Bryan Kauffeld is a second-generation operator at Ulmer’s Auto Care Center, a family-owned automotive repair business with 11 locations across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. His father purchased the original two-bay service station in 1981.

Kauffeld joined the company after studying finance and management at Purdue University. He spent about 18 years at the counter in Anderson Township before moving into broader leadership. His experience growing an auto repair business now covers site selection, team development, and customer service across multiple locations.

In this episode…

Most shop operators begin a location search by looking for the busiest road. Ulmer’s starts with the number of households surrounding a property. Bryan Kauffeld looks for locations within walking or short driving distance of roughly 15,000 to 20,000 single-family homes.

Proximity makes auto repair more convenient, customers avoid fighting traffic, and each Ulmer’s location gains access to the car count already living nearby.

Convenience brings customers through the door, but service earns the return visit. Kauffeld focuses on memorable first and second visits because neighbors share their experiences and follow recommendations from people they trust.

Growing an auto repair business also requires leaders who can protect the customer experience without the owner at the counter. Ulmer’s managers and service advisors receive the authority to solve problems, keeping service consistent as the company adds locations.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[01:49] How a two-bay shop became the family business

[03:40] Why Bryan joined Ulmer’s and opened a second location

[06:43] How stepping away from the counter unlocked growth

[10:19] Why rooftops matter more than road traffic

[13:57] How memorable service creates neighborhood referrals

[17:46] Why employee support and autonomy reduce turnover

[23:36] Making “do the right thing” an operating principle

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Bryan Kauffeld on LinkedIn
• Ulmer’s Auto Care Center Website
• Tread Partners
• Gain Traction Podcast on YouTube
• Gain Traction Podcast Website
• Mike Edge on LinkedIn

Quotable Moments:

• “We like to be in the middle of a neighborhood.”
• “Neighbors tend to talk.”
• “We do what I think is an exceptional job of wowing customers, especially on their first and second visit.”
• “It doesn’t matter what that decision cost us.”
• “There’s plenty of room to grow here.”

Action Steps:

1. Transfer one owner-held decision. Choose a recurring front-counter decision and assign it to a manager tomorrow. Review the outcome without taking the authority back.
2. Give advisors customer-recovery authority. Write down the default: take care of the customer. Treat later reviews as coaching conversations rather than approval checkpoints.
3. Audit the first two visits. Review 10 recent new-customer repair orders. Identify where communication, transportation, or personal attention fell short, then correct one step this week.
4. Create a neighborhood location scorecard. Measure each prospective site by nearby single-family homes, neighborhood access, and customer convenience. Give passing traffic a supporting role rather than making it the entire strategy.
5. Protect front-counter continuity. Growing an auto repair business requires customers to trust more than the owner. Identify the advisor who already carries strong customer relationships and schedule a focused conversation about the support needed to keep that person.

Tannin Cash is the owner of Delta Tire, a five-location tire business in New Mexico with more than 50 employees. He entered the industry at 23 after purchasing his first shop with his brother while enrolled in an engineering program. His experience scaling a tire shop business includes owner-financed acquisitions, multi-store operations, and the development of tire-focused management software.

In this episode…

Delta Tire’s first two location deals came directly from owners who carried the financing. The first purchase followed an informal conversation with the shop owner. The second took eleven months of steady follow-up before Cash secured a lease with an option to buy. Relationships opened the door, while persistence and a strong service reputation moved each deal forward.

The harder problem surfaced as the company expanded. Cash and his brother launched ventures outside the shops, creating distractions that competed with the core operation. Adding more stores demanded tighter priorities and repeatable systems across every location.

