Salerno Auto Body In The News
Television Interviews, Features and Appearances
Ellen Meets Incredible Brooklyn Landlord Mario Salerno
“You’re amazing. Thank you for everything you do.”
~ Ellen Degeneres, The Ellen Degeneres Show
Ellen video chatted with Brooklyn landlord Mario Salerno, who told his 200 tenants they no longer owe rent for April due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He explained why he decided to lift the financial burden for his tenants, who are like his family. Ellen recognized his amazing good deed by donating to one of Mario’s favorite charities, thanks to Shutterfly. Ellentube.com
Trump Honors Landlord Who Waived Rent For 200 Tenants
“I said, ‘What kind of a landlord is that? That’s a great landlord, right?” That’s very nice. I got to see that. .. Fantastic thing, Mario.”
~ President Donald Trump, The White House
“So, once more, we call upon our Creator to guide us through these very complex steps, protect our people, rebuild our communities, and restore our beloved nation to even greater heights. We will never forget, however, those that have been lost, those incredible souls, and the families of those souls that are going through so much. We will never forget you. We will be there for you.” ~President Donald J. Trump
Landlord Waives April Rent for 200 Tenants Amid Pandemic, Wants Everybody ‘Healthy’
“These are the tenants that Mario is helping in his home community. You may as well call him ‘Super Mario.'”
~ Adam Harding, NBC News 4
A New York City landlord is giving his 200 tenants one less thing to worry about amid the coronavirus pandemic as he waived rent for the month of April. Salerno, 59, owns roughly 80 apartments across Williamsburg and Greenpoint, Brooklyn. He said after some of his tenants told him that they were worried about paying rent because they lost their jobs due to the pandemic, he decided to take action. NBC New York
Mario Salerno, a New York Landlord Waived Rent for his 200 Tenants Amid Coronavirus
“I told them, “Don’t worry. Don’t panic. We’re going through some very tough times with this monster disease,” Mario sympathizes.
~ Colm Flynn, EWTN
A Brooklyn landlord has waived this month’s rent for his 200 tenants amid the COVID-19 outbreak in New York. Mario Salerno: “My Catholic faith brought it upon me to make this decision… I pray every day and when I have extra time I ask the good Lord to please conquer this vicious virus.” Colm Flynn brings us his story. EWTN
President Trump Delivers Remarks at National Day of Prayer – with Mario Salerno
“What kind of a landlord is that? That’s a great landlord, right?.”
~ President Donald Trump, USA Today Livestream from the White House
“He also believes he has two callings in his wonderful world — usually wonderful world; we live in a world that’s very complex — to do good to people and to keep his faith. As Mario puts it, ‘Faith is a lot more powerful than fear.’ That’s true. Mario, if you would, would you please step up and say a few words? Thank you very much.”
~ President Donald Trump, USA Today Facebook Livestream from The White House
Print and Online Publications
“As Mario puts it, faith is a lot more powerful than fear. That’s true.”
~ President Donald Trump whitehouse.gov
Also with us is Mario Salerno, a landlord auto-shop owner in Brooklyn. Last month, Mario waived rent for all 200 of his tenants. Oh, I got to see you on television, actually. I said, “What kind of a landlord is that?” (Laughter.) That’s a great landlord, right? That’s very nice. I got to see that. He wanted to make sure that they could put food on the table, and he wanted to take care of their families even though he’s losing a lot of income — which he could always use. We can always use it. Right, Mario? But that was a big thing. Mario says that’s irrelevant compared to the value of human life. Fantastic thing, Mario. Whitehouse.gov (Read Article)
“You don’t see that, especially in a landlord-tenant relationship in New York City. He’s amazing.”
~ Paul Gentile in The New York Times
His only interest, he said, was in alleviating stress for his renters, even those who were still employed and now working from home. “My concern is everyone’s health,” said Mr. Salerno, 59, whose rent gesture was first reported by the local news site Greenpointers.com. “I told them just to look out for your neighbor and make sure that everyone has food on their table.” The New York Times (Read Article)
“But Salerno’s gesture is more than a kind deed. It is a lesson in emotional intelligence.”
