Meet Mike Hafeman of Runde Chevrolet in East Dubuque

Mike

We recently had the chance to sit down with Mike Hafeman, who works in the reconditioning department here at Runde Auto Group.  Mike is an energetic teenager with a winning smile and a very bright future ahead of him.  He’s always been a great employee with an outstanding work ethic and we thought it appropriate to him some questions so the world could get to know some of the things that are floating around in the mind of this unique individual. 

Are you originally from the East Dubuque area?
Yes. My whole family is from the area.

How long have you worked for Runde Chevrolet and what do you do here over the course of a normal day?
I have worked here for almost a year out in the reconditioning department. I get all the sold cars that are going out to customers ready to go, and get the new cars off the transports ready to be shown on the lot. I also do any other random tasks that they tell me to, like get interviewed by you, and take a picture doing this, or a picture holding that.

We haven’t seen you around here much recently … What have you been up to lately?
I started playing on the East Dubuque basketball team, so I’ve been only working Saturdays.

Do you play with the McClane kid who recently received a scholarship to play for Wayne State University?
Yep.

Is he good? Do you think you could take him one on one?
He is pretty good. I might be able to take him if he had a really bad day.

What’s the best thing about your job?
Getting to drive all of the new cars, like the brand new Corvettes…. They are really sweet.

What is the worst thing about your job?
(without any hesitation) The cold…. And the rain…

What kind of car does Mike Hafeman currently drive?
A Blue Cobalt SS

Sweet Ride.
Do you drive it responsibly?
Uhh…… Yeah……

You recently got back results from your college SAT/ACT tests, right?  How did you do?
I took the ACT and got a 36.

How many people do that well on the test nationally?
Not many, only a few hundred each year.

Bet that will help you get into college. Where are you thinking of going next year?
A couple of different places. I want to go for Mechanical Engineering, so Illinois State at Urbana-Champaign, Iowa State, UW-Platteville, or Milwaukee School of Engineering.

Do you have a favorite spot in the Tri-State area?
Dubuque in general. Would it be bad if I said, ” just bumming around Walmart”?

Mike’s Christmas Wish

Not at all.  You can really find some steals if you’re there at the right time. Would you describe yourself as the life of the party, a casual mingler, or a wallflower?
Casual Mingler.

Have you ever had a headlight bulb in your Cobalt go bad while the song “One Headlight” by the Wallflowers was playing on the radio?
I have never even heard of that song, so no, that has never happened.

Do you have family in the area?   Are they cool?
Yeah, my whole family lives in the area. For my family specifically, I live with my mom, dad, and I have a younger brother. And they’re all pretty decent.

Do you have dogs? Is it easy to keep them in your yard or do they get out a lot?
I have 2 dogs. We have the invisible fence system, so they never get out.

Have you ever played with their collars, like put one on and test one out? Or double-dog-dare your brother to grab the collar and hold onto it for as long as he can?
No.

Yeah….Neither have I…. I promise…. Well kind of..
Do you have any hobbies that you do regularly?           We’ve heard that you’re a gamer.
I play the Xbox. I really like the Halo series, and Oblivion and Fallout.

Does Mike Hafeman have a specialty game?
I am really good at Halo 3.

What is the funniest joke you’ve ever heard?  (PG-rated of course).
I can’t think of any that are appropriate to say on the Runde blog.

What is the worst movie you’ve ever seen?
I fell asleep through Transformers 2. It was a little boring for me.

Mike’s Cobalt

What is currently in the cd player of your Cobalt SS?
A Spanish Rap CD… It’s horrible.

Then why do you listen to it?
Some friends found it and put it in there. I just haven’t taken it out yet.

Lenny eating a plate of scotcheroos

If you had one month left to live, what would you spend it doing?
I would spend my time with Lenny. He is the greatest guy to work with.

What’s the farthest place Mike Hafeman has ever traveled to and what did he do there?
I went to Spain this previous summer. We just went all around the country and saw different cities and beaches.

What was your favorite city?
Toledo. I bought my Katana sword there.

Ever have to use it?
I sliced a few watermelons with it.

Did you then eat the watermelon?
No, I don’t like watermelon, but my buddies did.

Tell the truth … That Spanish Rap CD really belongs to you!???  Doesn’t it?

… (silence)

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever witnessed?
When we were in Spain, I saw some guys run up to a bike, toss it into the back of a SUV and then speed away.

If you had a time machine and it worked, what date in time would you go back to first and why?
I would just stay here. I am afraid that if I went back I would mess something up and then I wouldn’t be born.

If you could have one famous person as a teacher/mentor for a year, who would you choose and why?
I would have to choose the main character from Pokemon, Ash Ketchum, so that he could teach me how to be a true Pokemon Master.

What is your most prized possession in life?
That would be my car. I love it.

If your life story was turned into an NBC movie of the week, what would it be called?

Are you going to be back working full-time again at Runde Auto Group this coming summer?
I never worked full-time, but I am hoping to work more this summer for Runde’s. It is a good job to have.

Keep up the good work and we wish you well in all of your future endeavors.