Automotive Repair News Today

Braxton Critcher [00:00:00]:
This episode of Good News and Automotive Repair is sponsored by Auto Fix Auto Shop Coaching. So is it Tenise?

Tenise Chapman [00:00:17]:
Yes, Tenise.

Braxton Critcher [00:00:19]:
Tenise Chapman.

Tenise Chapman [00:00:20]:
Correct.

Braxton Critcher [00:00:21]:
Okay. And you were saying, what does the Camp Drive stand for on the logo behind me?

Tenise Chapman [00:00:27]:
So DRIVE stands for determination, resourcefulness, innovation, vision and enthusiasm.

Braxton Critcher [00:00:34]:
How did this start?

Tenise Chapman [00:00:36]:
So the Camp Drive or the words behind Camp Drive, what do you think.

Braxton Critcher [00:00:41]:
Is more important to share first?

Tenise Chapman [00:00:43]:
So I think that the thought process behind Camp Drive probably is more important.

Braxton Critcher [00:00:50]:
Okay.

Tenise Chapman [00:00:51]:
My sister and I both grew up playing sports and there was always a sports camp in the summer for you to go attend, whether it was basketball, golf, football, and there wasn't anything for kids that maybe weren't athletic. And then we all have heard that there is a shortage in the industry of technicians and we're trying to figure out how to fix that. And I just kind of thought, you know, why can't we create something where kids can come in and they can have hands on and they can see what it's like to be an automotive technician and see what a cool job it is in a cool industry? That's kind of where Camp Drive kind of got started, I guess.

Braxton Critcher [00:01:31]:
Are kids interested?

Tenise Chapman [00:01:33]:
Yes. So this. We just finished our second year of Camp Drive, so we're going to be going into our third for 2025. And the first year we capped it at 25 kids because we didn't really know what to expect. And I had 57 kids sign up and that's just from our local community. So this last year we increased the enrollment to 40 kids and I had 60 kids sign up. So.

Braxton Critcher [00:01:59]:
And you're in South Dakota, Correct?

Tenise Chapman [00:02:01]:
Rapid City, South Dakota.

Braxton Critcher [00:02:03]:
So what's the closest event organization like that you found that does stuff like this?

Tenise Chapman [00:02:13]:
I haven't found anybody that does anything like this yet. There's, I think Lucas Underwood has something kind of similar, but his is more like in the evenings, several nights a week. Ours is strictly a camp. It's a day and a half, a Friday, half a day, Saturday these kids come in and we treat it exactly like you would if you were going to summer camp.

Braxton Critcher [00:02:35]:
And, you know, because, you know, we talk about this in the automotive industry about like a technician shortage or just need for more technicians or better training. And so stuff like this is really important, but nobody does it. Why do you think that is hard or just because they're afraid of more work? I don't know.

Tenise Chapman [00:03:02]:
Honestly, I think that it's a huge undertaking. And we shut down for two entire days. My shop does and my staff all Teaches a session. So we have eight hands on sessions that range from welding to alignments to breaks to electrical with like oscilloscopes. And each one of my guys, my techs, they teach. They teach a session. And so that's. I mean, you have to have buy in from your staff.

Tenise Chapman [00:03:30]:
You have to. Because all my guys, they love it. They created their own outlines, their own content. So that's, that's probably a. And you have to have the facility to host it as well. I mean, we're blessed that we have a big enough area, indoor and outdoor space that we are able to host these 40 kids for a day and a half.

Braxton Critcher [00:03:52]:
Is it worth it?

Tenise Chapman [00:03:54]:
100% if you. I'm gonna get teary eyed here if you ask my guys. Their favorite thing that we do at Black Hills Tires Camp Drive, it is these kids that come in, they're ages 12 to 15 and they might not have anybody that they look up to. And after camp for two weeks, I have them coming into my shop and they're like, is Rylan here? Is Adrian here? I met them at Camp Drive and I want to say hi and tell them that I bought a welding mask now because I'm gonna go try to be a welder with my dad or my grandpa. I mean, it's just the coolest thing. My husband Weston was walking around just kind of checking on all the kids and he. These two kids didn't know he was standing there. And this one kid goes, what do you want to be when you grow up? And the other kid goes, this.

Tenise Chapman [00:04:42]:
I want to do this. And I want to work at Black Hills Tire. And he's there 13. Like, it's just the coolest thing.

Braxton Critcher [00:04:49]:
Do you guys do apprenticeships?

