When Brian Bates opened Eagle Automotive in Littleton, CO, 10 years ago, he knew he wanted to build not only a successful business, but also a rewarding environment where employees wanted to excel. If opening a second location in 2012 is any indication, Bates is on to something, and that something is teamwork.

“Honestly, I have my job as the owner but the employees work a heck of a lot harder than I do (most days)!” Bates points out. “The business would be nothing without them.”

That’s high praise from an owner who is an ASE/Honda-certified Master Technician in his own right, coming from a dealership background before opening his first location in 2004. So, it’s no surprise that Bates values education and makes it a priority for Eagle ­Automotive’s seven certified techs, five of whom are Master Technicians with the other two working toward that ­designation.

“We require that all of our technicians attend 40 hours of training each year at any of the training opportunities that I make available to them,” Bates says of the importance of continuing education. “We send our technicians to NAPA ­Autotech training, WORLDPAC WTI training and CARQUEST CTI training.

“We’ve also started doing cooperative training with other shops in our NAPA Business Development Group where we have our technicians teach each other certain skills in an informal shop setting after work.”

In addition to numerous training opportunities, Bates says ­offering competitive pay and benefits helps keep the qualified employees the business has, and it also positively ­impacts the working environment at both of his shops.

“I’m finding that it’s becoming very difficult to find technicians, so I have become highly focused on retaining and ­attracting good people to staff our company,” Bates explains. “We also maintain an environment that is friendly and team-based. I want to make sure that all of our employees have a fun and rewarding environment in which they are able to be successful. Pay is important, but the environment is what retains the employees.”

When it’s necessary to fill a vacancy, Bates is ready, as he’s “constantly ­recruiting.” And that consistent networking pays off.

“The best results I’ve found come from constantly talking to people about the opportunities at our company and staying in touch with people in the industry,” Bates says. “I can usually call someone I know and find a technician who is looking for an ­opportunity that we have available.”

Bates says making the decision to co-brand Eagle Automotive with NAPA has paid off for the shop — he’s ­always believed that partnering with a nationally recognized company can be a huge benefit for a small business.

“NAPA provides an excellent opportunity to use its branding at a high level,” Bates explains. “The brand’s PROimage program helps with the ­design and implementation of the standard appearance of a NAPA Autocare facility. NAPA will actually reimburse some of the cost of enhancing the appearance of your shop.”

And Bates knows that shop appearance is critical to the success of an independent repair shop.

“It speaks volumes about the kind of business you run,” he says. “If it’s run-down, then customers make ­assumptions about the type of work that you produce. On the other hand, if it’s clean and inviting, they assume your team is producing a higher quality product, and you attract a higher quality customer as a result. We constantly clean and improve our buildings to retain our image as the top shop in our market.”

The techs at Eagle Automotive rely on invaluable information from both Identifix and iATN to repair vehicles with efficiency as well as precision, both of which ­improve shop ­productivity.

“These online tools have been ­instrumental in helping us diagnose vehicles more quickly,” Bates says, who adds he also “makes sure that technicians maintain solid diagnostic processes when using these sites so that we don’t assume the diagnosis. We don’t want to run the risk of a misdiagnosis due to cutting corners.”

Bates says joining the Bottom Line Impact Group and working with Dan Gilley, John Wafler and others in the company also positively impacted shop processes and, just like the name suggests, the business’s bottom line.

“The Bottom Line Impact Group has brought our shops to a level of profitability that we would have never achieved without their help,” he says.

In addition to impact group coaching, use of an LPM electronic “flag

sheet” developed by David Justice has also helped boost productivity at the two shop locations. The sheet provides a way for technicians to communicate where problems are arising in the ­vehicle repair process: Are they consistently waiting for parts? Waiting for authorization?

“We take that information, and we identify which areas are working ­efficiently and which areas need attention,” Bates explains. “Then we focus on the improvement of the areas that need it and maintain the processes that are working well.”

While he’s found that there’s no ­“silver bullet” to marketing, Bates says he does rely on direct mail and ­Internet advertising to bring in new customers and communicate with repeat patrons. Making sure that his service staff is up to date on marketing ­efforts is also critical.

“I also dedicate a portion of our marketing efforts to training our service advisers so that they understand how the marketing plan works and how their actions fit into the plan,” Bates continues. “This

maximizes efforts and keeps our customer happy, which means higher retention and greater word-of-mouth referrals. As a result, our car count consists of the base number of vehicles that come to the shop through loyalty, and then the attraction of other vehicles through marketing efforts.”

Bates says the shop’s online presence is becoming equally important in today’s digital landscape, as customers consistently turn to a company’s website to learn more and ­decide if they want to do business there.

“The website is a constantly evolving item that requires constant ­attention and improvement,” he says. “We recently refreshed our website and implemented some ­improvements for search engine ­optimization and customer convenience, but I ­expect we will be ­remodeling the site every couple of years from now on.

“Your website is critical,” he continues. “Customers will use the web to learn about your company, its ­reputation, and will decide where you stand amongst competitors by how well you have developed your site.”

At the end of the day, Bates says many factors impact the success or failure of an independent repair shop, but first and foremost is leadership.

“I believe leadership is critical to being and remaining successful in business,” Bates says. “At the level most shops are running, you have to hire people to help the business succeed, and leadership is going to ­empower employees to perform their job with minimal input from the owner.”

Bates says it’s his job to facilitate an environment that enables people to be successful in reaching both their ­career and personal goals.

“We need to provide the support for success and maintain the administration of the business in the areas of marketing, vendor relations, company vision, accounting, financing and human ­resources,” he concludes. “When the right team is assembled and the business is working well, customers will get what they are looking for, which will result in a business that thrives!”

With two shop locations and counting — both being run by top-notch teams — Eagle Automotive is sure to provide quality repairs to the residents of Littleton, CO, for years to come.