Preparing For Winter

Many times after the first snow of the season, drivers wish they would have taken the time to prepare their cars for the winter. Instead of waiting until the first snow fall, Central Collision Center encourages you to be proactive this winter. Our managers shared their best practices for preparing and maintaining cars during the winter weather. Here is our managers' advice:

Before winter:

1. Create a winter emergency kit to keep in your car. Include the following:
• Jumper cables
• Blanket
• Extra clothes, gloves, hats and scarves
• Snow scraper
• Snow shovel
• Flashlight
• Bottled water
• Snacks, such as granola bars
2. Do a car check-up. Here's what you should check:
• Air pressure and wear of tires
• Radiator coolant level
• Washer fluid level
3. Wax headlights and taillights
4. Program local safety numbers in your cell phone 

During winter:

1. Use a snow scraper, not windshield wipers, to clear away snow on your windshield
2. DO NOT use hot water to melt ice on windows. The hot water will cause the windows to shatter
3. Use a spray bottle to spray a 3 parts vinegar 1 part water mixture on your windows to prevent ice. The acetic acid in the vinegar prevents the water from freezing
4. Leave more distance between you and other vehicles
5. Charge your cell phone before you begin to drive in bad weather

Before the snow hits, please take the time to follow through on these tips. We hope this information can help keep you safe this winter. If you have any questions on how to better prepare your car for winter, please feel free to call any of our six locations.

17 Years and Counting

Today marks Central Collision Center of Mokena's 17 year anniversary. Central Collision of Mokena opened on December 12, 1995 and was originally located at 8501 W. 191st Street in Mokena. We moved to our current location, 9646 W. 196th Street, in 2000. This spring, we expanded our facility with a marketing office and training center that holds 100 people.

To celebrate our anniversary today, we shared some of our favorites memories and traditions (over cake, of course). Here's what some of our team had to say:

Mike Caruso, Owner/President of Central Collision Center:

Central Collision of Mokena was a huge step for our organization. It is our second location. Our team had to learn together how to run more than one location at a time and communicate well between the two. Our biggest goal was to make sure we still treated our customers as friends, even though we were dealing with many more.

My favorite memory was when Fitz (Mike Fitzpatrick, Central Collision's Chief Operations Officer) dressed up as Santa and Jill, our office manager at the time, dressed up as Mrs. Claus in 1995. Fitz still can't believe he did that!

Sandi White, Bookkeeper:

My favorite tradition at Central Collision of Mokena is Donut Day. Every Thursday, we have donuts from Fleckenstein's Bakery in Mokena. It's a tradition that started at Central Collision of Peotone and came with when we opened Central Collision of Mokena. Now, several of our locations have Donut Day.

Kristie Cooper, Customer Service Representative Manager:

I have a few favorites. One of my favorite memories is when Fitz received his official parking space on his 25th anniversary with Central Collision. 

Another is the demolition derbies we used to compete in. Every summer, some of our employees participated in the Will County Fair Demolition Derby in Peotone. We would stay after work to work on the cars together and then we would have a big family party the day of the derby before we went to the fairgrounds.

Our new classroom is also very special because it shows how far we've come since Central Collision of Mokena opened 17 years ago.

Jen as the Queen of Hearts in this
year's Halloween costume contest.

Jen Perales, Office Manager:

I have two favorites memories. First, we had a Cinco de Mayo celebration and George, facility manager at the time, rode around on our pinata.

My other favorite is this year's Halloween costume contest when we dressed up as Alice in Wonderland. 



Marissa Caruso, Public Relations:

My favorite memory has to be participating in the Frankfort Fall Festival Parade this year. We weren't completely sure what to expect because it was our first parade. But it was so much fun decorating the truck and throwing out candy to all the kids. The best part was watching my dad play "baseball" with some kids in the parking lot while we were waiting for our turn to start walking.







Thank you to all of our employees and customers who have supported us through 17 years of business. We couldn't have made it this far without you. We're looking forward to being a part of the Mokena community for many years to come!

Educating Local First Responders

On Wednesday, Feb. 20th, Central Collision Center is hosting a free, educational course to share our vehicle knowledge with local first responders. The course will be held in our training center, located at 9646 W. 196th Street Unit C in Mokena, from 5-7 p.m.