Tenise Chapman [00:04:51]:
So we do. So we have, we're very lucky. We have a local community college in town that has a two year automotive program. And so they help us with Camp Drive. They lend us a lot of equipment so we can do the engine on the run stand and all that. But we send kids through that two year program. There's this. It's called the Build Dakota Scholarship.

Tenise Chapman [00:05:14]:
And so our state has determined what kind of high need industry jobs are, such as carpenters, plumbers, nurses, and the state of South Dakota. Our state will pay for half of that student's tuition for the two years and then an industry partner will pay the other half. So Black Hills Tire is an industry partner and so we pay half of their tuition.

Braxton Critcher [00:05:36]:
Hey, sorry to cut in real quick, but you know this podcast, Good News and Auto Repair is Super important for the industry to share what people are doing behind the scenes to impact their communities, to impact the next generation. And well, today's podcast is kind of in both of those with Black Hills Tire and Camp Drive. But I gotta tell you, good news. Change in the industry is not possible without our partners. And so I want to say thanks to Auto Fix Auto shop coaching and Chris Cotton and his work to help coach repair shop owners on how to run their business. He's a former shop owner, if you didn't know, but he also cares about the good things that happen behind the scenes. He's involved with them as well. And so he's behind this podcast.

Braxton Critcher [00:06:22]:
And if you have a second, if you're a repair shop owner and you have questions about how to do your taxes, how to hire fire, how to find a good software to help run your business, Chris has some great advice from his coaches. It's one on one coaching that he gets to know you, your staff, and cares about what's going on in your business. So check him out. Link in the show notes. Auto Fix, Auto shop coaching and Chris Cotton.

Tenise Chapman [00:06:46]:
The state pays the other half. They have to keep a certain GPA and once they graduate, they have to stay in the state of South Dakota in that industry for three years and then that debt is forgiven to them. So I think it ends up being right now after they get. Because they get a set of snap on tools and a toolbox and everything, I think it ends up being about $35,000 that they're able to graduate debt free with. So we are on our seventh kid that we're sponsoring this year for that. We do. We've done one every year, but this year we're gonna. We did two.

Tenise Chapman [00:07:22]:
So who's.

Braxton Critcher [00:07:24]:
Whose idea was Black Hills Tire or. No, not Black Tire, but Camp Drive.

Tenise Chapman [00:07:28]:
Can't drive. That was mine. Weston's was Black Hills Tire. I was Camp Drive.

Braxton Critcher [00:07:34]:
It's a team.

Tenise Chapman [00:07:35]:
Yeah. I think he gets nervous when he comes home from the shop at night and I tell him, hey, I had this idea.

Braxton Critcher [00:07:40]:
Oh yeah, here we go again.

Tenise Chapman [00:07:43]:
Yep, exactly.

Braxton Critcher [00:07:44]:
But hey, if Camp Drive really turned out well, maybe these ideas are good.

Tenise Chapman [00:07:49]:
Yeah. I don't know. But yeah. So a few years ago, I think it was blizzarding here and we were, I was kind of bored and just kind of looking through some social media stuff and reading some articles online and there was a. I saw an article of over on the eastern side of South Dakota. They were doing a leadership camp for kids, younger kids and like just kind of what skills do a leader have? That kind of thing? And I was like, oh, that'd be kind of cool. How come they don't do that on our side of the state? And then I kind of just took that and I thought, why don't we do a camp for kids, like automotive camp? And I just started thinking of ideas and writing it down. And by the time Wesin got home that night, I had like seven pages of things that I thought we could do and how we could get help.

Tenise Chapman [00:08:29]:
Like the tool trucks, like Snap on and Matco, they come and they park at the shop for a couple hours and the kids get to go through their whole trucks and look at all the tools and. And we've really kind of the whole community's embraced camp drive, to be honest.

Braxton Critcher [00:08:45]:
So how large of an area of our community? Yeah.

Tenise Chapman [00:08:50]:
Or. Okay, so Rapid City, our immediate population is about 85,000. But then we reach.

Braxton Critcher [00:08:57]:
Okay, that's a pretty big area.

Tenise Chapman [00:08:58]:
So then we reach out to the Black Hills, though. And so I had kids that come from 200 miles away to come to camp and they just. They stay with their grandma or because they have a grandma parent that lives here or a friend, and then they bring a friend, and it kind of just grew from that.

Braxton Critcher [00:09:14]:
So kind of seems like you're the kind of person that doesn't really take no for an answer.

