Back to basics

Tyson Herald didn't always plan to come back and work in his father's three-location NAPA jobber group near Indianapolis. But after brief stints with Marathon Oil Co. and The Antioch Company, Herald knew his career was back at Avon Auto Supply.

The business has been his family's work since his father, Greg, started it in 1984. The younger Herald is a sales manager, in charge of himself and one other salesman, making sales calls and answering questions about parts.

He used his GAAS Scholarship, which he received in 2001, to attend Cedarville University in Ohio and earn a degree in business management in 2004. He learned about the scholarship from information NAPA sent to its stores nationwide.

Herald started in high school as a driver and worked his way up to counter staff. He says coming back is what he expected — somewhat.

There are familiarities about the job, especially the people, which reaffirm his choice to return to the aftermarket.

"I enjoy the people that work for us and I enjoy the customers we have," he explains. "Going back to why I came back, I've learned every industry has the same problems, so when it came down to it, I thought at least I can go back to what I knew, what I understood."

Solving the puzzle

Sticking to what he understood isn't so much the reason Anthony Vasquez went into the automotive market, but rather it is what he always has enjoyed.

Vasquez will graduate from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, in the fall after completing the automotive business technology program. Currently, he is a technician and oversees three others.

"I like working on the vehicles, diagnosing them when other people can't figure it out," he explains. "It's just knowing that it's something that I can do when other people were stumped or can't figure it out, or when customers were frustrated and I can make the customers happy."

Being able to attend school and work at Sterling has helped Vasquez in both parts of his life.

"School has helped me here. It gave me the basis to know what I'm doing," he says. "(The job) gave me the baseline so I can put the knowledge in school to use."

Fellow Weber State student Chance Conger also received a GAAS Scholarship and has been taking classes at the university for two years. He is a technician at his father Kyle's shop, Kyle's Service Center in Ogden.

Conger became interested in pursuing a career in the automotive aftermarket much like Herald did – by working around his father's shop.

"Helping customers, pleasing people is what I like," he says. "There's some things you don't expect, but for the most part, it was (what he expected the job to be)."

That includes figuring out what you have to do to fix a vehicle, Conger's favorite part of the job.

There's more to discover

Steve Hoellein, president of Felt Auto Parts in Ogden, sponsored Vasquez and Conger for GAAS Scholarships. In fact, Hoellein has told many people about the scholarship, and wants others to do the same.

"The reason why it is so important is because all of our industry that is investing this money into the scholarship will sit idle if we don't take it out and everybody get involved and take this to the students and show them that we are there to support them and that we represent the aftermarket," Hoellein says.

The GAAS Scholarship Committee this year awarded $1,000 scholarships to 154 students. Since its inception in 1996, more than 1,000 students have received more than $1 million in assistance. Recipients who graduate and show proof of employment as a technician in the aftermarket for at least six months after graduation can receive a second matching grant.

Selection this year was different than in years past. Pete Kornafel, GAAS Scholarship Committee chairman, says the process included a collaborative effort with the Breslow Foundation and APSA wholesaler association. With that grouping, the Web site www.automotivescholarships.com became a place for students to go to gather information on multiple automotive scholarships.

Hoellein says more and more, students are learning about the GAAS Scholarship from the Internet and not people in the industry. He says that must change.

"You wouldn't believe the amount of students out there that would like to get into the automotive aftermarket that just need some advising," Hoellein says.

He says getting involved is an easy process.

"It's so simple. I would challenge anybody that has a parts store, that's a salesman, there has to be one day a week, one time a month for two hours, maybe three hours, where they could drive by a school, go in and talk to the automotive instructor," he says. He goes on to say people can ask simple questions like, "Can you tell me what you do?" and "How can I help?"

By getting involved in the school systems, both secondary and post-secondary, explaining what's going on in the aftermarket today and offering information on the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), Car Care Professionals Network (CCPN) and Be Car Care Aware Campaign will boost the future of the industry, and interest in the scholarship, Hoellein predicts.

And the scholarship recipients themselves offer good advice for those considering entering the market.

"There's lots of opportunities," Vasquez says. "We're not going to run out of a supply of jobs anytime soon. In fact, we're probably going to add more."

And both Conger and Herald say the field is challenging, but worth it.

"If they're looking for a competitive and challenging career, it's definitely one to consider," Herald says. "But it's one of those things you have to have some knowledge in it, otherwise you are a fish out of water."