College, Trades, or Something Else? How Gen Z Is Rethinking Work

Right To Repair Hits The White House

A single sentence from the White House can change the pressure on an issue overnight, and right to repair just got that kind of spotlight. Stacey Miller reacts to the President’s public comments about restrictions that can prevent people from fixing their own cars and choosing where they get repairs and why that matters for drivers, technicians, and independent repair shops across the country. From the day-to-day reality inside a shop, this is not theoretical policy talk. We see vehicles come in where the fix is clear, but critical repair data, software access, or basic functions are locked behind barriers that slow everything down. The result is longer wait times, higher repair costs, and fewer choices for consumers, even when a qualified technician is ready to do the work. Right to repair is ultimately about affordability, competition in vehicle repair, and keeping local small businesses strong. She also breaks down what is happening in Washington: the push for federal right to repair legislation known as the Repair Act, what changed as Congress moved a broader highway bill forward, and why a narrower approach tied to a voluntary MOU plus FTC enforcement may not go far enough to guarantee meaningful access. This moment is rare because the public, policymakers, and the auto care industry are finally focused on the same question: if you own it, should you be able to fix it? If you care about consumer choice and fair prices in auto repair, listen, share this with someone who relies on a local shop, and take action. You can send your automated letter to your legislators at repairact.com Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2355351/fan_mail/new] To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org. To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast

Worth the Investment: Becoming Someone Others Want to Support

One of the biggest career accelerators in the automotive aftermarket is also the simplest: someone decides you’re worth their time. From the Women in Auto Care conference, Jacki Lutz sits down with two award-winning industry leaders, Tanya Hunt (TERREPOWER) and Autumn Lamb (GSP), to get honest about what “investing in people” actually means when calendars are full, budgets are tight, and confidence is shaky. They talk about the moments that changed their paths, a quick note of encouragement, an invitation to get involved, a mentor who helped them take a risk, and the “full circle” feeling of watching someone you supported step onto a stage of their own. We also break down a hard truth: high achievers often hear praise the least, and a few thoughtful words can be the difference between someone shrinking back or stepping up. If you’ve ever assumed people “already know they did great,” this conversation will change how you lead. You’ll hear practical ways to build retention and community in the auto care industry without needing a big title: micro-volunteering, mentorship programs through Women in Auto Care and YANG, connection circles that make a big conference feel small, and LinkedIn networking for professionals who cannot travel or who feel intimidated reaching out. They share how to be a better investee too: get specific about what you need, ask anyway, and give yourself the chance to hear an official yes. If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with someone you’d invest in, and leave a rating and review so more automotive professionals can find the show. Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2355351/fan_mail/new] To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org. To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast

You Can Build A Working Analytics Workflow Without Coding

A dashboard used to be a project. Now it can be a conversation. Host Mike Chung sits down with Arthur Lee, founder of Fyne and a longtime data and business intelligence practitioner, to show what modern AI analytics looks like when large language models and AI agents move from hype to real workflows. Arthur shares how companies are using LLMs to boost productivity, automate repeatable reporting, and turn unstructured text like sales call transcripts into usable marketing insights and follow-up documents that no one has to write by hand.  Then they get concrete: Arthur walks through a demo mindset using public NHTSA recall data, explaining how an AI coding agent can pull large datasets, shape them into charts and summaries, and produce a clean, stakeholder-ready dashboard in under an hour. They also unpack the “progression path” from ad hoc ChatGPT questions on smaller files to standardized templates using projects or custom GPTs, complete with citations and exportable reports. If you’ve been wondering how to operationalize AI without becoming a programmer, this is the bridge.  They also get honest about the hard parts: governance, privacy, security, and the trust problem. AI is powerful, but it is not a mind reader, and it does not arrive with your domain knowledge. Their best advice is simple and practical: treat AI like the smartest intern you’ve ever hired, give it context, and always verify outputs before you scale.  If this sparked ideas for your team or your own life, subscribe, share the episode with a colleague, and leave a rating and review so more listeners can find the show. Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2355351/fan_mail/new] To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org. To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast

Why Synthetic Motor Oil Prices Are Rising And What Drivers Can Do

Gas prices may be the headline, but the next real pinch could show up when you pop the hood. We’re tracking a fast-moving shift in the motor oil market that’s pushing wholesale prices up and putting pressure on some of the most common synthetic motor oil grades, especially the low viscosity oils modern vehicles require. If you’ve noticed oil change costs creeping from the $80–$100 range toward $100–$120 or more, there’s a bigger supply chain story behind it.  Host, Stacey Miller, zooms out to the global picture and explain why disruption risk near the Strait of Hormuz creates uncertainty not just for crude, but for lubricant production. Then she gets specific about what’s happening with Group III base oil, a critical ingredient in many synthetic oils, and why reliance on a small number of producers makes the market vulnerable. We also unpack why motor oil pricing doesn’t behave like gasoline pricing, and how additives, refining, transportation, packaging, and logistics can drive retail increases even when crude is only part of the equation.  From the automotive aftermarket perspective, Stacey lays out three trends to watch: rising maintenance prices, more consumers delaying routine service, and an even greater need for steady aftermarket support when supply tightens. She closes with clear takeaways for drivers, repair shops, distributors, suppliers, and policymakers so you can plan without panic and keep vehicles reliable for the long haul. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a rating and review so more people can find the show. Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2355351/fan_mail/new] To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org. To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast

How The Aftermarket Turns Training Into Growth

Training is everywhere in the automotive aftermarket, yet too many teams still treat it like a checkbox and then wonder why sales, retention, and customer experience stay flat. Stacey Miller sat down with Laurie Bacopoulos, founder and CEO of Cobblestone Consulting, to get practical about what actually works when you need training that scales across employees, locations, and channel partners without watering down the message. They talk about how Cobblestone helps companies pull knowledge out of subject matter experts and package it into interactive e-learning, micro videos, and software tutorials, supported by a learning management system like TalentLMS. Laurie explains why “completion rates” are a weak finish line and how stronger metrics connect training to outcomes leaders care about: SKU sales, reduced returns, improved partner performance, and better employee retention. We also dig into role-based learning paths in the shop environment, so technicians, service writers, and owners can see a clear growth path and stay engaged. Then they zoom out to change management and modern formats, including brand transition training and the rising power of video. Finally, they get real about AI in training: where it accelerates development, how it can create realistic scenarios from dense manuals, and why it should augment human expertise instead of replacing it. If you want partner training that drives loyalty, workforce development that reduces turnover, and a clearer way to prove ROI, hit play, subscribe, and share this with someone responsible for training.  Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2355351/fan_mail/new] To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org. To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast