Talkin' Shop with Walbro

There are over 51 million YouTube channels out there; with so many, it's hard to set yourself apart from others. So, how do successful YouTube influencers not only survive, but thrive in the industry amidst the sea of channels?On part two of this episode of Talkin' Shop with Walbro, Host Michelle Dawn Mooney speaks with @Donyboy73 (Don), creator of his channel, “Don the Small Engine Doctor,” @StevesSmallEngineSaloon (Steve), who created “Steve's Small Engine Saloon” channel, and @Chickanic (Bre) to discuss their paths to becoming YouTube Influencers and how they each manage their content creation.Mooney, @Donyboy73, @StevesSmallEngineSaloon, and @Chickanic also discussed…1. How they got hooked into YouTube content creation for their respective channels based on their areas of expertise2. Inspirational sources for their content creation3. How to find shop locations and future plans for building and location changes @Donyboy73 explained how content creation works as one gains experience. “You actually never hit a wall. I think at the beginning, when you start YouTube, you might think that ‘At some point, I'm going to run out of ideas.' But the more you do it, the more ideas you have, that you actually don't have time to do them all.”@Chicanic explained how much work goes into creating one video outside of her full-time shop job. “If I'm actually repairing something, it could be two to five hours and that's after work and I'm really bad about waiting until the last minute so as soon as I film something, I edit it and put it out there the next day…so two to five hours of filming and then at least three hours of editing, creating a thumbnail, getting it uploaded…”“I do repairs for family and friends and the occasional family friend and I get some of those where I can do a video on them but other than that, just comments and emails and also on my website…there's a tab there where you can put your video suggestions in,” @StevesSmallEngineSaloon touched on his content creation methods, because unlike @Donyboy73 and @Chickanic, he does not have a working shop.@Chicanic is a YouTube content creator who took two years of small engine repair in college and worked at a small engine shop afterward. She and her husband own a small engine shop in Arkansas and her goal with content creation is to help viewers save time, money, and frustration.

There are over 51 million YouTube channels out there; with so many, it's hard to set yourself apart from others. So, how do successful YouTube influencers not only survive, but thrive in the industry amidst the sea of channels?On today's episode of Talkin' Shop with Walbro, Host Michelle Dawn Mooney speaks with @Donyboy73 (Don), creator of his channel, “Don the Small Engine Doctor,” @StevesSmallEngineSaloon (Steve), who created “Steve's Small Engine Saloon” channel, and @Chickanic (Bre) to discuss their paths to becoming YouTube Influencers and how they each manage their content creation.Mooney, @Donyboy73, @StevesSmallEngineSaloon, and @Chickanic also discussed…1. How they got hooked into YouTube content creation for their respective channels based on their areas of expertise2. Inspirational sources for their content creation3. How to find shop locations and future plans for building and location changes @Donyboy73 explained how content creation works as one gains experience. “You actually never hit a wall. I think at the beginning, when you start YouTube, you might think that ‘At some point, I'm going to run out of ideas.' But the more you do it, the more ideas you have, that you actually don't have time to do them all.”@Chicanic explained how much work goes into creating one video outside of her full-time shop job. “If I'm actually repairing something, it could be two to five hours and that's after work and I'm really bad about waiting until the last minute so as soon as I film something, I edit it and put it out there the next day…so two to five hours of filming and then at least three hours of editing, creating a thumbnail, getting it uploaded…”“I do repairs for family and friends and the occasional family friend and I get some of those where I can do a video on them but other than that, just comments and emails and also on my website…there's a tab there where you can put your video suggestions in,” @StevesSmallEngineSaloon touched on his content creation methods, because unlike @Donyboy73 and @Chickanic, he does not have a working shop.@Chicanic is a YouTube content creator who took two years of small engine repair in college and worked at a small engine shop afterward. She and her husband own a small engine shop in Arkansas and her goal with content creation is to help viewers save time, money, and frustration.

