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62:26
Term
technician shortage
A technician shortage means there aren’t enough trained mechanics available for the jobs shops need to fill. That makes it harder for shops to hire and expand.
Term
workforce data
Workforce data is basically the numbers about your employees—things like pay, benefits, and how stable your staffing is. The point is that good data helps shops make better hiring decisions.
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technician pipeline
A technician pipeline just means a system for getting new mechanics trained and hired over time. Instead of scrambling to find talent, you build a steady path from school to a job at a shop.
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labor rate
A labor rate is what a shop charges per hour for labor—basically the hourly cost of doing the work. Comparing labor rates helps a shop understand whether they’re priced and staffed competitively.
Term
industry data exchange
An industry data exchange is a place where shops and related groups share business numbers so everyone can compare results. Here, it’s used to see how your shop stacks up for pay, benefits, and labor-related metrics.
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Makemakesitjustfittogetherlikeinterlockingpiecesofapuzzle.
BeyondthewrenchwithJayGaninenfromRenchway.
WelcomebacktoBeyondtheWrench.
MynameisJayGaninen,andI'myourhost.
We'vegotareally,reallyspecialepisodeontaptoday.
Bynow,manyofyouknowthatASEhaswelcomedRenchwayintotheASCfamily.
Andwiththat,RenchwayhasofficiallybecomeASEConnects.
Inthisepisode,we'regoingtotalkabouthowthispartnershipcametogether,whywebelieveditwastherightmove,andwhatitmeansforshops,schools,technicians,andemployers,andwherewe'reheadedfromhere.
Joiningmetodayaremynowboss,DaveJohnson,presidentandCEOofASE,andnowCOOofASE,MarkWilson,uh,myco-founderatWrenchway.
Souhwelcometotheshow,guys.
Howareyou?
Great.
Goodtobehere.
Yeah,same.
Excited,excitedforthis.
Yeah,yeah.
Thishasuhkindofuhforusbeenalongtimeintheworks,butDave,I'mgonnauhkickthingsoffwithyouandjustkindofgetasenseastowhythismadesensetoyou,whyitmadesensetoASE.
IknowyouhadfollowedwhatwehaddoneatWrenchwayforquiteawhile,butthenIIthinkaswestartedtoworktogether,maybesomethingsbecameapparentastouhtothefit.
Butwalkmethroughthatsideofitalittlebit.
WhatuhwhatwastheappealontheASEend?
Yeah,that'dbegood.
Uhhappytodothat.
IwasIwasjustthinking,youknow,ifIknewwhatuhtheprocessentailsofofacquiringandcomingtogetherwithanothercompany,Imighthavethoughttwiceaboutthis.
Notbecauseofyouguys,justbecauseoftheprocess.
It'suhuhit'salearningexperience,we'lljustputitthatway.
Butumwe'vewewe'vegottenthroughthatandit'suhandit'sactuallybeenit'sbeengreat.
UmandasIlookback,andandJayandMark,youguyshaveheardmesaythisahundredtimes,butIit'sit'ssoIthinkit'sstillsorelevant.
WhenJayandIfirstmet,andIthinkitwasuhumitwasatApexorSEMAumafewyearsago,umGeorgeAhrensintroducedus,andI'vebeenlookingatwhatumRenchwaywasdoing,anduhIItoldJay,Isaid,IIlovewhatyouguysaredoing,andIhateit.
AnduhImayhavetakenhimalittleoffbalancewiththatcomment,butumIthinkhe'sgottentoknowmymyuhmypersonalityalittlebitsincethen.
UmIcanbealittlesilly.
ButwhatImeantbythatwaslovewhattheyweredoingbecauseitwasitwasconnectingumtheindustry,workingtoconnectschoolsandshopsumandstudentsandandbringthemintointooneplacewherewheretheycanworkwitheachother.
AndIIhateditbecauseI'mlikethat'swhatASEshouldhavebeendoingyearsago,honestly.
Andandit'snotumit'sit'sjustbecauseofwhereASEsitsintheindustry.
I'llI'llsaythisfrequently.
We'renotspecialuminandofourselves.
ASEisspecialjustinthatyouhadumyouhadthemanufacturers,youhadthedealers,um,youhadumatthetimeslargeaftermarketumchainsthatuhinstitutedorcreatedASEasaasanorganization.
Andyes,itwasoriginallyorganizedtoumtoenablecertificationandhaveindustry-basedcertificationinsteadofgovernmentlicensure,whichwasthethreatatthetime.
ButasASEhasevolvedandyouthinkaboutwhereitdoessitintheindustry,whereitserveseverybody,there'sthingsthatumititneededtobedoingbesidesjustcertification.
That'satthecore,alwayswillbe.
That'sthat'sjustkeytowhatwedo.
Butitopensthedoorstodosomanymorethings.
AndsolookingatwhatRenchwaywasdoing,um,lookingatwhatweweredoing,andthenwegotintothepartnershipof,hey,let'sworktogetheronsomethings.
Umanduhatthattime,Ithethethoughtofyouknowcomingtogetherformally,we'llsay,wasnotonmybingocard.
ButaswegotintoitandthenjustseeingwhatgreatoperatorsumJayandMarkareandtheirteamandwhattheydo,I'mlike,ohman,weweweneedthis.
AndandIthink,youknow,andforthem,umhavinghavingtheASEbrandbehindit,becauseitdoesmeansomething,um,wasgoingtoallowustoinacombinedwaythatweneitherofuscoulddoindividually,umcreatethisthiscommunity,ifyouwill,thatreallydoesconnectindividualshops,schools,um,everybodyinourindustryumandprovidethemresourcesthataregoingtohelpthemmovetheindustryforwardinalotofgood
ways.
Andsouh,youknow,inanutshell,that'sit.
AndI'mjustreallyexcitedtohavebothofyouon.
Andlikeyousaid,Jay,MarkisournewumCOO,whichisveryfitting.
I'msogladtohavethehavethehelpfrommyperspectivewiththetalentsthatyoubothbringtothetable.
AndJay,youasourourVPofindustryadvancementdoingwhatyoudo,liketoday.
Umthatisatalentthatnoteverybodyhas.
Andsouh,andthenyoulookattherestoftheuhum,I'llcallittheoldRanchwayteam,um,justanamazinggroupofpeoplethatI'mthrilledtohaveumumbecomepartoftheorganizationandforASEtolearnfromthethingsthatyouguyshavealreadydoneandaredoing,andyeah,tolearntheotherwayaswellanduhandgoforwardanduhanddoalotofuhstirupalotofgoodtroubleintheindustry,ifyouwill,andmakesomegoodthingshappen.
Youyoutalkedinthefirstpodcastthatwedidtogether,Dave,aboutblowingthedustoffthebrand.
Anditfeelslikethere'sbeensomuchofthatmomentumbehindASE,especiallyuhmaybeit'smoreofarecencybias,buttheretherehavebeensomanygreatthingsthatASEalreadyhadmomentumon.
Ithinkthentheacquisitionofus,anduhwe'lltalkaboutmaybealittlebittheDOLgrantuhforapprenticeships.
Thethejustingeneral,thereissomuchmomentumbehindASErightnow,andit'sreallycooltoseebecausethattrulyfeelslikethatthatdustisbeingblownoffthebrand.
I'mgladyousaidthat,Jay,becauseit'sumone,it'sititis,it'sbeengoodtoseethatthingshavechanged,andandIItakenocreditforthatotherthantryingtoopenupopportunitiesforallofustosay,hey,we'rewe'renotwe'renotjustASC,thecertificationbody,ortheASCEducationFoundation,theaccreditationbody.
WeareASE.
Wesupporttheindustry,andum,andthere'salotofgoodthingswecando,andandjustumandandkindofreinforcingthismessageofwedon'twanttobetheDMV.
AndwhatImeanbythatisDMVstypicallyhavekindofabadrapforallthebureaucraticadministrativehoopsyougottojumpthroughjusttogogetadriver'slicenseoraoraplateoranewtag.
Umandnoneofthat'sintentional,it'sjustthatasyoulookat,andtomeit'salittlebitofamindshift.
ASEisherenottototestandcertify,we'reheretoenablesuccess.
That'sreallywhatit'sabout.
Andsothatopensusuptosomanymorenewthings.
