Tinley Park Sign Named "Best of Best" at State Competition

Central Collision Center of Tinley Park's sign recently received the “Best of the Best” Sign Design Award at the Illinois Sign Association’s (ISA) Fall Conference.

Central Collision's Tinley Park store, located at 18040 Oak Park Ave., opened on April 12, 2012.

The sign, designed by Bill Van Bruggen and Bill Stonis of Van Bruggen Signs, Inc., was installed in late April 2013 as part of Central Collision's renovations to its property. 

The company's sign at its Tinley Park location.
Picture provided by Van Bruggen Signs,  Inc.

Since opening its doors in Downtown Tinley, Central Collision has dedicated itself to updating its property to align with the Village of Tinley Park’s Legacy Code. Property enhancements include new signage, updated landscape and new windows. The company plans to renovate its building in 2014.

“We are working to update our entire facility to the standard this sign has created,” said Mike Caruso, president and owner of Central Collision Center. “We have had a great partnership with Van Bruggen Signs for over 20 years. Their design and quality always exceed our expectations.”

Van Bruggen Signs’ design also won first place in the Illuminated Signage category during the Sign Design Awards at the annual ISA Fall Conference.

The ISA has been holding the Sign Design Contest for the past 29 years to showcase creativity in design, medium and execution in eight categories.

For more information about Central Collision Center, visit www.centralcollision.com. For more information about Van Bruggen Signs, Inc., visit www.vanbruggensigns.com.

Central Collision's Thanksgiving Food Drive Brings Over 5,000 Items To Local Food Pantry

Central Collision Center delivered 5,413 items to Alicia’s House Food Pantry Monday morning as a result of the company’s annual Thanksgiving food drive.

Mike & Nancy Caruso, owners of Central Collision Center, delivered 5,413 items to Alicia's House
Food Pantry with the help of Central Collision employees and Alicia's House volunteers.

The company asked employees, customers and business partners to donate non-perishable food items and unopened toiletries from Nov. 1 to Nov. 21. In those three weeks, the company collected 2,572 items. Central Collision provided a 100 percent match on all donations plus additional food items, bringing the donation total to 5,413 items.

“I’m so impressed that our team was able to nearly double our donation total from last year’s food drive,” said Mike Caruso, president and owner of Central Collision. “ That just shows you the type of people they are – caring and committed whether it’s at work or working to help others.”

Alicia’sHouse Food Pantry, a 501c3 non-profit, works to alleviate hunger by providing food at no cost to low income residents of Peotone, Monee, Beecher, Crete, Steger, University Park and South Chicago Heights. Located at 17 Paulsen Avenue in South Chicago Heights, Alicia’s House Food Pantry accepts food, clothing and toiletry donations year-round.

For more information, visit Central Collision Center’s blog at www.centralcollision.com.

2013 Halloween Costume Contest Results

What a great showing at Central Collision Center's annual Halloween Costume Contest! Once again, our shops truly outdid themselves. From Misfit Toys to Duck Dynasty, we saw a bit of everything this year.

Congratulations to Central Collision of Crete as The Island of Misfit Toys - our 2013 Halloween Costume Contest winner and 2013 Fan Favorite winner!

The team at our Crete location was inspired the story of The Island of Misfit Toys, which tells the story of unwanted toys that are sent to an island sanctuary.

The Island of Misfit Toys as portrayed by our team at
Central CollisionCenter of Crete.

The Island of Misfit Toys won our judges votes based on their original theme, creative costume construction and office transformation into a complete winter wonderland. Here is how our judges scores broke down:

1. Central Collision Center of Crete as The Island of Misfit Toys - 192 points
2. Central Collision Center of Mokena as Gilligan's Island - 182 points
3. Central Collision Center of Peotone as The Wizard of Oz - 177 points
4. Central Collision Center of Oak Forest as Duck Dynasty - 140 points
5. Central Collision Center of Tinley Park as Central Prison - 119 points
6. Central Collision Center of New Lenox as Bumblebees - 110 points

In our Facebook Fan Favorite voting contest, The Island of Misfit Toys took first place again. Here is how our fans voted:

1. Central Collision Center of Crete as The Island of Misfit Toys - 75 votes
2. Central Collision Center of Peotone as The Wizard of Oz - 63 votes
3. Central Collision Center of Mokena as Gilligan's Island - 48 votes
4. Central Collision Center of Oak Forest as Duck Dynasty - 41 votes
5. Central Collision Center of New Lenox as Bumblebess - 31 votes
6. Central Collision Center of Tinley Park as Central Prison - 22 votes

Thank you to all of our team members for participating and all of our fans for voting! Be sure to check in next year at Halloween to see what our teams have in store for you! To see each shops complete entry, visit our Facebook page.

