Ford dealers across the country have rallied behind California in the wake of the LA wildfires, including efforts right from The Blue Oval itself. Phil Long Ford in Colorado is the latest dealership to step up, showing solidarity with those impacted by last month’s California wildfires, having faced similar devastation in its own community years ago.
Phil Long Ford – which encompasses a network of 18 dealers across Colorado – immediately ponied up to provide $30,000 to Team Rubicon, a disaster relief organization that partners veterans with first responders to provide aid to those in need. Phil Long Ford CEO Kevin Shaughnessy said that providing aid was a no-brainer for the organization. Colorado Springs burned in 2013, dealing immense damage to the community and directly impacting one of the chain’s stores in the area.
“LA was burning, and it was terrifying,” Shaughnessy said. “Thousands were displaced, people lost their lives to something completely out of their control. We had to do something.”
He added, “We had fire trucks come in with melted tires, and firefighters sleeping in our lobby hallways. That experience inspired us to react to what was happening in Los Angeles.”
Team Rubicon was the perfect recipient for Phil Long Ford’s generous donation. The dealership’s namesake, Phil Long, was a Naval war hero during World War II, flying in over 120 combat missions on the USS Enterprise. He returned to the U.S. and started the first Phil Long dealership in 1945. In 1975, Marine Corps veteran Jay Cimino joined the fold, taking up post as the dealership’s general manager. Donating to Team Rubicon helps honor their legacy as veterans.
When Colorado experienced another devastating wildfire in early 2021, Ford offered deferred payments to eligible customers to help ease the fire’s impact on their wellbeing. More recently, the Blue Oval’s other LA disaster efforts include a $465,000 donation to wildfire relief, compliments of Ford Philanthropy.
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