Volume 10, Issue 2 SHOPNEWS FALL, 2010Shop Foreman Darren Magnenat A Good Catch forAckerman’s
His first day at Ackerman’s happened to be his twentysixth birthday, but he kept that to himself as he opened the shop and readied it for business by switching on lights, rolling up metal doors, watering plants, feeding the fish in the aquarium, making coffee for customers and filling the biscotti jar. He felt happy and needed no hoopla. After all, his new job, which came with a steady pay check, health benefits, paid vacation, and a future possibility of training as a mechanic with the in-house, ASE-Certified master technicians, was birthday present enough. During a recent Shop News interview, Magnenat, who spends part of his day shuttling customers to and from BART, but whose main responsibility is shop maintenance and inventory control, described how the job opportunity came about. “With my car-mechanics internship at a nearby garage coming to a close but no full-time job available there, I was looking for work at a top class autorepair shop where I could pitch in and learn more,” recalled Magnenat. I told Ackerman master technician Adam Anderson about my job search and career goals and that led to an interview with Bruce.” The interview took place on a Monday and he joined Ackerman’s crew mid-week. “I was shocked that the process went so fast. I am pleased too. I like my coworkers, the location, the interesting customers, and the Swedish cars.” Bruce is happy too. “Darren’s a team member who wants everything to go well at the shop and for the customers. He’s smart and has picked everything up fast. I see potential for his being a great Volvo mechanic in the future, because that requires smarts,” he clarified. Magnenat identifies with both his Hawaiian and French roots, but traces his interest in mechanics to the influence of Bill Magnenat, his grandfather on his father’s side. At age seventy, Magnenat senior still builds hot rods on his five-acre lot in Paola, Kansas. “He’ll find a Volkswagen bug for $500, saw it into pieces, re-assemble it to his liking, and then take it to a car show for fun,” says the foreman who fondly recalls childhood summers spent in the Sunflower State starting at age five. He still travels there but less frequently in recent years. Still he likes nothing better than the thought of relaxing with his grandfather on the outdoor porch with a cool beverage in hand as he relishes the beauty of the natural surroundings, marvels at a sky aglow with fireflies, and listens to Magnenat senior slip into storytelling mode. Those Kansas sojourns led to the foreman’s penchant for Midwestern Bar-B-Que and his continued search to find something comparable in the East Bay. “In Kansas the Bar-B-Que is so good. I have tried to replicate the sauce in vain. It’s a sauce with a kick, a bang, and a big hit of flavor. There’s nothing I love more than its long, drawn-out juicy succulent flavor.” In his free time Magnenat seeks out that Kansas state of mind in nature: hiking in the East Bay hills, camping on Mount Tamalpais, and fishing in lakes or at San Pablo Dam Reservoir. Again, it was his grandfather Bill who taught him to fish. He showed him how to attach the lure to the fishing line, how to select the correct bait for the hook, and how to cast a rod. More importantly, he taught him about process and patience so he could appreciate the sheer pleasure of being in the outdoors even if he didn’t catch a single fish. For Magnenat landing this job at Ackerman’s feels a little like reeling in a big one. That sentiment together with the After all, Berkeley Bait & Tackle sells wax worm, night crawler, and blood worm bait; stocks rooster-tail lures for fresh But these days Magnenat is content to heed his grandfather’s advice of valuing the journey. After all, the job’s going well, Featured Customer: Susan Nesbitt: Pedaled through California to stop HIV/AIDS
On September 9th, shortly before my 4p.m. meeting withSusan Nesbitt at Peet’s Coffee & Tea on the corner of Shattuck andKittredge, I circled the area looking for a parking spot, like a vulturelooking for prey. Out of luck, I retreated to a parking lot, and then sprinted toPeet’s. I ordered iced tea, composed myself, and looked aroundhoping to recognize, from the few photos Nesbitt had emailed meupon request, a lean, short-haired, women with indigo-blue eyeswho for the second time in two years completed the 545-mileAIDS/LifeCycle ride from San Francisco to L.A, most recentlyin June 2010. Then, like a photo come to life, Nesbitt,maneuvered her black Bianchi racing bikethrough the front