EXCLAMATION POINTS

Associate Publisher, KAY GARRETT

A Very Merry Season

The holidays are right around the corner, and you know what that means? Thanksgiving and my all-time favorite – Christmas! Celebrating holiday traditions, planning parties and dinners, whether it’s for out-oftown guest, neighbors or family – I love it all. So to help you plan, we put together some delightful recipes to spice up your holiday entertaining. After all, it is the most wonderful time of year!

Our cover story highlights a family-owned business, Expert Collision Center. Their stellar customer service, impeccable repair services and skilled technicians have earned them the reputation of the region’s premier collision repair shop. Celebrating their 10year anniversary is a perfect example of what hard work, strength and resilience looks like. To read more about Expert Collision Center, see page 6. Congratulations on your ten-year anniversary and being our Readers’ Choice Favorite Auto repair shop for seven years in a row!

One of our traditions at absolutely! Focus Media is revealing and congratulating our winners of the Readers’ Choice Favorites. Our online survey was a tremendous success again this year with thousands of Brazos readers taking time to vote for their favorites! From food to shopping to entertainment, this special section is definitely a “must see” so you will know who is the best in Brazos!

Holiday time in our community is filled with so many events. The Great Pumpkin Round Up is open each weekend in November at the George Ranch Historical Park. It’s the perfect setting for an unforgettable fall family picture. Our charming Historic Downtown districts will have tree lightings, festivals and shopping. See our calendar of events for all of the details. Shop, sip and dine local this holiday season! An absolutely!

During this very merry season, I want thank all of our advertisers, readers and subscribers. Each and every one of you are the reason we are able to do what we do: bring you the people, places and happenings in our community. Merry I wish you all a very blessed Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas. I look forward to seeing and hearing from you in 2023! Christmas

Absolutely yours, Kay Garrett and grandsons Graham and Canon Kiehl kicked off the holiday season with the new musical stage adaptation of Winnie the Pooh!

Kay Garrett

kay@absolutelyfocusmedia.com

to You!

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” ~ Isaiah 9:6

Vol. 10 No. 6 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 281.728.1204

WWW.ABSOLUTELYBRAZOS.COM absolutely! focus media P. O. Box 1253 Richmond, Texas 77406

PUBLISHER Patti Parish-Kaminski

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Kay Garrett

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Gena Horak

ART DIRECTOR Grace Belleza

WEB DESIGNER JOBpage Graphics

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Natalee Moore

CONTRIBUTORS Jeffrey M. Kralik, Ph.D. Steve Kursar The Honorable Pete Olson Tanya Sterling

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES Kay@absolutelyfocusmedia.com

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS Patti@absolutelyfocusmedia.com

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absolutely! Brazos eZine is published by absolutely! focus media, P. O. Box 1253, Richmond, Texas 77406. Copyright © 2022 by absolutely! focus media. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. absolutely! Brazos eZine does not knowingly accept false or misleading advertising or editorial, nor do the publishers assume responsibility should such advertising or editorial appear. absolutely! Brazos eZine welcomes editorial submissions from its readers.

By Tanya Sterling Photos by Kelley Sweet Photography

Aten-year milestone is usually reflected with a gift that is traditionally tin or aluminum, symbolizing strength and resilience. The 10-year anniversary of Expert Collision Center in Rosenberg, Texas is a perfect example of what strength and resilience looks like as they forge ahead in stellar customer service and impeccable car repair services.

Opening their doors a decade ago, Freddy Lopez and Gary Gutierrez, owners of Expert Collision Center, knew they wanted to provide quality car repair services as well as superior customer service. Through hard work, long hours, exceptional customer service and active community involvement, they have succeeded.

Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary

These people are awesome. They kept me well informed every step of the way. They were also right about how long it would take to repair my car. In addition, when I picked up the car, the battery was dead. They charged it and even though I thought it would recharge by the time I got home, it was dead. I called immediately and they sent someone out to recharge it and tell me if it need replacing. He was awesome. Their team member tested it, tried to get the dealership to get it replaced, but it was too late. He left me the charger, picked my car up the next day at my office and went to the dealership to get the battery replaced, then returned my car to my office. He went way out of his way for a part they didn’t even repair. Kudos to the whole team. ~ Judy F

“We started out with 4 employees and now have grown to a family of 16 employees,” said Lopez. “Ten years ago, we were just in one building that was 3,200 square feet. Now we have acquired two more buildings currently putting us at 23,000 square feet.”

