BEST DEALERSHIPS TO WORK FOR IN CANADA

Location: Dartmouth, N.S.

General manager: Jamie MacDonald

Dealership group: O'Regan's Automotive Group

Number of employees: 31

2017 new-vehicle sales: 450, up 10%

2017 used-vehicle sales: 268, up 16.5%

Marketing Vice-President Susan Johnston on the challenges of hiring/retention in the face of dramatic changes in technology and competition for skilled staff: Candidates need to be comfortable with new technology, multiple means of communication and have strong interpersonal skills. It can be challenging to find these candidates at times, and competitive when you do, so we strive to provide a culture of mentorship to increase the overall skill level of our employees and promote our business as a well-established, values-oriented, entrepreneurial dealership where performance is rewarded and the community is supported.

Johnston on the unusual methods developed to reward employees and show them they are valued: We engage in a number of fun, team-based activities with staff including team dinners, deep-sea fishing, baseball and golf. The owners also hand deliver turkeys to each employee at Christmas time. We have a monthly draw for the O'Plause O'Ward, a program recognizing employees through nominations of their fellow coworkers for superior examples of customer service and team work.

Johnston on whether the image of working at a dealership has changed over the last five years: In many cases, the first impression clients have of our business is online, making our dealership website [user experience, look and feel] is very important as well as our Google review rating and social media presence.

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