Fueling the Fire: Bernard and Michelle Tansey on Lessons from AAPEX's Engine-Building Competition, Classroom Leadership, and Building the Tomorrow's Technician Pipeline

Bernard Tansey didn’t expect to end up on Capitol Hill. He wanted to turn wrenches. He went to tech school, earned his VW/Audi master certification and his ASE master certification, and eventually—with the encouragement of his wife, Michelle—opened Euro Clinic in Santa Clara, California, in 2011. Today, the boutique European and exotic repair shop is one of Silicon Valley’s most respected dealer alternatives. Their most recent effort—co-hosting an engine-building competition at AAPEX in Las Vegas—brought three student teams together and left an impression that neither of them has shaken. At VISION, in Kansas City, they had the opportunity to visit the winning team in their element, and it was yet another eye-opening event for the Tanseys.

R+W: Tell us about the engine competition at AAPEX—the concept and how you executed it.

Bernard Tansey: Being in this industry, you never know where it’s going to take you. For me, it’s been about getting involved—the Auto Care Association, conferences, and shop coaching networks. It’s who you know and who you meet. One of the people I met was Mark (Bogdanski), who is connected to AAPEX and the Auto Care Association, along with Lisa Kellett from AutoZone. This was their vision. They had the idea to put something like this together, and when we started talking, they asked me to help get it off the ground—and then to host it. 

We started reaching out to tech schools across the country. Your first one is always the hardest to launch. We had four schools signed up and ready to go. Unfortunately, one couldn’t make it—flight delays kept them from getting out of their city. So we had three solid teams compete. One of them was a high school team from Kansas City. They ended up winning, which was incredible to see. The best part was watching the instructors lead their students—the direction they gave, the guidance. That made a significant difference across all the teams. 

Michelle Tansey: What struck me most watching them compete wasn’t the mechanical skill—it was the leadership. Their communication, their relationship with their instructor—that separated them. They were set up for success before the competition even started. 

The other big tech schools had skilled students. But the Kansas City kids hadn’t even had their engine module yet. They had been tearing down and rebuilding an engine for practice on the side—hadn’t taken an engine class—but they had done the repetition and had such great guidance that when they got on that stage in Vegas, nervous as they were, the muscle memory was there. 

One of the competitors turned 17 the day of the competition. Imagine going back to school, and someone asks what you did for your birthday: I was in Las Vegas competing in an engine-building competition, and we beat schools that’ve been doing this longer than us. 

R+W: How did you handle getting the schools there? 

Bernard Tansey: We took care of everything. Getting to Vegas can be expensive. We covered hotels and airfare as needed. One school was local to Las Vegas, so that was simpler. For the others, the message was: get your team together and let us handle the rest. We wanted to take as much pressure off those instructors as possible. Just show up and compete. 

The setup in Joe’s Garage was really well done. We had a strong content crew and a television crew. Now we have footage we can show other schools—here’s what you missed. And it’s already working. I’m getting emails from schools saying they’re coming for that title. We also had incredible sponsors who stepped up with prizes and goodie bags—we had so much left over that we were giving bags to schools that brought extra students just to watch. As technicians, you know that any tools or gear you can get your hands on helps your career. 

R+W: What did the winning team take home? 

Bernard Tansey: Milwaukee Tool stepped up in a big way. First place received the packout system—socket sets, ratchets, a half-inch electric impact, and three-eighths electric ratchet kits—and each student on the team got a full set. They didn’t have to split anything between them. Second place received the ratchet and impact combo, also one per student. 

I have to give a shout-out to Jody from Milwaukee Tool. When I was talking with Jack Stow—the winning team’s instructor from Kansas City—Jody sent the winners their prize packages and then sent two additional sets just for the school to keep in their curriculum. That’s going above and beyond. 

Michelle Tansey: And Bernard is being humble. Before we even left for Vegas, our shop donated $1,000 in Snap-on gift certificates for the winners, before he even knew who was going to win. He sat at home and wrote personalized letters. The letters said something like: This is who I am now, but I was you. I went to tech school. I wanted to be the best. If I’d had a platform like this, my younger self would have been so fired up for you. If you ever need anything, reach out. He gave every team his cell number, his email, and all his social handles before the competition started. 

At that point, it really didn’t matter who won. What mattered was that they put a team together, showed up, and competed. I told every team member: "You have resources now. Between your instructors and the people you just met at AAPEX, there are big names all around you. Here’s my contact information. Whatever you need, we can find you an answer."

R+W: You visited the winning school after the competition. What was that like? 

Bernard Tansey: We visited CTEC in Kansas City, and when I say it looks like a shop—it looks like a shop. Their tool room is meticulous. Numbered, organized at a level that would make most working shops look twice. We need more Jack Stows teaching these kids. 

There’s a reason that team showed up and competed the way they did. Seventeen years old, fully confident. That comes from preparation—and it comes from their instructor.