Nov. 27, 2012— FenderBender and its sister publication for the mechanical auto care industry, Ratchet+Wrench, will each feature a dynamic new expert voice starting in their January issues.
Kevin Rains, owner of Center City Collision in Cincinnati, joined FenderBender as a columnist and Mitch Schneider, owner of Schneider’s Auto Repair in Simi Valley, Calif., signed on as a columnist for Ratchet+Wrench. Each will produce monthly columns for the magazines, offering real-world insight and advice to help shop owners and operators improve their businesses.
Rains grew up in the collision repair business and during the last eight years, he’s grown Center City Collision at a remarkable rate, achieving an 800 percent sales increase through word-of-mouth and strategic partnerships. He still runs the shop from day to day, but also spends time coaching shop owners to develop their own successful marketing plans. His Body Shop 2.0 website serves as a resource for shops looking to advance their operations. Rains’ columns will focus primarily on marketing, leadership and shop operations.
“I want to give back to the industry that has given me so much,” Rains said. “And I believe that FenderBender is positioned as the leading publication and authority in the collision industry with its wide national perspective, balanced reporting on shops of all types and sizes and an overall forward-thinking approach.”
Schneider is a fourth-generation auto service professional whose family involvement in the trade dates back to the repair of the first automobiles, or horseless carriages. Schneider is also a respected trade journalist, author, blogger, educator and seminar facilitator. He is an expert in all aspects of automotive service, maintenance, repair, and shop management. He will bring a vast wealth of experiences, success strategies and lessons learned to the pages of Ratchet+Wrench each month.
“A few months ago I noticed something new and different in with the mail piled on my desk. It was new trade publication I'd never seen or even heard of before: clean and crisp with terrific production values and intelligent writing,” Schneider said of Ratchet+Wrench. “It was different, and at a time when other publications in the industry are cutting back on non-technical editorial content, Ratchet+Wrench was almost exclusively focused on the things I have been passionate about for years: best practices, process, profit, management and leadership — the understanding, strategies and inspiration needed to succeed in our industry.
“It wasn't long before I found myself anxiously awaiting the next issue, thinking, ‘I'll bet it would be a blast to work with these guys and be a part of this fresh and very new way to look at our industry: fun to share their vision and be part of their team.’ Well, starting in January I'll have the opportunity to do just that and I can’t tell you how excited I am!”
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