Five questions in five minutes with ASA-CO’s new chairman

Denver-ASA Colorado recently installed the new 2019-20 Board of Directors. We spent a few minutes talking with the new Chair, Bryan Gossel, on his background and what he sees for the future of ASA Colorado.

ASA Scoop – How did you get started in the automotive repair field?
Gossel– “My dad was a shop owner and I started working on cars after school and weekends. He taught me the basics and I loved it. I worked for several shops and feel I improved each one when working there.”

ASA Scoop – When did you start BG Automotive your own shop? 
Gossel – “I started BG Automotive, my own shop, in 2007 with one tool box, a metal bench and four jack stands.”

ASA Scoop – Now you have grown to three shops in Northern Colorado. What challenges does that present?
Gossel – “Yes, I took the leap in January 2019 and bought my second shop then added another in February/March timeframe and have grown to 23 employees among all three shops. The biggest challenge has been changing myself from being so hands on with my shop to letting go, trusting in others and letting them take care of things. Trusting others with the shops is hard for me and some days I am better at it than others!”

ASA Scoop – What has helped you “let go” and trust others?
Gossel – “What has helped me the most is hiring well – taking my time to find the right person and then training well. I offer lots of training for my staff and that makes all the difference in the world. I send my staff to the ASA training classes each month and then I also joined ATI and have really listened to their guidance the last few years to grow as a manager and owner. I also am a founding member of Transformers group which has helped me greatly.”

ASA Scoop – What is your secret to success as an owner of three shops?
Gossel – “I have a couple of things I do that makes all the difference in the world. First of all, it is important to keep a good balance between your personal life and your work life. That is extremely important and why we take our employees and their families camping every year for some fun. It is also important to keep and grow your culture – don’t lose it growing too fast. That’s really the key!”