ANNUAL AWARDS
Hudson Mohawk Section
Honorees
December 2009
Ron Tanner, President
At its year end Board meeting your Hudson-Mohawk Section of the
MBCA gave out awards to two very deserving members. Past Secretary
David Bullard was given a Certificate of Appreciation for serving
four years as Secretary/Treasurer and two years as our most recent
Secretary. Past President Ginette Maslanka was given three awards:
a Certificate of Appreciation for her many years as President
and the leader of our Section; a second award for 30 years as
a member, (this award was given on the anniversary of her first
joining the club in 1979); Ginette was also given a beautiful
engraved plaque as Member of the Year for all her continuing contributions
to the club. Join all of us in congratulating these two fine individuals.
We know we can count on them for more in the years to come.
President’s Message
The board of HUDMO is conducting an informal survey to find out
who reads the newsletter and what your suggestions are for increasing
membership participation. So with that in mind please send us
an email. You can send it to any board member. We have a wonderful
calendar of events that includes tech sessions, driving events,
new member parties, (all members will be included) car shows,
day spas, and picnics. That’s just for starters. We want
the club to be fun and informative for all our members. Your ideas
will help us meet that goal. Starting now we will be asking our
members to partner with board members to assist in our various
events. If you are interested, contact us. Don’t wait for
us to call you. As a special incentive, a drawing will be held
at the next board meeting from your responses. The winner will
have their dues paid by the club for one year and will be announced
in the next issue.
Ron Tanner is recovering from an illness and will return soon.
Our prayers are with him. Jim Wright, Acting President
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
William Beecher Clifton Park, NY
Charles and Mary Jane Mitchel Poughkeepsie, NY
ATTENTION
With every e-mail and address update our Section provides MBCA,
via website, phone, e-mail or snail mail, members will receive
a 10% coupon for one item at the club store. One coupon per member
will be sent electronically (so it must include a valid e-mail
address).
Annual Tech Session at Keeler
Saturday, March 27 10:00 AM
Our section is pleased to offer a tech session at Keeler Motor
Car Company in Latham NY. The session will be open to the public
and non members are welcome to attend. "Inspections will
be by appointment only so we can plan accordingly" according
to Rick Walker Mercedes-Benz service manager (rwalker@keeler.com)
518-724- 1015x120. Past tech sessions have been well attended.
Attendees will have an opportunity to see our members' older classic
Mercedes displayed.
As part of the morning's program, there will be a discussioon
on how to wisely purchase a used Merccdes: what to look for; the
do's and don'ts, and determining fair price. A 50-50 raffle will
be held, one winner and the auto restoration program at Northeast
Parent & Child School in Rotterdam will receive the cash prizes.
You will also have a chance to win a free oil change at Keeler's,
our host for the event. Our club event will have many highlights
including answers to these and many other quesitions: How does
the drowsy alert work? What distinguishes the Mercedes navigation
system from others and how does it work? How does one change a
tire when suffering a flat? What exactly is the roadside assistance
policy? What are the twelve points of a twelve point inspection?
We will also be hearing about the future evolution of Mercedes
vehicles from a Keeler professional, Rick Walker. Please plan
on attending this event. The event is free and open to the public
however registration is required for the 12 point inspection.
To register or if you have any questions pleae contact me at:
T. David Bullard The Marshall House, 136 Route 4 North, Schuylerville,
New York 12871-1956 dbullard@taxredux.com
Tim McKenna is in charge of dispatch and works closely with our
two shop foreman to control work flow in the service shop. There
are sixteen technicians with lift space for twenty. Many of Keeler’s
technicians are master certified. The technicians are always in
in-service training and some are sent to Germany for highly specialized
training.
The service department can repair any Mercedes regardless of
its age. Bill Dawson is in charge of the parts department. There
are six parts professionals including a shipper/receiver. There
are two parts advisors embedded directly in the work shop strictly
for servicing the technicians. While not all parts are in stock
for vintage cars, most can be serviced and repaired with components
available from Mercedes-Benz. Bill has a special library for older
vehicles. There are five support staff to assist with car washing,
customer pick-up and delivery, lot maintenance, and housekeeping.