Andum,frankly,partofthatgettingsomemomentumwasworkingwithyouguysearlyon,anduh,andthenjustallthethelittlethingsandpeoplestartingto,Ithink,recognizethathey,there'ssomethingdifferentatASC.
Um,theresomething'schangedanditanditfeelsgood.
Andyou'reright,thereis,andwedohopeitfeelsgood,butwenowwe'retryingtotakethatintotangiblebenefitsandresults,andthere'salotmoretocomethere.
Soyeah.
Umnow,Mark,IIkindoflookbackatourjourneytowherewegottoorhowwegottothispoint,andtheonethingthatkindofsticksouttomeearlyonwasthatwehadnevertakenkindofacompetitiveapproachwithIthinkalotofpartnersthroughouttheindustry,right?
Likewe'reverycollaborativeinhowwegoaboutthis.
ASEwasobviouslyappealingtousbecause,asDavementioned,kindoftouchedeveryareaoftheindustry.
EverybodyknowswithintheindustrywhoASEis.
Youhadkindofplantedthatseedearlyonoflikethismightbemorethanjustapartnership,andthattheremightbemoretobehadhere.
Uh,whatwasappealingfromfromourendonthetheASEsideandandmaybetakingitdeeperthanmoreofalikeareferraltypepartnership?
Yeah,Ithinktoanswerthat,wekindofgiveaquickhistoryonwhenwestarted,ourourproductswereallaboutmakingiteasierforshopstorecruitandhiretechnicians,um,experiencedandentry-level.
Wequicklyrealizedwecanhavethebestprogramintheworld.
There'sjustnotenoughofthemoutthere,sowe'rekindofmovingthedeckchairsaround,andthatdoesn'thelpanythingreally.
Andsoourmissionquicklybecamepromoteandimprovetechniciancareers.
Uh,Ithink,Imean,thiswasnowmythirdsoftwarestartup,andI'venevertriedtoreinventthewheeloranything,butIlookatitmoreaskindoffillingingapsthatexist.
AndIthinktherewasagapintheindustryforthatmissionthatwehad.
Um,initially,IsawASCasapartner,Isawthemkindofasthetesting,thecredentialing.
Ididn'tseethemaswhatwewanttobecomenow,whichiskindofalifelonghomeforthetransportationindustry.
That'skindofwhatweweredoing.
ButthenwestartedtalkingtoASC,andherecomesthisguytalkingaboutknockingthedustoffthebrandandafreshnewlook.
AndImean,hehegotmefiredupanditopenedmyeyestoseeASCinadifferentlight,um,andtoseewecouldtakeparts,amajorityofwhatwe'redoing,notallofit,becausesomeofitwe'lltalkaboutlaterkindofwillfadeaway.
Uh,buttotakethecoremissioncriticalpartsofwhatwe'redoingunderamuchbiggerumbrella.
LikeDavesaid,everybodyknowsASC.
Andifwetrulywanttoaccomplishthethingswe'resetoutfor,Imean,Jay,you'vededicatedyourlifetothisindustry.
I'mrelativelynew.
Butifweifwewanttoaccomplishthat,it'smuchbetterunderagrouplikeASC.
Uh,onenonprofit,twoindependentASCisnothiringtechsontheirown,um,brandrecognition.
It'sitcame,itstartedasapartnershipandthenquicklyevolvedintoalmostlikeawishofman,togetherwecoulddothissomuch.
Buttherewerealotofblockersintheway,likeDavesaid,uhbuyingandsellingcompaniesisisnoeasytask.
Um,butthenthemoreitwentalong,themorewerealizedwehavetocometogetherwiththis.
Thisisalmostaperfectsynergy.
Um,soIdon'tknowifthat'sexactlyJaywhatyou'relookingfor,butititIwasn'tlookingforitoriginally,butIthinkIdidseeitearlythatifASCwaswillingtokindoflookatthingsinabiggerpicturepicture,maybetheyalwaysdid,andDavejustverbalizeditbetterformeatleastthananyoneelsepriorhad,butIreallygotexcitedwithDave'svisionofexpandingASCintowhateveryoneupuntilthispointhasthoughtofitas.
Yeah,IIthinkthat'sagreatanswer.
Andandbothofyoukindofansweredinsimilarregardstowhereitwasn'tobviousfromthestart,butthenaswestartedtoworktogether,yousawthatwecomplementedeachotherreally,reallywell.
Andwe'rekindofthisupstartnewercompany,ASChasbeenaroundforever.
AndsoIthinkititwasmaybeatfirstkindofevenaspeoplelearnedthenews,like,oh,okay,likeuhhowisthisgoingtowork?
Andandwe'lltalkalittlebitmoreaboutkindoflogisticsandbehindthescenesstuffhereshortly.
ButIthinkthatwasthecoolestpartformeishoworganicallykindofithappened.
Itwasn'tforced,itwasjustoneofthosethingswherewehadworkedtogetherandreallystartedtoidentifythosegaps,notonlyintheindustry,butwithineachother'sorganizationsandwherewecouldhelpeachotherout.
UhMark,onethingI'llgiveyoualotofcreditforaswe'vegrownwrenchwayisthatyoudohaveacompletelydifferentmindsetthanIdo.
Andwe'vetalkedaboutthatinthepast,butyourabilitytokindofblockandtackleandkindofuhalmostlikethatprocessorientation,butalsojustuhkindoforganizingthechaosissomethingthatIthinkreallydoeshelpASEinthelongrun.
AndthenuhtohavethatvisionofDave,likethatthat'skindofthatdrivingfactorbehindallofusthatwehavethissharedpassionandwereally,reallywanttoseetheindustrygettoabetterplace,justkindofcollectivelyallmakessense.
Yeah,andJay,ifIcanjustchimeinrealquick.
OneoftheIthinktacticalconsiderationsformewhenwestartedoutearlyon,youmayrecallthis,wasasIlookedattheAICEducationFoundation,whatitwasdoing,doinggreatthingsouttherewithbootsonthegroundacrossthecountry,tryingtoconnect,guesswhat,schoolsandshopsandandstudents.
Andandthatwasgoodworkbeingdone,butittomeitwasitwasuhitwaslikestilltryingtouseashovelandapickwhenthereareumumheavyequipmentumwaystodothiswithbackos,trackhose,andumbulldozersumthatthatwrenchwayfranklybroughttothetable.
Andso,youknow,justfromaverypracticalstandpoint,oneofthosesynergiesthattomewasveryverytacticalandpracticalwasjustwehadanopportunitytohaveaforcemultiplier,ifyouwill,ofthegoodthingswe'retryingtodoonthegroundwithaplatformthatalreadyexiststhatessentiallywasdoingthesamethingandtobringthattogether.
SojustanotheroneofthosethingsIthoughtwasvisionaryononfromfromyourstandpoint,um,thatisjustumagainmaymakeitjustfittogetherlikeinterlockingpiecesofapuzzle.
Everyshop,dealership,andbusinessinourindustrydependsongreattechnicians.
Betweenthetechnicianshortage,disconnectedschoolrelationships,andlackoftrustworthyworkforcedata,itmakesitdifficultforshopstoplan,hire,andgrow.
That'swhereASCConnectscomesin.
CreatedinpartnershipwithRenchway,ASCConnectsisamembershipdesignedspecificallyforshopslikeyourstohelpyoubuildastrongertechnicianpipelinebyconnectingwithschools,empoweringyouwithtoolsanddatatoimproveyourrecruiting,retention,andperformance.
WithASCConnects,youcanconnectwithlocalschoolsthroughschoolassist,startbuildingrelationships,andsupporttheprogramsthateducateourfuturetechnicians.
Youcanalsoaccessverifieddataontechnicianpay,benefits,andlaborratesthroughtheindustrydataexchangesoyouknowhowyourshopcompareslocallyandnationally.
Lastly,youcangetprovenstrategiesforleadership,employeedevelopment,andshopmanagementthroughmembers-onlyguides,templates,andevents.
JoinASCConnectstostrengthenyourworkforceandbuildastronger,smartershop.
Learnmoreatwrenchway.com
slashsolutionsslashshopsorfollowthelinkintheshownotes.
Sowe'vetalkedaboutthewhyherealittlebit.
Let'sgetintoalittlebitofthehowandwhat'sgoingtohappenmovingforward.