Tenise Chapman [00:09:20]:
That. That would be me. We have a joke around here that the reason that Tenise is tired all the time is because she doesn't do anything half. You know, you know what I'm saying?

Braxton Critcher [00:09:32]:
She doesn't do anything. So she's just always tired.

Tenise Chapman [00:09:34]:
She's. I'm just always tired because I do everything, you know, to the fullest and beyond.

Braxton Critcher [00:09:38]:
Yeah, yeah. You don't do anything halfway. My dad always says that. Yeah, don't do anything halfway. That's like one of his biggest mottos. If you're going to start it, finish it. And not only do that, but do it right. And I'm that kind of person where I just hate a strong word, but I like to use it.

Braxton Critcher [00:10:00]:
Here I hate excuses. And sometimes excuses can be valid, but I just find so many people and so many organizations just look for excuses not to do something the right way or look for excuses or to cut corners to make things easier. And I'm not against making life easier, but if I have something in my mind and it sounds like you're the same way, I'm going to do whatever it takes to find a way to get it done. And that I think that's kind of how this whole thing started, because so many. Like you said, there's. There's not things like this. And because people accept anything as an excuse or no for an answer and don't get anything done. So that's why there's not stuff like this.

Tenise Chapman [00:10:54]:
Exactly. And I've had so many people that have reached out throughout the United States and the automotive industry, and they're like, how did you do this? This is so cool. And then I start telling them, and they're like, oh, I don't know. And I'm like, yeah, it's. It's. It's a lot of work, but it's so rewarding. Like, you have no idea how rewarding this is. And I'm willing to share, you know, all of our information with them, but it is a lot of work.

Tenise Chapman [00:11:17]:
I. But again, like, you don't take no for an answer. So I was adamant. I wanted somebody motivational and cool to come talk to these kids for half an hour, 45 minutes. Because I remember being 12 to 15 and going to a summer camp, and I still remember the one person that spoke at that camp that year and to this. And I'm old now. I'm 40. And to this day, I remember that, what he said on that stage.

Tenise Chapman [00:11:45]:
And I wanted somebody so badly like that. And I remember Weston and I were trying to think of somebody and come up with somebody, and I said, why don't you reach out to Paul Danner? Scanner Danner. All my guys here think he is a legend. And he is like, just call him.

Braxton Critcher [00:11:59]:
Yeah, everybody knows Paul Banner.

Tenise Chapman [00:12:01]:
Yeah. And Weston's like, he's. He'd never come. I'm like, it doesn't hurt to ask. And so he was kind of like, you know, I'll have to check. I'll have to see. So then I just kept emailing him, and I sent him, like, all the ideas I had and the content and what we were gonna do. And he emailed back and he's like, okay, I'll come, but I want a camper so I can take my son camping in the Badlands.

Tenise Chapman [00:12:22]:
And I'm like, yeah, absolutely. So we found a camper for him, and we hooked him up with Weston's pickup and sent. Him and his son went camping in the Badlands for a couple nights. And then he came and he spent the whole day at camp and spoke to those kids. And it was unbelievable. Unbelievable.

Braxton Critcher [00:12:37]:
He.

Tenise Chapman [00:12:38]:
Unfortunately.

Braxton Critcher [00:12:38]:
And you don't get the unbelievable without being the person that says, I'm Going to get this done no matter what.

Tenise Chapman [00:12:45]:
Yes.

Braxton Critcher [00:12:46]:
You say no. Like, I think even if you had the idea to do Camp Drive and then had the idea to get Paul Danner and it seemed like it was going to be a challenge after five emails and you just gave up, then you wouldn't have had that unbelievable experience, right?

Tenise Chapman [00:13:01]:
And he was blown away. And he was like, I want to come back every year. And unfortunately, he couldn't come this year. He had a family obligation. But. But he's been amazing resource, and he keeps in touch with us and he tells everybody about it. And it's just so, so cool that we have that connection now with him. Like, we consider him a friend now.

Tenise Chapman [00:13:18]:
And it's just the neatest thing, because I didn't take no. And that's kind of what I try to teach my younger guys that work for me is like, don't settle. Don't settle.

Braxton Critcher [00:13:28]:
Yeah. And that's a great. That's a great thing to share.

