Q: How long have you been with Mike’s Auto Body?

A: 1.5 years

 

Q: How many years of industry experience do you have? 

A: 12+ years 

 

Q: Favorite part of the job? 

A: The problem-solving of how to repair a car correctly from the collision and the face of the customer when they see their finished car 

 

Q: What do you do when you’re not working at Mike’s Auto Body? 

A: Spending quality time with my family and dogs

 

Q: Major interests? 

A: Cars, sports and my kids

 

Q: What is one thing you want to do in your life (Bucket List?) 

A: Sky diving

 

Q: What sports teams do you follow and what are your favorite teams?

A: Warriors,49ers and the SF Giants

 

Q: Favorite movies? 

A: Rock and John Wick

 

Q: Favorite TV Shows?

A: Animal Kingdom and Street Outlaws

 

Q: Pets and their names?

A: An English Bulldog named Brutus

 

Q: Favorite outdoor activities?

A: Most outdoor activities especially board sports, wakeboarding and snowboarding, etc.

 

Q: Magazines or newspapers you read? 

A: Hot Rod and Street Trucks magazines

 

Q: If you could have any kind of car, what would you get and why?

A: 1971 Camaro split bumper because that was my first high school car

 

Q: If you could have lunch with anyone (dead or alive) who would it be? 

A: Michael Jordan

 

Q: What are some of the customer service things you’re proud of at Mike’s Auto Body and describe your view of what exceptional customer service is?

A: At all locations we strive for the “WOW!!” experience even though dealing with a negative situation as a car crash or accident 

 

Q: What are some of the changes you’ve seen in this industry over the years and how has Mike’s Auto Body reacted to these? 

A: More electronics in cars and mixed metals that requires an advanced technical repair. At Mike’s Autobody, we always thrive for pursuing the most updated training and technologies within the collision repair industry in order to stay ahead of the learning curve

 

 

Administrative Professionals Day was a night of craftsmanship and handiness held at the PPG Training Center in Concord for our office staff recently. The ladies had the opportunity to create a decorative and personalized project of their choice during this fun and memorable evening.

By working with Carone Creations, our administrative staff was able to create unique gems for the home by building, painting and creating useful and decorative items.

Our Office Manager in Walnut Creek/North Main Michelle O’Brien made a welcome sign for the front of her house and loved every minute of it. “It was two hours of fun and unwinding with your fellow employees,” she said. “How can anything be better than that? Mike’s is a great company to work for and this is a great example why.”

CSR at our Pittsburg location Nancy Mencarini had a wonderful time. “As always, our administrative celebration was a huge success. We had an awesome time using our Martha Stewart talents with co-workers, were served a dinner of delicious food and “thirst quenching beverages”…. a good time was had by all!”

Property Jennifer Harriman believes that events such as these foster a team effort at Mike’s Auto Body. “It was a great evening getting our CSR’s, Office Managers, Call Center Team and Corporate support staff together. It is a great time for the staff to put a face with a name and socialize on a personal level. This year’s projects are definitely something to keep for years to come, ranging from a serving tray, a welcome sign and a sign with your family’s name. Events like these help to build teamwork, even though everyone works at separate locations we are all One Team One Mission.”

 

 

Mike’s Auto Body’s nationally recognized Benevolence Program has given away 81 vehicles to deserving individuals, families and non-profit organizations over the past 19 years. Once again this MSO gave a deserving family a “Gift of Charity Wrapped in Dignity”, but this one went to a member of the military.

On May 17th, Coast Guard SA Austin Stewart received a completely refurbished 2014 Honda Accord. In honor of the Coast Guard Chief’s 99th Anniversary, Mike’s Auto Body presented the completely refurbished vehicle on the Coast Guard Island in Alameda, CA.

Mike’s Auto Body’s Sal Contreras and Dane Dearlove once again coordinated the car presentation and luckily the weather was perfect. Contreras has been one of the coordinators of Mike’s Auto Body’s Benevolence Program since day one, but this presentation stands out in many ways, he said. “When we found out that the Coast Guard Chiefs here in Alameda were celebrating their 99th anniversary, we knew it would be a great opportunity to partner with the Chief’s by helping them celebrate their anniversary and to thank them for their service by giving a car to one of their own Coastie family,” he said. “Coast Guard SA Austin Stewart is a worthy recipient and seeing him and his family’s gratitude, it really means a lot.”

