Speaker Bios

Bernie Thompson

Bernie Thompson is recognized as a top diagnostician and instructor in the country, presenting at all of the most prestigious conferences.

• 2001 – Present – Bernie is owner and the designer of Automotive Test Solutions diagnostic test equipment.
• 2001 – Present – Bernie operates a mobile diagnostic service, in Albuquerque, NM, to sharpen his diagnostic skills and test his equipment designs.
• 2000 – Present – Bernie writes feature articles on diagnostics for Motor magazine.
• 1985 – 2005 – Bernie owned and operated Double Gear an auto repair shop in Albuquerque, NM.

Bernie is a graduate of Lincoln Tech. Twenty five years of hands on experience and a burning desire to master the challenging and exciting field of automotive electronics pushed Bernie to begin designing better diagnostic and training equipment. In 2001, he and Neal Pederson established Automotive Test Solutions, Inc. a company that designs and manufactures innovative top of the line training and diagnostic equipment. Neal is an electrical engineer/computer programmer who has experience designing control systems for equipment ranging from particle accelerators to nuclear reactors. Together, Bernie and Neal have released patented and proven technologies that have been recognized by Motor Magazine’s prestigious Top 20 Awards.

Cameron Conover

Cameron’s Professional Background

• Shop Foreman
• Training Instructor
• VW/Audi Independent Technician
• Guilford Technical Community College Automotive Advisory Committee
• Professional Race Team Crew Chief VW/Audi/Lamborghini

Certifications

• ASE Master
• Associate of Science in Automotive Technology
• Bachelor of Science-Greensboro College
• Sports Car Club of America Full Competition License
• FCC Amateur Radio Extra Class License AJ4TW

Cameron started his automotive career as an ASE Certified parts specialist while finishing up his Bachelor’s degree. After completing college, Cameron felt the pull of the garage, and started working as a tech at an independent VW shop. Out of a desire to learn more and improve his technical abilities, he decided to complete the Automotive Technology program at Guilford Technical Community College. It was during this time that he became involved with SCCA road racing and built a 1993 VW Golf for the SCCA Improved Touring class. Cameron’s career carried him from owning his own shop to working in an independent Porsche/VW/Audi shop, where he got involved with professional road racing. Cameron built and campaigned as crew chief several VW models in Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car. Cameron led his team to “Crew of the Year” and driver to “Rookie of the Year” during the 2011 Pirelli World Challenge season. In 2014, as team manager for Rick Ware Racing’s Lamborghini Super Trofeo team, Cameron managed and prepared three Lamborghini Gallardo racing cars, and the team enjoyed several podium finishes and wins, as well as earning one driver “Rookie of the Year” honors. Out of a desire to do some competitive driving himself, Cameron decided to leave the world of professional racing behind, (after all, if you’re crewing for someone else’s car you can’t drive your own). He found a home as Shop Foreman for Wheels4Hope where he helps provide transportation for economically vulnerable individuals and families. Cameron enjoys automotive instruction and is inspired by seeing young people find a rewarding career in the automotive industry.

Carm Capriotto

Carm Capriotto is the founder and host of Remarkable Results Radio, the only podcast, or occasionally called 'On Demand Audio', that interviews today’s most inspiring and successful automotive aftermarket professionals. He has been involved in the industry all his life and calls on 35 plus years of experience in the aftermarket to engage guests to create great conversational podcast and Town Hall Academy. There is not much he has not done on the distribution side which includes 20 years as business owner and 15 years in an executive position with a WD with stores. His roles have included bringing training (both technical and management), marketing, sales programs and quality operational and service improvements to support the service professional.

Chris Cloutier

Chris Cloutier is the founder of autotext.me and co-owner of Golden Rule Auto Care in the Dallas, Texas area since 2011. He came from the software industry developing solutions for companies including Southwest Airlines and Wyndham International. After opening his own shop, he observed how communication gaps created bottleneck situations and wasted valuable rack time. He created autotext.me, a digital solution for workflow management, communication, vehicle inspections, work orders, quality control, and rewarding customer loyalty. Chris has since sought to help the industry move forward with adopting technology.

