Diversifying Our Interests, Supporting Regional Talent

Rocco's Collision Centers is proud to announce its formal entrance into the world of boxing through our sponsorships of two local boxers, Tevin "The American Idol" Farmer and World Champion Danny Swift Garcia.

Tevin was born one of thirteen (7 brothers, 5 sisters) and grew up on 13^th and Fitzwater, in the projects of Philadelphia. He doesn’t remember ever going on vacation, he thinks his favorite colors were green and blue but doesn’t pay much attention to that now, and when asked what the best and worst part about growing up in the city was he responds “the worst is that it’s tough and forced you how to be strong; the best is that it teaches you how to survive.”

Mark and Tevin enjoying a night out at an MMA event.

Now, at the age of twenty-two is staring at a new destiny. His name is Tevin Farmer and he is one of many Philadelphia-born boxers who hope to fight their way out of adversity and make it to the top. “I want to win every time I get in the ring. I want to beat my opponent and beat them bad and ultimately I will be a world champion,” says Tevin. But unlike his local counterparts, Tevin has been blessed with a new beginning, an incredible chance to marry his talents with opportunity and perhaps change the course of his life.

Through his older brother Mel, Tevin came to know Mark Cipparone, owner of Rocco's Collision who immediately saw talent in Tevin and quickly became his mentor.  The first thing Team Farmer did was to move Tevin out of Philadelphia and into the suburbs of New Jersey, where his life is incredibly different.

“He has been exposed to a terrific opportunity and he is making the most of it. He is training harder, he’s eating right, he’s solely focused on boxing and it’s made him hungrier.”  Says Cipparone. “In New Jersey, there are no distractions, no negative influences.  He is left to focus on his passion, boxing.” In the solace of his new environment Farmer appears at ease and while he’s always a well-mannered gentlemen, his will to win, to punish his opponents is evident.

Tevin's next fight will be on Saturday, February 16th at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (Click here for more information) 

In addition to sponsoring Tevin, Team Rocco's is also part of the Danny Garcia team and will be present in his upcoming championship bout with Zab Judah in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Saturday, April 27. "We are extremely excited to be a part of the Garcia team and are proud to sponsor such local and phenomenal talent. In many ways, our involvement with both of these hard working individuals mirrors our team's efforts at each of our shops. We're looking forward to a very successful and dynamic 2013 and beyond," says Cipparone.

Across the River - Cross Functional Training for Our Team

Rocco’s Announces New Approach to Cross-Functional, “Cross-The-River” Training

If you live or work in Philadelphia then you know that “across the river” is as synonymous with “down the shore.” In each case they’re referring to New Jersey, and vice-a-versa, if you happen to be in New Jersey, except for the shore part.  To the outsider this will not be immediately clear and as a result they will certainly search for  “the river.”

However, for those of us that reside and work within the Greater Philadelphia area, we are aware of the many geographic, economic and cultural connections (and differences) between Philadelphia and New Jersey and the language used to reference the “other” place.

With two locations in Philadelphia and three in New Jersey, we’ve come to embrace these differences and also use them to our advantage in helping our staff in their professional development. One example of this is our newly refined approach to cross-functional, and cross-location training. 

 The furthest distance between any two of our shops is 30 – 45 minutes, depending on traffic, with the average travel time between any two of our five shops falling somewhere between ten to fifteen minutes.  However, the distance between the shops does little to represent the diversity of the shops, what is necessary to run a successful operation in each shop, and the approach to customer service required for each location.

For example, consider each of the following:

•           Our Snyder Avenue location serves more customers from the South Philadelphia area than our Reed Street location. Residents of South Philadelphia tend to be longtime residents from the area.

•         Our Reed Street location generally pulls its customers from Center City, although it is located just a few blocks away from our Snyder Avenue shop. Residents of Center City tend to be students and professionals and in many cases from out-of-town.

•         Both shops in Philadelphia are two story enterprises and located on busy “city” streets, which means each shop’s manager must be strategic in how he/she moves cars in and out of each location and through the repair process.

•          Repairs in Philadelphia tend to be less complicated than those executed in any of our New Jersey locations due to the severity of accidents. This is due in large part to the vast differences between city driving compared to highway / suburban driving. (It is rumored that people in New Jersey drive faster).

•         Each of our locations in Philadelphia has extensive histories in their respective neighborhoods dating back to the late 1950’s. Our customers are often neighbors and have known our shops and us for years.

•         In New Jersey, our customer base includes local residents, professionals and even farmers; they may be longtime New Jersey residents who have spent very little time in the city or commuters who live in the suburbs and work in the city.

In each and every case, and in each of our locations, there is diversity: among the vehicles driven by our customers, among the types of collisions we see and the repairs we make, and among our customers and the environments we work.  Because of this our teams have to be acutely aware of these nuances.

 As a result we have introduced our cross-functional training program that we believe will help our teams and perhaps other MSO’s (multi-shop operators) throughout the country. Beginning in 2013, our teams will rotate between shops on an as needed basis or as desired basis.  Our office managers, shop managers, technicians and painters will spend time in the suburbs of New Jersey and in the heart of Philadelphia.

Our team members will learn how to navigate through five different repair processes, through five different office and shop environments, and through five different geographic regions, and interact with distinctly different customers. They will walk away with an appreciation for their greater environment and the many cultures, needs and wants that are displayed throughout the Greater Philadelphia Region.