Help Central Collision Collect 3,000 Items for Alicia's House Food Pantry

In an attempt to beat our 2012 donation total, Central Collision Center aims to collect 3,000 items from Nov. 1st  to Nov. 20th in our annual Thanksgiving food drive benefitting Alicia’s House Food Pantry.

Last year, Central Collision collected 1,365 donations from employees, customers and business partners. After the company’s 100% match, Central Collision donated 2,730 items to Alicia’s House. The company will provide a 100% match again this year.

Donations can be dropped off at Central Collision’s offices in Peotone, Mokena, Crete, New Lenox, Oak Forest and Tinley Park, Ill. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. In addition to non-perishable food items, the company is also requesting unopened toiletry donations.

Alicia’s House Food Pantry, a 501c3 non-profit, works to alleviate hunger by providing food at no cost to low income residents of Crete, Beecher, Steger, Monee, Peotone, University Park and South Chicago Heights. Located at 17 Paulsen Avenue in South Chicago Heights, Alicia’s House Food Pantry accepts food, clothing and toiletry donations year-round.

To learn more about how you can help Alicia's House, visit the food pantry's website at www.aliciashouse.org. For updates throughout the food drive, visit Central Collision's Facebook page.

Mike Caruso Named FenderBender Magazine's Executive of the Year

At the young age of 23, Mike Caruso and his wife, Nancy, purchased a small auto body shop in Peotone, Ill. The two lived and breathed for their new business, operating the body shop, a tow truck and even a hot dog stand at the front of the shop's property to make ends meet. Many nights, Caruso slept at his desk in between tow calls. His wife, Nancy, worked a full-time job at a nearby hospital. When her shift at the hospital was over, Nancy drove straight to the shop to continue working.

Fast forward 32 years.

Caruso now runs six-location, 85 employee Central Collision Center and has been named
FenderBender Magazine's Executive of the Year. 

Caruso is known for his hard work, business development and commitment to family culture.

Serving the collision repair industry nationally, FenderBender Magazine celebrates the success stories of driven, dedicated and benevolent collision repair professionals each year with the FenderBender Awards.

Caruso credits his company's culture and dedicated employees for the company's success.

"Out of our 85 employees, 16 percent have been here 15 years or more and 11 percent are second generation employees," Caruso said. "We've built a family culture at Central and that is one thing that will never change, even as we expand our business."

Caruso and his team have expanded Central Collision Center throughout the Chicago southland with facilities in Peotone, Mokena, Crete, New Lenox, Oak Forest and Tinley Park, Ill. and one same-day, 24-hour repair facility, Central Express, in Oak Forest, Ill. The company prides itself on customer service, quality and timely repairs, and family culture. 

Read FenderBender's article on Caruso here.

Take the Pledge to Never Text and Drive

Grab your phone and check the last text message you sent. Imagine typing that text at 60 miles per hour. Is that text worth potentially injuring yourself or others? It can wait.

As a member of the National Auto Body Council (NABC), Central Collision Center is proud to support AT&T’s “Texting and Driving…It Can Wait” campaign as it aligns with the NABC’s Distracted Driving initiative. AT&T’s goal through this campaign is to save lives and make texting and driving as unacceptable as drinking and driving.

Tag us on Instagram 
(centralcollisioncenter) and use 
the hashtag #ItCanWait to show 
your support.

Our industry too often sees the devastating impact of texting and driving. We may be able to repair vehicles, but we cannot repair the physical harm that results from texting and driving collisions.

