To be more effective at repairing Ford F-150s and Ford F-250s, Mike’s Auto Body recently added its second aluminum facility in San Ramon, CA in a 13,000 sq. ft. building that is located nearby the shop. With a highly-trained crew and the right tools, equipment and people in place, Mike’s aluminum annex in San Ramon is ready to play a major role for the company now and in the future.

In 2017, Ford sold nearly 900,000 F-Series trucks in the U.S. with bigger numbers forecasted for this year, so Mike’s is ready to deal with what could be an avalanche of Ford aluminum trucks within the next few years.

Company CEO Brennan Rose has played an instrumental role in establishing both aluminum annexes from day one and sees great value in adding a second location. “We can load level, so that if we get a large amount of Ford F-150s at one location, we can adapt quickly and seamlessly, so that it won’t impact our cycle times and keep our production going,” he said. “Now in conjunction with our original aluminum annex in Lafayette, we’re prepared for when we get any increase in Ford aluminum trucks.”

With a growing influx of Ford aluminum vehicles in all of its 15 locations, the two annexes are strategically located and conveniently situated about 16 miles apart. “We looked at a lot of other places, but decided that San Ramon is an ideal solution for us,” Rose said. “If we’re going to be shuttling vehicles from shop to shop, we don’t want to spend a lot of time transporting them back and forth. The San Ramon location was chosen because it’s ideally located and the building is well-suited for aluminum repairs.”

Rose has his eye on the future as well as his bottom line, he explained, when it comes to O.E. certifications, like this Aluminum one with Ford. “We want to build on our current market and expand without having to staff up or increase our overhead and this is an ideal way to do that. This industry is changing literally every day, so we have to change in order to stay up with it.”

San Ramon’s Manager Joe Drago is a veteran of the collision repair industry, so he has experienced the aluminum evolution first-hand from the very beginning. “About a decade ago, car designers started looking at new materials to make vehicles lighter without sacrificing their integrity while improving gas mileage overall,” Drago said. “Our second aluminum annex is much-needed, because we’re getting more and more Ford F-Series trucks, and since they’re very popular in the East Bay, we’re confident that we’ll be seeing them in increased numbers from now on.”

To be able to work on today’s highly sophisticated aluminum vehicles, Mike’s Auto Body has to acquire special tools and equipment as well as Ford-sponsored training offered by Ford Motor Company. “The equipment involves special welders, rivet tools and a laboratory-level clean room,” Drago said. “We have two A-Techs that are Ford Aluminum trained and Platinum I-CAR working here in San Ramon and they’re another two in Lafayette. They’ve received the best O.E. aluminum training available, so we know that they’re better than adept at repairing these vehicles.”

Is aluminum the wave of the future? Only time will tell, but you can rest assured that Mike’s Auto Body will be right there to repair aluminum vehicles at a high level as they continue to live by their motto, “Where Quality Counts.”

Our manager in Antioch James Maltbie is an avid cycler and a member of the Masters Cycling Team of the Greater Bay Area and recently his team named Racing for Research raised $38,000 for the Wish-A-Make Foundation through sponsorships and fundraising activities.

Maltbie, 44, rides with a team of 12 riders who are all 35 years age or older, but that does not stop them from logging more than 6,000 miles annually. The money that they raised in 2017 came from their sponsors and an annual fundraising dinner they hold at Bridges Restaurant in Danville.

“We work with local retailers to pay for our equipment and race entry fees, and then what’s left over goes to Make-A-Wish,” Maltbie said. “Then, at our annual dinner we get companies and individuals to donate items to our silent auction and that raises the lion’s share of what we’re able to donate. The wineries give us wine and others donate vacations, timeshares and other items to raise money.”

When he isn’t working at Mike’s or coaching youth baseball, James it out on the biking trails of the Bay Area, testing the limits and enjoying the outdoors. “I ride all over, including the Oakland/Berkeley Hills, Napa and Sonoma Valley,” he said. “This area is perfect for hiking and cycling, so if the weather is good, I’m on my bike.”

