Sept. 5, 2014—Jerry Holcom not only owns S & S Service Center Inc. in Kansas City, Mo., he also owns the record for earning the most Automotive Management Institute (AMI) credits in the Institute’s 25-year history.
With a total of 712 AMI credits, Holcom recently received a special AMI “Commitment to Education Recognition” honor to recognize his exceptional dedication to AMI.
Holcom was honored during the Automotive Service Association (ASA) Celebration of Excellence ceremony on Aug. 1, 2014, at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich. Tony Passwater, AMI board of trustees chairman, recognized Holcom for continuing to take full advantage of the Institute’s management education sessions, even though he earned the Institute’s prestigious Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation.
“When I went into business 32 years ago, I knew that I was a good technician, but not necessarily a good business owner,” Holcom said. “After several years of trial and error and learning mostly by reading trade magazine articles, my early mentors Richard Clipp and Bob O’Connor made me aware of AMI and what a great management training resource it is for shop owners.
“Over the years, as I found I needed some training or a refresher on a particular topic, it was great to look through the catalog by subject and find just what I was looking for. Now with AMI’s new monthly webinars, I can plan an hour off for my entire front counter staff and help keep them (and me) pumped up with some great ideas, then get right back to work.”
With more than 40 years experience in the automotive field, Holcom is an ASE Certified Master Auto Technician with the Advanced Engine Performance (L1) certification and a Certified Master Machinist.
He has served on the board of directors and as the vice-president of the Automotive Service Association of Greater Kansas City. He feels that the future of the automotive repair industry will hinge on information availability, technical proficiency and total customer driven service methods.
“Jerry continues to embrace AMI education, long after earning his AAM,” said AMI Executive Director Toni Slaton, AAM. “Even with 40 years of experience, his commitment to AMI education demonstrates that there’s always something new to learn or skills that need to be refreshed, regardless of how long you’ve been in business or the level of success you’ve achieved.”
