Mercedes-Benz of Calabasas

   
Service and Part Team with the Kundendienst Award on March 16, 2010

Mercedes-Benz of Calabasas wins Mercedes Kundendienst Award!

Mercedes-Benz presented our dealership with the March 2010 Kundendienst Award for exceptional customer satisfaction and service. Kundendienst, meaning "customer service" in German, is given to dealerships that go above and beyond for their customers in service and parts. Many factors are considered when selecting a dealership including consistent positive customer feedback, timeliness of service, availability of parts, quality of work, and overall customer satisfaction.

At Mercedes-Benz of Calabasas we make it our goal to always find new ways to improve our processes and stay up to date on the ever changing automotive industry. Our employees are very experienced and continuously trained. We know that you have a choice of where to service your vehicle, so we do everything in our power to make the experience as easy as possible. We are very grateful for the opportunity to take care of our customers.

This was a team effort and could not have been done without the help of our wonderful customers!! We appreciate each and every one of you and are very proud to receive this award!

Congratulations to our Finance Assistance, Nicole Johnson, for winning Miss California USA 2010! The pageant took place on Sunday, November 22 in Palm Springs. 130 women competed for the chance to represent California in the Miss USA pageant that will be held in April. Nicole was amazing and we were very proud to sponsor her! She is so determined and dedicated. She will be an excellent representative of our state and hopefully move onto the Miss Universe competition. Congratulations Nicole!!! We knew you could do it! 


PRESS RELEASE
Ventura County woman wins Miss California title
By Victor Morales The Desert Sun
Published Monday, November 23, 2009
After placing in the top 15 two years in a row, a 24-year-old representing the Lake Sherwood area was crowned the 2010 Miss California USA on Sunday in Rancho Mirage.
Nicole Johnson, who was among the top 15 contestants in 2007 and 2008, beat out 133 other women for the title and the opportunity to compete in the Miss USA pageant in April in Las Vegas.
"I think it was my presentation," Johnson said. "I was very confident on the stage, and I stood out in a red gown. So I think maybe that was it."
On Monday text messages about Johnson's win flew among her co-workers and friends at Mercedes-Benz of Calabasas, said Katie Castellano, the dealership's marketing manager.
"She definitely is the perfect Miss California," Castellano said on Monday. "She is great. She is very outgoing, very smart. ... She is very dedicated. This was the last year she is going try and she did it. She is great, everybody loves her."
The Ventura County woman has worked at the dealership for about a year and started out in sales and now works as a finance assistant. Mercedes-Benz of Calabasas helped sponsor Johnson. Castellano said the sponsorship helps cover everything from travel expenses, to Johnson's dress and a personal trainer for the two months leading up to the competition.
"We just did it for her," Castellano said. "This is kind of one of her dreams, so we wanted to help her out."
Johnson beat out an apparent crowd favorite, Nana Meriwether representing Beverly Hills.
Meriwether was the runner-up and will fill in for Johnson should she not be able to fulfill her Miss California duties.
Tami Farrell also was crowned during the show after taking over from 2009 winner Carrie Prejean, who was stripped of her title in June.
"She was crowned tonight so that she, too, can have the moment," said Heather Witbeck, a pageant spokeswoman.
The two-hour Miss California competition, hosted by The Insider's Chris Jacobs and former Miss USA 1995 Shanna Moakler, included swimwear, evening gowns and interviews.
Johnson was asked by judge Hill Harper, "What do you consider the most significant challenge facing the state of California?"
"Focusing on what we truly believe in," she answered. "Sometimes we are very divided, and I feel if we can unite and be one state and focus our beliefs in one thing, I think we can succeed and be a very dominant state."
After the pageant, Johnson said in a ballroom at the casino that she was looking forward to further competition.
"I would like to get to USA and then to Universe (pageants), and then we will see where my career takes me," she said.
Johnson said she would like to be a Formula One racing correspondent in the future when her pageant competitions are behind her.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was among those in the crowd Sunday.
- Star staff Writer Teresa Rochester contributed to this report.

