Above and Beyond Award Winners
Kevin Middlebrook receives Above and
Beyond Award
Jim Starz receives Above and
Beyond Award
10-27-2010
Mark Karta receives Above and Beyond Award
Congratulations Mark!
10-27-2010
Tona Draughon receives Above and
Beyond Award
Congratulations Tona!
10-27-2010
Joseph Frader receives Above and Beyond Award
Congratulations Joseph!
10-27-2010
Kevin Middlebrook receives Above and Beyond Award
Congratulations Kevin!
Jeff Dallin receives Above and Beyond Award
Sometimes a
man will choose the time and sometimes time will choose the man. Jeff Dallin did
not sign up to become the central figure of Clunkermania at Earl Stewart Toyota,
but he was anointed the Clunker King before the bedlam subsided. As the tide of
history swept up and consumed all that lay in its path, Jeff nimbly rode the
crest of that wave as effortlessly as he tackles the swells any given weekend on
his longboard.
If this was any other dealership, the used car manager would
not be expected to do double, triple, or quadruple duty; but this is not any
other dealership. The Cash for Clunkers law stipulated that the dealer need only
provide his “best estimate” of the clunkers’ salvage value and was permitted to
keep $50 for “administrative purposes”. At most dealerships, this meant the
“best estimate” was $50 and – surprise – the dealership kept that for
“administrative purposes” (“sorry Mr. Customer”). At Earl Stewart Toyota, it was
decided that the customer would be given the full amount of the true
salvage value of his/her clunker less the $50 allowed by law. Although Jeff did
not know it at the time, but that decision would result in the longest, hottest,
and most difficult days of his career. In order to provide the customers with a
salvage value, Jeff would need to call a salvage yard before a deal was
made. To provide customers with a true salvage value, Jeff would have to
call multiple salvage yards to get the highest bids for our customers. He would
have to do a complete appraisal on each and every one. He would do this on top
of the hundred or so appraisal he already does every month.
This formula by itself was not necessarily a recipe for
chaos, but when you factor in the utterly unexpected, historically huge response
to the clunker program, it was Car-mageddon! Jeff’s normal 50 hour work week
suddenly became a 90 hour work week in the 90 degree heat of August 2009. Jeff’s
an athletic guy – an avid surfer and snow skier who frequents the gym – but this
time his physical limitations were put to the test. Earl Stewart would do 286
clunker deals when all was said and done; a monumental figure. However, you have
to realize that figure does not count the dozens of appraisals that did not
become deals. Jeff was all over each and every one.
Jeff became Mr. Cool (with a name tag to prove it) when it
was noticed that despite the sweat, despite the grungy clunkers with no air
conditioning, despite the clamoring sales people and customers, and despite the
anxiety that the entire program could be cancelled without notice, Jeff Dallin
kept his serene demeanor intact – with a smile. He kept it cool.
The most remarkable aspect of the whole story is this: Jeff
Dallin did all of this knowing that none of it would benefit him personally.
Jeff Dallin is compensated based on the profitability of Earl Stewart Toyota’s
used car department. The Cash for Clunkers program was a new car program
that effectively dried up the used car business during that period: that did not
slow Jeff down one bit.
Because of his dedication and
unparalleled commitment to teamwork, Jeff Dallin was awarded Earl Stewart
Toyota’s Above and Beyond Award. Normally this is reserved for excellence in
customer care. The award is represented by a crystal plaque the quotes former
Mike Baron receives another Above and Beyond Award
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Mike Baron is the recipient of the Above and Beyond Award for taking
action outside the realm of facility maintenance which saved the company over
$7000. He uncovered a mistake in our FP&L which lead to the enormous
credit. Mike has also spent countless hours in a quest to recover funds
and receive compensation for the faulty site lighting across dealership
property.
Michael Lloyd receives his second Above and Beyond Award
Congratulations Michael!
Patrick Myers receives Above and Beyond Award
Congratulations Patrick!
Adam Matz receives Above and Beyond Award
On Friday evening our
customer Joan Fisher had to be towed in from I-95 after she hit debris in the
road and lost her brakes. She arrived at 7:00 pm and was
of course very upset after this incident, after I greeted her along with our
Technician Adam Matz we found out she has another vehicle at home but could not
arrange a ride home. She lives in
David Silverstein receives Above and Beyond Award
David received an Above and Beyond award in July 2008. Full details to follow soon.
Congratulations David!
Michael Lloyd receives Above and Beyond Award
Michael received an Above and Beyond award in July 2008. Full details to follow soon.
Congratulations Michael!
Mike Urquhart receives Above and Beyond Award
Mike received an Above and Beyond in 2008.
Last Thursday, an hour after the
service department had closed. I was approached by an elderly gentleman in our
customer lounge. He was very concerned because the tire pressure sensor
indicator light had just come on as he and his wife drove down US1. He said his
tires looked okay, but he was worried that he had a slow leak in one of his
tires. I excused myself to go into the shop to find a tire pressure gauge.
There, I found Mike Urquhart working in his bay. I asked if he had a tire
pressure gauge, but he offered to come out and take care of it himself. He
greeted the couple and asked if he could put their car on the lift to check
everything out. He proceeded to investigate, on his own time, and found out that
there was a computer code indicating a faulty tire pressure sensor. He made
arrangements with the couple for a service appointment to take care of the
problem. Throughout, he demonstrated his superb customer relation skills as he
assured the couple that everything would work out fine for them. Mike did not
get paid to do this; he was supposed to be home at the time. He did it out of
the genuine concern he felt for people in need. For this he deserves the
recognition of the Earl Stewart
Sandy Valenti receives Above and Beyond Award
Sandy received an Above and Beyond award on 3-12-2008.
