SAT #29 - 😴 Living the Dream

For most of the country, a local dealership or local owner is simply an extension of the OEM brand. That Hyundai dealership or the GMC dealer down the street is all they see.

Remember this and think of ways to stand out today. Make the moments you have with your customers so memorable they will have no choice but to come back to your store for their next purchase!

Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, & Chris

INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHT

A Culture of Community with Stephanie Brogan

Thanks for trusting us with some of your time and story today, Stephanie! You've been friends with the ASOTU Crew for a while, but for the readers who may not know, what is your role at Classic Chevrolet and how did you get into the industry?

I am the Community Events Director. My main role is reaching out and building relationships within our community. It's a bit of an unexpected journey. Twelve years ago, I came from working at a local coffee shop. My husband's family has always been involved in the automotive industry. Soon to be married and looking for a change, an opportunity came up to start as a cashier in the service department at a dealership. I took it, even though I hadn't really decided what I wanted to do with my life and I hadn't stepped foot in a dealership until that point.

I worked as a cashier for many years before the dealership decided to expand into the Business Development Center. I was one of the first people introduced to that new area, a space where nobody really knew what to do, but there was a desire to grow it.

During a crucial time, I had to tell my leadership that I couldn't continue working due to my personal circumstances. But to my surprise, they didn't accept my notice. Instead, they chose to work with me and accommodate my needs, something I didn't expect after being in the industry for five or six years.

Around the same time, I was part of a small committee within our dealership aiming to help employees who were going through difficult times. Tom and Susan Durant, the owners of Classic Chevrolet, saw the need to expand this help to the wider community. So, they challenged me to grow this effort. And here I am today, extremely grateful for the opportunity.

Can you help us understand your day-to-day duties? Do you regularly organize events or is it more spontaneous?

This year is a fresh start for us. We've always been under the namesake of Classic Chevrolet, but this year we've become the Tom and Susan Durant Foundation, a 501(c)3 within our dealership.

Now that we're a nonprofit, we can expand our relationships with community members. We have new events coming up and small pop-ups where we can invite the community in. But the biggest event we organize is our annual golf tournament. We're heading into our 12th annual charity golf tournament this year, which is always a hit with our car-loving, golfing enthusiasts.

Have you always had a passion for this kind of community work, or did you fall into it and develop a love for it?

I think it's a mix of both. I've always loved meeting people from different walks of life, even during my time working at a coffee shop. The opportunity to do this kind of work came up in conversation and I thought, "I really want to do this." I never expected it to happen through a car dealership, but now it feels like I'm working my dream job.

Now that you can operate as a non-profit from within the dealership, how do you think your work will change?

Lately and into the future, the main task is communicating about it. Our goal is to show other businesses, especially dealerships, how they can have a larger impact in their communities beyond selling cars. I hope this idea catches on. Tom and Susan have always remained humble and focused on the real cause: bringing employees together for the greater good. We aim to encourage others to join us in this mission and learn from one another to improve our collective efforts.

So many dealers leave the story half told by shying away from self-promotion, so we are glad you are helping the story get to people! Do you also connect those dots for your team in the story? Do you all see this as part of the team's culture?

Absolutely. I handle most of the foundation-related responsibilities, but our team is made up of various professionals across the dealership. Everyone has a say, and everything is transparent. Everyone plays a crucial role, we couldn't do any of it without every person in the store.

⭐️ Visit our website for the full interview, or listen to even more from Stephanie during our interview with her at Live Tonight in Arlington here. ⭐️

CONTENT RECAP

Weekly Rewind

EMAIL RECAP

• Flow Automotive gifts their employee a BMW after his terrifying encounter with an 18-wheeler. 🎁

• Easterns Auto Group treat their long-term teammates to amazing prizes. 🏆

• Our friends at Bozard Ford Lincoln earn their 7th Triple Crown award. 👑

WEBINAR RECAP

✨ If you missed our GA4 webinar with CallRevu this week, we got you! Rewatch the replay here, or read the recap here. 👈

SOMETHING FUN

Coming Soon: “More Than Cars” Episodes 2 & 3

Get ready y’all! We’re in the process of finalizing episode 2 of “More Than Cars,” and this week we filmed episode 3 at West Herr in Buffalo, NY. 🎥

Paul and Kyle took over the auto group to get a behind-the-scenes peek at all of the people who make it awesome, including their President & CEO, Scott Bieler, and Marketing Director, Matt Lasher. We can’t wait to share it with you!

Stay tuned for the newest episodes coming soon! 👀SAT