 Greg Condon, left, is a third generation automotive recycler and founder of the Professional Salvage Yard Information Forum on Facebook. His father Jerry Condon, right, is owner for 40 years of Condon’s Auto Parts in Westminster, MD.  Featured in Automotive Recycling Magazine // January-February 2020 Interview by Caryn Smith, Editor  Greg Condon of Condon’s Auto Parts (Westminster, Maryland) was proactive to inspire automotive recyclers to communicate with each other for everyone’s benefit in the “Professional Salvage Yard Information Forum” setting. He is an inspirational figure in automotive recycling, with a knack to bring people together. Automotive Recycling Magazine interviewed Greg to find out more about him and his idea to bring auto recyclers together through Facebook. Our story is much like many other salvage yard families. My grandfather, Ralph Condon, started the business in 1954 as an auto repair facility that slowly accumulated cars and started selling parts off those cars. My father, Jerry Condon bought the facility in 1978 with three employees. In 2005, I graduated college and started selling parts on the front counter the next day. I have worked every position in the company other than vehicle dismantler. Honestly, I am not that great of a mechanic and would probably do more harm than good tearing cars apart! When I moved into general manager role in 2010, we had 18 employees. We currently have 38. I was always interested in expanding the business, just as my father had done after purchasing from his father. In 2017, we joined PRP-NE in an effort to have better access to quality recycled parts to feed the need of our growing customer base. Through the partnership with fellow recyclers and Team PRP, we have been able to expand rapidly in the past two years. Ten of those 38 employees have been added in the last 24 months. Automotive Recycling: How did you get into the industry? Greg Condon: In high school, I took a few AutoCAD and drafting classes. I have always and still do have a huge interest in housing, construction and real estate. I was thinking of becoming an architect, but after visiting and being accepted to several colleges I decided that a business track was better suited for me. In 2005, I graduated on Sunday and was selling parts on Monday. I haven’t turned back since. AR: What attracted you to the business? GC: I have pride in our family business and everything it has provided for our family and the families of all our great employees. While I have been told many times over by the “old-timers” that this business is not as easy or good as it used to be, I see some real potential for small- and medium-sized family businesses to succeed for years to come. AR: Who are your “heroes” in the business who directly or indirectly mentor you or whom you follow? And why? GC: The obvious answer here would be my father and grandfather. Both of those men have and had work ethics that rival anyone I know. They positioned the company perfectly for me as the third generation to get it to the next level. But both my mother and grandmother were a huge part of their strength in the business. The fact that they were there to keep the family together and going in the right direction is a huge part of why my father and his father were successful. I would be remiss not to mention my wife along with the rest of my family. She is a fantastic wife and mother to my two amazing daughters. Her help allows me to work some crazy hours and vent about the pressures that my work life puts on me sometimes. There are dozens of people in the industry that I look to with great respect. It would be impossible to name them all in one article. I have learned so much from some of the smartest minds in the business. Many of them are technically my competitors, but still they openly share thoughts and ideas that help us all grow. That is really one of the biggest reasons that the Facebook page has been so successful. Just scan through the posts in the group and take a look at how competitors will openly give away secrets they have learned over the years to help others. As far as mentors are concerned, I have almost too many to list whom I know I can call with questions and problems. I have gained most of these connections from attending industry conventions like ARA and URG. Also, participating in consulting peer groups has given me insights that I could have never stumbled on by myself. The members of those groups are competitors, but they understand that a rising tide raises all ships. If we work together, we are all better for it. Outside of the industry, I have a group of guys in my hometown that I regularly meet with as part of an accountability group. We are not all business owners, but are all highly motivated to make ourselves better men, husbands, fathers and people. I highly suggest finding or creating a group like this for yourself. Make it diverse. Reach outside of your comfort level when creating the group. Do not make it with just your friends, but all of you will end being great friends. The last heroes who do not get enough credit are the people that keep the business running every day. Our employees are heroes as well. Without a good team; none of our companies would be able to do what we do. Owners and managers need to be there to steer the ship, but there would be no ship without the team. I struggle on a daily basis to give enough recognition to those around me that help me accomplish most of the crazy ideas that pop out of my brain. AR: What things have you learned recently that have helped your business GC: Business is simpler than most of us understand. In today’s world there is an app for everything, and that makes us spend too much time learning and not enough time doing. I am constantly seeking out learning opportunities. But I also have learned to