Dan Price
Arizona Supervisor of Fleet Maintenance and Operations
Cox Automotive Mobility

Tell us about yourself. What made you decide to become a service professional?
I decided to become a service professional because I loved working on vehicles. It all began when I was very young, when my father or uncles would be working on vehicles or tractors. I was always right there, observing and helping every step of the way. Later, when I was in high school, automotive class quickly became my favorite. I was even the automotive teacher’s aide for two years.

Where/How did you get your training to get the knowledge you have today?
After high school, I looked into trade schools. After much deliberation, I decided that trade school was not the direction I wanted to take. With a family friend being a Service Manager at a local dealership, I reached out to him for suggestions. At the time, there was a program Ford Motor Co. sponsored at the community college. To be in this course, a dealership was required to sponsor the student and hire the student as an employee. Each semester there were eight weeks of class and eight weeks of internship. During this internship, the student would be working with a technician at the dealership in the area covered in the classroom. This was a great experience, as this allowed me the opportunity to be in a professional setting and learn all areas of the automobile at a young age. Also, upon graduation I earned transferable credits to any college with a two-year AA Degree.

How long have you worked as a service professional?
I have been a professional automotive technician for 26 years.

What role has being ASE Certified played in your journey?
ASE Certifications have helped me establish a justifiable knowledge of automobiles and other vehicles throughout my career. These certifications are also widely accepted and known by automotive employers, making them valuable.

What ASE Certifications do you currently hold?
I am currently ASE Master Certified in automotive.

What are some of the top challenges you do/did face as a service professional and how do/did you overcome them?
One of my biggest challenges is time. With constant deadlines and a heavy workload, the pressure to fix the issue right the first time and within a small window of time can be daunting. However, this challenge has made me an overall better technician, because I don’t have much time to slack off. I can identify the source of the issue, determine an efficient resolution, and fix the problem in a timely manner.

Do you have any advice for today’s students who might be thinking about entering the automotive industry or becoming a service professional?
Never stop learning and always have an open mind. As a professional that's been in this business for 26 years, nobody knows everything, and you often learn something new every day.

What do you like most about being an automotive service professional?
One of the more satisfyingly parts of being an automotive technician is knowing you fixed something for an appreciative customer.