In 2017, the Racing for Research team also participated in Wine for Wishes, held on San Francisco’s Treasure Island and in 2018 they hope to surpass what they achieved last year. “Cycling is a huge part of my life and it’s great that I can enjoy it while helping people who deserve it,” he said. “At Mike’s we perform a ton of Benevolence through our car presentations and this is my way of doing what I can to play a role.”

About the Make-A-Wish Foundation Greater Bay Area

Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area is a non-profit organization that fulfills the wishes of children between the ages of 2 1/2 and 18 battling life-threatening medical conditions. Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area was founded in 1984. In its first year, a total of 27 wishes were granted. Now one of the largest chapters nationwide, we have granted more than 8,000 wishes to date and grant more than 400 wishes per year.

Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area Chapter serves 17 counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Marin, Monterey, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Siskiyou, Solano and Sonoma.

Make-A-Wish seeks the best people to fulfill their vision of granting a wish for every eligible child. Every person who joins the organization commits to this vision — and uses it as a guide in every action. The Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area Chapter is supported by a volunteer governing Board of Directors, an Advisory Council, a Young Professional Advisory Council and a Junior Young Professional Advisory Council.

 

After literally losing almost everything she owned, Kelly Perkins received a phone call from Sal Contreras at Mike’s Auto Body one day that changed her life dramatically in an instant. Perkins, 36, looks back at that special day and even though it was back in 2009, she clearly recalls it like it was yesterday.

“I was pregnant with my second child when my husband (now my ex-husband) was coming to California to join us from Virginia, where he was stationed while in the Navy,” Perkins said. “We had everything we owned in a U-Haul and right about Thanksgiving as he was traveling through Utah it was stolen. Obviously, we were devastated because almost everything we owned was in that U-Haul, except for a few of my daughter’s things and some clothes.”

Without a vehicle and most of her family’s possessions gone, Perkins reached out to whoever could help her, including the Red Cross. But, things started turning around for Kelly and her family when she contacted the Contra Costa Blue Star Moms, an organization that provides support for active duty service personnel, promotes patriotism, assists veteran’s organizations and is available to assist in homeland volunteer efforts to help our country remain strong.

“Debbie Burrows from the Blue Star Moms called us and she helped us immediately with things such as things for the baby–diapers, quilts, blankets and clothes, plus gift cards for other items,” Perkins said. “It was a tough time, but she stepped up and the Blue Moms saved us. We had a great Christmas that year, but at first it was scary. I still talk to Debbie and she will always be a true friend, because she enabled us to make it through it.”

The good vibes keep rolling when the phone rang again and it was Sal Contreras on the line, Perkins said. “He told us that we had been nominated for a Benevolence vehicle and it was a shocker. It was a dark time, but this phone call brought some light and then it kept coming in! The people at Mike’s Auto Body opened their doors for us and it was awesome. When we find out shortly thereafter that we were going to get the vehicle, it was amazing.”

Perkins will never forget the day when she and her family received their refurbished 2006 Nissan Sentra at a presentation at Mike’s location in Antioch. “They filled the trunk with toys and household items and all of the kids got brand new bicycles from the fire department. The local news covered the event and it was on TV the next morning. We couldn’t believe the kindness and generosity exhibited by the Rose family and everyone else at Mike’s Auto Body.”  

Now living in Hillsboro, OH and re-married, Kelly has a blended family consisting of eight children (two boys and six girls–ages 1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14). “California was too expensive and we love it here in Ohio,” she said. “My husband works for Cincinnati Bell as a manager and it’s a great community with a lot of kids and big families.”

In 2013, Kelly had to sell her Benevolence vehicle to get a larger car to accommodate her large family. “We got an SUV, but the Sentra went to a good home–a teenage boy who was learning how to drive,” she said. “It held up so well, we never had any issues with it. That car was like it was anointed to help us and it surely did.”

