Automotive Repair News Today

Braxton Critcher [00:00:00]:
This episode of good news and automotive repair is sponsored by Autofix auto shop coaching. What's up, John Carys. How are you, Braxton?

John Kairys [00:00:18]:
I'm doing just fine, thank you very much and appreciate the opportunity to speak with you.

Braxton Critcher [00:00:22]:
You're in the Florida area, right?

John Kairys [00:00:24]:
I am. Stewart, Florida, which is on the east coast.

Braxton Critcher [00:00:29]:
How did you guys fare from the hurricane?

John Kairys [00:00:31]:
You know, we were really lucky. The hurricane, prior to it making landfall on the west coast, we had a terrible outbreak of tornadoes in my area, where I live, and very lucky that we escaped any of that. But unfortunately, it was all around us in our county that we live in Martin county as well as some of the boarding counties and led to a lot of destruction and some, some fatalities, which is very unfortunate. But we were very lucky.

Braxton Critcher [00:01:02]:
A tornado, then? A hurricane.

John Kairys [00:01:05]:
Yeah, yeah. The afternoon, even before, before the milton had made landfall on the west coast of Florida, they'd had a whole rash of tornadoes that spun up on, on the east coast from some of that circulation of that wind. And it was just really, really bad. And then we had, after that, after the, we were provided some calm that the tornado warnings and watches were over. Then we got the straight winds from the actual hurricane after the hurricane started to make its way across Florida. So it was a long afternoon and a long evening, but again, very, very fortunate. We didn't have much, much damage, if at all. It was just a lot of cleanup.

Braxton Critcher [00:01:46]:
How long you lived in Florida?

John Kairys [00:01:48]:
Been in Florida for a little over ten years, and primarily in this same general area, West Palm beach area, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter.

Braxton Critcher [00:01:58]:
And now, Stewart, have you experienced other storms? Have you, like, sustained damage, been through some stuff like that?

John Kairys [00:02:06]:
You know, the only. Yes, I guess it's kind of interesting. We had, when we lived in Palm beach gardens, we lived in a town home, and we actually left the area and went over to the west coast of Florida with some friends that have a place over there to escape the storm. It was the first time we've ever, ever kind of encountered that we moved to Stewart up here. When we bought the home here and two weeks into the brand new home, we sat through a cat to hurricane.

Braxton Critcher [00:02:36]:
Wow, you got broken quick there.

John Kairys [00:02:39]:
Exactly. Exactly. So again, no damage per se, just a lot of cleanup. Our power was out for about four or five, five days, but that was, that was in 2017. So since then, just nothing but some storms here and there and again, been very, very fortunate. I better knock on some wood, as I'm telling you this.

Braxton Critcher [00:02:58]:
Yeah, right. You ever lost water for an extended period of time?

John Kairys [00:03:04]:
No.

Braxton Critcher [00:03:05]:
Well, so I don't know if you know, but I'm in Asheville, and so we just dealt with Hurricane Helene.

John Kairys [00:03:13]:
Mm hmm.

Braxton Critcher [00:03:13]:
And let's see, we lost power for eight days, and we just got water back yesterday. It was a little over two and a half weeks. And my goodness, was that a journey? Uh, you know, and, you know, like you said, fortunate. We had some minor tree damage. Some trees were down on some neighbors cars, none of ours, no property damage. So thank goodness. Of course, a lot of people were not as fortunate, but I had never gone through a time without water like that before or power for that long. So, yeah.

Braxton Critcher [00:03:55]:
So thankful that back.

John Kairys [00:03:57]:
It's, it's funny when you live in an area that, like we are and you're susceptible to hurricanes, there is a, there's a preparation list that, that you have to go through. And to your point about losing water, one of those things that you want to do is fill your bathtubs. You fill your bathtubs up with water because worst case scenario is lose water power. Then your toilets obviously don't work, so you can have all the bottled water in the world to drink. But if you can't flush your toilets.

Braxton Critcher [00:04:23]:
You're telling me, buddy. You're telling me. Oh, man, we figured it out. Eight bottles of water would flush our toilet. Eight. And if you did six, it would sorta. But not all the way. So you had to go all the way to eight.

