At the age of 18, two months from high school graduation, Al Gray broke his back and sustained severe nerve damage in an automobile accident.
He spent the next six months in the hospital healing then working in physical rehab. He could not feel the back of his legs, his feet could not move by themselves and he lost all muscles in his right leg below the knee. Multiple doctors’ firm and consistent diagnoses that he could not walk never disheartened Gray because he didn’t believe them.
Gray has been defying probabilities ever since.
Gray had been working for Mark Trosclair in automotive service from the time he was 16 until the accident. Trosclair had taken an interest in the young man and kept in touch. Several months after the accident, Trosclair watched Gray prove the doctors wrong when Gray maneuvered up from the wheelchair to a walker, pushed forward one leg then the next (Gray uses muscle balance, propelling himself through his entire leg and torso).
Trosclair became Gray’s caretaker, and he never gave up on his protégé. He invited Gray to move into his house during his convalescence. When Trosclair became service manager at Teague Ford Lincoln in El Dorado in April 2000, Gray was motivated: “Ever since he started, I wanted to go up there.”
Trosclair, whom Gray dubbed his therapist, delivered ultimatums: “If you can walk around this car…” Then, “If you can walk around this car 10 times …”
When Gray passed the second test, Trosclair went to dealership owner Jeff Teague to hire Gray.
Teague was understandably hesitant, but on Trosclair’s enthusiastic recommendation, agreed. When he was told, “Jeff’s going to give you a try,” Gray said it the happiest day of his life. He started filing in the service department, but daily begged Trosclair to allow him to work in the shop. The labor was extraordinarily difficult with his physical challenges.
Gray’s observation comes from direct experience: “If someone has to try so hard at something, they get better than someone who has natural talent.”
Gray had always driven a five-speed pickup truck. Consistent with his narrative, when the doctors said “no” to the pickup, Gray said “yes.” When he had to have a second back surgery, he didn’t even tell his parents. He explained to Trosclair that he had to have another procedure, drove himself to Shreveport, and returned three days later.
A blind date led to marriage with the love of his life, Amber. She recalls seeing him as a groomsman in a mutual friend’s wedding and telling her mother, “He was such a hottie!”
Gray started at Teague at 19. He was soon allowed to work as a technician, and he acknowledges his education began: “Hydraulics, pneumatics, electrical, people skills … I grew up here.” Now 38, Gray earned his first master’s in drivability in 2004, then his senior master’s in 2010, and his efforts began to show to others: “When you work harder at something, you learn it better.”
In 2017, Trosclair asked Gray to lead his technicians in the Ford Professional Technician Society (PTS) Performance Challenge, a stringent assessment to maintain the highest standards of automotive service nationwide.
Every month enrolled technicians must score well on three requirements. First, they must pass a test comprised of four automotive problems they must repair virtually, for up to 100 points. Second, technicians must remain senior master certified, keeping up with training, updates and upgrades, for another possible 100 points. Third, in Ford’s “Fix it Right the First Time” program, technicians must receive 95 percent or above on all surveys from customers. This section covers more than the repair. Technicians are also scored on the car’s cleanliness, the amount of time taken, and the customer’s interaction with anyone else at the service department. Gray relates, “It takes time to make sure everything’s perfect. You spend time with the customer and the vehicle.”
On the national level, if a technician fails to correct even one automotive problem, he’s out. If his senior master certification lapses, he’s out. If his “Fix it Right the First Time” survey scores drop below 95 percent, he’s out. And he must follow through for 12 months straight. The difficulty filters out most technicians.
Eight years after his accident, Gray responded positively to his boss’s request: “I’ll do it. But if I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna win it.” His competitive spirit kicked in, matching his motto: “I came in second place one time …when my older brother was born.” Gray’s work ethic led to his earning the score of No. 9 in the nation, first in his (Memphis) region.
Teague recalled his surprise when his service manager suggested he hire a potential automotive technician who could barely walk, but says the gamble paid off, richly.
“I admire Al Gray,” Teague said. “He could have easily gone to the house and drawn disability, but he chose not to do that. He chose to rise above his physical infirmity. Al could hardly get around, but I watched him improve physically, intellectually, and mentally. He’s been an inspiration to me, and to many others.”
With some of the service demands in addition to his physical demands, Gray might feel he’s out of control, but that’s not the case, he says.
“The longer I’m in business, the more I see I have a lot more control than I think,” Gray said. “If you do your part to the best of your ability, 50 percent is in your control.”
He adds that “A shop full of good people” makes a difference, too.
“Being around people I don’t know, I’m self-conscious, because of the difficulty moving legs, walking,” he said. “People at the dealership don’t look at me as if I’m different than anybody in the world.”
In honor of his achievement, Ford has invited Gray and Amber to Dearborn, Michigan in September for a four-day, three-night celebration for the top 100 national achievers of the PTS Performance Challenge. They’ll tour a plant, see the proving grounds and test track, and visit the Henry Ford museum, as well as other activities.
Gray is looking forward to the trip, but he’s already set his competitive sights on helping his fellow technicians earn the same award.
“I want a shop full of senior masters technicians, want my service department to be the best, always strive for it,” Gray said.
He said he’s excited about getting the group on board to follow his footsteps. Hopefully, his coworkers can keep up, or match the pace, of this forward-striding young man.