The more than 100 collision repair facilities that
participated in the National Auto Body Council’s (NABC) Recycled Rides program
that gifted vehicles to families and service organizations in need did so out
of the kindness of their hearts. But they did receive a fringe benefit: getting
quality media exposure for their businesses.
Much of the reporting surrounded the program’s Ride-Away
Day event, in which the majority of vehicles are donated simultaneously at
different locations throughout the U.S. on the Monday before Thanksgiving.
Multi-year participant Joe Amodei, from 112 Automotive,
was one such benefactor of positive news coverage. News 12 Long Island and WLNY
TV10/55 covered his 2010 Ride-Away Day event in which he and his fellow Long
Island, New York repairers gifted 10 vehicles.
"To start the process of developing relationships
with Long Island, New York media, we simply followed the Recycled Rides
workbook and utilized the press releases supplied in our Recycled Rides
marketing kit," Amodei said. "The NABC system works."
Gerber Collision & Glass, with the assistance of
Farmers Insurance and the Chicago Bulls, donated a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee to
the Mercy Home for Boys & Girls. This presentation took place at center
court prior to the Chicago Bulls’ home game on the special Ride-Away date of
January 18, 2011.
"Gerber Collision & Glass was extremely pleased
to partner with the Chicago Bulls charity, CharitaBulls, to donate a vehicle to
Mercy Home for Boys and Girls," said Tim O’Day, president and COO of
Gerber Collision & Glass. "Our staff is proud to make a difference in
the lives of those in need by giving back to our community."
Another highpoint of Recycled Rides 2010 were the
numerous vehicle donations that took place on the floor of the SEMA and NACE
shows, which attracted attention from the local Las Vegas media.
"We received coverage from multiple television
stations in the Las Vegas metropolitan area and were very pleased with the
result," said Nick Notte, 2010 Recycled Rides chairman and president of
Sterling Autobody Centers. "The media really seems to respond to the fact
that Recycled Rides is a nationwide collaborative project that is charitable in
nature. This kind of exposure speaks directly to the NABC goal of improving the
image of the industry in the eye of the general public, and it was an honor to
be involved."
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