The administration at Fair Oaks Elementary in Pleasant Hill, CA was looking for a way to afford a field trip to the Oakland Zoo for its two kindergarten classes in May.  This zoo trip is an annual event for the kindergarten class at Fair Oaks.  This year would have marked their 30^th outing, but because the zoo had recently raised group rates by $3 per person earlier this year, it looked as though this long standing tradition may not be possible.

When school’s kindergarten teachers Julie Posey and Tom Abbott found out that Mike’s Auto Body would be able to help make the trip possible, they were pleasantly surprised.

One of the school’s administrative staff members, Jeanette Maldonado, is married to the Location Manager at Mike’s Auto Body in Vallejo. “Jeanette told us that her husband Gary mentioned their dilemma to the owners of Mikes Auto Body, the Rose family. Gary suggested we write a letter telling them about our needs” Abbott said. “The Rose’s responded quickly to our request and told us that they would pay for all the kids and chaperones to make the zoo trip possible.”

On May 8th, approximately 55 kindergartners and 14 parents from Fair Oaks Elementary were able to visit the Oakland Zoo for a day of educational fun. Posey was “energized by the kind gesture which made the event even more special” she said.

“Mike’s is a great organization.  By getting back to us promptly, it allowed us to make the plans and proceed. We told everyone that the field trip was back on and everyone was obviously excited.”

As an added bonus, every student received a little gift package, also courtesy of Mike’s Auto Body which included a box of zoo animal crackers, a water, and some temporary tattoos of zoo animals.

The kindergartners loved their day at the zoo, and were able to see everything while they were there.  Abbott explained. “The children especially loved watching the otters swimming around and the alligators sunning themselves on logs. They were able to pet baby goats at the petting zoo and a 200-lb. tortoise came out of his den and walked around. They also got to see a wide range of amphibians up close.  The kids enjoyed watching the tigers, lions, camels, elephants, zebras and even got to see the giraffes at feeding time.”

A few days following the field trip, the students went back to their classrooms to write three sentences about the day, complete with drawings of their favorite animals.  The marketing team at Mike’s Auto Body helped to coordinate the donation and made sure that the people at Mike’s were able to see the touching thank you notes created by the students.

The donation corresponded perfectly with a theme that the school continually stresses with its students, Abbott said. “We have a peacemaker theme here and we always stress to be kind to others, so this generous donation provided a wonderful life lesson for the children.”

 

When Mike’s Auto Body presents a completely refurbished vehicle to a deserving recipient, it’s called a hand up rather than a handout and in this scenario it was exactly that. In 2014, when Marine Veteran Tito Ramos received a 2014 Hyundai Accent 4-door Hatchback from Mike’s Auto Body, he took it as an opportunity to significantly improve his life and he will be graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in Social Welfare next spring. By having reliable transportation, he was able to travel from Los Medanos Community Junior College in Pittsburg where he received his AA to Cal and now he is a senior there with a bright future ahead of him. His ultimate goal is to get a job where he can help his fellow veterans to get into universities like UC Berkeley and achieve their dreams as well once he graduates.

Ramos, 36, now has put more than 53,000 miles on his Benevolence car that was donated to Mike’s by Enterprise. By regularly changing the oil and taking good care of the vehicle, he was able to take it to and from both schools and also go on family vacations to Disneyland, Universal Studios and even to Vancouver, Canada and back. “I have had zero mechanical issues except for maybe one flat tire with the Hyundai and that is a big deal,” Tito said. “The crew at Mike’s refurbished that car to where it was almost like new. By being able to rely on it and get me to all of my classes on time, it has allowed me to go after a UC education that is really going to pay off down the road.”

Tito needed a car because one day a driver took a u-turn directly in front of him and it totaled out his former vehicle. He was injured and still feels pain from the accident, but the real injury was the loss of transportation, he said. “The other driver was uninsured, so I lost my car and the next morning when I woke up, I realized that my life had changed and not for the better. I got a lump on my head and hurt my wrist and ankle. I thought to myself, how am I going to get around and take my kids to school now? How am I going to get to school myself? When you don’t have a car, it makes everything more difficult and all of a sudden I was forced to take the bus. It added hours to my commute, which meant that I could no longer spend time with my family, because now I was forced to take public transportation.”

Tito served in the U.S. Marines from 2006 to 2011 and was deployed to Iraq in 2008 and then in Pakistan in 2010 as a helicopter mechanic. He now works as a federal employee part-time and wants to work with veterans who want to get college educations. For the past two years, he has worked as a Veteran’s Outreach Peer Advisor to help veterans and show them how to navigate through the UC system and get degrees. While attending junior college, he was able to take one class at UC Berkeley to acclimate himself to the system and it really helped him on many different levels. “The president at the Veteran’s Club at UC Berkeley helped me to get into that first three-unit class in 2015. It was a big change, but by taking that first class, I was able to see what it would be like. So, when I entered Cal full-time, I was better prepared for my classes and it allowed me to hit the ground running. It was definitely a step up from junior college, but I knew that it was a huge opportunity, and I was excited to take on the challenge.”

