When wildfires ravaged Los Angeles, consuming acres and displacing thousands, Phil Long Ford President and CEO Kevin Shaughnessy knew the Colorado dealership group had to step up and help.

“L.A. 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.”

The dealership group immediately donated $30,000 to Team Rubicon, a disaster relief organization pairing veterans with first responders to provide crucial aid.

This wasn't Phil Long Ford's first experience with wildfire's destructive power. In 2013, Colorado Springs faced its own devastating wildfire. Phil Long Ford responded by donating money and water, and most significantly, keeping their service department open 24/7 to repair and maintain first responder vehicles.

“We had fire trucks come in with melted tires, and firefighters sleeping in our lobby hallways," Shaughnessy said. “That experience inspired us to react to what was happening in Los Angeles.”

The choice to support Team Rubicon wasn't arbitrary. The auto group’s namesake, Phil Long, returned from World War II as a Naval war hero, flying over 120 combat missions on the USS Enterprise and founded the first Phil Long Ford location in 1945. In 1975, Jay Cimino, a Marine Corps veteran, joined the dealership as general manager and partner.

Together, Long and Cimino grew the single store into a 18-location dealer group across Colorado and New Mexico. Their commitment to veterans expanded alongside their business.

In 2016, Cimino founded Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center, partnering with numerous organizations to provide services — including behavioral therapy, job placement, and transition assistance — to the nearly 400,000 veterans in Colorado. Even after Cimino's passing last year, Mt. Carmel continues to serve thousands of veterans annually.