Craig Van Batenburg

Craig Van Batenburg is the CEO of ACDC and a former repair shop owner. He is engaged full time in the understanding of the technology used in hybrid and electric cars. His 45 years of automotive experience serves him well. Driving a Nissan Leaf when he can and a Chevy Volt for longer trips these days, he also owns and drives HEVs from Ford, Honda and Toyota as well a Nissan and GM. With great passion, a keen wit and more experience that most, Craig can help you understand not only how but why these new electrified cars operate the way they do. Craig is in demand worldwide and travels often to help those seeking a simple explanation of a complicated subject.

Danny Sanchez

Danny Sanchez is the CEO of Autoshop Solutions, Inc., the automotive industry’s leading Internet marketing agency. With over 25 years of automotive experience, Danny continues to develop winning marketing strategies that are being adopted by automotive businesses around the country. As a former shop owner himself, Danny uses his real world shop experience to bridge the gap between the automotive service and the marketing sides of the industry. Danny’s proven and practical approach to Internet marketing continues to lead the automotive industry into the 21st Century. His company, Autoshop Solutions, is a certified Google Partner and made the Inc. 5000 List of America's Fastest Growing Companies three years in a row, as well as received the honor of Best Places to Work in the Raleigh-Durham market.

David Patrick

David Patrick is a highly experienced auto technician, with over 35 years in the automotive industry. Having been an ASE Certified Technician since 1982, David achieved master auto certification status in 1988 and master medium/heavy truck certification by 1994. Now having taught many classes across the eastern United States, David has earned a position as an instructor for CARQUEST Technical Institute (CTI).

Dirk Fuchs

Dirk Fuchs is the ZF Aftermarket Technical Training Manger for the United States and Canada. He has uniquely designed the training department to provide programs tailored to each audience, covering the full ZF product range of ZF transmissions, Lemförder chassis, SACHS shocks and clutches and TRW Corner Module components (friction, chassis, and suspension).Programs range from sales training to technical offerings covering diagnostics and manufacturer specific systems training.

Dirk started his career as a factory instructor, working with Volkswagen for 5 years. He then joined ZF, progressing from warranty management to technical training and held an integral role in the launch of the ProTech service concept for workshops in Europe. In his position now, he is responsible for the strategic direction and implementation of all technician and customer training across the market, including the future roll-out of ProTech in the US.

Donny Seyfer

Donny is the Executive Officer for the National Automotive Service Task Force. His responsibilities include assisting automotive technicians and locksmiths with information necessary to repair vehicles. NASTF helps to resolve information gaps by acting as a conduit between the repairer and the OE in service information, tool information, education and NASTF’s marquee program, the Secure Data Release Model which allows independent service professionals to apply and received credentials to access key and immobilizer codes from NASTF’s OE partners.

He is the immediate past chairman of the Automotive Service Association. The largest association in the US representing independent repair shop owners. Donny is widely sought as a speaker on the topic of Advanced Vehicle Technologies as they relate to the consumer and service repair environments. He has presented at such industry events as AAPEX, AASA Vision, TU Auto, The ASA/Auto Alliance Technology and Telematics Forum, Silicon Valley Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum and the NAPA EXPO.

As the Co-Owner of Seyfer Automotive Inc. in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, founded in 1961. He has well over three decades of automotive service experience as a technician, manager and service consultant – expertise he shares in various industry roles.

Donny is an ASE Master / L1 advanced diagnostic technician and C1 service consultant, and has been a participant writing test questions and working on passing score studies for ASE.

He is a contributing editor to Babcox publications, and a has contributed to Autobody Repair News (ABRN), Motor Age, Aftermarket Business World and AutoInc. Magazine. He also co-authored an article on vehicle information for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

As a technical and management instructor Donny has provided training for NAPA Autotech, Automotive Service Association, The Auto Alliance, WorldPac, MACSVISION, ATE, NACE, CARS and others.

Donny also is active as a telematics/connected car initiatives leader; member of the Aftermarket Telematics Task Force; a member of ASE Education Foundation board of directors and the Automotive Management Institute board of directors where he holds an Advanced Automotive Manager Accreditation.

Frank Rose

Frank Rose has a unique blend of corporate and field experience, who has been training and coaching automotive owners, store managers and service managers for over 31 years. He is goal and results oriented with a high degree of business acumen skilled in communication, employee motivation and team building.

Frank is an innovator with a keen business sense who continuously orchestrates dynamic growth in sales and revenue through strategic management, by developing methodologies to stimulate immediate bottom line results and create long-term competitive advantages — a creative problem solver, adept at identifying problems, defining solutions and implementing new processes and procedures.

