Editor’s Notebook: Fall Car Care Is In The Air And Central To The Northwood International Auto Show

If you've ever been involved in or hosted a Be Car Care Aware event, you know the power it can have in educating customers about how much money they can save with proper vehicle maintenance. You also know the value-added benefits of heightening your shop's image in the community, earning existing customers' lasting loyalty and prompting new referrals along the way.

If you’ve ever been involved in or hosted a Be Car Care Aware event, you know the power it can have in educating customers about how much money they can save with proper vehicle maintenance. You also know the value-added benefits of heightening your shop’s image in the community, earning existing customers’ lasting loyalty and prompting new referrals along the way.

If you’re on the car care bandwagon, this granddaddy event should really grab your attention.

The largest-ever consumer vehicle check-up event will be hosted by the Car Care Council, in conjunction with the 49th Annual Northwood University International Auto Show to be held Oct. 5-7 in Midland, MI.

The event will feature free vehicle inspections to consumers by volunteer technicians, as well as give Northwood students the opportunity to work with the many aftermarket companies that will exhibit and provide educational demonstrations about preventive maintenance.

“This unprecedented vehicle check-up event will be a huge footprint for the aftermarket, and, for the first time, add an element of vehicle service and repair to the auto show’s 500-plus new vehicle displays,” said Rich White, executive director, Car Care Council.

In addition to the vehicle inspections at the Car Care Council vehicle check-up event, aftermarket companies will host demonstrations showing worn vs. new parts like wiper blades, hoses, belts, tires, brake pads and rotors, and dirty vs. clean engine oil and fluids.

For more information, visit www.northwood.edu/autoshow/.

At A Glance: 2012 International Auto Show

• It’s the 49th annual auto show at Northwood University.

• Largest student-run, new car outdoor auto show in North America.

• Average of 50,000-plus visitors throughout the three-day event.

• More than 500 new cars, trucks, RVs, semi trucks, specialty and promotional vehicles.

• 600-plus participating Northwood students from all curriculums.

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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