Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A35
SEPTEMBER 23, 2019 | 35
KEN WYSOCKY PHOTOS
short term to keep buildings well-maintained
- the group budgets $30,000 per store, or
about $780,000, for the spring cleanup. "But in
the long term, your culture is what makes your
business successful," he said. "It's why people
want to do business with you - why they
come back time and time again."
And Bergstrom Automotive does a lot of
business, retailing 11,746 new and 12,049
used vehicles in 2018, according to Automotive News' list of the top 150 dealership groups
based in the U.S., ranked by new-vehicle sales.
It was No. 89.
As John Bergstrom roams through the
gleaming Lexus dealership, his 11th stop of
the day, he shakes hands with employees and
thanks them for their hard work. He clearly
relishes the interaction - and so do the employees. "Hey, Mr. B!" one smiling technician
Bergstrom Automotive CEO John Bergstrom says his
goal is to shake hands with every employee working
on the annual Race Shop Clean Day, which is part
employee meet-and-greet and part inspection. At
left, he meets detailers Brayden Ivory and Cassie
Demars. At top, Bergstrom greets technician Josh
Erickson. Above, Bergstrom watches as technician
Troy Marcel prepares to work on a car door.
says as Bergstrom approaches a service bay.
Other employees call him by name as he
makes his rounds.
Does Bergstrom find things that don't pass
muster? Of course. After all, nothing is perfect. But he added that he and his son have
developed strong bonds with general managers. As a result, those managers accept
constructive criticism well, either on Race
Shop Clean Day or during other visits that
Bergstrom makes regularly throughout the
year at every facility.
A weed as message
Sometimes, a suggestion for improvement
might take the form of a weed left on a general
manager's desk, Bergstrom said with a chuckle.
"We're all close, so they put up with some of
my idiosyncrasies," he said. "It doesn't bother
me at all to pull out a weed [from a dealership's
flower bed] and put it on the manager's desk.
"Quite frankly, they all understand the message," he continued. "I don't have to leave a
note. They know there's only one person who
would do that."
Bergstrom spends 15 to 20 minutes at each location. Time is limited, so the team of managers
has to keep moving. It helps that many of the
dealerships are in Appleton located a stone's
throw from one another, with another cluster of
stores in nearby Oshkosh.
"But it's time well spent. Employees love the
interaction with us because it shows we care
about them," Bergstrom said. "I would highly
recommend that any leadership team do this.
It produces so many wins, and there's very little downside." a
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - Intro
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A1
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A2
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A3
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A4
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A5
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A6
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A7
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A8
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A9
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A10
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A11
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A12
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A13
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A14
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A15
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A16
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A17
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A18
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A19
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A20
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A21
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A22
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A23
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A24
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A25
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A26
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A27
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A28
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A29
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A30
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A31
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A32
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A33
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A34
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A35
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A36
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A37
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A38
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A39
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A40
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A41
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A42
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A43
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A44
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A45
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A46
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A47
Automotive News - September 23, 2019 - Best Practices Supplement - A48
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