That operating discipline matters as tire retail adopts new software and shop technology at a faster pace. Cash’s work with a tire-focused management platform turned new-location setup into a repeatable process and gave Delta Tire a consistent structure for continued growth.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[01:15] How Tannin Cash bought his first tire shop

[04:50] How Delta Tire grew from one location to five

[09:56] Why outside ventures distracted from tire shop growth

[12:05] How tire-focused software supports multi-location operations

[17:33] How SEMA connects technology, networking, and industry advocacy

[24:18] What tire shop owners learn from industry peers

[27:36] Why entrepreneurship can compete with a college education

[31:37] Why developing employees makes tire retail rewarding

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Tannin Cash on LinkedIn
• Delta Tire Website
• Tread Partners
• Gain Traction Podcast on YouTube
• Gain Traction Podcast Website
• Mike Edge on LinkedIn

Quotable Moments:

• “You need to do your best, so always do your best.”
• “We can’t win at everything all at once.”
• “This industry is usually slow to move, but I feel like in the last five years, the tire industry is moving so quickly.”
• “The customers of tire shops are the best customers.”
• “We’ve got more than 50 people that work for us, and I love getting to work with the people, seeing them develop, seeing them grow.”

Action Steps:

1. Create a 12-month acquisition follow-up list tomorrow. Record each owner’s contact details, property status, and next outreach date.
2. Ask sellers about owner-carried financing before assuming a bank-funded deal. Put the proposed down payment and repayment structure in writing.
3. Run a distraction audit with the leadership team. Pause one venture that takes attention from the shops without improving store performance.
4. Make scaling a tire shop business repeatable. Document the steps for launching a location inside the management system and assign one person to own the process.

Ron Ramy is the COO of Integrity 1st Car Pros, a bootstrapped automotive repair company operating 14 locations at the time of this conversation. He joined the company in 2020 when it had four locations, bringing experience in software, automation, data, and organizational growth from his earlier work at a real estate technology startup.

Ramy has worked across departments to understand how the business operates and where stronger systems are needed. His work on franchising an auto repair shop has centered on documenting processes, developing leaders, and creating an operating model that someone outside the automotive industry can learn within 90 days.

In this episode…

An auto repair business does not become scalable simply by opening more locations. Growth exposes undocumented decisions, inconsistent hiring practices, compensation plans that break at higher revenue levels, and daily operations that still depend on the owner. The work of franchising an auto repair shop forces those hidden dependencies onto paper.

Integrity 1st faced that pressure while converting its corporate-store experience into a franchise model. Recruiting shifted from judgment-based hiring to panel interviews, defined questions, checklists, and compensation ranges. Incentive plans also required redesign because structures built for stores producing $1 million to $1.5 million became unsustainable as revenue moved beyond $2 million.

The franchise process also changed how leadership received feedback. Franchisees brought questions that revealed missing procedures, while employees closest to customers provided context that dashboards could not show. Ramy connects that openness to internal development, practical problem-solving, and a hiring philosophy built around character, charisma, and competency.

Tires represent another operational opportunity for the company. They currently account for a smaller share of store revenue, but Ramy views the category as a durable service line with room for growth, especially as vehicle technology continues to change.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[01:23] How Ron Ramy entered the auto repair industry

[06:32] Why franchising requires documented, repeatable business systems

[14:53] Creating a business that can operate without its owner

[18:02] Why tires represent an untapped growth opportunity

[19:23] Why solving problems matters more than identifying them

[21:58] How employee curiosity creates new leadership opportunities

[29:11] Why character matters more than competency when hiring

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Tread Partners
• Gain Traction Podcast on YouTube
• Gain Traction Podcast Website
• Mike Edge on LinkedIn

Quotable Moments:

• “Do I even have a system, or is my business mostly relying on discernment?”
• “Anytime the emotions are seven to 11, just don't make a decision.”
• “It's always going to reward the best solution.”
• “And at the end of the day, we are going to always be rewarded in direct proportion to the size or complexity of the problems we solve.”
• “So their feedback is extremely valuable, and obviously, you have to parse through the signal and noise of what they're saying.”

