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.