Brad Zara and his wife, Julie, started their business nearly 34 years ago with two main goals in mind: take care of customers and take care of those who take care of their customers – their employees.
He explains this instinctive notion led to their five core values, which have served them well over the years. These include teamwork, legacy, change, trust and balance. "It's crucial we work together as a team," says Zara, who has hired a coach to help guide them through the continual process of improvement from within every area of expertise in the business. "We have to have trust in one another, and we establish that through integrity."
The core value of change made for a smooth transition to pandemic precautions, with the front door now locked during business hours since the stay-at-home order went into effect in March. Some contact-free processes, like nighttime drop-off and online estimates, were already in place, but Zara's has made those standard during the pandemic and introduced signage to make following no-contact procedures easy for their customers.
In addition to providing great customer service and excellent craftsmanship, Zara's started a benevolence program more than two decades ago. Each year, the company gives away at least one refurbished vehicle, and sometimes more, to a deserving family who are vetted by Contact Ministries. A vehicle can sometimes provide the reliability that a family needs to transition back to a life of functional normalcy.
Brad and Julie Zara are also involved with Amigos en Cristo (Friends in Christ), coordinating short-term mission trips with churches in Juarez, Mexico to do humanitarian and community-building work, as well as serving on its board. In addition, they are active in Big Brothers Big Sisters and Julie teaches parenting classes at Contact Ministries, where she previously served on the board.
Zara's Collision Center not only provides excellent collision repair services, but also serves as long-term support for their employees and our community at large.
