BG Products Pop-Up Event: Partners Beyond Products - by Ted Ings

Wichita, KS - Fixed Ops Roundtable recently took center stage with another live-stream Pop-Up Event at BG Products, Inc. in Wichita, Kansas. As the exclusive sponsor of our Pop-Up Events and the illuminating "After Dark at the Fixed Ops Roundtable" show on Monday and Wednesday nights at 8 p.m., BG Products has not just raised the bar, but set an entirely new standard of excellence.

For over five decades, BG Products has manufactured and distributed high-quality additives, cleaners, lubricants, tools, and equipment used to service vehicles all over the world. The company has more than 50 percent market share among new car dealers in the U.S.?

We wanted to find out what makes BG Products so successful. From its fantastic facilities to its leadership and employees, the dedication to turning out quality products is clear. Let's take a look behind the scenes.

Proving Ground: Where Innovation Takes the Wheel

Fixed Ops Roundtable's hostess Sara Vantine and Darin Greseth, President and CEO of BG Products, kicked off the live show with a short introduction. Sara then went on to interview a panel of executives that included Jay Erwin, Director of the Proving Ground; Paul Garcia, Proving Ground Shop Manager; Brad Young, Proving Ground Engineer Manager; and Cody Lyons, Technical Service Manager.

?The proving ground is where BG Products tests its products and equipment on vehicles. The proving ground team works closely with the engineering and chem lab departments to design and develop new products and tools.

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Currently the proving ground team is creating adapters for every 2024 make and model, including EVs. Looking forward, BG Products is eyeing the possibility of hydrogen vehicles as a viable alternative to EV vehicles for reducing vehicle emissions in the future. The proving ground team works closely with other departments, providing feedback that will help keep BG products an industry leader. ??

Technician Recruiting Tips

In the next segment, Sara Vantine interviewed Darin Greseth again, and special guest Bob Tasca, Vice President of Tasca Automotive, an auto group with 27 dealerships and four acquisitions in the pipeline.

The conversation focused on leadership philosophy, how to drive company performance, keep customers satisfied, and attract new talent to the fixed ops space.

Bob Tasca is involved with youth education services, and he believes that the biggest issue with attracting new technicians is lack of awareness. Many high school students are just unaware of what an incredible career path opportunity the auto industry offers. When Bob speaks to high school students, he emphasizes three primary benefits of a career as a technician.

1) In five years or less, high school graduates can earn, or be well on their way to earning, $100,000 per year, with little to no school debt.

2) Job portability. As a certified technician, you can move and live anywhere in the country.

3) Career stability. The demand for technicians is high and is projected to remain high in the years to come. The job is also recession-proof. During economic downturns, dealerships may not sell as many cars, but they continue to service cars.

Darin Greseth shared insights about BG University, a training program that BG Products set up to educate the company's 800 sales reps in the U.S. and Canada, as well as several thousand reps across the world.?

Both Bob and Darin agreed it's important to develop a positive culture so that employees are happy to come into work every day. They also emphasized how important it is for employees to feel challenged and appreciated for the work they do.

At the end of the segment, Sara Vantine presented Bob Tasca with a Fixed Ops Roundtable Certified Dealer Award. "This is really an honor," said Bob. "What Ted and Fixed Ops Roundtable are doing is incredible, with the messages and content he's sharing around the industry. ?Thank you very much."

Training and Support are Brand Hallmarks

Next, Fixed Ops Roundtable spoke with Andy Baldassarre, Director of Marketing and Training, and Dale Smith, Training Program Manager for BG Products.?

Training and support are a major focus at BG Products. As Andy put it, "The best product doesn't always win, so we have to offer a value add, and training and support are it." BG Products train their representatives to become product experts, so the reps can properly train service technicians at auto dealerships.

In addition to sales representatives, BG University trains employees from its extensive distributor network. Dale emphasized the importance of training at the corporate level, so that all employees are on the same page and are knowledgeable about the company's products.

Dale and Andy also spoke about the recent development of digital training assets, from webinars to apps. BG Certified is an online training course; BG Experience is an augmented reality app that contains both digital and live training; and the BG Tech app helps technicians select the right products, such as which adapter to use, or which fluid to use, while they're working in bays. In addition, BG Products has rolled out the BG Advisor app for service advisors, and a Point of Sales app, which contains a digital menu for presenting to customers.

Finally, Andy announced that BG Products has recently acquired a promotions company that produces great swag! Visit https://merch.bgprod.com to order shirts, caps, drinkware and more, all featuring the BG Products logo.

Unsurpassed Product Technology

Next, Sara Vantine interviewed Dustin Willhite, Director of Product Technology, and Tim Allbritten, Director of Business Development and Product Research. Joining the panel was special guest Shawn Butler, Fixed Ops Director with Umansky Automotive Group, based in Memphis, Tennessee. Shawn is a big fan of both Fixed Ops Roundtable and BG Products.?

The product technology team is responsible for product formulation, quality control, sourcing raw materials, batch blending, sample testing, and so much more. BG Products owns a manufacturing plant and has quality control laboratories staffed with technicians and chemists. Dustin, a chemist by education, drives product innovation at BG Products by reading, researching, and being actively involved with automotive associations to keep abreast of industry trends.

Dustin also emphasized that BG Products is the only product manufacturer that controls the entire production process, from sourcing raw materials all the way to packaging and distribution. By controlling the process, BG Products can ensure high standards are met at every step, in order to produce the highest-quality products available.

Sara then asked about product trends, and Tim spoke at length about fluids. Increasing fuel economy requirements are driving a trend towards lower viscosity fluids in engine oils, transmission fluids, gear lubricants, etc. The lower the viscosity, the greater the potential for better fuel economy.

Another trend Tim discussed is how vehicle engines are being downsized: V8's are becoming V6's, V6's are becoming four cylinders, and so on. In addition, the average age of vehicles is now twelve years, and the average mileage is 130,000 miles, increasing service opportunities for dealerships everywhere.

One of BG Products' goals is to help dealership service departments identify missed opportunities. For example, a service that is often missed when servicing trucks, four-wheel drives and all-wheel drive SUVs, is differentials.

Additionally, the trend of increased electrification in vehicles, along with all the different types of powertrains that creates, will translate into increased service opportunities.?

Shawn Butler and FixedOpsCares.org

The live-stream Pop-Up Event closed with Sara and Shawn Butler discussing his recent battle with late-stage colorectal cancer. Shawn chose to discuss his health challenges because he wants to help others avoid making the same mistakes he did, which was to delay going to a doctor to investigate symptoms he experienced.?

Currently Shawn is undergoing aggressive treatment and is focused on getting better. "There's a 30 percent chance that we're having this conversation next year," he said. But he wanted to thank Fixed Ops Roundtable for establishing FixedOpsCares.org, a charitable fund that we set up to benefit people in their fight against cancer. This fight is a cause near and dear to my heart, as I am a cancer survivor as well. Currently the FixedOpscares.org website is re-directed to a fundraising page to help pay for Shawn's treatments. Please consider donating directly to Shawn's cause.

Tune In Next Time

Watch the entire BG Products Pop-Up Event here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXkf-rnB2xA

Please join us for our next Fixed Ops Roundtable event, scheduled for November 13-16, 2023. Reserve your spot today at FixedOpsRoundtable.com. This event is completely free for automotive professionals. We look forward to seeing you there!