The first responder course will cover the following:

The course will be held in our new training center
at our Mokena location.

• Types and locations of advanced metals in a vehicle and what first responders can expect from each type
• Construction of door and roof areas and what first responders can expect from each type
• Types and locations of restraint items and potential problems first responders may encounter from each type
• Safety concerns while disarming batteries
• Location of high voltage components and disarming high voltage components
• Do's & don'ts of hybrid vehicles at the scene of an accident
• Types of educational apps that first responders can use at the scene of an accident

Steve Melton from Automotive Technical Education Group (ATEG) will lead the course. ATEG provides training seminars for the collision repair and insurance industries. Melton has over 30 years in the collision repair business, as a technician and collision repair shop manager. 

Please respond to Marissa at marcaruso@centralcollision.com to reserve your spot by Wednesday, Feb. 13th.

Central Collision Center Re-Stocks Alicia's House

Alicia's House's newly remodeled space
showcases the organization's awards. 

We had the privilege of visiting Alicia's House Food Pantry Tuesday morning when we dropped off our Thanksgiving Food Drive donations. We were immediately greeted with a warm welcome from Juan and Stella Hernandez, co-founders of Alicia's House. While giving us a tour of their newly redesigned food pantry, we heard stories of struggles and triumphs of running a food pantry in South Chicago Heights.

Alicia's House Food Pantry is an organization close to

Central Collision's heart because it feeds the hungry in our local communities. Alicia's House works to alleviate hunger by providing food at no cost to low-income residents of Crete, Beecher, Steger, Monee, University Park, Grant Park and South Chicago Heights. They recently expanded their efforts to provide toiletries, laundry detergent and flu shots to residents in need.

Central Collision delivered 3 truck
loads of food as a result of its food drive.

Since Alicia's House beginning in 2001, Central Collision has been supporting the food pantry with our annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. We reach out to past and current customers, employees, business partners and the local community to participate in the food drive by donating non-perishable food items. 

Exceeding our previous year's donations, we gathered 1,428 food items in our six offices. Central Collision matched all donations, bringing our grand total to 2,856 items donated.

“We have great people who are fortunate enough to give back and are happy to do so,” said Mike Caruso, owner of Central Collision. “Their generosity exceeds my expectations every year.”

Mike and Nancy Caruso, owners of Central Collision, present their food
donations to Alicia's House Food Pantry.

Located at 17 Paulsen Avenue in South Chicago Heights, Alicia’s House Food Pantry accepts food, clothing and toiletry donations year-round. The food pantry also collects winter coats, gloves, scarves and clothing. 

Consider donating to Alicia's House Food Pantry this holiday season. One small donation can make a local family's holiday complete.

Help Central Collision Feed The Hungry

     Every November, Central Collision hosts a Thanksgiving Food Drive to alleviate the hunger in our local communities during the holiday season. Our goal is to ensure no family in our communities has to go without food on Thanksgiving. We are committed to our communities and, as a successful small business, have a responsibility to give back. 

Hunger in Illinois remains a large issue. Based on 2011 research:

•     More than 1 in 5 children (22.2%) in Illinois face a constant struggle against hunger

•     More than 745,000 children in Illinois are at risk of hunger

•     More than 1.9 million people are considered food insecure, meaning they do not have regular access to nutritious food

•     38% of food insecure households exceed poverty guidelines

      Through the generous donations of our employees and customers, we collected 1209 food donations in our 2011 Thanksgiving Food Drive. Central Collision Center matched all donations, bringing 2418 food items to Alicia's House Food Pantry.

     We would like to exceed our 2011 Thanksgiving Food Drive donation total, but we need your help. Please bring non-perishable food items, such as soup and canned vegetables, to any of our 6 offices between Thursday, Nov. 1 and Tuesday, Nov. 20. Our offices are located in Peotone, Mokena, Crete, New Lenox, Oak Forest and Tinley Park. 

     All food donations will benefit Alicia's House, a 501c3 non-profit food pantry in South Chicago Heights. Alicia's House works to alleviate hunger and the problems associated with hunger in Crete, Beecher, Steger, Monee, Peotone, University Park and South Chicago Heights.

Central employees deliver our 2011 
donations to Alicia's House.