The statistics surrounding this epidemic are startling:

• Those who read and send text messages while driving are 23 times more likely to be in a crash
• 100,000 crashes per year involve drivers who are texting
• 49% of commuters admitted to texting while driving - a higher rate than reported by teens
• 75% of teens say texting and driving is "common" among their friends
• 97% of teens say texting while driving is dangerous - but 43% admit to doing so
• 9 in 10 teens expect a reply to a text/email within 5 minutes, which puts pressure on them to respond while driving
• 77% of teens say adults tell kids not to text/email while driving - yet adults do it "all the time"

  

* Results from AT&T Commuter Survey and AT&T Teen Driver Survey

Thursday, September 19 is Drive 4 Pledges Day. We are asking you to take the pledge to never text and drive by visiting www.go-att.us/NABC. After you take the pledge to never text and drive, share this information with your loved ones. Your voice can save a life, and together we can make our roads safer.

Are We There Yet? Tips For Traveling With Children

Are we there yet? Are we there yet?  If you are a parent to small children like I am, you have probably heard this more times than not.  Keeping kids occupied and happy while in the car can be quite a challenge.  According to a spokesperson for Allstate Insurance, distracted driving is the cause of 80% of all crashes (Parents Magazine).  Children are four times as distracting to drivers as adult passengers, while babies are eight times as distracting.  One study found that on a 16-minute car ride, drivers with kids in the car looked away from the road for an average of 3 minutes and 22 seconds – 21% of the time. (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety).  That’s almost 1/3 of the total trip time – scary thought!

Central Collision's marketing manager, Nicole, with
husband, Dave, and children, Jake and Addison.

When I am traveling with my children, I always make sure I am prepared.  I like to keep a bag packed with all the necessities and have it handy to grab as I am running out the door. Whether it be a short car ride or a long road trip, you can never be too prepared! Here are some things I never leave home without:

Snacks
I would rather take the time to pack nutritious snacks than be tempted to stop at a fast food restaurant or convenience store. Some go-to snacks that are easy to travel with are:

• Cheerios (or your child's favorite dry cereal) 
• Boxes of raisins 
• Squeezable applesauce packets 
• Granola bars 
• Fruit snacks 
• Crackers 

Activities
Keeping your children occupied while you drive can help eliminate distractions inside the car. Easy in-car toys include Leap Pads, books and the aquadoodle board (coloring pages that use water to create color instead of ink).

BrainPop Jr. Movie of
the Week is available on
iTunes.

If you have young children that like to play on an iPhone or iPad, try the following app suggestions from the Chicago Tribune: 

• Learn With Homer - teaches fundamental reading skills 
• Toy Store Delivery Truck - teaches counting skills through truck deliveries 
• BrainPOP Jr. Movie of the Week - provides a free video each week along with quizzes that allows kids to make connections between videos and related concepts

If you have older children, try the following games to get all passengers involved:

• The Grocery Game - Each player must name an item from the grocery store in alphabetical order, adding to the running "grocery list." Each player must recite the full grocery list in order then add an item starting with the next letter. For example, player 1 says "apples" then player two says "apples" and adds "bananas" 
• I Spy - Each player takes a turn picking an item the other players must identify through asking questions about the item
• Who Am I? - Each player takes a turn picking a person all passengers in the car know. The other players ask yes or no questions to find out information until they can guess the person's identity

Travel Essentials

• Baby wipes
• Extra change of clothes
• Sunscreen
• Towels (never know when we will take a spur of the moment trip to the park!)
• Reward sheet - I keep a reward sheet and a bad behavior sheet with me to reward good behavior and punish bad behavior. This has worked like a charm!

What are your best practices for traveling with children? Share them with us in the comments section!

Dangers of a Hot Car

According to a recent NBC News report, 567 children have died since 1998 as a result of being left alone in a hot car. Eighty-seven percent of children who have died from this cause were three years old or younger.

Children should not be left unattended in a vehicle, especially in the summer heat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention categorizes a body temperature of 103 degrees or higher as a medical emergency. Just a few minutes in a warm car puts a child at risk of reaching this body temperature, which could cause life-threatening injuries.

On a ninety degree day, a vehicle's temperature will reach:

• 109 degrees after 10 minutes
• 119 degrees after 20 minutes
• 124 degrees after 30 minutes
• 133 degrees after 60 minutes
• 138 degrees after 90 minutes

Dark components within vehicles such as steering wheels, dashboards and seats quickly reach temperatures between 180 and 200 degrees. This heat transfers to the air trapped within a vehicle, causing the entire vehicle to warm. Cracked windows do not prevent or eliminate this intense heat.