stop, take some time to digest what I have learned, and figure out how to put it into use in my company. There is no benefit to learning anything new if you can’t find practical application for that knowledge. At one time or another everyone has heard of KISS (Keep it Simple, Stupid). If we are constantly finding solutions to all the fires that we put out every day instead of finding the source of the flames, we will end up with an intricate maze of systems developed to fix the symptoms and not the source of the issues. AR: Why did you start the Professional Salvage Yard Information Forum on Facebook? GC: During and after college, I participated in numerous online forum websites related to my hobbies and ATV racing. There were 100’s of posts every day and I actually got to meet and become friends with many of the members of those forums. The wealth of knowledge and willingness to help was amazing to me. I thought that maybe I could bring some of that to our industry. Not everyone is able to attend meetings and conferences. When I started the Facebook group, my intention was to create a similar environment, but without spending the money to start a new website. I also knew that with the short attention spans of people today, getting them to go to another website every day was probably going to be hard. Most people already have a Facebook profile for themselves or work, so they would already be logging into Facebook each day. AR: How do you think it helps others? GC: I started the page with the intention of only the best of the best being allowed to join the page at first. I wanted to keep the content strong and truly only contain ideas that is what the best really should be doing. This was short-sighted and probably limited its growth in the first year. After the page got some traction, I allowed all sorts of facilities to contribute what they thought was positive, and let the masses sort out the quality information. What happened was, members of the Forum have held each other accountable. When someone posts something of questionable character, or a “junkyard” mentality, many of the members are quick to question them and raise counter points as to why they believe that information to be less effective or less positive. This has opened the eyes of many members as to what a truly professional recycling facility really should be and how one really should be operating. Just today, a conversation about ECM’s and return policies was questioned. Some good points were brought up on both sides and not everyone will always agree. But if we want our industry to progress, doing it as we always did probably isn’t the quickest way forward. I also wanted to spread information to make all recycled original equipment auto parts businesses better. This included some that might not be considered “professional” or up-to-standard of where the industry is currently headed. But without a place to gather some education about how the best in the industry are doing what they do, how can we help those operations improve? I have been told many times by some operators from “junkyards” that they want to get better, but didn’t know how to take the first few steps. It’s not like many local community colleges offer degree programs in Salvage Yard Management. I hope the page can continue to be a good resource to learn from those who were in that junkyard mentality and now operate first-class recycling facilities. AR: Has the Forum lived up to your expectations? GC: It has far exceeded my expectations. In today’s world of 6-second click-through rates on YouTube videos, the fact that so many people keep coming back every day is impressive. I have had many people tell me that the only reason they still have a Facebook account or come to Facebook every day is to check in on the Forum. There have been requests to branch the Forum out in several different ways. I and other members have started other pages, some with more success than others. But it goes back to my simplicity comment from before. It’s impossible to be good at every great idea. AR: What other thoughts do you have to share with your fellow automotive recyclers? GC: I will wrap up with a few quick comments. We are all in this fight together. While we are competitors, we also need to be allies. As with all businesses, there are constant struggles that we will face, and as a united front we will be much stronger. The more professional we all operate, the better our image will be with the consumer. Stop delivering parts not as they were described in our Yard Management Systems. Stop delivering dirty greasy motors and not standing behind our warranties when we do have a failure. The better everyone does the better we all do. With the complexity of today’s vehicles, getting the right part to the consumer the first time is paramount in our industry doing well in the next evolution of our businesses. Help ARA fight for VIN-level build data on cars to match the proper part to the order the first time every time. This helps the insurance company save time and money, and the weekend repair warrior not getting frustrated when the “junkyard” sent him another wrong part and then orders a new aftermarket part instead. We are all in this fight together. There is a lot of good still to be had in this industry. I’m going to steal a line I saw on Facebook from Mike Kunkel the other day. “Let’s make these the days the ones that the next generation looks at in 20 years and calls the ‘good-ole-days.’” Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope to see you in the Forum. ©2020 Automotive Recyclers Association and Automotive Recycling Magazine –January-February 2020. Please feel free to share on social media in full! Reprint or Reuse in any other format is not permitted without written permission from ARA. Email ARAEditor@comcast.net for reprint permissions.
