John grew up in rural Ohio, and like any good jeans-boy, learned to drive on a tractor. Wheels started earlier than that though, with bicycles, mini-bikes, and all other sorts of things that moved. Childhood included a love of slot cars, building models, Hot Wheels, and whatever seemed like it looked cool and could possibly go fast.
John's career has taken him on several journeys that included a bunch of years as a IT consultant which included Dot-Com time, and travel throughout the U.S. and Canada. As demanding as work always was (and still is), there were always cars-- Looking at, thinking about, browsing ads about cars in L.A. and San Francisco, NYC, Paris, wherever.
John now has a very, very small stable of things he likes, including a vintage BMW, old Honda motorcycles, and a toe in the water with the SCCA. He also has a sidekick that helps him with wrenches and smaller, hard-to-reach places. For John, cars as a passion and data as a profession are essentially the bases of The Common Gear.
Jeff has been in and around the car hobby and various enthusiast circles since childhood, stemming from early exposure to off-lease German sedans his father bought for work and routine visits to Lime Rock Park. European marques still dominate his garage to this day, with a 1987 BMW 325is he's owned for 12 years and a 1986 Mercedes-Benz 190E Cosworth he rescued from a junkyard as cornerstones to an evolving fleet.
Starting out as a newspaper reporter, Jeff has been a storyteller since he could put pen to paper. His career includes multiple public relations agency stops as well as internal corporate communications roles. He has also moonlighted as a contributor to a variety of automotive websites and uses his background in journalism to create content that captures what it means to be an enthusiast in a rapidly-evolving hobby.
The Common Gear combines his love of content creation and vehicle documentation, along with a fervent belief that robust records management leads to a more rewarding ownership experience.
