Automotive News Canada - October 2021 - F30

FIXED OPS JOURNAL
Pandemic left deep impact on mobile service
A
nthony Rodio, 56, became CEO of
YourMechanic in late 2016. Th e
pandemic spurred more consumer
demand for at-home auto repairs
and maintenance, but it hampered
the Mountain View, Calif., company's
fl eet work. And just like franchised
dealerships, YourMechanic is scrambling
to hire more techs, Rodio says.
Contributor Jim Henry interviewed
Rodio last month. Here are edited excerpts.
Q:
What effect did the pandemic
have on YourMechanic's business?
A:
Especially at the beginning, our
business was impacted in many different
ways. Demand on the consumer
side increased. Consumers preferred
no-contact service delivery.
We also augmented our delivery process to
QA&
ANTHONY
RODIO
make it no-contact - stand 10 feet away, put
the keys in an envelope, etc. - but there was a
defi nite increase in consumer demand. On
the negative side, our fl eet business, our B2B,
is pretty big. Th at includes Uber and Lyft, the
rental car space, the auto auction space - all
those were severely impacted.
What was the effect on hiring
technicians? Did dealership layoffs
early in the pandemic make
more techs available?
On the tech side, when the pandemic
fi rst started, there was a lot of fear
about going to someone's home. And
then there were the government [stimulus]
checks.
We had mechanics
off -platform, reducing their hours.
Th ey were taking that [stimulus] money
when it was available to them.
When the stimulus ended, that saw
them bringing the hours [for YourMechanic]
back up.
So the pandemic cut both ways?
Th ere was an increase in demand while
there was a decrease in supply [of technicians],
which is not ideal.
How about now?
Supply has come back. But we need more
technicians. We've seen bigger increases in
demand than in supply.
Pre-pandemic, in 2019, you told affi liate
Automotive News that you thought your
business would fl ip from 80-20 consumer-fl
eet to the other way around within a
couple of years. Is that happening?
Defi nitely pre-pandemic - say, mid- to end2019
- the growth was much faster in fl eet. We
were bullish on the shared mobility. Here in Silicon
Valley, it seemed like there was less reason to
own a car and more reason to use diff erent ownership
models. I think the pandemic's changed
that. I would say we're still very committed to
both businesses, but the pandemic has changed
where the growth is. Th e consumer is the biggest
share. I think we'll be ready if the world changes
to get back to diff erent priorities. 
FIXED IN TIME
Early
1920s
Workers at Pohanka Service
pose outside the Washington,
D.C., Chevrolet dealership
opened in 1919 by Frank
Pohanka, a self-taught auto
mechanic later hired by
General Motors as a service
rep based in the nation's
capital. Today, Pohanka
Automotive Group employs
more than 1,400 people;
operates 20 stores in
Virginia, Maryland, Delaware
and Texas; and represents 10
automakers. It is believed to
be the longest continuously
operating automotive group in
the metro D.C. area.
 We encourage you to submit photos for Fixed In Time. Send images to foj@autonews.com.
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