Bryan Call is an Operations Advisor at Schierl Tire & Service, a multi-location tire and automotive service operation with seven stores across Central Wisconsin. With more than 30 years in the industry, Bryan has worked his way up from technical training and shop-level roles into leadership, giving him a ground-level and long-term view of how the business has evolved.

In his current role, Bryan works closely with store managers and teams on hiring, coaching, operations, and retention. His perspective matters because he has lived through multiple industry cycles; shifts in education, technology, compensation, and workforce expectations, making him a credible voice on the realities behind today’s tire industry workforce shortage.

In this episode…

The tire industry workforce shortage isn’t just a hiring problem, it’s a pipeline problem shaped by education pressure, perception, and timing. As technician pay rises and demand for skilled labor grows, fewer young people are entering technical programs, leaving shop owners caught between growing workloads and shrinking talent pools.

This conversation matters right now because the gap is no longer theoretical. Veteran technicians are retiring, technical school enrollment is declining, and many shops are being forced to lower standards just to keep bays full. Bryan Call shares what he’s seen firsthand and why the tire industry workforce shortage is deeply connected to how we talk about trades, career paths, and long-term opportunity.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

[01:01] Bryan Call’s role and leadership responsibilities at Schierl Tire & Service

[01:52] Early work experiences in Wisconsin and the foundations of work ethic

[04:03] Transition from traditional college to technical education and automotive repair

[04:58] Career progression leading to long-term tenure at Schierl Tire & Service

[07:45] Oversight of multi-location operations, hiring, and team development

[08:26] Retention trends across management, technicians, and entry-level positions

[09:20] Declining technical school enrollment and its impact on the labor pipeline

[12:04] Technician retirements accelerating the workforce gap

[14:43] Maintaining hiring standards amid ongoing staffing shortages

[18:14] Role of self-education and digital resources in technician development

[25:55] Leadership mindset focused on accountability and motivating teams

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Schierl Tire & Service Website
• Tread Partners
• Gain Traction Podcast on YouTube
• Gain Traction Podcast Website
• Mike Edge on LinkedIn

Quotable Moments:

• “When I went to Technical College, there was four classes running concurrently, and now some of the colleges have a hard time getting one class.”
• “The skills gap is getting worse.”
• “At least you got technicians earning what teachers and doctors make.”
• “You got old guys like me that are getting out of the industry, retiring.”
• “If you go in with the attitude that, yep, let’s do it, it makes it a whole lot easier.”

Action Steps:

1. Reevaluate how you talk about careers in your shop by actively positioning technical roles as long-term, high-income professions, not fallback options contributing to the tire industry workforce shortage.
2. Build relationships with local technical schools and instructors to create early visibility and access to students before they exit the pipeline.
3. Maintain hiring standards even during staffing pressure by focusing on coaching and development instead of short-term fixes.
4. Encourage self-learning by giving technicians access to online training resources, diagnostic tools, and time to build skills.
5. Prepare for retirements proactively by identifying future leaders and mentoring them well before gaps appear.

• Bryan Call
• Gain Traction Podcast
• Mike Edge
• Schierl Tire & Service
• Tire Industry Workforce
• Tire Industry Workforce Shortage
• Tread Partners
• Workforce Shortage Auto Repair

Transcript

00:00
Going to the guidance counselors with them, it was beyond obvious that they were pushing the kids to go into four year traditional college versus a technical school. Now at least you got technicians earning what teachers and doctors make. 

00:17
Welcome to the Gain Traction Podcast, the official podcast for tire business. I am Mike Edge, your host and I have the privilege of interviewing the tire dealers, shop owners, counter sales reps, technicians, industry executives and other thought leaders of our industry. This episode is brought to you by Tread Partners. Tread Partners is the leading digital marketing agency that specializes in digital marketing for multi location tire and auto repair shops. Tread Partners works with clients that have hundreds of locations, down to five locations. Get a professional, unbiased opinion and let. 

00:44
Tread Partners review what you’re doing. 

00:46
It starts with a simple conversation. To contact tread partners, visit treadpartners.com so let’s get started. 

00:57
Welcome to the Gain Traction Podcast, the official podcast for tire business. My guest today is Brian Call, team advisor with Schierl Tire and service with seven locations throughout central Wisconsin. Brian, welcome to the Gain Traction podcast. 

