Butler’s Curtis Hancock Offers Support to RCC Students in Their Future in the Automotive Industry

Curtis (in red) chats with RCC students after class.

It’s a normal Wednesday morning but Buter’s Curtis Hancock seems out of his element. Curtis is Butler Auto Group’s Service Manager, the behind-the-scenes-guy who keeps our handful of Service Departments running smoothly.

But today, he’s addressing a class of about 20 Rogue Community College students counting down the days ‘til graduating the automotive program in June. And Curtis is telling them what life in a professional shop is all about. He also includes other careers at Butler, from marketing to body work and everything in between.

Curtis has represented Butler at RCC’s Career Day for the past five years. The students seem to appreciate that he takes the time to answer all their questions. Questions like; how automotive technicians at Butler get paid, how many techs work in each shop, and what it means to be professional. They want to know how projects are assigned, and what companies look for in new hires. And most of all, they want to know if Curtis has any Butler Auto applications with him.

One consistent aspect of each of the students is that they are passionate about cars. One clean-cut, charismatic young man with the air of a budding politician firmly shakes Curtis’s hand before launching into a story about considering going into car sales. “But I love turning a wrench,” he says. “It always makes me happy.”

And it’s that kind of enthusiasm that makes Curtis keep coming back year after year. He says he enjoys participating in RCC’s Career Day because he feels like his real-world advice helps clear up many of the “unknowns” that accompany the transition from being a student to being an employee. He says that extra knowledge builds confidence.

His bi-annual Career Day appearances also build Butler’s workforce; Curt says he’s been so impressed with some of the students he’s met at the event that he hired them. Maybe he’s not so out of his element, after all.

The Importance of Checking Tire Pressure

Somewhere deep in the recesses of your mind you know you should be checking your vehicle’s tire pressure. In my world, this is one of those life maintenance tasks that loiters in some corner of my brain but only surfaces when I feel my vehicle’s ride is somehow off. Imagine my surprise at learning I should be gauging tire pressure every month! And not only monthly, but seasonally (cold weather can decrease tire pressure by up to 10 pounds per square inch! I never knew that).

Here are 5 keys to keeping your tires at their best:

1. Too much air equals less of your tires touching the road. Lowered surface area means you’ll need more room to stop. It also means you’re in for a bumpy, bouncy ride. Remember what happened in elementary school when you overfilled your red rubber ball? Yeah, it became a rocket when you bounced it during Foursquare.

2. Too little air in your tires leads to more surface area touching the ground. The result can be overheating and, ultimately, a blow-out. You know it’s time to pump those babies up when your tires squeal around corners.

3. Use your owner’s manual – it should tell you where on your vehicle to find the proper tire pressure (don’t go by the notation on the tires – that’s maximum tire pressure, not recommended tire pressure).

4. Get a tire gauge.

5. Finally, check every tire. Driving with unbalanced tires can lead to a whole other set of problems. And if you have any questions, give one of Butler’s Service Centers a call.

You’ll find a list of locations and phone numbers at www.butlerman.com/service-and-parts.htm.