Sarah Kangas

Being a girly girl was never in the cards for Sarah Kangas. Taking after her older brother from the get-go, Sarah always hung out with the guys. It wasn’t long before those hangs took the form of racing cars with the local dudes around town. At around the age of 14, she started dating a total gear head who introduced Sarah to hot rods and classic cars, teaching her how to drive and run the 1/4 mile in his 1976 Chevy Cutlass.

Sarah’s knack for driving fast and blowing the boys’ doors off, figuratively speaking, was the first hook that steadily lured her into the auto world. Interestingly, her mom would be the next major influence. By 17, Sarah’s mother got a wild hair to go back to school and train to be a mechanic. All the while, she showed her daughter the basics like changing oil and fixing flats with practical applications in mind—she never wanted to see her little girl stranded or dependent on anyone.

Over the next couple of years, the mother/daughter duo tinkered with an 81 Chevy pickup, and as Sarah became a driving adult, she worked on her own vehicles. A true Chevy girl by exposure, Sarah is also a hippie at heart with a love for VWs. In particular, a fire engine red 1993 VW Cabriolet with a black top caught her eye during a trip to the dealership with her dad one day, and she knew right then and there that a VW would be in her future.

Sarah made that happen and then some, working at her local VW dealership starting on the service drive. Over her more than five years there, she slowly ascended the ranks: cashier, receptionist, BDC manager, service writer to finally earning the position of warranty administrator—loving every minute of the work, from the crew to the customers and especially the cars.

Stumbling on some tough times personally, Sarah shifted focus toward fulfilling her dream of relocating to Colorado—joining her best friend and favorite football team—for a fresh start. The Berg Performance job posting beckoned from the Centennial State, and Aaron started the dialogue within about 10 minutes of her resume submission. A couple of emails and a Zoom call later, Aaron invited Sarah to fly out from Wichita, KS, and meet the rest of the crew. As an early 40 th birthday present, Sarah was extended an offer to join the Berg family as its new customer service advocate, turning the page on her life’s next adventure.

Thanks to her new crew, Sarah has earned the honorary title of “schedule master,” and her role entails greeting and checking in customers, answering the phones, setting up all of the appointments and building estimates. Currently, she’s driving a 2016 VW Jetta and working on a 1981 VW Rabbit/Cabriolet she was gifted. As for her dream garage? The Chevy devotee in her wants to park a 1972 Chevy Chevelle there, and to satisfy her hippie heart, an older VW bus to restore and travel the country.