Mike Collins: Father, Shop Owner, and Leader.

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Read time: 3 min

My passion for auto repair started off in my garage. It was the coolest garage in the neighborhood. I had pull-down air-hoses, and it was kind of like a little dream shop. All I did was have car hobbies and help friends work on their vehicles.

There were so many of my friends that went and talked to my wife and said, "He's got to open up a real shop one day, and you've got to encourage him to do it.”  

Before joining the auto repair industry, I was in the restaurant industry, but I always worked on cars as a hobby in my spare time. Being in the restaurant industry was very time consuming. I was working more than 100 hours a week.

I thoroughly enjoyed the restaurant industry when I had the time for it, but then my son was born. When my son was 6 months old, I was kissing him goodbye when he was in his crib, and I realized I hadn't seen him while he was awake in almost 6 months.

Eventually my wife said to me, and I’ll never forget this, she said, “Mike, you need to open up a shop. You have the passion for it. Working on cars is what you love, and I can tell you’re happy doing it.”

So I did it. I opened up my own auto repair shop. It wasn’t easy though. I worked more than I had ever worked before. That was 22 years ago now.  

We started off as a performance only shop, but there was not a whole lot of money in performance repairs. We had a really good reputation. I kept telling myself, “Just keep doing what you do, and as long as you're patient, the money will follow.”

In 2012, we decided to start working on regular vehicles as well. The front half of the shop was general mechanic work, and the back half was performance only. We put ourselves on a waiting list at that point. Things got a lot better, the money came easier, and we applied a lot of what we knew from the performance side to general mechanic work.

“As we started to grow, I began to learn from my team.The new sets of eyes would see something I couldn’t. That’s exactly what I needed to grow.”

This isn’t to say I did everything perfectly. I did a lot of things wrong early on. I knew my ways, and I had my rules, down to the exact procedures. But as we started to grow, I began to learn from my team. I'd been doing it the same way for so long, and the new sets of eyes would see something I couldn’t. That’s exactly what I needed to grow. I love learning from those around me.

I woke up one day about 6 months ago and thought to myself, “I'm in the people business. That's my passion. That's what I love, and that's what drives me.”

I don't turn the wrenches anymore. I don't work the front counter anymore. I do the paperwork stuff for the business, but what drives me is the satisfaction of growing people and to see somebody taking steps in personal and business growth.

We went from averaging 100 cars a month to now, where a very slow month is 450 and a busy month is around 650 cars.

It all worked out in the end. My son works with me now, and it's great to be able to see him everyday.

Visit Collins Auto Care for more info.

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At Tekmetric, we understand that data security is more than just a priority—it's a responsibility. That’s why we are excited to announce that Tekmetric is now ISO/IEC 27001 certified! Combined with our SOC 2 Type II certification, this achievement underscores our commitment to keeping customer and partner data safe and maintaining systems that operate at the highest standards. 

What is ISO/IEC 27001?

ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally recognized standard for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS). It represents a comprehensive framework for managing and protecting an organization’s information assets, ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data.

To obtain this certification, Tekmetric went through rigorous audits and a thorough examination of security protocols, risk management practices, and data protection measures.

As we continue to innovate shop management solutions to best support our customers, achieving this certification reinforces that our platform and internal workflows protect the highly sensitive data customers and partners trust us with. 

What This Means for Tekmetric Customers

For Tekmetric customers, achieving ISO/IEC 27001 certification means you can trust that we adhere to the highest standards for information security. 

  • Enhanced Data Security & Trust: Our certification guarantees that Tekmetric has stringent security measures in place to safeguard sensitive data, including customer information, financial records, and business data. 
  • Reduced Risk of Data Breaches & Security Incidents: By adopting a proactive approach to risk management, Tekmetric minimizes the likelihood of security breaches and disruptions
  • Compliance & Regulatory Alignment: Our ISO/IEC 27001 certification helps customers demonstrate compliance with data protection regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA. 

This certification reinforces our commitment to safeguarding your data, providing you with peace of mind and confidence in our Shop Management platform. To learn more about all our certifications and our commitment to security, visit our Trust Center.

Tekmetric Is Now ISO/IEC 27001 Certified

February 27, 2025

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Tekmetric, the leading Houston-based automotive repair technology company, has been recognized as a 2022 MOTOR Top 20 Award winner for its recent integration with RepairLink by OEConnection (OEC), a renowned technology provider for the aftersales industry.

