Parker Branch grew ARO from $583 to more than $1,000 with Tekmetric’s inspection tools and streamlined workflows
Parker Branch started Branch Automotive with a two-bay emissions testing station and one guiding principle: earn trust through clear communication. Today, his 14-bay diesel specialist shop runs on that same principle — backed by results that earned him Tekmetric's 2026 Shop Excellence Award for Sustained Growth.
The path from solo technician to award-winning shop owner didn't involve shortcuts. Branch built systems that freed his Highlands Ranch, Colorado, team to focus on two things: fixing diesel trucks and helping customers understand exactly what's happening under the hood.
Starting with a Strategy
Branch worked in dealerships and independent shops for more than 20 years before opening his own business during the 2008 financial crisis. He knew attracting customers to a new shop would be the hardest part, so he opened a diesel emissions testing station in Colorado to get trucks in the door.
“I thought, if people come for emissions testing, I can talk to them about their trucks,” Branch said. “I could show them my background, my training, and hopefully convert them into service customers.”
He stood on County Line Road in Highlands Ranch with handheld signs on slow days, waving at diesel trucks to advertise the new testing station. He even built a basic website with a $300 Google Ads budget. The phone didn’t always ring in the beginning, but word of mouth from 15 years of working in the area started bringing customers through the door.
Growing Through People and Process
Within months, Branch realized he couldn’t answer phones, run the dynamometer, fix trucks, and manage the business alone. He hired a helper who could share emissions testing duties. Then he hired a second technician to use the other bay. Eventually, he brought on an office manager who had worked with him at a dealership.
By 2012, Branch Automotive was generating $850,000 in revenue from two bays while charging $80 per flat-rate hour. The problem was Branch had been running the entire operation without shop management software and no clear understanding of margins or labor rates.
“I was shooting from the hip,” Branch said. “I didn’t know what I was doing with pricing.”
He invested in his first shop management system, which gave him visibility into parts ordering, cost control, and performance tracking for the first time. Through industry training programs, Branch learned how to use software to understand his business.
“That was revolutionary,” Branch said. “I could finally see what was happening.”
In 2014, Branch bought an eight-bay AAMCO facility down the street for $1.2 million and moved the business into a space that could support real growth. With more bays came more technicians, more advisers, and more need for systems that could keep everyone aligned.
Finding the Right Platform
As Branch Automotive grew, Branch kept looking for tools that would streamline operations and remove friction. He tried different platforms over the years, but the process always required advisers to flip between screens and manually create sub-estimates for every finding marked on an inspection. The workflow slowed down his team.
When Branch heard about Tekmetric’s reporting capabilities and the one-click feature that creates a sub-estimate for every yellow or red finding on the inspection, he knew it was time to make a change.
“That feature streamlined everything,” Branch said. “It creates a bucket for every finding, and the adviser just cruises right down through them. The process got faster, and we could handle more work without adding friction.”
Branch Automotive switched to Tekmetric two-and-a-half years ago, and the decision paid off immediately.
“It’s definitely been the right decision,” Branch said. “It’s an improvement for us.”
How Digital Vehicle Inspections Drive ARO Growth
Branch Automotive’s average repair order was $583 before adopting Tekmetric. Today, it sits over $1,000, with many months pushing toward $1,300. When emissions testing is removed from the blended calculation, the shop’s ARO is about $2,700.
Branch attributes the 77% increase in ARO directly to consistent use of digital vehicle inspections and the systems Tekmetric provides to make sharing those inspections seamless.
“There’s a direct correlation between using Tekmetric and the results we’ve seen,” Branch said. “If you’re using the tool right and following through with the 300% rule, the numbers will move.”
The 300% rule is an industry standard: 100% of vehicles should be inspected, 100% of findings should be estimated, and 100% of estimates should be shared with the customer. Tekmetric’s DVI platform makes that process efficient and repeatable.
Branch’s team follows strict internal standards for how many photos and videos to include in each inspection. They document both good and bad components to give customers a complete picture of vehicle health. Every finding includes clear verbiage explaining what the issue is, why it matters, what should be done, and what happens if it’s deferred.
When the inspection is complete, advisers send the customer a link and ask them to review it before calling to discuss it together. If the customer is in the shop, advisers use monitors that pivot so they can walk through the inspection side by side.
“We train advisers to address the primary concern first, then talk about overall vehicle health,” Branch said. “We ask them not to jump straight to pricing. If you tell someone it’s going to be $2,000 for the repair they came in for, they stop hearing anything else you say. We talk about the general health of the truck first, then we can discuss what needs to be done now and what can wait.”
For a diesel shop where repairs can be complex and expensive, that level of transparency builds trust. Customers can see what’s happening with their trucks and make informed decisions about what to fix.
“We’re not trying to sell them something they don’t need,” Branch said. “We’re showing them what we found and letting them choose. That’s what the DVI does.”
Tracking Performance and Coaching the Team
Tekmetric’s reporting tools give Branch visibility into metrics that matter.
“I can look at each adviser and see where they are on those numbers,” Branch said. “If someone’s close ratio is lower than the rest of the team, that tells me they need some help. Maybe they need training. Maybe they’re not following the process.”
That data helps Branch identify which advisers to put into performance coaching programs to give them the tools and peer support they need to improve.
