Franchisee Voices: Mark McClain of Christian Brothers Automotive

Tell us about your background.

I grew up in Somerville, TN just east of Memphis, which is a little farm town community. I attended State Tech in Memphis for college where I studied civil engineering. Since then the school has changed names to Southwest. After coming out of college I went to work for a construction company in Memphis designing asphalt for interstate systems. From there I moved to Chattanooga to help start up a fabrication company along with four additional business partners. We were building tow trucks at that company.

I sold that and got into steel recycling, working as a regional manager for PSC Metals. Then I worked for another industrial recycling company called Columbus Recycling, where I ran a yard in Chattanooga. Since college I also took two years of online courses studying wildlife conservation.

How did you hear about Christian Brothers Automotive and why did you choose to get involved?

My wife and I wanted to branch back into business ownership and began looking into purchasing a Chik-fil-A. We wanted to open a business that aligned with our values and had integrity. A franchise seemed like a good option because you have a higher success rate rather than building a business from the ground up.

My best friend’s sister and her husband were opening a Christian Brothers in Memphis and he introduced us to the concept. We knew pretty immediately that CBA was the right opportunity for us. We loved the background of the company and its ethics, so Christian Brothers is something we just really want to be a part of. We signed on and began the process of becoming franchisees in May 2015.

I’ve never worked in the auto repair industry professionally, but I grew up on a farm and my dad worked for an airline, so I was always learning to fix things and rebuilding tractor motors as a kid.

What’s next for you and your business?

I’m in the process of joining BNI (Business Networking International) and we’re also excited to take part in CBA’s corporate office initiative of donating 10% to organizations and are looking in to doing that, as well. We’re excited to make a difference in our community.

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