Archive for the ‘ARA Member Spotlight’ Category
Laura Delgrippo, manager of McMillin Recovery, LLC., is an ARA member who epitomizes what community is all about. After enrolling her children in schools near Little Rock Air Force Base where her husband is stationed, Delgrippo realized the schools did not have basic equipment to help the students learn and grow.
In order to help provide the equipment the school needed, Delgrippo and her children began collecting box tops. They purchased foods that had eligible box tops and redeemed them for funds for the school. A simple labor of love that turns food containers into money for her children’s school is an admirable and very thoughtful idea. For more than two years, Delgrippo and her sons have been contributing to this project and have seen wonderful results. Thank you Delgrippo family for your service to the repossessor community, as well as your own local community. Members like you help move our industry forward.
This month’s Member Highlight is on Ron Brown, president and chief executive officer of CSI Group in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, one of the oldest and largest asset investigation and recovery agencies in the Central Plains area. Ron has more than 35 years of experience in the field of locating and recovery and has worked over 30,000 repossessions.
Ron joined the CSI Group in 1973 and repossessed his first car on his first day of work. Ron has a background in criminal justice and had worked for the U.S. Government in Southeast Asia before joining the repossession and recovery industry.
As a commissioned private investigator, Ron works with different law enforcement groups to recover and transport people and animals during crisis. Ron has assisted law enforcement agencies such as the U.S. Marshall’s Service, U.S. Customs, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Texas Rangers.
Ron certainly knows how to utilize his resources and use his knowledge to help others. When natural disaster strikes and animals need to be relocated safely, Ron and his horse ranch come to the rescue. Moving cows and horses with drives and trailers are a huge help to those in need during crisis.
Ron’s biggest passion in life is hunting the most dangerous prey on the face of the earth – man. With that passion and background in skip tracing and cyber tracking Ron manages to help find missing people. Ron has used his knowledge to not only track missing persons but to train law enforcement around the world to track and find missing or wanted persons.
A father to three very successful children, Ron considers his family and his horses to be the most important things in life. His eldest son is an architect who has built structures all over the world. The middle child is an attorney who practiced in France, married and French lady and now practices corporate law. His youngest works with Ron at CSI Group as the AVP of sales.
Ron Brown is a great example of someone who takes a finely tuned talent and uses it to give back to the community. His sharp wit, unique perspective and years of experience make him a fierce hunter and excellent investigator. I think we can all agree that we are glad to have Ron on our side. We’re also pretty fortunate to have had Ron speak as our emcee at NARS 2015. Thanks for all that you do, Ron!
This month’s Member Highlight spotlights James and Cindy Lee of River City Recovery in Richmond, Virginia. James and Cindy joined ARA in 2013 and have become dedicated and active members.
James and Cindy devote time to assisting the needy in their community. By volunteering their time and giving donations, the couple contributes to such worthy causes as the American Heart Association, Hanover Habitat and American Cancer Society. James and Cindy also contribute to their community by supporting small businesses, like their own, as much as possible. Their philosophy is that if they support small businesses, then the revenue will remain in and contribute to the betterment of the community as a whole.
Random acts of kindness are also important to the couple. Believers in “paying it forward,” they help whenever they can. Recently they saw a mother’s social media request for a tow company because her son’s car was broken down. Cindy and James offered their services, at no cost, knowing that one day a kindness will be bestowed upon them when needed.
James and Cindy also raised their children to have the same passion for giving back to the community and volunteering for worthy causes. They have four daughters, ages 25, 19, 15 and 11. Each daughter has contributed within their community by volunteering with EMS departments, church groups, hospitals, fire departments and school groups. This generous family is always at-the-ready to help those in need.
Do you have an exciting hobby or are involved in raising money or awareness for a worthy cause? Please help us by submitting pictures and stories of those who deserve some recognition or those who are involved in projects of interest. We’d love to hear from you – submit your interesting stories and photos to
rachel@wellingtongrouppr.com.
This month’s Member Highlight is on Todd Abelhouzen, President and General Manager at Intermountain Research & Recovery, Inc. and dedicated member of our association.
Todd started his company in 1989, marking 25 years in the repossession business. Over time, Todd has purchased several other Auto Recovery Businesses from retiring owners including A-1 Recovery Service in Salt Lake City, Utah, Pathfinder Recovery in Reno, Nevada, and GLS Recovery in Orem, Utah. Additionally, Todd has served as a Board Member with Time Finance Adjusters, National Finance Adjusters, and American Recovery Association.
