ARA’s mentor program offers a participating MENTEE the opportunity to receive ongoing knowledge and insight from a fellow recycler. By RD Hopper There are common problems that all face. Everyone has learned from experiences that could help another facing the same problem. ARA Developed the Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Program to facilitate auto recyclers assisting fellow auto recyclers in reaching their goals. Recyclers helping recyclers is a longstanding industry heritage, especially amongst the membership of the ARA. Two years ago, the ARA leadership found this type of support, organized into in a more structured program, was needed and important enough to start the mentor program, which assists members in getting help to reach their current goals. Getting the Most For this process to be effective, the mentee needs to consider certain things before beginning the program: GET MANAGEMENT BUY-IN: It is crucial that the management team of the mentee’s business be on board, as the only way to improve is to be able to agree on what needs improvement and tackle it. Management must be willing to spend the time and effort it takes to achieve the desired results. Everything in business is a team effort. There are no easy buttons. If everyone is not pulling together in the same direction, it will be impossible to lead the team to achieve successful results. BE OPEN TO NEW IDEAS: Auto recycling facilities come in all shapes and sizes with different business models, in different locations, using different operating software. There are different personalities with many philosophies on what a successful business looks like. There is no cookie-cutter way of managing a company that is going to work the same everywhere. No one person is going to show up and have the best answer for the situation every time. That being said, many successful people are very strong in different aspects of recycling. While fundamental truths apply across the board and there are common problems that all face, these can be successfully managed in many different ways. Everyone has learned from experiences that could help another facing the same problem. FOLLOW THROUGH PUTTING INTO ACTION: Each recycler must develop the processes and the people to satisfy the needs in its market and satisfy customer expectations. In addition, this plan must cover overhead and be profitable. Each recycler must measure each part of the process and people to evaluate changes and assess results. The processes must be “scalable,” and thank you Ron Sturgeon for that piece of advice. Each recycler must determine what is most important to their family at work and at home. Easy button? No. Hard work and opportunity? Yes. When the decision is made, everyone must be willing to devote the resources, time, and effort to work in the same direction. ARA will do its very best to help find a fellow recycler to share their insights and help another recycler establish key processes. Believe it or not, these mentors gladly help others and, at their own expense, to pay back the many people that have helped them along the way. If recyclers are willing to share, learn, and invest in the three P’s – people, process, product, as Marty Hollingshead always says – then everyone wins. RD Hopper is the owner of Sonny’s Auto Salvage in Jacksonville, AK, the company he and his wife Jennifer bought in 1998. Hopper is also a past president of the ARA. How do I Enroll in the Program?
PEER-TO-PEER MENTORING is offered through ARA’s effective empowerment program. Monitored by the ARA, mentoring is available to any auto recycling facility owner or manager who is looking for a fresh perspective on their business strategy and daily business operations. Mentors & Mentees are paired based on criteria developed to create a successful match. To enroll as a mentor or mentee: 1. Email [email protected] to receive more information on the program, as well as to request an application to mentor or be mentored. 2. Return your application to enroll in the year-long program. You will be matched with a Mentor or Mentee. It is the responsibility of paired parties to develop communication systems that work for both parties.
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Do you have the right stuff? What does it takes to be a MENTOR? By Marty Hollingshead A good mentor is a combination of a coach, a counselor and, at times, a drill sergeant, but aren’t these all qualities we already have from managing our businesses and our people? You need to know when to teach, when to get tough, and when to be understanding and supportive. Back in 2018, ARA launched the Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Program. RD Hopper was the founder of this program. His vision was to bring together some of the best automotive recycling operators to act as mentors to those that were in need of help. The program’s main objective is to improve our industry one recycler at a time. The mission is to mentor those that were new to the industry, some that may be struggling, and lastly, some that simply wanted to improve.