Action Steps:

1. Record every decision that requires owner approval for one week. Turn recurring decisions into written procedures with a clear trigger, responsible role, and expected result.
2. Replace informal recruiting with a panel interview, a standard set of questions, a candidate scorecard, and defined compensation ranges for technicians and service advisors.
3. Test incentive plans against stores producing $1 million, $2 million, and $3 million in annual revenue. Adjust payouts that become unbalanced as sales increase.
4. Assess the operation for franchising an auto repair shop by giving documented procedures to a manager from another location. Track every point that still requires explanation or owner involvement.
5. Hold a monthly frontline feedback review with general managers, advisors, and technicians. Record operational gaps, assign responsibility, and test proposed solutions inside a corporate location.

Parham Parastaran is the founder of Left Lane Auto, an automotive service company operating 40 brands across 90 locations in 20 states. His career began in his family’s Car-X shop while he attended the University of Illinois. He later expanded the business into a 17-location portfolio that included independent tire stores.

After selling the company he had built over 24 years, Parastaran watched nearly every employee leave within a year. That experience shaped his approach to employee retention after acquisition: preserve the local identity, protect established working arrangements, and earn the team’s support before introducing change.

In this episode…

Multi-location operators buy shops for their revenue, reputation, and experienced teams. The first push toward standardization often puts those assets at risk. Pay changes alter household income. Schedule changes disrupt family routines. A fast rebrand removes a familiar name that employees and customers already trust.

Each additional location increases the pressure to impose a single operating model. That is the central challenge behind employee retention after acquisition. Left Lane Auto protects continuity while its leaders learn how each shop works. Operational changes begin after the local team understands the reason and supports the direction.

Parastaran also explains how this philosophy shapes conversations with sellers. Owners receive flexibility in how they exit, remain involved, or retain a financial interest. The business follows strong shops and structures the transition around what keeps each operation stable.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[01:03] Parham Parastaran and Left Lane Auto

[01:37] Building an automotive career from one family shop

[07:40] Preserving local businesses after an acquisition

[13:16] Lessons from losing a long-standing team

[21:19] Balancing tire sales with mechanical service

[23:27] Evaluating shops and speaking with sellers

[26:10] Structuring flexible transitions for former owners

[27:38] Expanding deal options through Bertram Capital

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Parham Parastaran on LinkedIn
• Left Lane Auto LLC Website
• Tread Partners
• Gain Traction Podcast on YouTube
• Gain Traction Podcast Website
• Mike Edge on LinkedIn

Quotable Moments:

• “It’s the blessing of having nothing, so you have no choice.”
• “You know, you’re going to go backwards when you lose people.”
• “The things that I learned from the failures was that I don’t ever want to put ourselves in a cash position where we’re going back.”
• “We’ll follow good stores.”
• “We’ll find a way to say yes.”

Action Steps:

1. Build an employee retention checklist after an acquisition that records each person’s pay plan, regular schedule, tenure, and responsibilities before the handoff.
2. Pause proposed compensation and scheduling changes until their effects on employees’ lives and store performance are documented.
3. Meet with the store manager and longest-tenured employees to identify the routines, relationships, and local practices customers depend on.
4. Keep the acquired shop’s local name while reviewing its customer recognition and community value with the existing team.
5. Write the former owner’s post-sale role, decision authority, and exit timeline into the transition plan before announcing the acquisition.

Ricky Ivey is the second-generation owner of Pueblo Tires & Service, a South Texas tire and automotive service company with 13 stores and a dedicated lube shop. His experience with tire shop marketing strategies spans decades of local advertising, brand development, store expansion, and operational growth.

Ivey also brings long-standing industry involvement to the conversation. He has served on the Texas Tire Dealers Association board since the 1980s and encourages dealers to build relationships through associations, buying groups, and operators in other markets.

In this episode…

Independent tire dealers sell products that customers can find in many places. Recognition comes from giving people a clear reason to remember the business. Pueblo Tires & Service approached the problem by creating “Shampoozie,” a made-up word tied to the company’s promise of superior service.

Building recognition required more than a memorable word. Pueblo placed the message across its advertising and kept funding marketing as media shifted from radio and television toward Google and social platforms. The expense remained visible every month, while the results took longer to measure.