door and into the café. She waswearing a bicycle helmet, cropped taupe-coloredbiking pants, black biking shoes, blue anorak, anda powder-blue cap. She propped the bike against a railing,ordered iced-hibiscus tea, and joined me at awindow seat where she shared her personalhistory with me. Nesbitt is a Midwesterner who grew up nearChicago and eventually left to earn a businessdegree at the University of Denver in Colorado.After graduation she worked in Denver andChicago helping Midwest banks develop theirInternet banking business. Tired of cold Chicago winters, Nesbitt exploredjob opportunities in California. In 1999, Yahoo, theInternet search provider in Sunnyvale, California,flew her out for an interview and she moved outwest a couple of weeks later. “Back then my skillset was unique. I was very lucky,” said Nesbitt. Three years later, on the morning of September 11th, 2001Nesbitt was aboard an Amtrak train bound for her product managerjob at Yahoo when news of the attack on the World Trade Centerbroke. Wi-Fi enabled Nesbitt, to access on-line news reports. “Rightaway I knew that the world had changed forever and I felt lucky tobe able to go to work to connect with others,” she recalled.An extraordinary day unfolded at Yahoo as she became part ofa communications team that helped orchestrate relief efforts in NewYork through instant messaging and Yahoo mail. Being part of this happening where communications technologyshowed its broader possibilities was a defining moment for Nesbitt.“It was the first mass online mobilization event and I was reallyproud to work for an organization that could marshal resources forthe country,” said Nesbitt. The entire experience led to self reflection and a reorganizationof priorities, and in 2004 she left Yahoo. Since she is an ardent saxophoneplayer and a music lover who savors the sounds of jazz greatslike Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Holliday, and Forest Silver, she decided tovolunteer at Berkeley’s Fantasy Records where she learned to engineerand produce CDs. Then she parlayed those newly-honed technicalskills and her longtime musical passion into employment withdigital music companies Songbird and Snocap. During this interlude Nesbitt did a personal value check. Sheconnected the dots and pinpointed her desire to work for a community-oriented, philanthropic organization which would allow hertime for a balanced life-style. Her goals guided her to the CraigslistFoundation, which helps communities achieve goals by providingstrategic tools, such as experts in a pertinent field, community leaders,and volunteers. For continuity and conciseness, the foundation’son-line source, allforgood.com, matches volunteers worldwide withprojects of specific interest to them, adding muscle to the project. Results oriented, Nesbitt, the deputy director of the CraigslistFoundation, is presently working on the company’s “Knowledge-Sharing Project,” designed to facilitate communities sharing, learning,and growing from each others’ successes and setbacks. “I seepotential to share stories about topics like community gardens andthe fight against childhood obesity,” she explained.Not one to spin her wheels at work or inlife, Nesbitt has an appetite for indoor, spincycle,workout-classes at Berkeley’s Y.M.C.A.which she attends 3-4 times a week. Duringthe class, participants build their strength andendurance by riding stationary bikes at variousspeeds. These trainings keep her fit and put herin contact with biking enthusiasts who havebecome her friends. In 2009, when some of those acquaintancesfound out Nesbitt wanted to augment her spincycleworkouts with a more vigorous physicalchallenge, they suggested she participate in theAIDS/LifeCycle ride. Four months before the 2009 ride shebought a bike, raised the $3,000 minimumrequired of each rider, and prepared physicallyfor the event through spin classes and EastBay hill-cycling. That year she successfullycompleted the route, and aligned herself fullywith the people and goals of theAIDS/LifeCycle community. In summer 2010 Nesbitt participated again but found shewas a changed person. “This time I was simply riding for allthose who could not ride because they were infirm or because theyhad died from the disease. It had nothing to do with me getting inbetter shape.” She was also more aware of the ride’s psychological component.