A Vision in the Making 

After 17 years in the corporate world managing repair facilities, Bill Baxter purchased ProTech Autocare in 1997 (Ty Miller came on as a partner in 2005).Years working in the industry gave him insight into exactly what he wanted, so one of the first things he did was create his vision and mission statement, which are on the walls of the facility and are referenced in staff meetings. The shop was recently awarded Parts Plus’ Car Care Center of the Year winner.

Precautionary Measures 

During social distancing, ProTech put the safety of its staff and customers first. Having two waiting areas allowed it to keep customers safely apart, and it also offered pick up and drop off for customers that felt unsafe coming in. A key sanitization station allowed customers to pass keys without interaction, have them sanitized, and passed to technicians and then sanitized again upon return.

Workflow Management 

The six technicians are spread throughout the three buildings and work is sent to whatever technician is free. Each technician has two lifts. The service advisor uses AutoVitals SmartFlow to track progress and assign work. One of the buildings has a heavy-duty truck lift and alignment, so HDT work must be assigned to that building.

Community Growth  

When Mike and Susan Henn opened their shop, Henn Automotive, in 1999, it was 4,800 square feet. A year and a half into owning the business, they added four bays, two heavy duty alignment racks and a little over 3,000 square feet. 

“Our town was growing and there was a need for it. There’s so much growth in this town, we knew it [the shop] would expand,” Mike says.