Mark,I'mgoingtostartwithyouhere.
Uhtalktousalittlebitaboutwhat'shappeningwiththeRenchwaybrandaswegothroughthistransition.
Yeah,sowearephasingoutthebrand.
Imean,abigreasonforustodothisisweweareproudofeverythingwebuiltatRanchwayfromabrandperspectiveandaproductperspective,butit'shardtomaintaintwobrands.
Imadethatmistakeinthepastwithpriorcompanies,andwewouldbecrazynottoleanintotheASCbrand.
Sowearephasingthatoutovertimeuhfromthebrandside.
Fromtheproductandteamside,Imean,therewasn'tatonofoverlapinabadway.
Therewaslikesynergiesinagoodway,butwearerollinginASEConnects,whichisourplatformwe'vebeenworkingontogethersinceJanuary,um,rightintothetotheASCwheelhouse.
Allofourteammembersarestickingaround.
Jay,youandIasco-founders,Iknowalotoftimespeopleleaverightawayorthingslikethat.
Wearecommittedtostaying.
Uh,there'salotofworkbeingdonebehindthescenestointegrate,butalsotoaddtoproducts,toresources,tootherthingswehave.
Uh,we'llhavealotofcoolstuffcomingupreallyforever,butevenintheshortterm,yetthisyearandinthisfall,especially,someoftheproductannouncementscomingup.
Uh,somoretocomeonthat.
Butfromabrandperspective,youwillseethingslikerightnowwhenourclientslogin,it'sASEConnectsnow,andthere'saformerlywrenchwaybelowit.
Oursocials,samething.
Itisatransitionperiod.
It'sneverperfectlysmooth,uh,butbutwe'reintheprocessofdoingthatandmakingsurewe'rewe'realloneteammarchingforward.
Yeah,andIthinkthat'sanimportantpiece,right,Dave?
ThatthatkindofunderoneASEumbrellaforthegreatergoodofnotonlythebrand,buttheindustryasawhole,Ithinkitcausessomuchlessconfusionwhenwekindofmakethattransition.
Well,itdoesn'tfunny,Jay,asasMarkwassayingthat,Irememberbacktosomeofourpreviousconversations,andIwasactuallypushingbackalittlebitbecauseI'mlike,hey,Drenchwaybrandandwhatyouguyshavedoneisfantastic.
AndIIdon'twanttolosethat.
AndIsaiditprobablyseveraltimes,Idon'twanttoscrewitup.
Um,butaswehadmoreconversations,andandMarkisMarkisprettyconvincinguhforthoseofyouthathaven'tmetMark.
UmandIsawthewisdominwhathewassaying.
It'slike,yeah,youitImean,weandIdo,I'mIIlovethatwe'rekeepinginthereformallywrenchwayfornow.
Youknow,it'llit'llphaseoutovertime,butIdon'twanttolosethatbecauseofsomethingthatwasbuilt,thatwasbootstrapped,thathasturnedintosomethingreallygood.
Um,andthere'salotofgoodum,alotofgoodwilltowardsthatbrandbyallthosewhoareonthatplatformtodayandworkingwiththeteam.
Sosoyeah,IitImeanitIIsawthewisdominitthatyeah,youknowwhat,itneedstobecomeASE,butIdon'twantanyonetoeverforgetthatitwasRanchwayumandandwhatitwas,andthatwe'reenhancedwe'rewe'reyouknow,frankly,we'rewe'rewe'releveragingthatandwe'replanningtoexpanduponit.
Thatbringsmetoanotherthing.
UmI'mgladMarkmentionedumthethepeople.
Well,thetheplatform'sgreat.
Umalotofgreatwork'sbeendonethere,inallhonesty.
Umwecouldhavecreatedthatourselves.
Wecouldhaveyouknowcreatedsomethingdifferent.
Iguesswewouldhavebeencompeting,andthatthatwouldbekindofdumb,butbutintermsofthethetechnology,umthat'ssomethingthatcouldhavebeenbuilt.
Butforme,equallyimportantwasthepeople.
Andhonestly,andwe'vetalkedaboutthisbefore,wouldn'thavedonethedealifthepeopleweren'tcomingwithit.
Umyouknow,notonlyyouastheleadership,buteverybodyontheteam.
AndsoI'mjustgratefulthatwe'vegoteverybodycomingon.
Um,becausetome,that'swhatthat'swhatmadeRenchwayspecialumjustasmuchastheasthetechnologyitself.
Soum,yeah,that'syouyouguysareyouguysarestuckwithusasfarasI'mconcerned.
OnethingIwanttoadd.
Goahead,Mark.
Yeah,onequickthingtoaddtothat.
SowearerollingeverythingintotheASCbrand,andfromapeoplestandpoint,we'rewe'rethrilledtobepartoftheteam.
AndoneofthebeautiesofthisiswewegottoDaveyousaywedatedbeforewegotmarried.
Wewewereveryclosepartnersforthelastcoupleofyearsinsomeinitiativesweweredoingtogether.
Butwewon'teverloseourkindofscrappymindset,ourchallengermentality,kindofdisruptorapproach.
Uh,we'rewe'renotcomingintobecompatcombativewiththeteamoranything,butIthinkoneofthereasonsyoubuyusiswedoquestionthestatusquo.
Andfortheindustry,Ithinkit'simportantforpeopletohearthatisnotgoingtochange.
AndASC,alotofthemostalloftheteamreallyhasthesamebeliefs,maybejusthaven'tbeenabletochallengesomethingsinthepastandandstillhaveto.
Um,youknow,therearealotofstructuralthingsthatyouhavetodo.
ButIknowwhenindustryfolkshavereachedouttome,thatwasonethingtheywerewonderingaboutisoh,areyoujustgonnakindofbeayesman?
AndyouhadmentionedDave,forthosethatdon'tknowme,Iappreciatethecompliment.
UhIthinkitwasacomplimentaboutbeingconvincing,butalsoforthosethatknowme,likethat'snotmeeither.
Like,Iwillalwaysberespectful,Jay.
Ithinkyouwillaswell.
Butwewetrulystillbelieveinthatmissionofpromotingandimprovingtechniciancareers.
AndImeannow.
It'sserviceprofessionalcareersbecauseit'salittlemorethanjusttechnicians,butnoneofbelieveme,noneofthatisgoingtochange.
Andyoucanyoucanrecordthisintwoyears,threeyearsplaythatback,butIcanguaranteeyouthat.
Yeah,IandIjustwanttoaddtothat,Mark,thatthatissotrue.
Thenandthatwasfrankly,thatwaspartofthereason.
IIwantedtobringthatin.
Um,andandIlikethewayyousaidit.
ThatourexistingASEteam,thattheyknow,youknow,there'sallthesethingsthattheyseeandwanttodotoo,andyetthey'retryingtokeepamachinerunning,ifyouwill.
Um,andsometimesit'sdoingthis,I'llsayintroducingsomenewbloodintothestream,um,actuallyenablesthemtoopenup.
Andsoit'snotamatterof,youknow,well,theseguys,theoldstuckintheirways,people.
That'snotitatall.
It'sit'smoreaboutourmaybeourenvironmenthasnotbeeneverythingwe'dwantittobewherewe'reattoday.
AndthisisawaytojustinjectsomeofthatextraenergyintoitandfreepeopleupthroughoutumASE'sexistingleadership,rightdowntoumumeveryemployeetosay,hey,it'sokaytoquestionthingsandlookatthem.
Andatthesametime,yougettolearnfromthewisdomofwhat'salreadythere,becausetherearesomethingsthatyoulearnthat,oh,onthesurface,thatlookskindofsillyorsomething.
ButasI'velearnedafterbeinginASEforthreeyears,likesomeofthatstuffthatIthoughtwas,oh,yeah,whydoyouneedtodothat?
Ilearnedthatno,there'sverygoodreasonsyoudothat.
Butjustbeingabletoexamineallofithelpsyoutoumlookathowarewegoingforward,whatarewedoing,andjustbyitsverynature,um,ititjustinjectsalittlemoreumuhsomedifferentperspective.
Actually,Ithinkofitasreinforcements.
Um,ASCisahasbeenaveryshoestringoperation.
Umyou'dyouknow,itournumbersaremuchsmallerthanyouwouldeverthinkwhenyoulookatthesizeofthebrand,whichisanotherthingthatimpressedmewhenIcameintoASC.
