Don Sez...

The date was February 1st 1960, the day he scheduled his first job under the name Don's Mobile Glass. It was a backglass on a 1959 Chevy 2-Door Hardtop for Ray Starn Auto Body. Don was $300 overdrawn on his checking account and on his way in his used 1953 Dodge UPS Van that had 350,000 miles on it, purchased for $450 a few weeks before. Then the inevitable happened; the rear end locked up and the van broke down in the middle of the intersection near Needham and McHenry, resulting in stopped traffic and a tow job to Dean Jones Dodge for repairs; all this before he could even complete his first job for his first customer. Thankfully the repairs did not take long and Don eventually finished that first job, along with the many others that have followed since. At the end of his five year run in the UPS Van, often times mistaken for a milk truck back then, Don said that the final mileage tallied somewhere in the half million range, a true testament to the number of jobs he completed in a much smaller Modesto; population 35,000.

Don pioneered the concept "mobile" glass, and he was the first person in the US to do so. Sure there were other glass companies in 1960 that had been in business for a much longer time, but the standard for all was to have the customer drop their vehicles off and leave them all day while the repairs were done. No other companies carried glass on their trucks and the idea of taking this trade "mobile" not only solidified his competitive edge, but it also revolutionized the industry.

I asked Don why he chose the Model T as his logo and he said "Because I love old cars!" The Model T became Don's trademark and he originally used it for small deliveries around town. More recently you might have seen it at Concert in the Park towing the popcorn wagon, in the Christmas and 4th of July parades or in its permanent parking space in front of the H St. store.

Don started the business in 1960 as a means to buy groceries each week, it quickly evolved to exceed even his own expectations. After five years on the road in his original mobile truck Don purchd what became his first store on 12th Street in Modesto, and with that store came new services like residential and commercial glass repairs.

With regards to the 50 years he insists that he didn't have a plan, nor did he think DMG would mature into what it has become today. When asked about what he is most proud of he answers without hesitation, "The people. The young people that have grown up in the business, and seeing their kids now also in the business." He then acknowledged Bill Manuel and Steve Mort, and talked at length about how proud he is of their accomplishments and for what they've done to enhance the business.

In addition to his many thanks to all of you for your support and patronage these past 50 years I asked Don to sum it all up for me, again without hesitation he did...

"It's simple; always do the best that you can every day, always perform a good quality job and do not ever overcharge people."