Pit Stop Auto Repair ‘No fancy vision statements — just give and grow’ Good works are part of the ‘Pit Stop way’
“I bought a piece of property on Venice Island right next to our store so I could expand the parking lot. And what I paid for that property, I could have bought an entire store — with parking and everything — in Fort Myers.”
POISED TO GROW
Personnel and capital present additional challenges, according to Ramsay. “We have people who are really phenomenal. Some have been with us for 20-plus years — longer than I have.” But staffing new stores “can be tricky,” he notes. “When a store seems to run itself, you say, ‘Well, that’s a given.’ But with a new store, it’s not.” Finding qualified candidates has become tougher, which has forced Ramsay to adjust the compensation packages that he offers. But wages and benefits aren’t the only factors workers consider, he says. A good, supportive culture is equally vital. “We have two core values -— give and grow. And that’s our attitude toward our people. We want to be a company that’s generous. We also want to see our people grow on a personal level. “One of my goals is to get to the point where we’ve become a company that people want to work for.” Ramsay encourages employees to give back to their communities during off-work hours. “We have ‘volunteer time,’ where we pay employees to take a week off and volunteer at a non-profit. We also match gifts (donated to) any non-profit.” “I want Pit Stop to be listed on the side of companies that people are lining up to work for — to where we’re turning candidates away.” Capital is an entirely different nut to crack, according to Ramsay. To date, Pit Stop’s expansion has been funded by profit that he has plowed back into the operation, as well as a few Small Business Administration loans. “As we look at our financial models, there is a point where there will only be so much we can do before we restock the war chest. “To take that next big step to put us on a more regional level, we’re going to need a large capital investment of some sort — whether it’s loans or investors or partners. It’s something we’re certainly cognizant of.” Ramsay has been eyeing acquisitions “to the north of us and on the east coast. We’re looking to add several more stores across a more geographically spread-out area.” He also is looking beyond “The Sunshine State.” “The next step is the southeastern U.S.,” he says. “We have two core
Pit Stop Auto Repair offers all the usual tools and programs to keep employees excited about their work. “We push training,” says Joe Ramsay, the dealership’s owner. “We take advantage of just about every training opportunity we can. We help techs pay for their tools. “We try to look at what the everyday sticking points are for our people and we try to get ahead of them.” Ramsay has discovered that another effective way to build enthusiasm is to “connect our employees’ passions and what they enjoy outside of their work with their work.” Pit Stop’s employees are civic-minded, which matches the company’s philosophy, he says. The dealership intends to donate a million dollars to various charities and causes this year. “We partner with a lot of non-profits,” says Ramsay. “One is a crisis pregnancy center in Venice. Fla.” Pit Stop has hired several fathers of expecting mothers. “One of the things that worries them — in terms of having a new baby — is how they are going to support it. Well, now they have a stable income. They’ve learned a skill or a trade. And now they can support their families.” The seven-location dealership also partners with The Salvation Army. “We split the bill on some things.” And Pit Stop fixes needy peoples’ cars at no cost. “Sometimes it’s just a family who has come into one of our stores with a car that’s in bad shape. We say, ‘This one’s on us.’” Ramsay is quick to point out that his dealership’s vendors are enthusiastic contributors to the Pit Stop Charitable Foundation, which he set up in December 2020. “We don’t just want to help somebody once and wish them the best,” he says. “We want to see their families grow and succeed.” When Ramsay gets together with his store managers, “we always talk about those things ahead of our sales and other financial measurements. That’s one way we keep our focus where we think it should be.”
values — give and grow,” says Ramsay. “And that’s our attitude toward our people. We want to be a company that’s generous. We also want to see our people grow on a personal level.”
‘THE MEASURING POINT’
In the meantime, Ramsay has been methodically developing Pit Stop’s back-office infrastructure. “One of my philosophies has always been to build it stronger than it needs to be — even though my finance director doesn’t like it sometimes!” The idea is to place the right talent in the right positions “so there will never be a structural problem that holds us back.” This forethought also applies to Pit Stop store managers. “Before we started our latest round of growth — going back to July 2019 — I hired all of my managers for all of my next stores,” he says. “It’s really been a blessing as we’ve gone forward because I now
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MTD October 2021
9/23/21 9:52 AM