~ Justin Bariso, Inc.
Emotional Intelligence is the ability to identify, understand, and manage emotions. It enables people to practice qualities like empathy, which is essential to relationship-building–and it can even move others to action. Of course, by canceling April’s rent Salerno alleviated a huge amount of stress on the part of his tenants, and helped in a very practical way. But Salerno’s message also included a call to action: “Help your neighbors.” Inc. (Read Article)
“Take care of your loved ones, your family. If they have any pets make sure the pets got food.”
~ Mario Salerno in Gothamist
A landlord in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, told tenants not to worry about paying April rent this week. Mario Salerno said many of his tenants started calling him to say they were worried about not being able to make rent. “I told them just relax, don’t panic, it’s gonna work out,” said Salerno, a 59-year old born and raised on Metropolitan Avenue. Salerno owns 80 apartments and said 30 percent of his 200-plus tenants have taken advantage of the rent waiver. Gothamist (Read Article)
“Mario Salerno isn’t the only good landlord in the city of New York, but he’s quickly becoming one of the most well-known.”
~ Staff The Real Deal
Salerno waived rents for all 80 tenants in all 18 of his apartment buildings — no questions asked — to ease the financial pressure felt by many in the age of coronavirus, according to the New York Times. Residents found signs from Salerno posted near their buildings’ front doors informing them that he wouldn’t take any rent for the month and imploring them to “stay safe, help your neighbors [and] wash your hands!!!” The Real Deal (Read Article)
“Ellen DeGeneres gave Mario Salerno, a Brooklyn landlord who waived rent for his tenants during the coronavirus pandemic, the surprise of a lifetime. Hear his heartwarming story here.
~ Emily Belfiore E Online News
On Monday’s at-home episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, she chatted with Mario Salerno, a Brooklyn landlord who told his 200 tenants they no longer owe rent for the month of April due to the pandemic, and gave him the surprise of a lifetime. E Online News (Read Article)
A Brooklyn landlord is being hailed a hero after he opted to waive April’s rent for his tenants amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
~ Robyn Merrett People
On March 30, Mario Salerno, who owns about 80 apartments throughout Williamsburg and Greenpoint, left a note for the residents of his properties, which read “Due to the recent pandemic of Coronavirus COVID-19 affecting all of us, please note I am waiving rent for the month for April,” NBC New York reported. “Stay safe, help your neighbors and wash your hands,” the note concluded. Explaining his reason for doing the selfless deed, Salerno told NBC New York he simply wants “everybody to be healthy.” People (Read Article)
Mario Salerno owns a number of apartment blocks in Williamsburg in NYC, and made the philanthropic gesture after a number of his renters told him they were worried about paying the rent.
~ Mark Longley Newshub
Last Monday US time he posted a note at the entrance of apartment blocks he owns telling tenants they will not have to pay April’s rent. “I’m really not concerned about the rent right now, I’m concerned about peoples’ health,” he told local news organization Greenpointers. “Not only are we up against an epidemic, these poor people have no jobs and they’re worried about getting sick. I didn’t think it was much on a person like me, who God was good to, to help them all out.” Newshub (Read Article)
Salerno’s generosity was welcome news for many of them who have found themselves out of work and short of money amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
~ Andrew Court Daily Mail
Mario Salerno, who owns 80 apartments in the Williamsburg neighborhood, left notes for all his renters late last week telling them not to worry if they were unable to come up with cash. ‘I told them just relax, don’t panic, it’s gonna work out,’ the 59-year-old landlord said in an interview with Gothamist over the weekend. He further told his tenants: ‘Just make sure you have food on the table and take care of your loved ones, your family… As for me, God is good to me. I’m successful’. Daily Mail (Read Article)
Salerno, a native of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, told an NBC affiliate that he did it out of concern for the neighborhood’s health.