Multi-location growth added another layer. Procedures helped Pueblo create consistency across stores, property ownership gave the company more control over its locations, and a separate lube shop created room for oil-change demand without disrupting tire sales. Marketing still depended on the experience customers received at the counter because advertising carried little value without honesty and a protected reputation.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[01:21] Ricky Ivey and Pueblo Tires & Service

[02:19] Development of the “Shampoozie” brand

[07:29] Long-term investment in marketing

[11:30] Pueblo Tires family business history

[18:13] Operational systems supporting company growth

[20:02] Business expansion and a $1 million loss

[23:30] Development of a dedicated lube operation

[26:31] Customer transparency and brand reputation

[28:11] Industry associations and professional relationships

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Pueblo Tires & Service Website
• Tread Partners
• Gain Traction Podcast on YouTube
• Gain Traction Podcast Website
• Mike Edge on LinkedIn

Quotable Moments:

• “You have to be really creative to sell tires because they’re kind of everywhere, especially nowadays.”
• “You have to pay attention to marketing, and it’s always changing.”
• “You can never, ever, ever recover your reputation.”
• “I lost $1 million in one year, and that was in 1992.”
• “You need to have some leverage over your properties.”
• “Get involved with your association, your buying groups, and get to know people in different markets.”

Action Steps:

1. Choose one service promise customers can remember and write a one-sentence definition for it. Review every location’s website, signage, social profiles, and printed materials for consistent use.
2. Build tire shop marketing strategies into a 12-month calendar. Set the monthly budget as a fixed percentage of sales and assign the campaign, channel, owner, and review date before spending begins.
3. Review recent customer complaints, declined work, and callbacks before increasing advertising. Correct unclear estimates, inconsistent inspections, and counter communication that puts the shop’s reputation at risk.
4. Document one customer-facing process across all locations by tomorrow. Start with vehicle intake, inspection findings, estimate approval, or final delivery, then give each manager the same standard.
5. Contact an industry association or buying group and schedule conversations with two dealers outside your market. Compare one operating process, one marketing expense, and one growth decision.

Keith Redford is the Director of Fleet Operations at JAM Best-One Tire, a commercial tire and fleet service organization with locations across Michigan and Ohio. He began his commercial tire career at Belle Tire, moved into tire wholesale, and joined JAM in 2005.

Redford brings more than two decades of experience to fleet tire management. His work focuses on controlling operating costs, strengthening preventive maintenance, and building service relationships that support fleets over the long term.

In this episode…

Commercial fleet customers need more than a shop that responds when a tire fails. They need a service partner who understands their operations, monitors spending, and recommends products that make sense for their equipment.

Redford’s approach is built around predictability. A structured program gives fleet operators a clearer view of annual tire expenses and the maintenance decisions driving those costs. Regular account reviews compare spending with prior years and connect the numbers to changes inside the customer’s business.

That creates a real tension for tire dealers. Good fleet tire management often means helping customers purchase fewer tires. Redford treats lower customer spending as the foundation of a longer relationship rather than a threat to immediate sales. Trust creates room for fleet growth, referrals, and deeper service partnerships.

Consistent execution also depends on culture. Technicians, salespeople, and managers bring different skills to the operation, but no role succeeds on its own. The work ultimately supports drivers carrying goods and returning home safely.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[01:26] Career progression in commercial tire sales and fleet operations

[03:43] JAM Best-One’s commercial tire business formation and growth

[07:38] Extending national-account service standards to smaller fleets

[12:01] Employee retention through a people-centered service culture

[18:04] Commercial truck utilization as an economic indicator

[20:26] Reducing fleet operating costs through long-term service partnerships

[23:53] Applying a seek-to-understand leadership approach

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Keith Redford on LinkedIn
• JAM Best-One Tire Website
• Tread Partners
• Gain Traction Podcast on YouTube
• Gain Traction Podcast Website
• Mike Edge on LinkedIn

Quotable Moments:

• “We cannot be successful apart from one another because we all have different skill sets.”
• “At the end of the day, I want my people to know that they’re valued.”
• “Our job is much more important than that. It’s about people keeping people safe on the road.”
• “We’re looking for those 20-year relationships.”
• “The more we understand their business, the better we can help them.”