Dearlove said that he was delighted to be able to help a member of the Coast Guard with Mike’s Auto Body’s 81^st car giveaway. “It was surely a wonderful day and a great event for all of us to be involved in some capacity. To have the opportunity to share our Benevolence Program with the United States Coast Guard and celebrating the 99th birthday of the Chief in a great city of Alameda was simply amazing.  There is no doubt that our Alameda shop does outstanding work, and this car really shows it!”

Owner Mike Rose is proud of what his company has achieved for nearly two decades. “It has been so rewarding over the past 19 years presenting cars to deserving families and single parents who are working to improve their skills and become independent,” he said. “We are delighted to be associated with the Coast Guard and giving a car to recipient SA Austin Stewart.”

Mike’s Auto Body’s Benevolence Program is a community relations program whose mission is to present refurbished “new” used cars to deserving individuals or organizations. Everything is donated; the cars, parts, paint, mechanical inspections, tires and one full year of insurance and the body and paint technicians donate their time and talents.

Mike’s has been participating in the Benevolence Program for the last 19 years around the Bay Area and has donated 81 cars to the community. Upcoming Benevolence presentations are coming on Veteran’s Day and during the Christmas holiday. For more information about our Benevolence Program, visit the company web site at: www.mikesautobody.com.

Recognized as one of the finest shops in the country, Mike’s Auto Body’s Concord VDM location recently received the prestigious 2018 On Your Side Showmanship of Excellence Award by Nationwide Insurance for its outstanding customer service and over-the-top community involvement.

Mike’s was selected as a “top shop” in Nationwide’s On Your Side (OYS) Repair Program for the Western Region. Only seven shops nationally out of the 4,000 OYS shops receive this highly respected award.

A statement from Nationwide Insurance was issued in recognition to the award. “Through integrity and consistency, Mike’s Auto Body has become a stand-out organization, often going above and beyond to make sure that customers are getting the best service possible. As an avid contributor to the community by way of leadership, multiple sponsorships, generous donations and charitable giving led by their nationally respected Benevolence Program, they have earned a stellar community reputation and loyal customer following.”

“This award was established to recognize the best of the best in our repair network,” said Sal Lallian of Nationwide Insurance, who works closely with all of Mike’s 17 locations. “Our partnership with Mike’s Auto Body is longstanding and is a true testament of what can be accomplished when we share the same goals for our customers. We are privileged to recognize their efforts and successes and happy to give Mike’s Auto Body this award.” Also in attendance at the awards ceremony held at our Concord VDM location was Jon Paul, Nationwide’s Associate Zone Director.

Added Brennan Rose CEO of Mike’s Auto Body talked about the value of the award. “We are honored to receive such a prominent award from Nationwide. I appreciate our relationship with Nationwide built over many years and honored to receive the prestigious On Your Side Showmanship of Excellence Award by Nationwide Insurance. I could cite numerous examples of how we give back to the communities we work and live in. Many people know about our 19-year-old Benevolence Program, our annual Food Drive for the food banks, our annual Toys for Tots drive, how we have stepped up for the American Cancer Society, how we have helped elementary school children, whose parents could not afford an annual field trip to the zoo, and we stepped up to make it happen. We don’t do these things for awards, but it’s always nice when a great organization like Nationwide Insurance recognizes us for our community outreach.”

In a statement provided by Mike’s management, it discusses the entire company’s culture. “We understand that keeping a customer informed throughout the process is essential. We make every effort to show as much empathy as possible, while educating the customer in the details of the repair process. While at the same time driving a triage process to maximize efficiency in the repair process. In the same line of thought, we think of giving back, to the people and communities we work in and live in, as just doing our job. We want everyone to have that sense of pride of who we are and what we do. As part of the management team, it is our commitment to drive the culture of our business. We like to say it is in our DNA. Words mean nothing, unless action is behind those words. We truly are one big family, and everyone has input and actions to make us who we are. That is one team and one mission.”

Appeared in Autobody News 

With a 10-year relationship with Rossmoor in Walnut Creek, CA, Mike’s Auto Body is proud to be a part of this senior community by sponsoring its two big annual golf tournaments and providing prizes for their monthly bingo nights.

Mike’s Auto Body’s Sal Contreras and Dane Dearlove have played significant roles at Rossmoor and get nothing but accolades for their outreach and charitable efforts on behalf of Mike’s.

