Grubbs CDJR and Kia General Manager David Fillmore wanted to show the techs and advisors what they meant to the dealership, build culture, and enjoy some tacos; and the result was the start of the once-per-month “Techo Tuesdays.”
After three months of the lunches, which also include drawings for cash and prizes as incentives for hitting goals, the Grubbs CDJR and Kia stores in Wichita Falls, Texas, have seen their customer pay repair orders rise 6% and more ticket hours.
“We just started, but we’re seeing a lift from it. It’s just something to do to give back,” Fillmore told CDG.
Driving the news: Grubbs purchased the CDJR and Kia stores in February 2025 along with three other brands in Wichita Falls, and Fillmore took over as GM in November.
With a background in used cars, including at Berkshire Hathaway Automotive, he’s focused on developing relationships.
“This business is about one thing, and it’s about people,” Fillmore stressed. “If you can either retain them or you can’t. It’s easy to recruit when your people around you are having fun, and it’s easier to retain them if they’re happy.”
Tech shortage: The automotive industry is critically behind on bringing on new techs, as pointed out by ASE research, showing the industry needs to add 128,000 per year and training programs are adding only 37,000.
In Wichita Falls, about two hours from one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States in Dallas-Fort Worth, and also home to a large Air Force base, competition for techs is extremely tight, with Fillmore saying he needs double the 14 he has at his two stores.
With a porter, he personally moved a promising entry-level tech with growth potential 125 miles and provided some moving expense assistance.
“I’ve got to do anything I can do to meet people….I have to have techs. I have to have my fixed ops to hit my goals,” Fillmore explained. “I understand the importance of making sure I’m not just hiring people. It’s easy to hire people. It’s hiring the right people.”
Showing you care: A recent ASE poll asked what hurt work-life balance the most in the shop, and 53% of the respondents indicated job stress, followed by 19% weekend shifts, and 14% long hours.
Understanding the stress, he recalled the first time he sold 200 cars at a Toyota dealership and received a steak dinner as an award to celebrate.
He’s taken from that the importance of celebrating those around you.
“Sometimes it’s not about money, it’s about time you give people; it’s the most valuable commodity we have,” Fillmore said.
And in football-crazed Texas, he’s quick to use a pigskin analogy to show what his fixed ops department.
“I call them the offensive line of the dealership,” Fillmore said. “The quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers always get the credit for all the touchdowns. But most of those touchdowns are done behind that wall at fixed ops.”
“I call them the offensive line of the dealership. The quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers always get the credit for all the touchdowns. But most of those touchdowns are done behind that wall at fixed ops.”
Techo Tuesday: With Cinco de Mayo approaching, Fillmore had the idea of providing tacos for his techs, and his service director is credited with the catchy name, “Techo Tuesday.”
He’s worked with a local vendor that comes in and sets up a taco buffet for the fixed ops department.
The program developed with techs and advisors earning tickets for the drawing for prizes for hitting quotas on run hours and parts, with their goals tailored to their tasks.
Prizes have included cash, televisions, and a PlayStation, and Fillmore hopes to grow the prizes if the store continues to hit its goals.
“It’s to get everybody bought in and going in the same direction for the store’s goals. You want to have growth, and you want to reward them when they have growth,” Fillmore said.
“I probably have like $2,500 a month invested. It’s a super small investment. The time is the bigger compliment. They need the money, and they want the prizes, but for me, spending time with them means more than the money.
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Bottom line: Fillmore is planning the next Techo Tuesday for August, and he told his staff the prizes will be offered as long as they continue to meet their goals, but the tacos will be served no matter what. He points out the success of the store rides on growing the right culture, and that comes sometimes with a free lunch.
“I can’t have success without everybody in the store having success,” Fillmore said.
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