Quality Transmission Service, Inc.

It wasn't long, though, before he realized that his own welfare was of little interest to the partner, and he decided to go his own way. The partnership dissolved in 1979 with Bob taking sole ownership of his newly built shop, which he renamed Quality Transmission Service, Inc. With a fair stock of rebuilt units already on his shelves and a newly-hired rebuilder aboard, the business was off and running.

Based on a handful of good, fundamental business principles, along with good employees, the customer base at Quality began to grow. One of Quality's first employees was Steve Fullmer, whom Bob hired as a rebuilder three years after starting his business. After 16 years of being Quality's "main builder," Steve was made manager of the business a few years back. "I've had other managers in the past," Bob said, "but Steve has made the transition magnificently, and does a better job than I ever did."

Currently rounding out the workforce is "main builder" Randy Hinkle who replaced Steve Fullmer in January of 1997, builder and R&R man Javier Ramos, and Chris Mayer, who is learning the R&R role. Bob said he is currently looking for another R&R man to join the staff. For their time and effort, employees at Quality are paid a good, competitive wage, and given seven paid holidays a year. They receive one week of paid vacation during their first year of employment, and two weeks during the second and subsequent years. The company provides each employee full medical coverage through Blue Cross, and allows them to purchase additional coverage for family members. Uniforms are paid for by the business, as is the cost of continuing education and training.

Those sound business principles eluded to earlier come into play when a prospective customer first comes into the shop. "My personal philosophy is to evaluate each job for what it is, provide as many options as practical, and perform the best job possible," said Bob. He went on to describe his feeling on the importance of Quality's work: "Every job we perform - whether large or small - reflects on everyone working here, as well as the business."

When a customer comes into the shop, either he or Steve talk with the customer to determine the problem. "It's important to diagnose the problem, not the customer," Bob said. By this he means the customer' s perception or interpretation of the problem may not accurately represent what is truly wrong with the vehicle. This becomes even more important when the customer picks the vehicle up after the repair is made. At that point, Bob said, "The customer must be reassured that your work has fixed the problem." Towards that goal, the last person to test drive the vehicle will be the person who did so initially. In that way they can be assured that the problem is fixed, and equally important, the customer will know it is fixed by the absence of the complaint-generated symptom.

Though they are rare at Quality, comebacks are an inevitable part of the transmission repair business. "They become our number one priority," Bob said. "I look at it as an opportunity to show the customer the real worth of our company." He also uses the repair of comebacks as a form of quality control. "People have to be held accountable (for their work)," he said. The comeback provides a means by which he can assess both the quality of the parts they use, and the performance of employees.

Such strict adherence to the quality of their work and the care of their customers has created what Bob Jones feels is the best form of advertising: word of mouth referrals. A computer system holds a database that identifies their customers, which Bob also uses to address a quarterly newsletter.