Action Steps:

1. Create a fleet tire management baseline by pulling the previous 12 months of tire and mechanical-service invoices for each fleet account. Separate recurring maintenance from unplanned replacements and identify the accounts with the largest spending changes.
2. Schedule account reviews with key fleet customers. Compare current spending with the previous year, document operational changes, and agree on the next maintenance priority.
3. Standardize a small-fleet service program across every location. Define inspection intervals, reporting expectations, product recommendations, and the person responsible for customer communication.
4. Review handoffs between sales, technicians, and location managers. Assign ownership at each stage so recommendations reach the customer and approved work reaches the bay without delay.
5. Measure the relationship beyond monthly tire sales. Track annual customer spending, maintenance consistency, account retention, and referrals to show the long-term value of the program.

Henry Rose is the CEO of Neighborhood Car Care in Western New York. He entered the automotive industry from outside the traditional technician path, bringing experience from property management, construction, and operations into independent auto repair.

After first connecting with the business as a customer, Henry became involved with what was formerly Scruggs Automotive Repair and later purchased two of its locations. Today, he leads Neighborhood Car Care with a practical view of auto repair labor rates, customer experience, team support, and shop profitability.

In this episode…

Auto repair labor rates are not just numbers on an invoice. They reflect the value a shop proves, the confidence of the team presenting the work, and the cost of keeping trained people supported.

Shop owners are dealing with rising technician costs, tighter margins, customer price sensitivity, and the pressure to build a business that survives slow months. Henry Rose brings the discussion back to capacity, billable hours, customer trust, and the shop experience behind the rate.

A labor rate becomes easier to defend when the operation supports it. Full schedules, clean facilities, clear communication, easy scheduling, team benefits, and confident advisors all change how customers receive the number.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[01:10] Introducing Henry Rose of Neighborhood Car Care

[01:20] Henry Rose’s transition into independent auto repair leadership

[03:20] How a garage door invoice reframed labor rate value

[06:22] Why auto repair pricing faces unique customer scrutiny

[13:05] Using hospitality to strengthen diagnostic value and trust

[16:19] Structuring labor rates around business costs and team support

[18:23] Using shop capacity as a signal for rate increases

[20:23] Measuring market response without weakening price confidence

[23:11] Building team alignment behind higher labor rates

[26:19] Protecting long-term stability through responsible profit strategy

[31:19] The work ethic behind sustained shop growth

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Henry Rose on LinkedIn
• Neighborhood Car Care Website
• Tread Partners
• Gain Traction Podcast on YouTube
• Gain Traction Podcast Website
• Mike Edge on LinkedIn

Quotable Moments:

• “You have to charge what you need to charge, but at the same time, when we’re just nothing but confrontational in our pricing structure, that’s also very scary for the customer.”
• “We have to be huge on building the value when we’re talking with people.”
• “We need to make the money that we need to make, so that our team can do the job they need to do, the training, the education.”
• “If you’re hitting 120 billable hours, and you’re that capacity, and then you’re booking out more than four or five days, you really should consider increasing your labor rate.”
• “We have a fiduciary responsibility to our team members. We need to keep the company healthy because if there’s a weird dip, a bad month, you can’t have everyone wondering, are they going to get paid?”

Action Steps:

1. Audit weekly billable-hour capacity before raising rates. Compare the shop’s actual billed hours against the total hours the operation can realistically sell.
2. Review the customer experience that supports the price. Clean waiting areas, clear communication, easy scheduling, and visible professionalism help customers understand the value behind auto repair labor rates.
3. Train advisors to present price with confidence. A labor rate loses strength when the person explaining it sounds unsure, defensive, or apologetic.
4. Track close rate and booking pressure after a rate change. Use customer response, schedule demand, and advisor confidence to find the market’s breaking point.
5. Tie pricing to team stability. Build rates around wages, benefits, training, tools, and the cost of keeping the business healthy through slow months.