Showcasing events are always exciting opportunities to meet new people and see new products. Michelle Dawn Mooney hosted Kris Kiser, CEO and President of OPEI and Bob McCue, Director of Product Management at Walbro, to talk about the upcoming Equip Expo and all the exciting exhibits showcasing the industry's latest innovations. Kiser, the CEO of the trade association which owns and now operates the Equip Exposition (formerly GI+ Expo) has said that the 39 year old showcase is, for the first time in its' history, completely sold out. With over 20,000 attendees planning to stop by, Kiser noted that the exposition is uniquely positioned within the industry. He said, “The Equip Exposition is the trade show for equipment manufacturers to demonstrate and showcase their products to the commercial audience,” he continued, “It's an indoor exhibit hall as well as outdoor exhibit.” Based in Louisville, Kentucky, the exposition is placed to allow room for a widespread array of demonstrations from exhibitors in pool, spa, landscaping, and other industries. McCue, who has spent 34 years at Walbro in customer services and is now in the parts and services group, remarked on Walbro's position for the exposition. He said, “Well, for Walbro I would say we are a Tier II supplier. So, when somebody's looking at a piece of equipment, we're doing fuel systems, we're doing ignition systems, we're doing complete fuel-tank assemblies for many of the fuel-injected products.” For Walbro, this exposition means connecting with people they might not normally have a chance to. McCue stated, “But really, this is our one opportunity to connect to the dealer network.” The Equip Exposition has added in new dealer and exhibitor specific engagement arenas and events as well as social gatherings to help encourage new partnerships and connections. Kiser recommended attendees come with a game plan and look at the event programming sheets. He said, “It's a big show, there's a lot to see and a lot to do.”

Managing Director of Partner Limited, Sebastian Starosta, sat down with host of Talkin' Shop, Tyler Kern, to discuss the partnership between Partner and Walbro.Partner Limited is an industrial leader of machine parts located in Poland serving the diverse Europe area. Depending on the country, Partner operates as a B2B or B2C distributor according to that area's needs.Partner's portfolio includes equipment parts for machines like lawn mowers and tractors, brush cutters, cattle saws, guzzling engines, and water pumps. They are an exclusive representative for several brands in the Polish and Europe market, like Walbro. At Partner, a top priority is to remain relevant and competitive with new trends. One of those rapid-growing markets is cordless equipment. To fulfill this demand, Partner added batteries for cordless machines to their product offering

On this episode of Talkin' Shop with Walbro, Host Tyler Kern talked with Christopher Quick, President, Walbro Aftermarket Products Group, Bob McCue, Channel Marketing Director, Walbro, Elton Fisch, Engineering Director. They dug into how Walbro is performing as the company heads into the end of the year. “After eight months of this newly formed business unit and bringing additional staff members in, I can't say how proud I am of the team and how they've embraced the vision, strategy, defined culture, and working through the tactics to make things happen,” Quick said. “We are nearing the best sales ever.” This good information in the sales department comes as the team at Walbro has faced multiple supply chain interruptions, logistics issues, resource issues, and in the midst of a global pandemic. The team has really worked hard, made each other accountable, and carried out the mission, according to Quick. “We've been hit with higher costs all the way around that has hurt us from a P&L perspective, but the volume demand is assisting with the pain in the short term,” Quick said. The year started with a significant strategy shift, which included expanding other market segments. They've also beefed up their product offerings and increased service and dialogue with their partners. The new product offerings include power sports, chain saw, bar, and chain, as well as propellers. Down the line, they also want to look into strategic acquisitions to help fuel their growth.

On this episode of Talkin’ Shop With Walbro, Host Tyler Kern talked with Steve McColman, YouTube influencer and host of Steve’s Small Engine Saloon and Small Engine Mechanic. The duo dug into Walbro, small engines and Steve’s YouTube channel.

Many people call 2020 a dumpster fire of a year, but if one sifts through the ashes, they may find plenty of salvageable items. Bob McCue, Channel Marketing Director at Walbro, likes to look at the positives. There was plenty to speak of in terms of Walbro’s results and its surrounding industries –marine, power sport and outdoor power equipment.

Cause and effect is a phrase that certainly applies to the power sports market as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus that ground the world to a halt created an explosion of interest in ATVs, UTVs, motorcycles and boats, with sales-generating through the roof.

When Walbro looked at the landscape for 2021, leaders quickly realized change was needed. Customer demands were different resulting from the pandemic, and it was time to restructure and rebrand. Christopher Quick, EVP of Walbro and President of the Aftermarket Product Group, is excited about the changes going on at Walbro, and he couldn’t wait to talk some shop about all the happenings.

A new year provides not just an opportunity for reflection, but a reason to pause and think about the future. Tyler Kern, host of Talkin' Shop with Walbro, spoke with Jerry Kibby, the company’s Executive Vice President and President of Engine Management, about the current state of the engine management business. They also looked forward to what's going to come in the future.

