Car Care 101 Workshop Teaches Women Basics of Auto Repair

Mountain Mechanical repair shop in Durango, CO, recently held a workshop for women who were interested in learning more about their cars. The women learned everything from how to check and refill the oil, coolant and brake fluid to what a muffler does and how an alternator works. They were also given tips on how to find a good technician and told what rights they have as customers.

Below is the article as it appeared on The Durango Herald website.

Go on, girls, pop the hood

By Emery Cowan Herald Staff Writer
Friday, January 14, 2011

Car Care 101: Dave Crom, center, owner of Mountain Mechanical, talks to a group of women about car basics. At left is lead technician Ed Smith. (STEVE LEWIS/Herald)

Ed Smith moved around the open hood of the canary yellow ’91 Geo Metro like a performer on stage.

He deftly opened air filters, cranked off hubcaps and even shined his light on a dry oil rod with some drama.

Occasionally, he paused for “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd.

Smith, the lead technician at Mountain Mechanical in Durango, and Dave Crom, shop owner, spent Thursday night showing 12 women the basics of car mechanics. The class, called Car Care 101, was the first in a new series of Empowerment Workshops put on by the Women’s Resource Center.

The idea is to teach women practical skills they may not otherwise learn so they can take care of themselves, said Deborah Uroda, the center’s marketing and fund development director.

“It gives women power to know what a car is all about,” Uroda said.

To read the entire article, visit The Durango Herald website at http://durangoherald.com/article/20110115/NEWS01/701159954/-1/s.

When Your Shop Is Worth Much More Than You Thought

Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.

Case Study: Owner of San Francisco-based Import Service Shop Delighted to Discover Just How Valuable His Business is to Qualified Buyers
I sometimes share case studies of the clients I have been able to assist in my role as an aftermarket business broker and provider of intermediary and advisory services. I do that when I think the story will provide a reader in similar circumstances with new insights or helpful information.
In the case of Cowden Automotive, Inc., I acted in a consulting capacity assisting the owner and his broker in valuing the business, creating a marketing plan, finding a qualified buyer, and arranging financing for the sale.
Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.
Needless to say, delivering that kind of good news to a shop owner is a rewarding experience. Discovering that the sale of his business would result in his retirement nest-egg being substantially larger than he had ever thought was a fitting tribute to someone who had spent his entire working career as a busy automotive service shop owner.

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