Ultimate Truck Service, located in Ridgefield, Wash., has been in business for 23 years, positioned as a place customers can go to be treated like family. In this time, Owners Debbie and Dave Jennerjohn have grown their shop from themselves and one technician to a dedicated team that now includes two service advisors, a general manager, production coordinator, six technicians, and an administrative assistant. They are proud of how much business has increased, from making $316,045 their first year to $1,600,000 last year.
The shop is located in the perfect place, according to Debbie Jennerjohn. Just 10 miles outside of Portland, Ore., they are able to get most of their parts from the city but are still surrounded by the “country feeling.” When Jennerjohn is not in the shop, you can find her quilting, reading books, or gardening, while Dave Jennerjohn likes to practice woodworking when he's not fishing.
Training sets up staff to be well-rounded workers
One of the couple's biggest points of pride is the training their staff receives to serve in multiple positions in the shop to make sure everyone on the team can succeed. Jennerjohn says that by doing this, they are “setting them up for a better life.” The various skills, she says, allow them to be well-rounded workers with many transferable traits.
Originally, the couple had planned on running the company for only five years and then selling it. But they fell in love with owning their own shop and connecting with customers to make their experience easy and reliable. As a way to show their repeat customers they value their business, Ultimate Truck Service will send out cards between Thanksgiving and Christmas that include “giving back” coupons. Jennerjohn says she also likes to send a thank-you card to new customers. "And, if they’re relatively local, I include a coupon for the next visit.”
By showing their appreciation for customers, she says, their clientele is more likely to go to them again and recommend their business to people they know.
As shop owners, they have also been able to be involved in their two grandchildren’s lives. The boys were able to hang out in the shop as they grew up, fostering a love for trucks. Jennerjohn also gets to bring her two dogs, Bear and Shadow, into the shop with her. They love to be around the team and bring everyone’s spirits up. Having the people and pets she loves around her as she works is one of the biggest perks of being a shop owner, she says, making workdays brighter.
Coaching helps set and meet goals
Jennerjohn says one of the smartest things they ever did for their business was become a DRIVE client. “It was one of the best decisions we have ever made," she says. "The last 13 years have been so much better than the first 10 because of DRIVE’s help.”
She says coach, Karla Vice, keeps the business on track and has an integral role in helping the shop set and meet goals on time. Jennerjohn's advice to fellow shop owners is to “Listen to their coach. Get things done when they tell you to. You will be so much more successful than we are now, and you’ll get here sooner than we did.” Before DRIVE, it felt as if they were fighting fires every day. Now? They have time to breathe. The shop is a much calmer environment, and they can plan for the future. As she puts it, “they can keep their wits about them.”
They also appreciate the networking opportunities being a DRIVE client has afforded them, including being able to talk about what other shop owners have been through and how they overcame their struggles. Jennerjohn says she loves getting to know everyone, and one of the best places to do that is at DRIVE’s annual EXPOs, where shop owners come together to network with one another, meet industry professionals, and expand their knowledge on the various systems available to them. For example, at Ultimate Truck Service, they use Fullbay and QuickBooks to help keep their shop in order.
Jennerjohn’s final piece of advice for other shop owners is, “Treat your business like you’re going to exit it, because in truth, you will exit your business somehow, sometime.”
