The Institute Partnership Program

The Institute Certified Partner Program is here to help our clients find and identify the most successful support companies in the Industry.  We work with the best and want our clients to work with the best.

Running an independent repair shop combines heart-felt passion and tremendous effort. You devote long days and early mornings to doing right by customers and employees, looking for the perfect products, companies and software that will give you a competitive advantage. 

Making a poor decision can lead to wasted time, money, and energy, and may even damage your reputation. In order to help you make the best choices, we created The Institute Partnership Program, a gate-keeping process that turns our mission—Better Businesses, Better Lives, Better Industry—into easier choices for you. 

Using our approved vendors as an Institute member gives you two advantages. 

First, certainty: every Certified or Affiliate vendor on our roster has survived our intense scrutiny, and been tested by a minimum of 10 of our clients, helping you know that you can adopt their solutions with confidence. 

Second, our partners want to be successful with our clients so they work hard to make sure that you get what they promise.  

And, occasionally our partners will extend special pricing or added services available only to Institute clients.

You can see the full, up-to-date list of Certified Partners—along with current offers—at https://www.wearetheinstitute.com/our-partners. 

If you have a vendor that has helped your business succeed and upholds the Institute Values, please direct them to marketing@wearetheinstitute.com; we would love to have them in our program so they can help all of our clients. Remember, a rising tide lifts all ships.

If you are interested in knowing how we vet them - The partnership program follows a straight-forward, five-step path. 

Step 1: Application. A vendor completes a 40-question survey covering product details, financial stability, support metrics, ethics, and cultural fit. 

Step 2: Proof. They must show measurable success with at least ten Institute shops and provide three documented case studies. 

Step 3: Coach, Facilitator, & Staff Review. Our coaching staff interviews the vendor, checks references, and votes; 75 percent approval is mandatory. 

Step 4: Integration Plan. If their tool touches shop software, they present either an existing integration or a timeline with firm due dates. 

Step 5: Executive Approval and Re-Audit. Leadership gives the final green light, after which the vendor is re-audited twice a year. 

Those who clear all five steps—fewer than one in ten—earn the Certified Partner badge and we only have three partners per industry category. 

Vendors that pass our ethical and quality thresholds but still need time or data to reach the Certified bar are labeled Affiliate Partners and tracked closely until they qualify for the top tier.

Your experience also fuels the program. If a product or service has truly improved your shop’s efficiency, customer satisfaction, or bottom line, tell us. Your recommendation could start the next vendor down the path to certification and help even more shops thrive.

Thank you for trusting us to keep the gate. Together, every vetted partnership strengthens your business, your quality of life, and the industry we all love.

For a Better Business, Better Life, and Better Industry,

The Institute Partnerships Team