Iwentfromanorganization,youknow,IwasatFordfor32years,uh,organizationofover1,200uhemployeesglobally.
AndIcameintosomethingthatwasumaround50.
UmandandthatandandandIandIcomingintoit,Ithought,oh,there'syouknow,I'msurethere'stwo200,300people.
Well,itisaverysmallorganization.
I'mlike,wow,uhthat'sevenmoreimpressivewhenyouthinkaboutit.
Um,whatASChasbeenabletodowithwiththoseverylimitedresources.
Andnowpartofthis,partofthisenergy,frankly,isthepeople,right?
Wehavemorecombinedresourcesnow,enablesustodomore,freeusallup.
Umandandit'sit'sfunnytosayfreeusup.
Freesyouupinsomewaystothinkaboutthings,butitalsojustaddsabunchofworktoallofus.
I'llbehonestaboutthat.
Um,I'mguilty.
I'veyouknow,we'vebeentalkingaboutthisthelastcoupleofweeks.
There'stheremightbealittlestressinthesystemrightnow,um,justwithuh,youknow,hey,wejustwejustacquiredacompanyanduhandohbytheway,umwejustgotthisDepartmentofLaborgrant,whichwe'lltalkabout.
Umnosmalldeal,justyouknow,um25millionoverthenextfouryearsthatwe'regonnabeaccountablefor.
Anduh,ohbytheway,wewejustmovedofficesum,youknow,andinthelastmonth,andyouknow,justlittlethingslikethat.
Soyeah,yeah,itbutbutit'sit'sexcitingtoo.
Andandasyouasyouworkthroughthat,youcomeouttheotherside,andum,andthere'sjustlotsofgoodthingstocomethatIhopemyexpectationandhopeisthatyou,theyouknow,thosewhoarewatchingthisandandthosewhoumobserveandinteractwithASEaregoingtosay,wow,they'rejusttakingittothenextlevel.
Umandwehaveseverallevelstogo.
Solookingforwardtoit.
AndIthinkthatkindofasIlookatit,isastrengthmultiplierforeverybodyinvolved,right?
SoyouyoulookattheinternalASEteamandanduhalreadythey'vebeensowelcomingtoallofus,right?
Andinkindofthiswhatwouldbeperceivedasthisawkwardstagewhenyou'refirstgoingthroughit.
Icouldn'tfeelmorewelcometoateamthanIthinkIhavewithASE.
Everybody'sbeenwillingtogooutoftheirwaytohelpusunderstandkindoftheoperations.
Dave,youyoualludedtothefactthattherearethingsthatyoudokindofquestiongoingintoit,butthenasyoustarttogetmoreofanunderstanding,youstarttounderstandthewhyuhbehindacertainthing.
Sothat'sbeenvery,veryhelpful.
AndjustasI'msittingthroughmeetings,you'reyou'regoingthroughalltheintricaciesandeverythinguhthatishappening,andanditisincrediblyimpressivethatateamofthatsizeispullingoffsomuch.
Andasyoutalkaboutallthesegreatthingshappening,that'snotevenincludingthefactthatyouhaveanationalconferencehappeningnextweekandanewwebsitethatwentout.
Uh,itjustthere'ssomuchthattheASCteamhasdone,andit'ssoimpressivecominginasanoutsideruhtokindofseeitupcloseandpersonal,butthentokindofseethatfutureofwhatwe'vealltalkedaboutsofarandreallyseeingitcometolifeandsomereally,reallyexcitingthings.
IthinkMarkkindoftalkedaboutindustrycontactsandandkindofwhatweheardasapartofthis.
AndIIIsaidthisinaLinkedInvideoacoupleweeksago,butyouarealittlenervousaboutwhatpublicperceptionisgoingtobegoingintoarelationshiplikethat.
Andyouare,youknow,youyouyou'rejustit'skindofanerve-wrackingtime.
Thisbabythatyoubuiltisisnowcomesomethingelseorbecomesomethingelse.
AndandsoumjusttohavethatwillingnessoftheASCteamtoacceptusinuhanyASCteammemberthat'slistening,wegreatlyappreciateeverythingyou'vedoneforusbecausethat'smadethattransitionsomucheasier.
Anduhyeah,soII'llI'lldivergefromthat,butitwasuhIdidwanttoshoutouttheASCteamforbeingsuchuhsuchwelcomingpeopletous.
Bytheway,Jay,IwasgonnasayI'mwritingoutalistofthingstosharewiththeboardnextweekbecauseyou'reright,wehavetheourconferenceumalsoforthefirsttimecombiningoursummerumboardmeetingswiththeconference.
Sonostressandcomplexitythere.
UmandIthinkJenHollandandherteamareumlosingtheirhairoverit,butbutwe'regonnagetthroughit.
Andandit'sjustthatthere'sallthesethingsthatthatwehavegoingon.
Um,youknow,wethewelaunchnewwebsites.
WewehaveuhASElicensedtestprep.
Thatwe'vejustlaunchedthat,frankly,toputaspotlighton,I'llsaythosewhoaredoingitrightumintermsoftestprep.
I'lljustbehonest,noteveryoneis.
Somepeopleareusingournameuhinvain,Iwouldsay,andwecan'tcontrolallofthat.
Sowe'retakingastepofestablishingASElicensedtestpreppartners,anduh,andthat'scomingalong.
Um,youknow,wetalkedaboutthegrant.
There'sjustitanyway,there'ssomanythingsgoingon.
Nextweekwe'llhaveIthinkuharound600peopleattendingourconference,whichwouldbethelargestever,everforus.
Soum,yeah,there'safewthingsgoingon.
Butyeah,sothankyouforrecognizingthatandumhelpstopinpointsomeofthestressthatI'mIIblamemeforcausing,butIdon'tfeelthatbadaboutitbecauseuhwe'reseeingsomegoodthingscomingoutofit.
Now,Mark,IIwanttotalkaboutyourroleuhatASCaswekindofgoover.
NowyouwestillhaveallofourresponsibilitiesforASCConnects,whatwasformerlyRenchway,andbuildingthatout,butyouaretakingonalargerroleininkindofthatthatoperationstypeofresponsibilityforASCasawhole.
Uhtalktomealittlebitaboutthat.
Younervousaboutit,excitedaboutit?
LikeIIjustuhinterestedinyourpsycheaswegointouhintothisnewroleforyou.
Yeah,definitelyexcited.
Imean,myrolereallyistodowhatDavetellsmetodo.
Umpartlytrue.
Um,soit'sokay.
No,butI'mdefinitelyexcited.
Imean,Ihadmentionedbefore,I'mastartupguy,butIdon'thaveanymorestartupsinme.
Thisismylastone,soIgointothis,andtherearechallengesahead.
Imean,I'mlookingatsystems,I'mlookingatprocess,allthenerdystuffIlove.
Um,somegreatthingsatASE,somealsosomethingsthatfranklyneedsomeimprovements,andwe'llworkonthattogether.
Itwouldbeprettyboring,andIwouldstrugglegoingintoanentitywhereeverythingwasjustperfect.
Imean,I'mnotwiredthatway.
SoI'mI'mexcitedtouhgointokickthetirestolearn,nottrytochangeanythingrightaway,buttolearnwhat'sgoingonandthenseewhatimprovementswecanmaketogether.
Somaybenotthespecificsyouwerelookingfor,Jay,butwe'vealreadyidentifiedquiteabitofthingsthatIdon'tknow.
I'mI'mveryexcited.
I'vegrowntolovethisindustry,Jay.
You'veyou'vegottenmetodrinktheKool-Aidonthatside,butIalwaystellpeople,I'mI,ascheesyasitsounds,I'maproblemsolverandIlikelookingatthingsdifferently.
AndlikeIsaidbefore,notjustfillinginthegaps,buttryingtoorganizethingsbetterortryingtothinkofthingsinadifferentway.
Um,andthere'sagoodamountofthatuhtobehadwithourexistingASEconnectsuhthatwehadownershipof,andthennowsomeotherthingsthatI'llgettobeinvolvedwithdowntheroadtoo.
Nice.
AnduhandI'lltalkalittlebitaboutmynewroleaswell.
IknowI'vehadquiteafewpeoplereachoutandask,like,howdoesthatchangewhatyoudo?
