EP# 58: Revving Up Responsibility: Brian Bachand's Story of Legacy, Conservation, and Community at Westover Auto Salvage

What makes Brian Bachand with Westover Auto Salvage  a good neighbor?

Have you ever wondered about the life and soul behind the metal and machinery of your local auto salvage yard? I, Liz Lemon, was thrilled to sit down with Brian Bachand of Westover Auto Salvage, a gem in Belchertown, Massachusetts, whose story is as robust and riveting as the engines he refurbishes. On the Good Neighbor Podcast, Brian doesn't just dismantle cars—he deconstructs stereotypes, revealing the modern reality of an eco-conscious recycling center that has evolved from the outdated 'junkyard' image. His narrative is not just about auto parts; it's a tale of family legacy, environmental responsibility, and the heartbeat of a community.

Stay tuned and join us for a journey that takes us through Brian's childhood adventures in the salvage yard, his formal education, and his eventual full-circle return to the family business, poised with a fresh vision to lead and innovate. We're not just talking shop; we're uncovering the human connections that drive the gears of Westover Auto Salvage. Brian's commitment extends beyond the lot, as he shares his involvement with both state and national auto recyclers associations, and how his role as a family man enriches every aspect of his work. Gear up for an episode that's sure to steer your perceptions in an entirely new direction.

To learn more about Westover Auto Salvage go to:
https://www.westoverautosalvage.com/

Westover Auto Salvage

(413) 323-4210

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Liz Lemon.

Speaker 2: 0:11

Welcome to Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of an auto salvage? Surprisingly, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your neighbor, brian from Westover Auto Salvage. How are you today, brian?

Speaker 3: 0:24

Good. How are you Liz?

Speaker 2: 0:27

Great, thank you. We're excited to learn all about you and your business. So tell us about Westover Auto Salvage.

Speaker 3: 0:33

Absolutely my pleasure. Thank you so much for having me on today. I'm Brian Bichon. I help own and operate Westover Auto Salvage here in Belchertown, massachusetts. My dad, paul Bichon, is the founder and the owner. He started the business in 1994 in Chicopee near Westover Air Force Base and he moved to Belchertown in 1996. We've been here on Bay Road since then and we started with a trailer and around 50 cars. To now we're being in the midst of having almost 40 acres with a three building facility and around 1500 cars. Our primary purpose for our business, I guess you could say, is we provide quality used auto parts at affordable prices. Try to put the people before the parts. But we also sell used vehicles and we're fully operational recycling center for the community.

Speaker 2: 1:21

Wow, that's amazing. How did you get into the business?

Speaker 3: 1:26

I guess my journey kind of begins right here. I mean, I wasn't born in one of our depiloted cars out back, but I might as well have been.

Speaker 3: 1:34

I've been running around the auto recycling industry all my life, from starting out as a little kid looting through the cars to going on deliveries into my teens to my grandfather and then working out back, cleaning and organizing and dismantling and learning mechanics until I went to college at Western New England University now and I got my bachelor's degree in accounting. So I went off and got my first real job and did that for two years and then I decided to make the decision that I was doing well there but it just wasn't home. So I came back here and we really took off ever since growing the business and really cultivating it and evolving it from 2015 till now, and including three kids and a fourth on the way. I guess this is really being back home and the place to go and to move forward in.

Speaker 2: 2:23

Well, congratulations on that and keeping it in the family going strong for sure. What are the myths and misconceptions of the auto salvage business industry?

Speaker 3: 2:33

I would say the priority that I have for that would be to say the myth of our business or industry is the term junkyard. There's still plenty of junkyards out there, but what they actually mean Westover Auto Self-Page is not a junkyard. A junkyard is like a slash and hack kind of mentality a place with not the best quality inventory, maybe not certified and compliant. They're places with junk and actual tires and autos scattered throughout, whereas that's our origin story autos scattered throughout. That's our origin story. I mean we're trying to rebrand and reimage ourselves and we're a car certified recycler, we're environmentally conscious and compliant and we offer gold seal product and services in a professional manner. I mean it's the image we're trying to repurpose to show our roots here, but also retooling and rebranding to show us that we're the leaders of our industry and that we're trying to re-educate the public about what auto recyclers actually do.

Speaker 2: 3:33

Absolutely, and we're doing that here today for sure. Outside of work, what do you do for fun?

Speaker 3: 3:39

I guess for fun, I would say it's not working in or on our business. I'm heavily involved in our industry as well, as a director on the board of the Massachusetts State Chapter of the Auto Recyclers Association and a member of our national association, the ARA, but I think for fun, which does involve auto recycling. I like playing and doing stuff with my children and my better half, Jessica, and I like to read and explore and to do yard work.

Speaker 2: 4:07

Absolutely Family man, for sure. Let's change gears just for a moment. Can you describe one hardship or life challenges that you rose above and can now say, because of it you're better and stronger? What comes to mind?

Speaker 3: 4:19

What comes to mind. It's a little vague, but I think it's more of a paradigm shift. So a hardship or challenge that I've really rose above is the stresses of work in our industry is really not the real world. We have similar problems like call outs or dealing with poor no help and I mean people not paying their bills to us as a business and unforeseen expenses, but being able to deal with that like excuses, lies and addiction is fairly prevalent in our industry. Seeing all this and dealing with everything that goes on at work just having that paradigm shift as how to deal with work and approach and perceive work at work and to leave it at work has been the biggest blessing and change in my life that I could have made and that I made it and I'm happy because then I'm moving forward with these new tools and strategies that, lo and behold, I had all along and just really powerful as individuals we are that we can't even get to imagine how just we can go forward with that mindset.

Speaker 2: 5:23

Right, compartmentalize, and everything has its time, everything has its place. I know that we touched base on a little bit that it's not a junkyard, but what is the one thing you also wish our listeners knew about? The Westover Auto Salvage?

Speaker 3: 5:38

I guess the one thing I want listeners to know about our business here, not just our industry, is that Westover Auto Salvage puts you before the parts. My mom likes to say we're in the people business. We just happen to sell quality or affordable use prices and parts. We want everyone to get what they're coming to looking for, whether they're calling or we just hear them. We want to be involved. So even if we don't have the part or even the service you need, we want to be able to be there, to be a leader, to recommend someone that does have that service or part. And we're really trying to pump the idea of the circular economy and also the fact that by using our parts you're lessening your carbon footprint, as well as finding new ways and innovative ways to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Speaker 2: 6:24

Right, that's important. That's definitely important, especially on a business side like reuse, recycle. How can our listeners learn more about Westover Auto Salvage?

Speaker 3: 6:34

I would say everyone and anyone can learn about our business here on our website at westoverautosalvagecom. Also by word of mouth I mean we're on Facebook, instagram, twitter, those and Yelp other customer service, customer Research Inc. Websites, but also by swinging down to 147 Bay Road I mean I'll be here. My dad will be glad to answer any questions and give you a tour of the site. But also more information about our industry can be found through our ARA, recyclers, association of Mass and the national affiliate online as well.

Speaker 2: 7:11

That's great. Is there a phone number you'd like to share as well?

Speaker 3: 7:14

Absolutely, it'd be 413-323-4210.

Speaker 2: 7:20

Fantastic Brian, family man keeping the family business going strong. We really appreciate you being on the show today, brian, and we wish you and your business the best moving forward.

Speaker 3: 7:30

Thank you so much. We appreciate it. Take care.

Speaker 2: 7:34

Bye now.

Speaker 1: 7:35

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnppalmercom. That's gnppalmercom. That's gnppalmercom, or call 413-414-5940.