What actually happens when a great technician becomes a shop foreman?

In this episode of The Wrench Turners Podcast, I sit down with Mike Ramirez and Aaron Marion, two experienced shop foremen, to talk about the real work of leading technicians on the shop floor.

This conversation goes far beyond diagnostics, flat rate, and fixing cars.

Mike talks about going from a producing technician to a shop multiplier, helping other techs remove bottlenecks, make more hours, and work better as a team. Aaron shares what it’s like leading inside a high-end Porsche environment, why mentorship still matters years into the trade, and why no technician should ever believe they’ve learned everything.

The episode digs into:

How mentors build technicians without doing the work for them

Why shop foremen need to document their processes

How team chemistry changes the entire shop

Why reputation matters more than most technicians realize

How ego can limit growth in the automotive industry

Why personal finances affect technician happiness and performance

What real shop leadership looks like when the car, the customer, or the team is struggling

This is a conversation for technicians, shop foremen, service managers, fixed operations directors, and anyone who cares about building better leaders inside automotive service departments.

Because the best tool in the shop is still a good leader.

Negative Pushes

Positive Pulls

God Bless

j.

Find Mike:

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-ramirez-1782152a/

Find Aaron:

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-marion-257b18231/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Chapters

00:00 Intro

01:56 Express bay to shop foreman

05:20 Aaron Marion’s early mentors

08:01 High-end stores and better shops

09:48 Why some shops can’t afford to miss

15:12 How Aaron handles problem cars

18:23 Mike’s Prologue diagnostic nightmare

20:34 Stumbling gracefully

23:17 The middle years of a technician’s career

25:32 What a dream shop feels like

26:23 Learning from everyone in the shop

32:39 Aaron’s advice for apprentices

33:44 Mike on reputation, trust, and leadership

37:15 Why technicians need to manage personal finances

41:44 Why technicians shouldn’t box themselves in

44:50 Closing quote and final thoughts

Is there really a technician shortage or is the industry losing good people because shops are ignoring the real problem?

In this episode, Marshall, John Baranski, Brent Osmond, and Richard Mueller break down the uncomfortable truth behind technician recruiting, retention, flat rate pay, shop reputation, apprentice turnover, and why automotive technicians are moving into heavy-duty, mining, material handling, and hourly positions.

The conversation gets real about what shops say they need, what technicians actually talk about, and why every dealership’s reputation travels faster than most leaders want to admit.

Because technicians know.

They know what your shop pays.

They know what your benefits cost.

They know how your bonus structure actually works.

They know which shops develop people and which shops chew them up.

This episode is for technicians, shop foremen, service managers, fixed ops directors, dealership leaders, and anyone trying to understand why attracting and keeping good technicians has become one of the biggest challenges in the trade.

Topics include technician shortage myths, apprentice retention, flat rate frustration, heavy-duty recruiting, employee experience, shop culture, technician career paths, and why great technicians don’t automatically become great leaders.

The strongest line from the episode says it all:

“If you think that the technicians around your area don’t know what your techs are getting paid, you’re dead wrong.”

Negative Pushes

Positive Pulls

God Bless

j.

Follow Brent Osmond:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-osmond-7b8302149/

Dynamic Diesel Solutions

https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamic-diesel-solutions-canada/posts/?feedView=all

Follow Marshall Sheldon

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marshall-sheldon-981349176/

Briggs Industrial Solutions

https://www.linkedin.com/company/briggs-industrial-solutions/

Follow Richard Mueller

https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-mueller-024155150/

Wolfe Automotive Group

https://www.linkedin.com/company/wolfecalgary/

Follow John Baranski

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-baranski-335021270/

Miami Car Cartel

https://www.instagram.com/miamicarcartel/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

00:00 Technicians know what everyone is getting paid

00:52 Is there really a technician shortage?

01:45 Trade schools are still producing apprentices

03:47 Shortage or bad working conditions?

07:00 Shops complain about shortage but ignore retention

10:26 The real cost of training a new technician

12:42 What an empty bay actually costs the business

15:32 Shops have reputations whether leaders admit it or not

22:57 Why apprentices leave in the first year

29:52 Flat rate resentment and why techs are leaving automotive

34:24 Automotive techs moving into heavy duty and material handling

40:48 Different types of high performing technicians

43:58 Why good technicians don’t always become good leaders

48:21 What’s coming next: career paths technicians care about

So the 10 Mill lads took over.In this episode of 10 Mill Mastery, Marshall Sheldon, Richard Mueller, John Baranski, and the mysterious camera off Josh Arnold sit down for a real technician panel about what’s actually happening inside shops right now.This one goes everywhere.Passwords that change constantly.Scan tools that need updates before you can even work.Videos and photos are becoming part of every repair.Warranty documentation.Hot shops.Young techs are hitting the six-hour wall.Energy drinks, bad lunches, mental fatigue, and the difference between being lazy and learning how to work.Then the conversation turns into something bigger.How do you lead apprentices without crushing them?How do you coach a tech who’s stuck in diagnostic circles?How do you build shop culture without turning “roasting” into damage?How much direction does an owner actually need to give their leaders?And when does a job stop being worth the money?Marshall keeps the conversation moving from the field service side.Richard brings the structured dealership leadership perspective.John brings the boat world, the faith, the chaos, and the big picture questions.Josh Arnold stays hidden like a mystery dude in witness protection, but still drops the kind of quiet Subaru tech wisdom that makes everyone stop and listen.No polished keynote.No corporate script.No Joshua steering the ship.Just four technicians talking through passwords, videos, heat, pressure, leadership, money, values, and the modern weight of fixing things for a living.This is 10 Mill Mastery, without me.Negative PushesPositive PullsGod Blessj.⚠️ Disclaimer:I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45ebInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/00:00 Opening Prayer00:24 Passwords, Logins, and Technician Tech Overload02:24 Boat Diagnostics and OEM Platforms05:12 GM Techline, Updates, and Bricked Modules10:02 DMS Logins, Video Inspections, and Warranty Photos14:32 VPNs, Hotspots, and Mobile Programming Problems20:14 The Six Hour Wall for Young Technicians25:49 Midday Check Ins and Technician Productivity27:31 Helping Young Techs Learn How to Work32:25 Diagnostic Frustration and Knowing When to Step Away35:08 Shop Roasting, Mistakes, and Mentorship38:15 Watches, Fitness, and Side Conversations41:35 Alberta, Weather, Taxes, and Moving South44:44 Owner Vision, Guardrails, and Shop Direction47:51 Making Money Is Not a Clear Business Plan53:41 Pay, Risk, and Knowing Your Hard Line1:00:46 Jobs, Core Values, and When to Leave1:12:28 Closing Reflection