A Voice For All Shops

Haglin Automotive Owner Judi Haglin is committed to the auto repair industry. Not only has she helped out locally with Colorado’s Automotive Service Association (ASA), but she’s currently on the board for ASA National.

‍Judi took some time with us to outline her vision, discuss her experience as a woman-owned shop, and paint a picture of the future of the auto repair industry.

I believe that we should make the world a better place by leaving it better than how we found it. 

Growing up, my dad would always say to me, “If you borrow your neighbor's shovel, make sure that it's clean and in better condition when you give it back.” That’s always stuck with me. 

I take that same mindset and apply it to the automotive industry. If I’m asked to join an organization, I will leave it in a better position than when I got there. I can take organizations that are struggling and figure out how to make them more profitable. 

‍“I believe that we should make the world a better place by leaving it better than how we found it.” 

When I was asked to assist with ASA Colorado, the first thing I did was look at the training events, schools, instructors, and students.

I looked at what was working and what wasn’t. Once I shed light on the benefits of working with vendors and getting the word out to local independent auto repair businesses, we ended up having 600 people attend a training event we put on. I was able to help put ASA Colorado on the map. 

From there, I went on to help with the Automotive Training Institute (ATI). I worked with them on building their 20 Group Program. Myself, along with two other individuals, advocated for an all-women’s 20 Group. We wanted women shop owners to be heard, and together we could work on getting our shops more involved in our communities. 

That’s when the “Women’s Automotive Business Owners” 20 Group came to be.  

Being a woman in the auto repair industry can be challenging. But being able to help other women in the industry and hear from other women in the industry makes it so worth it. Since I’ve been in this industry for about 40 years now, I can help other women take on their new journey as a shop owner.

They’ll think to themselves, “If she can do that, I can do that.”

Later on, I was asked to join the ASA National Board of Directors as the General Director. The first thing I helped with was regrouping. We wanted ASA National to be a national focus so that we could take care of businesses nationwide.

We asked ourselves, “What is the auto repair industry’s future going to look like?” and, “What does that mean to us as a whole?” 

For example, shop owners have had the “right to repair” for many years, but what we’re now working on is to continue to work with automakers and aftermarkets to create a path that allows our customers to stay on the road safely as a lot of new technologies become more common, like electric or automated vehicles. 

‍“Being a woman in the auto repair industry can be challenging. But being able to help other women in the industry and hear from other women in the industry, makes it so worth it.” 

A huge turning point for ASA National was getting a lot of industry-leading vendors on board with our mission. Tekmetric, Mechanic Advisor, KUKUI, and more, are all key players. If they sign on, the accountability and determination will continue to reach new heights. 

At ASA National, we’re working on maintaining the rights of the automotive industry. We want everyone in the auto repair industry to have a voice. I would love to see us bring everyone together.