Best Dealerships To Work For in Canada 2019
Lockwood Kia
Oakville , ON
Location: Oakville, Ont.
Dealer principal: Jay Lockwood
Number of employees: 35
2018 new-vehicle sales: 454, down 2%
2018 used-vehicle sales: 357, up 16%
General Manager Michael DeFreitas on hiring/retention in the face of dramatic changes in technology and competition for skilled staff: Competitive pay, a salary-plan option for new sales staff and paying all training costs have helped Lockwood Kia grow in its first five years. In sales, people are reluctant to choose a commission-based pay plan over a more conventional cushy salary position. We offer various pay plans for sales including a salary option for people looking to get started in sales. Technicians and apprentices are paid at competitive rates.
DeFreitas on helping employees develop a career path: We try to recruit young apprentices and train them throughout their apprenticeship; we provide online training from the manufacturer, plus in-store training with licensed technicians. Apprentices are paid for all online/in-person training they attend.
DeFreitas on ensuring the dealership reflects the community’s demographics: We have many bilingual employees who speak Arabic, English, French, Italian, Mandarin, Portuguese and Spanish, and are actively involved with many community charity events. We started this dealership with only 14 staff and are now more than 35 employees. New departments have been created [i.e., Sub-prime Finance] and many staff members have received promotions into new roles.