Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A13

SEPTEMBER 23, 2019 | 13
Z E I G L E R A U T O M O T I V E G R O U P, K A L A M A Z O O , M I C H .

A fresh spin on campus recruiting
Steady stream of hires
decreases turnover, helps
customer satisfaction
Published in Automotive News Jan. 21, 2019

Danielle Szatkowski
autonews@crain.com

pipeline of college coaches and professors is helping Zeigler Automotive Group avoid many of the hiring
challenges facing dealers.
The Kalamazoo, Mich., dealership group has
recruited 250 college students in the past 10
years, and 90 percent of them have moved
from intern status to full-time employment.
While recruiting at colleges through job fairs or
placement offices is common for sizable auto
retailers, Zeigler has taken a different approach
by striking up relationships with professors
and coaches at 16 colleges near the group's 26
dealerships in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.
By going beyond online job ads, Zeigler taps
into a talent market outside the auto industry,
said Aaron Zeigler, president of the dealership
group. The strategy has improved employee
turnover rates and customer satisfaction levels,
he said, which helps boost sales and profitability.
"We have decreased employee turnover to
the single digits," Zeigler said. "Historically, especially on the sales end, turnover was much
higher. ... These pipelines have helped us maintain a steady stream of people coming into the
organization, and that's really helped us grow."

The hire and beyond
When Zeigler took over the family business
15 years ago, it had annual sales of $180 million. That's grown to $1.3 billion estimated
this year, said Zeigler, who has expanded the
group through store acquisitions. Zeigler
Automotive retails about 3,000 vehicles per
month - around 1,500 new and 1,500 used.
After a reference is received, company recruiters contact the student and do some checking to
determine whether they possess the aptitude
and talents to be successful at Zeigler. Freshman
and sophomore students typically start with a
summer internship and end up transitioning to
full-time employment once they graduate.
Zeigler works with students to determine what
dealership location will best fit the new hire. For
example, one student who wanted to live in a
bigger city ended up at the group's Chicago
stores. By determining what interns want to ac-

Aaron Zeigler,
left, hired Zach
Terrell after
Terrell's football
coach at Western
Michigan
University
referred him.

Zeigler Automotive Group in Kalamazoo, Mich., has struck recruiting gold
by establishing relationships with
college professors and coaches who
refer some of their best students for
internships.

complish over time, the group can start to lay
out a career with the company moving forward.
"We also have an extensive development
program that allows people to continuously
grow in the company," Zeigler said. "Our dealership culture involves making sure these employees are excited to come to work."
Zeigler offers a scholarship program that
awards $100,000 annually to current employees or their children, with 10 people per year
receiving $10,000 each.

Appealing to recruits
Former Western Michigan University quarterback Zach Terrell was hired a year ago after
being introduced to Zeigler by his football
coach. Zeigler told Terrell, who briefly had a
free agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens
in 2017, to consider working for the retailer
when football was over.
Zeigler's unconventional approach appealed to the student athlete.
"There is nothing better than a referral," Ter-

rell said. "That is true in our business, and that
is true when it comes to recruiting."
The dealership group's courtship was a
striking contrast to Terrell's other job-hunting
experience.
"I've been to career fairs, but it's like herding
cattle," he said. "It's hard to give a good impression of yourself in 10 seconds and also to
get a good feel of the company you are interviewing with in that time."
But during Terrell's interview with the dealership group, Zeigler went over the company's
background and long-term opportunities for
employees. Zeigler CFO Dan Scheid took Terrell golfing and shared with him how he successfully transitioned into the car industry
with no experience. The interview finished
back in Zeigler's office, where the company
president mapped a 10-year plan for what
Terrell's career at Zeigler could bring.
Instead of starting as an intern, Terrell began as a sales associate in the showroom. Now
an executive development associate, Terrell
said his coach's recommendation provided an
opportunity he otherwise wouldn't have had.
"This recruitment process clearly helped me
identify the right place of business and culture in
which I wanted to work," he said. "I interviewed
at numerous other businesses from all different
industries, and thanks to Zeigler, I found a company that devised a plan to utilize my skills and
developed a plan to see me succeed." a

Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement

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