Braxton Critcher [00:04:38]:
And we living in the mountains, you know, never have stuff like this happen. So we were just not prepared. And even when people told us it could be bad, we never thought it would be like this. So I guess that just goes to show. Always over prepare and we will next time. But, man, it's, you know, it's been a, it's been a weird month. You know, it's hurricane season for sure. And there's always some storms that hit areas and a little different when it hits you, you know, and your neighbors and things like that.

Braxton Critcher [00:05:08]:
So.

John Kairys [00:05:09]:
And our thoughts and prayers really go out to everybody that's still affected. I mean, there's, you know, you see all the stories on the news about the folks in, in western, western North Carolina that are still suffering because, you know, that's just the terrain there is so difficult to try to get through. And I, with the rivers and have washed the bridges out and the roads out and a lot of them don't, don't, you know, obviously don't have power, don't have cell service yet and don't have water. I'm assuming as well. And you really feel for those folks. So it's been terrible, been a, been a rough couple of months with these storms.

Braxton Critcher [00:05:46]:
Yeah, it really has. And you know, there are a lot of images, videos, of course, coverage about both storms, hurricane, both hurricanes here. And it's, it's been tough, but it's also been good because when stuff like this happens, you really get to see the people around you pour into other people to volunteer to, you know, give back all that kind of stuff. And it's been amazing the past week. A lot of places in the Asheville area are saying we can't take any more donations. We're full. We have more items to give out than people to give them to. And I mean, that's, that's amazing.

Braxton Critcher [00:06:32]:
You know, that's really good news. And this podcast is of course, called good news and auto repair. So we're trying to share some of the good things happening in the repair industry. And it's been really neat to see repair shops. A number of them use their showrooms, their front counter areas to accept donations, take them up to the mountains where they're needed. And, and this industry has really helped, not just the industry, but people outside of it. And I think that's been a really good thing to see.

John Kairys [00:07:01]:
Yeah, I think, again, with my position with the AACF, the automotive aftermarket charitable foundation, I'm new to this position. I've been in the executive director position for only a couple months, since August 1. And what has been very, very rewarding and encouraging for me is that as we, as a result of these two storms, both Helene and Milton, we have seen an influx of applicants coming to us for assistance and help that we provide. And that's fantastic. You know, we want to be able to be in a position to help people when they need it. We want to be able to have those folks that do need it understand who we are and what we do so that they can turn to us for that help. But at the same time, we've been experiencing a lot of contact from a lot of our sponsors and donors and supporters that are reaching out because they know the effects. They're seeing this on the news and they're seeing what's happening.

John Kairys [00:08:02]:
And, you know, again, you know, this, the, you know, what we do to provide help for those, particularly just in the automotive aftermarket encompasses that whole community, that is manufacturers, it's distributors, it's retailers, and we're getting a lot of folks that are reaching out to us and saying, how can I help? So you know, that's the uplifting aspect of this. It's not, not only is it, you know, enabling us to help those that need to help, but it's also bringing that awareness to folks that really want to be part of that help. And they know, because people really need their, you know, need the assistance at this point in time. So.

Braxton Critcher [00:08:40]:
So there's a shop owner in Michigan, Eric Merchant, and there's a couple of other shops in that area that have really done a lot to help western North Carolina. They've received a lot of things and delivered them by hand in trucks and dropped them off. And, you know, Eric said something that really struck me, and he was talking about philanthropy, and he said, you know, when you give back, you really, it, you know, the old saying, it's better to give than to receive. But he said, you know, you really get something. You feel a fulfillment when you're able to help somebody else that needs it. You know, I'm the kind of person, and I think a lot of people in automotive are, that are the pick myself up from the bootstraps figured out on my own, and I don't like asking for help. I think that's maybe just a man problem, too. But when you really do reach that point where you need help and you have to ask, it's a humbling position to be in.

Braxton Critcher [00:09:37]:
But when you see somebody willingly doing that and wanting to and going out of their way like they're in Michigan to help North Carolina, that is an overwhelming thing for people that desperately need it. And, I mean, I think you guys get to see that kind of all the time. But the fulfilling aspect of doing good for others, you just don't really know what that like until you actually do it.