0 Comments
ARA received a letter from a teacher, Ruby, and her 8-10 year old students, praising our coverage of the COVID-19. Her letter included a request from one student named Lucy. Lucy, if you are reading this, look below. We are glad to have your suggestions! Let us know if you have more! Here is the letter: To: ARA From: Ruby Subject: A thank you and a suggestion from Ms. Cortes' class! Hello Automotive Recyclers Association, My name is Ruby and I volunteer at a crafts program for 8-10 year old children. Earlier this month before the closure of schools due to Coronavirus pandemic, I was helping the kids to research car models and we have been having a lot of fun learning about all types of vehicles! While looking up information about each of the models, we came across your page https://www.a-r-a.org/covid-19-links.html. I encouraged the kids to search for more information online while at home. One of my girls, Lucy, found this page that she sent for me to see about the history of Mini-Cooper. I was proud of her going above and beyond to find it - https://www.carcovers.com/resources/history-of-the-mini-cooper/. I suggested that she share the article because I told her that I'd bet that you'd be interested! I also want to impress upon all the kids that by reaching out and simply asking others, like yourself, things can be accomplished that they might not otherwise think can. Would you please add the link to that resource for them to your webpage? They would be so proud to see that you included it. I also don't think it hurt that I promised the group a pizza day when we resume classes if you did! Please let me know if you’d be willing so I can share the exciting news with them! Thank you very much in advance and stay safe! Ruby -- Ruby Cortes Teacher l Advisor Here is the information Lucy suggested we post for our automotive recyclers! For all you who recycle the Mini-Cooper, you will love this! History of the Mini Cooper Written By: John Linden  The original 1959 model Sixty years after its launch, the Mini Cooper is still a polarizing little car: most people either really love it or somehow hate it. Many Americans were unfamiliar with MINI until its American launch by BMW in 2002 even though the car had been a pop culture icon in England since the 60’s. Whether you love or loathe it, whether you are a long-time MINI fan or just getting acquainted with its pint-sized charms, keep reading to learn how this cult classic came to be.
Mini Before the “Cooper”The original Mini was a result of a design challenge in from Sir Leonard Lord, owner of the Morris Company, to his top engineer, a man named Alec Issigonis, in 1957. After World War II, the English motor industry was facing a dilemma that may sound familiar to Americans today: cars had gotten large and fuel prices had gone way up. Issigonis worked with a small team of engineers to develop a solution. The MINI answered a call to create a fuel efficient car that was affordable for the masses. The MINI was launched in 1959 (the Cooper surname would come about later) with innovations that have had a lasting effect on automobile design to this day. In order to make more passenger room, the wheels were moved to the extreme corners of the frame. Also, the engine was rotated 90 degrees (called a transverse engine) which distributed the weight more evenly above the wheels and increased stability. The combination of these practical design changes had the added benefit of improving handling which has led to the Mini’s reputation as an exceptionally nimble car. ... READ MORE TO SEE THE ARTICLE WITH IMAGES, CLICK HERE: https://www.carcovers.com/resources/history-of-the-mini-cooper/  ARA REVIEWING 2020 STORM WATER PERMIT
There are new regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the 2020 Storm Water permit. Members of the ARA executive committee are currently reviewing them with the help of an environmental engineering company, and consulting with ISRI. At this time, we are considering requesting an extension to the comment period (current deadline 5/01/2020) while we consider how to address the changes. Here are the specific document links. The Fact Sheet listed first shares information on requested comments.Shares Info on Requested Comments DOWNLOAD THIS GRAPHIC AND SHARE IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA TODAY!!  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: April 14, 2020 Contact: Sandy Blalock sandy@a-r-a.org Manassas, VA - The Automotive Recyclers Association expresses extreme concern with two recent Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) position statements on the repair procedures. In Subaru’s position statement on Use of Aftermarket Substitute Parts on Subaru Vehicles, Subaru “strongly recommends” the use of Subaru Genuine Parts in a Subaru Certified Collision Center. Additionally, Subaru “does not support the use of parts that have been removed, salvaged or recycled from an existing vehicle.” And most importantly, in violation of the federal Magnuson Moss Warranty law, Subaru states the “The use of any aftermarket or substitute structural, body, mechanical or electrical repair parts is not covered under the Subaru of America, Inc., limited warranty, replacement parts limited warranty…” The Federal Trade Commission expressly states that “Simply using an aftermarket or recycled part does not void your warranty” (Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Information, “Auto Warranties and Routine Maintenance, May 2015). Under this federal law, Subaru is