            Central Collision Center will match all food donations. We are happy to share our blessings with others and hope you will be able to share yours as well. 

      If you would like more information about our Thanksgiving Food Drive, please contact Marissa at marcaruso@centralcollision.com.

__                                                                                                                                                          

No Kid Hungry Illinois (2012). www.nokidhungry.org
Hunger in Illinois (2012). Feeding Illinois. www.feedingillinois.org

Central Collision Center Verifies Use of OEM Airbag Components

In response to the recent concerns about counterfeit airbags, Central Collision Center would like to ensure its customers, insurance partners and local communities that vehicles repaired at any of our six locations under Central Collision ownership are not at risk.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a statement today alerting vehicle owners and repair professionals to the danger of counterfeit air bags. Consumers who purchased their vehicles new or know their entire vehicle’s history, including if an airbag was replaced, are not at risk.

Vehicles repaired at any of the six Central Collision Center locations are not risk. Our company installs strictly OEM, original equipment manufacturer, airbags during repairs. Central Collision Center also strictly uses OEM parts relating to the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS), which includes seatbelts, seatbelt buckles and seatbelt retractors.

For more information on the advisory, visit www.safecar.gov. For more information about Central Collision Center, visit our website.

All Company Meeting Notes

Last Wednesday, 87 Central Collision Center employees gathered in our new classroom at our Mokena location for our semi-annual all company meeting. The meeting gave us a chance to welcome new employees, learn more about our wellness program and hear about upcoming company events.

Patty Burke, human resources manager for Central Collision, first explained the success of our wellness program. In our inaugural year, 81% of Central Collision employees were fully engaged in our pedometer program through Virgin HealthMiles. We also had 94% of eligible employees participate in our health screenings, which is above the best in class benchmark of 90%.

Burke also announced the results from Central Collision’s Race to the Finish pedometer challenge.  Central Collision of Peotone won the challenge with 204,893 average steps per employee. Ten employees had more than 200,00 steps and the employee with the most steps had more than 300,00 steps.

Mike Caruso, president and owner of Central Collision, then took the floor to announce upcoming events at Central. Some Central’s favorite traditions take place in the fall, and the excitement among employees was clear when Caruso announced them. Our annual chili cook-off lets our employees showcase their cooking skills. Each location selects a winner from its individual chili cook-off to compete in the all company challenge. Employees sample all entries and vote for their favorite. Central Collision’s winner then submits their winning recipe in the Frankfort Chamber of Commerce Chili Cook-Off in January.

One of our most exciting days in the fall is our annual Halloween costume. Each location picks a group costume to dress up in and theme to decorate their office. Our management company travels to each location on Halloween to judge on the following categories:  originality of theme, creativity, effort, execution of overall theme, participation and office decorations. New to the contest this year is a fan favorite category. Our judges will pick an overall winner, but our Facebook fans will decide the fan favorite by liking one of the location’s pictures in our Halloween album. Visit our Facebook page to cast your vote later this month.

Our all company meeting helped us reconnect and refocus before the end of the year. We are excited for our upcoming wellness challenges and company events in the next few months. Thank you to all of the employees who helped make this meeting a great success.

Summer at Central

Can you believe it's September already? Summer flew by again! Summer is one of our favorite times at Central Collision Center. Here's how we stayed busy with summer fun:

We practiced for the upcoming baseball season:

Celebrated Cinco De Mayo:

                                                  

Brought the beach to work:

                               

 

 Made some special ice cream deliveries with the ice cream truck:

Practiced our grilling:

                          

Finally, we closed out our summer at Central Collision by walking in the Frankfort Fall Festival Parade Labor Day weekend. Thanks for another fun summer!

31 Years and Growing

            Central Collision Center's goal is to provide exceptional customer service at each of our locations, regardless of how many locations we develop. The key piece to providing a unique customer experience is culture. I have always placed a strong emphasis on company culture because I do not want to just be another business or a standard employer. I want Central employees to feel comfortable at work, enjoy their jobs, learn and have fun. As we grow, my goal is to introduce our company culture into our new locations while maintaining it at our existing locations. Our company culture is one aspect of Central Collision that will never change.

