SYRACUSE — Rudy Schmid Total Car Care celebrated its 85th anniversary in 2015 not with a big bash, but with a big heart. Throughout 2015, P.J. Schmid and Diane Schmid-McCall, both of Baldwinsville, made monthly donations to area charities to support the community that has supported their family business.
“Rather than to throw a big open house … we decided that we were so successful for 85 years based on the support of the local community,” Diane Schmid-McCall said.
Rudy Schmid founded Rudy Schmid Total Car Care in his garage in 1930. Rudy’s son Paul took over the operation in the 1960s, and his children, P.J. and Diane, purchased the business from him in 1992.
As thanks for keeping the business going for so long, Rudy Schmid supported such local nonprofits as Maureen’s Hope, McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center and Charity for Children, the latter of which Schmid-McCall has been involved with for more than 11 years. Between these causes and P.J. Schmid’s involvement in Boy Scouts, Rudy Schmid helped more than 25 charities in 2015.
Charity for Children, Schmid-McCall explained, helps the families of sick children with nonmedical expenses such as travel costs or rent. “We help fill the gaps where their benefits, their health insurance, may not cover,” she said.
To select each charity, the Schmid siblings polled their employees and customers.
“Each month we featured that charity on our Facebook page and promoted them — their story, their events,” Schmid-McCall said. “We raised money for that nonprofit and each month we made a Rudy Schmid donation.”
While one organization — the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign — was a national cause, Schmid-McCall said it was important to feature local nonprofits.
“[We chose organizations] where you can see the faces of the people that they’re helping. … You can go to their website and see the local faces that were helped,” Schmid-McCall said.
continued — One such cause, the Building Men Program, was founded by the Schmids’ friend Joe Horan. The Building Men Program offers after-school activities, volunteering and character development opportunities for at-risk youth in the Syracuse City School District.
“[They learn] ‘How can I be a good man?’ Being a man isn’t about your attitude, it’s about what can you do for others,” Schmid-McCall said of the program.
Schmid-McCall said her father, Paul, instilled in her and her brother a sense of responsibility to their community.
“We had a great example in my father. He was very involved himself in different organizations,” she said. “With success should come some humility. We couldn’t do it without the community. It’s just so important that you be thankful for your own success, it was just second nature to give back.”
Schmid-McCall attributed Rudy Schmid’s longevity and success to its dedicated employees.
“We’ve always had great people working with us, for us. They are still tradesmen putting pride in their work,” she said. “We put out a beautiful product and if we didn’t, people wouldn’t come back,” she said. “We’re really blessed with a crew that works great together.”
Schmid-McCall said the team works to build strong relationships with its customers.
“If you have a car accident, it’s a pretty traumatic experience so we try to help people through the claims process,” she said. “When we hand the keys back to them, our word is behind it. We value our reputation. You can’t take it for granted.”
Schmid-McCall, P.J. Schmid and their employees are often on a first-name basis with their customers.
“I think we’re appreciated. … They recognize the name; they get to see us outside,” Schmid-McCall said. “P.J. and I, we’re there to shake hands. They know us.”
While she said the 85th anniversary charity initiative was “very rewarding,” Schmid-McCall is looking to the future.
“We’re just really proud of what we’ve accomplished in 85 years,” she said. “To make it to 100 would be cool.”
Rudy Schmid Total Car Care is located at 228 E. Hiawatha Blvd. in Syracuse. For more information, call 422-8879 or visit rudyschmid.com.