obligated to honor the warranties of vehicles that have been repaired using aftermarket or recycled parts. The Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) strongly opposes Subaru’s position statements which will mislead consumers and effectively ban the use of safe and economical alternative parts. ARA Executive Director Sandy Blalock notes that “Auto manufacturers have become more aggressive in their efforts to force recycled original equipment (ROE) and aftermarket parts out of the market. The tactics stifle competition, greatly increasing costs to consumers which in turn can also cause more repairable vehicles to be declared “total loss”. ARA would point out that Subaru original equipment recycled parts are the very same parts manufactured by Subaru and have a long history of having been used in making vehicle repairs. Since 1943, the Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) represents an industry dedicated to the efficient removal and reuse of recycled original equipment (ROE) automotive parts, and the proper recycling of inoperable motor vehicles. ARA represents the interests of over 4,500 auto recycling facilities in the United States and fourteen other countries around the world.  Date: April 16, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Sandy Blalock sandy@a-r-a.org Manassas, VA - The Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) is pleased to announce that Emil Nusbaum has joined ARA as the Director of Government Relations on April 15, 2020. Emil will work with the ARA Government Affairs team primarily focusing on Federal Legislative and Regulatory issues. Emil will be stepping into the role previously held by Delanne Bernier. Prior to joining ARA, Emil served as policy counsel to the Chairman of the National Vehicle Service, where he conducted research and advised on issues related to federal and state privacy laws impacting driver data. Emil is an attorney licensed to practice in the state of Maryland and is a graduate of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. Emil focused his studies on government-related legal practice. While in law school, Emil served as Director of Government Affairs for the University of Maryland Student Council, which advocated for over 176,000 students throughout the entire University System of Maryland. Emil also holds a certification in data privacy from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (CIPP/US). Before becoming an attorney, Emil served as an analyst for the National Salvage Vehicle Reporting Program – an anti-fraud nonprofit. While there, he supported the Department of Justice Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force’s investigation into money laundering and the export of vehicles. He also helped build a proprietary database for use by FBI and State Attorneys General for their use in tracking vehicles damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Emil also has experience working on Capitol Hill in both personal member offices and committee offices. He served as a law clerk for the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, where he helped support a 6-member investigation into Equifax’s 2017 data breach, which exposed the personal data of 143 million people. Emil’s other notable experience on Capitol Hill includes working for the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs (the Senate’s chief investigative and oversight committee) and interning in Senator Joseph Lieberman’s personal office. Finally, Emil gained more industry experience during a summer internship with LKQ Corporation where his focus was researching anti-competitive tactics, stockholder rights, and executive compensation. Since 1943, the Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) represents an industry dedicated to the efficient removal and reuse of recycled original equipment (ROE) automotive parts, and the proper recycling of inoperable motor vehicles. ARA represents the interests of over 4,500 auto recycling facilities in the United States and fourteen other countries around the world.  Attention:
ARA ASSOCIATE MEMBERS! The ARA Buyer's Guide is going VIRTUAL! We want to let you know we appreciate your support of the ARA and of automotive recyclers across the globe. As valuable ARA Members, we also want to support you as best as we can. We realize many of you may miss opportunities to get in front of your clients and potential clients in the automotive recycling industry during this current crisis. We considered how we can help you stay top of mind to automotive recyclers who might currently be looking at streamlining and changing their operations. Many of them are making changes, and they will likely continue to make changes. It is a great time to make sure they know about you and how your company’s products & services can help: Save money ~ Save time ~ Improve efficiency ~ Stay safety compliant Generate new cash flow ~ help them sort through current circumstances .... and more. Click Here to Learn How to Take Advantage of NEW ADDITIONS to the ARA 2020 Annual Buyer's Guide and BE INCLUDED in the NEW ARA ARA ONLINE BUYER'S GUIDE! Find out how to be listed ONLINE until MAY 2020! To help educate automotive recyclers on this valuable information, we are making significant improvements to the ARA Annual Buyer’s Guide. We hope this helps you! ~Caryn & Jay, Your ARA Advertising Team If you have questions, email ARAEditor@comcast.net!  |
ARAKeeping you informed and updated is our top priority! Archives
February 2021
Categories |
RSS Feed
