Houska Media: Auto Repair Gurus in the News


Giving Back Feels Good

Helping People is in Our Bones

By Becky Jensen

To say owners Dennis and Noreen Houska care about people is an understatement. They've been donating blood for years, and in 1994 they both joined the National Bone Marrow Registry. The very next year Dennis provided a life-saving match for a young California boy with leukemia.

But the Houskas wanted to do more. So they turned their annual Houska/Houska 5K into a fundraiser to fight cancer, and they began hosting a Halloween blood drive and bone marrow registration event.

Then Dennis rode his bike 4,500 miles across the United States two times, and cycled though South Africa twice, to raise awareness about the need for blood, organ, tissue, and bone marrow donations. And in his down time he ran a marathon to fight leukemia.

Dennis doesn't think he's anything special, but when prodded to explain why he does it he said,"Noreen inspires me every day, and I feel lucky I'm able to do this for people. It's powerful. It makes life more meaningful."

For information about the National Bone Marrow Registry, read more...


Houska Owner Takes On Bone Marrow Mission

By Bobby Magill - bobbymagill@coloradoan.com - May 17, 2010

Dennis Houska, owner of Houska Automotive on Riverside Avenue in Fort Collins, has a new mission in life.
Like an undercover agent, he often plays the middle man in what sometimes seems like a Hollywood thriller-style life-and-death operation ferrying bone marrow from one end of the continent to the other.
He gets a call one day, hops a plane a few days later, makes the bone marrow pick-up on one coast, then hops another flight to make the drop on another coast - all to save the life of someone in desperate need of a transplant.
"It's kind of 'secret agent,' but it's not," Houska said.
Having raised money to fight cancer and donated his own marrow to a save a California boy’s life, Houska signed up as a volunteer bone marrow courier for the National Marrow Donor Program last fall. Since then, he has ferried marrow across the country nine times.
As a courier, Houska is given his assignment about a week in advance. He flies into the city where the marrow donation is made, collects the donation, double-checks the donation’s codes and numbers, then races to the airport in a cab, often with his destination far on the other side of the country.
Time is precious, he said, because the recipient’s life depends on getting the donation as soon as possible.
“I did one in Lebanon, N.H.,” he said. “I had to hire a driver to take me to Manchester and then flew to Utah. I was gone three nights.”
Houska said he was on assignment in Detroit last Christmas when Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to explode Northwest Airlines Flight 253.
“You could just feel the tension in the airport a little more,” he said.
The marrow, he said, is kept in a small cooler as he travels.
“You have to keep it right with you,” he said. “You can’t put it in the overhead (bin). I put it under the seat in front of me. You can’t tell people what you’re doing. You can’t tell other passengers.”
Really, he just can’t draw attention to himself, he said. If a passenger asks what he’s up to, he’ll say, but he won’t volunteer the information in conversation.
Nor can he tell the donor where he’s going or the marrow recipient where he came from.
Often, he picks up the donation from a lab and only talks to lab technicians. Sometimes, he said, he meets a donor’s family members, but he almost never encounters a marrow recipient.
“A lot of them are real curious,” Houska said.
Though he almost never gets to connect personally with those giving or receiving the marrow donation, he said he does it because he feels like he’s facilitating the saving of a person’s life.
“I’m maybe just a little link in helping somebody save someone’s life,” he said.
Since his own marrow donation saved a life, Houska has been busy raising money for the fight against cancer with the Houska Houska 5K run since then.
The next run will be Memorial Day, May 31, and proceeds from the race will benefit the Poudre Valley Hospital Cancer Center and Bone Marrow Registration Program.
Additional Facts
Local history
When their 10-year-old daughter, Laura, was diagnosed with leukemia, veterinarian Robert Graves and his wife, Sherry, of Fort Collins were ready to do anything they could to save her. They agreed to try a bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor — the first ever for a leukemia patient. Laura received her transplant in 1979 at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The treatment gave her an extra year and a half of life. And it inspired Graves to launch a quest to create a national registry of volunteers willing to donate bone marrow. His early efforts brought together other patient families and transplant doctors, spurring a federal mandate that led to the creation of the National Marrow Donor Program. The program began connecting patients with unrelated donors in 1987 with a registry of just 10,000 volunteers. Today, the registry — now called the Be The Match Registry — has grown to more than 8 million donors and more than 100,000 cord blood units, the largest and most racially and ethnically diverse registry of its kind in the world. Source: www.bethematch.org



Fort Collins Coloradoan: Best Family Business

Family business' roots in town run deep

By Joyce Davis — JoyceDavis@coloradoan.com

While Dennis Houska has seen a lot of change in Fort Collins in the 31 years he's run the family automotive repair shop, the people who frequent his business haven't changed much.

