By: Kory Lanphear
Photos: Bailey Sadowsky
In high school, Danielle Muellenberg wanted to be a court reporter. But after she did
some schooling for it, she didn’t think it was her calling.
She found a job at Black Hills Works as manager of Unique Auto Grooming and has
spent the last 14 years supporting her employees’ independence, confidence, and
quality of life all while watching them succeed at meaningful work.
Black Hills Works is an organization that helps people with disabilities find employment,
housing, and community support to ensure that they can live their lives to the fullest.
The organization owns Unique Auto Grooming, where Danielle serves as the manager
of a team that cleans and details cars for corporations and individuals alike.
Currently, Danielle oversees seven Black Hills Works participants, along with several
leads, who work alongside participants in small teams. “We clean and detail for Billion
Auto and Rapid City Police Department. McKie Ford is probably our biggest customer,”
Danielle said.
Danielle grew up in Rapid City. She’s a Central High School graduate and she has five
kids, ranging in ages from 17 to 29. As an active member of Fraternal Order of Eagles,
Danielle volunteers annually to do Christmas shopping for children and nursing homes.
“When I took over at Unique Auto, I didn’t know anything about detailing cars… It’s a
hard job. You have to get in there and be able to move and shimmy and get in all those
tight spots,” she said with a laugh. While she values timely work, she maintains a
flexible schedule for her team, giving leads the choice of working either 7–3 or 8–4.
Danielle started with Black Hills Works as a Direct Support Professional, working part-
time overnights. Over time she worked her way up to where she is now, first as
manager of Woodworks, also owned by Black Hills Works, then she added managing
Unique Auto Grooming to her responsibilities. “They’re a good company, I’ve had some
really good bosses and I like working with the participants, especially,” she said.
The impact Danielle has had on the culture at Unique Auto Grooming, she said,
amounts to small things. She’s put a lot of effort into getting more steady customers,
sheerly by putting in the legwork and gaining reputation by word of mouth.
One of her proudest moments happened recently, when a participant’s mother called
and told Danielle that her son has opened up quite a bit since he started working at
Unique Auto, something Danielle was surprised, but gladdened, to hear. “I’m like, good,
because he’s still pretty quiet here. But I do like to joke around with him to get talking,
smiling.”
The true spotlight of her work is cultivating relationships with the participants, watching
them learn new things that they can take to the community. “It’s watching them
succeed,” she said, “just working alongside them and giving them positive
reinforcement, making sure they know how to do a task and can follow directions, and
do a good job. And then they feel good about themselves.”
As for the leads, some of them are experienced detailers and they often train her on
techniques. Danielle is open-minded and she appreciates the things that they often
teach her. For example, a lead suggested incorporating air compressors into the
workflow. Danielle agreed and it had a major impact on the business’s productivity as a
whole.
Her work is about more than creating a sense of fulfillment for participants and leads.
While she hopes they feel supported, she’s also quick to acknowledge that the impact
goes both ways, they often draw her out of her shell and give just as much back to her.
“I did the Polar Plunge with them once, there were like five of us — staff and
participants. We dressed up as Where’s Waldo and then we all jumped in the water, I
thought it was pretty cool, no pun intended,” said Danielle.
For her efforts at Unique Auto Grooming and Woodworks, Danielle was presented with
the Excellence in Service award in 2018 and was inducted into the Black Hills Works
Hall of Fame in 2022.
Looks like she found her true calling, after all.
Original Article available in the February edition of Elevate Magazine
