Automotive News Canada - March 2023 - 14

14
* MARCH 2023
Sold on California, but his soul
is still Canadian
Acura exec's road trip took
him from Toronto to the
United States to run sales
By DOUG FIRBY
CALGARY CORRESPONDENT
EMILE KORKOR IS WEARING A BROAD
smile these days.
Less than two years into his term as assistant
vice-president of Acura national sales for
the United States, Korkor was in Michigan in
January, accepting the 2023 North American
Car of the Year award for the Acura Integra.
It was a heady moment for
the 45-year-old who grew up
in the Toronto area and spent
much of his career there.
A 24-year Honda/Acura
CANADIANS
ABROAD
Working in the
auto industry in
other countries
employee, his years of product
planning helped position
the redesigned Integra for the
North American market.
Korkor's drive lifted him
from humble beginnings. His
first job with Acura was in
1999, in collections and repossessions, which
is " not where you want to start, " he said. But
within a year, he was promoted to product
planning, which required him to visit Acura's
North American headquarters in California.
And a taste for the California lifestyle followed.
" I always said, 'I'm going to work
here one day.' "
Korkor's rigid daily schedule
begins at 4 a.m. at the gym, where
he occasionally works out with actor
Arnold Schwarzenegger. Korkor is in
the office by 7:30, checking in with his
100 direct reports in the United States.
Each day, Korkor sets aside time
for his four " buckets " of responsibility:
retail pace, strategic planning,
employee priorities and motivation,
and dealer relations. He oversees the
financial and sales performance of
the 271 Acura dealers in the United
Emile Korkor's 24 years at Acura culminated
as a pivotal product planner behind the
Acura Integra, the 2023 North American Car
of the Year. SUPPLIED PHOTO
States and the 51 in Canada.
Constant contact with field staff - the
employees who act as his dealership liaisons -
is essential, Korkor said. " The more distant I
become, the less passionate they are in the dayto-day
operations. "
Team development is also a priority, but
that's a skill he developed through years of
experience.
" I started off very authoritarian, " Korkor
said. " People just followed you out of fear. " But
he learned that when he gave his staff more
independence, they blossomed with new energy
and creativity.
His Canadian upbringing is an advantage in
the U.S. management structure, Korkor said.
" Canadians are a lot more patient. It has helped
me to be more level-set, " to get people on the
same page in the United States. " That has gotten
me a lot more acceptance upfront. "
California remains a powerful magnet for
Korkor, who spends his days off driving
the coastline and hanging out on
the beach.
" I still wake up each morning and
pinch myself. "
Yet his bonds to friends and family
in Canada remain strong. Korkor sees a
potential to return one day.
To borrow a Schwarzenegger phrase,
" I'll be back, " he said. - ANC
Korkor oversees the financial and
sales performance of the 271 Acura
dealers in the United States and the
51 in Canada. SUPPLIED PHOTO
She runs the gamut
for customer satisfaction
By JIL McINTOSH
OSHAWA CORRESPONDENT
TRACY BULMER
WORKING WITH DEALERS TO
TAILOR PROGRAMS TO CANADA
LOOKING AFTER CUSTOMERS
isn't just about the sale. There's
also aftersales, warranty and
technical support. At BMW
Group Canada's head office
in Richmond Hill, Ont., Tracy
Bulmer oversees a team of 55
people in her role as director of
customer support.
" It's an interesting area of the
business, and sometimes people
underestimate it because there
are many different aspects, " she
said. " We work with our partners
in Germany on some business
direction but also
with our retail network
to make sure
our programs fit for
Canada.
" We have a lot of
interaction with dealers,
trying to get the
frontline view, right
down to the service
adviser level. "
Customer support
is the largest department
in the company,
and Bulmer, 48, is the
first woman to hold
the position of director,
customer support
at BMW Group
Canada. She recently
became the chair of a
women's network in
BMW Canada, which
is intended to mentor
and encourage women
to advance in the company.
After earning a degree in
psychology, Bulmer joined
Kawasaki when it advertised for
a bilingual marketing coordinator.
" I
contact each one almost
every day, " he said. " I make sure
our vehicles are coming in and
going to the right people, [provide]
training support and focus
on the guest
experience.
A lot of it is
data mining,
checking the
responses
we're getting
from guests
and keeping
a close eye on
how they are treated.
" It's an evolution of the district
service manager but encompasses
so much more. "
Holmes, 49, is from Toronto
but finished high school in
Taiwan when his parents moved
there for work. That sparked an
interest in international
business, which he
studied after returning
to Canada. He
was equally intrigued
with the hospitality
industry and managed
a restaurant in
Vancouver.
In addition to
working with
BMW dealers,
Tracy Bulmer
is leading a
committee to
mentor women
to succeed at
the company in
Canada.
PHOTO: BMW
GROUP CANADA
In 2000, he moved to
Montreal and became
a showroom host at
a BMW dealership,
blending his hospitality
background
with his interest in
cars. After working
with Volkswagen and
Audi, first in sales
and then as a warranty
field manager, he
became an auditor for
Bentley's dealerships
worldwide.
" It was fun but too
" It was a small team, and I
wore a lot of different hats. "
Three years later, in 2002, she
moved to BMW, in accessories
and lifestyle. That evolved into
marketing manager of aftersales.
" I had a mentor who said,
'You should get some operational
experience,' and I went into
parts logistics. It was a completely
different viewpoint, and
I hadn't appreciated what the
change could do. "
She took her current position
in 2018.
" I have a strong relationship
with the retail network, and
we've built up trust and dialogue.
We're approaching electrification,
and we're well-positioned
with what our retailers need to
know to service customers. "
GREG HOLMES
ON THE GROUND FLOOR
FOR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
GENESIS MOTORS CANADA
has distributors instead of dealerships,
but customer satisfaction
is still critical.
Working out of the brand's
Eastern Canada zone office
in Brossard, Que., Regional
Operations Manager Greg
Holmes is the liaison between
head office and Genesis' eight
distributors in Quebec and the
Maritimes.
much travel for the family, " he
said. Holmes joined Genesis in
his current role in 2021.
Genesis began with online
sales and at-home service, but
two of the eight distributors in
Holmes' region are now brickand-mortar,
and the rest will
begin construction by the end of
the year.
" It's challenging to be on the
ground floor but so rewarding, "
Holmes said. " It's a new way of
doing business [that's] more hospitality-involved.
We're learning
what works and what doesn't,
and we have to adjust and go
forward. " - ANC
Greg Holmes is in regular
contact with Genesis' eight
distributors in Quebec
and the Maritimes. Aside
from monitoring customer
experience, " I make sure our
vehicles are coming in and
going to the right people. "
PHOTO: GENESIS MOTORS CANADA
http://kumhotire.ca
Automotive News Canada - March 2023

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