As we make our industry better as a whole as our main goal, and we all do a better job, the benefits will be access to greater opportunities, and hopefully we will erase negative stigmas of the past that our industry suffers. Now in our third year, we are looking for additional recyclers to be mentors who want to give back to the industry that benefits them. And, with inquiries from across the pond, we are even looking to scale this into an international program. Mentoring Means Business One of the great things about our industry and what sets it apart from others, is that even though we are competitors, we are always willing to share ideas and help one another. For those that are applying as mentors, obviously we are looking for the best. Usually, when someone is a good operator, they are also very busy with their own business. For those that are interested in becoming a mentor, you have to know and understand this: This is a rigorous program and can have a positive or a negative impact on those looking for help. With that being said, it is a serious commitment from both parties. Everyone involved will have to hold up their end for their efforts to succeed. The bottom line is this: it will require hard work and an honest effort from all involved. Honestly, if you are not willing to invest the time and work required, this program is not for you. Yet if you are, this program will most definitely be a benefit to you, and also to those you are helping. Success Isn’t Cheap Mentors must be willing to make sacrifices of their time, work, and resources to help others. This will require numerous phone calls with your mentee, as well as being able to do an evaluation on their business to understand their strengths and weaknesses, and to develop a plan of action. Obviously, there will be different methods, all depending on the needs of who you are mentoring. The focus will be on the three P’s – people, process, and product. You will also need to find out what their goals are, short-term (within the next year), and long-term (their 5-year plan). You may have to help them set realistic expectations, as well as monitor their progress to keep them focused and on-track with the task at hand. Hopefully when travel restrictions ease, we can continue with site visits, but at the very least, you will have to be readily available for any questions or concerns that your mentee may have. The Rewards are Great A good mentor is a combination of a coach, a counselor and, at times, a drill sergeant, but aren’t these all qualities we already have from managing our businesses and our people? You need to know when to teach, when to get tough, and when to be understanding and supportive. On a personal note, I can say firsthand that I have learned as much from the people that I have mentored as they have learned from me. You will develop long-term, lasting relationships with these people, and you will have a sense of fulfillment knowing that you are giving back and helping others. When this program began, RD told me that if we could save just one recycler, it will be a success. He also said, “Seeing people willing to give their time and resources to the ARA mentoring program; to selflessly invest in the future of other owners and this industry as a whole, has made me feel honored to be a part of ARA and this industry. This is a transitional time, and these mentors have shown me that those who are willing to adapt and improve their businesses will survive. I am grateful to those that have asked for help to improve, and for those volunteering to be mentors. They both have inspired me to do the same.” I encourage anyone who feels that they have “The Right Stuff” to be a mentor to the industry to contact Jessica Andrews at [email protected] to apply. The ARA Vision: Train, Educate, Advocate. Support your State and Local Associations! Support ARA! Most importantly, support our flag, our military, our frontline workers, first-responders, and our American values! Martin “Marty” Hollingshead is President of Northlake Auto Recyclers, Hammond, IN, and is the First Vice President of the Automotive Recyclers Association. ARA Honorary Lifetime Member Mike French, Mike French & Company, Inc. Retires. Donates Legacy Publications to the ARA Auto Recycler’s Toolbox Magazine® and Virtual Auto Recycler Trade Show™ Now Part of ARA Publishing Program ARA is honored to announce that longtime industry supporter and ARA Honorary Lifetime Member Mike French, who is also a longtime contributor to Automotive Recycling magazine, has generously donated the Auto Recycler’s Toolbox Magazine® and the Virtual Auto Recycler Trade Show™ to ARA. French will be retiring effective February 28, 2021 and announced the donation of his popular industry magazine and online trade show platform in a press release this week. “Mike and his family have been strong supporters of ARA and this industry for as long as I can remember,” said ARA Executive Director, Sandy Blalock. “Our leadership and staff is humbled that Mike would choose to transfer the Auto Recycler’s Toolbox®, the online Virtual Auto Recycler Trade Show™ and accompanying website over to ARA. We are committed to preserving the integrity of these communication platforms as we integrate them with the Association’s overarching communications strategy to support automotive recycling businesses, including services and suppliers to the industry, as well as promoting the use of Recycled Original Equipment® auto parts.” MF&CO has operated since 1982 and launched Auto Recycler’s Toolbox® in 2007 as “The Auto Recycler’s