Page 16 - HC B2B Spring 2020

BUSINESSES “DOING GOOD” FOR OTHERS
By Lizzy Anderson
Everyone has something that they could do to give back.
Being able to save them any discomfort makes it
worth it.
TOP GUN AUTOBODY
Ted Culbertson is the owner of Top Gun Autobody, but the title is just a technicality: “We’re all a cog in a wheel. I’m no more important than the detail kid. We’re all a family.”
Like any good autobody facility, Top Gun strives to offer quality service to the community, but Culbertson says that the collective mission of his employees to give back to Helena is what makes them stand out. Hero of Helena Car Giveaway is one such initiative — the annual event awards an individual a reliable vehicle. 2020 will mark the third year of Hero of Helena. Culbertson says they’re still working out
the theme.
It’s not a complicated process to decide on which members of the community to focus on for Top Gun as there are many heroes in Helena that would benefit from the giveaway, but Culbertson emphasizes the importance that it’s a group de- cision by his staff. “Everyone has something that they could do to give back,” he says. “Maybe it’s time, maybe it’s a car.”
This approach bleeds into other ways that the company is able to give back, including
FUEL FITNESS
When Michael Burks opened Fuel Fitness throughout the state including Helena, he sought to make the facility just as much a part of the community as his family is. “It is a place where anyone can walk in and feel comfortable know- ing that there is nothing but support for members to obtain any goal they desire,” he says. In addi- tion, Fuel Fitness annually hosts four community collections to provide to those without.
But Burks doesn’t stop giving back within the walls of Fuel Fitness. As a pilot, he also vol- unteers with Angel Flight West, a nonprofit organization that arranges free, non-emergency
discounts for car window replacements after a vandal shot out more than 80 with a BB gun in February or running water to the North Hills to help with the wildfire fighting effort last summer.
Culbertson is a Helena native who worked in a variety of shops growing up. Later, he competed in freestyle motocross and even competed in the X-Games for four years. Culbertson says he owes his approach to business and marketing Top Gun since its opening in 2000 to these unique opportunities that taught him the value of work ethic and how to get creative.
flights for patients throughout Montana to their medical appointments out of state. This helps save families hours of travel. Burks often flies
to Spokane as part of a coordinated leg, but has flown missions to Salt Lake City, Utah; Reno, Nevada; and even as far as Prescott, Arizona. For completing the most missions in Montana for 2017 and 2019, Burks was awarded Angel Flight West Montana Wing leader.
“I cannot even explain the feeling that I have being involved in such an amazing program,” he says. “The kids are already going through a liv- ing hell, so being able to save them any discom-
16 Business to Business Connection | SPRING 2020