Frank began his automotive career as a part time tire technician and has worked his way through the automotive industry as a successful store manager, district manager, regional vice president and divisional vice president for some of the nation’s largest tire companies. He has consulted for national automotive service companies, and was sole proprietor of an international management consulting company that assisted in all aspects of managing an automotive retail enterprise.

Frank currently lives in Durham, North Carolina with his wife Susan and has two children, Andrew and Kara. He is an avid motorcyclist, scuba diver and his passions include golf, fishing, tailgating and hanging out with family and friends.

Greg Neuenfeldt – Garage Gurus

As a Business Development Manager for DRiV, Greg brings 25+ years of automotive industry experience to the training team consisting of legacy Federal-Mogul and Tenneco trainers. In his extensive career, he has held such positions as Technician, Parts Store Manager, Service Manager, Sales Manager, Operations Manager, and Department Manager – Field Technical Services with Dow Corning, Cummins, Donaldson, and Mercedes-Benz USA. Greg started wrenching when he was 16 and has been a Certified Master Auto Technician since he was 21. In his role, he understands the challenges of running a repair facility and selling parts/services to customers.

Greg currently has the following certifications and degrees:

• ASE Master Automobile Tech with L1 Advanced Level Specialist
• ASE Master Medium/HD Truck with L2 Advanced Level Specialist
• ASE Undercar Specialist
• ASE Maintenance and Light Repair
• State of Michigan Master Automotive Technician
• BBA in Business Management, Northwood University in Midland, MI
• MBA in Business Management, Northwood University/Devos
• Six Sigma Green Belt

Jeff Bly

• 30 years experience as a Diagnostics & Electrical Repair Specialist
• Master ASE Certified Automobile Technician w/ L-1
• 11 years experience as an Automotive Technical Trainer
• Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Member since 2007
• National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) Committee Member
• Sponsoring Member of the International Auto Technician’s Network (iATN)

Jimmy Lea

With more than 15 years experience in sales and business development for software-as-a-service, financial services as well as hardware products, Jimmy embodies the fabric of the independent automotive industry. Jimmy is a true family man; he loves to spend time with his wife and three children. Outside of the office, Jimmy enjoys the outdoors and breathing fresh air on the mountain trails. Jimmy also enjoys Ballroom Dancing, SCUBA Diving, Triathlons, and camping with the family.

John Forro

John Forro has achieved A.S.E. Master certified automobile technician with L-1 Advanced Engine Performance certification as well. John has also achieved certifications in heavy truck and body repair throughout his career. John has authored 20 Automotive manuals to date, produced several automotive training videos appeared in many of the industry trade magazines and won the Motor Top 20 tool award for Silver Bullets.

John has been featured in several of the Automotive Video Inc. training films on such subjects as Silver Bullets, Quick Check Diagnostics and Mode $06. John is also certified in heavy duty truck, A-C Recovery, body mechanical, State emissions and is also one of the State’s lemon-law inspectors.. You have read John’s articles in the industry trade magazines such as Underhood Service, Brake and front end and Tech Shop.

John continues to be a working automotive instructor and technician, which enables him to relate to the students needs as technicians. John has taught for several of the Nation’s leading companies such as Snap-on, Firestone, Mac, OTC, A/C Delco, Federated, Midas, NAPA, ATA, ASA, ASC, STS, LTS, CARS and many others.

John has been selected to meet the training needs of several State’s including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Maryland, New York, Nevada, California, Florida, Hawaii, Missouri, New Jersey, South Carolina, and North Carolina. John is extremely proud of AST and is committed to its first rate reputation, which he feels will be maintained by providing the highest standard training classes and materials, along with customer satisfaction that is unsurpassed in our industry!

Keith Glasgow

Keith Glasgow was born and raised in Rockingham, NC, growing up in an automotive family that operated a general repair facility. He officially began his automotive career at a GM dealership as a transmission technician / builder in 1978, eventually owning and operating a transmission shop until 1986. Keith’s instructional career began at that point at Richmond Technical College. Shortly after, Keith became the automotive department head and instructor at Nash Community College, where he taught until 1990. Keith spent the next decade as a GM ASEP Instructor, eventually to return as a transmission builder.