It’s a helpless feeling we’ve all had. Enter into a building, stick hands under a machine meant to dispense hand sanitizer, and … get nothing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when people are paying more attention to health perhaps more than at any time in history, businesses and workplaces can’t afford to have customers or employees feeling unsafe. That’s why Walbro designed the dispensers for its new IDEAL line of hand sanitizers the way it did, limiting physical contact and making it easy to see when it’s time to order a refill well before the product actually runs out. “It would take 80 eight-ounce bottles to equal the amount of sanitizer we have in our easy touch top or touchless dispenser. So, the possibility of our dispenser being empty is significantly lower than other sanitizer dispenser systems,” said Ron Lintz, Director of Sales for Custom Products at Walbro. “And we also clearly denote on our dispensers where you’re at as far as the sanitizer level and when you should refill the sanitizer to hopefully never be in a situation where somebody comes up [who is] depending on that sanitizer to be there, and the dispenser is empty.” Lintz noted that, while the only way out of the COVID-19 pandemic is through widespread use of masks and social distancing in addition to hand sanitation, sanitizers can be critical, especially in places like airports, sports venues or even on construction sites or at the farmers market. Walbro jumped into the market not because it was being opportunistic, but because the time was right to provide an alternative. “Walbro is well-known for fluid delivery systems, primarily in fuel up until this point,” he said. “It seemed like a very logical connection for me to spearhead this effort to bring hand sanitation, along with our ability to deliver fluid products in high-volume dispensers. [We are] primarily taking the inverse of what most of our competitors were doing in the marketplace, [which was] elevating the cost of hand sanitizer by taking advantage of a moment of time. “Our concept really is to provide high-volume hand sanitation at the most cost-competitive price possible.”

Walbro Engineering Manager, New Product Development Brad Roche joins host Tyler Kern to outline how the company is doing its part to assist medical personnel on the front lines of the battle against the global COVID-19 pandemic. On this episode of Talking Shop with Walbro, host Tyler Kern was joined by Walbro Engineering Manager, New Product Development Brad Roche for a special discussion about how the company is helping those on the front lines of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Walbro has created an aerosol shield for nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologists to utilize during intubation, which protects these front-line healthcare workers from aerosol particles potentially spreading the novel coronavirus. The product addresses a critical need for personal protective equipment, or PPE, that has been exposed by the accelerated spread of the virus. “Through some brainstorming that we did, we tried to identify a lot of things that we could help with, then we started reaching out to medical professionals,” Roche said. “Through their guidance and feedback, we’ve created this device, which is largely based on something people are building in their garages. We thought we could bring a level of professionalism to it and make it a lot more durable, a lot more usable and (make it) last a lot longer for medical professionals.” The entire process of engaging in this transition to supporting the medical community took less two weeks, with the initial brainstorm coming in mid-March, further consultation and improvements aimed at mass production toward the end of the month, and the first prototype-tooled version finalized on March 27. Though Walbro was able to convert a plant typically manufacturing products like fuel tanks into a viable location for the production of these shields, Roche said the real heroes are those serving our global community on the leading edge of the fight against COVID-19. Learn more today at https://www.walbro.com/aerosol-shield/.

Coronavirus has been making headlines recently for it’s rapid spread, airlines suspending flights and government-mandated shutdowns in some areas of China. How do global companies prepare for supply chains halting production for days on end? Bob McCue, Channel Marketing Director at Walbro, joins host Tyler Kern to talk about how Walbro has a business continuity in place for the global event that we have seen unfold over the past few weeks. Walbro has a plant located in Tianjin, China that is 1,100 km away from Wuhan, where the majority of Coronavirus cases have been reported. McCue said that they already had time blocked out for the Chinese New Year so, initially, the production halt did not seem like a huge deal. He then said that more and more delays kept coming in, and the conversation turned to worries of overloaded and chaotic ports causing even more delays when people return to work. McCue said that this is not the first time Walbro has dealt with a global event like this. He said that, in 2011, when the deadly earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, they had five days of no contact with the people that worked at their Japanese plant. He also brought up an interesting point about Coronavirus by comparing it to the SARS virus that spread years ago. McCue said that the SARS virus was more deadly than Coronavirus, but Coronavirus is spreading much faster than the SARS virus. Another interesting point McCue and Kern talked about was the stock market’s surprising response to Coronavirus, as the market is still trending positive.

