The Best Investment in Your Team | Rick’s Automotive | February 2020
Every year for over 20 years Rick Hughlett makes the investment to get his large team to VISION.
Come each March, a large group of over 20 team members in matching polos make their way into the hotel doors for the annual VISION Hi-Tech Training & Expo. The size of the group has grown over the years, and attire has transformed, but ever since the first year of VISION, Rick Hughlett’s team is there, ready to soak in each learning and networking opportunity.
Hughlett, owner of Rick’s Automotive in Springfield, Mo., has been in the industry for over 40 years. Throughout the decades, he has always viewed industry training as a key aspect in his business. Hughlett says that conferences like VISION provide an opportunity for his employees to look up to great industry leaders and feel like they are a part of something larger.
At the first VISION, over 27 years ago, Hughlett and a few managers from his shop attended the weekend-long conference. Now, he sends every advisor, foreman, manager/assistant manager, and technician who works at his $7 million business—bringing the count of attendees from his shop up to the mid-twenties.
“I’m a firm believer in VISION training,” Hughlett says.
Sending such a big team is a large investment, and in order to ensure that each attendee is getting the most out of VISION, Hughlett sets high expectations for his staff during and after the conference.
Creating a Plan
Forming the VISION team isn’t difficult for Hughlett; it’s a requirement for all of the technicians working at Rick’s Automotive to attend each year (it’s even in the employee handbook). He will also invite promising lube techs who show potential to join the group.
Before attending the weekend-long expo, Hughlett ensures that each technician is scheduled to attend appropriate classes. When the VISION schedule is released, he prints a copy for each technician, they then look over the array of classes and decide which ones they would like to attend.
VISION offers both technical and management training throughout the weekend. With more than 15 classes occurring at once, determining where time is best spent can be a challenge.
After the technicians have gotten a chance to look over the classes, they have a one-on-one conversation with a manager to discuss which ones he or she is interested in attending. The difficulty level of the course and the class’ relevance to the technician’s role in the shop is taken into account when approving the individual schedule.
“We try to give them something out there on the horizon if we can,” Hughlett explains. “If they want to learn more and improve their knowledge, we don’t deny that, but we make sure they take classes that align with what they are doing.”
Setting Expectations
Hughlett pays the way for all 20-plus employees he sends to VISION, including travel and hotel expenses, which ends up being a large investment for his business. In order to make sure his employees get the most out of the weekend, he asks them to leave the conference with information and knowledge to utilize and share.
“I want to make sure they are in their classes and learning, because with hotels and classes and everything, it’s a $15,000–$18,000 investment for me to send everybody up there,” he says.
For each class that a technician attends, he or she is expected to give a presentation on what they learned or gained from the session to the rest of the staff once back at the shop. Useful information can be learned outside of classes at VISION as well simply through networking with other attendees. Knowing this, Hughlett encourages his technicians to make relationships throughout the weekend and learn how other shops do things differently that could be implemented at Rick’s Automotive.
Hughlett also assigns his staff to attend the trade show floor throughout the conference and bring back information on a piece of equipment that could improve the shop.
“Most of our equipment purchases for the year are based on what they bring me back,” he says. “I want to buy from those people (VISION exhibitors) because they invested time in our industry and showed up for the weekend, so they are going to get first crack at my business.”
Following Through
After the conference is over and the team is settled back in the shop, the time comes for each attendee to share what knowledge and techniques they picked up during VISION. Rick’s Automotive routinely has Tuesday team meetings over lunch every other week. This meeting is typically used as a way to catch up the team on important matters, or even have a class. But after the conference, it turns into a cross-training session.
Hughlett blocks out four days for the team to meet up during lunch and discuss everything VISION. A manager will name a class from the conference and the team members that attended will give a report on what they learned.
“This serves two purposes—it cross-trains everyone, so everybody gets to hear what that class was about who wasn’t in it,” Hughlett says. “Plus, it lets me know that they paid attention.”
The team meetings are pretty fluid, he says, but the rest of the technicians are expected to take notes and discuss the new techniques and processes, and how they can be implemented into their shop. The amount of takeaways from the conference is what brings the Rick’s Automotive team back to VISION year after year.