Before Craig McLain became CEO of Kenneth’s Complete Car Care of Kingwood, he had a lifelong passion for racing and working with cars—and the repair shop helped him achieve both.

“It was always like a home base for me,” McLain said of the Kingwood shop.

When a young McLain needed money to start racing, his dad referred him to a close friend, Kenneth Majeski, who founded Kenneth’s Complete Car Care in 1976. By the age of 10, McLain was cleaning the shop for $20 per day.

McLain continued to work for the business on and off even after he graduated from Kingwood High School in 1999. McLain returned to the business in 2005 when Majeski reached out to him after incurring major damages from Hurricane Rita.

“I’ve always looked up to him like a dad or an uncle,” McLain said. “He needed help, so I came back to work full-time.”

Although McLain left the shop in 2012 to work as an insurance adjuster, he was asked to come back to serve as Majeski’s right-hand man five years ago.

The shop, which McLain said he believes is the second-oldest business in Kingwood, features 59 repair bays and newly renovated spaces—both of which were part of a $500,000 expansion in 2017. The business offers collision and maintenance repairs, including brake, electrical, engine and cooling system repairs.

Office Manager Kristal Cahoe said she believes longtime employees and generations of families remain loyal to the business because they treat people like family and go above and beyond for them.

McLain said the employees once had to repair electrical wiring, remove carpeting and set rat traps in a customer’s car that was infested with rats.

“Customers calling you a godsend by taking care of the people and their needs is what makes all the hard work worth it at the end of the day—that and the sound of a race car motor,” McLain said.

Kenneth’s Complete Car Care
1900 Northpark Drive, Kingwood
281-358-8474
www.kennethscarcare.com
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m., closed Sat.-Sun.