The Institute’s Leading Edge Podcast

161 - Standing at the Crossroads featuring Mike Simard, Simard Automotive October 22, 2025 - 01:28:45   Show Summary: Standing at the Crossroads with Mike Simard, owner of Simard Automotive in Alaska, follows his journey from small-town beginnings in Vermont to leading a successful seven-location auto repair business in one of the most challenging environments in America. Mike shares powerful insi...

160 - How Mindset and Innovation Drove the Growth of Quality Auto Repair with David Marks October 15, 2025 - 00:48:47   Show Summary: David Marks of Quality Auto Repair joins Jimmy Lea to talk about his journey from working out of his backyard to running a successful three-bay shop in Overland, Missouri. He shares how learning the language of business through SCORE mentorship helped him secure fun...

159 - Breaking the 7-Figure Ceiling: People, Process, and a Single Mega-Shop with Ryan Snow October 16, 2025 - 01:05:20   Show Summary: From pumping gas at a local Texaco to managing a multimillion-dollar operation, Ryan Snow of St. George Transmission and Automotive Repair shares his remarkable path through the industry. In this conversation with Jimmy Lea, Ryan talks about building his shop duri...

158 - From Tech to GM: Tyler Nichols on Building a Winning Shop October 14, 2025 - 00:41:25   Show Summary: Heat, reviews, and real talk from Stillwater set the stage as Tyler Nichols of X-tra Mile Auto Care breaks down culture, process, and growth. He shares how handwritten notes, follow-up calls, and thoughtful review responses power 4.7 stars on 371 Google reviews. Tyler traces his path from ra...

157 - Five Real-World Challenges Every Shop Owner Is Facing (and How Billy D. Tackles Them) October 16, 2025 - 00:38:22   Show Summary: From sweeping shop floors at ten to running a dealership and repair operation, Bulent “Billy” Demirbulakli shares how Pristine Auto Group balances retail service, used-car sales, and in-house reconditioning. He explains the technology behind his shop setup, includ...

156 - Manage the Experience, Master the Shop: Bob Ward on Culture, DVIs & Tools that Win October 15, 2025 - 00:47:02   Show Summary: From a gas station side job to franchise leader turned independent owner, Bob Ward shares how he built The Auto Guys in St. Thomas, Ontario on process, people, and pride. He unpacks the leap from technician to manager to owner, the 15-year coaching run that shape...

155 - Lawn Mowers to Leadership: 40 Years of Lessons at R&N Motor Company October 10, 2025 - 00:46:45   Show Summary: This episode dives into the story of Robert Crawford, owner of R & N Motor Company in Sanford, North Carolina, who’s been turning wrenches and building relationships since 1984. Robert shares how he went from rebuilding lawnmowers as a kid to running a thriving eight-bay sh...

154 - Process, People, and Profit: Inside JB Import Auto with Ryan von Steinen October 6, 2025 - 00:37:41   Show Summary: What happens when a motorsport kid with a rebuilt BMW and a shattered leg trades the wrench for the front counter and still can’t shake the need for speed? Jimmy Lea sits down with Ryan von Steinen of JB Import Auto in St. Petersburg to trace a career detour that became a super...

153 - Jackie Mills: Reviving a Family Legacy at Jess Lewis Transmission September 30, 2025 - 00:30:47   Show Summary: Jimmy Lea talks with Jackie Mills from Jess Lewis Transmission in Fort Wayne, Indiana, about carrying forward a legacy that began in 1954. Jackie shares how her family has grown the business into a 16-bay operation with nearly 20 technicians, balancing tradition with modern innovat...

152 - Efficiency Over Expansion: How Matt Kranz Built His Dream Team September 30, 2025 - 00:38:59   Show Summary: From broom to Bentleys, Matt Kranz maps the climb from a cramped back-office closet to leading Long Meadow Garage, a three-bay shop attached to a gas station and c-store. He unpacks hard-won lessons from a chaotic first job, showing why turnover and shortcuts kill trust, and how a dir...

151 - "Ask Me Anything" with Michael Smith & Lucas Underwood October 1, 2025 - 00:57:35 Show Summary: Firefighting your week away? Lucas Underwood and Michael Smith chart a clear path from operator to investor, showing shop owners how to turn daily chaos into durable, transferable value. Human capital takes center stage with culture, trust, and leadership systems that make great work repeatabl...

150 - Two Bays to Ownership: Alvin Lui’s Import Autowerks Journey September 30, 2025 - 00:45:02   Show Summary: Meet Alvin Lui, owner of Import Autowerks in Quincy, MA. He started in dealerships in ’99, opened a two-bay gas-station shop in ’09, scaled to a warehouse, and surprised his team with a new, owned facility two years ago. In this episode, Alvin shares how culture, training, and smart real...

