Pannysylvania Magazine

HAMMOND, LA – July 9, 2026 – As AI continues to reshape how customers search for local businesses, Shop Marketing Pros is bringing four educational sessions to this year’s STX (Supplier & Training Expo), Worldpac’s training event for auto repair shop owners and technicians featuring hundreds of technical and business courses, arming independent auto repair shop owners with frameworks for adapting their search, advertising, and marketing measurement strategies.

Shop Marketing Pros, which works exclusively with independent auto repair shops, built the four-session curriculum around one goal: helping attendees walk away with strategies they can put to use immediately, not just theory to think about later.

Four Sessions Built Around AI, Advertising, and ROI

Founder Brian Walker will lead a session examining how artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing search behavior and what independent shops need to do to adapt, from how customers find local businesses to what it takes to stay visible when AI tools are doing more of the searching. Walker will also co-present a session with Hallie Wasinger covering professional-level advertising strategy, giving shop owners a framework for running ads with the same discipline and structure used by top-performing marketers in the industry.

Co-founder Kim Walker and Caroline Legrand will present a session outlining a comprehensive framework for annual marketing planning, walking shop owners through how to structure their marketing investments across the full year instead of reacting month to month. Legrand and Wasinger will then lead a data-driven session focused entirely on building an ROI roadmap, helping shop owners cut through vanity metrics and track the numbers that actually reflect whether their marketing is working.

Why Education Matters in a Changing Market

Search has changed more in the last two years than in the previous decade, and most independent shop owners haven’t been given a clear playbook for keeping up. Shop Marketing Pros designed its STX curriculum to close that gap, bringing its frameworks to one of the industry’s largest training events, alongside instructors from the Worldpac Training Institute and top OE and aftermarket partners, and giving attendees a practical understanding of where search is headed and what to do about it, rather than abstract theory or fear-based messaging about AI.

“The digital landscape is changing faster than ever with the introduction of AI in search,” said Brian Walker, founder of Shop Marketing Pros. “Our goal at STX is to cut through the confusion and give shop owners actionable, data-driven frameworks to protect and grow their market share.”

That commitment to practical, no-nonsense education has been part of Shop Marketing Pros’ approach since its founding, and the STX sessions extend that same philosophy to one of the industry’s largest stages.

What This Means for Independent Shops

The shift toward AI-driven search isn’t a future concern for independent auto repair shops; it’s already underway. Customers are increasingly relying on AI tools to find and choose where they take their vehicles, and shops that haven’t adjusted their search and advertising strategy accordingly are already losing ground to those that have. Add in the pressure of stretched marketing budgets and the difficulty of knowing which numbers actually matter, and it’s easy to see why so many shop owners feel like they’re guessing instead of strategizing.

That’s the gap Shop Marketing Pros built its STX curriculum to close. Shops that wait to adapt their marketing and measurement strategies risk losing visibility to competitors who move first, while shops that show up to STX ready to learn will leave with frameworks they can put into action immediately, not abstract ideas to revisit someday.

About Shop Marketing Pros

Shop Marketing Pros is a full-service digital marketing agency built exclusively for independent auto repair shops. Founded by Brian and Kim Walker, former shop owners who understand the business from the inside out, the agency delivers marketing solutions tailored to the unique demands of the auto repair industry.

Services include website design, search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, digital advertising, Local Services Ads, and social media management. Every service is built around one goal: helping shop owners get found, get chosen, and build lasting relationships with the customers in their local market. Shop Marketing Pros is headquartered in Hammond, Louisiana, and serves clients across the United States.

Media Contact:

Shop Marketing Pros

www.shopmarketingpros.com

Media Contact
Company Name: Shop Marketing Pros
Contact Person: Kim Walker and Brian Walker
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Country: United States
Website: https://shopmarketingpros.com/