Tito’s days are still long and start usually at 6 a.m. and don’t end until after 10 p.m. in many cases, but his Hyundai has made much of it possible, he said. “I was traveling from Pittsburg to Berkeley, studying and working part-time, and without the car I couldn’t have been able to do any of that. It’s a blessing that the people from Mike’s Auto Body entered my life and gave me the car and I always tell people about the great experience. The people at Mike’s are amazing to help others this way, so I’m happy to share the story as often as I can. I enjoy helping other veterans, because I know that re-entering civilian life if not easy and when someone is willing to help, that is truly special.”

Benevolence Ambassador Sal Contreras called Tito one day to tell him that he was going to receive the vehicle after Tito wrote an application letter and his life changed right then, he said. “Sal at Mike’s called me after he and his team chose me from a lot of other applicants, and it was incredible, because I realized that now I could go after what I really wanted. It was humbling, because I thought usually great things like this don’t happen to me. I could not believe that they chose me and then when Sal came by my house to fill out some paperwork, it really set in. I got to meet the Rose family on the day when they presented me the vehicle, and that was a moment I will never forget. They also gave me gas gift cards and a trunk load full of gifts for the family. They knew that I had a backpack that was stolen previously, so they have gave me a new one and even a car seat for my youngest child. My oldest even got a new bicycle, so everyone in the family was treated in such a special way.”

Tito is married with two boys, ages 11 and six. His oldest is into soccer and fishing and both boys like riding their bikes and swimming. He has a 3.3 GPA at Cal and actually helped another Benevolence vehicle recipient who recently graduated from Cal as well. “I wrote a letter of recommendation for Veteran TeJae Dunnivant who I met at Cal, and she and her son also received received a 2014 VW Jetta from CSAA Insurance that was sponsored by the Blue Star Moms. I was able to pay if forward and the people at Mike’s Auto Body stepped up and helped her too. The Benevolence program is an incredible program that changes so many peoples’ lives and it has helped other military veterans over the years, so when I was able to help TeJae that really made me feel great.”

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In a busy environment with things that change literally every minute, Office Managers at Mike’s Auto Body must wear a lot of different hats to succeed. They need to lead by example and set a high standard for the front office as well as adhering to all of the company’s policies. In addition, they have to be patient and compassionate with every customer they interact with, especially after they’ve experienced the trauma associated with a car accident.

At Mike’s Auto Body, the standard path to becoming an Office Manager at any of the company’s 15 locations starts after working as a Customer Service Representative (CSR) for several years. In this position, future potential Office Managers are able to learn many of the same skills that they will be able to use once they enter management.

Compliance and Property Manager Jennifer Harriman started out as a CSR and later became an Office Manager at Mike’s, so she knows precisely what it takes to achieve excellence in both positions. “When a CSR shows that they are ready to move up, we start working with them right away, so that they’ll be prepared when they became an Office Manager,” she said. “It usually takes 3-5 years from being a low-level CSR to becoming an established Office Manager.”

Supervising the front office personnel is only the beginning when it comes to being an efficient Office Manager, Harriman explained. “It might look easy, but it’s hard work and you have to be highly organized to do it correctly. As an Office Manager, you work with everyone within the company as well as the customers, vendors and insurance partners. You are responsible for all of store’s paperwork and interact with Human Resources, so you have to be a leader and a team player while also being a diplomat, when needed.”

Kristen Fedje is the Office Manager at the Mike’s Auto Body location in Brentwood. She started working for the company back in 2011 as a CSR and became a full-fledged Office Manager two years ago. She was trained by Harriman initially as a CSR and then helped her again as she moved up into her current role.

“As a CSR, I learned that you have to multi-task and roll with it when things change,” Fedje said. “You have to be people-oriented, because you will be working with all kinds of different individuals. If the customers are stressed, you have to figure out a way to ease the situation and turn it around, in some cases. You have to work quickly, because there’s always a lot going on all the time here and you never know what’s going to happen next.”

Being an Office Manager is surely challenging, but it’s also extremely satisfying, Fedje said. “It’s a great job and working for an amazing family like the Roses is special. They reward good work and do everything they can to set us up for success–it’s definitely a team effort and you can see it in action here every day.”

If you’re interested in applying for a CSR position with the idea of hopefully one day becoming an Office Manager, Mike’s Auto Body has some current openings, so contact us through Facebook or at our website by clicking on this link:

 

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

A: 1 year

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

A: 13 years

Q: Favorite part of the job?

A: When working in the collision repair industry, there are no two jobs that are exactly the same, so you have to do a little detective work and figure out the best method of repairing.  It helps to keep things interesting.

Q: If you could name 3 things you want to do in your life, what would they be?

A: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, spending time with my two-year-old son and wife and brewing beer. I also love hot rods & muscle cars and traditional sheet metal shaping/fabrication.