Mercedes-Benz of Calabasas Partners With Camp Kesem


We were very proud and honored to partner with Camp Kesem on November 2nd during the "Fore" the Children Golf Tournament at MountainGate Country Club. Camp Kesem is a college-student-run summer camp for kids whose parents have cancer.

Their mission is two fold: To provide kids whose parents have or have had cancer with a summer camp experience that gives them a chance to be kids. To allow college students to channel their passion for making a difference, while developing critical leadership skills for long term social impact. This is a great program that has provided support, compassion, and a get-away for children effected by this disease.  

The tournament raised over $64,000 for the Camp. There were about 150 guests with 80 golfers including celebrities such as Marcia Cross, Peter Gallagher, Amy Paffrath, Brandon Johnson, Drew Seeley, Richard Gant, Justin Baldoni, Max Mayer, and Royce Clayton, who was our first place winner!

It was an amazing day with food from LA Food Show and a reception hosted by Grey Goose. Two balls from a helicopter ball drop made it into the holes and the winners donated the proceeds back to Camp Kesem. The weather was terrific and all the guests had a wonderful time. For more information on Camp Kesem or to make a donation visit www.campkesem.org.
 

Mercedes-Benz of Calabasas Sponsors Harold Pump Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament
Used Car Manager, Gary Leclair; General Sales Manager, Darren Richie;  General Manager, Mike Rich; General Manager's son, Nick Rich with Barry Bonds at tournament.
 

Mercedes-Benz of Calabasas was proud to sponsor the Harold Pump Foundation's 9th Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament on August 13, 2009 honoring Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Terry Fitch and Bill Russell. This event raised money for the fight against cancer. The tournament  took place at Robinson Ranch Golf Club in Santa Clarita, California followed by a dinner at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.  Many famous athletes and celebrities attended the golf tournament and the dinner. Barry Bonds, Sugar Ray Leonard, Samual L. Jackson, Jessica Alba, Luke Robitaille, Dr. J, Paul Pierce, Doc Rivers, Marcus Alan, Smokey Robinson, and Erik Karros to name a few. The foundation has raised over $3 million since it started. The fight against cancer is something that has effected most of our lives in some way or another. We are very proud the be apart of this event.

 

Mission Statement

The mission of the Harold Pump Foundation is to raise funds and create awareness for the treatment and cure of cancer. By engaging the community , sports leaders, and those touched by this disease, financial support is given to the development of cancer treatments, programs and services as well as the procurement of advanced medical technologies.

 

"Our goal is to continue to help cancer patients and their families conquer this disease so that they can get back into the game of life." said Dana Pump, Co-Founder of the Harold Pump Foundation.

 

E! filmed part of an upcoming series The Lamas Family at Mercedes-Benz of Calabasas at the end of July. The series, produced by Mike Fleiss of The Bachelor, follows the hilarious family dynamics of Lorenzo Lamas, the former star of the 80s soap Falcon Crest. Lorenzo brought his 23 year old daughter Shayne, who was recently purposed to on The Bachelor: London Calling, to look at a 2007 Mercedes-Benz ML350. Our very own Chuck Royal, who has been at the store for 11 years, spent time with the father and daughter explaining the vehicle and options and taking them on a test drive. The series is set to air in October and the day's events will appear in one of the episodes.  Lorenzo said that he loved the attitude of the dealership and felt very comfortable in Chuck's presence. Shayne came back the following week with her brother A.J. to look at another vehicle for him.

 
2nd annual Nataline Sarkisyan memorial fashion show attracts hundreds
by Paul Chaderjian

Nataline lives through her friends and family

...As a way to make peace with their loss, Nataline's friends organized the first fashion show a few months after her death last year at Mercedes-Benz of Calabasas.

"Nataline had an incredible sense of fashion. She drew. She wrote poetry. She was an artists," said Vartie Khatchatryan, one of Nataline's best friends. "The first fashion show was a way for us to say goodbye. It was a way to celebrate her. And it was so great that we decided we would do it every year on a weekend closest to her birthday."

