A Celebration of Caring

I used to always think that strong companies make strong communities,’” says Kim McMahon, president of McMahon’s Best-One Tire & Auto Care in Fort Wayne. “I still think that’s true, but I think kindness and giving back are what really make a difference.”

Those beliefs are at the core of the celebration plans to commemorate the iconic company’s 50^th anniversary in Allen County.

“We are celebrating all year and we have a number of different events that we’re focusing on,” says McMahon. “But hands down, the one I’m most excited about is a raffle in which we’ll auction off a brand new 2019 Jeep Wrangler with all of the proceeds benefitting Turnstone.”

Turnstone Center for Children and Adults with Disabilities is another iconic Fort Wayne organization with a long history of helping people and holding firm to their mission of empowering people with disabilities to achieve their highest potential.

“We have to raise a little over 70 percent of our operating budget philanthropically,” says Mike Mushett, CEO of Turnstone. “McMahon’s gift is absolutely huge to us to help us meet our budget and it goes to our therapy services and early learning center, among many other things. One of the reasons why we have to raise so much of our budget is because we never turn anyone away because of inability to pay. About 90 percent of the clients we serve get some type of subsidy for these services.”

The Jeep will be given away at Turnstone on Dec. 5. The raffle tickets cost $20 each and can be purchased at any of the six McMahon locations in Allen County or at Turnstone on North Clinton in Fort Wayne. There are price breaks offered for buying multiple tickets.

“You don’t need to have a ticket to join us for the drawing in December,” says Stasha Carrasquillo, chief marketing officer for Turnstone. “The event will be open to the public. There will also be a number of events from now through then where we’ll have the Jeep with us to show it off. And you can purchase the raffle tickets on those occasions as well.”

McMahon says the Jeep is no ordinary vehicle. It’s loaded with conversions and added-on extras from McMahon Customs, the company’s newest location in New Haven.

“It’s a really nice vehicle and very unique,” says McMahon. “We have been talking about doing this for about a year and it’s so great to see it all come together for such a worthy cause. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate our 50^th anniversary.”

McMahon’s father-in-law, Patrick McMahon, Jr., and his business partner opened the first McMahon’s in downtown Fort Wayne at Jefferson Boulevard and Fairfield Avenue. Over the years, the company flourished and earned an excellent reputation for customer service. 

When Kim first came into contact with the business, she was struck by her father-in-law’s commitment to the community.

“He always made a point of giving back,” she says. “We would go to places like the Rescue Mission or a soup kitchen and people really knew him and appreciated what he did. He went out of his way to establish relationships with them. He was determined to help in any way he could and that really stuck with me.”

Continuing that commitment to caring takes on an extra special meaning for McMahon as she and her colleagues commemorate five decades of success.

“We’ve had a number of people come in over the years and say they wanted to do business with us because they saw that we had helped a nonprofit in town or served as a sponsor to an organization. People notice when you care.”

Ironically, McMahon’s and Turnstone share a lot of similarities. Turnstone last year celebrated its 75^th anniversary of serving northeast Indiana. And just like McMahon’s, Turnstone is committed to helping families in the area through the services it provides. 

“We are honored to have recently been designated as one of 14 Olympic and Paralympic Training Sites in the United States,” says Mushett. “Everything we’re doing is trying to help individuals live the fullest lives and sports is just a great representation of some of the opportunities that are created for people who otherwise wouldn’t have access to opportunities like that. And all of our proceeds, including the money that will be raised with the Jeep event, come straight back to our mission.”

The McMahon team has always strived to do its personal best to provide a positive experience for its customers. As it celebrates its 50^th anniversary and look forward to many more years of service, McMahon says a big part of its success both business-wise and charity-wise is because of the Fort Wayne region.

“I’ve lived in Fort Wayne for 30 years and our city has changed so much during that time. But one thing that hasn’t changed is the generosity and kindness of the people here. There are things that happen here that would never happen anywhere else. It just amazes me. It’s a special place to live and a special place to have a business.” 

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