01:11
Hi Mike. Thank you so much for inviting me. You got one heck of a list of people that you’ve interviewed in the past and I’m proud to be part of that. 

01:22
Well, thank you very much. First of all, I want to say, I don’t know if I told you this in our preliminary call, but when I was a kid, we used to go up to Wisconsin during my high school years. My mom had a friend up there and I had a lot of fun and I love that state. So. And I’m not saying I’d love it in the winter, but I loved it in the summer. 

01:43
Oh, it’s great having all four seasons. 

01:45
It is, it is. Well, you guys have a really cool story, but before I get to that, tell us a little bit about Brian Call. How did you get into the business that you’re in right now? Well, let me even back up further. Where did you grow up and what was like something like your first job? 

02:03
Wisconsin. My whole life. 

02:05
Okay. 

02:06
First job was a paper route. I did that. 

02:09
Nice. 

02:11
Then I worked in a grocery store. Did that for about six years. 

02:15
You know, go back to the paperboy thing because I, I think you don’t hear that very often now, you know. And, and you guys were always known as the guys that had the best work ethic. I mean, because you couldn’t take a day off. 

02:28
No, not at all. And if you missed them, boy, the complaints came through. 

02:33
Yeah, they did. 

02:34
Yeah. You get up at 4 or 5 in the morning, grab Your papers and hit the pavement with your bike. 

02:42
That’s fascinating. And you did? I used to sub for a guy. I couldn’t get the route around me, but it was, you know, once they’re taken. But I would sub for a friend of mine and I just remember he’d have me sup for him on some of those days. It was just blistering cold. Oh, yeah, you hustled those days. 

03:00
And then you’d have to go back once a week and collect the money and pay for the papers that you delivered. 

03:07
Oh, that’s, that’s such a long. It feels like it’s such a long time ago. I guess it’s not really, but at. 

03:12
The same time, it was a long time ago. 

03:14
Things have changed a lot. Well, I didn’t mean to digress, but I, I, I think you’re one of the first people I’ve had on here that told me they had a paper route growing up, so. That’s awesome. 

03:25
Yeah, it was fun. 

03:26
So you did the, so you got in the grocery business. Were you a bagger or soccer, Somebody like that? 

03:31
Stocking with shelves, Bagging, checking out at times it was, there was a, a time where I was bagging and this gentleman that was up there in years had a cane and he started smacking me with the cane because I wasn’t going fast enough. Oh my gosh. 

03:50
No kidding. 

03:51
Yep. 

03:52
What. 

03:54
What did you do? That wasn’t hard, but it just like caught me off guard. And let’s get you loaded up. 

04:03
There’s some, there’s some early customer service lessons. Right. That’s where, that’s where you learned the lesson. The customer’s not always right. 

04:13
Yeah, but they gotta feel like they are. 

04:15
They do. That’s it. That’s the key right there. They gotta feel like it, even if they’re not. So what’d you do after that? 

04:22
Went to college. 

04:23
Okay. 

04:24
That was the thing to do. Yeah. And it wasn’t for me. I did a year of that and took a gap year and then went to technical college for automotive repair. Graduated from there and onto my first job, which was a two bay gas station. Full service, pumping gas and fixing cars. 

04:47
Nice. Cars were a little simpler back then, huh? 

04:50
Yeah, it was different. I was back to points and condenser and lots of carburetors. It was fun. 

04:58
So how did you end up over at Schierl? 

05:03
Met a girl and ended up dating her for quite a while. And she wanted to move to lacrosse. 

05:11
Okay. 

05:12
Had a cousin up there. So I had some influence getting at least the interviews and got a job with Goodyear. Worked with them as a tech and then service manager for six years. And the Schierls decided to go headhunting, and they called up a bunch of different Goodyear managers. And my boss interviewed with the company and chose not to take it and told me about it. So I interviewed, and I was fortunate and got a job with Schierl almost 32 years ago. 

05:47
Wow, that’s great. You know, you guys said, Schierl, you guys have such a unique blend of businesses. So, I mean, you’ve got your seven locations, but you’re also in. Because there’s Schierl Inc. Basically in there. And then you’ve got. Yeah. And weren’t you guys in, like, the heating oil as well? 

