Don't Ask Her How Long She's Been in the Industry

After years of avoiding it, Kathleen Schmatz gave the Meet A Member presentation at the ACC spring meeting

She opened with a history of the trade press in America, retribution for years of Meet A Member presentations that included the history of vehicle suspension, extruded rubber applications, and spark plug profiles.

Hailing from Akron, Ohio, Schmatz offered a history of the "Rubber City," and of Babcox, which started in 1920, with Edward S. Babcox's purchase of India Rubber Review (renamed Tire Review). Schmatz noted high regard for Tom B. Babcox, who hired her; and unprecedented company growth under the leadership of the third-generation president, Bill Babcox. Babcox publishes seven monthly magazines; quarterlies on behalf of NASCAR and NHRA; supplements and annuals; a twice-each-day Internet-based news service called aftermarketnews.com; an electronic search engine called aftermarketworld.com; and custom publishing projects and market research.

Schmatz was born and raised in Buffalo, N.Y. - birthplace of Cheerios, Kazoos, wiper blades and endorphin-kickin' Buffalo chicken wings. She attended Kent State University (during the "interesting years") and majored in literature and journalism. She received her Masters from the University of Akron. "Brenda Starr" Schmatz began as an assistant editor at Babcox in 1972 and has lied about her age ever since. In the early days, she described herself as the 'woman in the aftermarket without the wet T-shirt on,' and attended trade shows, motorsports events, meetings and seminars. From editing, she was promoted to marketing services and began public speaking in September 1979. Her oft-repeated "No Beach, No Speech" quip was initiated at a Hilton Head ACC meeting in the '80s.

Claiming to "have a life" outside the biz, Schmatz has a brilliant and beautiful daughter, a house, a husband of 27 years, and hobbies. She has tried to give back to her community in Akron and is proud of founding The Judith Resnick (Challenger Astronaut) Scholarship Fund for women who seek careers in science and technology, along with mentoring programs and a board seat at Ardmore Inc, in support of people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities.

Schmatz serves on a number of boards and committees, helped found the Women's Board of the Car Care Council, and has received the Northwood University Education Award. Vice president and group publisher at Babcox, Schmatz celebrated her 29th anniversary with the company this year. "I try my level best to be actively engaged in this industry with a sense of purpose and sense of humor," she said. "It's a blast."

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E-mail:
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