Concours Elite Celebrating 40 years of quality with a personal touch PHOTOS BY DIANE NICOLE PHOTOGRAPHY
Quality with a personal touch—it’s been the motto driving Chico’s premier collision repair center, Concours Elite, since 1982. Focused on customer service above all else, the company has grown year after year, building a rock-solid reputation as the first place to visit after a vehicle has been in an accident. The signature phrase has also been the credo of owner Bob Fitzgerald, who early on decided to live his life by its meaning. Over the years, he has used the company’s success to become one of Chico’s most ardent philanthropists, supporting worthy causes like the Butte Humane Society, a number of local veterans support programs,
the Boys & Girls Club of the North Valley, Torres Shelter, and many others. During that time, he and his wife, Linda, have also raised two incredible children, helped build and better our community, and provided jobs to countless individuals. Now celebrating Concours Elite’s 40th year in business, Bob couldn’t be more excited with what the future holds. As any good business person though, he can’t help but credit what brought him here. “None of this would have been possible without my dad,” Bob reminisced. “He taught me the importance of hard work from
an early age and to treat everyone you meet with the same level of respect you expect for yourself.” The advice certainly came in handy, as Bob would have an unusually large number of first meetings over his childhood years. Born into a United States Air Force family, Bob was often on the move, making new friends wherever his father happened to be stationed at that particular moment in time. Though understandably difficult, the lack of permanence forced him to develop a welcoming and outgoing personality, which not only benefited him in making new friends, but also creating lasting relationships later in life. 19