Today, Kelly looks back at the experience and still smiles from ear-to-ear. “All of the people at Mike’s Auto Body are on our minds all the time and that’s why we do whatever we can to help others,” she said. “To pay it forward, we gave one of our cars to a woman whose ex-husband took her vehicle and left her and her three children without transportation. The Benevolence Program at Mike’s provides a great example for our kids and it was affected them in so many ways. They will come to us and tell us that one particular child at their school needs some new clothes and we will help them. We definitely feel an obligation to give back because of our experience with Mike’s and we hope that everyone who also got a vehicle will do the same.”

Photo credit: Meagan S Hudson Photography

 

 

 

Each year just like clockwork, body shops all over the country come across cars that are “written off” by either their owner or insurers. In many cases, these are older vehicles that just need some mechanical and body work to get them back on the road and safe to drive. Seventeen years ago, we saw that we could genuinely help people by giving them refurbished cars, so we decided to do something about it.

On December 13, Mike’s Auto Body gave vehicles to four deserving Bay Area families. This presentation was our second Benevolence presentation of 2017, which now brings our grand total to 72 cars donated in 17 years.

Everything is donated, including the cars, parts, paint, mechanical inspections, tires, and one year of auto insurance. It’s a total team effort and many of our body and paint technicians donate their time and talents to completely refurbish these “nearly new” Benevolence vehicles.

This year, CSAA Insurance Group, Farmers Insurance, State Farm Insurance and Enterprise Rent A Car participated in our December presentation by donating “written off” vehicles to be given away to deserving families. We also partnered with Recycled Rides, NABC.

Guadalupe Rivera with two children received a 2011 Toyota Camry from Farmers Insurance through the Hemophilia Foundation of Northern California. The crew at Mike’s Auto Body on North Broadway in Walnut Creek refurbished the vehicle include Manager Sam Arvizu and Chris Olivieri and Technicians Ruben Ramos, Jose Ramos, Francisco Cruz, Richard Flores, Jason Greene, Bill Coleman, Josh Duncan, Don Herbert and Bob Rose.

Crystal Morris with four children received a 2009 Toyota Corolla from State Farm Insurance through the Shepherd’s Gate. The crew at Mike’s Auto Body in Pittsburg refurbished the vehicle include Managers Kent Osborne and Angelina Yuen and Technicians Joe Flores, Nick Parks, Romeo Rones, Carlos Ortiz, Raul Anito, Marcos Lopez, Miguel Gomez, Gissele Torres, Mario Aguilar, Sal Flores, Hugo Medina, Manny Ledesma, Jose Cedemo, Abel Mendoza Rios, Dylan Lister, Jose Padilla and Mike Lister.

Tonya Montgomery with two children received a 2016 Nissan Altima from Enterprise Rent a Car through the Richmond Community Foundation and Spark Point. The crew at Mike’s in San Ramon, that worked on the vehicle include Managers Joe Drago, Erica Randall and Technicians Gerardo Cano, Eli Deras, Mike Brown, Luis Rodriguez, Chen Tran and Everado Gonzalez.

Hilda Bravo received a 2014 Nissan Altima from CSAA Insurance through UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. The crew at Mike’s VDM in Concord that worked on the vehicle includes Managers Colin Kendall and Robin Busch and Technicians Bill Laughren, Steve Bartolomei, Dale Kelly, Rafael Avila-Padilla and Jason Cobb.

Special thanks for this year’s presentation include the Mt. Diablo JROTC Color Guard that did the flag presentation; 2015 Benevolence Recipient April Dingle who sang the National Anthem, SSGT Eugene Dingle-2015 Past Benevolence Recipient said a few words on how their lives have improved since receiving the Benevolence car, Matt Tobben-Local State Farm Sales Executive for the Concord Territory; Local Farmers District Managers, Keith Jenkins, Daniel Brown and Hector Zavala; Victor Cordon- Community Affairs, CSAA Insurance Group; Enterprise Rent A Car-Regional Vice-President Enterprise Holdings, Kelly Hunt; Contra Costa County Professional Fire Fighters, Station 81 Antioch. 

