September 21, 2018—The first day of the 2018 Ratchet+Wrench Management Conference took place in Lombard, Ill., with a sold-out attendance.
The day started with an opening keynote speech by Joe Marconi, owner of Osceola Garage and Ratchet+Wrench columnist. Marconi delivered the first "How I Did it" speech in a series that carries over throughout the event's Ratchet+Wrench Talks.
Presentation topics in the afternoon included "The Apprenticeship Blueprint", "The Keys to Effective Rebranding" and "Mastering the Client Experience". Rissy Sutherland, industry entrepreneur and Ratchet+Wrench columnist, presented the second "How I Did It" talk on her career opening more than 400 shops.
Other presenters included Leigh Anne Best, owner of Mighty Auto Pro; Donny Seyfer, owner of Seyfer Automotive; Brian Weeks, owner of Auto Center; and Brian Sump, owner of Avalon Motorsports/Urban Autocare.
The day ended with a cocktails and networking hour and Kickoff Party, which was sponsored by Ford Motorcraft.
