Vancouver, Wash.-From one repair facility in the Hazel Dell area opened in 1986, Gaynors Automotive has grown to four outlets and 27 employees with the opening of its Cascade Park shop a few months ago, Founder Tom Gaynor said.
"Hazel Dell is still our largest store and our headquarters, but we've expanded to cover the entire Vancouver area to service our growing customer base," Gaynor said.
The firm's Web site states that Gaynors Automotive is "Clark County's No. 1 Authority in Vehicle Maintenance," and Tommy Gaynor, son of the founder and a key management figure at the firm, said that falls in place with the company's core value of "providing safe and reliable transportation" to its customers.
"It's what we do best with our own management teams at each store. We've been blessed with good people, and that has allowed us to grow," he said.
On Parts & People's recent visit to the new seven-bay Cascade Park store, the Gaynors showed off their well-designed repair facility that provides full-service repairs to a growing area of East Clark County.
"We opened our second store in Salmon Creek in 1993 and our third operation in downtown Vancouver in 1998, so over time we have learned a great deal about what the needs are to create a new facility that provides the right setting for high-quality service," Tom Gaynor said.
While providing high-quality technical service is very important to the Gaynors, they said they fully understand the value of being solid business managers. "You need to manage your business professionally," Tom Gaynor said. "We learned how to do that as a result of being in the first Bob O'Connor Bottom Line Impact Group (known as the Coyote Group). It has helped us immensely to become the managers we need to be in order to grow and be profitable."
Some years ago, when Gaynor had another obligation, he said he sent his son to a Bottom Line meeting. "It changed his life, and he has been active ever since."
Gaynor said he first got involved in the Coyote Group because of his involvement with ASA of Washington and the Vancouver unit, where he served two years as president. "We've been active in ASA for many years, attended training programs they have offered, and gone to their state retreats. It's been a great organization, and Tommy is now the president-elect of the Vancouver unit."
Known for their engine diagnostics service, the Gaynors said they understand the value of quality service based on being able to properly and efficiently diagnose and troubleshoot vehicles. "We used to do lots of engine repairs; today engine diagnostics is the key to success," Tom Gaynor said, adding that diagnostics and maintenance represents 60 to 70 percent of their business.
"It all starts with a quality interview with one of our service managers," Tommy Gaynor said. "Determining the real service needs of our customers is critical. Sometimes we even need to have a tech check out the vehicle while the customer is there to determine a diagnostic problem. Engine diagnostics is a series of tests, so managing various levels of diagnosing vehicles, based on a customer's needs and demands, can save time and money."
Taking the time to educate customers about diagnostics and other repairs is also critical to the Gaynors. "We take the time to work with our customers that come into the shops so they fully understand our procedures and repair process," Gaynor said.
"We train our service managers extensively so when we have new customers, we can walk them into the shop, plug in a scan tool and show them the potential problem with the (vehicle) systems."
Many of their customers schedule service appointments online using the company's Web site, which also offers a coupon page for its customers, he said. "It's a growing trend, and we find that many of them send us a 'love letter' that provides us with very detailed data about the vehicle repair." In total, the Gaynors said they service about 1,025 customer vehicles a month at their AAA-Approved Auto Repair centers.
The Gaynors said they are one of the few shops in the area that provide extensive engine diagnostic work and can work on virtually all vehicle systems. "We have lots of diagnostic equipment in our shops," Tom Gaynor said. "We use the Snap-on Modis, Vetronix, and several other tools at each store so we can provide top quality diagnosis."
The Gaynors also said they have been longtime users of the ACDelco WISE program, and they also use the Mitchell system for repair data and information, as well as other sources. "We also use iATN for information, and we've found it to be a powerful resource," Tommy Gaynor said.
Having the right tools and equipment is part of the equation, the Gaynors said, and the other is training. "Quality training is vital for our 12 technicians, and we use several sources, including many of our vendors," Tom Gaynor said. "ACDelco, NAPA, AED, Automotive Products, and CTI all offer great courses for our staff to attend."
Current and future training for techs includes diesel engine and hybrid training, as well as other diagnostic classes, the Gaynors said. They added that they also promote ASE certification for service managers and technicians, and compensate those who have received those certifications.
The Gaynors said they plan to add more equipment, such as an exhaust bender, to their operations, as well as review new opportunities for expansion.
"We've talked about specializing at various shops, as well, perhaps servicing just European cars or Japanese vehicles or domestics," Tom Gaynor said.
"It all involves being able to diagnose the vehicles correctly and meeting customer demands with the proper diagnostic equipment," Tommy Gaynor said. "And that can be a big investment in equipment."