UhDavehadmentionedit,butmynewtitleisuhVPofIndustryUhAdvancement.
AnduhwhatIreallyappreciatedaboutASEhasbeenreallytheiruhtheirwillingnesstoletmekindofroamalittlebitandandbeabletotalkwithalotofpeopleuhinternallywithASC,butthenourourindustrypartnersaswell.
Uhwe'vegotareallycoolprogramcominguhthatuhiscalledtheASCAdvisorsCommitteeandsomethingthatwe'redoingsomesomereallycoolthings,honestly,togetsomeuhsomebootsonthegroundfeedbackofwhatwecandotouhimproveasuhASEasawhole,right?
Andwhatwecandotoimproveuhjusteverything.
Theindustry,IIIobviouslyhaveaprettybigpassiontoseethisindustrygettoabetterplaceasawhole.
UhASEhavingthewillingnesstoallowmetokindofdosomeofthatorcontinuethatworkisreallyawesometomebecausehereIamuhkindofworkingforthisbrandthatIIreallyidolizedgrowingupandI'veknownaboutitmyentirelife,andandit'salwaysbeenkindofthisthishugebrandtome.
AndnowtobeabletodowhatIfeellikeisinmystrengthzonewithacompanythatI'veadmiredforeveruhisisprettyprettyawesome.
SoI'muhsimilartoyou,Mark,veryexciteduhaboutreallywherethisisgoingandkindofofwhatmypathhasbeen.
Idon'tthinkIcouldhavecharteditoutanydifferently.
IknowuhDave,we'vetalkedalotaboutyouknow,sharingstoriesofpeoplethatyouknowmighthavestartedoffastechniciansandhavekindofworkedtheirwayintodifferentrolesintheindustry.
AndI'vesaidforeverthatthisindustryhasareally,reallygoodwayofputtingyouintheplacethatyoushouldbe.
AndIIfeellikethisisuhthisisreallykindofuhanat-hometypeofpositionformewhereIfeelreallycomfortable.
Yeah,Ithinkthat'scool,Jay.
AndandIwasjustthinkingaboutthatthatideaofumyouknow,thewewaswewe'vecalleditthecareerlattice.
IIcreditGeorgeAhrenswiththat.
Umwhetherhedeservesitornot,Idon'tknow.
Butanyway,we'llwe'llgiveittoGeorge.
Thetheideaofacareerlatticeversusaladderandandwhattheopportunitiesare.
Anduh,youknow,forforJayandmeandsomanyothersoutthere,yourecognize,atleastforme,itwasallIwantedtodoisturnawrench.
IImeanIwouldIwouldliveintheshopalldayandallnightifififmydadormyemployerswouldhaveletme.
Iyouknow,andthatwasthatwasallIwantedtodo.
AndthenIcametorealize,well,there'sotherthingsIwanttodotoo,andyouknow,wentandandumendedupgettingafour-yeardegree,endupatFord.
Andagain,IIgettakendownthis,Icallitaslowmotionmiracle.
IhavenoideahowIendedupfromthisfarmkidinmiddleofnowhere,Wyoming,literally,graduatingclassof18torunningum,youknow,aFortune5companies,umfixedopsumsupportumbusinessastheirexecutive.
IIdon'tknowhowthathappensbecauseallIwantedtodowasfixcars.
Ididn'taskforthis.
UmbutbutthepointisiswhatwhatIwhatthecommonthreadIseeinallofthat,andit'sandit'syoudon'thavetobeaatechnicianpersetodothat,butIthinkitcomeswiththewaythatyou'rewired,isyouhavethisuncontrollableurge,andmaybeitbordersonOCD,tofixthings.
Youcan'thelpit.
Youwanttoknowhowitworksandyouwanttofixit.
UmandwhatIcametorealizewasthatthatisuhthatisaskillthatisverytransferabletomultiplethingswithinautomotiveandoutside.
Andsotome,it'sjustthiswholeindustryisisfantasticbecauseofthewayitsomanypeoplearewiredinthatwayandtheopportunitiesitopensup.
Andsomepeoplewanttostickwithfixingcars,trucks,whateverthecasemaybe.
Umnosininthat.
Thatisfantasticandandaveryfulfillingcareer.
It'sjustknowingthatthere'sopportunitiesthatexpandwellbeyondthat.
Um,youknow,thatandandforme,andIthinkumIIIlikehelpingpeople.
Umthatthat'sfunforme.
Sotwofunthingsthatgettobecombinedfixingcars,fixingthings,IguessIshouldsay,andandhelpingpeople.
Youcombinethosetwothings,youcandoalotofthingswithit.
Um,butyeah,it'sit'sjustuhanyway,itit'sanamazing,it'sanamazingindustrythatwe'reallin.
Yeah,sometimesweneedareminderofthat.
AndIthinkthat'swhereMark'smadesuchagoodhomehereaswell.
Hetalkedaboutbeingthatproblemsolverandwantingtosolveproblems.
That'swhatourentireindustryisbuiltaround,right?
Isisatitscore,wefixcarsortrucksorequipmentorwhateveritis,andandittakesthatkindofmentalityofcriticalthinking,andandmaybenoteverything'sgoingtogoinastraightline.
Itmightzigzag,andyouhavetobeabletoadjustwiththat.
UhsoIIIknowMark,you'vegottenusedtothatovertheyearswiththeindustry,butuhIhavetoimagine,evenlikemovingforward,that'ssomethingwhereyoulookatthisatagranderscalefromwhatwewereabletobuild.
Andandwetalkedaboutitalittlebitbefore,butthere'salotofopportunitythere,right?
LikeIthinknotonlywithASE,buttheindustryasawholetokindofmovetheneedleintherightdirection.
Definitely.
Imean,yeah,you'reright.
Itgoesbacktowhatweweresayingbefore.
It'sacontinuationofthemissionwehad,justamuchbiggermicrophone,ifyouwill,oraudiencethatwecan,orumbrellawecoulddoitunder.
Um,there'snoshortageofthingstoworkon.
Andthisindustryoranyindustry,Ialwayssayontheproductdevelopmentside,it'sprettyeasytocomeandthinkaboutfeaturesorwhateverthatyouwanttobuild.
Byfarthehardestpartisprioritizingandfiguringoutwhichonesyoustartwithandandwhatapproachyoushoulddo,andkindofthewhack-a-molethingofyouyoufixthis,butthenthatcausesanissueoverhere.
IIloveit.
Andit'swhetherthat'ssystems,peopleprocess,buildingsoftware.
Ididn'tthinkofitthatwayuntilDavejustwastalkingafewminutesago.
It'sverysimilar,Ithink,tohowyouguysgrewup.
JustIwasn'tfixingcars.
It'sabutit'sallproblemsolvingandjustuhmakingimprovements.
Ititwell,itisjusttochimeinonthat,Ithinkyouabsolutelynailedit,Mark.
Andandthenthinkingaboutourfrustrations,ifyouwill,ororthechallengesIseeforusaswegoforward.
Um,andandthisisyouknowfortheaudienceandandprobablyforourforourowncollectiveteam,um,youknow,topackyourpatienceuhonsomethings,becausethetheexcitingpartofallthisiswe'vealreadybeentalkingaboutsomanythingsabout,well,hey,here'showwecanimprovethis,orwe,youknow,ifwewenowhavethesecombinedresources,wecandothisandthisandthis.
Um,andoh,therearethese10thingsthatweweneedtofix.
Andyougetapunchlistthatisjustpageslong,andthenyou'relike,okay,butwedon'thavethehundredsofpeopleandmillionsofdollarstogodoallthatatonce.
Sothethefrustrationandpackingourpatienceisgoingtoberecognizingthat,okay,there'sthesebigstrategicthingsthatwe'regoingtodo,andthatthat'sgoingtobeourfocus.
Wedon'twanttolosesightofthat,andwegottokeepgoing.
Um,andthenaswe'regoingalong,hopefully,andtherewillbe,I'veseenthisbefore,there'llbesomelow-hangingfruit,ifyouwill,onthatpunchlistthatwewantedtodothatwe'llbeabletopickupanddoit.
Andthenthere'ssomestuffthatwillbe,andthisiswheremyOCDcomesin,thatyou'llwe'llhavetowalkbyforawhilebecausetheotherprioritiesarearenumberone.
