Aaron Spann
Store manager | Blacks Tire Service Inc. | Raeford, N.C. | Age: 26
What was your first job in the industry?
Automotive technician.
What attracted you to the industry?
I enjoy working with vehicles. My real passion is taking what I learn while working on vehicles and helping customers understand how vehicles work. This not only adds value to the service we offer but provides a community with knowledge.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your career?
Biggest challenge I’ve faced in my career is adapting to change, One of the ways I’ve overcome that is by taking advantage of some of the training on newer vehicles, including hybrids, electric and even dabbling in commercial truck repair. I face the challenge head on by staying ready, so I don’t have to get ready.
Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
My friend and mentor Cole Fraser. He’s taken his belief that I can take things to the next level and really backed me every step of the way. His mentorship, honesty and genuine compassion and love for what he does every day pushes me to drive for excellence.
What is your biggest accomplishment in the industry?
I’d love to say that my largest accomplishment in the industry is running my own location, but I really give that credit to my guys. We all work as a team and all glory goes to them. Their professionalism and attention to detail really makes the difference. But that’s not what my largest accomplishment in the industry is. My largest accomplishment in my opinion is the relationships I’ve built with our customer base, from local government entities to local businesses in our community. They make my days rewarding.
Tell us about your current job and responsibilities. How do you spend your workday?
The best part about my workday is it looks different from time to time. While my passion is store operations, I also enjoy occasionally getting outside of my view and taking on the views of my colleagues. On occasion, I am able to assist in resetting a warehouse or going on a fleet call for a road call service or even riding around with an outside sales representative making connections. The variation in the day-to-day keeps me engaged and excited.
What's been the biggest surprise of your current job?
The biggest surprise I’ve encountered throughout my automotive career is the realization that skill and certifications are obviously important, but the most important thing you can gain from a customer is not their assets. It’s their trust. Growing within our community and also taking part in many nonprofit events and even a women’s educational day for how to check common items on the vehicle helps to strengthen the bond between our business, our team members and our community. Transparency is also vital. If a service is going to take longer than normal, or if you encounter issues throughout the duration of a service, gaining the trust of the customer by exhibiting integrity and making sure the customer is informed right away goes quite far.
Tell us about your family.
Growing up, my father, mother, sister and I had plenty of love. My father is a jack of all trades, and often dabbles in automotive detailing and some repair. On most weekends growing up we spent time together working together. I think my driving passion comes from him. My humor and my compassion comes from my mother. My sister, and her ambition also plays a part in how hard I work every day. I’ve always admired her work ethic. I met my beautiful, loving wife throughout my time working for BTS.
If you could wake up tomorrow with one new skill, what would you choose?
Often times I wish that I had the ability to absorb knowledge just by touching the vehicle. During diagnostics, it can be frustrating to run across conflicting readings or difficult to detect conditions. I’m sure my wife wishes I would wake up with the ability to complete her honey do list before 5 p.m. on Sunday.
In a single word, how would your friends describe you?
My best friend and (basically) brother Nicholas Britt has often described me as wild.
If you could switch careers tomorrow, what would you want to do, and why?
I’ve always been interested in construction of homes and spent quite a few summers with my father performing repairs and even adding additions to homes. If I ever had another career path, it would definitely be with my father.
What's the biggest issue facing the tire industry?
With complete honesty, tire pricing has spiked since 2019, at the beginning of the pandemic we were still able to obtain affordable price tires for our customers. Lately even those tire prices have begun to climb. While selling the value of what you have is important, it can be difficult to justify such a price increase within a short amount of time.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I never had a particular career path in mind, I just wanted to excel and become the best at what I do.
How do you unwind after a stressful day?
I tinker in my off time, and I also enjoy outdoor activities, such as riding my dirt bike, my side-by-side, and occasionally taking trips with my wife. We enjoy quiet summers by the pool, with a few friends and some ‘90s country music.
What goal did you set for yourself this year? Are you on track to reach it?
With the opening of the new location I’m currently running, my expectations are set every day. They are realistic, time oriented, specific and easy to track. With my location being new to the company, I didn’t know what to expect, but after the first month, I was able to keep a great eye on what our profit margin should be, and then after nearly a year we’ve reached the same achievements as other local retail stores in the area. The clientele has grown by approximately 53%, and our Google rating has risen from a 4.3 to a 4.8 in less than six months.
What do you expect to be doing 20 years from now?
In 20 years, I expect to be helping customers become more educated about their vehicles and how they operate, and still providing great service. Ideally, anyone can say they would like to excel and be promoted, but I feel like as long as I am helping customers make great decisions about their vehicles it would be something I’d love whether it’s now or 20 years from now.
