Fall 2015 IssueA NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE SERVICE SPECIALISTS ASSOCIATION

Is it time to warm up to natural gas?

Natural gas powers over 150,000 vehicles in the United States and over 15 million vehicles worldwide. Every indication is that in the years ahead the number will increase. When a truck sports a message like the one pictured above, it’s good corporate PR. But there’s more be-hind this trend than just public relations.

The Chicago Department of Transporta-tion’s (CDOT) Drive Clean Chicago program provides vouchers and grants to fund the pur-chase and conversion of qualified fleet ve-hicles and fueling infrastructure. And that’s just one example of the many incentives being offered by federal, state and city governments to promote the use of natural gas and other al-termative fuels.

If you haven’t seen CNG vehicles in your shop yet, the odds are that you will before long. Are you ready for them?

“Options to Make Your Service Facility NGV Friendly”Stephen Yborra will be speaking to the group assembled in Austin about how you can pre-pare your shop for handling natural gas vehi-cles. His talk is titled “Options to Make Your Service Facility NGV Friendly”, and rest as-sured, he knows his subject.

Stephe leads Yborra & Associates, a natural gas energy technologies commercialization and market development consultancy, apply-ing over 35 years of sales, marketing and busi-ness development experience to help clients achieve their goals.

His educational workshops, speaking en-gagements at national fleet oriented events, authoritative articles in trade publications, national accounts work and other industry-leading market development initiatives have earned him worldwide recognition as a top NGV expert.

Stephen Yborra is scheduled to speak on Friday afternoon (Oct 16) on how to

make your shop NVG friendly. If

you haven’t reg-istered for the Austin conven-tion yet, there’s

still time.

Time Is Running OutYou can still register

for the SSA 2015 Convention in Austin ... if you hurry.

There are so many good events planned for this year’s convention in Austin. You really don’t want to miss any of it.

If you haven’t registered yet, quickly go over to the SSA website at ...

www.truckservice.org... to download your registration form.

You’ll find links right on the home page for shop registration forms and supplier registra-tion forms.

There’s also a link to the hotel where you can make your reservations until September 22. Or you can call the hotel directly at 1-800-468-3571. Be sure that you tell them you are with the Service Specialists Association. We have heard reports that space at the hotel is limited so please don’t waste any time. Make your arrangements right now, before you read another article in this issue of the LEAF.

This issue of our newsletter is devoted to the programs and activities you’ll enjoy in Austin, and we hope you’ll find plenty to entice you. But don’t forget that the greatest benefit our members always get from belonging to the as-sociation is ... well ... the association.

At each convention, you have the opportu-nity to meet with your peers, people who have had to overcome many of the same obstacles that you face. Historically, SSA members have been extremely generous about sharing their knowledge and experience with each other.

Are you facing regulatory issues? Are you struggling with staffing challenges? Are new technologies becoming hurdles for you to overcome? Talk if over with other members in the relaxed setting of the Renaissance Austin Hotel or on the golf course. You’ll find that others are facing the same issues and willing to discuss how they’ve addressed them.

We hope to see everyone there.

A NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE SERVICE SPECIALISTS ASSOCIATION

What Do Shop Owners Do To Sabotage Their

Business?Bob Greenwood

Featured Speaker in Austin

Here are some very common causes I have no-ticed over my ca-reer as to WHY shops fail. Con-sider each one and if you are guilty, step back and re-ally concentrate on taking the time to correct it.

Start without proper prepara-tion: If management starts without a clear path and plan in front of them, they will end up lost and confused which also ends up having the shop team lost and confused as to the direction the business is going and how it will get there.

Attempt too much: Attempting too much at once means management creates stacks of “clut-ter” throughout the business. This steals manage-ment’s energy, destroys their focus and weakens their ability to move the business forward.

Bettering management’s abilities loses its priority: When management is so busy being busy that there is no time left for developing skills and on-going personal improvement, management will find themselves lost in a world of circles. Business and self-improve-ment of personal skills MUST be an everyday commitment. Never stop learning; it should be a daily experience.

Management organization is pitiful at best: The busier management gets, the less time management finds for the attention to the little things that keeps the business flowing in a pro-ductive process. Management spends way too much time working “in” the business instead of “on” the business. They were afraid to del-egate to free up management’s time and trust the people they asked to join their business.

Address the wrong issues: Addressing the wrong issues, those that feed management‘s con-fusion about the business, just takes management further away from improving the business. Learn and understand what the right issues are that must be addressed in your business.

Emotionally react when their business is out of control: Every time management “reacts”, they are viewing their business from their emotions up. The result is their inability to see the path that is there to take them and their business forward.

Ladies and gentlemen of the aftermarket, we are in control of our own destiny. Don’t al-low the above points to take away the incred-ible future that’s in front of you. You are much better than that.

Don’t Forget To Bring Your HomeworkBob Greenwood’s seminars are going to re-veal some fascinating business insights that will help you to make your shop more profit-

able. But to get the most benefit from the pro-gram, every attendee is encouraged to bring the following six items.

1. Every student must have a portable cal-culator.

2. Bring the number of work-orders/repair-orders written for the previous year.

3. Bring the total labor dollars sold for the last full year. (For maintenance and diag-nostic if broken out)

4. Bring the total dollar of parts sales bro-ken out into aftermarket and OE dealer parts for the past year if possible.

5. Also to bring 5 completed repair-orders sampling 5 different types of completed jobs.

6. Your Last Year’s Formal Financial State-ment prepared by your Accountant for personal use only.

Tire Safety Comes to Austin

On Friday, a representative from the TIA (Tire Industry Association) will join us to present a one-hour seminar on shop tire safety.