AndandI'mI'mkindofI'mayouknow,Iseeasquirrel,Iwanttogochaseit.
Um,whereIhavetothethepeoplehavetohelpmewithalittledisciplinethere.
Andandthat'syouknow,tome,that'sthethat'sgoingtobethethecreativetension,ifyouwill,intheintheprocesshere.
Thatisafantasticproblemtohave.
ButititisoneofthosethingsIlookatasit'sit'sthebigopportunity,andit'salsothebigchallengethatcomeswithwithwhatwe'redoing.
Yeah,Icouldn'tagreemore.
IIthinkthat'swhywe'reallsoexcited.
Now,Ididhavesomequickhittingquestionsofjustgeneralquestionswe'vebeengettingfromallofourindustryfriends.
We'vetouchedonsomeofthem,soI'mnotgoingtohitthoseones,butIuhI'llstartwithMark.
Uh,whatwillchangeabouttheproductmovingforward?
AndreferringtoRenchway,whichisnowASCConnects,what'sallinplaythere?
Ithinkthebigthingforthosethathaveknownusinthepastisourjobboardforexistingtechnicians,uh,experiencedtechnicians,Ishouldsay,thatisbeingphasedout.
Honestly,we'vestartedtodothatinJanuaryofthisyearwiththelaunchofASCConnects.
Thereareseveralreasonsforthat.
Imean,oneprimaryonethoughisweeventhoughajobboardisn'tpickingfavoritesandit'snothelpingshopAstealthetechfromshopB,weasASCnowdon'teverwanttobeseenasenablinganyofthat.
Umsothatthatpartwillbephasedoutandtofocusmoreongettingmorekidsintheindustrytohelpwithretentionofthepeoplewehavetogetbetterdata.
Uh,sothosethathaveknownusinthepast,Iwouldsaythat'sthebigthingthatisgoingaway.
Everythingelsewedo,it'sgoingtobeamplified.
Um,soalotofcoolthingscoming,moreresources,biggerbrand.
Um,allthestuffwedowithschoolswillcontinue.
We'reactuallyaddingstudentprofilesinthefall,moretocomewiththat.
Andthenit'sreallytoughtonotmentionsomeoftheotheradditivethings,butI'mgonnaI'mgonnamakethelistenerswaitonthat.
Uh,we'regonnahavesomeannouncementscomingoutofsomereallycoolproductuh-facingthings.
Um,soIwouldsay75%ofitfortheshorttermstayswhereitis.
The25%thatchanged,though,isthatjobboard,whichshouldn'tbenewstoanyone.
We'vebeenphasingthatoutforwhatarewe,middleofJuly,sevenandahalfmonthsalready.
Yeah.
Crazythatit'ssevenandahalfmonthsalready.
Uh,butyes,yes,thatthat'suhthankyouforansweringthat.
Umnextquestion.
Wereyounervousaboutgoingtoanonprofit?
Whichisuhkindofareallyinterestingquestion.
Uhitmaybeonewhereyoudon'tyoudon'tthinkaboutit.
Wedidn'treally,Ididn'treallythinkaboutitasweweregoingthroughit,butitismaybealittlebitofadifferentuhdifferenttypeofentitythanmaybewehadthought.
Yeah,youandIhadtalkedaboutthatalot.
Imean,Iitwasdifferentforme,I'mnotgonnalie.
Ummybackground,I'veworkedwithalotofothernonprofitsininpriorlives,andit'snotthatdifferentthatpeoplemakeitouttobe.
Imean,it'snotlikeeveryone'sworkingforfree.
Youstillgetcompetitivewages,youstillhavequotasonthings,youstillhavemetrics.
UmwhereI'mnotnervous,IgetexcitedbecauseIthinkasweshiftedawayfromsomeoftherecruitingthingswe'redoingandmoreofthealtruistic,likeindustrygood,itprobablymakesmoresensetobeinanonprofitonsomeofthisstuff.
Sowecan'thavepeoplewondering,well,youtwoownRanchway,likeyou'reprofitinguhoffofthegoodthatyou'retryingtodo.
No,nowwe'reanonprofit.
Andthatone,thatneverhappened.
Um,two,noonecansayanythinglikethatnow.
SoIthinkitanswerssomenoonereallyin,noonemaybetheywerebehindthescenes,butnoonepushedusonthatinthepasttoomuch.
Butyoualwayswonderedifpeoplethoughtthatway,andsothat'sjustanonfactorgoingforward.
Whataboutyou,Jaythough?
Curious.
AndIdon'tthinkyou'vebeeninvolvedwithit.
Nototherweallvolunteerondifferentboardsandthings,butyeah,itatfirstwaskindofaforeignconcepttome.
AndI'veneverworkeduhdirectlyforanot-for-profitcompanyinmylifetime.
I'montheboardofalocalhospitalthat'snotforprofitandlikekindofunderstandthelandscapealittlebit,butstilladmittedlyhavealottolearninthatregard.
WhereIIthinkfrommystandpoint,youalludedtothiswherewekindofnaturallywentthatdirectionanyway,whereitwasn't,Iwouldn'tsayoverlyintentional,otherthanwhatourmissionwastostartwith,ofreallytryingtohavethatimpactonthethegranderscaleoftheindustry.
Anditis,Imentioneditearlier,itkindoflikeorganicallyhappened.
Idon'tknowthatitwasadirectplanorsomethingthatwereallywerewereaimingfor,butitcouldn'tbeabetterfit.
Likeitwasjustuhitbecamereallyapparentthatitwasjustareally,reallynaturalfitandandallowsmetodosomethingthatI'vesetouttodofromthestart,andthatistotrulytrytohaveanimpactonthisindustryinapositivewaythatthatIthinkcangeteverybodyrowinginthesamedirectionandandhavethesamerallyingcry.
Andwhetheryou'reanOEMoradealeroranindependentrepairshoporanybodyintheaftermarket,likeknowinglikesomeofthetechnicianshortageissuesthatwehave,that'sanissueforallofus.
Idon'tcarewhatpartofthesegmentorwhatsegmentyouareininourindustryorwhatsubsector,likethere'sjustthere'ssomuchvalueinaligningeverybody.
Andtotome,theintrigueinASEwasasmuchthatasanything,right?
Oflike,here'sthisoneentitythattoucheseverypartofourindustry.
Everybodyknowswhotheyare.
Ithinkaligningwiththemallowsustocontinueeverythingthatwehadtalkedaboutfromthestart,andthatistotryanddothingsforthegreatergoodoftheindustry,trytopromoteandimprovetechniciancareers.
Anduh,we'vetalkedalotabouttheimprovedpartfortechniciansbecauseIthinkthere'salottobehadthereintermsofeducatingshops,andwe'vegottoworkonretentionstuff.
IknowthatwasawealwaysreferredtoASEstatofthe42%oftechniciansthatleavewithinthefirstcoupleofyears.
Likethere,there'sjustsomuchtobehadbyworkingtogetherandaligningeverybody.
Andtome,thatnonprofitornot,ASCwastheoneentitythatcoulddoallofthat.
Yeah.
Well,ifIcouldchimeinonthat,onthatnonprofitthing.
Um,thatwasaforeignconcepttometoowhenIcameintoASC.
AndandI'vecometorealizeit'slikeyousaid,itoneyouknowthatthere'smoneyinvolved.
Thatthat'syouhavetohavemoneytotosustainyourmission.
Sothatthat'spartofthedeal.
SoI'mlike,okay,IIgetthat.
Umandandtherearealotofgreatumnonprofitsouttheredoingalotofgoodthings.
Buthere'sthethingthatstruckmeaboutASEthatwasuniqueinsomanyways.
IandIIIjustcallitarighteouscause.
Idon'tknowwhatelsetocauseit,whatelsetocallit.
ThereasonIsaythatisbecauseitwasn'tcreatedbyanyonepersonwhowastryingtodosomegood,andandyouknow,andthatwasawayformaybethemtomakealivingtoo.
Andthat'sokay,right?
That'sallperfectlylegit.
I'mnotnotknockinginatall.
Therearealotofpeoplethathavegreatideasandandwanttogodogood,andtheydoit.
Theuniquethingaboutthisisisanentireindustrycreatedthisnonprofit.
