Hybrid and electric vehicle training and development provider The Hybrid Shop has announced that industry and hybrid veteran (and Tire Review contributor) Dave Crawford has accepted an invitation to rejoin the company as President and COO.
“Dave Crawford was an integral part of the original franchise program and built strong relationships with the original dealers,” says CEO Martin Kruszelnicki. “As the new program started coming together, we knew that we needed someone with Dave’s experience to manage the business and franchise efforts. We had formed a solid relationship when I owned my hybrid dealership in Santa Monica, so I reached out to see if there was still interest. I was thrilled when he agreed to rejoin the company.”
Prior to rejoining The Hybrid Shop, Crawford was an independent business consultant and trainer specializing in the evaluation of retail tire businesses. He shares that knowledge with dealers as a Contributing Editor with Tire Review magazine. His franchising experience was developed as Vice President of Tire Pros Operations at American Tire Distributors, and as National Marketing Director with American Car Care Centers. In addition to overseeing day-to-day operations and management, Crawford will focus on expanding the THS network of franchise locations servicing hybrid and electric vehicles (HEV/EV).
The primary focus of THS will be developing a franchise network of forward-thinking dealers who are interested in positioning themselves to service hybrid and electric vehicles. “The automotive industry is certainly moving towards fuel economy”, said Crawford. “Dealers need to embrace the future and new technology. THS has the tools and support, and I was excited when Martin approached me about rejoining the team. This was an opportunity I had to embrace.”
Working with GTK Instruments in Poland, THS has developed a new process for remanufacturing high voltage hybrid batteries that is far more advanced than previous processes. Remanufactured batteries are only a small part of the program. The real value of the program comes from having a trained technical staff that has confidence to diagnose and repair HEV/EV vehicles safely and profitably. The biggest challenge for dealers is the learning curve and letting your market know you specialize in servicing hybrids. THS helps with both by providing dealer and technician training at its training center in Los Angeles, California. The company also provides marketing support to assist with building the awareness that will distinguish the THS dealer and drive new business.
“Servicing hybrids is a great opportunity for dealers to add on to their existing business. This is a program that nobody else in the industry offers”, says Crawford. “A franchise with THS is a chance to get in on the ground floor of a market trend that is expected to continue to expand. I see big opportunities for everyone who’s involved with The Hybrid Shop. To me, this new role is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help lead the larger industry in the cutting-edge technology in the burgeoning hybrid market. It’s exciting to be back.”
The Hybrid Shop team has years of extensive knowledge and experience in electric and hybrid vehicles, components, service and repair. The company is committed to investing in research and development of new products, especially replacement high voltage batteries, that reduce costs for vehicle owners, increase profits for franchise partners and provide a more sustainable solution. The mission of the company is to share its specialized electric- and hybrid-vehicle knowledge, plus create jobs and profits with its growing franchise network. The Hybrid Shop franchise partner network is expected to grow to over 400 locations worldwide.
The Hybrid Shop franchise partners serviced and repaired over 30,000 electric and hybrid vehicles in 2017 from all OEM brands. THS is committed to supporting all electric and hybrid vehicle customers with the best service, while growing network of Dealers.
Dave Crawford can be reached at [email protected].
