Monte has been involved in collision repair since 1970. He started repairing cars out of necessity, learning how to rebuild his own car from a no-fault accident at the age of 17. At 19, he owned and managed his first body shop (the original Encinitas Autobody),
where he began reworking this classic 1970 Porsche 914-6.
After selling that business in 1975, he continued to dabble in various aspects of the trade until1980, when he and his friend John DeRoads founded Fender Mender Inc.
Monte has a keen interest in computers, purchasing his first computer in 1982. Considered "state of the art" at the time, it had dual floppy drives...but no hard disk.
He learned basics of computer programming (and to RTFM) from his son David (who later went on to complete a Masters in Computer Science at UCSD , and now works at Rockstar Games). Monte has built and configured most of the dozens of PCs that Fender Mender uses, and also developed several proprietary software programs, two of which are still relied on by the company today.
Monte also volunteers as Chairman of the Legislative Committee for the California Autobody Association (CAA), where he collaborates with other industry leaders and Department of Insurance staff members in drafting new laws which ultimately obligate insurers to treat consumers and their chosen shops more fairly. For his work, the CAA has recognized Monte with the Member of the Year award in 2007, Special Recognition Award in 2009, and Legislative Member of the Year 2013.
In his spare time, Monte likes working on computers, woodworking, weekly tennis, home improvement projects, and spending time with his high school sweetheart/wife Deborah (San Dieguito High School Class of '71).