06:06
That’s all the business started was 1956, but Sherrill bought a home heating oil truck for delivering, and that’s when the business started. 

06:20
Now you. You guys don’t have anything to do with that anymore? 

06:22
Nope. We got out of that probably ten years ago. 

06:26
Okay. And then. But you. 

06:28
You. 

06:28
You have along the way, gotten into subway franchises. Yep. 

06:32
Got. I think it’s 35 of them currently. 

06:35
Oh, wow, that’s awesome. 

06:38
Central and northern Wisconsin. 

06:40
And then if I remember something. Something. Was there something to do with land development or rental stuff? 

06:44
They do a lot of rentals, property rentals, build the suits, things like that. 

06:52
But these, the tire and service stores, they’re in central Wisconsin. And you have seven. And then you have one by another name. 

07:03
Right. Har Tire. That’s a partnership with Connie Hari and the Schierl family. 

07:10
Okay. 

07:10
That’s started in 2001, I believe. It’s been a great partnership. 

07:16
Do you guys have a. A goal to grow more stores? 

07:19
Yeah, we’re always looking. It would be acquisition versus ground up. 

07:25
Yeah. 

07:25
You want a little business before you open the doors. 

07:30
Yeah, it’s. It’s tough to build ground up. And everybody we. We talk to that has tried it both ways, say the same thing, and they’re all. Everybody. You want some revenue coming in, gotta. 

07:41
Have a little cash flow. 

07:43
Yeah, yeah. Well, as team advisor, what. What do you do at Sheryl? What. What’s team advisor role mean? 

07:51
Work with the locations. Oversee and work with the managers. Hiring, coaching, working with locations, setting up policies, maximizing tire programs. 

08:09
That’s awesome. What’s your favorite thing about working at Sheryl? I mean, in regards to the seven. 

08:15
Locations, the awesome associates we got, being able to work with them, get to know them, and lifelong friendships with many of Them. 

08:25
Do you guys. What’s your turnover rate like. 

08:29
Managers? Very, very little team. Store managers, service managers, technicians is pretty solid. You get into the general service and the cleaners. There’s a fair amount of turnover there. 

08:44
Yeah. Which is not unusual. How do you guys. Just curious, how do you guys recruit? I mean I know how you got brought in, but how do you guys do it today? 

08:54
The typical indeed is probably our mantra. We do a lot of Facebook advertising. I think that’s between the two of them. That’s pretty much what we do. 

09:07
You know, you’ve been in the business a long time. Question that comes to mind is what. What changes do you think are significant from when you started today on the tire and automotive repair side? 

09:20
Well, technology is definitely a big factor, but the people coming into the industry. When I went to technical college there was four classes running concurrently and now it’s. Some of the colleges have a hard time getting one class. Really? Yeah, the. 

09:43
I mean I heard it was bad, but that’s really bad. 

09:46
The, the skills gap is getting worse. Going back to my parents, it was. They were pretty pissed off when I didn’t finish college and I decided to go to technical college and they were dead against that. And then my own kids, one’s 33 and one’s 27 and going to the guidance counselors with them, it was beyond obvious that they were pushing the kids to go into four year traditional college versus a technical school. I think that’s changed over the last few years and I think it’s income expense driven because you can get your. Your two year associate and knock out those core classes before you end up either graduating with an associate degree or moving on to your junior and senior level courses in college. 

10:52
It is fascinating and I do believe you’re right about the. Well, I, I talked to more, I say friends, but even acquaintances, people I meet more dads that are pushing their kids into the technical. Because I’m in my 50s and I was probably caught in the same trap you were where, I mean it was really the only option it seemed like everybody put on the table was college. 

11:17
Yep. And the pressure from the guidance counselors is you need to go to college. 

11:22
Yeah, well. And you felt like, you almost felt like there was nothing for you if you didn’t, you know. And now you can look back in hindsight and golly, that was such a limited view. 

11:34
And when I started, the wages weren’t what they are now in comparison to the rest of the workforce. Now at least you got technicians earning what teachers and doctors make. 

11:48
Yeah, for sure. And I think, I mean, it’s, look, it’s market driven, right? I mean, you’ve got, it’s the law of supply and demand. If the man’s out, if demand’s out there and supply is low, it’s nothing but price goes up there. 

12:04
And you got old guys like me that are getting out of the industry retiring. And yes, there’s a big gap that’s got to be filled. Huge. 

