Firefly Legal

What does 300,000 mean to you?

For some, it might be a random number, the cost of a house, or a lot of money.  For a couple of our court filers, 300,000 is a mileage milestone. As Aric McDade and Mark Clinton saw their odometers spinning closer to the 300,000 mark, it was pretty exciting. When I asked Aric what his first thought was when he saw his odometer approaching 300,000, he said, “I can’t believe this thing is still moving!” But it was, and both cars are still taking them on their routes, travelling from Kankakee to Bannockburn, downtown Chicago to Grundy County, and more.

Through sunshine and rain, the company car that Aric received with just 15 miles on it, and Mark’s that had just 54 miles, have been running like champs, undeterred by the ups and downs, storms and traffic (knock on wood!). Their cars made it through the black ice storm in 2008, the bad snow storm of 2010, and the major floods from earlier this year.

The 300,000 miles, though a significant feat, is not really just about the car but about how great, hard-working employees who care about Firefly have contributed so much to our business.

Just as Aric and Marc have weathered the ups and downs of the process serving industry, their cars survived the elements.  Every day since October 2007, Aric has trekked out through the elements Mother Nature has provided and puts an amazing 223 miles on his car. Since November 2006, Mark has done the same. Our industry is not an easy one to withstand; with regulation changes in both the foreclosure and collections, we’ve had to adjust. Technology has changed, expectations have increased. They continue to meet and exceed our demands.

Despite the challenges, Aric said, “I like driving and interacting with our clients.  I enjoy working with the clerks at Will, Kankakee and Grundy that make my job easy.  We have a friendly environment here at Firefly and that is a great thing.”

What Aric and Mark do every day goes far beyond just turning the ignition, racking up miles, and picking up documents. Their positivity and charisma are magnetic. Both have worked very hard to build relationships with our clients and the court clerks in counties they visit daily.  When I filled in for Aric, I’ve never heard a negative word him—and rightfully so.  Aric, and Mark as well, are polite, professional, and helpful. They understand what our clients and clerks do, as well as the daily frustrations they face.  Instead of pushing and arguing, Aric and Mark offer to help, wait, or do whatever they can to make our clients’ day brighter. In turn, this has established a positive reputation for Firefly among our clients.

We couldn’t ask for more in an employee, and we appreciate it.  Mark and Aric have established great rapport with these people and both exemplify our promise to be a leading light. The bottom line is that it’s important for us to stop and recognize our employees, filers, and servers who have stayed with us, continuing to work hard through industry highs and lows. Thank you, Aric and Mark, for all you do. The same goes to all the other filers who work hard and put a lot of miles on their cars as well.

Court Filer’s Odometer – 299,999

Epilogue:

Sadly, Aric and Mark won’t be able to watch the miles continue to climb beyond 299,999. The odometer can’t actually hit 300,000 (or beyond) in the 2008 Toyota Corollas. Aric now manually keeps the mileage from the trips until we get the odometer replaced. And at 284,000 miles and counting, Mark still has a little bit to go before he reaches that point. That doesn’t stop the excitement, though—the friendly competition is evident when Aric laughed and quipped, “Mark’s never gonna catch me! He’ll be at 300,000 and I’ll be at 320,000!”