6:45 am on a Monday

The matte blue metallic Ford Taurus, emblazoned with Mills Auto Xtreme (better known as MAX) is parked in its usual spot not far from a non-descript door on the north side of the gigantic Mills Ford building in Brainerd/Baxter. A MAX logo is on the door. It leads to Dan Lundberg’s vision of limitless possibilities.         

After seeing the Taurus, which is really hard to miss among many parked vehicles, a visitor knows it means Digital Dan is in the house. He is the MAX manager and its visionary. 

Inside the MAX HQ, Lundberg is alone.  It will be a little while before his team clocks in. “I want to get a good start on the week and be ready to go,” he says. Lundberg already has a 60-inch vinyl printer cranking out the first of several graphics pieces for a race car. He and his team will soon apply the bright and bold custom graphics to the first of four race cars. 

While the printer hums along, Lundberg does some housekeeping and begins reviewing the previous week’s projects. He also looks ahead to this week. MAX is turning heads with its amazing graphics, wraps and accessories on cars and trucks.  

Mills FordMills GM and Mills Honda in Brainerd/Baxter and Mills Ford Chrysler and Mills Auto Center in Willmar all have MAX vehicles with custom accessories, wraps or graphics on their showfloors or service drives. CLICK HERE for MAX Car Photo Gallery. CLICK HERE for MAX Truck Photo Gallery.

“Not every automotive company has the capability that MAX does,” Lundberg says with pride.

As 8 am approaches when MAX team members will start their day, Lundberg is assembling details for MAX ACTS, daily project sheets for everyone. “They help us focus on our daily tasks,” he says. “It’s cool how we work as a team to finish projects on time for customers.”

A lot happens in the MAX headquarters, a room of about 1,300 square feet. MAX has brought a new and exciting dimension to Mills Automotive. “Our equipment is the best in the (graphics) industry,” Lundberg says. Professional. Experienced. Superior design. Cutting-edge products. Advanced product knowledge. World class customer service.

At MAX, it’s being the best with perpetual designing. Even as the first race car graphics roll off the printer, Dan is on the computer checking designs for other projects and formulating new designs for projects that are now just his hand-drawn sketches with only a few words.

Sell. Design. Approval. Print. Laminate. Install. It’s what MAX does.

7:52 am

Two MAX team members, installation specialists Brock Tobiason and Taylor Hill, arrive for the day. MAX ACTS daily report sheets are soon in hand. Both are wearing trademark classy MAX shirts with their first names on the front. They are soon followed by Chris Larson, accessories installer, and Nate Hill, lead accessories specialist. Five team members are present to start the day.  MAX has two other team members. Keith Larson, graphic designer, will join them later in the day. Johnny Lindgren, installation specialist, is based at the Willmar dealerships. He collaborates with the team in Brainerd/Baxter and works on projects in Willmar. Occasionally he’ll work with the team in Brainerd/Baxter.  Premium Shield, which protects the front nose of vehicles from paint and rock chips, is discussed by the team for motorcycles. Race cars are coming for graphics.

8:10 am

Chris finishes removing seats and adjoining hardware from a new F-150.  Seat covers are removed, too. The seats will get new leather covers, an eye-opening custom upgrade.  There are lots of pieces. Chris has carefully layed them on a table and in the truck bed. That’s important when the time comes for him to put everything back together. Chris has a second F-150 waiting in the wings for the identical upgrade. Taylor preps the large laminating machine for the race car graphics printed by Dan. It’s their standard practice. Laminated vinyl lasts longer, especially when most of it is for exterior uses.

8:30 am

As a visitor eyes the growing accessories area at Mills Ford, Nate is quickly returning to his desk after checking with Chris on the F-150 projects. It’s a good hike from MAX. Nate does it frequently.  He is surrounded by his world of accessories: wheels, wheels with graphics, step bars, running boards, truck bed liners and covers, light bars, LED specialty lights, heated seats, leveling kits, fender flares, just to name a few. They’re not just any accessories.  Classy. Bold. Functional. Useful. Graphics and accessories work hand and glove. They go together for a look that can be as creative and adventureous as the vehicle’s owner.  In his lingo, Nate refers to “MAX builds” which is a graphics and accessories package for vehicles at the Mills dealerships. Each is required to have so many cars and trucks that have been MAXED. They work with sales managers to determine which vehicles and the MAX team recommends graphics and accessories.

