Getting food to Bay Area residents in need is a huge undertaking during the holidays and Mike’s Auto Body is always ready to help.  This is why Mike’s Auto Body has food bins right now in the lobbies of 13 of our shops that are accepting donations of food through our 2017 Holiday Food Drive.  Just drop into any of our Bay Area locations and you’ll see a bin to fill with food items.

Jennifer Harriman, Compliance Manager from Mike’s Auto Body, is hoping to collect a lot of food this year and possibly even surpass the great numbers they hit last year. “Our annual Holiday Food Drive is underway at all 14 Mike’s Auto Body locations. Please bring in your donated items by December 13th. Last year the donations totaled almost 908 pounds, which is the equivalent of 757 complete meals. For the last two years, our Fairfield store has finished #1 in our annual Food Drive and they want all of the other locations to know that they’re going for a three peat this year! Are the other stores willing to accept the challenge? Let’s see!”

The two non-profit organizations we’re supporting with donated food from our employees and customers this year are The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano and the Alameda Food Bank.

The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano has been serving the community for nearly 40 years, feeding approximately 188,000 hungry people in need every month directly at community sites and through a network of 180 charitable agencies, and distributed over 20 million pounds last year- that’s enough for more than 16 million meals! This could not be done without the help of the thousands of volunteers who donate their time to coordinate food drives, sort and pack the food, and help distribute it to their hungry neighbors.

Food Drive Administrator Joan Tomasini has been working with Mike’s Auto Body now for several years through its annual Holiday Food Drive. She shared some hints about what to donate and the role your donated food will play for families and individuals in the Bay Area during this holiday season.

“Just because people need food does not mean that they are homeless.  Actually, half of all families that get food from us have at least one family member that is employed,” she said. “One out of every eight people in northern California is “food insecure”, which means they don’t know where their next meal will be coming from. During the holidays, we give people more food than during the rest of the year, so that they can take their money and use it to buy gifts for their children and loved ones.”

We asked Tomasini what types of food items does the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano prefer to collect for their holiday food drive, “We always tell folks that we prefer items such as cereal, peanut butter, canned meats and especially canned soups, stews and chili.  These are easy to microwave and are ideal for when the weather gets cold.”

The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano will be picking up the bins on 12/13 at our Fairfield, Richmond, Brentwood, Antioch, Lafayette, Pittsburg, and San Ramon, both Concord locations as well as both of our Walnut Creek locations.

Please Note: Our Napa location is not taking food donations this season due to the outpouring of support from the fires.

The Alameda Food Bank’s mission is to provide nutritious food to the low-income residents of the City of Alameda on a non-discriminating basis. The Alameda Food Bank is a private, non-affiliated, non-profit, tax-exempt agency. The Food Bank is overseen by a board of directors composed of community volunteers. Its day to day operation is run by two paid staff members and over 150 volunteers.

The Alameda Food Bank will be picking up the bins at our on 12/13 at our Fremont location.

 

They say what happens in Vegas stays there, unless you’re attending a national trade show, in which case you want to bring back all of the knowledge that you possibly can. Especially when it comes to fixing cars in an industry that is changing literally every day.

To retain an edge in the collision industry and learn about new tools, equipment and processes, Mike’s Auto Body sent nine people (including Mike, Brennan and Ragen Rose) to the 2017 SEMA Expo that took place October 30 – November 3 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. For many years now, Mike’s has been sending different managers to the SEMA Show, as a reward for their hard work and to be exposed to the industry from a national level.

If you’re not familiar with it, the SEMA Show is a trade-only event and not open to the general public. It is well-known as the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world. It draws the industry’s brightest minds and hottest products to one place, the Las Vegas Convention Center. In addition, the SEMA Show provides attendees with educational seminars, product demonstrations, special events, networking opportunities and more. With over 2,500 New Products on display, with over 2,400 exhibiting companies filling over a million square feet of the Las Vegas Convention

The 2017 SEMA Show drew more than 70,000 domestic and international buyers. The displays are always segmented into 12 sections, and a New Products Showcase featured nearly 3,000 newly introduced parts, tools and components. In addition, the SEMA Show provides attendees with educational seminars, product demonstrations, special events, networking opportunities and much more.

Joe Drago, the manager at Mike’s San Ramon store attended this year’s show. He has been to several SEMA Shows over the years and realizes the value of these conferences, he said. “One of the main things about SEMA is that the world’s top manufacturers of products, equipment and tools are in one location for four days. We spent a lot of time in the North Hall, where they have all of the collision repair equipment and product vendors. So, we walked the trade floor this year, which is quite a hike, because the show is huge. We spent time with the people from Car-o-Liner, because we use their equipment and that was beneficial. We want to learn everything we can about the equipment that we use to repair today’s sophisticated vehicles and SEMA can help us to achieve that.”

 

Denise Rios was the very first person to receive a completely refurbished vehicle as part of Mike’s Auto Body’s Benevolence Program, currently celebrating its 17th year in existence. In 2001, she was presented with a 1994 Honda Accord at the Mike’s location in Concord–a car that she still uses regularly today.