Over the weekend, for the second year in a row, Nataline's Fashion Legacy attracted hundreds to the Mercedes dealership in Calabasas, where Nataline's father Koko works. Guests were entertained by live music, participated in a raffle for gifts, enjoyed an overflow of cold beverages, Champaign, hors d'oeuvre, finger sandwiches, a variety of kebobs, a pink chocolate fondue fountain, cakes, desserts, and even a variety of Nataline's favorite treats: gummy bears and M&M's.

The luxury cars in the glass and marble showroom had been cleared out to make room for two stages and the slew of tables to serve the food and drinks. On one stage was Ara Dabandjian's popular Element Band, which performed original and folk songs for nearly two hours. On the second stage, a runway, were Nataline's friends modeling casual and formal wear that Nataline would have worn or designed.

"We found drawings of 22 gowns in Nataline's room," said Nataline's mom Hilda. "My daughter wanted to go to FIDM, the Fashion Institute of Design, after she graduated from high school. And I know she would have done great. She had so much to give us, so much in her, and so much love for the world."

The culmination of the evening was the presentation of one of 22 dresses that Nataline had designed and meticulously sketched and colored on paper. Family friend and Armenian-American designer Pol Atteu was given one of Nataline's drawings and brought it to life as he had done last year. The colorful and classy gown brought tears to Nataline's mother's eyes and emotionally touched all those who had come to celebrate Nataline's legacy.

Star-studded high-fashion affair

Hosting the evening were the talented and beautiful web journalists from Hollyscoop.com: Ani Esmailian, Diana Magpapian, and Nora Gasparian. Also attending were popular Armenian folk singing stars Gor Mkhitarian and Karnig Sarkissian, whose revolutionary songs Nataline would listen to while studying or writing.

News crews from local television and newspapers including KTTV and KCOP were also on hand to broadcast Nataline's story to their audiences.

"I couldn't imagine losing my ten-year-old," said the Fox 11 cameraman after shooting an interview with Hilda. "It would break me."

Keeping Nataline's legacy alive and making her dreams a reality were not only her family and friends but several local businesses including the Marmalade Cafe, Monster Inc., and MonaVie Team 212, which contributed food and beverages to the event. H-Teez provided some of the clothing on the runway.

"I promised Nataline that we would make her dreams a reality," said Nataline's brother, videographer and TV producer Bedig Sarkisyan. "If Nataline has to be the spark this country needs to start making changes in our healthcare system, then I'm okay with that. If her name has to be used by families being denied coverage, if Nataline helps people to let their insurance companies know that they will not back down, then I'm okay with that. Happy birthday, Nataline. We love you and miss you greatly."

Supporting the fashion show and scholarship drive were members and executives from various Armenian community organizations including the Armenian Relief Society, the Armenian-American Chamber of Commerce, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, and the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry.

Like last year, the proceeds from the fashion show will provide scholarships to those who plan to study fashion, health care, and the culinary arts. Information about the scholarships and next year's Nataline's Fashion Legacy may be found on-line at NatalineSarkisyan.com.

Nataline's family, meanwhile, will continue its grassroots campaign for health care reform. Hilda Sarkisyan - a realtor by day - was invited to Washington, D.C. this week to tell lawmakers her story and why greedy insurance companies should not decide who gets to live and who doesn't.

TEE IT UP FOR CHARITY
8th Annual Autotrader.com - St. Jude Charity Golf Tournament

Mercedes-Benz of Calabasas was a proud sponsor of the Tee it Up golf tournament which raised $120,000 for St. Jude Children's Research hospital. Nearly 900 people, including dealers and Autotrader.com employees, participated in the fourth year of the golf tournaments. 

"We partner with dealers all across the country each year to help raise awareness for a wonderful cause," said Chip Perry, president and chief executive officer, AutoTrader.com "We're proud to work with our dealers to assist St. Jude as much as we can with their amazing programs."

Over the past four years, the tournament has had over 2700 participants help raise nearly half a million dollars for St. Jude. We have sponsored this great cause in the past and will continue to do so in the future.