            Currently, we are revisiting what the Central brand means to us, and what we would like our name to mean to customers. Our goal is to be as transparent through this process as possible. We have asked our employees their opinions through a 3-part survey. Questions covered everything from company strengths/weaknesses to biggest challenges and needed improvements. It was very encouraging to read each employee's answers and realize just how much they care about our company.
           We will share our answers with you over the next few weeks on our Facebook page and Twitter. Now, we want to hear from you. Please feel free to comment on our posts or respond to our tweets about your image of and experience with Central Collision Center.

            One major aspect of updating our brand is creating consistency throughout our locations. Whether our processes, physical office space or communication tools, we would like everything to be consistent. As a result, we will develop our brand identity as an industry leader in quality, competitive pricing and customer care.
            I am extremely excited to share our branding experience with you, and look forward to revealing some much needed updates. 

Mike Caruso

Founder, President and Owner

Central Collision Center

 

Shaping Up at Central

            Central Collision Center has taken several steps to create a healthier workplace for our employees over the past year. Our employees are family to us, and we want to keep our family as healthy as possible. With the ever-increasing costs of health care in mind, our objective is to provide education and awareness that can lead to change in poor habits and a decline in healthcare expenses.

“Our goal and purpose is to gradually change habits that will result in our employees becoming healthier while having fun along the way,” said Patty Burke, human resources manager for Central Collision Center. “We have committed resources to make this happen and are confident that continuing on the path of workplace wellness will enhance the lives of employees.”

Here are some ways the Central team is improving its health:

Health Screenings:

            On July 17 and 18, 57 Central employees received health screenings through our wellness programs. Screenings alerted employees to potential health risks they may have, such as high cholesterol or blood pressure. Complete summaries of employees’ individual screenings were available online, allowing each employee to examine his or her results in depth. 

Pedometer Program:

Last September, Central Collision introduced the Virgin HealthMiles Pedometer Program in all of our locations. Each employee received a pedometer, which tracks his or her steps for the day. Number of steps correlate with HealthMiles. When employees accumulate a certain number of miles, they receive rewards. Prizes include free lunches, movie tickets, Visa gift cards, health club memberships, raffle tickets and more.

Employees can earn additional HealthMiles for completing their online Virgin HealthMiles profiles. On these profiles, employees can complete a health snapshot, add in their measurements, log exercise sessions and create personalized workout plans.

To celebrate one year of wellness, Central Collision employees will compete in the Race to the Finish Challenge. From Aug. 18 to 31, employees will race to accumulate as many steps as possible. The location with the highest average steps will win additional HealthMiles.

            We are making wellness a priority at Central Collision Center, and we encourage you to do the same. Look for us at the New Lenox Mind Over Miles 8K/1 mile run where many of our employees will be running! Come join us or cheer on our team!

Happy 5th Anniversary Central Collision of Oak Forest!

History

            Central Collision Center acquired Ted’s Auto Rebuilders in Oak Forest in the summer of 2007 and transformed the facility into its newest location. Central Collision Center of Oak Forest became the company’s fifth location in the Chicago suburbs.

            Also home to Central Express, the 20,000 square feet facility features 32 work bays, protected indoor vehicle delivery bays and multiple insurance company drive-ins. Services include courtesy valet pick-up and delivery service, on-site rental arrangements, written lifetime warranty, early morning/late evening key drop and 24-hour towing.

            Central Collision Center of Oak Forest is an active member of the Oak Forest community. Just yesterday, Central Collision participated in the annual Oak Forest Chamber of Commerce golf outing at George Dunne National Golf Course. We enjoyed meeting many of our business neighbors and members of the local chamber of commerce.

About

Address:  15232 S. Oak Park Avenue, Oak Forest, IL 60452

Phone:  708-429-0818

Hours:  Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday by appointment

Manager Spotlight

Manager:  Michael A. Caruso

Age:  26

Years in Position:  Michael will celebrate his 2-year anniversary as manager of Central Collision of Oak Forest this August. He began as manager of Central Express before being promoted to assisted manager of Central Collision of Oak Forest, then finally manager of Central Collision of Oak Forest.

Education:  Marquette University '07, Bachelor of Science in Finance and Entrepreneurship; Marian Catholic High School '04

Fun fact: For their rehearsal dinner this September, Michael and his fiancee will throw out the first pitch at the White Sox-Twins game.

