Working on cars, cycles among senior music major's varied AU experience
If going to college means experiencing as many things as possible, then Ashland University senior Grant Vance is the poster child for that.
“Grant is one of those people who is always curious and doesn’t shy away from the unknown,” Associate Professor of Art Dan McDonald said. “Grant took my sculpture class, probably because he saw it as a way to learn some practical skills, as well as all the other things that are part of a core aesthetics class, of course.”
In that class, Vance said he learned how to weld, which was a big upgrade with all the mechanic things he does.
Not only does he do basic vehicle repairs and service, but the music major also works on motorcycles, race cars and planes.
Yes, you read that correctly. Vance is a music major who plans to attend the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics (PIA) after graduating in the spring with the hope of becoming an airplane mechanic.
“I originally wanted to become an airplane pilot, but getting more interested in being a mechanic kind of set me toward being an airplane mechanic,” said Vance, who will start a 16-month aviation technician training program at PIA’s Youngstown branch on April 28 before spring commencement May 3.
Then, why major in music?
“That’s kind of the other side of my life: playing guitar,” Vance said. “It’s what I love, it’s my passion. I love doing music. I will definitely keep doing music as long as I can.”
While looking at the path toward becoming a pilot, Vance found out that flight schools only require a bachelor’s degree for admission – any kind of bachelor’s degree.
“I kind of realized I don’t have the skills to make music a full-time job, so I always banked on having something else,” he said.
‘A crappy car’ leads to flipping, repairing and servicing vehicles
He can thank buying “a crappy car” when he was an AU freshman for changing that “something else” from pilot to airplane mechanic.
When he took his “crappy car” to a shop for some repairs, he said the quote was around $3,000, which was about twice as much as he paid for it.
Because he had done some basic work on his family’s cars, Vance decided to try and fix the car himself.
“I fixed it for about $300,” said Vance, who then sold it for a little profit and bought another “crappy car” and fixed that one up even better and made more of a profit.
“So, I have been flipping cars and learning how to fix them since then, and I have been doing motorcycles as well,” he said. “At this point, I’ve flipped nine cars and six or seven motorcycles. I have been paying for school doing that.”
That morphed into Vance Auto, a mobile mechanic service. He does on-site vehicle service or pickup.
While it has been mostly through word of mouth, this past year he began marketing Vance Auto with posters around the AU campus and posts on social media.
While it’s mostly for family, friends and AU students, faculty and staff, Vance said he will do basic vehicle service and repair work for anyone.
“The Vance Auto thing is brilliant,” said McDonald, who helped Vance get started with this side business. “I used to do something like that when I was an undergraduate and it is a benefit for everyone involved. Someone willing to dive into such things learns that changing brakes is a fairly simple task, and taking your car to a mechanic to do it is anything but cheap. If other students are interested (or don't have the time, tools, etc.) then Grant can do that work for a fraction of the price yet make a decent hourly rate.
“I'm surprised more people don't do it, but sadly, most people aren't as willing to dive into such things,” McDonald added. “Grant has an entrepreneurial spirit that keeps him always looking for opportunities.”
Playing guitar also a big part of Vance’s Ashland University experience
That entrepreneurial spirit also comes in handy with the music side of his life, earning him some money playing guitar gigs. He has played with various local bands, including Rare Vintage 10, a 10-piece band that plays weddings and events, as well as some larger venues like the Ashland Bandshell.
Recently, Vance has been playing with jazz bands in the Cleveland area that he has mostly received through his guitar teacher, Jeremey Poparad, an adjunct at AU who has been more than happy to help Vance with gigs.
“He’s been a pleasure to teach these last few years,” Poparad said. “I’ll be sad to see him go when he graduates this spring but I’m confident that he’ll be successful at his future pursuits.”
While Vance hasn’t worked on any of Poparad’s vehicles, he said Vance fixed one of his guitar stands that someone stepped on at a gig and broke.
“Grant was able to save it by welding the broken pieces back together,” Poparad said.
One guitar-playing gig for a wedding at a local church, brought him into contact with Bob Harris, owner of Mantac Motorsports in Ashland, said Vance, who added that he often shows up at Mantac to see if they have any race cars that need some basic work that he can do.
Just as Mantac lets Vance do some basic mechanical work, so does an Ashland man who owns some small planes at the Ashland County Airport that he got to know from running cross country with the man’s son at Ashland High School, Vance said.
This past summer he went to Missouri to fly with a pilot and met a lot of plane mechanics who allowed him to do basic plane work.
Electric skateboard helps Vance get to vehicle jobs and classes
Being a commuter student who only lives minutes from the AU campus, Vance rides an electric skateboard to most of his mechanical jobs and classes, as well as to his third, yes third, side hustle: walking dogs.
“I can ride my skateboard to someone’s car, put it in the trunk and drive it home,” he said. “That works out pretty well.
“It’s a bit easier to take a vehicle home because that’s where all my tools are,” said Vance, who added that his parents are supportive of him working on vehicles in their garage.
Saving people money is one of the things Vance enjoys most about his side hustle, Vance Auto. Learning more and about fixing things with each job is another.
“It’s been a lot of fun doing this kind of work,” Vance said.
For more information about Vance Auto, email (gvance@ashland.edu), text or call (419-685-0181).