8:45 am

Back at MAX HQ, Taylor cuts excess laminate from the race car graphics, Chis makes a quick stop to check in with Dan, who is also checking email and working on his weekly report to Mills senior management.

10:15 am

Keith is finishing the design of a new eight page promotion booklet. Starting with basic sketches by Dan, Keith took it from there to work graphics and photographs reflecting everything that MAX does. It will be a good customer hand-out for Nate’s line of accessories. They also see it as a attention-getting item at special events.  Keith is also finishing some new name decals identifying service advisors at Mills GM.

10:30 am

Newly printed vinyl lettering is being installed on a Nor-Son Construction truck.      

  

10:45 am 

Chris wrestles with the third of four seats from the first F-150, next to the newly arrived race car awaiting new graphics Dan had printed earlier in the morning. Taylor takes the last large piece of camo grass vinyl across from the race car to Brock who is installing it on a black Ford F-250. Looks sharp.” Brock and Taylor tag-team the install, with Chris stepping in to remove a mud flap so the vinyl can be placed. He earlier had removed tail lights for the same reason.  Back at HQ, Dan is checking his design for another race car.

11 am

Nate has finalized planning a trip to Dallas to attend a big two-day show of accessories vendors. He’s looking forward to seeing the products. It’s so much easier to tell customers about them. Getting his hands on the accessories to evaluate quality, color and style is so much better than pictures in a catalog. Nate says he will also be on the look-out for new displays to better showcase MAX accessories.  Nate also visited a local business near-by to measure a motorcycle for Premium Shield.

1:25 pm 

Dan retrieves a roll of vinyl lettering for a customer vehicle and lays it out on their 12 x 6-foot work table. Chris will carefully and slowly remove vinyl around the letters to review the company name and contact information that will appear on a truck. Taylor and Brock huddle around a computer monitor to view graphic designs for motorcycles. Nate swings in briefly. It’s the first time all 5 team members are in HQ since the morning meeting five hours ago. It gets busy. Nate and Taylor hustle back to their projects. Dan attaches a new roll of material to the laminator for more racing car graphics. His cell rings. The Mills Truck Service Center asks about getting DOT lettering on a truck. Brock will do it later today or tomorrow.  DOT lettering has size requirements to meet visibility standards. In the meantime, Brock’s steady hands are also carefully cutting away exess laminated vinyl graphics for the race car. Dan takes another call on his cell.

1:50 pm

Dan and Brock take the first laminated graphic to the race car. It’s temporarily taped into rough position. They stand back, take an eyeball look to determine the initial fit is correct. They can now fully apply it to the car.  The vinyl is rolled up and temporarily set aside. Brock grabs a spray bottle of an alcohol solution and gives the passenger side a light covering. He and Dan wipe it down to clean the surface. It’s good to go. Backing paper comes off and the install is underway.

3:55 pm

Nate has scheduled several Premium Shield installations. Some running boards have been sold and he’s talked to customers about LED lights. Several sets of Weather Tech floor liners have also been sold. Back at HQ, the race car passenger side is nearly finished. 

4:15 pm

Nate, sporting a sharp teal shirt and tie, is at his desk. Mills Ford Sales Consultant Dale Matthies stops by regarding installion of Premium Shield on a vehicle. Down at the MAX install bays, broom in hand, Chris cleans up. He’s getting ready for the next day’s projects: new heated seats on a Ford Escape and leather seats on a Dodge RAM truck. Nearby, Taylor is putting graphics on a trailered 20-foot pontoon. It will be on the water this summer sporting a new look. Dan is printing viny lettering. Brock is finishing a wrap and lettering on a F-150. A portion of the right side and tail gate had been damaged in a crash. MAX had done the original wrap and graphics.  

4:45 pm

Taylor continues working on the pontoon. Brock has finished the F-150 except for one small piece that needs to be printed. He mentions it to Dan. Everything has shifted to MAX HQ where there’s a flurry of activity as the day winds down. Taylor and Dan discuss a large sheet of 32 newly printed logos for the Brainerd Lakes Proud campaign. The sheet will be laminated. Brock preps the laminator. In moments its through the machine and ready for cutting out. Taylor is now measuring a metal piece of a race car for a wrap.  Dan is at his desk checking designs for future projects.

5 pm

Another day is done at Mills Auto Xtreme.  

CLICK HERE to see videos of the MAX Team in action.