In 2001, Keith became a regional instructor for the ACDelco program. Since supporting the program over the past 19 years, Keith has also held the Market Area Service Manager role, and now holds the role of Regional Training Operations Manager over the entire southeast region, a role he has held for the past 11 years. Today, Keith managers a team of instructors, supports curriculum development activities over numerous vehicle areas, and teaches periodically throughout the region. Keith has maintained his ASE Master Technician certification status for the past 29 years.

Kim Walker

Kim’s educational background includes a Bachelor’s Degree in education and a Master’s Degree in Counseling, both from Southeastern Louisiana University. Her educational background has bode well for her in her career as a teacher, counselor, and owner of several businesses beginning with a European automotive repair shop and now a marketing agency. 5 Stones has been recognized as one of the top 100 Small Businesses by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as a Blue Ribbon Award Winner and most recently as a Davey Award Winner for small agencies producing big ideas. She is a Master Certified Solution Provider with Constant Contact, StoryBrand Certified Guide and actively involved in numerous civic, professional and community organizations.

Kyle Eisenberg

Kyle comes from a family of sales/marketing professionals. His father was VP of Worldwide Sales for a major computer company, and Kyle has followed in his father’s footsteps in the technology space as a trusted consultant to businesses of all sizes. He is currently an Account Executive with Broadly, an industry leader in helping locally-owned businesses stand out online and connect quickly and easily with their prospective customers. Kyle’s small business experience stems from his time as Director of Operations for a Classic Car Restoration facility in California. In this role, Kyle became intimately familiar with the daily obstacles locally-owned businesses face, and he developed an understanding of how the right tools and support can create efficiencies. Kyle believes that the key to success in business is a keen focus on the customer experience, ensuring the brand (namely, it’s employees) puts its best foot forward.

Rick White

Rick White has been working in the automotive, software and coaching industries for greater than thirty years and is currently an AMI approved training instructor. He brings to the table a career’s worth of technical experience, twenty plus years of management experience and four years of fleet management experience. He owned and managed several successful automotive repair shops. Rick has worked as manager or consultant for several major companies such as AAA Northeast and GenesisFour Corporation and most recently founded One Eighty Business Solutions (180BIZ), a training and business coaching company tailored to specifically meet the needs of the independent Automotive Repair industry.

Ron Ipach

For 20 years, Ron has helped over 5536 auto repair shop owners to get and keep all the top-quality customers they can handle. Marketing auto repair services is all he does. He lives, eats, and breathes it every day. He has seen, heard, and tested practically every kind of marketing there is out there today. He’s examined the results. He’s tweaked and tested dozens of strategies over and over in order to maximize their results. Because Ron has personally worked with so many shop owners over the years, he has the distinction of being the only person in the world that knows exactly what marketing works, and what doesn’t work for auto repair shops in today’s economy. He finds passion in amplifying time & freedom for his clients while helping them take back control of their businesses.

Scott Brown

Scott Brown’s automotive career began after graduating from Arizona Automotive Technical Institute in 1983. With a strong focus on engine performance and analysis of onboard computerized engine controls, Scott began collaborating with other industry professionals online in the early ’90s. In 1992, he helped organize the first online technical automotive waveform database on CompuServe. He later began a dial-up automotive-themed bulletin board service (pre-Internet) for fellow automotive service industry professionals. In 1993, he became the owner of Connie & Dick’s Service Center Inc. located in Southern California. Today, Scott and his wife Cindy continue to operate the business with seven employees.

In 1995, he joined in to help build, launch and support the International Automotive Technicians Network, (iATN) where he retired as company president in February 2018. Scott is an ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician, SAE member, Director: NASTF (National Automotive Service Taskforce) Director: ASCCA (Automotive Service Councils of California) Director: AMI (Automotive Management Institute) and is a member of a host of other industry groups and associations.

Scott is now focusing his efforts on Diagnostic Network, a modern online community he launched mid-2018. The Diagnostic Network mission is to connect professional technicians to enable successful repair of complex vehicles through peer discussion, partner collaboration, and education.

When he isn’t working in the automotive field, Scott enjoys photography, videography, piloting fixed wing aircraft, or enjoying time with his wife and daughters.

TJ Abrams

Tyrone “TJ” Abrams has been a Jasper Engine Associate for 20 years. He has an AS Degree from Vincennes University and is an ASE certified technician. Over his years at Jaspers he has been in a wide variety of roles.