The podcast provides a lot of insight into Seyfer’s involvement in the industry and the need for automotive education programs that focus on the strengths of tactile learners. Seyfer also discusses how important it is to show future technicians a career path. Tune in now.

In episode #39 of Technician.Academy’s podcast series, shop owner Jeff Buckley discusses training and how the automotive repair industry is represented in society. Buckley owns My Father’s Shop Certified Automotive Repair in Midlothian, Texas. He is an active member in community organizations and has been instrumental in connecting prospective employees at the high school level with skilled trade industries in the area. Buckley may be the only technician working at his shop, but he understands the value of having trained technicians in the bay and how important it is to recruit quality employees. Tune in now to hear more.

Episode #38 of Technician.Academy’s podcast series delivers an intelligent discussion with John Gardner, host of Tech Garage and Motorhead Garage. On top of hosting the two Velocity channel programs and Advance Auto Parts Automotive System Training, Gardner is an automotive instructor at Chipola College in Marianna, FL. Gardner and Technician.Academy host Richard Young discuss how differently students learn today than they had even five years ago and how the automotive industry will have to adapt and change in order to attract new talent. Tune in now to learn more about Chipola College, the two TV programs Gardner hosts, and what Gardner thinks the future of the automotive repair industry will hold.

In Episode #37 of Technician.Academy’s podcast series, host Richard Young and guest Brandon Steckler discuss technician training and how to reach the new generation of technicians entering the industry. Steckler is an experienced technician who writes for MotorAGE Magazine, conducts beta testing for Automotive Test Solutions, teaches for CarQuest Technical Institute and WORLDPAC, INC., and develops curriculum/submits case studies for other training companies. Steckler brings his industry expertise to the discussion and offers his opinions and solutions to various industry-specific problems, such as technician shortages, recruiting quality employees, training older technicians, and more. Tune in now.

In Episode #36 of Technician.Academy’s podcast series, Summer Miller returns to the mic to discuss where she’s been since her first Technician.Academy podcast appearance after winning a 2016 Women in Auto Care Scholarship. In this podcast, Miller describes the impact scholarships can have on future technicians and how important it is for students to have financial stability to excel in their programs. Miller and host Richard Young also discuss how valuable it is for students to have mentors in the automotive industry. Tune in now to hear more from Summer Miller.

In Episode #35 of Technician.Academy’s podcast series, guests Audra Fordin and Julia Lee stress the value of developing your own technicians in today’s repair shops and how important it is to pursue an automotive career if you have a passion for the industry. Audra is the owner of Great Bear Auto Repair and Auto Body Shop in Flushing, NY and is also the founder of Women Auto Know, a resource that educates drivers and strives to improve the overall perception of the automotive industry. Julia also works at Great Bear where she started as a service writer, has since spent some time in the bay, and is currently moving into management. Tune in now to hear more from these two industry experts.

In Episode #34 of Technician.Academy’s podcast series, shop owner and technician, Rusty Flake, gives advice to young people who are interested in the automotive repair industry and explains different career paths that a student can take within the automotive industry. Rusty Flake is the owner of Advanced Automotive Diagnostics & Repair in Whitland, IN, and has been working in auto repair for 35 years. He is invested in the future of the automotive repair industry and recognizes that there are technician shortages and other issues occurring in the industry. He offers his thoughts on how these problems can be remedied. Tune in now.

The 33rd episode of Technician.Academy’s podcast provides an enlightening discussion with guest Matt Fanslow, the Diagnostic Technician/Shop Manager at Riverside Automotive in Red Wing, Minnesota. Fanslow specializes in providing advanced Digital Storage Oscilloscope (DSO) training to current technicians and desires to do everything in his power to improve the overall image and professionalism of the automotive repair industry. In the podcast, Fanslow and host Richard Young discuss the current shortage of automotive technicians and the value of providing visual career paths for the technicians of tomorrow. Tune in today.