Tenise Chapman [00:13:30]:
At Camp Drive this year, we had our mayor speak. Our local mayor, who's just the neatest guy. I've known him for a few years, and. And I thought, you know, I'm going to have Jason come because these kids need to see, like, what our local, you know, just kind of our local celebrities are. And he was so much fun. And I had a line of kids that wanted to shake his hand afterwards because they'd never met a mayor before, and now they think the mayor's cool. I was like, that's great, you know, and because we want these kids to think that those guys are cool and, you know, but we. I could go on and on, but we.

Tenise Chapman [00:14:09]:
You don't know what it's like till you've been here. I tell everybody that. I was like, I can try to explain Camp Drive to you. I can show you the videos. I can. But until you pull in and you see the huge tents we have set up so all the kids are in shade, so we're not worried about that. Or if the weather gets bad. The signs.

Tenise Chapman [00:14:27]:
We have the. All the kids smiling constantly. The amount of food I go through for teenagers, teenage boys, I never imagine how much food you have to have. Just the. Just the whole thing. And all the volunteers I have throughout the community that help, because 40 kids from 12 to 15 that are our boys, and we want to get some girls. And I had two girls this year. Hopefully I'll get more next year, but they're a lot to handle, and so you got to keep them busy, otherwise they find Trouble.

Tenise Chapman [00:15:00]:
And so we just. The amount of people we have that help us, it's. It's unbelievable.

Braxton Critcher [00:15:06]:
Yeah, so the. They actually stay on your property.

Tenise Chapman [00:15:12]:
So they're. So it's. They come from 8 to 4:30 the first day, and then their parents pick them up and then they come or whoever. And then they come back the second day from 8 to 11. And then at 11:30, we have all the parents and family come and we have what we call a pit crew challenge. And so throughout their sessions that they go through at Camp Drive, they learn how to take a tire off a car, rotate it and put it back on, and then torque it. And so we practice that multiple times. And then we have a competition.

Tenise Chapman [00:15:46]:
So they're all in teams. And then one of my staff is their leaders. And as soon as the leader gets the carjacked up to a safe spot, we throw down a flag and the kids run and they have to take the tires off, rotate them, put them back on, and then they have to get back in a box. And then the car. The instructor can put the car down. And then the time stops. And the fastest team obviously wins. And the parents are here cheering and screaming, and it's just the coolest thing.

Braxton Critcher [00:16:12]:
What's the fastest time so far?

Tenise Chapman [00:16:15]:
So last year the instructors beat the kids. We had all. We had an all instructor team. It was 55 seconds.

Braxton Critcher [00:16:24]:
Oh, so you had instructors too. Now, that's not fair.

Tenise Chapman [00:16:27]:
Well, the kids wanted that. The kids were like, yeah. And that was fun. So we had 55 seconds. That was the winning team.

Braxton Critcher [00:16:34]:
But now that's just one tire.

Tenise Chapman [00:16:36]:
Two. They rotate two, two.

Braxton Critcher [00:16:39]:
55 seconds.

Tenise Chapman [00:16:40]:
Yes.

Braxton Critcher [00:16:41]:
You have this on video?

Tenise Chapman [00:16:42]:
I do.

Braxton Critcher [00:16:43]:
Wow, that's impressive because. Because these kids now. Okay, so that was the instructors. 55 seconds.

Tenise Chapman [00:16:49]:
Yep. I think this year I'd have to check. I think it was a minute three for the kids.

Braxton Critcher [00:16:52]:
I mean, that's impressive.

Tenise Chapman [00:16:54]:
It is impressive. I mean, I'm going to send you the video Braxton. These kids are sliding in like they're on nascar. I mean, they've got their impacts. It was hilarious. Yeah. And I've got, you know, the Chicago Bulls theme song playing on the. You know, and the parents are cheering.

Tenise Chapman [00:17:09]:
And it was so cool this last year, this. So one of the kids, Brock, he was. It was his first year, he was 12, because we could go 12 to 15. And he was going around and shaking everybody's hand at the end and saying, thank you so much. I had a great time. And he had his parents and his sister with him and his sister is seven. And she looks at me and she goes, I am coming to Camp Drive and I will win the Pit Crew Challenge. I was like, yes.

Tenise Chapman [00:17:38]:
She was so cute.

Braxton Critcher [00:17:40]:
You're going to get something started here.

Tenise Chapman [00:17:42]:
I hope so. I hope it can inspire other people, and I want to help anybody that wants to do it. Like I said, though, it's a huge undertaking and you can make it work. You know, you absolutely can. I know we have to shut our shop down for two days, and people are worried about, you know, income and stuff. And it's two days, but it comes around in tenfold after that. Like we, you know, you gain customers and you sure, you gain respect in your community. And these kids.