12:13
And I still worry about it, although I do see more people, I will say this, I see more people in the trades falling into it. I have a son in law that’s an electrician. He did go to college. He felt a little pressure, I think, to go to college at first. He was in it for two years and realized, this ain’t for me. And then he went to the process to become an electrician and then to get your license and the journeyman and all that. And, and I think he’s very happy and he’s in high demand. And what else is interesting is he’s in high demand on the weekends you get these guys and family members and friends that say, hey, you think I could get Chris to do this? You know what I mean? 

12:59
So he’s got all these side gigs that he could have, but he’s obviously trying to raise a family and get sleep too. But anything in the trades, I’m a huge fan for right now. 

13:11
I think Mike Rowe has really gotten a lot of exposure to the trades and is helping at least promote it. 

13:20
Yeah, yeah, Supply and demand. 

13:23
You’re 100% right. We’re going to pay him. Oh my God. It’s just going to get passed on to the consumer. 

13:31
I think I had a plumbing job to do at my house not too long ago and if I wasn’t such good friends with my plumber, I doubt I would have gotten the job done within maybe a couple weeks because it was a, it was a reconstruction deal. It wasn’t like, you know, and I only needed him for a few things. It wasn’t like intense on the plumbing side of the bathroom was getting redone. But yeah, man, those guys, everybody though, anybody with the trade, automotive in particular, I mean, you know, I know shops right now that are just dying to have more help, more mechanics. I mean, people that know what they’re doing. 

14:10
Yeah, we’re fortunate. We only got a few openings right now and it’s been that way for quite a while. But that can change Real quick, too. 

14:19
Oh, yeah. And then you just feel like sometimes, I mean, I’ve talked to some of these tire shop owners and you know, they feel like, you know, I’m being forced to almost. And, and I feel they feel like they’re being forced almost to accept the lower standard of caliber of person they want, but they have to do something to at least fill certain work. Workload, if that makes sense. 

14:42
It does. And I think we’re on the uphill side of that now. We’re coming out of that where you’ve getting better quality, better work ethic than it was just four or five years ago. 

15:00
Yeah, no, I agree. And I feel there’s this, like, for instance, I had electrician when were getting this bathroom redone. He was contracted in through my contractor, but the kid that he brought with him, that was his assistant, played football with my son. And I said, what are you doing? He said, getting my electric license, you know, Electrician license. And I said, that’s awesome. And I was very proud to see. I didn’t know what happened to the kid, you know what I’m saying? But I see him coming in and I’m like, but this is great, you know, and so he’s being an apprentice right now at the time. And it was just, it was refreshing to see, you know, some youth that you knew and what course of, you know, direction they were taking. 

15:41
Yeah. See them grow and develop in their trade. That’s really awesome. Yeah. 

15:46
And you know, based on, look, if you put a little effort in it and you learn it, you’re. You’re going to make money. There’s no you. They need you. The world needs you. You know, if you have a trade, it’s a, it’s a guaranteed at least meal ticket. You’re going to feed yourself. 

16:01
Yep, I agree 100%. 

16:03
And there’s a ton of these college kids that are struggling massively. 

16:08
I mean, just one of the local state of Wisconsin universities probably goes back 10 years now, got rid of a lot of the majors and they’re the ones they got rid of are the ones that if you can get a job, you’re lucky. If you get the job, you’re making basically minimum wage. And the uproar of these students was unbelievable. And they ended up bringing these degrees back. 

16:38
Wow. 

16:39
Where you spend all kinds of money to get the degree and you don’t have any job prospects. 

16:44
That’s what’s. So that’s the big disconnect. Isn’t it? I mean, they’re selling a product that has no demand. 

16:51
Exactly. Well, the demand is from the students, but they’re not looking forward to, can I actually make money out of this? 

16:59
Yeah, yeah. And then they’re complaining when that happens. But, you know, I think that’s a job for guidance counselors at high schools, isn’t it? I mean, to look and tell the kids the truth about the marketplace. Like, hey, here’s some opportunities and you know, here’s where you really need, you know, your full blown academic background, but here’s where you knew, maybe need some general studies, but where you could go get a trade at the same time. And I don’t know if I don’t, like you said, the pressure you felt about being, you know, told to go to college, et cetera, which is fine if you’re meant for it, but if you’re not, shouldn’t they be? Because I felt like everybody in our class was told, go to college. And that’s just not, that’s not realistic to life. And I’m in the. 

