Melanie Hickey is a mechanic in the making, currently training as an apprentice at Berg Performance and absorbing anything and everything from the team. As part of that process, Melanie is on hand to help out where needed, be it an extra project or turning an extra wrench while one of the techs services another part of a car. She learns as she goes and is gaining exposure to a little bit of everything under the expert guidance of her fellow mechanics. 

Though she always thought cars were cool, they became a genuine interest of hers in the last few years. Growing up, trucks and big rigs were more Melanie’s speed, and she purchased her first vehicle, a 2013 Dodge Ram, during her senior year of high school. While she admitted that it’s a far cry from everything else parked in the Berg lot, that truck was her gateway into getting under the hood.

Not wanting a remote, COVID-college experience filled with days spent online, she thought, why not try automotive? Friends and family were dubious of whether she would last in the program, but Melanie has enjoyed proving them wrong ever since. While in school, she landed a job as a lube tech at Honda. It only took her a few months in that role to realize that something more performance based was in her future. 

Some light Googling led Melanie to Berg. A (very) long email query to Aaron led him to take a chance on Melanie, a quick study who learns at least one new concept every day. A year later, she’s proud to have accumulated 1,000x more knowledge than when she started. 

She’s still driving her Ram and will be until it’s scrap. In the meantime, she’s always open for a second car that’s more apropos to Berg and wouldn’t mind getting her hands on a 911 GT3RS “beast of a car.” As for car projects, Melanie has no shortage of ideas in mind. But first? Time and money!