A Waterloo High School graduate with a passion for automotive work has seen great success in recent competitions and will soon be competing at the national level.

After taking first place at the SkillsUSA Missouri East District competition in the field of automotive service technology hosted at Ranken Technical College, Ryan Mathes went on to take first in the State Leadership and Skills Conference at the State Technical College of Missouri in Linn.

Ryan is the son of Bud and Rachel Mathes of Waterloo. The family is well known in the community as owners and operators – beginning with Ryan’s great-grandfather – of Shelby’s Automotive Repair in town, with another location in East St. Louis.

Ryan, who graduated from WHS in 2022, will soon be graduating from Ranken, though he seems keen to close his trade education with a strong competitive showing as he will be participating this June at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, Ga.

SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization offering opportunities for middle school to college students interested in trade professions, including these competitions.

As he recalled, Ryan has long held an interest in automotives thanks to his father and the family business.

“My heart for automotives came from my dad,” Ryan said. “When I grew up, I was always in the garage with him, always hung out in the garage and learned how to use my hands working on cars and other projects that we had around.”

Ryan worked closely with his father in the shop since he was 13, and his interest only strengthened through high school, where he helped the WHS Hot Rodders see success in other competitions even after his graduation.

At Ranken, he’s received his Automotive Service Excellence qualifications in order to become an ASE Master Technician.

Speaking on the SkillsUSA competitions, Ryan said there are a myriad of areas the automotive field covers.

Several stations are set up, each testing a different area of expertise including alignment, component identification, brake issue detection, heating and AC repair and working on transmission gears.

Ryan noted that his preferred field is electrical work, identifying and diagnosing issues as he compares the intended circuit resistance with what he measures.

While hardly one to boast, he did speak about how happy he is with his recent performance.

“It definitely feels good to have achievements when you put your heart and soul into something,” Ryan said. “When it comes to studying and practicing and working for what you want, it’s a relief to get that achievement and move on, keep getting better and better at it.”

He additionally wasn’t shy about crediting his father for being so influential on his own automotive experience.

“I definitely couldn’t have done it without my dad, first off, because he taught me so much when I was little and helped me out,” Ryan said. “Showed me good work ethic and to work at what you want and you’ll get it one day.”

Bud spoke similarly about how his son has developed his automotive knowledge from a very young age.

He further praised Ryan, expressing his hopes for his son’s performance next month.

“I think he’ll do very well. He’s got a good background,” Bud said. “I think he’ll exceed in it and hopefully be at the top but, if not, he tried his best.”

WHS automotive instructor Tony Biffar also had high praise for his former student, saying he was confident about Ryan’s state performance given his attendance at Ranken and strong showing at the district competition.

“It’s in his blood. He’s got a rack in his garage at home where he’s working at cars all day and all night,” Biffar said. “The two shops that they own, that’s what he does all day, every day. He’s gonna be good at Nationals.”

Looking beyond his graduation this weekend and the June competition, Ryan plans on staying part of the family business.

“I definitely plan on working at the shop until I’m older and then eventually taking over both shops,” Ryan said.