RWMC Kicks off Opening Day

Sept. 23, 2017

The first day of the Ratchet+Wrench Management Conference kicked off Sunday at The Westin Lombard near Chicago with two Super Session workshops led by renowned shop operators Rissy Sutherland and Brian Sump.

LOMBARD, Ill., Sept. 24, 2017—The first day of the Ratchet+Wrench Management Conference kicked off Sunday at The Westin Lombard near Chicago with two Super Session workshops led by renowned shop operators Rissy Sutherland and Brian Sump.

During Sutherland’s session, “Nothing But Net,” attendees were given a look at how Sutherland’s strategic business plan, which she calls her “road map,” helped Honest-1 improve sales by more than 30 percent year over year and grow to nearly 100 locations nationwide. Sutherland shared the keys to achieving these margins.

Sump, owner of Avalon Motorsports and Urban Autocare in Denver, shared his secrets to becoming the leader that your business needs in order to grow during his Super Session, “The Three Keys to Effective Leadership.” 

During Sump's interactive presentation, he asked attendees to talk about someone that had inspired them as a leader and to share the reason why. He then touched on the different leadership styles: autocratic, task oriented, transformational, charismatic, bureaucratic, servant, democratic. After describing what each style looked like, he asked the audience to share what type of leader they felt best described them. Once they did, Sump explained that each style has it's pros and cons and its up to owners to find out which style best suites them. 

Attendees capped the day at the event’s orientation party.

The Ratchet+Wrench Management Conference is a three-day, hands-on educational event for owners and operators of auto service businesses. The event kicks into high gear on Monday with a keynote presentation from Purple Heart recipient John Kriesel, as well as a full slate of business-building breakout sessions led by some of the industry’s top operators. For more information on the event, and a full schedule of events, visit rwconference.com.

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