River Valley

2018 Awards & Scholarship Applications Now Available

AWARDS APPLICATIONS Service Facility of the YearThis award spotlights a single shop's efforts to promote professionalism in the automotive service industry, and judges review the business's practices, industry and association participation, community involvement and physical appearance of the...

Earl Flack (front left), president of McKay NAPA Auto Parts presents 2017 Make-A-Wish donation check along with customers and staff.

Mckay Napa Raises Over $64,000 For Make-A-Wish Il Local Children

Celebrating 80-Years of Customer Service… McKay NAPA Auto Parts, with its 20 Central and Midwest Illinois locations raised another huge benefit in 2017 for the Illinois Chapter of Make-A-Wish. McKay, the Family Owned & Operated Corporation since 1937, once again held a variety of fundraisers...

Ranken’s Tim Michel (right) announced a partnership with NC3 and FCA US to become the first area school to offer Mopar CAP LOCAL training. Students like Matthew Hennessey (right) and Austin Geisler will soon have the opportunity to graduate with Level 1 Mopar certifications after graduation.

Program to offer pipeline of new talent

Wentzville, Mo.—Starting in January 2018, students enrolled in the automotive technology program at Ranken Technical College-Wentzville will automatically be dually enrolled in a program in partnership with NC3 (National Coalition of Certification Centers) and FCA US (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles)....

Jay Sicht joins the Mid-Missouri I-CAR Committee.

River Valley People & Places - November 2017

RIVER VALLEY The Mid-Missouri I-CAR Committee has announced Jay Sicht as a new member. Elisabeth M. Sobczak, Performance training coordinator for I-CAR, said, “Jay brings a unique background and broad range of experiences within the automotive industry that adds another paradigm to our committee....

Reigning NHRA Top Fuel Champion Antron Brown talks to automotive students and instructors about how he got his start in racing and the career opportunities available.

St. Louis I-CAR draws 1,487 students to high-octane career fair

Madison, Ill.—Each year, 21,500 technicians leave the collision repair industry, with only about 10,000 graduates of training programs ready to fill those open positions, according to I-CAR’s Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF). Across the country, CREF has hosted local career fairs, and...

Hines Performance Parts celebrated its 30-year anniversary.

River Valley People & Places - October 2017

Mark Rhodes and Scott Rhodes are winners of MTD’s 25th Tire Dealer of the Year Award. The second-generation Rhodes brothers operate 62 retail stores in Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois and Kentucky with an estimated $80 million in sales, MTD reports. Since they purchased the business from their father...

Gregg Cordes (left) and Lance Getz, who is also general manager, have partnered to open Quincy Auto Supply, a PPG Platinum Distributor and Auto Plus parts store, after Cordes purchased Abbott Supply’s automotive division.

Mid-Nite buys Abbott’s automotive division to open Quincy Auto Supply

Quincy, Ill.—After a long working relationship, Gregg Cordes and Lance Getz have partnered to open Quincy Auto Supply, the only independent parts and paint store in that town, after buying Abbott Supply’s automotive division. As Cordes’ third Auto Plus-affiliated parts store and PPG Platinum Plus...

Owner Ben Schaefer’s average RO is $600 and business has increased, on average, $100,000 per year over the last three years. He’s set to break that mark this year.

‘Safety first’ is ride control mantra

Belleville, Ill.—As shock and strut manufacturers introduce fall promotions to get the word out on the importance of ride control, Ben Schaefer, owner of Schaefer Automotive, says customers should be prepared for the upcoming winter months by properly maintaining those systems. “We like to make...

Zara’s Collision Center — Deer Hits/Cash to Big Brothers/Big Sisters

Beyond the risk of driver injury, deer hits are disheartening and typically costly. To remedy some of that frustration, Zara's is donating cash to Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Illinois Capital Region October 1 - December 31 for each repair involving a deer hit. * 5% of deer-hit repair total up...

Ranken Technical College is Awarded $825,000 NSF Grant in Partnership with St. Louis Public Schools to Create New Education Concept (C3)

September 8, 2017 - St. Louis, MO - Ranken Technical College today announced a new partnership with St. Louis Public Schools. The core of this new partnership is an $825,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant that was recently awarded to fund this unique education alliance over three years. ...