Schoen Place Auto is recognized

Schoen Place Auto is one of six companies named a finalist for the 2010 Rochester Business Ethics Award, the first car business to achieve the distinction in the history of the award.

The Rochester Business Ethics Foundation looks at nominations submitted by clients, vendors, consultants, colleagues, employees and others. A team of judges chooses the finalists.

The East Rochester-based business, owned by Jerry Elman, has been recognized as a “female friendly” business by two national organizations.

In order to earn certification, Schoen Place Auto had to complete a rigorous training program, pass certification exams, and treat customers — male and female — with the best possible service, a positive attitude and a friendly atmosphere; and listen to them, said Elman, who is an active member of the Greater Rochester Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners and Rochester Women’s Network.

Here is an example of its unique approach: The women’s restroom is clean, and contains hairspray, lotions, special soaps and artwork — and Elman has been known to brag about the clean restrooms.

The results of such attention to detail are in: Women represent 65 percent of his repeat customer base, Elman said.

Q: The car repair industry doesn’t always get recognized for business ethics. Is that fair or unfair?

A: I believe this stereotype is fair in the eyes of most consumers for the following reasons:
My own personal belief from my own experiences as a car owner before I went into the business was that too many car repair shops either ripped people off or did not know what they were doing.

I’ve seen much more of both situations since I’ve gotten into the business myself.

The auto repair industry is subject to no state or federal regulations, quality standards, certification standards, etc. Training and certification of mechanics and technicians is not regulated or monitored, and no training or certifications are required. Quality of parts is not regulated, quality of repair work is not regulated, even the procedures or what defines a proper repair is not regulated.

Each and every shop can hire whoever they want, use whatever parts they want (even if junk), and definitions of the work is unique to each shop. The industry is free and clear to take advantage of customers anyway they want to without violating any laws or regulations.

Given the only way to judge an auto repair shop is personal experiences based on gut feel, the industry is wide open to let the bad apples control how the industry as a whole is viewed. This is like no other industry or profession.

Q: Does an honor like this help get rid of the stereotype?

A: I am hoping an honor like this helps set a bar for others in the auto repair industry to strive for. Wouldn’t it be great if other auto repair shops set their sights to focus on ethics and go after this award! I am also hoping winning this award creates some consumer demand and expectations on both ethics and competence.

I went into this business more than three years ago after 26 years with Kodak, with the intent to make a difference and provide car repair services that are honest, competent and relationship-based. I also want to raise the bar on the visibility of honesty and competence so that the shops that are honest and competent (I am not the only one) get sought out — and the dishonest, incompetent shops get flushed out so that consumers avoid them.

Q: How do you instill ethics in the workplace?

A: It starts with the owner. If I do not personally set the ethical standards, then none will exist. It next comes down to hiring.

I believe very strongly that we need people with the best training and competence in diagnosing and repairing cars correctly. But just as important are additional factors that include attitude, interpersonal skills, sense of teamwork, honesty, integrity and ethics.

I am also a hands-on owner, involved with day-to-day issues in the business. The question of ethics and “what is the right thing to do” in any given situation is discussed as a group whenever the answer may not appear obvious.

Finally, the expectations and culture has to be institutionalized through written expectations that both our employees and customers buy into.

Q: How do you know if it’s working?

A: If we repair cars correctly, honestly and at a fair price, our ethics are not being tested. If we screw up on a repair, there lies the test.
Will we own up to it and make it right for the customer? If the answer is yes, we are holding to our ethical standards. If the answer is no, then we are compromising ethics and all they are are words on the wall.

So perhaps the ultimate test of how you instill ethics in the workplace is to set the expectations, measures and other factors in place, and then invite third parties to tell you how well or how poorly you are doing. Too many businesses, including many car repair businesses, don’t want to know the answer to how well or poorly they are doing when it comes to ethics. Could it be they are afraid of the answer?