~ J. Edward Moreno The Hill
He told another local outlet he’s also amping up sanitation services for common areas in his properties. “For me, it was more important for people’s health and worrying about who could put food on whose table,” Salerno said. “I say don’t worry about paying me, worry about your neighbor and worry about your family.” “God is good to me and we’re successful, and I’m just really concerned about everyone’s health.” The Hill (Read Article)
New York City has become the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, and accordingly, one man is making a huge difference to relieve the stress for many residents in Brooklyn.
~ Paul Meara BET
Mario Salerno, a landlord who owns 80 apartment units in the Big Apple borough, posted a notice on the front doors of his buildings reading, “Due to the recent pandemic of Coronavirus COVID-19 affecting all of us, please note I am waiving rent for the month for April.” On some of the signs, he wrote, “STAY SAFE, HELP YOUR NEIGHBORS & WASH YOUR HANDS!!!” The 59-year-old Salerno owns the dozens of apartments that reportedly house 200 to 300 tenants in total in the Williamsburg and Greenpoint neighborhoods. He told NBC New York that he made the decision to cancel this month’s rent when he learned that a number of his tenants said they were having a hard time getting by during the COVID-19 pandemic. BET (Read Article)
A few New York City residents are able to breathe a little easier in April.
~ Alexander Deabler FOX News
“Just make sure you have food on the table. Take care of your loved ones, your family. If they have any pets make sure the pets got food,” Salerno told his renters. “As far as me, God is good to me. I’m successful.” Salerno posted a sign notifying the renters of April’s waived rent — delivering much-needed relief to the roughly 30 percent of tenants who took him up on the offer, he said. This gesture of goodwill isn’t out of character for the longtime landlord. Resident Robin Simmons, a fitness instructor who has “lost a lot of work in the past 3 weeks,” told Gothamist that Salerno “dresses up as Santa every year and gives presents to neighborhood kids.” FOX News (Read Article)
Mario Salerno, who also owns the Salerno Service Station in Williamsburg, made waves with his generosity since Greenpointers first reported that approximately 2o0 tenants in his buildings were forgiven of rent this month.
~ Staff Greenpointers
National news outlets and t.v. shows followed up in recent weeks interviewing Salerno, including a profile in the NY Times and most-recently a segment on The Ellen Show, where the host announced that the company Shutterfly would make a $25,000 donation in Salernos’ name to the local soup kitchen the North Brooklyn Angels. Greenpointers (Read Article)
Trump on Thursday asked Salerno to share some remarks during a prayer ceremony at the White House, calling the landlord’s actions “fantastic.”
~ Maya Rajamani 1010 WINS Radio
“On this special day of prayer, I have nothing written. I just want to thank the good Lord. Every morning when I wake up… I ask the good Lord, ‘Please, conquer this vicious virus. He’s making us all stumble,’” Salerno said. “And besides me praying to the good Lord, I pray for our dear president, and I tell God, ‘Please, give him the strength and the power, because he’s not only our leader of the great United States — the whole world is following this gentleman.’” 1010 WINS (Read Article)
The neighborhood is calling him “Super Mario” and praising him for a gracious act that changed the lives of more than 200 people. All he asked of his tenants is to pay if forward if possible.
~ Ed Attanasio Auto Body News
A lot of body shop owners end up being landlords, and sometimes it can be a pain in the you-know-what. When you’re trying to fix cars and keep your customers, insurance partners and employees happy, you don’t want to have to worry about late rent or Mrs. Smith’s leaking faucet in apartment 5. When this pandemic blindsided many of us, people all over the world started asking about their rent or mortgages. To placate his tenants and take the high road, Mario Salerno, owner of Salerno Auto Body in the heart of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY, waived rent for all 200 tenants living in his 18 properties. Auto Body News (Read Article)
But Salerno said in an interview Thursday that he did not care about losing his rental income in April, nor did he care to calculate the amount that he would not be collecting from his 80 apartments.