The proper handling of tires during the en-tire process of removal and replacement is extremely important in the shop environment. A truck tire under pressure is literally a bomb and extreme caution is required. You won’t want to miss this presentation.

Inland Truck Parts Shop Tour

Saturday morning, you’ll have the chance to tour the Austin branch of Inland Truck Parts. Austin is just one of 28 cities where Inland has a facility. This employee-owned company was established in 1944 and continues to thrive throughout the central states.

Come and join the tour on Saturday.

A NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE SERVICE SPECIALISTS ASSOCIATION

2015 SSA Convention ITINERARY

Wednesday, Oct 14 (for early arrivals)10:00 am Golf

6:00 pm Pool Side Reception

Thursday, Oct 158:00 am Greeting/Introductions8:30 am Bob Greenwood

Automotive Management Institute10:00 am Break10:30 am Bob Greenwood

Automotive Management Institute12:00 noon Lunch

1:00 pm Focus Groups 1&2 (exhibits open till 3:30 pm)

2:00 pm Focus Groups 3&4 Wabco Toolbox Presentation

3:00 pm Break3:30 pm Roundtables4:30 pm Roundtable Reports6:00 pm Reception

Friday, Oct 168:00 am Bob Greenwood

Automotive Management Institute10:00 am Break10:30 am Bob Greenwood

Automotive Management Institute12:00 noon Lunch

1:00 pm Shop Safety LNG/CNG

2:00 pm Shop Tire Safety (TIA)3:00 pm Break3:30 pm Member and Supplier Meetings4:30 pm Report From Meetings6:00 pm Reception and Banquet

Saturday, Oct 1710:00 am Inland Truck Parts Shop Tour

The Best of AustinWhen we’re not getting down to business at our lectures and seminars, the SSA board has picked out what may be the best of Austin for you to enjoy. Here’s the agenda ...

Wednesday’s Golf

This year’s golf outing will begin at 11:30 on October 14 at the fabulous River Place Coun-try Club. The championship design, as well as one of Austin’s premier Hill Country settings, makes this golf course a truly spectacular gem.

Thursday’s Museum and Shopping

Thursday’s tour features the Texas State His-tory Museum which is filled with interactive displays and historical artifacts. If you want to learn the real history of Texas, this is the place to do it. And it’s right next to Congress Avenue, the main shopping street in Austin.

Friday’s GardenOn Friday, enjoy a tour of The Lady Bird John-son Wildflower Center. It’s a 279-acre botani-cal garden is filled with breathtaking views of native-plant landscaping, the best collection in Texas.

The Rest of AustinIf you’re planning on arriving early or staying late, there’s so much else to see in and around Austin. Just try one of these on for size.

The State Capital building is located on Congress Avenue between 11th and 14th streets. It’s open Monday through Friday from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm. Saturday and Sunday it’s open from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm.

The Driskill Hotel was built by a cattle bar-on for cattle barons. It’s Romanesque archi-tecture is every bit as AUSTINtatious as you could ever hope for. Located at 604 Brazos Street, it’s worth a drive by.

The Driskill HotelThe LBJ Presidential Library is located at

2313 Red River Street. If you’re a history buff, you’d better plan on spending some time there to investigate th 45 million pages of historical documents, 650,000 photos, one million feet of film, 2,000 oral histories, and 5,000 hours of recordings--including about 643 hours of recorded telephone conversations--from the public career of Lyndon Johnson and his close associates.

Mayfield Park Cottage and Gardens. If you didn’t get enough at the Lady Bird John-son Wildflower Center, then swing by 3505 West 35th street. Listed in the National Regis-ter of Historic Places, you’ll find it restful and highly photogenic. There are live peacocks roaming freely throughout the site so keep your cameras ready and ... please ... watch where you step.

The Museum of the Weird might not ap-peal to everyone, but after all, we’re talking about people who fix great big broken trucks for a living. If the shoe fits, cruise on over to 412 East 6th Street.

Don’t come packin’ wire cutters in Austin.

In the good old days, cowboys would cut barbed wire fences of property owners in or-der to allow their cattle herds to pass through. To prevent such behavior, the city of Austin passed an ordinance making it illegal to carry wire cutters in your pocket. It’s still on the books. Oh yes, and it’s also illegal to shoot a buffalo from the second story of a hotel. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

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A NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE SERVICE SPECIALISTS

ASSOCIATION

A NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE SERVICE SPECIALISTS ASSOCIATION

HDAW2016 will be held once again in Las Vegas at the Mirage Hotel and Conference Center from Monday, January 25 through Thursday, January 28, 2016.

If you’re planning on attending, you can register at their website ...

www.hdaw.orgThere, you will find details about this year’s

program which, among other things will fea-ture Dr. Frank Luntz of Luntz Global talking on the theme, “It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear.”

The changing of seasons is upon us, as we come to the end of summer we grasp the memories of warm weather and the enjoyment of nature. In nature the leaves are dropping and the flow-

ers are diminishing, but I do not like to look at this as the end. I prefer to look at it as if nature is shedding its old skin and being reborn and revitalized with a new bounty. In our industry some-times you have to shed our old layers to be rejuvenated and welcome the changes that the future holds. We have some exciting changes coming to the SSA. I can’t wait to talk about the fu-ture of our industry in Austin. Recent progress in the “Right to Repair” act has reinvigorated the aftermarket in-dustry. I am looking forward to the challenge of learning our new role as one of the leading associations in the aftermarket.

P.S. Also fall is the beginning of football. Go Bills!!

Matthew ThompsonSSA President

From the Desk of Matt Thompson