Tenise Chapman [00:18:13]:
Parents are now coming to Black Hills Tire because their kid has such a great time at Camp Drag. And so it all. It all works out in the end.

Braxton Critcher [00:18:20]:
Yeah, I forget who it was. I think it was Chris Cotton. Do you know Chris Cotton autofits?

Tenise Chapman [00:18:27]:
I don't.

Braxton Critcher [00:18:28]:
Okay. So he. I think he and I were having a conversation, maybe even on this podcast, about getting involved in your community. And it wasn't always about training with the next generation, but it was, hey, go to events, you know, sponsor local golf tournaments, you know, be involved with what happens. And he was like, that. That gives you a good reputation. People know you.

Tenise Chapman [00:18:54]:
Yep.

Braxton Critcher [00:18:55]:
And it is going to take up a Saturday here and there. It'll take up a. A Thursday night to go to events, do whatever. But it gets your name out there. And if you're friendly and you care about your. And not. And don't just do this to. For the reputation or for getting more business, but if you actually genuinely care about other people and do this stuff, people notice that you are genuine.

Braxton Critcher [00:19:18]:
And it takes a little extra time. But that extra time and effort, not saying no, it goes a long way for your business and you. And it really helps your business. And so it doesn't matter if you close for two days, because in the long run it does. You actually come out better.

Tenise Chapman [00:19:36]:
Absolutely. So last week, Friday, we had a trunk or treat at our shop. We invited a bunch of customers and family that have classic cars, and we invited the community and we, you know, had little kids come and they trick or treated around these classic cars. And someone came and like, DJ'd and we had music and I had 400 kids. I ran out of candy and it was insane. And two of the kids that came to Camp Drive, they came and helped park cars. And they're not old enough to work for me, but they they came and parked cars and they just wanted to participate and be with my staff. And I think that that just was the coolest thing ever.

Tenise Chapman [00:20:14]:
So. Yeah.

Braxton Critcher [00:20:16]:
How large of a shop is Black Hills Tire?

Tenise Chapman [00:20:18]:
So we have eight bays and we currently have 13 employees.

Braxton Critcher [00:20:25]:
How many techs?

Tenise Chapman [00:20:26]:
I have five full time techs and then I have three part time that are going to Western Dakota, the local community college.

Braxton Critcher [00:20:34]:
So, I mean, that's a pretty good size for your area.

Tenise Chapman [00:20:38]:
Yeah. Yep, yep. We started with three and in six years now we're up to 16, 13 employees now.

Braxton Critcher [00:20:46]:
So you kind of mentioned that this is one of the staff's favorite couple of days of the year. Was that consistent from the start? Yes. When you first mentioned this, they were all bought in.

Tenise Chapman [00:21:00]:
Yep, yep. I. That my staff doesn't tell me no very often. I'm very lucky.

Braxton Critcher [00:21:07]:
They've learned. They've learned to not.

Tenise Chapman [00:21:10]:
They usually know when I have an idea, it's usually like a big idea. So I just brought it up to them and I just said, hey, I want to do a camp and for kids and I want them to be able to come in and I want them to take a set of breaks apart and put them back together. I want to have a big screen with the scope and you can show them how you can hook up a computer to your car and almost make it like a video game. And I want them to weld, like how cool is welding? And they just took it and they ran and they had all these wonderful ideas. And then I told them, hey, you have two weeks to come back with your, how you. What you want to do and the ideas they had and the things that they could come up with. Like Adrian, he had the scope session and he was like, I'm going to have races on the wheel speed sensor that they can spin the wheel and they can watch the screen and the graph from the oscilloscope. And then we're going to see who has the fastest one and we're going to have a competition.

Tenise Chapman [00:22:05]:
I mean, it was the coolest thing. Coolest thing. I mean, they all did that. They all had these wonderful ideas.

Braxton Critcher [00:22:13]:
So it's. You said age 15 to 17?

Tenise Chapman [00:22:17]:
12 to 15.

Braxton Critcher [00:22:19]:
12 to 15.

Tenise Chapman [00:22:20]:
Yep.

Braxton Critcher [00:22:21]:
So you go ahead.

Tenise Chapman [00:22:24]:
I was just saying I did a lot of research and it seems to me like that's the age where you kind of start to like get them hooked. That's the age that they start to kind of discover their interests, their likes and dislikes. And if you get any older than that, seems like they're in, you know, summer baseball or they already have a job and so they can't take time away to come. So.