Sandy
Valenti is not your ordinary telephone operator/receptionist. Without ever being
asked, Sandi has essentially created a Guest Reception Department. She greets
every customer with a warm smile and acts like the dealership’s “air-traffic
controller”. Sandi took it upon herself to organize our new vehicle brochures
and manage their distribution. She is acting office-supply manager, making sure
the sales department has adequate printer and copy paper, key rings and tags,
sold signs, etc… She organizes schedules for managers and sales people and is
the “go-to” person when someone needs to be found. She also manages our phone
prospect system for sales.
Glenn Ballard receives Above and Beyond Award
Glenn received an Above and Beyond award on 2-6-2008.
Glenn was nominated for his ongoing, consistent service and support to the whole dealership. His work with us over the past 29 years and his progression through various roles up to his current position as Shop Foreman and Master Diagnostic Technician are impressive. Simply put, Glenn makes the shop. He is always willing to stop and address concerns brought to him by service, parts, the body shop and sales. He is dependable, honest and fair in our employees, customers and the factory. Glenn is an all-around nice guy and a pleasure to work with. He truly is one of a kind.
Bruce Taylor receives Above and Beyond Award
Bruce Taylor was nominated by Tim Case. Bruce has repeatedly gone offsite and out of his way to help many customers. Whether they need a key to get in their car or a new battery, Bruce has answered this call on multiple occasions. Bruce’s generosity has been felt, not only by our customers, but by fellow employees as well. He does so with the utmost modesty and no desire for accolades or extra-compensation.
Mike Baron receives Above and Beyond Award
Mike Baron was nominated by Dave Duffel. Mike has saved the company lots of money on items such as light bulbs. He replaced all our fluorescent lights with energy saving bulbs and the savings are ongoing. He maintains the dealership in an exemplary manner and can be counted on to quickly address and correct any maintenance problems that come up. He and his crew reliably set up, serve drinks, and cleanup the New Owners Events. Mike is a long term employee who continues to perform in an outstanding manner.
Rick Kearney receives Above and Beyond Award
Rick Kearney was nominated by Paul Nys for his extra effort with a smile. On numerous occasions Rick has gladly answered the call for offsite service and, in doing such, has helped us earn many customers for life. On a daily basis, our dealership requests Rick’s help with a wide variety of technical challenges and he is there for us without fail. Rick is also an essential fixture at our New Owner’s Events and company Christmas Parties.
Jolinda Smith receives Above and Beyond Award again!
Jolinda Smith was nominated by Janet Goetz. Jolinda is known dealership-wide for her great attitude and her generous cooperation with all departments. She is affectionately nicknamed “Ms. Reynolds & Reynolds” by Mr. Stewart and never hesitates to personally assist anyone who needs help with that system. She is a well-rounded and multi-talented employee who never backs down from any task that comes her way. This is the second time Jolinda has received this award!
Dale Cook receives Above and Beyond Award
Janet Goetz receives Above and Beyond Award
I would like to nominate an unsung hero, Janet Goetz. She always does what is expected but we never know the things she does "behind the scenes". Last week I hesitantly call her at home during rehab because we were having trouble getting a wire transfer verified and the customer, even though he had dropped the ball, was threatening cancellation. Janet took the information called both banks and got it handled in a matter of minutes. Never once complain about being disturbed during the middle of a physical therapy session.
Charl Schuld receives Above and Beyond Award
When Mr. Davis found out that the Prius can run out of gas Charl explained to him that the reason that he was stuck in Hobe Sound at the side of the road was the fact that when the light flashes you do need to add gas. Rather than telling him what most salesmen would ,"walk to a gas station and borrow a gas can" Charl grabbed a gas can from Tracy jumped in his car and raced to Hobe Sound and put gas in Mr. Davis' car, for which he was most appreciative.
Max Nugent, Bob Warshaw and Anthony Monas receive Above and Beyond Awards.
Alice (did not get her last name) came in for a prearranged, after-hours service pick-up around 8 o’clock. Bob Warshaw walked her out to her recently purchased Avalon only to discover it was blocked in by another service car. He came to get me and I began to search for the keys to the offending vehicle. After looking in every reasonably possible place I could not locate the keys. As I was contemplating what to tell Alice, Max Nugent, Anthony Monas, and Bob Warshaw came marching out to the service parking area. With their bare hands, they lifted the blocking vehicle and moved it far enough for Alice to drive her car out. Alice was astonished and she said (and I quote) “Ain’t no amount of advertising can top that! That’s what I call customer service!”
Jolinda Smith receives Above and Beyond Award
Please recognize Jolinda Smith as a member of the "Above and Beyond" team. In addition to the countless time she takes the time from extremely busy schedule to repair, reboot, etc, etc all of the Reynolds & Reynolds equipment in our dealership she made all of the arrangements with Reynolds & Reynolds, Jeff Blum, Randy Wallin and others to install a vital update on the R & R server. This update required a complete time consuming shut-down which had to be done after hours because there could be absolutely no users logged on. She took it upon herself to come to the dealership at 7:00PM Saturday night after closing to do the install. The install took over 3 hours and Jolinda did not get out of the dealership until about 10:45PM Saturday night.