John Kairys [00:10:05]:
Yeah. And, you know, to your point, sometimes people that are in desperate need of help, they need some encouragement to reach out because of those reasons. Right. It's whether their pride is preventing them from doing that or they are just too humble. To your point. But I've seen and heard many stories where there will be a garage owner or an employee of a tire and auto service facility, and they are in desperate need of help. Their house got washed away, and they're without clothes, they're without, you know, meals or without a place to stay. And it takes somebody to tell them, first of all, who we are and what we do, but then encourage them.

John Kairys [00:10:48]:
Right. To reach out. You know, let me help you. Let me help you get on their website and fill out the application. And, you know, you really need to look at this because they can assist you and help you, and that's what we do. The foundation, we had a gentleman on our board just used an analogy the other day with me. He said, you know, we look at what we do for folks as being the on ramp to the freeway of recovery. We are very rapid to respond, which is really unique for our organization.

John Kairys [00:11:19]:
What we do is once you go on to our website and you apply for assistance, we have a recipient review committee that looks at that immediately. And if it's approved, and I would tell you that if only you meet all the criteria, that we have a very high mid nineties approval rate, usually you have a check in your mailbox within 72 hours, and that fund, those funds are, again just that to get you on your feet as quick as possible and then hopefully point you in the right direction so that you can continue to get support from others that can help you as well. But, you know, it's enable somebody in my example that I gave you to put food on their table, to go out and get some clothes to put on their back, to maybe pay the month's rent somewhere that they have to rent or to get a hotel stay for a few weeks. So that's the kind of things that we do and just very pleased and gratifying when we have the opportunity to help out.

Braxton Critcher [00:12:21]:
What are some of the criteria for someone to qualify?

John Kairys [00:12:25]:
So there is a main criteria that someone has to be employed with their current employer for at least a year, or they had to have spent the last three years in the automotive aftermarket. And that is the main criteria because, again, that, that, you know, puts them in our community, if you will, of the automotive aftermarket and those of which we can help. And then the rest of the criteria is just vetted out through the application, which includes, quite frankly, financial, you know, information and just all the other information to really paint the picture as to, you know, how bad this person or family is suffering and what kind of help they need.

Braxton Critcher [00:13:05]:
About how many folks have reached out since both storms hit?

John Kairys [00:13:09]:
Yeah, we've had quite a lot. We, I want to say, just looking at some numbers the other day and just within the last, I would say month and a half. So this includes the storms. There was also some wildfires out west that we got some applications from, as well. As I mentioned before, it's been a tough year. We've had about, I want to say close to, I guess it's on the quarter basis. So it's close to about 50, 60 people.

Braxton Critcher [00:13:41]:
Okay.

John Kairys [00:13:42]:
Yeah.

Braxton Critcher [00:13:43]:
Okay. And is that normal for something like this is that high. Are you able to sustain that?

John Kairys [00:13:49]:
Well, we're able to sustain it because financially, you know, we're in a situation where we do have reserves that we have to, if we have to tap into that to provide for more assistance for others, we can. But it is. It is high. I would say it's not so much the number that is high, it's the run rate right now that we're seeing. So we were, again, looking at some proposed numbers that we need. I think for. When you look back year to date, we've given in grants over $200,000 to folks, and we're looking that we're going to need probably about another 125,000 just to accommodate the requests that we're getting from Helene and Milton. Because I mentioned to you before, we're just seeing the beginning of it.

John Kairys [00:14:33]:
You know, folks don't have power. Folks don't have cell service. So to fill out an application that you have to submit online, obviously is pretty difficult for them to do that. So, yeah, it's going to be a residual effect of these storms that we're going to see in requests from folks probably here months in advance as we go through the rest of our year.

Braxton Critcher [00:14:54]:
Where does this come from? From you. You know, you have been with the charitable foundation since August. What's your background? And, you know, like, when people do good things for other people, that usually comes from something. And for you, I mean, that's part of your job. But, I mean, it's. I think for people like you, it's often more than just a job. You have a. A belief or a longing to help others for some reason.

Braxton Critcher [00:15:22]:
Where does that come from?