The inspection reporting also shows Branch how many inspections each technician completes and how thoroughly they document findings. If one technician has significantly more green findings than the rest of the team, it’s a signal to check in and see if they need retraining on the shop’s standards.
“It’s not cookie-cutter,” Branch said. “But over time, you can see patterns. Tekmetric makes it easy to see those patterns and take action.”
Investing in the Team
Branch closed the shop and brought his entire team to VISION this year to make sure they got the same training and motivation he receives when he attends industry events.
“I used to go to trainings and come back with a list of ideas,” Branch said. “Some of it would get implemented, and some wouldn’t. I realized my employees needed to have that same experience. They needed to be there, not hear it secondhand from me.”
Everyone chose the classes they wanted based on their career goals. Some focused on improving their technical skills. Others explored leadership development because they’re interested in eventually owning a shop or moving into management.
Branch believes providing a development path is essential to maintaining a strong team culture. Employees want to feel like they’re growing and improving, not just stuck in a position with no future.
“It’s human nature,” Branch said. “Everyone wants to feel like they have a path. Training and growth opportunities are part of how we keep people engaged and proud of what they do.”
Weathering Economic Challenges and Looking Ahead
Branch isn’t chasing numbers just to chase numbers. He’s focused on maintaining culture, delivering great customer experiences, and making sure his team feels proud of the work they do.
“You can get caught up in the numbers and it starts to take the fun out,” Branch said. “We’re focusing on the customer experience and being happy. Most of us here like fixing stuff. We feel good when we’re successful and the customer is happy.”
Behind the scenes, Branch is working on strategies to bring more customers through the door. But the systems are in place. The team is trained. The tools work. When traffic picks up, Branch Automotive is ready.
The Advice for Other Shop Owners
Branch won Tekmetric’s 2026 Shop Excellence Award for Sustained Growth because his ARO trajectory reflects years of deliberate decisions about how to run the business. He didn’t get there by accident.
“If you’re a shop owner sitting at $500 or $600 average repair order thinking that’s just the nature of your market, you’re wrong,” Branch said. “The tool is there. The process works. You just have to use it.”
For shop owners considering Tekmetric, Branch’s advice is simple: look at the reporting, look at the inspection process, and see how easy it is to track performance at the adviser level.
“Let me show you the reporting,” Branch said. “Let me show you how we look at average written, average repair order, and close ratios for each adviser. The tool makes it so easy to see where the opportunity is and who needs coaching.”
Branch knows changing systems isn’t easy, especially for a mature business. But he’s always been willing to make changes that streamline operations, reduce friction, and help his team perform better.
“Tekmetric makes it easier to do the things we were already trying to do,” Branch said. “The inspection process is faster. The reporting is better. The sub-estimate feature saves time every single day.”
After two and a half years on Tekmetric, Branch has no regrets about making the switch. The results speak for themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
What results did Branch Automotive see after switching to Tekmetric?
Branch Automotive increased average repair order by 77%, from $583 to over $1,000, with actual repair work averaging $2,700 when emissions testing is excluded. The shop processes 10,000 to 15,000 digital vehicle inspection images and videos per month and won Tekmetric’s 2026 Shop Excellence Award for Sustained Growth.
How does Branch Automotive use digital vehicle inspections to increase ARO?
Branch Automotive follows the 300% rule: inspect 100% of vehicles, estimate 100% of findings, and share 100% of estimates with customers. The team documents both good and bad components with photos and videos, includes clear explanations for every finding, and uses Tekmetric’s one-click sub-estimate feature to create estimate buckets for each yellow or red inspection item.
What made Branch Automotive choose Tekmetric?
Branch needed better reporting capabilities and a faster inspection-to-estimate workflow. Tekmetric’s one-click feature that creates a sub-estimate for every yellow or red finding eliminated the manual process of creating individual estimate buckets. The platform also provides detailed reporting on average written, average repair order, and close ratios by individual adviser.
How does Branch Automotive train advisers to present estimates?
Advisers are trained to address the primary customer concern first, then discuss overall vehicle health before talking about pricing. They send inspection links to customers for review before discussing repairs, and use pivot monitors to walk through inspections side by side with in-store customers. This approach prevents sticker shock and builds trust through visual evidence.
What metrics does Branch Automotive track in Tekmetric?
The shop tracks average written, average repair order, and close ratios for both the shop overall and individual advisers. Branch also monitors how many inspections each technician completes and how thoroughly they document findings to ensure consistent quality standards across the team.
About Branch Automotive
Branch Automotive is a diesel specialist shop in Littleton, Colorado, serving customers with Cummins, Duramax, and Powerstroke repairs. The shop operates eight bays with a team that holds more than 100 years of combined technician experience and includes GM World Class Master certification, ASE World Class technicians, and Ford factory-trained diesel mechanics. Branch Automotive is one of the few Colorado-certified diesel emissions testing facilities in the state.
About Tekmetric
Tekmetric is a cloud-based shop management platform built for independent auto repair shops. About 15,000 shops use Tekmetric to increase revenue, improve efficiency, and deliver better customer experiences through digital vehicle inspections, streamlined workflows, and real-time reporting. Learn more at tekmetric.com.
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