TECHNICIAN TUESDAY: Alex Trank

For this week’s Technician Tuesday, we headed over to MINI of Buffalo to meet Service Technician, Alex Trank! Alex has been in the automotive industry for about six years now.

Alex knew from a young age that he wanted to work with cars. Alex says that when he got his first car, which was a MINI, he wanted to learn to the maintenance and upkeep on it. After learning how to do the basics like breaks & change oil, he figured, why not make a career out of it?

Alex enrolled in the Automotive technology program at Erie Community College and graduated in 2020. While still in school, he began as an Apprentice Technician at the MINI dealership before being acquired by West Herr.

While Alex has been in the automotive industry for about seven years now, he’s been on Team West Herr for almost three years! Back in 2023 when West Herr acquired MINI of Buffalo along with three other stores, Alex had the choice to stay, and he mentions he was a little nervous, but wanted to give it a shot.

I was a little scared of some changes coming, but that’s normal,” Alex says. “In the long run, it’s working out really well,” he adds. Alex has some brand loyalty to MINI Cooper and wanted to do anything he could to stay with the brand.

Alex says he really enjoys being a West Herr employee and loves all the employee appreciation events that are put on. He mentions that the Summer Employee Appreciation Picnic is always a great time and one of his favorite memories!

When Alex isn’t working, he loves to stay active and busy. You can catch Alex at the gym, playing video games & hanging out with friends during his off time! He is also an avid concert goer and recently just saw one of his favorite bands, Turnstile. “I’ve been waiting to see them for a long time. It was really fun,” he says.

Alex mentions he is lucky to still work with a lot of the same employees from when he first started out. One that he wanted to shout out is a fellow Technician, Brett Marino. Alex says he learned a lot from Brett, especially when he was first starting out. He also wanted to give a shout out to his Service Manager, Mark Huber. Mark has been in the MINI community for a long time now but recently stepped over to our West Herr Volkswagen store for a little bit. Now, he’s back to his roots at MINI of Buffalo! “Mark has always been a great Service Manager & mentor to me,” Alex says.

Looking towards the future, Alex has a lot of goals for himself in his professional life. “I’ve made the President’s Club a couple years ago, and I’d like to do it again,” he says. Alex also mentions that he would love to work toward becoming Master Tech Certified for MINI.

You can tell Alex is very passionate about his work and is very knowledgeable about his craft. His favorite work to do is anything with the transmission. “I love doing the big jobs. Ripping things apart and putting the puzzle back together,” he says. One tool that Alex absolutely can’t live without his quarter inch ratchet! Alex says for anyone looking to get into the field, to make sure you are truly passionate about it. “Make it fun, don’t make it like a class. Just try to enjoy it,” he says. He suggests getting a project car and trying to learn hands on. Alex is currently doing that himself! He recently purchased a 1983 Porche 944 and is fixing it back up.

We are so proud to have Alex on Team West Herr, and we can’t wait to see all that he accomplishes. Keep up the amazing work, Alex!