John Kairys [00:15:23]:
Yeah, no, you're spot on. And it all goes back to two words, purpose and passion. And I think that you look at my experience, I mentioned to you that I've been on the board for four years prior to taking the position as executive director. So I've had the advantage of being able to witness all the good things that the foundation does and has done in the past. And my exposure to them has been through the aftermarket, obviously, because I have spent, I hate to admit, but I've spent over 40 years in the automotive aftermarket. I've been on the automotive parts side, the automotive tire side, both with manufacturers as well as I've been in the distribution business. And I've also run entities that have been in tire distribution as well as automotive and repair franchising. So I've been in it all my career.

John Kairys [00:16:15]:
And again, when you look back in those 40 years and what this industry has provided me and my family in terms of my ability to, you know, to have the life that I have today, it's something that I'm really grateful for. And now this is that opportunity to give back. I was retired for a short period of time back in June of last year. I entered into a phase of my life, and I thought I was going to be retired and living in Florida. I had the opportunity to golf a little more, be on the boat a little more, and do some of those things. But, you know, I just, at the end of the day, was not ready for that. I did have that still, that passion and that need for that purpose to again give back. And this is a perfect role for me and certainly a perfect responsibility.

John Kairys [00:17:01]:
And I just love what the foundation is doing.

Braxton Critcher [00:17:03]:
I want to know the percentage of people that retiree and un retire. I feel like it's a lot.

John Kairys [00:17:09]:
Yeah. All depends. I think that the span of time between those two points, right?

Braxton Critcher [00:17:14]:
Yeah.

John Kairys [00:17:15]:
I just spoke to somebody this morning and they said it was, it was all of three days for them.

Braxton Critcher [00:17:20]:
Oh, my gosh.

John Kairys [00:17:21]:
I said no. I said that I would at least want a little bit of enjoyment there. But for me, it was a little over a year and, but no, it's great. I'm having a lot of fun. It gives me the opportunity because we're so connected. This is an industry, as you may know, is highly connected. You may say that about a lot of industries. But the automotive industry, it seems when folks begin a career in that industry, typically they stay in the industry and it becomes a very close knit family, if you will.

John Kairys [00:17:52]:
And folks will leave one employer and go to work for another employer. And at the end of the day, you see them at Sema ten years later, and you've seen them every year since. So their name and their faces have stayed the same. Where they work may change, but they stay in this business. So it's a very close knit family, and it's given me the opportunity to reach out to a lot of folks that I haven't spoken to for a while and rekindle some of those relationships. And I'm getting great receptions from everybody and knowing what I'm doing today, and again, wanting to be part of the help and assistance that gives back to.

Braxton Critcher [00:18:26]:
Our business, you know, that's the, you know, I'm glad you brought that up because I, before March of this year, was not in the automotive industry. I worked for radio stations. I was a communications major in college. And so my whole career has been kind of in the media ish field. And I had of course, like 99.9% of Americans dealt with automotive repair because drive a cardinal. And so I had went to a number of repair shops and knew some friends that were technicians and whatever. My perception of the industry, I feel like is like a lot of Americans, where it's not great of the industry, where it's sort of one that repair shops are not run well, they might be taking advantage of people. The greasy old guy in the repair shop, that's kind of the need and the motive behind this podcast is to share good news that happens in the industry so that people outside can see that and hopefully change the perception.

Braxton Critcher [00:19:34]:
Because that is a very common perception of this industry. Even though now that I'm inside of it, I see that's not the case. I mean, there definitely are cases in which that's true, but the folks that care about this industry, there's some good people here, there's some good people. They care about each other. They do a lot of good things and a lot of those stories don't get highlighted. So that's what I'm trying to do on this podcast. What do you think good news that your guys organization does that other people are doing within the industry does to help that perception within and outside of it?

John Kairys [00:20:12]:
Yeah, I think I would look, first of all, outside of our organization. When you look at the industry as a whole, again, being that I've been in it for so long, you've seen it evolve. The customer perception, I think will always remain the same. In terms of the need to have your vehicle fixed or repaired. It's never a pleasant experience. Something is broken, you've been inconvenienced. And unfortunately, to your point, because of the reputation that unfortunately may exist in some folks minds, it's not a pleasurable experience. And so I think that as the industry has evolved, we have some great people within the industry.

