Among the usual auto shops and dealerships, Farmington Minn.-based Cornwell dealer Ben Aurich makes a number of other interesting stops on his route.
He frequents a welding and construction repair shop, a specialty auto shop that works on confidential projects, junk yards and even a ski hill.
“It’s a smattering of stuff. I get to see a wide variety,” Aurich says.
Mike Manther, the Cornwell dealer who preceded Aurich, used to call on Buck Hill, a ski facility in Burnsville, Minn. Shortly after beginning his route in February 2015, employees at the ski hill requested that Aurich stop by too.
“They saw me driving around. They somehow got a hold of my DM, and he called me and said, ‘Here’s their number. They want you to start going in there again,’” Aurich says. “Nobody else stops for them because they’re a funky stop.
“It’s funny. They have tons of equipment, so once you start seeing stuff and thinking about it, it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, they need tools,’” he continues. “Most of what they’re working on is lifts and snow machines. They’re not buying scan tools and they’re not buying axle sockets or specialty automotive stuff. They’re buying just general service tools, basically.”
Aurich also visits Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount, Minn., once a week. It has turned out to be a lucrative stop with a general automotive shop, an auto body shop, a heavy duty shop and a shop specifically for diesel-related work, in one location. “All four of those shops have between 50 and 100 people in the class,” he says.
Because of the volume of potential customers at the school, Aurich has to use his time on campus wisely. “There are so many people there; I don’t try to glad-hand everyone. I just walk through and be sure to make eye contact and make sure they visibly see me there,” Aurich says. “From then on, I just pull up and pop my head in and everyone comes rolling out.”
He says for new techs beginning their careers, visiting a tool truck is “like a candy store” and it provides the students a brief break in the middle of the day. He also hopes to secure business with some of the instructors in the future.
“I imagine it will be a great stop for me. It’s already been a great stop,” Aurich says.
