Member Profile: Aaron Barnhart of Go Powertrain
Q: Tell us a little about yourself!
I grew up in Dayton, Virginia, and have remained here ever since. My wife and I were both raised just a few miles apart and have known each other since childhood. Today, we’re raising our three children on my family’s property now home to four generations.
I graduated from Turner Ashby High School while simultaneously completing a two-year program in Automotive Technology at Massanutten Technical Center. After graduation, my first job was selling parts at a Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep dealership, where I got my first hands-on experience in the industry.
Q: Please tell us about your journey to becoming a CEO.
From an early age, I worked alongside my dad, whether farming, selling firewood, or doing whatever we could to make ends meet. He was always trying something new, and I inherited that same entrepreneurial spirit. He taught me one of the most important lessons of my life: nothing comes easy, and you have to grind for everything.
Oddly enough, I never thought I was cut out for sales and avoided it for my first five years in the dealership world. But I had a mentor who not only taught me sales strategies but also helped build my confidence. Each year, I grew stronger in that role.
After 10 years at the dealership, I recognized a serious gap in the market with a real need for a dependable, service focused powertrain supplier. I took a leap and started Go Powertrain with just $5,000 and a strong belief that I could do it better. At my core, I’ve always been about taking care of customers, so it felt like a natural extension of who I am.
Q: How are you promoting leadership development at Go Powertrain?
I believe in identifying and developing talent early. We actively promote from within and make it a point to have honest conversations with our team about where they want to go. We use a survey that asks each employee where they see themselves in One, Two and Five years, what they need to get there, and what support we can provide along the way. It’s part of our commitment to growing leaders, not just employees.
We also integrated with a company called Right Now Media that has over 25,000 videos on everything from leadership, customer service, teamwork, and even personal development (finances, marriage, etc.)
Q: When you’re not leading your business, what do you like to do?
I spend my free time riding my adventure motorcycle, ripping down forest service roads deep in the woods. Getting off the grid and into the national forest just 15 minutes from home is how I recharge. Every year, a group of us takes on a major ride, typically 1,500 miles or more through remote regions. This year, we’re tackling a route that runs from southern Idaho all the way to the Canadian border.
Q: How has your Roundtable or Forum helped you be more successful as a leader?
My roundtable has been instrumental in my development as a CEO. The peer support, the shared challenges, and the diverse experiences create a valuable sounding board. Just recently, insights from my roundtable and a VACEOs quarterly luncheon helped me make the leap to hire our first COO. It’s already paying dividends, and honestly, I don’t know if I would’ve made that move without the clarity and encouragement I gained through this community.
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