"Each generation has left it in great shape for the next to proceed," said Aaron Telle, who also works under the tutelage of his father, Scott Telle, president and secretary.  The father-son duo plan to continue running the shop that Arthur Telle Sr. co-founded as a retreading facility in 1942.

"I have a good foundation to work from," Aaron Telle said.  "My goal is to improve and grow the business and hopefully pass it on to a fifth generation.  I have faith in my father and uncle, who I can always turn to for advice."

"When you're in a small, family business, you can only support so many people," said Mark Telle, who shares 50 percent ownership with his brother.  "It's time for me to step aside and let Aaron and his father take the reins.  Aaron has youth and enthusiasm on his side." 

Although he's retiring from a full-time position, Telle said he plans on assisting his brother and nephew.  Moreover, he said he looks forward to raising his children Elliott and Evan in their teenage years and plans to travel with his wife, Maureen.

Like his father and uncle, Aaron Telle said he started in the business changing tires, just as his younger brother Alex Telle does today, working part time during the summer.

After four years, Telle has worked his way up to service manager and is learning the operations end of the shop from his uncle, who fine-tuned the family business with his MBA and BA degrees from the University of Missouri at Columbia.

Mark Telle said earning an MBA was extremely helpful in running the family business because of the general business curriculum.  He said he eventually chose employment at Telle because it was more stable than the corporate environment at the time.

The nature of the repair shop has changed drastically since he entered it in 1979, Telle said.  At the time tire sales accounted for 80 percent of the business, while the remaining portion was general repair and maintenance work.  Today, it's nearly the exact opposite, he said.

"Preventive maintenance is becoming a bigger part of the industry now," Aaron Telle said.  "Vehicles are not breaking down as much, but it's important to maintain them."  The shop promotes a lot of fluid flushes as a primary form of maintenance, he said, using Valvoline as a brand of choice for chemicals.

The shop uses RO Writer as an aid in determining what preventive maintenance services to offer.  RO Writer keeps track of 30-, 60-, and 90-mile service recommendations and makes selling the required maintenance flushes much easier, Telle said.  Currently the shop sells approximately 25 power steering flushes and 25 brake flushes a month, he said.

Aaron Telle said he purchased the RO Writer shop management system last January, replacing the shop's ASA management system.

Just as Mark Telle persuaded his father, Chuck Telle, to convert from handwritten repair orders (ROs), Aaron Telle said he had to take ownership of his decision to switch from ASA to RO Writer, install the system, and train the employees.

When shopping for the system, he said he ultimately chose RO Writer because of its online parts-ordering system and user-friendly interface and its ability to track key performance numbers.

When looking at profitability, Telle said he pays close attention to flagged labor hours.  "As long as you're producing labor hours, parts sales will come."

"We like to have a good relationship with our vendors," he said.  "Price is important, but service is No. 1."  The shop prefers to use aftermarket brands because of greater performance and profitability, he said, adding that for example Moog chassis parts are better than OE, as well as Monroe shocks and struts. 

For aftermarket parts, the shop relies mainly on NAPA and Al's Automotive Supply, and gets its tires through Tire Centers Inc. and Community Wholesale Tire, participating in their Independent Tire Dealer (ITD) buying group, Telle said.

Just as the Telles foster relationships with their vendors, they put the same effort forth with their customers, emphasizing to them that they're a professional shop.

Employees are dressed well and the customer waiting area is clean, neat, and orderly, Mark Telle said.

"We let people know that we're a family-owned business," Aaron Telle said.  "It goes a long way."

"Sometimes people come in for tires and don't know we do service," Telle said.  "You have to read the customer and really know who you're working with." 

They may come in wanting to spend $600 and discover they need $1,500 in repairs, he said, adding that in that scenario, they place the repair items in an order of importance.  For example, if a vehicle needs new brakes, power steering and a water pump, the brakes will take precedence.