It may sound contradictory, but owners who focus only on making money are more likely to fail at it. Every technician, advisor, manager, and customer is a person first, and people need to be treated with respect and appreciation. Roy Niemi learned that lesson the hard way.
Roy is the CEO of A&D Auto Repair and a 21 year automotive veteran. For years he worked 80 to 90 hours a week focused on money, until a life-changing accident put things in perspective. In episode 88 of Maximum Octane, Roy shares his leadership philosophy with Kim Hickey, including trust as a pillar of culture, honest feedback, his retention recipe, and how his shop develops its own A techs.
What You Will Learn
- A bit about Roy’s journey in the automotive industry
- We all want to be recognized, valued, and appreciated in the workspace
- About Roy’s 8 years journey as an auto repair shop CEO
- Roy shares his recipe to increase internal customers retention
- The importance of being proactive in spotting issues with your people
Roy’s Journey in the Automotive Industry
Roy opens with his journey, including 14 years in sales and finance. During that time, he worked extremely long hours with a single focus: making more money. A life-changing accident made him rethink his priorities and taught him lessons he now applies as a shop CEO.
Life-changing events often prompt people to reevaluate priorities. For Roy, an accident shifted his focus from money alone to people and relationships. Many leaders experience similar turning points, whether through health scares, family events, or burnout. Those moments can lead to more balanced and meaningful approaches to work.
Everyone Wants to Be Valued
Around the 7 minute mark, Roy makes a point that runs through all of Maximum Octane: we all want to be recognized, valued, and appreciated at work. That is true for the newest lube tech and the most experienced A tech. Leaders who make recognition a habit build loyalty that money alone cannot buy.
ATI’s The Hidden Secret of Employee Motivation explores this idea.
Recognition is one of the simplest and most effective ways to show people they are valued. Specific, timely recognition, such as thanking a technician for catching a safety issue or praising an advisor for calming an upset customer, reinforces positive behavior and builds loyalty. Recognition does not need to be expensive; sincerity matters more than cost.
Eight Years as a Shop CEO
Roy reflects on his years as an auto repair shop CEO. He explains how trust became a pillar of his shop’s culture and why honest feedback and transparency are essential. When employees trust their leader, they are more open about problems and more committed to solutions.
Trust is built through consistency, honesty, and follow-through. Leaders who share information openly, admit mistakes, and keep promises earn trust over time. That trust allows teams to work together more effectively and respond to challenges with confidence.
Honest feedback is one of the clearest tests of trust. Many leaders avoid difficult conversations because they worry about upsetting people, but silence often does more damage. A technician who keeps making the same mistake without hearing about it is set up to fail. Feedback works best when it is specific, timely, and delivered privately, with a focus on the behavior rather than the person. Leaders can also invite feedback in return by asking the team what is getting in their way and what they would change. When employees see that their input leads to real action, they become more willing to speak up about problems early.
Roy’s Recipe for Retention
Around the 16 minute mark, Roy shares his recipe for increasing employee retention. Listen for the specifics. Key ingredients include mentoring, clear and honest feedback, recognition, and treating people as individuals. Roy also explains how his shop created its own A techs by developing people internally rather than relying solely on outside hires.
ATI’s Here’s How to Get More ‘A’ Techs in Your Shop covers this approach, and Roy Keiser discusses culture-based hiring in Using Culture and Reputation to Build a Bench for Your Auto Shop.
Mentoring is a powerful retention tool because it builds relationships and skills at the same time. Employees who have mentors feel supported and see a path for growth. Mentors also benefit, gaining leadership experience and satisfaction from helping others succeed.
Be Proactive About Your People
Roy closes with the importance of being proactive in spotting issues with your people. Changes in attitude, performance, or engagement are often early warning signs. Leaders who notice and address them early can help employees through challenges and prevent small issues from becoming resignations.
