River Valley

Freer Auto Body Owner Tim Freer antes up with training and equipment investments as insurers place more administrative burdens on shops and labor rates lag behind.

Freer Auto Body takes on vehicle technology demands with proactive measures

Godfrey, Ill.— Looking across the vast expanse of Styrofoam sheeting insulation and hundreds of feet of tubing for the in-floor radiant heating system, Freer Auto Body Owner Tim Freer pointed out the enhancements to soon come to the 7,900-square feet addition nearing completion. Two Globaljig Koala...

Lou Fusz Chrysler Dodge Jeep General Manager Mark Mercer (left) and Service Manager Brad Hubbard stand in front of a Jeep Wrangler inside their showroom that showcases some of the available customizations for customers to choose from.

Lou Fusz to open standalone Jeep dealership

O’Fallon, Mo.— “It’s a Jeep thing” and Lou Fusz Chrysler Dodge Jeep understands good and well what it means to embrace a growing market for the off-road product. General Manager Mark Mercer and Service Manager Brad Hubbard say they are about to take the dealership to the next level. Opening in...

Roadkill Stars Bring Family-Friendly Zip-Tie Drags To Madison, Illinois

MADISON—August 23—Roadkill stars David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan will bring their family automotive event, Roadkill Zip-Tie Drags, to the Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois, on Friday and Saturday, September 15-16, 2017. Gates for the Madison event will open at 3:30 p.m. on Friday,...

HOT ROD Drag Week 2017 to Crown “Fastest Street Car in America,” September 10-15

LOS ANGELES–August 22, 2017–HOT ROD announced today that the 13th annual HOT ROD Drag Week 2017 Powered by Dodge and brought to you by Gear Vendors Overdrive is back to determine the title of Fastest Street Car in America at the September 10-15 competition. Competitors will be put to a grueling...

Ranken Launches New Partnership with MOPAR CAP LOCAL -- A Prestigious National Automotive Training Program

St. Louis, Missouri. August 18, 2017 -- Ranken Technical College is proud to announce that it is now a committed participant in the Mopar CAP LOCAL national program. Ranken’s automotive transportation technology program will partner closely with designated local Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCA)...

Jefferson College Automotive Technology Shop Renovation Ribbon Cutting Set for August 18

Start your engines…to celebrate the completion of a $170,000 renovation project designed to improve student learning in the Jefferson College Automotive Technology program, a ribbon cutting ceremony will be held on Friday, August 18, at 9 a.m. in the Automotive Shop located in the Career and...

River Valley People & Places - August 2017

ILLINOIS The Automotive & Collision Industry Job Fair will be Friday, Sept. 29, at Gateway Motorsports Park, 700 Raceway Blvd., in Madison. The event is held by the St. Louis I-CAR Committee, which has joined forces with NHRA and the U.S. Army Youth & Education Services (Y.E.S.) Program and...

Amy Redfield began in the family business as a teen in the detail department before returning several years later to learn the ropes from her father, Greg, seen with their new 3,000-square-foot detail center.

Second-generation Redfield to take reins

Festus, Mo. — At the tender age of 18, Greg Redfield, owner of Redfield Collision Center, with locations in Festus and Farmington, Mo., had his sights set on owning and running a collision repair business, realizing that goal only three years later. Now, 41 years down the road, the “school of hard...

Fall 2017 Career Fairs at SIU Carbondale

As mid-summer approaches, it is time to think of the fall recruiting season! SIU Career Services is excited to host two career fairs during the fall 2017 semester – the STEM Career Fair on Tuesday, September 19 and the University Career Fair on Wednesday, September 20, 2017. Both fairs are...

Matt Wilson and his family and crew celebrated the opening of Wilson’s second location of Dents Express in St. Charles. Wilson said his team completed a lot of work to open the location that specializes in light-hit collision repair and refinish work.

River Valley People & Places - July 2017

ILLINOIS The Automotive & Collision Industry Job Fair will be Friday, Sept. 29, at Gateway Motorsports Park, 700 Raceway Blvd., in Madison. The event is held by the St. Louis I-CAR Committee and is an opportunity to meet hundreds of potential employees from area technical schools. Generated...