A family-owned business, Expert Collision Center has earned a reputation as one of the region’s premier collision repair shops where skilled technicians return damaged cars to pre-crash condition as quickly as possible.

“We love the look on our customer’s face when they return to pick up their vehicle, and they cannot even remember what part of their vehicle was damaged,” said Gutierrez.

Hands down best customer service. Shout out to Yvonne, such a sweetheart! I couldn’t get a hold my adjuster for the life of me. When I spoke to Yvonne, she took it from there. She handled everything for me, kept me updated with the progress of my car while it was in the shop, set me up with a rental and took me to get the rental. She made the process go extremely smoother than I planned. Thank you so much!

~ Kimberly R A

Rely on the professional technicians at Expert Collision for collision repairs that are second to none. We’ll start your repair off with a FREE, on-site estimate.

From disassembling your vehicle to detailing, Expert Collision will work with you every step of the way ensuring your complete satisfaction.

Expert Services

Lopez, Gutierrez and their team address a wide range of car repair needs including collision repair, touch ups, full body paint and abrasives and sanding. They are also the Collision Center for various dealerships in the Rosenberg area. They provide free on-site estimates all while working with insurance companies and providing reasonable out-of-pocket quotes.

As owners, Lopez and Gutierrez focus on multiple aspects of running a bustling collision repair center especially ensuring they are bringing in new business on a daily basis.

“We remain focused on continuing to build a reputable business that keeps in mind that our customers are people who have important lives, jobs and families. They greatly depend on a working vehicle in great condition, and we try to achieve that goal each day,” said Lopez.

Brian Valdez, Gary Gutierrez and Freddy Lopez

First-Class Collision Services

Collision Service From Beginning to End

• Estimate • Insurance approval • Disassembly • Ordering of parts • Structure repair • Body repair • Paint • Detailing • Completion

For more information, contact Expert Collision Center at 281.342.1809 or visit www.expertcollisiontx.com.

Gary Gutierrez and Freddy Lopez.

Community Focused

Iwant to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for the excellent work Expert Collision performed on my damaged Explorer. What really impressed me more than any other thing was the matter of your personal integrity and consistent communication throughout the process. You are a terrific example of honesty and fairness. I would be pleased to recommend any of my friends, family and strangers to you and I know you would be as fair and professional with them as you were with me. ~ Kelli S.

In addition to satisfying their customers’ needs, Expert Collision Center is actively involved in their community. “We’ve been located in Fort Bend County for the last 10 years, and that’s where our hearts are,” said Lopez. “We give back to our community all the time, whether it is to Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels, or a school organization, a political campaign, or a charity golf tournament, we strongly

Expert Collision repaired my Suburban to perfection – it looked better when I picked it up than when I drove it off of the lot brand new. The team there is amazing! They kept me up to date on every step in the process. I couldn’t be more pleased with the work and their customer service. I highly recommend this team and if I ever need repair work on any of my vehicles, this will be the only place I would take my cars! ~ Cathy M

believe that giving back has brought us to where we are today!”

When asked about their business’s 10-year anniversary celebration plans, Lopez admits, “We’ve been so busy, that we actually haven’t had time to think of anything!”

Lopez is married to wife, Amanda Lopez, and they have three daughters: Zoe 14, Ady 11 and Mali is 10 years old. Gutierrez’s wife is Natalie Gutierrez, and they have two children: daughter Ava, 8 years-old and son Levi, 4 years-old.

“We treat each and every one of our customers like actual family, that’s what sets Expert Collision apart from any other shop,” said Lopez. “We started out treating our customers like we’ve known them for a long time, and we will continue to do that in the years to come.”

Expert Collision Center owners Freddy Lopez and Gary Gutierrez proudly show off their 2022 absolutely! Brazos Readers’ Choice Favorite Auto Repair winner’s certificate, a category they have won for seven years in a row.