Rotary Lift Expands Factory Training for Installers

Since 1989, Rotary Lift has provided regular factory training classes on proper lift installation and service for its Rotary Authorized Installer (RAI) network. Recently, the company added a third full day to its RAI training classes in order to thoroughly cover new products.

“Over the last 18 months, we have introduced the Y-Lift alignment and general service lifts, the SmartLift Trio superstructure, the EFX60 heavy-duty inground scissor lift, the Wireless Mach 4 mobile column lift and an updated MOD30 heavy-duty inground lift,” explains Ron Lainhart, Rotary Lift parts and service manager. “Adding a day to our RAI classes enables us to teach authorized installers how to install, inspect and service these new products. It also gives us more time to provide additional service and maintenance tips for some of our other lifts.”

Rotary Lift offers its light-duty RAI training class 10 times per year. Its heavy-duty class is held five times per year. The company also provides its distributors with sales training classes throughout the year. Nearly 4,000 attendees have gone through Rotary University factory training programs.

RAI training is open to employees of Rotary Lift and its RAI network. One of the requirements to be an RAI is that the company must send a representative to Rotary University training at least every three years. RAIs from around the world may attend regularly scheduled classes. Rotary Lift also periodically conducts classes in Spanish specifically for its RAIs from Central and South America.

“Our RAI training program ensures that all of our authorized installers are thoroughly factory-trained to provide the best installation, service and inspection of Rotary Lift products,” Lainhart says. “The training is given to the RAIs, but the real beneficiaries are the customers who get the peace of mind that comes from hiring qualified personnel.”

RAI training classes are held at Rotary Lift headquarters in Madison, Ind. They are led by Lainhart and Rotary Lift product consultants. A representative of Hilti Corporation also teaches a segment on lift anchor embedment and epoxy application. Every course includes tours of the lift manufacturing facilities in Madison. The classes are heavily hands-on, with attendees working together to install lifts, take apart and rebuild hydraulic cylinders and accessories, and practice various service techniques. Interacting with other installers is another key component of the sessions, as it gives participants the opportunity to learn from each other. At the conclusion of the course, each participant receives a certificate of completion.

For more information about Rotary Lift, visit www.rotarylift.com. To find your local RAI, call (800) 640-5438. You can also find Rotary Lift on Facebook, www.facebook.com/RotaryLift; Twitter, http://twitter.com/RotaryLift; and YouTube, www.youtube.com/RotaryLiftMedia.

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.

Read Full Article