Dickey Nitta, Past President of the Rossmoor Men’s Golf Club has been living at Rossmoor for 11 years. He has developed a relationship with Mike’s over the years and loves working with Sal and Dane. “Mike’s Auto Body is a wonderful company because they are willing to give back to the Rossmoor community,” Nitta said. “They sponsor our 10th hole (a beautiful par 3 with an elevated tee box) and seeing their smiling faces is always a delight.”

Chuck Moran ran last year’s golf tournament, so he knows hole sponsors like Mike’s Auto Body are essential to its success, he said. “Mike’s Auto Body is a loyal supporter, and we really appreciate their enthusiasm and how they are so willing to help us on many levels. We support a wide range of charities here at Rossmoor, including the Rossmoor Fund. It helps residents who need financial assistance and receive it anonymously through this fund.”

The current President of the Rossmoor Men’s Golf Club Pat Iacullo will be coordinating this year’s tournament held later this month. A 4-year resident of the community, he praised Mike’s for being an integral part of both tournaments–the men’s and the women’s held annually.

“They step up at Mike’s and are not afraid to help us every time we ask,” Iacullo said. “Sal and Dane are well-known for sponsoring hole #10, which is a great hole. They provide snacks and beverages and are always willing to give us some encouragement and we really appreciate their participation. They’re like rock stars around here!”

Sal Contreras has seen Mike’s Auto Body’s relationship with Rossmoor as it has grown over the years. “Back in 2013, we were invited to Rossmoor’s 50th anniversary and we also did a float in their parade that year,” he said. “Helping their residents has been great and making them comfortable is a big deal. If they get into an accident, we make it easy for them to take their cars to our Walnut Creek and Lafayette locations. No one ever likes getting into an accident, so being there and playing a role as an advocate is something we like to do for Rossmoor and their residents. Rossmoor is very protected and selective of who they allow into their community and we feel fortunate to be involved with their residents.”

Dane Dearlove calls it a win-win. “Rossmoor is a special place and every time I go there I automatically decompress,” Dearlove said. “We have sponsored them for the past ten years, but we also keep them informed about today’s cars and answer all of their questions and concerns. They know that if they get into an accident, we are there to take them through the process and make the whole experience as easy as possible.”

Recently, Dane and Sal presented an educational seminar about autonomous cars and all of the new cutting-edge technology that exists in new vehicles. “We keep them informed and they really seem to appreciate the class we presented there ,” he said. “We always tell the residents that if they ever have a question, never hesitate to call us and we do often hear from them.”

Brian Tilley, the manager of Mike’s Lafayette’s location enjoys fixing vehicles for the residents of Rossmoor and sees the value in the philanthropy that the company has been performing for more than 47 years. “When the people from Rossmoor bring their vehicles to us, they often talk about what we have done for their community and they are also very aware of our Benevolence Program,” he said. “To foster a strong relationship with Rossmoor, we make sure to give excellent service to their residents and I know they truly appreciate it. Word-of-mouth is a huge thing at Rossmoor, because the seniors there interact with each other all the time. So, we always make certain to provide the best service we possibly can to some of our most-loved customers.”

About Rossmoor

Development of the Rossmoor community began in 1963, and today there are approximately 6,700 residential units, ranging from co-ops, to condos, single-family homes and congregate living. Homes vary in price from around $200,000-plus for co-ops, to around $450,000 to $700,000 for condos and $800,000 to over $1 million for the single-family homes and garden-style condominiums.

Rossmoor offers excellent recreational facilities including 27 holes of NCGA-rated golf on 18-hole and 9-hole courses with practice areas and a driving range. There are three community swimming facilities, a full-service fitness center, 10 outdoor tennis courts, lawn bowling greens, bocce courts, billiards, a state-of-the-art table tennis facility and a dog park with artificial grass and paved areas for socializing. In addition, Rossmoor is surrounded by miles of beautiful hiking trails.

Rossmoor residents (55 years or older) participate in an abundance of activities, including concerts, dances and classes covering art to literature. The community has five clubhouses, a large event center for major theatrical productions, a movie theater, a full-service restaurant and bar, a computer information center, hobby and craft rooms, picnic grounds, meeting rooms and a social center.

