I’m fortunate to work with a great bunch of professionals that love what they do. Customers will sometimes ask about the technician that worked on their vehicle. I decided that I would do a Q&A with our technicians so our customers would get to know a little bit about them. I’m going to start with Gordon because he has been here the shortest amount of time and has also been in the automotive industry a short time. We hired him shortly after his graduation from the MTEC program at Grand Rapids Community College. He had previously been in a completely different industry for the past ten years. How long have you worked at Arie Nol Auto Center? I’ve been here for nine months. Why did you decide to go into the automotive industry? When I was young, I watched my Dad and my uncle work on my Uncle’s race car and that sparked my interest but I didn’t pursue it until I decided to make a career change. What would you tell someone in high school that is thinking about the automotive industry? Always pay attention to what you are doing and follow the safety rules. Get into a college that can train you. Being an older student, I knew that education was key to getting a job in this industry. What is your favorite part about working on cars? Troubleshooting is very interesting to me. The more I learn, the easier it is to diagnose issues. I like being challenged on a daily basis. What do you for fun with your kids? (He has two boys) I help my son with his quarter midget racing. I’m also a Boy Scout leader. I enjoy reading comic books as well. What’s your favorite type of car? A 1970 Dodge Challenger. It was the car in the movie ‘Vanishing Point’ that I watched when I was younger. Did it surprise you how many donuts we eat? It did. I’m a big fan of bagel Friday here, as well as donuts, which we do seem to eat a lot of. How do you like working in a small, family owned business? I love it. I came from a big corporation where everything was numbers driven and I was a number. I’m happy I ended up here. What is the number one tip you would give a car owner? Always keep up on your car maintenance. I see too many vehicles that have additional needs because of lack of maintenance.