John Kairys [00:20:58]:
The folks, the independent tire and repair facilities, the larger and mid sized regional, I'm sorry, regional chains have done an excellent job on improving their customer experience. And I think that is certainly part of it. It's being fair and honest with folks. And I think that you've seen a big push over the years. That that's a reputation that if you're in this business, that's one you want to have, is being fair and honest with people and being straight shooters and helping them when you can help them. So I think that the industry has evolved to a point where it has tried and attempted and succeeded to some extent provide an environment and an experience for the consumer that is much different than what it used to be years ago. And it's important because as everybody's lives continue to go on, there's generational aspects of how our business is perceived as well. Folks that don't, older folks that know a lot about vehicles and the mechanical side of vehicles, and younger folks that are now the electric generation, so to speak.

John Kairys [00:22:15]:
So it's pretty interesting with the change in technology as well. The end of the day, you still have to treat your customer right, and I think that we're doing a much better job of that. I agree. The companies, from an inward perspective of the foundation, when you look at the companies that we're involved with and partnering with them and that sponsor us and our donors to our great cause, they, the majority of them all fall in that description of really catering to the customer and wanting to have that customer experience be a good one. Whether it's an auto parts retailer or an automotive service and repair facility, tire shop, I mean, you name it, it's been a big change. And we applaud all those in our industry at what they're doing to create a different perception in the mind of consumers.

Braxton Critcher [00:23:07]:
Consumers, yeah. So you said, I think the number was 56, but upwards of 50. And that number is going to grow. Of people that have reached out for relief in the last quarter. What kind? Like when people apply, they're approved and you guys are able to help them in some tangible way. How often do you hear back from folks and what stories have you been able to hear of the impact that you guys are making?

John Kairys [00:23:37]:
You know, it's a great question because obviously we look at that as an opportunity for us to be able to utilize their feedback in a testimonial to, you know, again, point out all of the benefits that they received and how it changed their lives. We do get some. Some obviously are very reluctant to do that because they don't want to share that personal experience, and we certainly respect that. But there are some that have, and again, it's very rewarding. My situation in particular, being a board member for four years, we got to see the numbers in terms of those that we were able to help and the dollars that were being put back into our industry via the grants that they were receiving. But you never really heard the story. The folks on the recipient review committee certainly knew all the details of those stories. And now that I'm in this position, I am not a member of that review committee, but I do get to see them and it really tugs at your heartstrings.

John Kairys [00:24:38]:
And so we have had a few, one that maybe sticks in my mind as I kind of go back even a little bit in history. This is even before I was on the board, but I don't know if you recall, there were some terrible fires out in California that destroyed entire towns. This couple that we had the opportunity to assist and help, they were from a town by the name of paradise. Paradise, California. And it was called the campfire. This goes back, I want to say this goes back all the way to maybe 2019, 2018, somewhere in there. But they were very, very willing to share their story as to where they were in their life at that time. After they experienced what had happened to them, they had lost everything.

John Kairys [00:25:31]:
I mean, everything. Not only did they lost everything, but their friends, their, their other members of the community, the entire town was wiped out. So, you know, and nothing, you know, I would say maybe something similar to what Asheville is reeling from right now as well. But the entire town, paradise is not a very big town, and the entire town was burnt to the ground. And they were extremely, extremely happy, extremely thankful. Grateful for what the AACF could do for them. And they claim that in some respects, it actually helped turn their lives around and got them pointed in the right direction. As I mentioned to you before, maybe we can't support them for a long period of time, but hopefully we're that catalyst that gets them back on their feet.

John Kairys [00:26:23]:
Right, and points them in the right direction and then, you know, gets them going into the road recovery. So that was one particular case that, again, I do recall, but the stories are just fantastic and those that do share, we've had quite a few people that we've helped that have medical conditions, and, you know, the medical conditions could be, you know, a form of cancer that they're struggling with and they need help there. And I know that we've gotten a lot of feedback from folks where we've helped them, and they've been very grateful as to what the AACF has done for them.

Braxton Critcher [00:26:59]:
Well, this is really good stuff. You know, I love getting to hear good news that's happening across the industry. And, you know, like I've said before, that's the reason this podcast exists. And so thankful for those that are watching and listening. You're gonna, you're gonna be at SEMA, right?