Denise’s life in the early 2000’s before receiving the car was arduous and nerve-wreaking, to say the least. First she had to get her three children (Christine, Curtis and Ryan) off to school, and then to her classes at Diablo Valley College, followed by another bus ride to her job as a vet assistant. “My classes at DVC started at 8 am, so our mornings were crazy,” she said. “It took me more than an hour to get there on the bus, even thought the college was only 10 minutes from my house. I look back at it now and it’s hard to believe that I was able to do it all without a vehicle.”

For the past 25 years, Rios has been working at Antioch Veterinary Hospital, a well-established, full-service, small animal veterinary hospital providing comprehensive medical, surgical and dental care at three locations in the East Bay. “Twenty-five years at the same job, I am proud of that,” she said. “I also pet sit on the side and right now I am taking care of an elderly cat that has diabetes, so I am running around all the time and the cars comes in handy.”

As the owner of two Chihuahuas and too many cats to mention, Denise is giving back every day at her job and in her daily life. “We work with a lot of the pet non-profits at Antioch Veteran Hospital, getting the cats and dogs their shots and treatment,” she said. “We work with organizations like Animal Rescue Recon, Halo and Harp and Ozzie Pound Puppies, just to name a few. It’s great to be able to find forever homes for dogs and cats. It’s so fulfilling and I never get tired of it. It’s definitely my way of giving back and I often think about Mike’s Auto Body and what they did for me whenever I set up another successful adoption.”
Since getting the Honda Accord, Denise’s entire family has been able to use the vehicle to enhance all of their lives, she said. “This car has helped all of us in so many ways I can’t describe them all,” she said. “My kids used it to go to school and it currently has more than 150,000 miles on it. It has a couple dings, but other than that it still looks great.”

A few years back, the Rios family almost lost the car forever, but it came back like a prodigal son, Denise explained. “It was stolen one day at my son’s school in Pittsburg and we thought oh no–it’s gone! But, they found it unharmed a few hours later in Antioch and we were all relieved. This car has become a member of our family and losing it for just a few hours was scary.”

Denise knows that by being the first recipient of a Benevolence car, she will forever be a member of the Mike’s Auto Body family. “Sal Contreras and all of the incredible people at Mike’s Auto Body have done so much for me and my family, it’s still hard to believe,” she said. “The Rose family is amazing and Ragen Rose is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. They did an honorable thing for me and my family and I will never forget it.”

Whenever Rios looks at her Honda Accord, it reminds her of the fact that there are a lot of good people out there in the world who are willing to help others. “I tell people that this is my trophy car.” she said. “It represents my road to success and that’s why it is so special to me. It also shows that there are good people out there in the world who are willing to help and make the planet better for all of us.”

 

Most of the year, Cook’s Collision and Mike’s Auto Body, two of the largest body shop chains in the Bay Area, are friendly competitors. But when the Napa, Sonoma and Santa Rosa communities called out for assistance after the recent fires, both companies were more than willing to work together and help those in need.

This shows that when tragedies occur, there are things that are more important than business and that is why Matthew Wood at Cook’s Collision decided to pick up the phone when the news of the fire began to spread. “None of our employees in the fire areas lost their homes or were displaced, but many of them have family members or relatives who did,” Wood said. “We decided rather quickly that we wanted to do something significant and see if we could get some other companies to assist us in the effort, so that’s why we called the people at Mike’s Auto Body.”

The Woods and the Roses go back many years, so when Matthew Wood called Brennan Rose at Mike’s Auto Body, his answer was an emphatic yes. “Our families have been associated for many years and we know that the Rose family does a lot of charity work, so we were confident that they’d step up and work with us,” Wood said. “Once they said okay, we started the collection and began looking for ways to transport the items to the fire drop-off areas.”

In addition to collecting and categorizing all of the donations, transportation and logistics had to be considered, Wood explained. “We were able to get two large moving trucks and two pickup trucks to do the job,” he said. “We took everything to our Fairfield location to re-pack it for the drop-off spots.”

The items donated included blankets, canned food, pillows, socks, iPhone chargers, toiletries, and were dropped off at five different donation sites, primarily near Sonoma Raceway. Because many people who were impacted by the fire have pets, animal cages, water bowls and cat and small dog carriers were in high demand. “We could see some of the fires when we did our deliveries and the air quality so so bad we had to wear masks,” Matthew Wood said. “It was satisfying to see that our donations were getting to the people who needed it and that everyone worked as a team.”

Local companies that joined Cook’s and Mike’s in their efforts included Martin Auto Color that donated 7,000 3M dust masks and Enterprise and Prism Logistics of Livermore, CA, that donated the two moving trucks.

