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FIXING CARS
& TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE
“Knowledge is Power” Clinic and Other Community Outreach Programs Help
Airpark Auto Service Soar Above the Competition
“fixing cars and taking care of people” is the motto of
Nadine grobmeier, president and owner of Airpark Auto
Service, an ACDelco TSS affiliate located in warm and
sunny Scottsdale, Ariz. It is a family-owned and -operated
business, working on all makes and all models.
The Scottsdale area, located northeast of Phoenix, has
transformed over the years into an upscale tourist and
shopping destination with a plethora of trendy, high-end
nightlife, championship golf courses, upscale restaurants
and resorts, art galleries and luxury shopping choices.
In fact, many consider Scottsdale the United States’
spa capital because it boasts such a large number of
destination spas throughout the area.
This service-centric attitude is embedded in the entire
team at Airpark Auto Service, and which led Nadine
grobmeier to recently host a free women’s car care clinic
at her shop in the spring entitled “Knowledge is Power.”
“Taking care of people and treating them like more
than simple customers is what makes our business
successful,” says grobmeier. “Concentrating on our
customers is our first priority and taking care of their
cars is secondary.”
grobmeier’s original idea for her first car care clinic was
to invite 20 to 30 of her female customers and their
friends, family members or coworkers to attend a fun,
half-day session at Airpark Auto Service to learn about
basic car care maintenance, answer automotive service
questions and provide an open forum to discuss fears
associated with vehicle repairs and taking their cars into
the shop for service. Because 65 percent of Airpark’s
customers are female, a women’s car care clinic was an
extremely appropriate activity for their customer base.
The response she received was surprising. Only a few
days after sending the invitations in print and online,
grobmeier had to close registration for the clinic soon
after receiving more than 60 affirmative responses. The
interest for the program was overwhelming, and on a
sunny Saturday morning a group of 60 women came
into the main Airpark Auto Service bay for a four-hour
session. They learned how to check engine oil and the
benefits of proper tire pressure, as well as received
hands-on instruction regarding what happens under the
hoods of their cars.
In preparation for the clinic, grobmeier and her team
invested considerable time and resources into making
the event a fun and educational experience. Prior to the
event, grobmeier had her main shop floor refinished,
assembled gift bags for each attendee, developed
signage, created raffle giveaways and even provided valet
parking and food from a local bakery. Of course, the
tables were decked out in ACDelco red, white and blue
and the gift bags contained a variety of ACDelco items.
Not only was ACDelco a sponsor of the “Knowledge
is Power” clinic, but grobmeier’s ACDelco field
representative Brain hoff, district manager, and his
team played an important role in the planning and
success of the women’s seminar. They used ACDelco’s
Knowledge is Power toolkit, which is available to all TSS
affiliates through their local ACDelco representative.
grobmeier and hoff began planning the clinic in the fall of
2008, and hoff brought in additional resources with the help
of Jules Varga, ACDelco regional technical manager, and
partners from ACDelco Parts Distributor One Source, which
is a division of Kay Automotive Distributors.
by Eric Lingaur
photos courtesy of Nadine grobmeier
“Being associated with
ACDelco has not only
allowed us to offer quality
parts to our customers,
but has also given us the
opportunity to work together
to implement programs like
the ‘Knowledge is Power’
clinics,” says grobmeier.
“having a partner like ACDelco
is important to the success
of our business.”
The clinic surpassed grobmeier’s expectations
and earned local media exposure that included
a television interview with her the morning of
the event. grobmeier and her team already
have a waiting list for the next women’s car care
seminar they plan to host in the fall, and women
near Scottsdale can sign up for the next session
by visiting Airpark Auto Service’s expertly crafted
Web site at airparkautoservice.com. She has
also received a lot of positive feedback and
suggestions from attendees that she is utilizing
to make the next session even better.
Car care clinic attendee Lorena Moore shared,
“Thank you for an informative and fun time at the
Women’s Auto Seminar this past Saturday. I’m sure
each woman, including myself, picked up a few
valuable tips to make us wiser in the knowledge of
car servicing and repair. As you said, ‘knowledge is
power.’ You have a great team and it was nice to have
them included in the presentations.”
“hosting a women’s clinic had been a goal of mine for
some time, and it feels great to finally have the first
one under my belt,” says grobmeier. “The confidence
that I feel going forward with future clinics and
fine-tuning them is something I am looking forward
to with great anticipation.”
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