Representing the fourth generation in her family to dedicate a career to the automotive industry, Michelle Nelson founded B2B Automotive, a full-service marketing agency that specializes in serving the collision repair industry.

Nelson stated, “B2B does pretty much anything the shop needs from managing I-CAR and OEM assessments and securing DRP relationships to designing websites and managing social media. B2B Automotive has the tools and skills to help a company reach its goals of an innovative, responsive and secure web presence.”

Nelson’s great-grandfather opened the Harley Graves Garage in 1932 in Macomb, IL, and he passed his love of automotive down to Michelle. “My love for automotive is in my genes.” She recalled, “I grew up in shops and learned estimating, body repairs and mechanical work. Because of my family background, I recognized the need for targeted marketing in the automotive industry when I was 18 and founded my first agency, Media Mix, with $300 and unrelenting determination, merging my love for the auto shop industry and marketing; however, I still miss the comradery in body shops at times.”

Media Mix became B2B Automotive a few years later when Nelson relocated to St. Louis where she developed a team focused on putting clients first. In 2012, new opportunities drew Nelson to the West Coast where she strengthened her client base. Nelson noted, “Today, B2B has grown to a national full-service agency serving automotive collision repair shops, towing companies, vehicle dealerships, and auto collision repair equipment and paint supply distributors in 33 states.”

B2B Automotive now employs 15 marketing specialists who boast 300 years’ worth of combined experience with more than 500 responsive websites and over 5,500 customers.