The Rose family responded to the call from Cook’s without hesitation and immediately rallied the troops to follow their company’s motto, “One Mission, One Team.” “The supplies we received for the Napa Fire recipients were completely overwhelming,” Ragen Rose said. “Thanks to all our vendors, partners, agents, employees, family and friends who got involved. So many people, including some of our customers lost everything, so we felt like we had an obligation to help.”

Once Mike’s was onboard, Customer Service Rep Bridgett Molino at Mike’s Auto Body posted Facebook ads and reached out to all of Mike’s managers to disseminate the information and begin the collections. With a tight deadline of October, Friday the 13th, Mike’s employees and customers knew that the clock was ticking. “We put out an announcement stating that in light of the ongoing fires that have impacted so many people in the North Bay, we reached out to the managers at all of our shops to help those devastated by this tragedy by collecting items at each of our shop locations,” the Facebook message said. “Sincere thanks goes to everyone for their donations and support. We really appreciate your help and prayers for the victims impacted by these fires. From ALL of our Mikes Auto Body families to yours, stay safe and God bless!”

Dane Dearlove, Marketing Manager at Mike’s Auto Body is proud of the fact that two large Multiple Shop Operators (MSOs) were able to work together as a team to achieve this grassroots fire relief effort. “When tragedies happen, we feel as though we’re obligated to help, especially since we have a location in that area, such as Napa,” Dearlove said. “At this point, giving back is in our DNA through our annual Benevolence Program and other non-profits we help, so this was a logical progression of everything thing we do here at Mike’s Auto Body, and we’d like to thank the people at Cook’s Collision for calling us to be part of the effort.”

 

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

A: I have been with Mike’s Auto Body for 6 years.

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

A: I have 8 years of experience in the collision industry.

 Q: Favorite part of the job?

 A: I love every aspect of my job. But if I had to choose one in particular it would be building relationships with my customers. Being able to pick up the phone and give an update on the repair status, then be able to have a little small talk and laugh a bit. That means everything to me!

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

A: I spend time with my wife and sons, we enjoy dirt biking, camping, fishing and taking our boat out on the water.

 Q: Major interests?

 A: Sturgeon fishing, duck hunting, dirt biking, and coaching baseball.

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

 A: Visit Ireland; take my family snorkeling in Hawaii and visit Pearl Harbor.

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

 A: San Francisco 49ers and Giants and the Golden State Warriors!

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

 A: The Secret to Success by Eric Thomas.

Q: Favorite movies?

 A: American Sniper, Lone Survivor and Top Gun.

Q: Favorite TV Shows?

 A: First 48 and Ray Donovan.

Q: Pets and their names?

 A: I have 3 dogs. Miley, Chloe and Brutus.

Q: Favorite outdoor activities?

A: Boating, dirt biking and hunting.

Q: Magazines or newspapers you read?

 A: American Muscle Car and American Outdoors Magazine.

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

 A: 2^nd gen split bumper Camaro converted to an LS1. This has been my dream car for as long as I can remember.

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

 A: My Grandma, she played a huge part in the man I am today.

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: Here at Mike’s Auto Body our customers mean everything to us. Great customer service is not only meeting expectations but exceeding them. From the moment the customer walks in the door I want to know exactly how they are feeling and familiarize myself with the events that have occurred leading them to walk into our shop. Then take a look at the vehicle and explain in depth our step by step process of repairing their vehicle and returning it to its pre-existing condition. We repair every vehicle as if it were our own. We love the WOW factor when our customers come in and see our finished product at the end of 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: In the 8 years I’ve been in the collision industry it has changed tremendously. Electrical systems and repair methods are extremely complex. Mikes auto body keeps us up to date with the evolving industry by providing us with state of the art equipment and training multiple times a year. In return we are able to exceed manufacture recommendations and provide the highest quality of workmanship. “One team one mission.”

 

Every Halloween, parents go through the same scenario–is my children’s candy safe, where did it come from and how can we be sure? At Mike’s Auto Body, we are happy to provide useful information about Halloween safety every year and this time around we’re focusing on candy.

On Halloween, the first thing to do is wait until your children are home to sort through them and check their treats. Tell them not to eat any of their candy until they get home. I know this is not an easy thing to do, but it’s essential, so please emphasize the fact and stress it with your kids.

Though tampering with candy is rare, a responsible adult should closely examine all treats and throw away any of the following candies that have:

• An unusual appearance or discoloration
• Tiny pinholes or tears in wrappers
• Spoiled or unwrapped items
• Homemade items or baked goods should be discarded unless you personally know who gave them.
• When in doubt, throw it out
• Tell children not to accept — and, especially, not to eat–anything that isn’t commercially wrapped.
• Parents of young children should also remove any choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies and small toys.
• Try to portion out the treats for the days following Halloween.
• Although sharing is encouraged, make sure items that can cause choking such as hard candies), are given only to those of an appropriate age.

If you have any questions about possible tainted candy, you can contact the American Association of Poison Control Centers at (800) 222-1222.

Have a fun and safe Halloween from all of us at Mike’s Auto Body!

Sources: YouTube and Contra Costa Times