Happy 4th Anniversary Central Express!

History

            Adjacent to Central Collision Center of Oak Forest, Central Express opened on July 10, 2008 after owner Mike Caruso saw an opportunity to better serve his customers. Creating a repair center specializing in small repairs would improve cycle time in both the traditional repair center and Express repair center, allowing customers to receive their vehicles more quickly.

            Central Express is a same-day collision repair center that commits itself to rapid, quality repairs. If Central Express confirms an estimate under $1,500 with up to 12 hours of labor without frame or mechanical damage and the correct parts are available, Central Express will repair your vehicle the same day. Vehicles in by 10 a.m. will be repaired by 5 p.m. Vehicles in by noon will be repaired by noon the following day. Ideal jobs for Central Express include the following:

•    Small hits
•   Minor dents or dings
•    Bumper work
•  Minor cosmetic fixes
•  Paintless Dent Removal
•   Off lease vehicles
•   New car prep

About

Address:  15232 S. Oak Park Avenue, Oak Forest, IL 60452

Phone:  708-429-0818

Hours:  Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday by appointment

Manager Spotlight

Manager:  Matt Caruso 

Age:  24

Years in Position:  2

Education:  Illinois Wesleyan University '10, Bachelor of Science in Business, concentration in marketing; Marian Catholic High School '06

Fun Fact:  Matt was part of the Illinois Wesleyan baseball team that won the Division III World Series in 2010

Summer Road Trip Solutions

            According to AAA, approximately 42.3 million Americans will travel 50 or more miles this Fourth of July holiday. The amount of travelers is expected to increase five percent from 2010 and 42% since 2009. AAA credits the increase to the mid-week holiday, allowing families to take a five-day vacation before or after the Fourth of July, and lowered gas prices (The Huntsville Times, 2012).

            Before your family packs up the car, take some time to organize. Extra planning before you leave the house will eliminate stress later in the trip. Understand the cities you plan to travel through and anticipate potential traffic problems. For example, do not try to drive through Chicago after 3 p.m. on Friday in the summer. Taking time to strategically map your route will save time, and eliminate stress, in the long run.

Once your route is planned, you can start getting your car ready. Even though your car will inevitably accumulate food wrappers, crumbs and other garbage throughout the trip, clean your car before you leave. Starting the trip with a clean car will set the tone for the rest of the trip. Bring extra garbage bags so you clean as you go.

If your road trip leaves your car a mess, enter our “Make Me #CentralClean” social media contest!

PB&J Bars from Disney's Family Fun

Pack easy-to-handle snacks to avoid multiple stops when children get hungry throughout the day. Snacks that travel well include trail mix, pre-cut vegetables, string cheese, rice cakes, dried fruit, hard-boiled eggs and yogurt in tubes. Packing snacks the whole family can enjoy will eliminate the temptation of stopping at unhealthy, fast food restaurants. Check out this recipe for PB & J Bars from Disney’s Family Fun for a great travel snack, which can even be prepared days in advance of your trip.

Children will also need fun activities to break up the boredom of being an a car for hours. Pack an extra map for each child to personalize (KidsHealth.Org, 2012). Show your kids the route you are taking and have them decorate each street as you drive. Bring plenty of markers and fun stickers. After the trip, you can make a scrapbook of all of the decorated maps or frame each map individually.

Finally, the most important part of any road trip is the music. According to Huffington Post, the top 10 road trip songs are:

1. Born to Be Wild by Steppenwolf
2. Roadrunner by Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
3. Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap
4. Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus
5. Runnin’ Down a Dream by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
6. Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne
7. Life is a Highway by Rascal Flatts
8. Good Life by One Republic 
9. American Girl by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
10. The Devil Went Down to Georgia by The Charlie Daniels Band

Have a happy and safe 4th of July celebration from Central Collision Center!

Enter Central Collision Center's "Make Me #CentralClean" Social Media Contest

                        Central Collision invites the community to post pictures of their dirty vehicles on our social media sites for a chance to win a free car detail. Post pictures on Facebook  or tweet pictures to Central with the hashtag #CentralClean. Submissions will be accepted until Tuesday, July 31. Central Collision will announce six winners on Friday, Aug. 3.