Twenty states, including Illinois, enforce laws against leaving children unattended in vehicles.

Central Collision Center encourages you to be mindful of your child's car safety this summer. Share this information with family members, friends, babysitters or daycares that may drive with your children or other children in the car.

4th of July Road Trip Tips

Taking a road trip this 4^th of July? According to AAA, 84% of Americans will hit the road this holiday weekend. Although this is a slight decline from the 41.1 million people that traveled in 2012, roads will still be crowded. Here are Central Collision Center’s tips to make your road trip easier:

1. Prepare your vehicle ahead of time.

There’s nothing worse than having car troubles in an unfamiliar area. Be proactive and do a routine maintenance check before you hit the road. Things to check:  tire pressure, washer fluid, wiper blades, oil and lights (headlights, taillights and turn signal). 

GasBuddy is a free app that
helps you find the cheapest gas.

2. Plan your stops.

Instead of stopping at the first gas station you see, use the free app GasBuddy to plan your stops for gas. GasBuddy finds the cheapest gas near you. The app can also find the cheapest gas by city or zip code. Bonus:  you earn rewards for reporting gas prices.

3. Prepare snacks ahead of time.

Bring a variety of snacks to eliminate unnecessary stops and unhealthy purchases. Pack snacks that will travel well and will please all of your travelers. Some healthy suggestions include granola bars, pre-cut vegetables and hummus, string cheese and trail mix. Granola bars, hummus and nuts are packed with protein, which will keep your travelers fuller longer. 

4. Clean as you go.

Make mini garbage cans for the car
from cereal tupperware pourers.

Don’t wait until you’re packing up to come home to clean your car out. Make cleaning easy by giving each row of seats its own garbage can. Place a small garbage or grocery bag in a plastic tupperware container to make mini garbage cans. The container traps smells and is easy to empty each time you stop for gas.

5. Bring in-car entertainment.

Keeping children entertained is key to a successful road trip. Instead of relying on iPads and other electronics, create interactive games. For example, give each of your children a map to decorate as you travel. Each child can draw his or her favorite site for each state. At the end of the trip, each child's map will be different. Bonus:  the maps make great keepsakes and cute additions to photo albums of the trip.

Central Collision Center encourages you to drive carefully this 4th of July. Have a safe and happy holiday!

Meet Chris Cooling Racing at Downtown Tinley Cruise Nights

On Tuesday, June 25th, Chris Cooling Racing will visit Downtown Tinley at its weekly Cruise Night. Cooling will be available for pictures and autographs from 5-9 p.m. in front of Subway, located at 17217 Oak Park Avenue in Tinley Park.

Chris Cooling Racing competes every Friday at Grundy County Speedway in Morris, Ill. In his most recent race on Friday, June 21st, Cooling finished 6th overall. Chris Cooling Racing is sponsored by Central Collision Center, Shorewood Animal Hospital, T&D Bowling & Awards, Carhart Vinyl Lettering, Blast Off and Jones Soda. For more information, visit the team's Facebook page. For race schedules, results and more, visit Grundy County Speedway's website.

Downtown Tinley's Cruise Nights take place every Tuesday through August from 5-9 p.m. Enjoy this classic car show with no entry fee. Music provided co-sponsored by the VFW Post 2791 and the Village of Tinley Park Mainstreet Commission. For more upcoming events, business information and specials, visit www.downtowntinley.com. 

Dirty Car? Enter for a Free Car Wash

Central Collision Center is running a Facebook contest to find the dirtiest car in the south suburbs. Think your car might be it? Post a picture on Central Collision's Facebook page for a chance to win a free car wash. Contest runs June 13-21. Central Collision will announce 1 winner on Monday, June 24.

Driving Through Severe Weather

Severe storms are pummeling the Midwest this week. While news and weather sources may encourage drivers to stay off the road, drivers unexpectedly caught in these storms may have no choice but continue to drive. Central Collision Center has prepared our tips for safely navigating these potentially dangerous situations.