John Kairys [00:27:15]:
We're, we're gonna. I'm personally gonna be at SEMA. We have a big event. Yes, we have a big event at Sema. It is our annual fundraiser we have a very nice cocktail reception for those that support us. And there is a golf outing the following day and we'll have about 200 participants in that golf outing. But we'll see a lot of folks within our industry that will attend and again, our appreciation to them for supporting the foundation. I'll spend the rest of the week at SEMA and I do have the opportunity to speak at a couple engagements and looking forward to again spreading the word.

John Kairys [00:27:55]:
Because the biggest challenge we have, Braxton, is awareness, folks in our industry. It's amazing. As tight as I mentioned, we all are. A lot of people don't even know who the AACF is and what we do. And so that's what we're trying to do is get out there and spread the word. So I'll be busy doing that at Sema.

Braxton Critcher [00:28:12]:
I just encountered a few folks last week. I had heard about some of the things you guys were doing and told some folks within the industry that I was going to be talking to somebody at AACF before I knew it was you. And they were like, who's that now?

John Kairys [00:28:27]:
Yes. Not surprised, but that's our biggest challenge. Yeah.

Braxton Critcher [00:28:32]:
Yeah. Well, we try to help with that with this, with this podcast I do want to hear.

John Kairys [00:28:37]:
I certainly appreciate. I'm going to put a plug in for our website so that somebody listens to this and sees us. They can certainly follow it, but they can find us@aftermarketcharity.org. dot great.

Braxton Critcher [00:28:51]:
I know there's two other things that you kind of mentioned you wanted to talk about briefly before we do go. I'm excited to hear more about the humanitarian award because that sounds like some good news happening in the industry. And of course, your 65th anniversary is coming up, so that's kind of like within the organization. Good news there, too.

John Kairys [00:29:12]:
Yeah. So great news there and I'll address the Humanitarian award for it first. This is our first ever humanitarian award and we want to recognize nexus North America. They are the sponsor for this award for us. And it's just designed to recognize and honor outstanding individuals or companies or associations or even groups within our industry that really have demonstrated exceptional dedication to helping others and really performing outstanding roles within their community. We look for acknowledging their efforts in things like embodying compassion and selflessness and profound sense of social responsibility. So there's a lot of great folks in our industry that are doing those types of things today, whether it's somebody that's sponsoring a local food bank or a homeless shelter or clothing drive or know, providing some assistance to the elderly. There's a lot of activities that, again, folks within, within this industry perform, and we collectively should be very proud of that.

John Kairys [00:30:18]:
And what we're trying to do with this award is to recognize, like I said, that individual or that group or that company or that association with this event. And we plan on, we will, we are accepting nominations right now. You could access that as well on our website. And we will be announcing the winner in May at the Autocare Connect 2025. So pretty exciting about that. And you mentioned the 65th anniversary. We're already in our 65th anniversary. The organization started in 1959 and which makes it this year, our 65th.

John Kairys [00:30:57]:
We will be celebrating it. Of course, we have been all throughout this year, but there will be a big push on it during our fundraising event. And then we've got an interesting thing that we're going to launch in November. And that is a sweepstakes honoring our 65th anniversary, which we'll be giving away a classic vehicle from 1965. And folks will have a chance to purchase tickets by donating to our foundation and again, find more information at that point in time on our website. We'll be very active during that time on social media, and I'm sure you'll see a lot of posts that reflect that opportunity or that sweepstakes out there.

Braxton Critcher [00:31:41]:
John carries executive director, Automotive Aftermarket Charitable foundation. You guys are doing some great stuff. Excited to share more about the good news happening in the industry. Thanks, man.

John Kairys [00:31:52]:
Well, you're welcome. And thank you for what you do, too, Braxton. We appreciate you spreading that good news and part of that is helping us as well spread our news. So thank you. Appreciate it.

Braxton Critcher [00:32:03]:
Check out the podcast show notes and the YouTube video description for more details on how you can help with hurricane relief in Florida, western North Carolina, other states affected as well, or like John, shared cancer. Other things that happen within your personal life that you know, drastically affect your repair shop and your career in the automotive industry. Reach out to the automotive aftermarket charitable foundation for things that they can do to help you and really change your life and get you back on your feet to get going with your career. It's really great stuff. Reach out in the show notes comment on this episode and thanks for watching and listening to this episode of good news and Auto repair.