Consumers want reliable, long-lasting products that perform as promised. They also want the most economical solution they can find. But by doing so, they run the risk of buying defective or damaged merchandise. On this episode of Talkin' Shop, a Walbro podcast, Mike Pattullo, senior engineering manager, broke down tips for protecting consumers from defective, lower-priced and possibly harmful counterfeit products, explaining his and the company's mission of being dedicated to anticipating customer needs and delivering innovative solutions to a world that demands a cleaner environment. "We produce the highest quality products in the industry and maintain compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements," Pattullo said. When searching for online retailers, consumers need to be aware of websites featuring low priced offerings that contain doctored images with the Walbro name. Pattullo reminded consumers that "when you get the product, if it says wall door on it, there's a high likelihood it's a genuine Walbro part." The off-market versions often don't work, and when they do only last for a few months. Pattullo stood his ground: they don't stand up against Walbro products. "When we've tested side-by-side with our copycat competitors, it's no comparison. Sometimes those parts don't even last a few months," Pattullo said. Walbro has no plans on slowing down its response to fakers in the market. "We're becoming more aggressive, we have to be our reputation is at stake," Pattullo said.

As the long days of summer come to a close, Walbro Channel Marketing Director Bob McCue looks to cooler weather for what maintenance consumers should be aware of heading into fall on this month's episode of Talkin' Shop with Walbro. In this new episode, host Tyler Kern sat down with McCue to discuss what's on tap for exciting new niche markets such as radio-controlled airplanes and drones, what's new in production changes worldwide, and the state of fuel so far this year. "For 69 years, Walbro has been a carburetor business. But Walbro is entering a phase shift with Walbro 2.0," McCue said. "We're excited the transformation of Walbro from mechanical to electronic fuel injection. Some really interesting production changes are happening." For example, Walbro was integral in one particularly successful production change with EZ Go Golf Carts. The Georgia-based company shifted from traditional carburetors to electronic fuel injector technology, which improves fuel economy, reduces engine service needs, and lowers emissions. "This was a huge shift for EZ Go, going from full carburetion to full electronic fuel injection, where many companies will opt to do 50-50. They went 100 percent fuel injection and it's been really successful," McCue said.

Emissions remain a point of concern for products that utilize fossil fuels. OE manufacturers of vehicles and outdoor power equipment are all looking for ways to reduce the carbon output of their products as they simultaneously improve product efficiency. On today’s episode of Talkin’ Shop by Walbro, channel marketing director Bob McCue returns to the podcast for a conversation on how the design of the company’s latest fuel pump helps curb evaporative emissions. According to McCue, when it comes to evaporative emissions of small engines, 31% originate at the fuel tank, 29% from the pump, and 40% from the carburetor. OEM’s have total emissions standards that they must meet, so improvements to any of those three items are welcome. That’s where Walbro’s newly engineered FPF fuel pump comes in. The innovative redesign replaces the nuts and bolts of the previous model with ultrasonic welds that create a better seal and helps prevent evaporative emissions from escaping the device. While OEM’s will no doubt appreciate how the fuel pump assists in meeting the required standards, McCue pointed out that “the actual goal was to make it better with the ethanol content” found in today’s blended gasoline. “We want to make it failsafe so when the consumer buys E15 fuel, they’re not causing damage to their product.” McCue went on to reveal that the device also has a QR code that can be used to help troubleshoot problems. It’s just another innovation that places Walboro in an industry leadership position. “We’re giving customers what they don’t even know they need.”

There are so many different types of gasoline available on the market now, including ones with various levels of ethanol. Unfortunately for the consumer, there is not much education available at the pump or even behind the counter. How are they expected to know which type of gasoline is best for their car, boat, or outdoor power tools?

Adrenaline. Exhilaration. Focus. For a professional racer, life behind the wheel is a wild ride...literally. Especially in Forumla Drift, the level of attention is raised to new heights. This translates right back to the car, too, where racers take great pride in the contents under the hood that help make the unstoppable forces on the track. Justin Pawlak, Formula Drift Racer, came on the podcast to tell us about becoming his car's own pit stop. We get to hear what about Formula Drift makes his blood race (pun intended), the level of personal responsibility he takes for upgrading his car, and how C&R Racing, an after-market racing manufacturer, empowers Justin by matching his enthusiasm and expertise in making a master-class racing vehicle.