Did you study science in high school? What about college? We all have an education, no matter what grade level you attained. What about experience? Did life also teach you something?

I was born and spent the first 12 years of my life living in Ogden, Utah. These are important years in anyone’s existence. It will shape and mold you. Growing up in the 1950s with a used car salesman dad, who had great mechanical skills, will guide you into fast cars.

Sitting on the gas tank of a Harley Davidson hanging on with your father racing up 32nd Street to a dirt hill and climbing to the top at age three was better than any amusement park ride. Adventure, risk, speed — no wonder I started my own business at age 26! 

My monthly column will take you on adventures of the many people I have come to know over the years. (I am still an active shop owner and EV technical trainer.) You may think they are irrelevant in 2026 or maybe they still apply today. I think these stories have lessons. 

The story of Joe Bolger 

Maybe you had a “Joe” while you were just getting into the business. Joe Bolger, the “Joe” I want to tell you about, was born in 1930. Joe worked on his grandfather’s farm in eastern Canada and at his father’s garage. His formal education ended after the eighth grade.

In 1946, Joe moved to America for a job. Still a Canadian citizen, he served in the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1953, stationed in Germany and France. Post-war, after 17 years making wooden chairs, he and a partner opened Sportsman Cycle, an early Honda motorcycle dealership near Worcester, Mass.

In 1973, Joe sold his half of the Honda shop. He then opened Joe Bolger Products. He was a self-taught engineer. Joe also began pursuing his passion for motorcycle racing. During his racing career, he was well-known for inventing parts for his race bike to make it faster and handle better. He was inducted into the American Motorcycle Association Hall of Fame in 2004 as a New England Motocross Champion, designer, engineer and a manufacturer of motorcycle tools. I was lucky to work with Joe while I was in high school and later, in my 20s. Joe and my father made sure I was prepared for my job, both as a mechanic and person. 

Here are some lessons I learned from Joe. First, look closely at every auto part you remove. This will get you on the road to being a self-taught engineer. Look at the exploded view in the parts diagram to see the relationship of parts assembly. By doing that, you will build new neural pathways.

The first time a mechanic learns a new skill, they have to work hard — consciously — to execute it and all this effort makes the new technique feel unnatural and awkward the first few times it is tried. A tech who continues learning a new skill or practicing an existing one builds new or stronger neural pathways and this helps the skill to become an unconscious or automatic action. When technicians work on more of the same cars, the skills are practiced more often. It is more likely that those skills can be executed when needed under pressure. 

Training the brain

When practicing and building your neural pathways, it is essential that the muscle memory being built up is created using the correct technique. It is a complete waste of time to practice fixing cars the wrong way. This is how bad habits and bad technique are created and ingrained, and when something has been learned the wrong way, this incorrect muscle memory has to be overwritten and new neural pathways must be built to replace them. This can take a lot of time. 

Your brain has billions of neurons that communicate via electrical signals across tiny gaps called synapses. When you learn a new mechanical skill, like removing a high-voltage battery pack or mastering a digital multimeter, you are crossing that gap. At first, it takes intense mental focus. But over time, repeated signals strengthen the connection, making the task second nature. 

Joe was smart. Some say he was a genius. I saw him as a disciplined, hardworking and gifted boss. 

Did you move into ownership or management of your tire store from the service bay? If yes, you know what I mean. There are certainly many paths that can bring you into this profession. Maybe a few of you only do tires, alignments and chassis work, but most of the tire stores I know are now full service. Are your neurons making pathways into the future? Do you hire young, smart men and women to learn from you? We will explore more about Joe and others. See you next month.