“Fifty percent of the ride is mental. Once you’ve done it you knowyou have the physical and mental capacity to do it again. So,the second time was easier in terms of the physical challenge,”recalled Nesbitt. But this year she had to contend with worries that the sluggisheconomy might dampen her fundraising efforts. As she found out,her fears were unwarranted and she reached her $3,000 goal. “Justwhen I thought I had tapped out, the money came miraculously. Itamazes me that so many people care so passionately about thiscommunity. Most of my donors were co-workers, acquaintances Iinteract with every day, and even my dentist.” For Nesbitt and 2,000 others the June bike route included sixovernights in huge, highly-organized campsites near Santa Cruz,King City, Paso Robles, Santa Maria, Lompoc and Ventura.Freewheeling purposely through California brought joy toNesbitt and offered the opportunity to connect with landscape,seascape, and fellow Californians. “I had no idea how intimate an experience riding through smalltowns could be. My favorite memory was that of riding throughsome of the most difficult terrain and through some of the moreboring Central Valley towns. There it suddenly struck me that beforethe AIDS/LifeCycle events started in 1992 these residents had never seen a ride comprised of 2,000 mostly gay people. Theyprobably didn’t know what to make of it back then,” said Nesbitt. A case in point is Bradley, a town with a population of 120,that’s been changed by the ride. Families now line thestreets routinely to welcome riders, and kids sell buttons withAIDS/LifeCycle themes, and even cook and serve hamburgers tobicyclists at a Bar-B-Que cum school-fundraiser where riders canenjoy a meal for $5. “The ten thousand dollars raised throughthat event fund kids’ after-school programs for the entire year. It’sa win-win deal,” said Nesbitt. Still fueled by enthusiasm for her recent AIDS/LifeCycleexperience, Nesbitt is considering a third ride in 2011. “It’shard to say ‘no’ to something that’s been so transformative. It’sboosted my fitness level, my self-confidence, and enabled me tocultivate a connection with a community I want to support.”Should she participate for a third time, Bruce Ackerman willvie to be the first to support the cause and his customer who firstcame to the shop via a referral in 2001. At the time she was drivinga Volvo 121 she happened to find listed for sale on Craigslist. “The car was a present to myself when I first got the job atyahoo. I loved it! The Volvo is an iconic brand and Berkeleywas a Mecca for Volvos. I knew their numbers on the streetmeant that there were great mechanics in the community. Thismade me feel comfortable that I could it serviced whenever itneeded work.” Nesbitt brought her car to Ackerman’s until she inheriteda B.M.W. from her father. But when she recently retired theB.M.W. and bought a Volvo S70, Nesbitt took a U-turn back toAckerman’s. “There was no question about going elsewhere.I like Bruce, his crew, the matchless customer service and mostof all, the sense of trust built over time.” To learn about the 2011, June 5-11, AIDS/LifeCycle bike ride, go online to: www.aidslifecycle.org.
Every Day’s a Fundraiser with Ackerman’s 5% Donation Program
A. It’s simple. Customers just ask me to donate 5%of their pre-tax invoice to any school or charitable cause they want to support. Q. Then what happens? A. I write a check on the spot to the school or charitableconcern and give it to the customer to pass on. I’ll even mail the check myself if the customer provides the address. Q. How much money has this program raised so far this year? A. Well, if you factor in the twenty minor services we’ve donated to support school auctions, it’s about $10,400. Q. How can I spread the word about these opportunities at my kid’s/grandkid’s school or at my favorite charity? A. Just have someone who’s in charge of development phone me at 510.549.9330, or email me at backerman@sbcglobal.net. (READ MORE...) Q. Do you have a flier that development officials can distribute to their community? A. Yes I do and I can forward it to them as a JPEG image for circulation to their supporters.
Newsletter ArchivesShopNews Fall '98 |
Newly-hired shop foreman
Darren Magnenat is an unassuming
fellow with an easy
smile and amber-green eyes.
Born in Oakland and educated
at Berkeley High School, he
likes what the East Bay has
to offer: sunny weather, treelined
streets, and an artistic,
diverse vibe.
“It’s all good, homemade, fresh and delicious,” says Bruce who’s tried everything on the menu and declares the albacore tuna and Havarti melt his favorite sandwich. Bruce likes the place so much that whenever his sister Maile Ackerman comes by to offer her organizational expertise he returns the favor by inviting her to lunch at the eatery because she loves the food too.