11 month old Duke tries to take a closer look at a snowblower engine while Matt Ruch prepares to work on a new project.
MEDICAL LAKE – Being mechanically inclined is something Matt Ruch has been working on for years, and the U.S. Air Force retiree has recently opened his own business here.
Ruch runs Fairtoft Small Engine Repair and Service LLC out of his shop, and he said he can only take appointments through his business page of the same name on social media.
He said he has always put a lot of pride in his craftsmanship and is specializing in 4-stroke engines on equipment such as snowblowers and generators.
Ruch said he started out working on cars as a young man, and one of his favorite projects was his 1972 MGB GT that he overhauled.
He has since worked on cars and trucks of all sizes, but wanted to focus more on the equipment people use around their homes and properties.
Another local mechanic for West Plains ATV took Ruch under his wing to train him on the workings of smaller motors, he said, and that is what piqued his interest in business ownership over the past couple of years.
Ruch said he has already received a lot of community support, and he and other mechanics pass jobs and bids along to help support each other.
He said he really likes building partnerships in the community, and feels those partnerships are “the glue that holds communities together.”
Another driving factor was the fact that Ruch needed to be able to spend more time training his service dog Duke, an 11-month-old German Shepherd.
Ruch laughingly said Duke helps him diagnose the machines he brings in.
Ruch said he spent 24 years total in service for the Air Force as part of the Survival Evasion Resistance Escape support team and has worked on base as a civilian employee since retiring from service.
The veteran said he is grateful for what he has learned with the Air Force, but he is “excited for a change that will allow a slower lifestyle.”
Matthew O. Stephens can be reached at [email protected]
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