E 18 Transtar’s Neil Sethi, from Healthcare to Hard Parts

06/08/22 • 25 min

During his recent AMN Drivetime podcast interview with Babcox Media CEO Bill Babcox, Neil Sethi, president and CEO of Transtar Holding Company, shares his fascinating journey from studying biology and medicine as an undergrad to shifting gears and finishing with an MBA focused on finance. Throughout this journey, which continues today in his role at Transtar, some key themes prevail for Sethi – the desire to serve and a passion to innovate.
“The most critical value proposition for us is really to help our customers solve their problems,” said Sethi, adding later in the interview that, “I think what I learned in medical school does translate – believe it or not – into the role that I have [today]. At the end of the day, it's all about working with great teams. It's understanding people and understanding how to work together. It's understanding how to work with people from all types of different backgrounds, with all different types of skill sets. [From] where I sit, it's about really solving problems, finding opportunity and being innovative. And I think that part of what I learned about healthcare and in medical school actually continues with me to this day.”
In this episode of AMN Drivetime, Bill and Neil also dive into the following topics:
00:45 Transtar’s partnership with Blue Point Capital Partners
01:43 The launch of Transtar’s first non-transmission product offering
02:48 New management appointments and what skillsets Neil believes make for a strong leader
04:45 How Neil made the leap from studying medicine as an undergrad to getting an MBA focused on finance and why
09:26 Family business and learning from his father-in-law, successful entrepreneur Monte Ahuja
10:22 What’s next for Transtar
13:56 How Neil defines the Transtar culture
18:00 The inside scoop on Transtar’s collision repair business based in Detroit
20:07 Passion projects: Can you guess what Neil’s hidden talent might be?
22:58 The popular new Lightning Round!
AMN Drivetime is sponsored by Litens.

Previous Episode

E 17 APA President Steve Tucker and His ‘Island of Misfit Toys’

After an extensive aftermarket career working in parts stores, machine shops and with major aftermarket suppliers, Steve Tucker, who was named president of Automotive Parts Associates (APA) in February of 2021, describes moving to the program group side of the business as a “shock.”
“You spend a lot of time in this business, and you think you know everything, and then, you switch gears and find out you know very little,” Tucker says. “It gave me a great perspective on how the customer thinks. No matter how much time you spend on the other side of the desk, when you get on this side of the desk, you start seeing things with new eyes.”
During his AMN Drivetime podcast interview with Babcox Media CEO Bill Babcox, Tucker also shared that working with the group of people at APA has been “another eye opener” for him.
“We all read about how the aftermarket is shrinking and consolidating and all those things, and the big box guys are taking share – and no doubt a lot of that is true – but what I really find is that all of these independent warehouse distributors are very entrepreneurial. Over here at APA, probably more so than some of the other groups. We have a lot of guys that have found a niche and it's really hard to get people out of that niche. They're high-end European or Asian or tuner specialists or heavy truck specialists. I call us ‘the Island of Misfit Toys.’ We have people who fit in here who may not fit in any other group, and you know, I enjoy being the leader of those ‘Misfit Toys.’”
In this episode of AMN Drivetime, Bill and Steve dive into the following topics:
1:34 How leading APA has been an “eye-opener” after a career on the supplier side
3:47 How Program Groups Stay Competitive
4:28 The critical importance of solid data for program group members
5:29 His passion for finding new brands
7:15 Plans for APA’s future growth: “If you don’t grow, you die.”
8:23 The biggest issues APA members are concerned about today
9:45 A look back at Steve’s career on the supplier side
11:00 Steve’s secret hidden talent (spoiler alert: his go-to karaoke song is ... )
12:08: The biggest issues the industry should stay focused on today
13:50 The popular new Lightning Round!
AMN Drivetime is sponsored by Litens.

Next Episode

E 19 Tendeco Sales’ John Lussier on the Value of Made in the U.S.A.

In this latest episode of AMN Drivetime, Babcox Media CEO Bill Babcox sits down with John Lussier, president of Tendeco Sales Inc., under which the Litens brand resides. In the interview, the two executives talk about a variety of important industry issues – from supply chain challenges to sourcing, R&D, OE heritage, international business and more.
Having been born in Argentina and educated in Venezuela, Lussier says that experience has certainly helped him lead an international business however, he points out that the continued value proposition of the “Made in the U.S.A.” still holds weight around the globe.
“For me personally, in my automotive career, it's helped me a lot into understanding other cultures and how that might benefit and learn to work together. Obviously, it's a very important thing,” Lussier said. Yet he also shared, “... having grown up in South America and then subsequently moved to the United States, I learned early on what it meant to be ‘made in the United States,’ because that translates into quality around the world.”
In this episode of AMN Drivetime, Bill and John also dive into the following topics:
00: 56 Litens history and its involvement in the invention of the tensioner
04:25 The vehicle technologies Lussier is keeping a close eye on today
6:36 How growing up in Latin America informs Lussier’s his role as an international business leader today
8:08 Just how many languages does Lussier speak?
8:10 What “made in the U.S.A.” really means to Lussier
9:23 How Litens manages today’s continuing supply chain challenges
10:55 The importance of R&D and how Litens differentiates itself in the market
13:09 Diving into the details of having “OE heritage”
14:40 Funny stories from the road
16:35 The popular and insightful Lightning Round
The AMN Drivetime podcast entertains and educates listeners, conversing with today’s top aftermarket drivers and industry leaders who are having an impact on the automotive aftermarket industry. This bi-monthly podcast offers candid, one-on-one conversations between Babcox Media CEO Bill Babcox and notable figures in the automotive aftermarket, sharing their experiences and life lessons as they have traveled the aftermarket.
Bill Babcox is the third generation to run the Akron, Ohio-based media business and not only has a number of great stories and insights to share, but also has had the good fortune to get to know a number of fascinating people in the automotive aftermarket today. Tune in to these captivating conversations covering topics ranging from key industry issues to the deep personal insights developed over years of experience in this dynamic industry.
AMN Drivetime is sponsored by Litens.