This episode was recorded as Kim Hickey and her community were dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. Kim felt grateful to be safe, with food and water and only minimal damage to her home from the Category 4 storm. As her city got back on its feet, she reflected on lessons that only become obvious when a disaster forces us to see them.
In episode 50 of Maximum Octane, Kim talks about why business owners need to know their insurance details, the underappreciated value of blue-collar workers, why kids should be encouraged into the trades, and the importance of finding and celebrating the real heroes in our communities.
What You Will Learn
- Why it is crucial to pay attention to our insurance’s details
- The underappreciated work of blue-collar workers and their job
- The heroes we deserve, and need
- About the need to spread positivity and actively look to help others
Know Your Insurance Before You Need It
Kim opens with a practical lesson: pay attention to your insurance details. Many people, including business owners, do not really know what their policies cover until they have to file a claim. After a disaster, that is too late.
Questions every shop owner should be able to answer:
- What is your deductible for wind, flood, and other named perils?
- Does your policy cover business interruption, and for how long?
- Are customer vehicles in your care covered, and under what conditions?
- Is your equipment and inventory valued at replacement cost?
- Do you have flood insurance if you are in a flood-prone area?
FEMA’s Ready.gov business preparedness resources help owners plan for emergencies, and ATI’s Is Your Shop Prepared for Severe Weather? covers shop-specific steps. Richard Sharman goes deeper on insurance in Don’t Wait Until the Palm Tree Falls Into Your Car!
Business interruption coverage is often overlooked. It can help cover lost income and ongoing expenses if a disaster forces a shop to close temporarily. Without it, owners may struggle to pay employees and bills while repairs are made. Garagekeepers coverage, which protects customer vehicles in the shop’s care, is another critical policy for repair businesses. Reviewing these coverages with an agent before storm season helps owners understand their protection.
The best time to sit down with your agent is a quiet week well before storm season. Bring a list of your equipment, your typical number of customer vehicles on the lot overnight, and your monthly fixed expenses. Those details help the agent tell you whether your limits match your actual exposure. Ask the agent to walk through a specific scenario, such as water entering the building and damaging lifts and diagnostic equipment, so you hear exactly how a claim would be handled instead of guessing from policy language.
The Underappreciated Work of Blue-Collar Workers
Around the 5 minute mark, Kim turns to the people who keep things going after a disaster: line workers restoring power, tree crews, roofers, plumbers, and of course, technicians keeping vehicles running. These blue-collar workers rarely get the recognition they deserve, yet communities could not recover without them.
After disasters, skilled tradespeople are among the first to restore normal life. Electricians restore power, plumbers repair water systems, roofers patch homes, and technicians keep emergency and personal vehicles running. Their work is essential, yet skilled trades are often undervalued compared with careers requiring college degrees. Recognizing and celebrating this work helps attract the next generation to these careers.
Shop owners can help close this recognition gap inside their own walls. Thanking technicians publicly when they solve a difficult diagnosis, sharing their work on social media, and telling customers about the training behind a repair all reinforce that the job is skilled and valuable. When the community sees a shop treat its technicians as professionals, it becomes easier for parents and students to see auto repair as a respected career rather than a fallback option.
Encourage Kids to Work in the Trades
Kim encourages parents to support kids who want to work in the trades and to stop overestimating the importance of college degrees for every career path. Skilled trades offer meaningful, well-paid work and are in high demand. The BLS outlook for automotive technicians shows how many openings the industry has each year, and organizations like mikeroweWORKS and the TechForce Foundation work to bring more young people into skilled careers.
ATI attendees have supported this cause directly, as shared in ATI SuperConference Attendees Donate $60,000 to the mikeroweWORKS Foundation.
Many skilled trades offer strong earning potential, job security, and the satisfaction of solving real problems. Training programs are often shorter and less expensive than four-year degrees, which means young people can start earning sooner with less debt. Parents, teachers, and business owners can help by talking positively about trade careers and offering opportunities for young people to explore them through job shadowing or internships.
The Heroes We Deserve and Need
Around the 8 minute mark, Kim talks about the heroes we deserve and need. In disasters, everyday people step up: neighbors checking on neighbors, volunteers handing out supplies, workers putting in long hours to restore services. Those stories often get less attention than the cynical ones.
Recognizing everyday heroes also strengthens communities. When people share stories of neighbors helping neighbors, it encourages more of the same behavior. Businesses can play a role by highlighting employees who volunteer, supporting local relief efforts, and celebrating community members who step up during hard times.