17:48
And what I want my audience to understand is I’m a huge believer in education. I just think it comes in different ways. Yeah. 

17:56
It never stops. 

17:57
Yeah. 

17:58
Every week you’re learning something and I. 

18:01
Think you should be open to reading something new all the time. I mean, a book, getting into a series of whatever it is. But you should always be trying to, you know, absorb new information, especially in your career. 

18:14
Yeah. And that’s changed a lot over the years. The only resource I had way back when was Motor magazine and I’d read that every month, but there wasn’t many avenues like that. Now you got the Internet and all kinds of information at your fingertips and the guys that are good are teaching themselves. They’re. 

18:38
Yeah. 

18:38
Taking the initiative to figure out and learn more. 

18:43
It is interesting. I will say this with the youth today and what they know with like AI chat, GPT and you know, googling something or YouTube in it, they, the smart ones really know how to teach themselves how to fix something, you know, and they’ll go watch a video on it and then they’ll go do it. And, and it’s kind of really. 

19:07
Cool to see it. If nothing else, it gives them a little tip of how to make the job quicker and easier. 

19:14
Yeah, well, and I think it builds confidence too, doesn’t it? Like, absolutely. I can, I didn’t need some. Well, I mean, technically I needed somebody because I’m watching somebody maybe on YouTube, but I didn’t. I was able to do it myself and figure it out. And then it’s kind of like a pat on your own back to say, hey, I can. I didn’t even know how to fix that before, but now I do and I just did it. Yeah. 

19:35
And that builds confidence for the future. And you’re going to take something away from that and learn one little thing, remember it, and 10 years from now, you’re going to use that skill again. 

19:50
You know, you mentioned technology. Something that we run into in our space is Point of sale systems. Do you. Do you have one that you recommend out there? 

19:59
We’re currently using tire shop by FreedomSoft. 

20:03
Okay. 

20:04
Overall, it does a good job. A couple quirks, but you got that no matter what software you got. With being a Goodyear dealer, we’re heavily involved with governments national accounts, so we got to have the software that’s able to process that stuff through us. More so than like a Mitchell or a Snap on or those other programs that are out there. 

20:31
Yeah. 

20:31
Do a good job with the mechanical side, but not the tire side. 

20:35
So Freedom Soft does a better job on both sides, Is that what you’re saying? 

20:39
Yeah, they do a good job or. 

20:40
A balance, I guess. Like you said, there’s no one perfect fit. 

20:45
Yeah. You’d love to take pieces from each of them and put it together, but that just doesn’t work. 

20:50
No, it’s kind of like you gotta. I don’t know if it’s. This kind of puts a little negative spin on it, but it’s kind of like you gotta pick your poison. You need it no matter what. So you kind of got to take sometimes lesser two evils or, you know, figure out what feature you can live without. I guess you’d say. Yeah. 

21:10
How to work around it or how. 

21:12
To work around it. That’s a good way of saying it on a more personal level. You know, I. I mentioned to you I like to get into these questions, too. What’s. What’s your favorite movie? 

21:23
Yeah, I thought about that between now and our original call. And it’s got to be Christmas vacation. I am Cart W. Griswold. 

21:33
So you do the lighting like Clark, too? 

21:36
Not quite to that extent, but at one point were up to about 10,000 lights. Gosh dang. I want you to get into hooking up the music, but work and family life kind of put the kibosh to that. 

21:51
That’s fantastic, though. 

21:53
So did you. 

21:54
How did your house look? Was it mainly in the trees? And shrubbery or was it all over the house? 

22:00
Some of it was on the house, but yeah, mostly trees and displays and blowups and you name it, I probably had it. 

22:12
So how do your neighbors feel about you? 

22:13
Nobody complained. I, I turn them off before 10 o’ clock so they can go to bed. 

22:21
There are so many, well around our house if it’s even on the tv. Even though you can, you watch it anytime you want. Maybe on prime or Netflix. But it’s funny how, you know, you’re flipping the channels and we use YouTube TV but you’ll be flipping the channels and if it’s on, you just can’t help but. 

22:40
Absolutely. 

