Born in Frankfurt, Germany, and growing up in Washington Heights in New York City, Frank Leutz became an accomplished trombonist with multiple appearances at Carnegie Hall, performing with greats Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Dave Valentine, Branford Marsalis, Lionel Hampton, as a jazz\salsa musician with the McDonalds Tri-State Jazz band.
After high school, he chose to travel the world, serving in the Navy until 1990 when he got married and decided to enter the automotive industry. After learning the ropes as a mechanic, he ventured out starting his first automotive shop in 1996 with $4,000, a used hoist, floor jack, and lots of naive determination. Six years later, he profited through the sale of that business, and in 2004, opened Desert Car Care of Chandler in Chandler, Ariz.
Desert Car Care expanded to a second location in 2009 and third in 2012. Both were sold in 2013 to focus on the Chandler operation, which grew to become a nationally recognized and award-winning seven-bay, top one percent national gross revenue automotive repair shop.
Frank took his leadership abilities to serve as president of the Phoenix Chapter of the Automotive Service Association from 2013-2017. In 2016, he was elected, and continues to serve, on the National ASA Mechanical Operations Committee, representing over 5,000 independent garage owners across the country.
That same year, he launched Wrench Nation, a national platform to educate on all things automotive through the award winning Wrench Nation Car Talk Radio Show that he hosts weekly on Wednesday from 4-5 p.m. MST on 88.7 FM The Pulse. The live show is then repurposed as a podcast and distributed through additional radio stations and podcast distribution channels with approximately 10,000 monthly downloads and guest appearances by Magnus Walker, NHRA Champ Robert Hight, Craig Jackson, Cody Walker, Dave Kindig, Dennis Gage, and many more colorful automotive industry talents!
Leutz continues to be a sought-after car care expert for Phoenix Metro TV networks to educate the public on car care tips and national automotive news, as an industry expert on various panels, and he presents at automotive conferences, such as Ratchet & Wrench, Automotive Service Association (ASA) National, and Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX).
Leutz states, “My journey will never be complete as there are many discoveries and ventures of helping the human spirit and sharing the great bounties of life’s experiences with many, and always remembering that, 'Success is not final, and failure is not fatal…It Is the courage that counts.'"