Spread Positivity and Look for Ways to Help
Kim closes with an invitation to ignore the cynical view of society and actively look for ways to help others. For shop owners, that might mean helping customers whose vehicles were damaged, supporting employees affected by a disaster, or using the business to serve the community during recovery.
Repair shops are often well positioned to help during disasters. They may help customers with damaged vehicles navigate insurance claims, provide temporary transportation, or offer discounts to first responders and affected families. These actions build goodwill and demonstrate the shop’s commitment to its community.
Helping does not have to wait for a disaster. Shops can build relationships now with local food banks, emergency management offices, and community groups so they know where help is needed when something happens. A shop that has already connected with these organizations can respond quickly, whether that means storing supplies, offering free vehicle safety checks after a storm, or simply opening its parking lot as a gathering point.
Building a Disaster Plan for Your Shop
A disaster plan should cover several areas. Protecting people comes first, with clear procedures for evacuation and communication. Protecting property includes securing equipment, moving customer vehicles to safer locations when possible, and backing up critical data. Planning for recovery includes knowing whom to call for repairs, how to process insurance claims, and how to communicate with customers about reopening.
Testing the plan, even with a simple walkthrough, helps identify gaps. Reviewing it annually, especially before hurricane or severe weather season, keeps it current. Kim’s experience with Hurricane Ian is a reminder that preparation made in calm times makes all the difference when disaster strikes.
Taking Care of Your Team After a Disaster
When a storm hits, employees face the same damage, outages, and stress as everyone else in the community. Some may have flooded homes, no power, or family members who need care. Before reopening, reach out to every team member to find out how they are doing and what they need. Flexibility with schedules during recovery shows employees that the shop values them as people, not just as production.
Practical support can include advancing pay when possible, helping employees find recovery resources, and organizing coworkers to help each other with cleanup. Communicating clearly about when the shop will reopen, and whether hours will be paid during a closure, reduces anxiety. Teams that feel supported during a crisis tend to come back stronger and more committed to the business.
Preparedness Steps for Your Shop
- Review your insurance policies with your agent before storm season.
- Create an emergency plan for protecting customer vehicles and equipment.
- Keep employee contact information current so you can check on everyone.
- Back up shop management data in the cloud.
For another story of service and community, listen to Leslie Hunt in Hope for the Warriors, and Kim’s solo episode Everything Speaks: The True Meaning of Being at Service.
Frequently Asked Questions
What insurance does an auto repair shop need?
Most repair shops need several types of coverage working together. General liability and garage liability protect against claims related to business operations. Garagekeepers coverage protects customer vehicles in your care. Property coverage protects the building, equipment, and inventory. Business interruption coverage helps replace lost income during a closure, and workers’ compensation is required in most states for employees. Flood coverage is usually separate. Review your full package with an agent who understands repair businesses.
Does business insurance cover flood damage to my shop?
Standard commercial property policies often exclude flood damage, which surprises many owners after a storm. Flood coverage is typically purchased as a separate policy, either through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private insurer. New flood policies may also have a waiting period before coverage begins, so buying one when a storm is already in the forecast is usually too late. Ask your agent whether your location and policy are protected.
Are customer cars covered if they are damaged at my shop during a storm?
It depends on your coverage. Garagekeepers insurance is designed to protect customer vehicles while they are in your care, custody, or control, but policies differ on which causes of loss are covered and whether the coverage applies only if the shop is legally liable. Some customers’ own comprehensive coverage may also apply. Review the details with your agent before storm season, and have a plan for moving vehicles to safer ground when possible.
How can my shop encourage young people to pursue careers in the trades?
Start local. Offer shop tours to high school classes, speak at career days, and partner with nearby technical programs to host students for job shadowing or internships. Show the technology involved in modern repair and talk openly about career paths, from entry-level technician to shop owner. Supporting scholarships and trade-focused nonprofits also helps. Young people are more likely to choose a career when they meet professionals who are proud of their work.
What should be in a disaster plan for an auto repair shop?
A good plan covers people, property, and recovery. List evacuation procedures and how you will contact every employee. Identify where customer vehicles and key equipment can be moved and who is responsible for securing the building. Back up shop management data and store insurance documents somewhere accessible offsite. Finally, keep a contact list of your agent, contractors, utility providers, and vendors so you can start recovery quickly once it is safe.