 

For a healthier planet, Mike’s Auto Body uses waterborne paint manufactured by PPG in all of its 17 locations. This environmentally friendly paint is part of the company’s plan for being a responsible, forward-thinking and conscientious part of each business community in which they repair cars. By getting world-class support and advice from PPG and its jobber FinishMaster, Mike’s is set up for success now and in the future.

Once Mike Rose’s Auto Body made the decision to PPG in October of 2009, the first task was to get its painting staff trained on using the product. It was easily done, because PPG’s training center is in Concord, CA, centrally located for all of Rose’s shops. “All of our painters and preppers went through PPG’s one-day training class, as part of the PPG’s Convert with Confidence program,” Brennan Rose said. “The training is excellent and within a very short time, everyone was comfortable painting with the Envirobase High Performance. Since then, we’ve had zero comebacks and no glitches and our staff is putting out the cars like clockwork.”

Northern California PPG Regional Manager Rob Hengemihle knows the collision repair industry inside and out. He started in 1988 as a painter and has been with PPG for the past 18 years. “It’s a privilege to work with the Rose family and all of the people at Mike’s Auto Body, because they stress quality and PPG is a quality product,” he said. “The ENVIROBASE is a environmentally responsible paint with less pollutants in the air, but the painters still need to take the proper precautions and that’s why we are constantly working with Mike’s painters to learn the proper techniques and use them on a daily basis. We work closely with Territory Manager David Miller and Refinish Instructor Marlon Medina to use best practices and keep all of Mike’s locations informed, so that they can adhere to I-CAR requirements and become familiar with new products and processes. We also tell them in advance before PPG’s new colors come out, so that there are no surprises when it comes to dead-on color matches.”

To make certain that every paint technician at Mike’s Auto Body is as good as they can be, each one is re-certified annually at PPG’s Training Center in Concord, CA. “Mike’s painters, preppers, technicians and estimators come to the center and get some hands-on experience,” Hengemihle said. “We have a great instructor named Marlon Medina who has trained countless painters over the years. Refreshing their skills and learning new techniques is key and that’s why we make training a priority at PPG.”

To provide support and monitor things such as performance, quality and inventory control, FinishMaster’s Sales Manager Dave Atwater is invaluable to Mike’s Auto Body on several levels. Dave handles the East Bay/North Bay territory representing PPG with a highly-skilled crew consisting of six sales reps and two technical reps.

“We basically go to every Mike’s location at least monthly to find out how they’re doing and what they need,” Atwater said. “Our technical advisors are Junior DeAvila and Matt Luna and they’re some of the best in the industry. We want to set Mike’s up for success and make sure that every car painted with PPG ENVIROBASE looks incredible. We meet on a regular basis to get feedback from the management at Mike’s. We discuss issues with Lupe Algood and then he goes back to Brennan Rose and Steve Kelly to communicate what we’ve discussed.”

It’s a team effort that includes Atwater’s sales reps and technical reps with the ultimate goal of helping Mike’s paint departments to be more productive and efficient, Atwater explained. “There are a lot of different variables that can affect their production, such as the weather. We have a lot of microclimates all over the Bay Area and a waterborne paint is affected by things like humidity. So we have to continually monitor that carefully in order to make sure that Mike’s is producing the finest finished product available.”

By tracking paint usage and productivity, Mike’s works with FinishMaster to interpret the numbers and act accordingly. “Our Business Development Manager Sal Marano works with Mike’s to provide Key Performance Indicators (KPIs),” Atwater said. “This way, all of the shops can look at what they’re achieving and concentrate on the areas in which they can improve. Mike’s is a great company and a pleasure to work with, because they truly care about what they’re doing and focused on quality in everything they do.”

Mike’s Business Development Manager Lupe Algood runs the company’s training program and is proud to be working with both PPG and FinishMaster, he said. “I work in the areas of product procurement and training. We demo a lot of new products and equipment and all of our journeyman painters get ongoing additional training at the PPG Training Center. We teach them about things such as application, feathering, priming and blocking and how to use the mixing scale to get accurate color matches. I also teach I-CAR classes at the PPG Training Center. With our students, I work with them for 1-2 weeks and then they do 4-5 days of PPG training. With 17 locations and 20 facilities, it’s a big job, but FinishMaster and PPG have gone above and beyond to help us in so many ways!”

Our success is built on strong and mutually beneficial business partnerships and the service and advice we receive from PPG and FinishMaster is a big part of that.