Exterior of the Orange Village, Ohio location.

While working for a SAAB dealer in Cleveland, Ohio, at the age of 18, Dan Schindler was growing increasingly frustrated and concerned with working on a flat rate pay system. His concerns grew as he witnessed technicians completing jobs faster with little regard for accuracy or the customer. Wanting to provide top quality service to each customer, he approached the general manager to discuss his concerns, but was quickly dismissed and told that if he didn't like it, he could go to work for a factory. “I knew at that very moment, I could and would run a business that treated the employees and customers with the highest regard. So I began to mentally prepare myself to operate an independent service center,” said Schindler.

In 1982 he opened The Swedish Solution Inc., by renting two bays from a local service station and specializing in SAAB and Volvo repairs. The first year of operation, sales grossed more than $600,000. The success of the business steadily increased in its second year with gross sales of $800,000. In the third year of operation, Schindler purchased property in Orange Village, Ohio, and moved the business.

Shortly after he acquired the location, the staff began to encourage Schindler to focus all his attention on the business aspects of the operation. “This was a very important move at the time. The transitional step allowed me to focus on customer satisfaction, quality control and marketing,” said Schindler. This move proved to be very lucrative for the business with sales exceeding $1 million in the business's fourth year.

Pictured with Schindler (center) at the Orange Cillage store are Bob Howlett, general manager, and Karen Kenney, parts and service.

In 1987 Schindler found himself and his coworkers bored and wanting a new challenge. He determined that a growth step was needed. “I decided to open a second shop in the densely populated areas of Cleveland. I realized that I needed to create opportunities for my key employees or I would surely lose them,” said Schindler. The opening of the second location provided convenience to Schindler's customers in the Cleveland Heights area, offered advancement opportunities for his staff and restored his excitement.

The key to Schindler's success is his attitude toward his customers and employees. He firmly believes that he's in business to serve the customer and that repairing vehicles is secondary to customer relations. “The only way to do this is to employ happy people and educate them on human relations,” said Schindler. He also believes that daily enjoyment is an absolute must. However, he never trades staff satisfaction for customer satisfaction.

“I like the sense of fulfillment by positively influencing my staff and customers. I try to positively influence every person I come in contact with, through sincere care,” said Schindler. One way this is achieved is through the features and benefits The Swedish Solution offers its customers. The business maintains a $600,000 parts inventory, provides customer loaner cars, courtesy car washes, a 12-month warranty, and services ranging from oil changes to complete engine overhauls.

“The most unique feature we offer is that my staff and I focus a huge amount of energy on being positive all the time. I can't stress this enough. We are never defiant or act imposed upon. We try to always be receptive, even when attacked,” said Schindler.

The business repairs approximately 18 vehicles a day per shop, resulting in 90,000 vehicles per year. Since The Swedish Solution opened, Volkswagen has been added to its line of repair.

In addition to customer relations, Schindler also stresses to his employees the importance of training. The Swedish Solution employs 22 “knowledgeable and highly trained” people. Between the two locations there are two general managers, two office managers, two parts managers, two cleanup people and 11 technicians. All the technicians at The Swedish Solution are certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), with five being master certified. This has earned the business the ASE Blue Seal of Excellence recognition.

Schindler himself is ASE master and L1 certified. Regularly attending management seminars, technical courses and participating in a 20-group has kept him on the cutting edge of the industry. He also earned his Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation from the Automotive Management Institute (AMI) in 1999.

Behind the front counter at the Orange Village Location.

Schindler has two positions within the company. First, as the owner, he works to maintain profitability, goal setting, marketing and growth. To continue the growth of the businesses, Schindler uses various advertising methods; however, he is a strong advocate of direct mail marketing. “I mail to all SAAB, Volvo and Volkswagen owners within a 60-mile radius approximately six times a year,” said Schindler. In addition to the more than 70,000 direct mail pieces sent annually, The Swedish Solution installs approximately 1,000 license plate frames a year, advertises in the local newspaper and has six ads in the Yellow Pages.

His second responsibility is that of service writer and general manager of the Orange Village location. “It is essential to understand the difference between the responsibilities of ownership and a job,” said Schindler. He feels that too many owners in the industry wear too many hats. Schindler is determined to stay focused on knowing how to separate the two jobs and keep the business moving forward and growing.

Outside of running two successful shops, Schindler is also very active within the automotive repair industry. He is a member of the ImportCar magazine advisory board and works closely with the Ohio E-Check program, the mandatory inspection and maintenance program. He has been profiled in numerous industry and consumer publications for his success and professionalism. In addition, The Swedish Solution has been an ASA member since 1990. “I joined ASA because I felt that ASA brought all the individual aftermarket businesses together, creating strength in numbers. I also find huge benefit with the information that ASA provides,” said Schindler.

His future plans for The Swedish Solution include increasing sales from $3 to $4 million in the next several years. “I hope to open a third business whose primary role would be selling and leasing used cars, as well as offering a full line of service. I also plan to fully remove myself from the daily operations of the businesses within four years. My role would then be goal setting and marketing,” said Schindler.

The Swedish Solution and Dan Schindler continually prove that the right attitude, good human relations, determination and professionalism make a great combination for success.

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