Q: What are your favorite sports teams?

A: Giants (baseball), Sharks and 49ers.

Q: What was the title of the last book you read?

A: Immutable Principles of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Q: Favorite movies?

A: Braveheart, Fist of Legend and Back to the Future Trilogy

Q: Favorite TV Shows?

A: All of the Netflix Marvel shows

Q: Favorite outdoor activities?

A: Surfing and riding boats on the lake

Q: Do you have any pets?

A: A Siberian Husky named Akira

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

A: 49-51 Mercury with a chopped roof. I fell in love with these the first time I saw them at the Good Guys car show and have dreamed of owning one ever since.

Q: If you could have lunch with anyone who would it be?

A: Lou Gehrig. He has always been my hero since about 5 years old.

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 Mike’s, we have a call center that reaches out to the customer when an assignment is first sent to us and from that point forward there is someone willing to contact the customer every step of the way until the car is delivered and after. That is something that most shops in this industry just don’t do. From my perspective, good customer service is being able to provide whatever the customer needs whether that is an explanation of the process, consistent updates, a ride home, etc. Finding out from the customer what their expectations are and then doing what you can to meet/exceed those expectations is something we do very well here.

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:  The vehicle repairs involve many more electronics now, and rather than being retroactive after finding problems we are now scanning vehicles and being proactive to hunt those issues down prior to completing repairs.

 

 

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

A: 10 years

 

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

A: 12 years
Q: Favorite part of the job?

A: Delivering a quality repair back to customers

 

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

A: I am a father to three boys and a supportive loving husband to my beautiful wife.

 

Q: Major interests?

A: Fishing, baseball and art

 

Q: What are the 3 things you want to do in your life?

A: 1.) Visit Italy 2.) Sky Diving 3.) Get a Dog) Travel across the United States to see other states

 

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

A: Oakland A’s and Raiders

 

Q: What was the title of the last book you read?

A: Change Your Mind, Change Your World

 

Q: Favorite movies?

A: Gladiator

 

Q: Favorite TV Shows?

A: Anything fishing related

 

Q: Favorite outdoor activities?

A: Fishing and camping

 

Q: Magazines or newspapers you read?

A: Men’s Health
Q: If you could have any kind of car, what would you get and why?

A: Lamborghini Murcielago.  Super fastest and cool looking
Q: If you could have lunch with anyone (dead or alive) who would it be?

A:  Jim Rohn
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: I am proud of the attention to detail when it comes to customer’s concerns and taking the extra step to keep customers informed about the repair process.

 

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: Cars have more electronics today than they did in the past.  Mike’s Auto Body has made the investment on tools needed to scan the cars pre and post repairs to see if there are any hidden codes that may have been caused by the accident.   That way they can be addressed right away to make sure our customers are safe when they get back on the road.

 

To serve more of the East Bay, Mike’s Auto Body recently opened its 16th location in Alameda, CA. A strategic move, this 13,000 sq. ft. facility will employ 13 people and will be managed by Lester Branson, with Kristen Story as the shop’s new office manager.

Formerly known as Alameda Classic Collision Center, a restoration/collision shop that was opened in 2007 by CJ Miller, Mike’s Operations Manager Steve Kelly is delighted with the acquisition and how it can help the company. “The new location is ideally situated between several of our other locations, specifically Lafayette and Fremont,” he said. “When we saw this opportunity, we knew that the company culture at Alameda Classic Collision Center was very similar to ours and that’s why we made the move. Before we decide to expand, we look at the market and in this case, we found a great location with an existing business that had an excellent reputation. The owner could have sold his business to another company, but CJ decided to go with us, because he wanted his employees to be treated well and retained for the long haul.”

Location Manager Lester Branson is bringing his managerial skills and experience to Alameda, after being promoted to take on his current role. “I’m excited for the challenge and I’ve got great support from the Mike’s Auto Body team, so I’m anticipating a seamless transition,” he said. “We have all the tools, training and equipment here to repair our customers’ vehicles back to their pre-accident condition and with some great employees, I am confident that we will quickly be an integral part of the Mike’s Auto Body organization. One team, one mission–that’s always our approach and a formula that works!”

Office Manager Kristen Story is going to run the front office in Alameda, by installing Mike’s Auto Body’s systems and working with the staff to keep the shop plugging along. “The CSR training I received from Mike’s is going to help me to emulate the systems we use every day at all of our other locations,” she said. “I have been working with some of the best people in the industry for several years now, so I’m ready to manage this office and help this staff to perform at a high level.”

Former Owner CJ Miller, 36, is ready to take on another challenge, although he isn’t sure about what his next move will be. “I’m so happy that Mike’s is taking over Alameda Classic Collision and my employees feel the same,” he said. “I’ve been in this business since I was 16, washing cars for my father, so it’s been a great journey and now I am looking for my next opportunity. Selling a shop isn’t easy, but by selling it to Mike’s Auto Body, it’s definitely a win-win for me and my crew.”