Enterprise Rental Car is available for clients who have alternative
transportation needs. “Team work is the key, there are no
unimportant positions.” Bill Dawson said.
Keeler has an excellent sales staff for new and used cars. They
are leaders in their field and have quite a bit of experience.
Some have as many as seventeen years with the company. There are
seven full time sales associates. The most successful salesperson
is Dominick Lombardo who has consistently led in sales. Keeler
is one of the country’s top dealerships. Their prices are
very competitive. The most popular vehicles are the C, E, ML,
and GLK. With a few exceptions the majority of customers are located
within a thirty mile radius of Latham, New York. Some customers
come from Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, southern New York
and much farther away. Peter Connolly, the General Sales Manager
said; “We depend on customer retention. Anything that can
be done will be done to maintain customer satisfaction.”
Keeler is like a family and the group in charge has worked together
for many years. In addition to providing world class sales and
service Keeler Motor Car is very active in supporting community
causes and events.The new car sales manager is Nick McDonald.
At the end of this article many of the groups supported by Keeler
are listed. The Hudson-Mohawk Mercedes Benz Club appreciates the
help and cooperation we have received from Keeler over the years.
We are partners in our love for these wonderful driving machines.
Keeler has allowed us to use their facility for “tech events”
and car shows. We look forward to many years of working together
to help Benz owners get the most enjoyment out of their cars.
“HUDMO” is glad to showcase this wonderful organization.
After every service transaction, Dan Rothstein, the service director
sends a letter to get feedback from customers.
The care that Keeler takes with its customers is probably why
it has won “The Best of the Best Award” in a capital
district newspaper readers poll in its category. The survey was
held by the Times Union newspaper. A great example of this is
what I’d like to refer to as the “pajama call”.
Vice President, Dunning received a call that an alarm had gone
off at the dealership early one morning. She quickly got out of
bed and rushed to the dealership which was closed because of the
early hour. When she arrived, a distraught customer, who had just
been dropped off from the airport to pick up his car was stranded
there with a dead battery. She went inside, got battery cables
and gave the customer a jump and sent him on his way. It was only
then that she realized that she was still in her pajamas.
“That’s Keeler service.” Keeler's service
department is run by a very talented team that has raised their
formidable technical skills to an art. No one is forced to wait
for a simple task like changing a light bulb and all major work
is scheduled for the customer’s convenience. They are honest,
highly skilled and very cordial. They know your car and who you
are. This group is managed by Rick Walker, who has been employed
at Keeler Motor Car for over twenty years. He started as a technician
apprentice and received promotions to his current position. Mr.
Walker has achieved master guild status twice, once in 2001 and
again in 2008. A master guild award is the most prestigious recognition
for excellence that a service technician can receive. He said;
“The automotive service industry is not easy or for the
faint of heart. Meeting customer expectations and keeping pace
with ever changing technology for any auto manufacturer is an
increasingly difficult task. With Mercedes-Benz there is no higher
level of customer expectations or technology. Our goal is to exceed
customer expectations and provide the absolute highest quality
of service anywhere.” Keeler’s service director Dan
Rothstein has more than 35 years of experience in the auto industry.
There are three service advisors, Rob Keparutis, Mike Severino,
and Joe Palumbo. Bill Fitzpatrick heads up the “BDC”
or business development center which handles the incoming service
calls, schedules the appointments and answers many of the customer’s
technical questions. Warranty administration is handled by John
Kelty. Kristen Deveto handles cashiering and customer contact.
Here are a few organizations that Keeler supports through
donations.
Albany Business Review “40 under 40”
Hudson Valley Community College
Proctor’s Theatre
Albany Institute of History and Art
Albany Wine & Dine for the Arts
Saratoga Performing Arts Center
American Red Cross of Northeastern New York
Families In Need of Assistance, Inc.
Colonie Police Benevolent Association
Colonie Senior Service Centers, Inc.
