Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S23

OCTOBER 21, 2013 ❙ 23

C A S C A D E A U T O G R O U P, C U YA H O G A FA L L S , O H I O

Aha! Ohio group reaps the many
benefits of bringing retirees on staff
Printed in Automotive News March 18, 2013
Amy Wilson
awilson@crain.com

n 1997, fixed-operations manager
Richard Bauman opened up a whole
new world of hiring possibilities for Cascade Auto Group's Michelle Primm.
Bauman, then 61, had worked at a nearby
dealership until it closed, but he wasn't
ready to leave the business permanently.
Though he didn't want to work full time,
Bauman wanted to stay busy yet have a flexible schedule.
Primm, who was finding it increasingly difficult to hire dealership employees, decided
to bring him on at her family's dealership in
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Bauman qualified for
a state of Ohio computer training program
that would pay his wages for six months.
"He never left," Primm, the store's managing partner, said of Bauman, now 76, who
works 20 hours a week tracking her parts inventory. "It works great. He has trained my
last two parts managers and really mentors
them and helps with different inventory
projects. I work around the births of his
grandchildren and his golf game."
Moreover, the experience convinced
Primm of the benefit of hiring retirees or
near-retirees to work in the dealership. Sixteen years later, Cascade employs a dozen
people fitting that description and ranging in
age from their late 50s to their 80s. They
make up about 19 percent of the company's
work force.
Hiring has changed since the "old days" of
the car business, Primm said. She jokes
that's when you'd hire someone if you could
hold a mirror up to his or her face and it
fogged. Today Primm says she prospects for
potential employees 365 days a year.
So realizing that older workers could be a
boon to the dealership turned into an aha
moment for Primm.
"My gosh, I can count on these people,"
Primm recalled. "They show up on time. I
don't have to tell them what to do more than
once. As long as I can get my staff comfortable with the idea of variable schedules, it's
going to be a win for everyone."
Another benefit: They generally don't need

From left, Michelle Primm and part-timers Richard Green, Bill Robinson and her mom, Sally
Primm, 80, who works three days a week doing payroll and conducting compliance checks.
health care benefits, saving the dealership
money, though Primm hasn't quantified
how much.
Since Bauman's hiring, Cascade has added
such people as a retired librarian, a policeman, two accountants, an insurance agent
and a former Mazda field representative.
Primm doesn't recruit at the senior center,
but she does ask current customers that have
retired recently whether they would consider part-time work. Some of her retiree employees refer their friends.
They handle tasks ranging from service department marketing and shuttling service
customers to handling dealer trades and
working as dealership ambassadors at
events. Primm's mother, who is 80, works
three days a week handling payroll and doing compliance checks.
Some baby-sit grandchildren on their off
days or schedule longer breaks to enjoy travel and family. One employee takes two or
three weeks off at a time to visit his daughter,
who lives in Colombia.
Richard Green, 65, retired from his accounting job at a telecom company three
years ago to spend more time on his woodworking hobby and volunteer work.

A customer of Cascade, Green asked one
day when his car was in for service whether
the dealership needed more drivers. He now
works up to 15 hours a week, mostly driving,
but he also has offered tax and accounting
expertise when needed.
"It's a fun job and a place where you can
get out and keep busy," Green said.
Bill Robinson, 70, who also works as a driver, retired as a sales manager after 30 years at
3M. He came to work at Cascade after getting
to know Primm's father and brother through
volunteer organizations.
Robinson enjoys the camaraderie with coworkers and customers. "We meet a lot of
people here from a variety of backgrounds,"
Robinson said.
Richard Bauman, who got it all started,
says the work at Cascade keeps him sharp
but gives him the flexibility to visit his
daughters and grandchildren in North Carolina and Florida. He'll keep working "as
long as my mind holds out."
He doesn't need the money, but Bauman
says it helps when golf season starts - he
plays three days a week.
Bauman, who got a hole-in-one at age 73,
said: "It does pay for my golf." c

Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement