Five-facility business places seventh in annual contest.
Wilhelm Automotive's group of shops landed on the 2009 Top Shop list at No. 7.
While the philosophy at Wilhelm Automotive Service Centers is to keep a customer for life, it could be continually “giving back.”
From giving to the community through service to working with the industry via internships and training programs or new technology for technicians, Wilhelm continually gives back. And that’s just fine with the leadership of the five-shop group.
“I don’t see how you run a successful business, especially in tough times, without giving back,” says Tom Gyder, president of Wilhelm with five locations in Arizona, including the main Peoria, Ariz., one.
Starting with the industry, Wilhelm is making sure the future is secured as best it can. The company regularly offers internships to seniors in area high school automotive programs. They match the students with at least one if not two technicians and show them how the repair industry operates.
“Though we do try to teach them the basics, like how do you mop a floor, how do you clean up, how do you organize, we also like to get them involved and exposed to the repair process,” Gyder says. “How does paper flow through the shop and what does a technician do so they don’t come into the trade thinking, ‘I don’t want to be a technician, I’ll just mop floors my whole life.’”
The giving back continues with support of Automotive Technical Institute (ATI) and Universal Technical Institute (UTI), which Gyder says are essential to continue to have a pool from which to draw good, quality employees in the future.
Customers have their choice of seating in the Wilhelm Automotive waiting area.
Customers have their choice of seating in the Wilhelm Automotive waiting area.
“Our industry has had a shortage of technicians for the last couple of decades. They just aren’t making any more. And as quickly as they make a new technician, old ones are dropping off. And I don’t mean dying, they’re leaving the trade,” he explains. “There aren’t a lot of technicians, but there are a lot more cars.”
Working to prepare the future while improving on the present helped Wilhelm Automotive Service Centers place in the top 10 of the fourth annual Motor Age Top Shop Contest.
Community Based Growing
Getting out into the community and serving not only makes the company a good corporate citizen, but also helps business. For instance, Wilhelm’s locations offer free inspections for senior citizens and armed service personnel. The off-site, 60-point visual inspections, as well as a test drive and one-on-one consultation, wrap up with a written evaluation.
The vehicle health inspections are done off site and consist of a 60 point visual inspection, a test drive, and a on the findings of each inspection. Each inspection comes with a written evaluation and is a completely free.
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