Better shops start with better people systems.
Beyond the Wrench is a practical industry show about technician development, shop leadership, and career pathways in automotive and diesel work. Jay Ganinan speaks with instructors, shop owners, and industry leaders about what actually keeps people learning, working, and growing.
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Beyond the Wrench is an industry conversation about how automotive and diesel careers are built, supported, and kept alive. Its center of gravity is the technician pipeline. Not as an abstract labor problem, but as a day-to-day question for schools, shops, dealerships, and leaders. Jay Ganinan speaks with people close to the work: automotive technology teachers, college instructors, shop owners, workforce leaders, and program builders. The show spends real time on students. It asks what motivates them, what scares them off, and how hands-on learning can make them confident before they reach a customer vehicle. Training is treated as a system, not a slogan. Episodes examine mentorship, safe practice, tool use, leadership habits, and the culture young technicians encounter when they enter the field. Retention is another constant thread. The conversations return to a simple idea: bringing people into the industry means little if shops cannot help them grow once they arrive. Some episodes lean into ownership and management, including second-generation shop ownership and the limits created when owners stop developing themselves. Others focus on data, such as the Voice of Technicians Survey and what technicians are saying about pay, benefits, satisfaction, leadership, and career outlook. The tone is friendly, direct, and rooted in shop reality. It favors examples over theory. A classroom fleet, a new training facility, a state-certified high school program, or a candid comment about dealership life can become the doorway into a larger workforce issue. Beyond the Wrench works best for listeners who already care about the industry and want a clearer view of where its next people will come from. It is not a car-review show. It is a working conversation about education, leadership, and the future of skilled trades inside automotive, diesel, and collision repair.
Made for: Beyond the Wrench is for shop owners, dealership leaders, instructors, trainers, and automotive professionals focused on technician recruitment, development, and retention. It also suits students and early-career technicians who want to understand the industry they are entering.
What sets it apart: The show connects workforce data, classroom experience, and shop leadership in one place. Its strongest episodes turn broad industry concerns into concrete examples from schools, training programs, shops, and technician surveys.
How can automotive and diesel shops run a better business and be more profitable? How can we make the aftermarket and dealerships more attractive to younger generations? Each week, Jay Goninen, Co-Founder & President of WrenchWay, will sit down with shop owners, technicians, instructors, and professionals in the automotive and diesel industries to have them share their stories and insights. We’ll dive deep into what’s going on in shops and dealerships and what we can do to help drive the industry forward.The Beyond the Wrench Podcast is powered by WrenchWay.
This is the shop-floor MBA where a fried controller becomes the lesson you actually remember.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A practical look at how future technicians build confidence before they hit the shop floor.
Garrett Jacobson frames technician education as a question of trust more than showmanship. He keeps coming back to the slow move from classroom repetition to shop work, where honest coaching and hands-on practice matter more than polished theory.
Vocational training explained through real institutions.
Clearer governance for stronger RTOs.
Frank farriery shop talk, from competition tents to regulation.
Welding shop talk that happily follows the rabbit holes.
Beyond the Wrench host Jay Ganinan interviews Fullbay CEO Trent Broberg about AI, leadership, and diesel repair shops.
Jay Ganinan interviews Joe Hamilton, President and CEO of Vortex Optics, about the CARE movement, which means Create a Rare Experience.
Chris Craig compares ASC certifications to Brazilian jiu-jitsu belts: skill shows on the mat, but belts still signal level.
This episode features an interview with Tiffany Shirato about her work supporting women in the automotive industry, focusing on community building, recruitment efforts, and experiences at industry events like the Vision Hitech Conference.
This episode features an interview with Don Favors, an automotive technology teacher, discussing strategies for training and retaining new technicians in the automotive industry.
Jay Ginnanen speaks with Garrett Jacobson, an automotive technology instructor at Hawkeye Community College, about how he uses HP Tuners, a chassis dyno, and classroom demonstrations to teach drivability, fuel trims, and open-loop versus closed-loop behavior.
This episode discusses the challenges and opportunities of second-generation shop ownership in the automotive and diesel industries.
Host Jay Goninen interviews shop owner Dwayne Myers about intentional technician development and creating environments where employees want to grow.
This episode analyzes the 2026 Voice of Technicians Survey to discuss technician sentiment, pay, job satisfaction, and industry trends in automotive and diesel shops.
Host Jay Goninen interviews Cindy Barlow from WyoTech about new developments at the automotive training school.
Host Jay Goninen interviews Eric Wagner about attracting, developing, and retaining technicians in the automotive industry.
Host Jay Goninen discusses Tomwood University, a state-funded program bringing high school students into an automotive facility for hands-on training to address technician shortages.
Host Jay Goninen interviews John Perez about Sonic Automotive's junior apprenticeship program to attract young technicians.
Host Jay Goninen interviews Tom Gattuso from SEMA about the upcoming 2025 SEMA show in Las Vegas and how shops and technicians can benefit from it.
An interview with Eric Roosch, Director of Product Marketing at Milwaukee Tool, discussing the development and impact of two new tools for technicians.
Host Jay Goninen interviews Chris from Enright Automotive about his journey to starting his own shop and his excitement for new Milwaukee tools at an industry event.
This episode features an interview with Leah Balto, Group Manager of Product Marketing at Milwaukee Tool, discussing her background and the development of hand tools designed for technicians.
An interview with a service advisor trainer discussing the importance of prioritizing technicians and improving customer service in automotive shops.
This episode features an interview with Brian Robbins from Hot Rod High School about innovative approaches to teaching auto shop skills through virtual and online methods to reach more students.
Host Jay Goninen interviews Eric Fagerstrom about best practices and challenges in running automotive and diesel shops, drawing on Eric's experience with many different shops.
This episode introduces the School Assist All-Star Awards, a partnership between WrenchWay and ASC to recognize industry-school collaborations addressing the technician shortage.
Interview with BMW's National Technician Training Manager about challenges and opportunities in the automotive repair industry.