22:41
And I, I think, I mean it’s just one of those movies. Does it ever stop giving you a one liner? 

22:47
I mean I know given them all the time. 

22:51
I think this year now, you know, every year it seems like I have a new one liner from the movie. Even though I know them all. It’s like it just hits you different each year. But mine this year is the one where he there, there, it’s over. Like everybody’s saying hey, it’s over, we’re leaving. You know, this is before Christmas, remember? And he blocks them at the front door. He goes, oh nobody’s going anywhere. We’re going to be the jolliest, you. 

23:21
Know, blah, blah. 

23:22
This side of the nut house. 

23:25
That is literally. 

23:27
That’s my favorite line. From there this year it switches, you know, year to year I just pick up a new one that I like or whatever. And it’s not that I didn’t know it, but it just hits me, you know, and, but that one’s one of my favorite. And then the other one is, I’ve always liked this one. I guess I had to rank it up there as one of the top in the movie is when cousin Eddie puts his arm around him and they just illuminated the house. He just gotten it fixed. He switched the light on out in the garage, you know, the, the circuit and then everything’s working and they’re all happy and proud of the, you know, the lighting. And Eddie’s there and he walks down the line of. Well then he goes making everybody. 

24:09
And then comes to cousin Eddie. 

24:11
Yes. And then he goes, are you surprised? He said, I wouldn’t be a bit more surprised if I woke up my head sewn to the carpet. I just want you. Part of me believes that had to be ad libbed. It’s such a Chevy Chase line. You know, it was one of those. Maybe. Maybe it was thrown in the movie or something, but. And then even in that same scene. 

24:34
What about. 

24:35
He goes, I wouldn’t kiss him. He’s got a lip on his. What. What’s one of your favorite. For that movie. 

24:46
When he’s untying the tree, the one that they had to dig up because he forgot the saw and cuts the rope and. Yep. It’s full little SAP. 

25:01
The window gets broken, too. Yes. Well. And the other one I like too, is. I’m glad you brought this up. I don’t think anybody’s brought this movie up. But we’re right at around Christmas time, so this is perfect. But the other one is the. The neighbors that were real snooty. 

25:19
Todd and Margot. 

25:21
Yes. And he says, you can’t talk to me like that. And he goes, I wasn’t. 

25:25
I wasn’t talking to you. Talking to Margo. 

25:31
And then the seed I caught the other day when it was on TV was with. With Eddie’s out there draining the rv. 

25:39
Yep. 

25:43
And the neighbors come out and they. 

25:45
Smell it in the shirt or slow. 

25:49
Lo and brow. That was. 

25:50
Right. 

25:51
That’s what he did. That’s it. Yes. Oh, my gosh. That’s funny stuff. Well, before I let you go, do you have a code or a mantra or anything that you guys live by that Schierl or you personally? 

26:06
There’s a lot of times I say, I’d love to, and you may not want to do it, but if you go in with the attitude that, yep, let’s do it. Let’s get her done, it makes it a whole lot easier. And go like this. Raise your hand. I just volunteered you. And you get your people going. I’d love to. That’s. 

26:30
That’s awesome. I like. I like that line. It’s just. It’s just positive, but it pulls you into the positive by you saying it like, just go get it done. 

26:39
Yeah. There’s times like, hell, yeah, I’d love to. And you say it like that, and it’s like, come on, let’s make it a positive. 

26:48
That’s beautiful. That’s a great one to end on. Well, Brian, I really appreciate you saying yes to being our guest on. On the Gain Traction podcast. It’s been a pleasure. 

26:57
It was an honor, Micah. Thank you very much. 

27:00
You’re welcome. And to all our listeners out there, you can find more out there on our YouTube channel at Gain Traction Podcast, the website’s gaintractionpodcast.com and if you’d like to make a recommendation to me, feel free to do so@mike treadpartners.com until next time, have a great day. 

27:18
To all our listeners, thank you for being part of the Gain Traction Podcast. 

27:21
We are grateful for you. 

27:22
If you’d like to find more podcasts like this, please Visit Gain Traction podcast.com if you’d like to make a guest recommendation, please email me@mike treadpartners.com this episode has been powered by Tread Partners, the leader in digital marketing for multi location tire and auto repair shops. To learn more about Tread partners, visit Tread Partners.