~ Matthew Haag Chicago Tribune
For decades, Salerno has been a larger-than-life character in his part of Williamsburg, on the other side of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway from the ritzy high-rises near the East River. During the day, he runs the Salerno Auto Body Shop and gasoline station, which his father opened in 1959.“Do I really want to do a simple oil change and a brake job? No. But I have a lot of doctors and nurses who need their cars serviced.” ~ Mario Salerno, Brooklyn Landlord and Auto Mechanic Chicago Tribune (Read Article)
Social Media
A Brooklyn landlord waives this month’s rent for his 200 tenants amid the #coronavirus outbreak in New York. Mario Salerno says: “My Catholic faith brought it upon me to make this decision…I ask the good Lord to please conquer this vicious virus.” @EWTNews
Is this the best landlord in New York? Mario Salerno tells his 200 tenants that they don’t have to pay rent for April! @ColmFlynn1
This Brooklyn Landlord Just Canceled Rent for Hundreds of Tenants. God bless, Mario Salerno! @TomFitton
Shout out to Mario Salerno! @RealJamesWoods
Before the crisis, Mario Salerno has helped me & @SkeeterNYC out in so many small ways. He’s saved us a few times. Not for press. That’s just how he is. Glad everyone is getting to see it.@GeoffRickly
1. This Brooklyn Landlord Just Canceled Rent for Hundreds of Tenants Mario Salerno, who has 18 apartment buildings, said he did not want renters to stress about their payment during the coronavirus pandemic. @yashar
2. Mr. Salerno said he did not care about losing his rental income in April, nor did he care to calculate the amount that he would not be collecting from his 80 apartments. He said he had about 200 to 300 tenants in total. @yahsar
3. He is likely forgoing hundreds of thousands of dollars in income by canceling April rent. His only interest, he said, was in alleviating stress for his renters, even those who were still employed and now working from home. @yashar
4. “My concern is everyone’s health,” said Mr. Salerno, 59. “I told them just to look out for your neighbor and make sure that everyone has food on their table.” @yashar
In times of crisis, you get to see who people really are. Here’s an American hero: Mario Salerno, who canceled April rent for all his tenants in 18 apartment buildings! @Amy_Siskind
This Brooklyn landlord, Mario Salerno, is also the owner of the local car mechanic “Salerno’s Autobody” in my Brooklyn neighborhood. Truly one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. He & his family make everyone feel like family. This is not surprising. @ScottHech
Mario Salerno canceled April rent for his hundreds of tenants in Brooklyn — likely forgoing hundreds of thousands of dollars in income. “My concern is everyone’s health,” he told me. @MatthewHaag
Landlord with 18 apartment buildings in New York City waived April rent for his 300 tenants. “I told them just to look out for your neighbor and make sure that everyone has food on their table.” ~ Mario Salerno. Fantastic blessing for sure! @Jali_Cat
~ Mario Salerno
#NYTough @alessiagattinyc #WearYaMask
#WeAreHEALTHY #WeAreHAPPY #WeAreSAFE
#WeWEAROURMASK #TEAMSALERNO
According to reports, a #Brooklyn Landlord named #MarioSalerno has waived rent for the month of April for all of his tenants. Salerno owns 18 apartment buildings and “did not want renters to stress about their payment during the #coronavirus pandemic”. Thoughts? ??? @NYTimes @SalernoAutoBody #Respect
Tap our link in bio for the uplifting story. Photo by @victorblue.
But Mr. Salerno said in an interview on Thursday that he did not care about losing his rental income in April, nor did he care to calculate the amount that he would not be collecting from his 80 apartments. He said he had about 200 to 300 tenants in total. “My concern is everyone’s health. I told them just to look out for your neighbor and make sure that everyone has food on their table.”#unsungheroes ?: Victor J. Blue (Brooklyn, NY): Mario Salerno dejó notas en las puertas informando a los inquilinos que no tenían que pagar el alquiler en abril.
Salerno dijo en una entrevista el jueves que no le importaba perder sus ingresos de alquiler en abril, ni que le importaba calcular la cantidad que no cobraría de sus 80 apartamentos. Dijo que tenía alrededor de 200 a 300 inquilinos en total. “Mi preocupación es la salud de todos. Les dije que cuidaran a su vecino y se aseguraran de que todos tengan comida en su mesa ”. # Unsungheroes Victor: Victor J. Blue
