---
title: "Franchisee Voices: Mark McClain of Christian Brothers Automotive"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/03c73cf0-38c3-4d89-b5ec-7c57622cc513
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/franchisee-voices-mark-mcclain-of-christian-brothers-automotive-9299
category: "Repair & maintenance"
industry: "Automotive"
segment: "Repair & maintenance"
published: 2017-01-13T21:16:01.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T04:12:22.839Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/118aa3a100616c6827745766d52ab7f38281.jpg
---

# Franchisee Voices: Mark McClain of Christian Brothers Automotive

**TL;DR:** Mark McClain, a multi-unit franchisee, shares his experience of starting his own business and becoming a franchisee of Christian Brothers Automotive. McClain and his wife were drawn to the Christian Brothers Automotive concept due to its ethics and values.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2017-01-13. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/franchisee-voices-mark-mcclain-of-christian-brothers-automotive-9299).*

## Story

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.

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.

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.

Visit the International Franchise Association’s @OurFranchise website for more stories of passionate local franchise owners, employees and their communities.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Automotive (sector)
- International Franchise Association (company)
- franchisee story (topic)
- business ownership (topic)
- Christian Brothers Automotive (company)
- automotive industry (topic)
- BNI (company)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/franchisee-voices-mark-mcclain-of-christian-brothers-automotive-9299). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/03c73cf0-38c3-4d89-b5ec-7c57622cc513).