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:
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!