Um,itit'sitandit'sandsoitsitsrightthere.
Andlikethat'swhyIsayit'skindofbyvirtueofhowitwascreated,itsitsrightinthemiddleofthisindustryandisestablishedtoservetheindustry.
Becauseguesswhat?
Ifitdoesn't,numberone,DaveJohnsonpraiseandallaroundforverylongbecausetheboardismadeupofallthoseconstituentsacrosstheindustryfromindependentstoaftermarketchainstoumeducatorstoOEMs,um,younameit.
Andsoifwe'renot,ifwe'renotsittinginthemiddlelikewe'resupposedtobe,umthingsself-correct,ifyouwill.
Andsointhatway,it'sarighteouscause.
Nowit'sjustaboutusamplifyingit.
Andthat'swhatIseeaboutuscomingtogetherisjustit'sthenextlevelofamplifyingthegoodthatwecandofortheindustry.
I'mgladyousaidthat,Dave,becausethatwasonethingIwasgoingtopointoutwasthatyouyou'reyouwerenewtothisaswell.
AndandIthinkyouprobablyhadalotofthesameviewpointswedidgoingintothatrelationship.
SoIthinkagain,thathelpsmaybebringdifferentperspectivetoASCasawholeaswell,somesomeoutsideinfluenceofpeoplethatknewwhoASCwasandandmaybethingsthatwecoulddotohaveapositiveimpactonASC.
Sothatuhthatthat'sexcitingforme.
UmMark,thisgoesbacktoyou.
What'sthewhat'sbeenthehardestthingtogetusedtosofar?
Uhaswe'refreshlyintothisnewthisnewpartnershiporthisnewnewrole.
Yeah,uhacoupleminorthings.
OneisIjustneedtoshutupandlistenmore.
AndlikeIsaid,I'mtakingtheapproach.
I'mnottryingtocomeupwithalltheanswers,justlearn.
Um,beingoncallswhereitwouldinthepast,maybeme,you,Jay,andtwootherpeople.
Nowthere's10peopleonthosecalls.
Andumsothat'snotahardthingtoadjustto,that'sjustarealityofit.
UmIIhavestrongopinionsonthingsandum,youknow,bitingmytongueandlearning.
Andthenkindofamorefunnyone,orjustgettingusedtoOutlookagain.
Ihaven'tusedthatin15years.
Likeallofmystartups,theemailsystemsandthingslikethathavebeenGmailbased,andit'stotallyfine.
It'ssuchaminorthing,butIwaslike,Ohyeah,Ikindofforgotabouthowthosethingsit'sashift.
That'sbeenmybiggestone.
IwhenIreadthatquestion,Iwaslike,thatisthathasbeenbyfarmybiggestchallenge.
AndanduhjustsoeverybodyatASEknows,ifyou'vesentmeanemailandIhaven'tresponded,it'snotbecauseIIdidn'tseeit,itmightbebecauseI'mtryingtofindthelastemailtorespondto.
Itisanadjustment.
We'regettingthere.
Uh,butyeah,itithadbeenaminutesinceI'vebeenonOutlook.
Sothisisuhit'sdifferent.
IwishIcouldusethatexcuseaboutslowresponsestoemails.
Umlastoneforyou,Mark,andthenuhDavewilltakealittlebitoftimetotalkabouttheuhapprenticeshipgrant.
UhMark,anyregretswithRenchway?
We'rekindofclosingthischapterinourlives.
Likewhatwhatuhwhatregretsdidyouhave?
Soone,you'regonnahavetoanswerthattoo,becauseI'mI'mcuriousyouranswer.
Butohman,umanystartupfounderwouldbelyingiftheydon'tsaytheyhaveregrets.
Butalso,IwouldliketosayI'mI'mgrayinthebeardenoughtoknowthatthat'spartoftheprocess.
Youyoucan'tlivethatway.
Imean,likemylaststartup,life-changingamountwesoldfor,theythentookourproduct,rolleditintotheirs.
Itprobablywas,Idon'tknow,20or25-30%ofitofthetotalcompanyrevenue,andthentheysoldintotalforaboutthreebilliondollars.
Maybeshouldhaveheldontothatonelonger.
Like,also,though,Idon'tknowthatwewouldhavewewouldhavethrownitthatway.
ButIdon'tlookatthatasaregretbecauseIIgotalife-changingexperienceoutofit.
Itmademebetter.
SamethingwithWrenchway.
Yes,thereweresomefeaturesofproductsthatfailed.
Yes,wehadsomehiresthatdidn'tworkout.
Yes,wehadsomemarketingandsalescampaigns.
Ilookbackandlike,ohman,that'salmostembarrassinglookingback.
Butit'stheit'stheEdisonthingoflikeItried10,000waysbeforeIfiguredouthowtomakethelightbulborwhatever.
Ijustbutcheredthatsaying,butIthinkeveryoneknowswhatI'mreferringto.
Yeah,youthey'realllearningexperiences.
IfIwenttotrythose,Iwouldhavebeenlike,man,wewehadtalkedaboutthistwoyearsago.
Ibetifwewouldhavedonethat,we'dbeinamuchbetterspotnow.
Sometimesthosefailures,it'sjustgoodtogetitoutofyoursystemandknow,okay,wetriedthat,itdidn'twork.
Um,soasusual,Irambletoomuch.
Yes,thereareminorregrets,butIlookatit,I'mverythrilledwithwherewelandedandhappywithkindofthebattlescarsandwoundsalongtheway.
Itmakesusstrongerasacompanyandasaperson.
Yeah,forforme,Idon'tknowthatI'vegotanytrueregretsaboutanythingwe'vedone.
Uh,youknow,there'sthingsthatyou'regonnalearnalongtheway,asyouyoutalkedabout.
Andtome,thosethingswelearnedhelpedusgettoabetterposition.
Ormaybeweusedsomethingandpivotedanditendedupasabetterproductproductasaresult.
Anduh,youknow,Idothankalotofourcustomersoverthetimethatlivethroughdifferentiterationsoftheproduct,andandwe'vehadsomejustfiercelyloyalpeopletothebrandandandpeoplethathavereallysupportedusthroughtheupsanddowns.
SoIjustuhwanttoreallyshoutoutthosefolksbecausethey'vethey'vebeeninstrumentaltoeverythingthatwe'vedone,andeventheirfeedbackandhelpingusbuildabetterproducthasbeenuhjusthuge.
UhIthinkmyonlyregretwouldbenotgettingtotheschoolstuffsooner,right?
BecauseIthinkwewesawthatneed,andandreallywhenyoulookatthetechnicianshortageasawhole,andthat'sthesupplyuhininalotofwaystowhatwedo,likeourentireindustry.
AndIIfeltliketheywerelargelyignoredforalongtimeunlesstheindustryneededsomething.
SolikeIthinkmaybebringingmoreawarenesstothatearlier,uh,whichhindsight's2020,becauseIdon'tknowthatwewouldhavedoneitaseffectivelyhadwedoneitearlier.
Solikeitit'sumthatwouldbetheonething,butotherthanthat,reallydon'thaveanyregrets.
Likeasweirdasitistosay,like,justuh,youknow,it'sveryrewardingtometotouhhavehelpedbuildacompanythatisnowuhsomethingthatisitturnedintosomething,right?
AndIwhenyoustartacompany,youneverknowifthat'severgoingtohappen.
Sothefactthatit'sledustohereisjustuhisisamazing.
UmlastquestionIwillanswer,uh,andthenwe'llshiftovertoDave.
Willthepodcastcontinue?
I'vegotthatquestionalotfromfrompeople,anduhittheanswerisyes.
We'rewe'regoingtocontinuewithit.
Um,I'vegotaprompt.
UhIuhpeoplethatlistentothepodcastregularlyknowthis.
Myuncleisactuallytheonethatdoestheintrotothepodcast.
So,UncleDean,ifyou'relisteningtothat,weneedtogetthatuhupdatedtoASE.
Uh,butyeah,we'regonnacontinuewiththepodcast.
It'sbeenagreatavenue.
Uhwe'renotRogantypenumbersbyanystretchoftheimagination,butitdoesallowustohavereallygoodconversations.
Andandtherearesomanyofyouthatlistentothisthatwillseemeataconferenceorseemeoutandaboutandanduhandhaveaconversationwithmeaboutacertainepisodewedid.
