Installer and salesman John Castilleja (from left), former owner Roger Ervin, upholstery installer Richard Hamp- ton, and new owner John Schumacher are togeth- er navigating the tran- sition at Audio Solutions of St. Louis, formerly Grand Auto Upholstery, Sound and Alarm.
æ “You can pretty much tell right off the bat if it’s going to work out or not [with a new employee],” Schumacher said. “It’s almost like find- ing a significant other. You just kind of know. If they have similar work ethics as you, then you just know it’s going to fit.” This instinct served Schumacher when installer and salesman Les
Whittmer left the company earlier this year due to medical concerns. Faced with replacing Whittmer, who had been at the shop for four years, Schumacher hired John Castilleja, who has 20 years experience in the business. Schumacher said of Castilleja, “He clicked. I don’t see him going anywhere for a while.”
Schumacher knows about employee longevity. He himself was man-
ager of Grand Auto Upholstery, Sound and Alarm for 21 years before he recently bought the business from former owner Roger Ervin and changed the name to Audio Solutions. The name might have changed, Schumacher says, but the focus of the business, its location, and the services it offers will remain the same. Schumacher said he likes to create a family atmosphere among him- self and his two employees, because such close, friendly relationships encourage his employees to stay. “If they enjoy you as an employer, they’re going to want to stick around,” he said. “It’s not like the big box stores where you’re just a number to them.” He pointed out that he sometimes spends more time with his employees than he does with his own family, so that time might as well be enjoyable. “If you don’t have a good relationship with them per- sonally and in business, then you’re just thought of as boss, boss, boss, all the time,” Schumacher explained. “We try to create more of a family-oriented, friendship type of relationship with the employees. You
just treat them like you want to be treated.” The end result of employee longevity is a benefit not only to Schum-
acher’s business, but to his customers as well. “When a customer comes in, if they have an issue with something they’ve purchased or they come back to purchase something new, they see the same faces over and over. They kind of get to know us, and that’s really important.” Building relationships with customers is good business, he says, and
that’s something that can’t happen in a shop with high employee turn- over. “From a customer standpoint, when they call and ask for the same person and that same person is still here, it’s great.” µ
me-mag.com 27
John Schumacher Audio Solutions StL St. Louis, Mo. Years of industry experience: 20 Hobbies: Cars, boating What you’re really good at: Being a Dad
Micahel Callahan Tint World Bensenville, Ill. Years of industry experience: 9 Hobbies: Live sound engineering for my church and car audio What you’re really good at: Wiring and fabrication
Jay Kent Nav-TV Coral Springs, Fla. Years of industry experience: 24 Hobbies: Family, tattoos What you’re really good at: Fixing things
Who’s Who
David Kosakowski Roadquake Brookpark, Ohio Years of industry experience: 10 Hobbies: RC cars, drawing, robotic fabrication What you’re really good at: Fabricating
Eddie Runner River Oaks Car Stereo Houston, Texas Years of industry experience: 40 Hobbies: Ham radio, computer pro- gramming, electronics What you’re really good at: Physics
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