To show our appreciation for their business, Great Plains Communications would like to start highlighting some of our amazing business customers. We service exceptional people, with stories to be heard and businesses recognized. To start us off, we have Mike’s Classic Cars located in Elkhorn, NE, where quality is the driving force for owner Mike Patak.
Mike Patak’s career journey in Nebraska made a sharp turn in 2004. That was the year Patak opened Mike’s Classic Cars in Elkhorn after 27 years of working in, and then owning, one of the largest pork processing plants in the country, Quality Pork International in Omaha. His change of direction isn’t entirely surprising, given that he’s been an avid car collector for more than 35 years.
In fact, when Patak was younger, he was known to have at least two cars at all times — one to drive and one to restore. In the 1970s, Patak worked at a Ford dealership in Crete, where he gained his knowledge of Fords and Shelbys. Mike’s Classic Cars is the fulfillment of Patak’s lifelong dream of owning a business that sells and restores classic and muscle cars from the 1960s and 1970s, with Fords and Shelbys as the focus.
From Selling Meat to Selling Memories 
Is there a connection between pork and cars? Patak answers, “I know quality sells itself. Whether we’re talking about the meat business or the classic car business, people expect quality. That’s why ‘Always Quality — Always Classic’ is our motto at Mike’s Classic Cars.”
Car enthusiasts can get all kinds of expert assistance at Mike’s Classic Cars, whether they want to restore a car they already own or find that car they’ve always wanted. (See the sidebar on page 5 for a list of products and services.) Patak notes, “Our centralized location in the Midwest enables us to be very competitive in shipping autos anywhere in the continental United States. If a customer needs the car delivered, we can transport it in our enclosed trailer or make arrangements with a commercial hauler.”
Speed is What They Need
While discussions about muscle cars will often include the expected miles per hour, that’s not the only speed on the minds of the staff at Mike’s Classic Cars. Internet speed, measured in Megabits per second (Mbps), is also key.
Switching Gears to Great Plains Communications
Things changed dramatically in February 2015, when Mike’s Classic Cars switched to Great Plains Communications for Internet service. Mike chose a symmetrical plan with speeds of 20 Mbps upload and 20 Mbps download.
“Our new Internet service from Great Plains Communications is 10 times faster than the satellite service we had before. Things go much more quickly now, which is great, since we do a lot of work online,” explains Patak. “For example, when you’re in the business of classic cars, you just can’t go to a local car parts store to get what you need. We have to search online and work with many different sellers, some in other countries, to find the rare parts required for our restorations.”
Patak makes plans for Mike’s Classic Cars by accessing the information gathered on a variety of industry websites. He says, “We pay close attention to the trends in cars — what’s up and coming in terms of collectibles and what’s selling. The most valuable cars we’ve ever sold would be 1965 – 1970 Shelby Mustangs, which have price tags in the $150,000 – $300,000 range. People are willing to pay a lot to drive down memory lane.”