AndsometimesIfeellikethelistenershaveabettermemoryofwhatwetalkedaboutthanIdo.
Soit'suhit'sbeenuhareally,reallycoolthingthatwe'rewe'regonnakeeppushingon.
UmlastthingthatI'dliketospendalittlebitoftimeonhere,Dave,isuhtheDepartmentofLaborgrantthatASCreceiveduhfor$25million.
Uhwedon'thaveallthedetailsonthisyet,right?
Buttheoneofthethingswehadameetingaboutthisthismorningwherewefeelkindofourdutyistoprovidesomeleveloftransparencytouhtotheuhtheouterworld,right?
Likewhat'sgoingonwiththis,andit'saheckofaprocess.
So,Dave,Idon'tknowifyouwanttobringusuptospeedononwherewefallwiththingsrightnow.
Yeah,andmaybeI'llbackupalittlebitandsay,firstofall,goingbacktowhatwetalkedaboutearlierintermsofwhat'sthingslookingandfeelingalittledifferentatASE.
Um,thankstotheeffortsofeverybody,includingyouguys,um,overthepastcoupleofyears,umwe'rewe'rewe'reonthewe'reontheradarinwayswehadn'tbeeninbefore.
Andthisgetsbacktohowareweservingtheindustry?
Andumfrankly,inmyview,it'sit'sbecauseofthosethingsthatweweredoingtoputourselvesoutthere.
We'vebeenoutputtingourselvesoutthere,frankly,withthegovernment,umwithlegislators,lettingthemknowwewanttobearesourcetoyou.
Wewehadn'tnecessarilybeendoingthatbefore.
Um,wesaidwewereneutral,whichweare.
Weyouknow,we'rekindoflikeSwitzerlandwhenitcomestopoliticalthings,um,absolutely.
Butthatdoesn'tmeanweshouldn'tbearesource.
Wewantedtobearesourceandhelp.
Andandthroughallthoseinteractions,um,Ithinkthatwaspartofwhatopeneduptheopportunitythatwereceivedwiththis$25milliongrant.
Um,youknow,it'sit'sallit'sallpartofthislargerstrategy,andyou'llyou'llseeaDepartmentofLaborreleaseoutthere$162millionacrossumfiveindustriesinthecountrythatareconsideredcriticalwhereummoreskilledtradesumindividualsareneeded.
UmIjustwantyoutothinkaboutthefactthattransportationwasoneofthosesectors,itreceivedonegrantandthatwas$25million,anditwashere,anditwasforourindustry.
Sothat'snottopatASEonitsownback.
UhwhatIhopeitis,itreflectsisthatpeoplerecognizethatweandwherewerepresenttheindustryisissomething'shappening,helpisneeded,andwesitinaspottoactuallyhelptoenablethis.
Soum,soyeah,$25million,nosmalldeal,largestgrantfortransportationserviceever,umfarandaway.
Umsothere'salotofworktodo.
Sotheysaid,yep,effectiveJuly1st,thethethegrantwasthegrantwasawarded.
I'llcallitactuallytheycallitanaward.
Thisisnotyourtypicalgrant.
Itisaumitisait'sait'sapartnership,isreallywhatitiswiththeDepartmentofLabor.
Sotheyarefundingit.
Iwouldthinkofthemasthinkofthemasaaninvestmentbanker,right?
Sonotjustthebank.
Agrantsometimesit'slikethebankgivesyouthemoney,theysay,youknow,comebackandtelluswhatyourresultswereandgiveuswhatyouoweus,orwhateverthatmaybe.
Inthecaseofgrants,it'susuallysomethingthey'retryingtofurther.
Inthiscase,I'llcallitaninvestmentbankwherethey'reactuallyinvestedinit.
Sothey'renotjustlookingforusto,hey,here'syourmoney,gogouseit,andthencomebackandtellushowyoudid.
They'relike,no,wewearepartnersinthis,we'reworkingwithyou,we'reveryinterestedinseeingumtheeffectsofwhatwedotogether.
Andsothatisauniqueanimal,evenwithintheDepartmentofLabor.
Andsothere'ssomethingswe'relearningtogether.
Partofthisprocess,also,there'sbeensomebudgetadjustmentsthatwentwiththethe25millionumandthatwehavetoworkthroughwiththeDepartmentofLabor.
Andsothere'sthisprocessofsomethingsweneedtodointhenext45daystogivethemsomeinformation.
Uh,andthenumcouldbeupto120days.
Andsowe'rekindofexpectingaround120daysfromJuly1st.
ThatputsyoutofirstofNovemberwithalltheDOLprocesses.
Um,andyeah,there'ssomethere'ssomebureaucracytodealwiththem.
Wonderfulpeoplethatwe'redealingwith,butit'sjustthenatureofthebeastthatwehavetoworkthrough.
Andso,youknow,itcouldbearoundendofOctoberwhenwe'rereallyabletostartexecutingbecausewereallydon'tgetanyanysignificantfundingtohelptobegindistributingumforsponsorsandemployersumtouhtoassistuhtheseapprenticesastheycomeon.
Sosomeofthosethingsareareinflux.
Andsowe'relearningthisaswegotoo.
Andandinthemeantime,whatyou'regoingtoseefromMikeColeyfromtheEdFoundationumleadingalotofthiseffortforusisummoreinformationcomingoutaboutyouknowwhatwhatthingswilllooklike,whatyoumightneedtodoifyou'reifyouareumsomebodywhowantstobeasponsor,ifyou'reanemployerthat'sinterested,ifyou'reanapprenticeorwanttobeanapprentice,umifyou'reaschool,becausetheschoolsareveryimportantonthiswholeprocessas
well.
Andthere'llbemoreinformationtocomeonthat.
Inthemeantime,IjustencourageyoutogotoourumtheASCEDFoundationsitewherethere'smoreinformationonwhereyoucansubmittoaumthroughaformtosay,hey,I'minterestedinwhatevercategoryyoumaybein.
Andthatwillallowustocapturethatsothataswecontinuetolearnandthisunfoldsandhowexactlythiswillwork,we'llbeabletosharethatwithyouandanduhhelpyoutoparticipate.
UmsoumI'mforgettingtheaddressrightnow,butanyway,lookitup.
UmASEEducationFoundationumandthetheDOLgrant.
YouGoogleit,you'llfindit.
Soumwe'relookingforwardtothat,Jay.
We'llgetauhalinktothatintheshownotesaswell,sothatwecanuhgetyoudirectlyoutthere.
Andthenasweconcludethispodcast,uhjustwanttosay,Mark,thanksforforhelpingmebuildthisthing.
Thishasbeenuhsuchacool,coolthing.
AndDave,thanksforuhhavingthevisionandandreallyuhthewanttokindofhavethisrelationshipwithus.
I'mI'msoexcitedforwhatthefuturebringsanduhitshouldshouldbefun.
ThatwrapsupanotherepisodeofBeyondtheWrench.
Ifyoulikethisepisode,pleaseshowyoursupportbyratingandfollowingthepodcast.
YoucanalsowatchthevideointerviewsonWrenchway'sYouTubechannel.
SpeakingofWrenchway,didyouknowBeyondtheWrenchismanagedandproducedbytheWrenchwayteam?
Wrenchwayisanonlinecommunitydedicatedtopromotingandimprovingautomotiveanddieselcareers.
Wehelptechniciansfindthebestjobstoworkat,andwealsohelpauto,diesel,andCTEinstructorsgetmoresupportfromlocalindustry.
Youcanlearnmorebyvisitingwrenchway.com.
Original notes
Dave Johnson, President and CEO of ASE, sits down with WrenchWay co-founders Jay Goninen and Mark Wilson to break down the news: WrenchWay is officially part of the ASE family. In this episode, they cover why the deal made sense for both sides, what's changing (and staying the same) with the brand and product, and answer some of the questions they've been getting recently—including whether Beyond the Wrench is sticking around.
About the Episode
- Host: Jay Goninen, WrenchWay, [email protected]
- Guests: Dave Johnson, ASE, [email protected]; Mark Wilson, WrenchWay, [email protected]
Links & Resources
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- Department of Labor & ASE Education Foundation Initiative: Apprenticeship Program
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Beyond the Wrench
Jay Goninen
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62:26