Braxton Critcher [00:22:48]:
Well, where I was going with that was, you know, obviously that's the age where in today's world, gaming is a big deal.

Tenise Chapman [00:22:57]:
Yes.

Braxton Critcher [00:22:58]:
And I just wonder. I've never really had this thought before, But I just. 15, 20 years ago, cars were cars. Now cars are computers.

Tenise Chapman [00:23:09]:
Yep.

Braxton Critcher [00:23:10]:
I wonder if there's more interest from the younger generation because of the technology that's in cars because it's not just turning wrenches anymore. There's so much with the technology that exists within, you know. Do you think that maybe is part of it too?

Tenise Chapman [00:23:25]:
I do. And we really promote that. We talk a lot to these kids that, you know, on our Camp Drive website, we kind of explain like each session, like what it's going to be about and we really, really talk about that. Even, like the alignment session, they talk a lot about how with, you know, these sensors that are in cars now, even if you align them, you have to reset the steering angle sensor that you didn't have to use to do. And so, yeah, we really promote that a lot. Now you. The brakes are probably the favorite of all the kids because they love to. We built break stands, so each kid has their own stand.

Tenise Chapman [00:24:02]:
And they take the rotors and the calipers and all that off. So I think that's probably their. One of their favorite. But it was really cool. Last year I was talking to a kid and he goes, did you know that they used to do alignments with string? And now you guys have this really cool fancy machine. And he was just fascinated by that. And so Andrew, my tech that teaches the alignment sessions, he's like, I don't know, maybe next year I just have like a couple things, a string out to show them that's a great idea so they can see the advancement, how things have changed. So.

Braxton Critcher [00:24:33]:
Yeah. How much does it cost for kids to go?

Tenise Chapman [00:24:38]:
$140. And if you cannot afford that, we have businesses in town that are willing to sponsor students, participants. So I don't let that deter anybody. We have lots of businesses in town that are willing to help. They don't. I don't want to turn a kid away because their parents can't afford it. So I'll pay for it. I'll pay for it if I have to.

Braxton Critcher [00:25:04]:
You're not going to take no for an answer.

Tenise Chapman [00:25:06]:
That's right. That's right.

Braxton Critcher [00:25:07]:
If you want to come, you're coming.

Tenise Chapman [00:25:09]:
That's right. Yep. And it's hard because I hate turning those kids away. So when the registration opens on our website, April 1st, and I just take the first 40 that sign up, and then the other two, everybody else, I call personally and just say, you know, you're on the waiting list of something opens up, you know, I'll let you know.

Braxton Critcher [00:25:28]:
But, yeah. What is your max capacity?

Tenise Chapman [00:25:31]:
40.

Braxton Critcher [00:25:32]:
40.

Tenise Chapman [00:25:32]:
We. Yeah. And we decided this year, like, 40 has to be max. We cannot take on anymore because I'm always like, well, maybe if we did this, you know, we could fit a few more. And we were like, no, 40 was what we were full with. 40.

Braxton Critcher [00:25:46]:
And you want to have it at your shop?

Tenise Chapman [00:25:48]:
Yes, absolutely.

Braxton Critcher [00:25:50]:
You don't want to have to go somewhere else?

Tenise Chapman [00:25:52]:
No, no. It works really well having it here.

Braxton Critcher [00:25:55]:
Yeah. Yeah.

Tenise Chapman [00:25:57]:
Yep.

Braxton Critcher [00:25:58]:
But, yeah, this is really great. I, you know, obviously, this podcast is called Good News and Auto Repair. And kind of the whole idea with Lucas and I kind of brainstorming this, this podcast was to share the good news of what happens around the industry. Because it doesn't get talked about. I mean, good news doesn't get talked about anywhere.

Tenise Chapman [00:26:18]:
Anywhere. No.

Braxton Critcher [00:26:20]:
But especially in automotive, where, you know, the perception is a greasy old guy with a gray beard that cusses a lot.

Tenise Chapman [00:26:29]:
Yep.

Braxton Critcher [00:26:30]:
I mean, it's out there. That happens. But that's. That's so not the norm now.

Tenise Chapman [00:26:37]:
No.

Braxton Critcher [00:26:38]:
And that's kind of the idea is to highlight stuff like this and to find the people that don't take no for an answer, because that's helping the industry move forward. And that's. That's Lucas's podcast. Changing the industry. We're trying to change it. And you guys are part of it too, you know.