Dennis Houska, right, his son, L.J., and his wife, Noreen, run Houska Automotive in Fort Collins. L.J. is holding a photo of his grandfather, Chuck Houska, who started the business in 1952 at the same location.

Those who need mechanical repair trust that Houska and his "family" of mechanics will treat them with the same respect and care Houska's father gave decades ago.

It's one of the reasons Houska Automotive Services Inc. was named Best Family Business in the Coloradoan's 2005 Best in Business contest.

"We try to cure their transportation problems," Houska said. "And we try to look beyond repairing the car to helping fix the other problems, such as getting a car towed, finding a rental car or arranging transportation while the car's in the shop."

We've even picked up kids from school. We have one fella here who does nothing but help people all day long."

Houska took over the business in 1974, in the same shop where his father first opened the doors in 1952.

"We were outside the city limits at one time," Houska said, noting the growth in Fort Collins. "Now we're seeing a lot more people coming in from out of state and a lot less agriculture. Some of our best farmland has gone to housing developments."

Houska's wife, Noreen, keeps the books and "hands out the paychecks — the important part," he joked.

Working alongside him is his son John, called L.J. "At one time we had four Johns in the shop and we were calling them Big John, Little John and anything else we could think of to keep them straight," Houska said. "That's how John — Little John — became L.J."

Houska said his staff of 25 is largely responsible for the respectful service and success of the business. "They're all more like family than employees, and they really make it work," he said.

Giving back to the community is high on Houska's list. To that end, he set up the Houska Houska 5K race 14 years ago to raise funds for a bone marrow registry — its name is a spoof on the Bolder Boulder race. In the summer of 2004, he bicycled from Washington state to Florida to raise awareness about the national registry.

A marrow donor himself — he donated to a 9-year-old boy in California — Houska has seen the miracle of marrow donation firsthand.

"He's 17 now, and he comes here each year to compete in the race," he said of his marrow recipient. "The money helps pay for (marrow) typing so we can get more people on the registry.

"When they're not in the shop, Houska joins his wife in doing charitable work, then heads for the outdoors to bicycle, ski, hike, fish and enjoy the scenery.

Working together all day then going home together at night hasn't been a problem for the couple through the years.

"It's all in the communication," Houska said. "We are respectful of each other and listen to each other's opinions. And we don't talk business at home … we work on our other interests."

Originally published February 3, 2006
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Houska Automotive Hosts Women's Car Care Clinic

BECKY JENSEN • READER SUBMITTED •Fort Collins Coloradoan.OCTOBER 7, 2009

FORT COLLINS, CO Houska Automotive is hosting an encore presentation of its free Women's Car Care Clinic on Saturday, October 17 from 9 a.m. 11 a.m. at 899 Riverside Avenue in Fort Collins.

Back by popular demand, the no-cost clinic helps women better understand cars, vehicle terminology and the language of mechanics. The event provides safety advice, builds long-term confidence and empowers women to make more informed maintenance and repair decisions.

“October is National Car Care Month, so hosting our clinic is timely,” said Houska Automotive vice president and clinic coordinator L.J. Houska. “Last month's event was so well received that we're hosting an encore presentation to help more women in our community better understand their vehicles.”

Two of Houska's friendly and experienced service advisors will lead the discussion, covering everything from general maintenance to helpful tips when a car breaks down. The clinic is designed for women of all ages and abilities, and is a popular mother-daughter event. For nearly 60 years Houska Automotive has taken care of cars and their owners, so it is no surprise that third-generation L.J. Houska is leading the class with industry veteran Jerry McDonnell.

The clinic will offer refreshments, giveaways and a conversational atmosphere where participants are encouraged to ask vehicle-specific questions to gain the most out of the class.

