Automotive News - October 22, 2012 - B27

OCTOBER 22, 2012 • B27

BEST DuTeau Chevrolet

DEALERSHIPS TO WORK FOR

Three times a year the store holds a barbecue for employees, at which tables replace Lincoln, Neb. vehicles in the showroom so employees can uTeau Chevrolet President Mike Minrub elbows for an hour or so. Any customer nick says there’s no magic to creating who happens by is invited to join, Minnick an employee-friendly store. says. Treat people with respect. Celebrate If it sounds like a tailgate atmosphere, well, their contributions. And, when necessary, give that’s to be forgiven. Lincoln is home to the Unithem the time they need to take care of their Mike Minnick versity of Nebraska and thousands of rabid colfamilies without looking over their shoulders. lege football fans supporting the Cornhuskers. “We’ve tried to treat our customers and employees Minnick, a Nebraska graduate who worked in the the same since my grandfather opened the store in football recruiting office as a student, has a stash of sea1928,” Minnick, 50, says. son tickets that he frequently sprinkles on grateful emDuTeau Chevrolet has very low turnover among the ployees when they become available. He says the 95 employees. Several employees, Minnick says, have block-N university flag flies in front of the dealership more than 25 years on the job, including a bookkeeper “365 days a year,” along with Old Glory. — David Barkholz with 40 years.
●●●

Dan Tobin Buick-GMC
Columbus, Ohio

Honda of Fayetteville
Fayetteville, Ark.

onda of Fayetteville offers a respite to employees from the typical dealership schedule of working weekends, evenings and some holidays. This year, the dealership started offering two sick or personal days to employees who have worked there 12 months or more. That’s in addition to five paid vacation days, says Matt Trumbo, general manager. “It’s not full pay like a vacation. It’s 80 percent,” Trumbo says. “Everybody’s excited about it — everyone can use extra time off.” The dealership is also the only one among the 100 Best Dealerships To Work For to respond that it offers employees more than 10 days of paid holidays a year. It offers 15. “It’s a big deal,” Trumbo says. “If it’s July the fourth, my service team and anyone who’s noncommission is off. My commission guys who work get a rolling day to use whenever they need to.”

The dealership also offers employees stock options and allows them to take additional paid time off to do community service or volunteer work. And there are the little touches, such as cash bonuses and thank-you notes for a job well done. Upper management also keeps an open-door policy to encourage dialogue with employees. “I like to be managed from the bottom up. I’m there to help everybody,” Trumbo says. “In this day and age people are more drawn to that. Don’t talk down to me and tell me what to do; work with me and show me what to do and help me out. That creates joy for people to come to work.” — Jamie LaReau

t Dan Tobin Buick-GMC, communication and camaraderie are important. Dealership sales goals, performance and the store’s rankings in the Buckeye-crazed market of Columbus, Ohio, and statewide are shared with every employee in monthly meetings. General Manager Jimmy Snyder says the transparency and open communication help the staff work toward the same goal. About 18 months ago, before the dealership started the transparent approach to finan- A monthly meeting about sales cials, each department — ser- goals and performance keeps all vice, parts, sales, etc. — was in employees on the same page. its own bubble, he said. “I’ve just found that since we’ve started sharing all information with all employees, when I’m going through the store I’ve got everybody asking me how we’re doing on the month,” he said. Now that everyone is on the same page, the dealership has gotten stronger. “They need to know how well you’re doing or how poorly you’re doing,” he said. “The better informed they are, the more they buy in to the operation.” The open communication policy has fostered a familylike environment. Employees organize department golf outings or activities, and the dealership has team cookouts and fun events during the year, including a March Madness bracket contest for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament every spring. Owner Dan Tobin likes what he sees. “It’s just electric in the store,” Tobin said. “We have a wonderful group of people.” — Ryan Beene

The Niello Company. Four of the Nation’s Top 100 Dealerships to Work For.

The Niello Company Congratulates:
Niello Porsche Land Rover Rocklin Niello Volkswagen Jaguar Land Rover Sacramento

Automotive Excellence in Northern California for over 90 Years.

U N I Q U E LY

NIELLO.COM

http://www.NIELLO.COM

Automotive News - October 22, 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - October 22, 2012