Before the storm:

• Check the condition of your windshield wipers and tires
• Replace immediately if either are worn

During the storm:

• Increase distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you
• Treat traffic lights as stop signs in anticipation of other drivers losing control of their vehicles
• Turn headlights - not brights - on
• Reduce speed to prevent hydroplaning

Hydroplaning is a major cause of accidents during severe weather. Three factors can cause hydroplaning:

1. High speeds, which reduce traction
2. Worn tires, which are less likely to resist hydroplaning
3. Water depth, which reduces traction

Water on roadways can create dangerous driving situations. According to The Weather Channel, six inches of water will reach the bottom of most cars and one foot of water will  float most vehicles. Be cautious driving when any amount of water is present on a roadway, but turn your vehicle around if you have to pass through more than a few inches. 

Central Collision Center urges drivers to be cautious driving during these stormy, summer months. If you have concerns about the safety of your vehicle before the storms hit, please call one of our six locations.

Central Collision Center Named Autochex Premier Achiever For Excellence In Customer Service

Central Collision Center of Oak Forest, located at 15232 S. Oak Park Avenue, has been recognized as a winner of the 2012 AutocheX Premier Achiever for outstanding customer service and satisfaction.

Now in its 11^th year, the annual Premier Achiever Awards honor auto body shops that consistently achieve extremely high customer satisfaction scores as measured by AutocheX either independently or as part of an insurance-sponsored repair program. In 2012, participating insurance programs included seven of the top 25 carriers in North America.

“For the 11^th year in a row, we are delighted to sponsor the Premier Achiever Awards and to recognize the tremendous accomplishments of Central Collision and all the 2012 winners,” said Jim O’Leary, Vice President of Mitchell Repair Solutions. “The high satisfaction scores of these elite collision repair facilities in North America clearly demonstrate their ongoing commitment to their customers, and set the bar very high for customer experience management in our industry.”

In an industry of nearly 50,000 shops in North America, Central Collision is one of only 400 Premier Achiever Award winners in 2012 — placing the shop in highly exclusive company.

“Receiving this honor reflects our company’s core values of outstanding customer service and repair quality above all else,” said Michael A. Caruso, facility manager of Central Collision Center of Oak Forest. “We are proud to be considered among the elite in this category and we will continue to improve our processes in order to remain an industry leader.”

AutocheX, Mitchell International’s customer experience management group, is a leading provider of customer satisfaction measurement and customer experience management solutions to the collision repair industry. AutocheX and the participating insurance companies present the Premier Achiever Awards each year as a way of honoring collision repair facilities that have proven their devotion to quality, service, and customer satisfaction.

For more information about Central Collision Center, visit www.centralcollision.com.

5 Tips For Small Business Owners

Caruso managed and worked out
of the Peotone location.

When Mike Caruso returned from U.S. Military service on a Friday night, he expected to start school shortly after to become a dentist. Little did he know a phone call from a family friend asking for temporary help would change everything. 

After working in his friend's shop for three years, Caruso learned about a body shop in Peotone going out of business when the owners contacted him to purchase equipment. When he drove to the shop on a Saturday morning, Caruso had a strong feeling that's where he belonged. 

At just 23 years old, Caruso and his wife, Nancy, bought the Peotone shop for $40,000. 

"It might as well have been $40 million," Caruso said. "I didn't have 40 cents to my name then."

The couple closed on the property on May 12, 1981. A few weeks later, a hailstorm hit, damaging nearly every car in Will County. 

Thirty-two years later, Mike and Nancy Caruso have created a successful, family owned and operated six-shop collision repair business.

We sat down with Central Collision Center President and Owner Mike Caruso to learn how he created a successful business at such a young age. Here are his top 5 tips for small business owners:

1. Be honest and loyal to your employees, customers, business partners and yourself  

   

   Caruso addresses employees at the company's 
   annual Christmas party.

   My favorite part of what I do is spending time with our employees, most of which have been with us long enough I consider them my extended family. Having an open relationship with the people you work with – whether its employees, customers, vendors, etc. – makes work enjoyable. I want our employees to be proud to work at Central Collision, and that can’t happen unless I’m honest with them.         
                       
2. Deliver a product better than your competitors  
   We will continue to invest in continuing education and training for our employees to make sure we are delivering the highest quality product and service. If you’re not providing a quality service, you’re setting yourself up for failure. I stand behind our technicians’ work 110% because I know the type of quality they produce on every vehicle.
   