Trade Show in Print®,” which served as a cornerstone of MF&CO. French felt compelled to help auto recyclers who were disconnected from others with quality information to help them succeed. The publication quickly grew as a widely-read nationwide publication with the aim to deliver all the aspects of a trade show experience to those that are unable to attend in-person industry events. MF&CO then launched the Virtual Auto Recycler Trade Show™ in 2020, to offer more tradeshow-like experiences, such as video presentations, demos, and more. “ARA’s current publishing program serves as exclusive ARA member benefits,” says Caryn Smith, CEO of Driven By Design LLC, who has supported ARA’s publishing and communications efforts for over 20 years. “We are especially excited to assist ARA to publish the Toolbox® and associated websites that reach beyond the current ARA membership audience. With the support of loyal Toolbox® writers and industry suppliers, we want to continue to offer all automotive recyclers and suppliers on the mailing list with quality information that will help them thrive. Those to love the Toolbox® will continue to enjoy it as a quality industry resource.” å The only place to buy replacement repair auto parts was at a junkyard, but we never improved our image. This article originally ran in AutoRecyclingWorld.com on January 11, 2021. Our industry has an identity problem. Most of the general population has little knowledge of the benefits we offer and has preconceived notions about auto recycling. We are the most misunderstood industry in the world. Unfortunately, many of the first auto recyclers began as an offshoot from an unrelated business plan – some were rag merchants, others paper and some scrap dealers. There were very little, if any, standards of environmental or quality control. We were the place that collected junk, hence the name “junkyard.” During World War II, all manufacturing was geared toward the production of war support products. The only place to buy replacement repair auto parts was at a junkyard, but we never improved our image. People started to buy our products more and more, but we never improved our processes. Recycling end-of-life vehicles was a time-consuming, dirty process mostly done by hand. Just imagine chopping up a car with a hatchet by hand, not paying too much attention as to where the oil, gasoline and other fluids flowed. We were on par with the trash dumps, but handling old abandoned vehicles. There are many auto recycling facilities that never evolved into the modern professional auto recycler of today. These facilities most likely are not computerized, do not follow environmental protocols and are an eyesore to their neighbors. The unknowing consumer might think that all auto recyclers operate and look the same. Most of these operators die off when new generations inherit the junkyard, while some are newly formed as illegal operators working out of chop shops or tow yard locations. Whatever the case, we are often judged by the lowest common denominator. Often we have long-standing customers who forget about the many great parts we supplied to them and latch onto the one part that failed after installation. We do a pretty good job in promoting our industry to those who know about us, including fellow recyclers, insurance companies, and body and mechanical shops. The problem here is that in most instances we are preaching to the choir. Body and mechanical shops have a love/hate relationship with us – they hate us when our parts are mandated and love us when they are fixing their own vehicle and want to save money. Lots of times the consumer formulates their opinion of our parts from a shop writing the estimate. Our parts are classified as “junk” and why would you take the chance with a worn-out part. Some even have signs saying they don’t perform repairs with junkyard parts. We have allowed the industry that installs our parts to formulate the consumer’s perception of our product. In the past, every time you saw a salvage yard in the movies, there was a drug deal or someone was being shot and thrown into the trunk of a car. Unfortunately, movies, TV shows and the media can formulate people’s opinions for the good and bad. It seems like after getting a bad reputation, it takes forever to make it good. I don’t think we have a bad reputation, just a misunderstanding of the benefits of our industry. Next time you take an Uber, ask the driver if they would utilize our parts in repairs. Better yet, ask a waiter their opinion, but be ready to explain why our parts are good for their wallet and the environment. An educated consumer is our best customer. Just imagine if every salvage yard around the world started promoting the benefits of our industry to the consumer and the “not yet” consumer. Ideology is formatted early in life, let’s reach out to the younger generation. They might not own a car, but they are zealot environmentalists, the perfect match for our industry. We must be viewed as stewards of the environment as a carbon-negative industry, not as the polluters that our forefathers portrayed. We should all be utilizing social media in promoting our industry, it’s cheap and far-reaching. Call your local news media and offer a tour and story on the benefits of our industry. Do the same with your town leaders and planners. Maybe we could all offer public tours on World Auto Recycling Day on September 18th! Perceptions are easy to form but difficult to change. Scott Robertson Jr. 2020-21 ARA President |
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