duction, and generate savings. “Our industry must survive. We will work to identify successful yards that will mentor those who want it.” “We plan to host two 15-yard sessions resulting in 30 yards that are asking to be mentored. In the same perfect world, we plan to find 30 successful yards that are willing to be a mentor. The yards that need fresh insight into their business practices will be at- tending the Saturday afternoon classes with those mentors,” says Counselman.

Any owner or general manager attending the con- vention who is interested in being a mentor or men- tee should reach out to any member of the ARA EC. “The EC will work to pair yards that are not competitors, yet have similarities as in YMS, buying practices, etc.,” Counselman empha- sizes. “We need these emerg- ing yards to learn new tactics to thrive,” Coun- selman continues. “We want the sessions to be a catalyst that sparks a

renewed energy and vigor for all yards.” Counselman and his fellow EC members are by no means judging any yard that might be looking for answers to their business dilemmas. He has person-

C

ally found that mentor- ing becomes a two-way street, and both parties learn from each other (see box). “My father mentored me on the ba- sics of running the yard. However, I have devel-

oped the majority of ideas on our current practices, tactics, and goals through interactions with fellow re- cyclers. In fact, I am currently working with two yards – I have one hour set aside for each yard per week.

Mentorng is a Win-Win

had Counselman didn’t set out to create weekly mentoring phone calls that have powered his business in double-digit growth for the last two

years. But that is exactly what happened when he visited another yard for a tour, located far away from Counselman Automotive Recycling, LLC in Mobile, Alabama. During the tour, he noticed that they did things differently in ways where he questioned the productivity. Trying to be helpful, once he got home he called them, asking if they’d mind if he could share the way he did things, and they obliged. “I began to talk them through some of our processes, and while I was speaking I started to question my own company’s standard procedures. I realized that maybe I didn’t have the answers. From there, we started a weekly phone call where we bounce ideas back and forth.” The power of this led Counselman to another connection with a different recycler. “I speak weekly to the General Manger of another recycling facility, where he and I both are ‘numbers guys.’ So we talk about our data from P&Ls to inventories. We never have an agenda; we just start a conversation on what is happening that week. It has given me many ideas to take to my leadership team, and we then change things accordingly.”

AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLING • July-August 2018

“My right-hand man John McWilliams says the only thing consistent at Counselman Automotive Recycling is CHANGE,” jokes Counselman. “But it is true. Having someone to explain in great detail about our processes makes me think about it differently and question it. On both mentoring calls I have weekly, they have the freedom to question anything I say, and so do my managers in our weekly management meetings. I always challenge the status quo.” “As an industry, we have to get past the idea we have the secret sauce to success. There are others who are probably doing what you are doing. Sharing your current processes and standards gets you to think about what you are doing, and gives you a chance to look at other ways to do it. I am a firm believer that if you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room.”

Chad established his weekly calls with both companies on

Thursday and Friday mornings and looks forward to them each week. “The more I can learn from other people’s successes and mistakes, the better I am, and my company and employees benefit.”

– Caryn Smith 35