   
3. Always work to improve your process 
   Our team meets regularly to discuss ways to improve. Between monthly planning, management, CSR and manager meetings and daily production meetings, we are constantly troubleshooting ways to be more efficient. You can never sit back and say “things are going great.” There is always room for improvement.
   
   
4. Be open to change

   

   Mike and Nancy Caruso matched all employee
   donations at the company's annual food drive
   benefitting Alicia's House Food Pantry.

   One challenge we face is staying up to date with changes from auto manufacturers, insurance companies and general regulations. But we work extremely hard to make sure we are on top of the changes and execute procedures properly. Embracing these changes instead of fighting them has been one of our biggest keys to success.
   
   
5. Give back to the communities that support you  
   Without the local communities’ support, Central Collision would not have made it 32 years. I can’t thank everyone enough who has supported our business. We will always give back to our communities because of what they have done for us. Even as Central continues to grow to serve our expanding customer base and insurance partners, we will never be too big that we can’t service each individual customer properly.

From the entire Central Collision Center team and the Caruso family, thank you for your continued support. We could not have made it 32 years without you!

From left: Michael, Marissa, Mike, Nancy and Matt Caruso

Encouraging Exceptional Customer Service

Exceptional customer service is going above and beyond for a customer, which we call “WOW-ing” the customer at Central Collision Center. We know your vehicle is an investment and leaving it with someone takes trust. Earning that trust through exceptional service is how our team maintains our customers.

My job as the customer service representative  (CSR) manager is to ensure that each Central team member provides exceptional customer service to every customer who visits or contacts any one of our six facilities. I do this through:  

• In-depth customer service training
• Weekly visits to each of our six locations 
• Monthly group meetings with our customer service representatives and office managers

Each month, our CSRs and office managers have a morning meeting to discuss
best practices and troubleshoot. April's meeting included SOP review, time card
calculation and a dress for success seminar.

The first step in encouraging exceptional customer service is training. Generally, a collision repair facility is not somewhere a person wants to visit, which makes customer service that much more important. It is our job to turn around a customer immediately after having damage to his/her car and assure him/her that everything is going to be ok. I do this by training our team on EEE – energy, effort and enthusiasm -- along with honesty and sincerity. Exceeding a customer’s expectations can be as simple as providing prompt solutions or answering with a caring voice in their time of need.

I follow-up on this training by making frequent visits to each of our six locations, normally visiting at least two locations a day. Each Central Collision location’s goal is to leave its customers pleased and satisfied with where they have chosen to have repairs done. During my visits, I answer any staff questions and help them troubleshoot any potential problems.

Our process map breaks down each team member's
responsibility through the customer service process.

We hold CSR meetings monthly to discuss great customer experiences and new ways to help each and every person that walks through our doors. Each customer service representative and office manager attends this meeting, which serves as a place for us to share best practices. Throughout the month, I gather any questions or concerns our staff may have and then provide answers to the group. We also revisit our LEAN process map at every meeting to ensure we are serving our customers in the most efficient way possible.

The testimonials, online reviews and thank you cards we receive from our customers make providing exceptional customer service extremely worthwhile and rewarding. Just yesterday, we were recognized as an 2012 Autochex Premier Achiever for Customer Service. As a premier achiever, Central Collision is one of the companies that rated highest in consistently delivering outstanding customer service.

Central Collision Center Joins Effort to Hire Our Heroes

In a fight against veteran unemployment, Central Collision Center has become a supporting member of Hire Our Heroes, a campaign designed to help veterans and their families find meaningful employment.

Central Collision is participating in this nationwide campaign through 3M Collision Repair Solutions’ Automotive Aftermarket Division, who will donate funds to the Collision Repair Education Foundation and Operation Comfort based on sales of popular 3M products. Central Collision’s purchase of these products will help veterans pursue careers in the collision repair industry.

Funds donated to the Collision Repair Education Foundation will provide grants and scholarships to help cover tuition, classroom materials, tools and equipment for returning veterans. Donations to Operation Comfort will support rehabilitation for wounded veterans through a unique automotive skill-based rehabilitation program.

“I know first-hand how hard it is to return from service and start a career,” said Mike Caruso, owner of Central Collision and U.S. Military veteran. “I’m grateful 3M has created this opportunity for our industry to help.”

For more information about Central Collision’s participation in Hire Our Heroes, visit the company’s Facebook page or www.3mcollision.com.