Tenise Chapman [00:26:55]:
Well, thank you. Thank you. We're super blessed. And we wouldn't, we wouldn't be giving a service back if we weren't sharing our blessings. And so that's kind of what we believe in. Not just Camp Drive, but, you know, giving back in our community. Black Hills Tire. We're just celebrating our six year anniversary tomorrow.

Tenise Chapman [00:27:11]:
November 1st of 2018 was when we opened the doors.

Braxton Critcher [00:27:14]:
Six years.

Tenise Chapman [00:27:15]:
Yeah. And so in that six years, we've given away over $150,000 back to our community, whether it's the sponsors of your sports team or the local women's shelter in town or the food pantry, whatever it is. And then, and then our scholarships that we do at Western Dakota Tech for the Build Dakota program. But if we didn't do that, we. Our community has wrapped their arms around Black Hills Tire and supported us and our dream. So we have to give back to our community by, and thank them by doing these things. So that's kind of what we believe.

Braxton Critcher [00:27:49]:
So I think obviously there's a need for more shops to do Camp Drive. Obviously people I'm sure can reach out to you and ask questions, but what kind of advice would you have? I just. Don't say no.

Tenise Chapman [00:28:07]:
Don't say no. And I think the biggest thing is believe in the younger generation. These kids, I tell you what, every single kid the last two years that has attended Camp Drive, they melt your heart and they're good kids. You just have to keep them busy. I know everybody's like, oh, this younger generation, oh, they just want attention and they just want to be kept busy. And so we just kept them busy. They didn't have a break. And I think that kept them so engaged and out of trouble.

Tenise Chapman [00:28:37]:
Talk to them like an adult. I think that's the big thing. Just believe in those kids. They're not bad kids.

Braxton Critcher [00:28:43]:
Oh, well, it's just like the automotive industry. Two or three bad apples make the whole industry look bad. And every generation has some lazy people. Every generation. But that doesn't mean the entire generation's that way.

Tenise Chapman [00:29:01]:
No, no, there's some good kids.

Braxton Critcher [00:29:03]:
There's some good 12 to 15 year olds that really have a good work ethic.

Tenise Chapman [00:29:07]:
They do and are excited and interested and they listen and they're funny. The first year we did Camp drive, we had one kid, he did not want to get out of his dad's car. Like his dad like pulled him out of the car and I thought, oh boy, we are going to have a problem with this one. So I kind of just like let all my people know, like, hey, keep an eye on this kid over, you know, he's looking like he might cause a few trouble. His first session was engines on a run stand and they handed him like a spark plug or something like that and let him like put it into the engine and his eyes lit up and he was the first one there. The next morning he was running out of his dad's car and he's like, which session do I get to go to first today? Like, he was a completely different kid. It was amazing. And then afterwards he took his parents around and introduced him to everybody and it was so cool, so cool.

Tenise Chapman [00:30:00]:
The other thing is take their cell phones away. So they are not allowed to have their cell phones at Camp Drive. We take them, put them in a basket, I put them aside if there's an emergency or they need it for whatever reason, they can come to me and I'll give it to them. They do what they need to do, and then they put it back. Nobody came and got their phones once. They're so busy, so excited to be doing what they were doing. They could have cared less about their cell phones.

Braxton Critcher [00:30:26]:
What else have we not talked about that you want to mention about? I mean, I know there's probably two hours worth, but.

Tenise Chapman [00:30:33]:
Yeah. Oh, gosh, I'm sure. I'm sure Weston could have come up with a bunch.

Braxton Critcher [00:30:38]:
When is it next year?

Tenise Chapman [00:30:40]:
It is June. It's always the first week in June. Let me get you the date here it is. June 6th and 7th.

Braxton Critcher [00:30:52]:
June 6th and 7th.

Tenise Chapman [00:30:54]:
Yep. So it's all day the 6th, and then half a day the 7th.

Braxton Critcher [00:30:58]:
Okay.

Tenise Chapman [00:30:58]:
And that's really, really a good enough timeframe, like. Yeah.

Braxton Critcher [00:31:03]:
To get. To spark some interest.

Tenise Chapman [00:31:05]:
Yeah. And we keep all the sessions. That's the other thing probably, too, is make sure you keep all the sessions fairly short. These kids are, you know, 12 to 15. They got short attention spans. So we do everything about 45 to 50 minutes.