149 - Designing a Self-Managing Shop and a Life You Actually Want, with Tracy Cotton September 18, 2025 - 00:43:56   Show Summary: This episode features Tracy Cotton of Santa Cruz to talk mountain biking, mentorship, and building a self-managing Japanese-specialty shop. Tracy shares how a bankrupt dealership-adjacent shop turned into his business overnight, why he narrowed to core Asian makes, and...

148 - Succession, Stewardship & The Real Numbers Behind a Winning Shop with Greg Buckley September 18, 2025 - 00:47:43   Show Summary: Jimmy Lea chats with industry veteran Greg Buckley to pull lessons from decades of shop ownership. Greg shares the Wilmington shop’s history with a shiplap ceiling, a former diner footprint, and a community effort restoring nearby family graves. He traces the b...

147 - Ballet Shoes to Bay Floors: How Julia Reynolds Streamlined a Small Shop for Big Results September 16, 2025 - 00:33:39   Show Summary: What happens when a former professional ballerina trades the stage for a service bay? Julia Reynolds, General Manager at RDS Automotive Service (GA), shares how she rose from apprentice to operations lead—building a transparent, commission-free culture and tur...

146 - Building a Stress-Free Culture with Loren Winfrey September 11, 2025 - 00:38:58   Show Summary: Jimmy Lea sat down with Loren Winfrey (Stress Free Auto Care) to unpack how he scales two San Francisco shops—inside a 23-store network—without losing the customer-first soul of the business. Loren detailed how empowering teams to “work you out of a job” creates consistency across locations, why r...

145 - The Power of Mentorship, DVIs & Accountability with Brandon Hack September 11, 2025 - 00:25:29   Show Summary: Brandon Hack of Lake Sumter Auto Repair joins Jimmy Lea to share how mentorship, accountability, and strong processes fueled explosive growth in his shop. What started with pumping gas at his dad’s two-bay Texaco eventually led Brandon through sales, a Snap-on franchise, and int...

144 - From Ferrari Roots to Modern Shop Leadership with Chris Prieto September 9, 2025 - 00:39:20   Show Summary: Miami-based JSB Autoworks’ Chris Prieto shares how a family shop evolved from basic maintenance into a three-division operation handling European/exotics, collision, and full restorations. Starting at age 12 stripping auction cars, Chris grew into leadership, discovering his passion fo...

143 - Unlocking Shop Efficiency and Profitability with Cutting-Edge Technology September 10th, 2025 - 00:53:42   Show Summary: Jimmy Lea leads a conversation on shop profitability and technology with Monique Mondragon-Tafoya from Shop-Ware and Brandon Ballou, service advisor at Trustworthy Auto. They unpack how a modern shop management system, a well-tuned CRM, and tools like Detect Auto streamlin...

142 - "Ask Me Anything" with Cecil Bullard & Lucas Underwood: Profit, Pricing & People September 3, 2025 - 00:54:39 Show Summary: Lucas Underwood hosts an open AMA with industry veteran Cecil Bullard, digging into how macro “yellow flags” (rising delinquencies) typically boost repair demand, and why cash flow and reserves determine who survives slowdowns. They unpack practical pricing: whe...

141 - From Technician to Shop Owner: Joshua Langstaff’s Journey with The Institute August 27, 2025 - 00:47:46   Show Summary: Josh Langstaff’s journey from chef to diesel shop owner is one of resilience, grit, and growth. Starting out with a single used service truck, he built Mach 6 in Edmonton through long days, lean operations, and lessons learned the hard way. In this conversation with Wayne M...

140 - From Two Bays to TrueCare: David Long’s Journey to Building a Thriving Auto Repair Business August 22, 2025 - 00:27:07 Show Summary: David Long shares his journey from fixing family cars in a small rural town to owning and growing multiple successful auto repair shops. He reflects on starting in the industry out of necessity, building his first shop in Palo Alto nearly from scratch, and lear...

138 - What Winning Shops Know: Direct Mail Works Best with the Right Guidance August 19, 2025 - 00:16:41 Show Summary: Jimmy Lea sits down with Scott Repman of Scott Repman’s Auto and Truck Repair to explore his path from fixing an unreliable high school car to running a multimillion-dollar repair and towing business. Scott’s story highlights the power of persistence, mentorship, and a commitment...

138 - What Winning Shops Know: Direct Mail Works Best with the Right Guidance August 13, 2025 - 00:59:56 Show Summary: Jimmy Lea hosts a conversation with Cameron Ritter from Upswell Marketing and shop owner Tom Grover of All Right Automotive & Diesel, focusing on the power of postcards as a marketing tool for auto repair shops. They explore how tangible, personalized mailers create strong con...

137 - The Power of Accountability: You Can’t Grow Alone! July 21, 2025 - 00:37:26 Show Summary: Recorded at the Institute Summit 2025, Tracy Holt and Patrece Holt Vance, a brother-sister duo from a family owned shop, share how their business transitioned into a new era of strategic growth and profitability under their leadership. They credit much of their progress to the accountability and peer su...