Family owned and operated since 1952, Houska Automotive has a tradition of customer service and a deep commitment to community. For more information and to register for the free Women's Car Care Clinic, contact Houska Automotive at (970) 482-0156 or visit them online at www.HouskaAutomotive.com.

 

WOMEN TAKE THE WHEEL AT HOUSKA CAR CARE CLINIC
Safety, Maintenance and Repairs Discussed at FREE Class on September 26, 2009
FORT COLLINS, CO – Houska Automotive is hosting a free Women’s Car Care Clinic on Saturday,
September 26 from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. at 899 Riverside Avenue in Fort Collins.
The no-cost clinic is designed to help women better understand cars, vehicle terminology and
the language of mechanics. The event provides safety advice, builds long-term confidence and
empowers women to make more informed maintenance and repair decisions.
“Attending the Women’s Car Care Clinic at Houska Automotive is one of the best investments
I’ve ever made in my car,” said past clinic participant Becky Jensen. “I learned great safety tips, I’m on
top of my vehicle’s maintenance and I feel more confident talking with my mechanic.”
When she buckles her children in the back seat or fills up her tank, Jensen is grateful for her
new-found knowledge and insists, “No woman can afford to miss this clinic.”
Two of Houska’s friendly and experienced service advisors will lead the discussion, covering
everything from general maintenance to helpful tips when a car breaks down. The clinic is designed
for women of all ages and abilities, and is a popular mother-daughter event. For nearly 60 years
Houska Automotive has taken care of cars and their owners, so it is no surprise that third-generation
L.J. Houska is leading the class with industry veteran Jerry McDonnell.
The clinic will offer refreshments, giveaways and a conversational atmosphere where
participants are encouraged to ask vehicle-specific questions to gain the most out of the class.
Family owned and operated since 1952, Houska Automotive has a tradition of customer
service and a deep commitment to community. For more information and to register for the free
Women’s Car Care Clinic, contact Houska Automotive at (970) 482-0156 or visit them online at
www.HouskaAutomotive.com.



Fort Collins Auto Repair Business Owner Bikes Across Country

Cyclist Rides to Raise Awareness About Need for Donors

Thursday, August 05, 2004

The owner of a Fort Collins, Colo., auto repair business will pedal across America this summer to raise awareness about the need for people to help others by donating blood, organs and tissue.

Dennis Houska, who owns Houska Automotive Services, will join 14 riders on a 4,000-mile ride from Seattle to Florida.

The riders will begin Aug. 25 in Seattle. They will stop Sept. 12 in Fort Collins’ Old Town Square. The ride will end Oct. 15 in Titusville, Fla., adjacent to the Kennedy Space Center.

Sponsored by LifeSouth Blood Centers in Gainsville, Fla., the ride is called Five Points of Life. The name is designed to raise awareness about the need for five types of donations that people can make: blood; bone marrow; cord blood; organ and tissue; and apheresis, which gathers red blood cells, platelets and plasma.

“It’s a really easy way to really change someone’s life,” said Houska. “There’s so little that you have to do to donate.”

Houska started donating blood in 1978 when his mother was dying of cancer. He donates on a regular basis and has even give bone marrow, a process that involves surgically removing liquid marrow from the pelvic bone.

“I donated bone marrow to an 8 year-old boy in California,” said Houska, “and now he is 16.”

In addition to making blood and marrow donations, Houska raises funds for the Rocky Mountain Marrow Donor Center at Poudre Valley Hospital by holding an annual run and walk called “Houska Houska.” This year 250 people participated in the late May event, raising $7,000.

There will be 14 persons in the Five Points of Life ride. Two are from South Africa.

“What we’re doing with the ride is to let people know how easy it is to donate,” said Houska.

When the riders reach Old Town Square on September 12, Poudre Valley Hospital’s Garth Englund Blood Center will have its bloodmobile available there from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. for people to give blood. Current donors will need to call the donor center to schedule an appointment. New donors will need to contact the center for a screening.

The center is located at 1025 Pennock St. #205. Phone number: 495-8965. No walk-ins will be accepted on the day of the event.

More information about donating blood through the Garth Englund Blood Center can be found at the Blood Center web page. Information about the ride is available at LifeSouth.

For more information, contact: Kim Barone, Public Relations, (970) 495-7501 Gary Kimsey, Public Relations, (970) 495-7427
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