 “We feel very fortunate to be involved with such a wonderful program and are very excited to be able to give back to the community that has supported us for the past 45 years,” Mike Rose said. “Being in this business for that long, repairing the vehicles is the easy part, having to decide on a recipient is the part that’s hard.  After receiving hundreds of applications over the years and reading the heart breaking stores, we only wish that we could do more. But hopefully with increased publicity of our Benevolence Program other shops will adopt a similar program of their own.”

The Contra Costa Fire Fighters Local 81 was part of the Holiday Benevolence presentation again this year by generously donating brand new bicycles and new helmets for all the children and grandchildren of the recipients. This year, Local 81 showed up with a very special passenger this year when they delivered Santa Claus aboard their fire truck.

“When they presented the bikes to the children, it was hard to determine who was the most excited, the recipients receiving the car or the children receiving the bikes! The Christmas Spirit was in the air,” Benevolence Program Director Sal Contreras said.

Special thanks to all of our vendor partners for donating products and services, including San Ramon Insurance, EBIIA Insurance Group, Integro Insurance Group, Autocom Nissan East Bay, Valley Import Center, Diablo Auto Care, Adolph’s Auto Care, Autocom Nissan Parts & Service, Dan’s Glass, Complete Auto Works, D & H Enterprises, Albany Ford/Subaru Parts and Service, Dent King, Devil Mountain Auto  Detail, MAB Towing, Big O Tires, Dent King, Toyota Walnut Creek, Tech. Zone, LKQ Corp, PPG, Lexus of Concord, Geronimo’s Detail and Fireman Paolo Braganza.

 

 

Recently, there was a news story on TV about a family lost all of their holiday gifts when their car window was broken in while they continued to shop at a local mall.

The holiday season is always filled with holiday shopping, and unfortunately a lot of crime and vandalism happens during this time of year. Mall and shopping center parking lots are prime targets for car theft and robberies.

To help prevent this from happening to you, Mike’s Auto Body is providing some helpful Holiday Shopping Safety Tips to keep you and your car safe and secure during the holiday season.

 Holiday Shopping and Driving Safety Tips

·         Always park in a spot where there is plenty of light and if possible, park close to your destination.

·         Avoid parking next to vans, trucks with camper shells, or cars with tinted windows.

·         Close all windows and lock all doors.

·         Take note of where you parked your car and what store entrance it is closest to.

·         Shop with a friend or family member – having a friend walk to and from the parking lot with you will help keep you both safe and sound.

·         Place your packages in your trunk or under your seat where no one can see them.

·         Condense your packages into one or two bags to create the illusion that you did not purchase so many valuable (and theft-worthy) items.

·         If you run out to your car to drop off packages while shopping, make sure to move your car to a new location before heading back into the mall. This will help lead anyone that is watching you to believe that you and your packages have headed home for the night.

·         Leave your most expensive purchases until the end of the day when you can quickly hop in your car and go directly home.

·         Request for a security guard to escort to your car.

·         When walking to your car have your head up and your keys ready, the last thing you want to do is appear vulnerable to criminals. In addition, make sure to look under and in front of your car to make sure that no one is waiting to attack you.

·         Do not approach your car alone if there are suspicious people in the area.

·         Be aware of your surroundings. Often thieves will disguise themselves as normal shoppers who accidentally bump into you stealing your purse, wallet, packages, car keys or even worse, attacking you.

·         When entering your car, make sure to check your front seat and back seat for anyone that could potentially be hiding in the car.

·         Get into the car, lock the doors and exit the area immediately. Criminals prey on shoppers who sit in their cars to make phone calls or review their purchases for the day. Don’t leave yourself susceptible to such a risk.

Sources: CNN and NHTSA

 Happy Holidays from the Rose Family and All of Us at Mike’s Auto Body!