Growing up in a home with a solid work ethic, Marty Fritz listened well to the advice he received from both his parents.
“My parents guided me throughout my life and balanced me with their direction. The best piece of advice my father gave me still stays with me today. My dad always used to say, ‘If it is to be, it is up to me,’” said Fritz.
“Those twenty letters and ten little words packed a powerful punch and spurred me on to become successful,” he said.
Today, he is NuVinAir Global’s National Director of Operations and he sees a wealth of opportunities that await the company.
Check out our 5 Questions with A NuVinAir Global Leaders below, featuring Marty.
Can you describe the path you have taken for your professional career?
I started in the automotive business while I was going to college because I wanted to make a little extra cash. After I earned my degree in psychology, a friend offered me a management position in the industry. I fell in love with it and never looked back.
I always had a curiosity about what make people tick. I really wanted to understand what inspires people or what holds them back.
My knowledge of psychology and people helped me grow professionally and I began to rise in the automotive world. I spent nearly twenty years of my professional career with CarMax where I was the Senior Operations Manager. While there, I had the responsibility of setting the strategies for the stores and providing the vision, direction and motivation for my team. It was extremely rewarding.
For me, it has always been about building an energetic and engaging culture that fosters a team environment. I like to find what works and just build off of that success.
Why NuVinAir Global and what makes this company special?
Years ago, I met Troy Blackwell (NuVinAir Global’s Chief Operating Officer) while we both worked at CarMax in Roseville, California. We built an immediate bond and friendship, so we always kept in touch with one another throughout our careers.
A little over a year ago, I had moved to Dallas to help a start-up company and I saw a post about NuVinAIr that Troy had made. I called him up and Troy invited me to visit the corporate office and watch a demonstration of the product. I was blown away by how effective NuVinAir’s line of products are, especially ReKlenz-X, an EPA-approved, eco-friendly disinfectant that kills 99.9% of germs, bacteria, and viruses. With the pandemic and people having their health be top of mind, NuVinAir could not be better positioned to provide real solutions to the entire industry and to consumers.
It is those positive attributes that NuVinAir’s products bring that makes me so excited about my work. I It is one thing to fix a car, but it is a totally different feeling when you satisfy a customer. NuVinAir is able to provide both.
What are your thoughts about the COVID-19 pandemic, and do you have any advice for dealerships during this difficult time?
The pandemic has provided a unique opportunity for NuVinAir and its franchisees. With COVID-19 not going away anytime soon, consumers are wanting to gain confidence that businesses are putting safety as their priority.
It is no longer about cost so businesses just can’t look at how much something costs anymore.
Customers are going to want their vehicles and their transportation modes to be safe, so sanitization and disinfecting are the top priority. With NuVinAir’s ‘Total Health’ suite of vehicle-cleanliness solutions and hygienic vapor treatments, customers can regain their sense of health and personal safety. It’s a win-win for everyone.
What opportunities lie ahead?
There are so many opportunities. One example that springs to mind is bus transportation. With school starting up across the country, parents and school officials are thinking about how to keep their children safe from the coronavirus as they get on that bus. Buses are just one mode of transportation. There are also rental agencies, valet services, auto collision shops and insurance companies that need to address the sanitation and disinfecting of vehicles. NuVinAir’s total health suite of solutions is the answer to those problems that just makes the most sense.
Until recently, any possible solution to killing the virus involved harmful chemicals and expensive equipment. NuVinAir’s newest product, ReKlenz-X, disinfects and sanitizes and it kills 99.9 percent of germs, bacteria, and viruses all without compromising a vehicle’s interior or the safety of those applying it.
We are a business that knows the automotive industry like the back of our hand and all of our products are geared to that vertical. We don’t want to be that company that just throws themselves out to every industry. We want to offer our customers consistent effective results. That will be the differentiator as to why everyone will keep returning to NuVinAir for health and cleanliness.
What’s something people might not know about you?
Even though I grew up in Houston, I am a huge snow-skier. I’ve lived and traveled across the entire country, so any chance that arose where I got to go skiing, I took it. I started in Loveland, Colorado when I was about twelve-years-old and I’ve been strapping on skis ever since. I also really enjoy snowmobiling, especially at the Continental Divide region in Colorado.
People also may not know that I’m competitive with myself and passionate about building success. Throughout my career, whether it has been working with a large corporation or a small company, I always ask myself, “How does each step I take make the company more successful?” Just as importantly, I also ask myself, ”How will my actions make the customer successful as well?” Fortunately, I have found NuVinAir allows me to explore both of those desires to the fullest extent. I have never been at a company where so many positive opportunities exist.