In episode #32 of Technician.Academy’s podcast, guests Jon Ross, Adam Karch, and David Charney provide insight into the automotive programs at Parkland College and the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow teams associated with the institution. The three are instructors at Parkland and discuss the two different paths that an automotive student can take once enrolled at the college. Karch and Charney are also coaches for the two Hot Rodders of Tomorrow competition teams that are sponsored by Parkland College, which are comprised of high school students enrolled in Parkland’s duel credit curriculum. On top of discussions about Parkland College initiatives, they chat about the benefits of introducing sabbaticals and what value trained technicians bring to an industry that increasingly needs more talent. Tune in today.

In the 31st episode of Technician.Academy’s podcast, host Richard Young invites shop owner Dan Williford to discuss the issue of trained personal shortages and how the automotive industry can attract new talent. Williford grew up in the automotive industry and now owns Pinnacle Automotive, a six-bay repair shop in Holly Springs, North Carolina. He truly believes in the value of treating each customer with respect and understands the importance of building and retaining trust between the shop and customer and how it directly impacts the success of the shop. Tune in today.

In Episode #30 of Technician.Academy’s podcast series, Richard Young talks with the 2017 Women in Auto Care’s Female Shop Owner of the Year award recipient, Carolyn Coquillette. Coquillette is the owner of Luscious Garage in San Francisco, CA and is also the Founder and CEO of Shop-Ware. In this episode, Coquillette discusses her history in the automotive industry, what her goals as a shop owner are, and some of the things she enjoys most about the industry. Coquillette also explains the importance of properly trained technicians in the bay and the value of shop owners in auto repair. Tune in now.

In the 29th episode of Technician.Academy’s podcast series, Richard Young talks with Founder and CEO of SI AutoPro, Jorge Antico. Antico was a 10-bay auto center owner for four years and recognized a need for shops to develop competitive advantages and provide superior consumer service experiences to its customers. Antico founded his software company in 1999 to give customers accurate assessments of their service needs and serve automotive shops in a number of different ways. In the podcast, Antico discusses his product ServiceIntelligence in detail, explaining how it provides ultra-accurate sales information, increases a shop’s car count, and deepens customer loyalty. Tune in now to hear more from SI AutoPro’s Jorge Antico.

Episode #28 of Technician.Academy’s podcast series provides an enthusiastic conversation with Suffolk Community College student, Antoinette Jackson. Jackson is a recipient of the 2017 Women in Auto Care Scholarship and will be graduating in May 2018 with an Automotive Technology Associates degree. Podcast host Richard Young and Antoinette Jackson discuss Jackson’s decision to delve into the automotive world and what her value as a female technician is and will be. Jackson explains what future innovations and changes she sees the automotive industry undergoing, and she expresses her desire to build a legacy in the automotive industry in the coming years. Tune into Episode #28 today.

The 27th episode of Technician.Academy’s podcast series provides an enlightening discussion with the President and GM of MotoRad America, Matt Buchholz. Buchholz had humble beginnings in the automotive industry, starting as a lube technician then transitioning to the bay where he accumulated eleven ASE’s and Master Technician status. Buchholz grew as an industry thought leader and arrived where he is today at MotoRad America. In the podcast, Buchholz expresses his passion for people and the importance of managing individuals uniquely, as everyone is hardwired in different ways. Buchholz also discusses the current shortage of skilled workers in the United States, why he thinks this has become a problem, what we can do to alleviate the issue, and more. Tune in today.

In Episode #26 of Technician.Academy’s podcast series, podcast guest Jake Tully, winner of the 2017 ASE Technician of the Future Award, discusses why he decided to dive into the automotive industry in the first place and what his thoughts are on the future of the industry and his career. Tully attended Universal Technical Institute (UTI) from 2016-2017 and has received multiple awards in the years since his graduation from high school, including over a dozen Director’s List awards and ten Student of the Course awards at UTI. Tully recently accepted an auto tech position for the BMW Store in Cincinnati, OH and brings a lot of youth and excitement to this podcast. Tune in today.