Among birthdays, anniversaries, trade shows and the myriad of food celebrations (Donut Day, Cheese Day, etc), 2017 was full (and our stomachs were, too)! But even with all of that, there were some special things that really stood out that we want to take a look back on as we start 2018.
Spring
Giving back to our industry is very important to all of us at Autoshop Solutions, so we are always trying to find new ways to do that. Education is one way we help give back, which is why in 2017 we partnered with the Automotive Service Association – Midwest to offer two $1,000 scholarships for the Technicians of Tomorrow Scholarship Fund to help bring new, fresh talent to our industry. Two deserving students received these scholarships to further their education in the automotive industry. In addition to the scholarships, our CEO, Danny Sanchez, spoke at many trade shows and conferences throughout the year, and in the Spring, he spoke on a Remarkable Results Podcast panel. Our Search Manager, Charlie Needham, had the opportunity to present a wonderful class on Search Engine Optimization at ATI SuperConference.
In April, some members of the Marketing Team attended Marketing United – a conference focusing on email marketing – to learn the latest trends in the industry and get some new ideas that we implemented throughout the year. We also ventured out of the office to go strawberry picking – one of our favorite traditions – at a local farm one afternoon, and the Autoshop car got pinstripes! Leading us into the summer, we announced our partnership with WORLDPAC to close out a very busy spring.
Summer
Summer didn’t slow down for our team last year (and we expect it won’t this year, either!). We kicked off the summer with a visit from one of our wonderful clients – Silver Lake Auto & Tire Centers! We also went to Victory Junction – another beloved tradition – to volunteer with SEMA Cares to help campers paint Pinewood Derby cars. As always, it was so fun and very rewarding to work with the kids.
We didn’t take any time to slow down as the temperatures (and humidity) rose here in North Carolina! RankWatch interviewed Search Manager, Charlie Needham, and in July, Danny and some team members went out to NACE Automechanika, where he debuted his newest (now award-winning) class that received an overwhelming amount of praise – Building a Winning Culture: Bring Out the Best in Your Best.
The team also marveled at the eclipse, and we headed to Durham with our families to enjoy a Durham Bulls game!
Autumn
In addition to beautiful fall foliage, Autumn also unfortunately brought several devastating hurricanes this year, which is why we started the season by waiving shop fees for our clients who were affected by Hurricane Harvey.
Autumn quickly shaped up by bringing a lot of exciting events to the Autoshop office! We celebrated the Second Annual Dress Up Day, enjoyed a Halloween Scavenger Hunt and went to the North Carolina State Fair! We also “bought” a car – well, half a car – from Danny’s church to put in the office. We went to Vegas for AAPEX, and while we were there, we won TWO Automotive Communications Awards, presented by the Women in Auto Care.
Winter
With such an exciting year, why would we slow down at the end?! If anything, winter has only been an even busier time for us! The team attended Internet Summit to learn new digital marketing trends and get ideas to bring back to our clients. The event is always an awesome time for all of us to revitalize our spirit and surround ourselves with other creative minds. We also held our annual Friendsgiving, and Danny handed out pumpkin pies – a tradition that has been passed down from Danny’s father.
We also led the list of winners in AutoInc Magazine’s Top 10 Websites for the ninth year in a row – this year with six winning sites.
We decided to close out the year with our annual Christmas party, which is always a blast, volunteering at a local high school, and giving our clients some deals to take advantage of in our 12 Days of Holi-DEALS email campaign. It was a whirlwind of a year here in Apex, N.C. (and everywhere else we traveled)!
Looking Ahead
2018 is already off to an incredible (and busy) start! We have so many things in store – from new offerings to awards and plenty of celebrations in between. We have some exciting announcements that will be happening in the early part of the year, and we are prepared for all the twists and turns that will happen along the way. We’d like to take a moment to say Thank You to everyone who made 2017 such a success, and we have no doubt that 2018 will be our best yet!
Want to be a part of our best year yet? Contact us today!
Autoshop Solutions