MOUNT AIRY, Md., Dec. 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Many auto repair shop owners across the country face the same issues: packed bays but shrinking profit, complex financial decisions, disappearing cash flow and endless stress. A new book released this month, Beyond the Bays by CPA/ABV Hunt Demarest, aims to change that equation with a practical blueprint written for the shop floor—not the boardroom.
Demarest, host of the podcast Business by the Numbers and a partner at Paar, Melis & Associates, has built his career advising independent auto shops on financial strategy and operational profitability. After years of answering the same challenges from shop owners—and responding to hundreds of questions from his podcast audience—he wrote Beyond the Bays as the first truly practical financial field guide for the industry.
“The mission is simple: give shop owners clarity—without the accounting jargon,” Demarest said. “It’s the conversations we’ve already been having with real shop owners, the same problems that come up repeatedly—and the solutions that actually work in real bays with real employees. I wanted to give owners something they can use immediately and build a better business.”
Beyond the Bays breaks down complex financial topics into plain language, including pricing, profit margins, technician pay structures, fraud prevention, cash flow and growth planning.
The book also includes guest insights from shop owners and industry leaders who have applied these principles in their own operations.
One of the contributing shop owners, Travis Troy, owner of Honest Wrenches in Des Moines, Ia., said the book answers the operational questions owners rarely get real help with.
“Most of us learned this industry from the shop floor—not an MBA program,” Troy said. “This book finally puts the financial side of running a shop in language we can understand and actually use. It’s the tool I wish I had ten years ago.”
Beyond the Bays is available now on amazon.com.
About Paar, Melis & Associates
Paar, Melis & Associates (PMA) is a nationally recognized accounting and advisory firm dedicated exclusively to serving auto repair shop owners. With decades of industry-specific experience, PMA helps independent shop owners take control of their financials, improve profitability, and plan strategically for long-term success.
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