Outside of the recovery industry, Todd has started other businesses that develop real estate and emergency food storage, allowing him to work with international and local agencies to provide food to areas affected by earthquakes and storms.
Todd also volunteers with sportsmen and wildlife conservation groups. In fact, last month, Todd and his 10-year old stepson assisted with the capture and translocation of Pronghorn Antelope in southern Utah. Rather than shooting the animals, the sportsmen worked hard to help create and grow successful healthy populations for hunting, wildlife viewing and ecosystem diversity.
Todd has four amazing daughters: McKenzie (age 20), Marley (age 17), Avery (age 14) and Ashton (age 11), all of whom he is extremely proud. Todd recently married and is expecting a baby boy in the next few weeks with his wife, Jennifer.
At age 45, Todd finds himself much less worried about the little things and has realized that people are far more important than money or possessions. We wholeheartedly agree.
Do you have an exciting hobby or are involved in raising money or awareness for a worthy cause? Please help us by submitting pictures and stories of those who deserve some recognition or those who are involved in projects of interest. We’d love to hear from you – submit your interesting stories and photos to rachel@wellingtongrouppr.com.
This month’s Member Highlight is on Art Christensen, President of the Commercial Service Corporation and longtime member of ARA.
There is not enough room in this newsletter to highlight the accomplishments of Mr. Christensen, a one-of-a-kind man who has made invaluable contributions not only to the industry, but also in his community in Maplewood, New Jersey.
Art was one of the first to use automation in the industry, automating ARA, AFA and some of the largest repossession companies in America. His unbelievable career spans across 54 more years, four national association memberships and immeasurable contributions to ARA and the industry as a whole. (more…)
This month’s Member Highlight is on a truly remarkable woman, Jeanne Bennett, owner of ATCO/Bennett Recoveries, Inc.
Jeanne volunteered her time as a Guardian Ad Litem for 13 years, as well as served on the Foster Care Review Board for 8 years. Additionally, she has been a Sunday school teacher and ran a Scout Pack for four years, where she won a citywide Scout Award.
We’ll never forget receiving a call from Jeanne stating she was in jail and needed money to be bonded out, when in fact, she was a part of a “jail” fundraising project for Multiple Sclerosis, raising money for her favorite charity. This is just one of many great memories we have of Jeanne. (more…)
This month’s Member Highlight is Mary Jane Hogan, President of National Locating & Recovery in Birmingham, Alabama and the First Lady of ARA. Mary Jane was the longest serving board member in the history of ARA and her commitment and loyalty is unquestioned. Her 23 years of service to an association that is “her life” will be remembered for it’s commitment, loyalty and drive to the entire membership. The fact that the membership elected her to the board eight times says a lot about their belief and confidence in her. (more…)
This month’s member highlight is on Emily Massey of Stinger Certified Asset Recovery in San Antonio, Texas. Emily has been an avid member of this year’s Member Benefits Committee and has provided some great contacts to help make new benefits for our members. She’s currently working with a District Manager of Verizon Wireless to address a variety of opportunities to provide for ARA members, including the possibility of an equipment and accessories discount, data usage at 10gb per wifi device, customer support nationwide and contract length. (more…)
This month’s Member Highlight is on Patrick Dunleavy, Remarketing Director of TCAR Recovery in New York. Over the past several months, Patrick has been spearheading ARA’s Young Professional Repossessors Commission (YPRC), a group of young professionals comprised of ARA members, family members and business associates. (more…)
This month’s Member Highlight is Lori Bookout, Manager of ARB of Louisiana. Lori and her staff have been collecting donations for the Humane Society of Northwest Louisiana, an organization that addresses the concerns and needs of animals within the area. Their mission is to eliminate the suffering of animals and to do everything they can to provide a home for the animals.
Without the support of the community, this organization could not continue. Lori’s daughter, Britney Bookout, is also working for a local veterinarian while attending school. Lori’s family and staff are definitely keeping the organization alive and we’re proud to have her within our membership!
Do you have an exciting hobby or are involved in raising money or awareness for a worthy cause? Please help us by submitting pictures and stories of those who deserve some recognition or those who are involved in projects of interest. We’d love to hear from you – submit your interesting stories and photos to rachel@wellingtongrouppr.com.
