Shop profile: DL Transmissions has leveraged a new location into significant success
Location, location, location. It’s commonly cited as a real estate motto, but really, it’s essential for any type of business. Whether it means being in close proximity to as many customers as possible or simply being in a visible or noticeable location, it can be a key to success for a transmission repair shop. After
Shop profile: Colorado Engine has built a name for itself focusing on the whole powertrain
Colorado Engine may have “engine” in the name, but transmissions are also a key component of the business for a shop that deals with the entire powertrain. Started in 1983 as a wholesale warehouse distributor for factory remanufactured engines and transmissions, in 2000 they opened an install center, according to owner George Anderson. “So probably
A long journey to success at New Jersey’s Wholesale Transmissions
“We’ve been family-owned since 1985,” Mike Nader says of his shop, New Jersey’s Wholesale Transmissions. Mike’s father started off as a multi-shop Cottman Transmission franchisee in the ‘80s. But when he passed away, it left his widow Georgette to, as Mike says, “pick up the pieces.” “She didn’t know anything about the transmission business,” Mike
Kitting keeps us profitable: Aftermarket kit suppliers listing 2023
The kitting of transmission parts has made profitable shop operation possible. When a kit with 100 parts is necessary, a distributor has already assembled all the important components into the kit and it is typically sitting on the shelf ready to be delivered. Kitting saves time and effort for both the shop and the supplying
California’s Rohnert Park Transmissions is a multi-generational success story
Fernando Gomez’s dad got into the business after being in the Army. “It was what he always wanted to do,” Fernando says. But that wasn’t the case for Fernando at first. “My dad needed an apprentice and he was a pretty tough guy to work for, so they were having trouble finding somebody to be
Doing the little things right at Habby’s Transmissions
Habby’s Transmissions started as a radiator shop. When Warren Frie bought it in 1975 (keeping the name Habby’s from the previous owner), it took until the mid-1980s until he saw an opportunity in the transmission repair market, and transformed the business. “Then, when I was 19,” says Warren Frie Jr., the current owner, “I graduated
12 transmission jack safety tips
A transmission jack is a must to remove, install or move transmissions, transfer cases and transaxles in a shop. These jacks save backs and time, but they are powerful multitask lifting systems so they must be operated correctly, with safety being the first priority. Unlike a conventional hydraulic floor jack or bumper jack that raises
Going the extra mile: Price’s Garage builds on a family legacy
Joshua Price grew up in the transmission industry — so much so that he used to take copies of this very magazine to school with him. “I’ve been in this business my whole life,” he says. “My dad had a transmission shop; he was in business from 1967 to 2008.” Bob Price’s shop was called
Rolling with the changes: How Mister Transmission plans to continue growing in its 60th year and beyond
Tony Kuczynski may be on the executive side of the transmission industry these days, but having gotten his start as a technician, he has experience with both the business and the technical side of things. For the past five years, Tony has been president and CEO of Mister Transmission, Canada’s largest transmission repair shop chain,
Counterfeit parts: Let the buyer beware
There is a Latin term handed down from English common law: “Caveat Emptor,” which means “let the buyer beware” of what is purchased. In this era when purchasing parts and other products online is becoming more common, that cautious approach to purchasing is of particular importance. Recently Transmission Digest participated in a discussion with a
Shop profile: Fryar’s Transmission is keeping up the reputation
His grandparents warned him that the transmission industry was a “tough business.” But Matt Fryar, who grew up around the business, ended up in it anyway. The family shop, Fryar’s Transmission in Pearcy, Arkansas, was opened in 1965 by Matt’s great-grandfather, Weldon Fryar. At the time it was called Fryar’s Garage and was a general
From the ground up: Dunn Transmissions trades on a long history and a strong reputation
The founder of Dunn Transmissions, a shop which has become a staple of the East Texas city of Tyler, was Truman Dunn, a World War II veteran who worked on cars in his spare time. He opened a repair shop called Dunn’s Transmission Shop in 1950, specializing in what was, at the time, the latest
