Spotlighting UAF Contributors

Why did you donate to the University of the Aftermarket Foundation?  

Simply, it is about supporting the future of our individual companies and the industry. The investment not only supports the educational needs of future technicians, but more  importantly, given the workforce challenges that we all face, the academic grants support the future of employment opportunities for students to join the ranks of the organizations that make up the membership of the Auto Care Association.  

Prior to making a financial commitment, I had been a long-time reviewer of student applications to the foundation. Essentially, each year, as a member of an assigned team, I review approximately 75 student applications, which include their secondary school transcripts, a list of their activities and most importantly, an essay.  

My favorite part of being a reviewer is reading the applicant’s essay. Generally speaking, the essay is a description of each student’s life experiences and career aspirations. Each applicant has a unique story. Yes, there are many applicants who have maximized every academic, club and athletic opportunity during their high school years. However, each year I seemingly tend to value and appreciate reading about the student that has dedicated themself to aggressively seeking out any and all opportunities for a second chance. Often these are nontraditional, older students who have had experienced personal tragedies or faced horrible, tragic circumstances that had negatively impacted their academics, and they could not perform to their fullest potential during either high school or their initial enrollment at a post-secondary school. Within their essays, these students clearly demonstrate their resilience and determination to excel and, in my view, are deserving to receive one of many available scholarships. 

After my father passed away in 2014, my brothers and I decided that one of the best ways to honor our late father was to make a financial gift to the University of the Aftermarket Foundation. The George I. Segal fund is a perpetual fund that annually provides financial gifts to two “deserving” applicants. 

What’s one piece of advice you would give someone considering a career in the auto care industry? 

 The one piece of advice that I can humbly offer is to embrace the notion of being a lifelong learner. Throughout my career, I have never stopped learning. I am an avid reader of history and current affairs. Regardless of time period, place or people, history seemingly repeats itself over and over. There are always valuable lessons to be learned.  

After college, despite graduating with an economics degree, I was young and had virtually no industry experience, because during my collegiate years, I was employed at a bank instead of working at my family’s business. However, I was ambitious to learn about the industry, not only from within my family’s business, but I also wanted an opportunity to be exposed to how others functioned within a larger family business.  

Thankfully, my father provided me with an opportunity to attend countless seminars and classes from AWDA University and University of the Aftermarket, where I was exposed to some great -- and many not-so-great -- seminars and classes. The benefit of attending those seminars was the opportunity to foster decades-long relationships with some of the best and brightest from the industry, many of whom are now the most respected and successful leaders in our terrific industry. From those relationships, I was exposed to best practices and learned some progressive ideas that I have applied throughout my career and currently in my role as co-leader, along with my brother David, of my family’s 103-year-old business. Regardless of your place in your career, be open-minded to embracing lifelong learning. 

What advice would you give another aftermarket industry company who’d like to support education programs like this one?  

I believe that altruism is the one common value promulgated among those firms thriving in today’s competitive marketplace. One of the most effective ways to reinvest and support the long-term sustainability of our great industry is to invest into our next generation. Please consider volunteering and making a gift to the University of the Aftermarket. For those companies that would like to make a substantial difference, and honor their past, please consider making pledge to become a Lifetime Trustee of the University of the Aftermarket. For specific details, visit uofa-foundation.org.