Capital District YMCA
Jewish Family Services
Saratoga Children’s Theatre
St. Margaret’s
The Equinox
Northeastern Regional Food Bank
American Diabetes Association – Tour de Cure
*SAVE THE DATE*
Section Events Calendar
March 27 - Annaul Tech Sesion at Keeler, Latham, NY
Contact David Bullard; dbullard@taxredux.com
June 19 - Mercedes Jamboree at MBUSA Montvale NJ
Contact: Jim Wright 518-281-3406; killuh@nycap.rr.com
July 11 - Hudson Mohawk Car Show in Hudson NY*
Contact: Jim Wright 518-281-3406; killuh@nycap.rr.com
July 16,17,18 - Hemmings Auto Show Stratton Mt. VT.
Contact: Ron Tanner 518-822-6164; Exqqme06@yahoo.com
Oct.9 - Fall Foliage Tour Saratoga*
Contact: Ron Tanner 518-822-1664; Exqqme06@yahoo.com
Oct 11 - Fall Rallye Tivoli NY
Contact: Jim Wright 518-281-3406
*Hudson Mohawk Section Event
We encourage you to offer suggestions and consider volunteering
to help develop each of the Section events or to partner with
a Board member to plan an event.
New Member Reception
There will be a new member reception on April 24,
at 12:00 PM, at the Holiday Inn, Wolf Road, Albany, NY. New members
will be entertained at the club's expense. It will be a chance
to meet the club officers, each other and other members who attend.
If you joined the club in 2009, we will be contacting you. All
members are encouraged to attend. The lunch fees will be announced
in a reservation mailing. The hosts for this event are: David
Bullard 518-695-3765 dbullard@taxredux.com Paul Lotters 518 656
3060 paul.lotters@verizon.net
What kind of mercedes-benz do you drive?
I drive a white E350 2006. The car is wonderful. My second E.!
I am a big guy and I am not comfortable in many cars. The E class
is great for me. My second car is a 1991 SL 500 (black on gray).
I wanted a drop top. I have owned the '91 for 7 years; it has
70,000 miles on it and I love to drive it. I choose cars by their
looks and I stay with a make if the dealer is good. I like the
way the cars perform and Keeler takes good care of me. If you
are going to keep a car for a long time you have to spend money
on maintanence. If you want to fix something you take it to the
best trained mechanics; in the long run you save. Don Finelli
Well I have two, a 1967 250 SL and a 1968 250 SL and I love them
both. For some reason the ’68 is faster than the ’67
so I suppose I like it a little more for that reason. These are
not show cars by any means, just lots of fun to drive. Maureen
and I drive them in parades, rallies, tours; you name it we will
drive in it. The ’68 did the Route 66 tour while the ’67
did the Circle Lake Michigan Tour, both great events. The 1967
was a true barn find and I am still cleaning it up, someday I
may have it restored, that is after I win the lottery of course.
Ron Tanner
I own the following MB's: 1984 190E (blue); 1985 MB 300 TD (silver);
1978 MB 300 CD (yellow). Tim van der Wouden
I own several Mercedes Benz that I use for transportation, parts
and re-building. They are: 1988 300 SEL; 1987 300SDL; 1990 190
E; 1988 260E; and a 1990 350 SDL. George van der Wouden
I have a 1982 240D Mercedes Benz (all original parts) with 100k;
a 1990 560 SEL (for sale): 1976 240D; 1991 350 SDL and a 1986
190E (a re-built wreck). Cornelius van der Wouden
MBCA Women
Do you find yourself yawning at car shows while your husband
or signifant other goes on and on about nuts, bolts and car parts?
Do you bring a book and escape or sun yourself for an hour? I
would like to know if anyone would be interested in a Spa visit.
Some friends and I found a wonderful Spa in Saratoga during the
German car show in October. Would you please e-mail me if you
are interested and/or if you have any other ideas as to a different
time and location. I will act according to your responses and
keep you updated. Thank you. Carlene Thusgaard 518-527-8822 cthusgaard@gmail.com
The 2009 Loyalty Reward Program has been extended until
April 30, 2010.
Ron Tanner, President
24 Pleasant View Drive
Hudson, NY 12534
