East Ridge Transmission History

East Ridge Transmission started business in 1973. It started as a general-repair shop in a rented building with a few tools, a floor jack and four jack stands. All Don Britton wanted to do when he first started out was to provide a living for his family.

Don had worked as a line mechanic and transmission mechanic for several car dealerships, starting in 1967. He saw very little respect for technicians, which had no benefits like retirement plans or vacation pay. Don said, “We constantly seemed to be in strife with management about getting paid even for the work we did. I got really tired of that scenario after working at about four dealerships in a period of about five years.” He also witnessed a lot of unethical practices, like unneeded parts on repair jobs and misleading warranty claims.

It seemed that starting a business was Don’s only option. He rented a building for $125 dollars a month. He struggled for the next 17 years, usually working by himself or with one or two helpers. During this time he didn’t make a lot of money, but he was building up a reputation for high-quality work.

Don decided something had to be change. He started attending some seminars presented by Terry Greenhut and Thom Tschetter, as well as other similar automotive management seminars. This taught him he needed to change the way he did business and priced. He also realized that he was going to have to hire more employees if he grew, and Don wanted to supply benefits for them that he couldn’t afford.

At that time Don started to communicate better with his customers, price his work more profitably, and market himself more effectively. “Then we began to make a little bit of money.”

In 1991 sales grew to about $191,000, that’s when they really started to change their way of doing things. Hiring new people, changing their image and appearance, and cleaning up the shop. Don also started to push technical training for his employees, and the business took off. East Ridge Transmission grossed $1.1 million in 1999. The shop has 13 lifts, including one for motor homes and other large vehicles, and 11 employees in the 12,00-square-foot building. Don and three employees are ASE Master Automotive Technicians.

East Ridge Transmission now has a benefit package, which Don believes is important to getting and keeping good employees. He also fosters trust with his employees by allowing all of them to have keys to the shop. “They can come and go of their own free will. They can work on their own cars on the weekends or their family members’ cars that they have to keep up anyway by using the shop. And they look after the company, and they’ve never taken advantage of me.”

This is the same approach he uses with customers. No customer has taken him to court or filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau in his 27 years he has been in business. Talking with the customer, sometimes compromising on the price or on some other point has accomplished this.

East Ridge Transmission provides a 3-year, 36,000-mile warranty on all rebuilt transmissions. In one case where a customer was stranded away from home, Don has paid for their motel room. He will provided a rental car at his expense if the customer needs transportation.

Don says, “We will do whatever it takes to alleviate the stress on a customer in the event that they have a problem with our transmission. Part of being able to do that is a result of charging enough money to start with so that we don’t feel any resentment about having to fix it again.”

He also tries to dispel the incorrect thoughts about what it takes to succeed in business.

“I’m a living testimony that if a man will serve the Lord and do what’s right – and that means being honest; paying everybody, including the government; treating his employees very well, doing better than average with them; and doing a good job with the work that he does and being honest with the customers- there is something really good that comes out of doing what’s right that is beyond what you can put on a spreadsheet or you can put in a P&L statement. I really believe that my success in my business has been a result of my having followed the principles of God, and I was not looking for success. Quit frankly, I was only looking to provide for my family.”

“My goal was to have a good, clean operation where my employees had a future. We did a wonderful job and took care of our customers, and we made a good living. That was really all I was looking to do, and I did far better than I expected. And I believe it’s just because the Lord, if you try to do what’s right, always repays in ways that you don’t expect.”

Don Britton's East Ridge Transmission
1409 Altamaha St
Chattanooga, TN 37412

Phone: (423) 899-7790
e-mail: East Ridge Transmission