Be an Industry Role Model
by Travis Doyle, AASP-MN Collision Division Director
I am Travis Doyle, the Alliance’s Collision Division Director for 2022.
I was born in Duluth and graduated from East High School. I then went on to college at the University of Minnesota in Duluth, where I obtained a degree in organizational management. During my sophomore year of college, I became involved in my parents’ business, Arrowhead Auto Body in Hermantown. My first position was in the paint department, prepping and masking cars. Throughout the next year, I transitioned from detailing cars to parts management, and finally, to body technician, a position I held for two years. I learned a lot very fast and fell in love with the industry, and after graduating college, I started training as an estimator to learn the business side of the company. I am now a co-owner of Arrowhead Auto Body. Since becoming a co-owner, we have added a second location in Superior, WI. I have been involved in AASP-MN for five years now, serving on the Collision Advisory Committee, Legacy Committee and the Board of Directors.
I spend each day excited about the automotive industry and the opportunities for everyone who is involved. It’s created great careers for technicians, painters, estimators, service writers, parts managers and detailers. We, as industry professionals, need to tell our stories about how we got started in the industry to the younger generations, so they can get involved and have rewarding careers. It is important for us to reach out to high school and college students to inform them of the opportunities. We need to get them involved quickly and get them trained.
It has been a wild last couple of years. Lots of things have changed. Our skilled workforce is getting older, and cars are getting more advanced. The businesses who can attract, train and maintain their employees are the ones who will have their doors open for generations to come. The Alliance has a membership that can do this. We are the leaders in the automotive repair industry in Minnesota.
Thank you to the entire membership for supporting the Alliance and its mission.
Want more? Check out the June 2022 issue of AASP-MN News!