Helmut Derra's path to becoming a franchisee involved a few more turns than most entrepreneurs.
Derra started out picking up two very different degrees from the University of Kansas: a bachelor's in business and one in German. After graduating from KU, he joined the U.S. Army serving as an officer.
The Desert Storm veteran, whose last rank was captain, didn't stop learning during his time in the military. According to his LinkedIn profile, he earned an MBA from Central Michigan University while he served his country.
After four years in the Army, Derra worked in operations management roles at Airborne Express, a Seattle-based express delivery company and cargo airline that DHL acquired in 2003, and Z-International Inc., a North Kansas City-based manufacturer and importer/exporter of retail office products that shuttered in 2010 after more than 35 years in business.
In 1998, Derra joined Swedish-owned and Blue Springs-based Haldex Brake Products Corp. During his 24 years with the Haldex AB subsidiary, he rose through the ranks and became vice president of operations.
In that role, he was responsible for all remanufacturing and distribution operations in North America. According to Derra, that line of business generated in excess of $175 million in revenue.
As of 2016, Haldex Brake Products had two locations in the area: a manufacturing plant in Blue Springs that employed about 150 and its main U.S. office in the Northland area of Kansas City that employed about 150 people handling credit services, accounting, engineering, and sales and service.
He left Haldex in 2022 — a couple years after the business shuttered its Blue Springs manufacturing facility and transitioned its production of brake adjusters away from the U.S. to places such as China, Brazil and Mexico.
On Saturday, Derra celebrated the grand opening of his next venture: an AAMCO location at 5730 Troost Ave. in Kansas City.
The new transmission and car repair shop, which opened to the public May 1, has four bays with lifts and a 600-square-foot office area.
After buying the 5,000-square-foot building, it underwent an extensive renovation and modernization that included electrical, telecommunications and security work; updates to the restrooms; and applying AAMCO's paint scheme colors in the office and shop and to the service center's exterior walls. Upgrades to shop equipment included new scan tools, a training center, transmission lifts and improved lighting.
As a franchisee of Horsham, Pennsylvania-based AAMCO Transmissions Inc., Derra joins three other franchisees who operate eight AAMCO locations in the Kansas City area. In total, the eight local shops have more than 35 employees. The average AAMCO shop employs four people.
After launching his first AAMCO location, Derra said he intends to acquire additional territories.
Derra's interest in automobiles isn't limited to his time at Haldex or his new business. According to an emailed statement, he competes in road course and track races as part of the National Auto Sports Association. He also is a certified driving instructor for the association and Xtreme Xperience.
When asked why he chose an AAMCO franchise, he said via email that "My goal post-corporate America was to combine my passion for cars with the ability to help people within our local community."