Proactive leaders notice changes in behavior and address them early. A brief, caring conversation can uncover personal challenges, frustrations, or concerns that can be resolved before they lead to resignation. Regular one-on-one meetings provide a structured opportunity for these conversations.
Some warning signs are easy to miss in a busy shop: a technician who used to joke around and now keeps to himself, an advisor who stops offering ideas, someone who suddenly takes more days off or seems short with customers. None of these automatically means a person is about to leave, but each is a reason to check in. The conversation does not have to be formal. Asking “How are things going, really?” in a quiet moment and then listening carefully can reveal a scheduling conflict, a frustration with a process, or a personal challenge. Leaders who respond with flexibility and care often keep people they would otherwise have lost.
Why People-First Leadership Pays Off
Roy’s philosophy reflects a principle that many successful leaders share: when you take care of people, results follow. Engaged, loyal employees provide better service, make fewer mistakes, and stay longer. Satisfied customers return and refer others. Over time, that combination produces stronger financial results than a narrow focus on revenue.
People-first leadership does not mean ignoring profit. It means recognizing that profit comes from people, both employees and customers. Leaders who build trust, invest in their teams, and treat customers with care create businesses that are both profitable and fulfilling to run.
What This Looks Like Day to Day
People-first leadership shows up in ordinary moments more than in big gestures. It looks like an owner who greets each person by name in the morning, who notices when a technician handles a tough diagnosis well and says so in front of the team, and who closes the loop when someone raises a concern. It looks like regular one-on-one conversations that cover goals and career growth, not only production numbers.
It also looks like a deliberate plan for developing people. Shops that grow their own A techs, as Roy describes, usually pair newer technicians with experienced mentors, map out the training and certifications each person needs, and give them progressively more complex work as their skills improve. That plan should be written down and reviewed together so the employee can see progress. Owners who want to sharpen their own leadership can benefit from the same approach, and ATI’s article on how to find an industry mentor offers ideas for getting started.
Build Trust Before Dollars
- Recognize at least one person specifically every day.
- Give honest feedback promptly, not just at annual reviews.
- Pair newer technicians with mentors.
- Watch for changes in engagement and check in early.
Mary Kelly discusses partnerships over transactions in How to Make Your Clients Forget the World Is on Fire. For a customer-focused take on the same theme, listen to You’re Not in the Car Business. You’re in the Relationship Business.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I improve employee retention at my auto repair shop?
Retention improves when people feel valued, see a future, and trust their leaders. Recognize good work specifically and often, give honest feedback promptly, and hold regular one-on-one conversations about goals and challenges. Offer mentoring and a clear path for skill development so employees can see how they will grow. Pay fairly and keep the work organized. Finally, watch for changes in engagement and check in early, because many resignations follow problems that could have been addressed with a timely conversation.
How can I develop my own A technicians instead of hiring them?
Start by hiring people with strong attitudes and a willingness to learn, then build a structured development plan for each one. Pair them with experienced mentors, schedule ongoing training and certifications, and assign progressively more complex work as their skills grow. Review progress together on a regular schedule so they know where they stand. Growing technicians internally takes time, but it builds loyalty and gives the shop people who already know its standards and culture.
What is the best way to recognize employees in a repair shop?
The most effective recognition is specific, sincere, and timely. Instead of a general “good job,” name exactly what the person did and why it mattered, such as catching a safety issue during an inspection or turning around an upset customer. Recognition can happen in team meetings, in a quick private word, or in a handwritten note. It does not need to cost money. Consistency matters more than size, so make it a regular habit rather than an occasional event.
How do I know if a good employee is thinking about leaving?
Common early signs include a drop in engagement, less participation in team conversations, changes in attendance, declining quality, or a shift in attitude toward customers or coworkers. None of these proves someone is leaving, but each is worth a caring conversation. Ask open questions, listen without getting defensive, and look for problems you can solve, such as scheduling, workload, or a frustrating process. Regular one-on-one meetings make these conversations feel normal rather than alarming.