The integration, selected by industry experts as well as public popular vote, allows shop owners to seamlessly order original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts directly from the Tekmetric Shop Management System.

For over three decades, the annual MOTOR Top 20 Awards have recognized outstanding new industry solutions across the automotive industry, from the most innovative tool or equipment to creating the best customer experience.

Winners are selected by automotive professionals and experts who voted over a thirty-day open voting process from a selection of this year’s most valuable contributions to the industry.

“As a leading shop management system, our team at Tekmetric shares a mutual belief with our partners at OEC that we best support shop owners in all their business needs by providing modern and relevant solutions,” said Sunil Patel, Co-Founder and CEO of Tekmetric.

“We are honored and humbled to have the Tekmetric-RepairLink integration recognized by both our customers – shop owners – and our industry peers as one of this year’s most innovative solutions.”

With its combination of Tekmetric’s cloud-based capabilities and RepairLink’s parts ordering platform, the integration builds upon Tekmetric’s existing parts ordering offerings to streamline the process of ordering OEM parts for auto repair shops. Through the integration, shop owners can track orders or returns with real-time online updates, as well as address orders in one screen, transferring any quoted parts and VIN numbers automatically into Tekmetric.

“Vehicle sophistication is growing rapidly, and all signs point to even more advancements, meaning it’s absolutely necessary for repairers to have enhanced access to critical parts and information,” said Bonnie Coleman, OEC Director, Mechanical Retail.

“This is why OEC is thrilled to partner with Tekmetric, and that this integration has been recognized for the valuable contribution it offers to the industry.”

To learn more about the MOTOR Awards and view the 2022 Top 20 Awards, visit https://www.motor.com/top20awards-winners.

About Tekmetric

Tekmetric, a Houston-based auto repair technology company, offers a cloud-based platform that enables auto repair shop owners to enhance productivity and increase profitability through its streamlined workflow management processes.

Designed by a former shop owner, Tekmetric’s platform drives shop efficiency through real-time data, a customizable user interface and customer-centric communication tools.

Since its launch in 2016, Tekmetric has disrupted the industry with its robust fully-integrated system, developed with an emphasis on customer transparency and user collaboration.

For more information, visit www.tekmetric.com

About OEConnection Holdings LLC

OEConnection Holdings’ portfolio includes OEC, the leading parts ecommerce technology provider for OEM distribution networks, serving over 20 OEMs and 100,000 dealership and repair customers.

Providence Equity Partners is the majority stakeholder of OEConnection Holdings; Ford Motor Company and General Motors are minority stakeholders.

The company is headquartered in the greater Cleveland area at 4205 Highlander Parkway, Richfield, Ohio, 44286

Additional information is available at www.OEConnection.com.

Tekmetric Recognized as 2022 MOTOR Top 20 Award Winner

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We can't deny it, we're customer obsessed. That's why we went out of our way to visit shop owners who rely on Tekmetric every day! And part of why we're so customer-obsessed is because of how much our customers love Tekmetric, and its ability to empower shops.

That's why we’re celebrating another season as the leaders in the industry for shop management software!

Once again, for the third time in a row this year, G2 users have chosen Tekmetric as the leading solution for managing and revolutionizing their independent auto repair shop.

Tekmetric Chosen as the Clear Industry Leader

For their latest round of awards, Tekmetric was chosen as a clear industry leader for auto shop management software for the third time this year.

We've said it before, and we'll say it again, this is all because of shops like yours!

All the amazing independent shops that do great work every day with Tekmetric, the shops that keep people's vehicles safe and reliable. The heroes that get their customers back on the road every single day!

We were just chosen because you all love us so much!

There’s Always More to Come!

Thank you! Thank you for partnering with us, and thank you for helping us create the best possible solution for running an independent auto repair shop!

We're excited to be awarded and regarded so highly, and we strive to keep that level of excellence and support at every step in your shop.

Tekmetric is always being updated, and we’ll never stop working with and supporting shops to help them run efficiently and with fewer headaches, so you can focus on doing what you love!

Tekmetric Chosen as Clear Industry Leader in Winter 2023 G2 Report

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