Braxton Critcher [00:31:16]:
We all got short attention spans, Tanisha.

Tenise Chapman [00:31:18]:
Yes, yes.

Braxton Critcher [00:31:21]:
But blasted phones. Do it to all of us.

Tenise Chapman [00:31:24]:
Yeah, yeah.

Braxton Critcher [00:31:26]:
What? So I. For most kids that show up, have they had interest before? Does a family member work in the automotive space? Or are some totally green that just. Oop.

Tenise Chapman [00:31:43]:
I think it. Okay.

Braxton Critcher [00:31:49]:
Or are some totally green that. That come in and it's about 50.

Tenise Chapman [00:31:55]:
50.

Braxton Critcher [00:31:56]:
Okay.

Tenise Chapman [00:31:56]:
Yep. About half of the kids, they come in and they've got. Had some type of. They've used some type of tool before their grandpa was a mechanic. And then some of them come in and they're like, my dad has no clue how to do anything, and I want to learn. Or, you know, my buddy signed up, so I signed up. And then they find out. They really love it, you know, that kind of thing.

Tenise Chapman [00:32:22]:
So I think about 50. 50.

Braxton Critcher [00:32:24]:
Okay. But then after this, I mean, you probably have a good bit of interest.

Tenise Chapman [00:32:29]:
You know, it is. And I guess what my biggest goal is is I don't want anybody leaving camp drive an expert in anything. I want to give them just enough exposure that they said, automotive technology is cool. Black Hills Tire people are cool. Being an automotive technician is a desirable, honorable trade and job and career. I want to do that when I grow up. Or they might come and think, you know, I wanted to be a technician, and I decided that that's not really for me. So I'm going to go find something else in My life.

Tenise Chapman [00:33:01]:
At least they got to see that before they got into it, knew they wanted to do it, and realized that that wasn't for them.

Braxton Critcher [00:33:07]:
Right.

Tenise Chapman [00:33:08]:
It's like me, I know that I can never be a nurse because I can't stand the sight of blood. So, you know, maybe they'll figure that out.

Braxton Critcher [00:33:15]:
Well, you know, I. This is really great because so many kids go through middle school, high school, and kind of have an idea of what their interests are, but once they get to college, I mean, you just don't know. Or if you don't go to college, you still don't have much of a clue. So kind of starting it like that, 12, 13 year old age is a good time to at least get out there and try some stuff so that you have an idea when you get to that time so you don't end up going to college and majoring in the wrong thing or, you know, whatever. Finding out that you can't stand blood, but you're already three years into nursing.

Tenise Chapman [00:33:53]:
Right? Exactly. We. I was lucky enough the end of September to meet Mike Rowe. He came out to the community college here in Rapid City for a. A function. And we got to have a little one on one chat with him. And he made a comment that, he said that all of these industries that are needing workers for, you know, the next, in the next five to 10 years, he said they got to start with the kids in 8th, 7th and 8th grade. And I was like, that's what we're doing at Camp Drive.

Tenise Chapman [00:34:24]:
Like that's our goal. So that's kind of cool.

Braxton Critcher [00:34:26]:
Be careful. Mike Rowe might highlight you on his next documentary.

Tenise Chapman [00:34:30]:
That would be super cool.

Braxton Critcher [00:34:32]:
Yeah.

Tenise Chapman [00:34:32]:
Yeah, that would be really cool.

Braxton Critcher [00:34:35]:
Well, Denise, thank you for coming on and just kind of talking about what you're doing with, you know, Black Hills Tire and Camp Drive, because it's really good news. And that's what I want to, I want to highlight. So you guys are awesome and keep doing what you're doing.

Tenise Chapman [00:34:50]:
Thanks. And if you ever want to come out to Mount Rushmore and check out Camp Drive, we'd love to have you.

Braxton Critcher [00:34:55]:
So can you get me a camper?

Tenise Chapman [00:34:58]:
I can get you a camper or a hotel room or a cabin. If you're not a camper.

Braxton Critcher [00:35:04]:
I'll just room with Paul Danner in the camper and we'll.

Tenise Chapman [00:35:08]:
There you go.

Braxton Critcher [00:35:08]:
Mount Rushmore.

Tenise Chapman [00:35:10]:
Perfect.

Braxton Critcher [00:35:11]:
Well, thanks, Denise. I appreciate it.

Tenise Chapman [00:35:12]:
Thanks for having me. Have a good day.

Braxton Critcher [00:35:14]:
You too.