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Employee Spotlight: Brian Hutson

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brian

We’re proud of Brian, often referred to “New Brian” here even after many years.  Brian Hutson is a Master Technician, literally.:) One of my favorite things about Brian is that I think he can fix anything! He’s always willing to tackle anything. He’s a hard worker, and he goes above and beyond to help his fellow technicians, teaching them when they need any assistance or advice.

I had a Q & A with him. I am impressed with his answers & although I had planned to pick a few good ones to highlight, I’m sharing them all.
Brian Hutson

Q: Tell us about you. (more of  a command, but I asked nicely:) )
A: Well, I’m a father of 2 girls, 13 and 8, and 2 boys, 6 and 5. I enjoy being able to spend time with them in the outdoors; camping, fishing, hunting. An avid outdoorsman, hunting all over the country and teaching my kids to be good stewards of this beautiful land and not abuse it. I grew up building houses with my uncle and later learned about cabinet and furniture building. Now, I enjoy it as a hobby, and I always have several projects going. I also hold a Federal Firearms License and deal in and collect all sorts of firearms.

Q: What training have you had in the auto industry?
A: 1999-2001 worked toward a degree in automotive
2002 Ford Certified Technician
2008 1st ASE Certifications
2009 BRSO Master Technician
2013 ASE Master Collision Technician
2013 ASE Collision Estimator
2014 ASE Master Medium/Heavy-Duty Technician
2014 ASE Transit Bus Maintenance Technician
2015 ASE Advanced Engine Performance
2015 ASE Electronic Diesel Diagnostics
2015 ASE Compressed Natural Gas
2015 GM Master Automatic Transmissions
2015 GM Master Manual transmission
2015 Master Diesel Performance
2015 GM Master Engine Repair
2015 GM Master Brakes
2015 GM Master Electrical/Electronics
2016 Auto Care Association World Class Technician

Currently working on:
ASE Hybrid Vehicle Certification
I-Car Platinum Individual Certification
AVI Sprinter Van (Mercedes) Diesel Certification
AVI Navistar (Ford/International) Diesel Certification
Automotive Management Institutes master of Automotive Service Management

*Wow*

Q: What’s the most difficult automotive issue you’ve ever had to fix?
A: I was going to change a timing belt on a 1995 Toyota 4-Runner SR5 in 2001. A simple routine maintenance job turned into my biggest nightmare to date. I was just getting into the business. When I went to turn the bolt on the tensioner with hardly any force at all, it snapped. Oh, crud! So, I drilled the bolt and attempted to use a bolt extractor to remove the broken bolt, but it wouldn’t budge. Then snap!! Double crud!! What to do now?! I went and got a special tungsten carbide drill bit for about $30 and began to drill out the extractor. Suddenly, the bit caught and snap! Triple crud!!! I wound up having to pull the head and send it to the machine shop. They managed to salvage the head and repair it. Then I had to put it all back together. All total it cost me about $400 out of my pocket even though there was nothing I could have done any different.  A hard, valuable lesson that no school could teach, but, in the end, I had a repaired truck, a light wallet, and a bruised ego.

1995-Toyota-4Runner

 

 

 

 

 


*Talk about a bad run of luck!

Q: What do you drive?
A: I currently drive a 2001 F-350 dually, but for years I drove a black 1990 model GMC Sierra stepside with blue ghost stripes. I got 400,000 miles out of that old truck. It was still going when I sold it to a guy working for me. I hated to part with it, but he needed a way to work, and I needed something to haul loads in excess of 20,000 lbs. If I hadn’t sold that old beaut, I’d still be driving her today.

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*I love a GMC❤:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q: What’s a typical day look like for you?
On a typical day, I’m in the shop around 7:30. I go through a stack of 4-5 jobs making sure I haven’t overlooked anything from the previous day. I organize them in a flow of work to get done in order of importance and time. The advisors will bring me several customer tickets before 10:00 am. I will typically diagnose vehicles 8:00-11:00, throw in a few minor repairs during that time. Usually, start any significant repair work from that point. Stop for a brief lunch around 1p. Then it’s back to work. I’ll organize the repairs in order again and make sure I haven’t overlooked anything and that I have parts ordered. Periodically stopping throughout the day to help other technicians, service advisors or a customer or two. Around 5p, I take a break and make sure I have the parts I need before the parts dept. closes. I hit my second stride and finish up repairs til around 7pm. I always have something off the wall or hard to duplicate so after washing up, I throw a laptop in a vehicle and drive home, just to get in a little more drive time in hopes of figuring out what’s wrong. Then it’s up at 6am to do it all over again.

*See I told you he’s a hard working guy who helps his fellow workers.:)

Q: What advice do you have for someone thinking about becoming an automotive technician?
A: I would give anyone the same advice as I would give my kids. Do what you love, enjoying what you do is half the battle. Money is important, but not everything. If you don’t enjoy working on vehicles, then this is not for you. This is an extremely hard, and expensive business to get in to. If a seasoned tech is giving you advice listen to him, he’s a wealth of knowledge and experience. They are your least expensive yet most valuable tool. Don’t be in a rush to work your way up; you need time to be at the top, most fall by the wayside within a short time. Don’t get discouraged, when you have trouble use it as a learning experience. Take advantage of all the training that you can; it’s not just for the facility your for it’s for you and your future first and foremost. Once you get past the apprentice level you will be working on commission, be honest with yourself, don’t let someone else convince you that you are ready to make the next step. It’s a tough business but is rewarding as well.

*Solid advice there!

Q: What skills do you possess outside of your automotive training that makes you good at your job?
A: I was and am an extremely good carpenter. Being good with my hands and having a mechanically inclined mind has helped tremendously.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about being a technician?
A: Being the one that after a vehicle has been worked on several times to figure out the problem and actually fix the problem. The occasional customer that lets you know you did a good job, and they appreciate what you did.
thankyou

Q: What’s your favorite thing about working at HRBG?
A: For the most part, we have a very laid back crew that is devoted to taking care of our customers.

*True, True

Thanks, Brian!

If you are interested in becoming a technician, UAFS has a great Automotive program, and they are continually working to make it even better. If you are a technician and you’re interested in a career at HRBG, come by anytime during the week and fill out an application or email your resume to jeremyl at harryrobinson.com. We offer great pay and benefits, an excellent work culture and paid continuing education.  Oh, and a big fat sign on bonus for qualified technicians.

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** UPDATE: Just one week after this was written, Brian received some awesome news. He has been recognized as a World Class Technician & is one of one 12 awarded this year! Read more here: Brian Hutson: World Class Technician


Filed under: What Happens at HRBG Tagged: ase master technician, Auto mechanic, Automotive, Fort Smith, gm certified service, harry robinson buick gmc, hrbg, HRBG Family, master tech, Vehicle Repair and Maintenance

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