Published By: Jackson Hayes

The Canadian AutoWorld Dealership Employer of Choice award has wrapped its inaugural year with bang.

After dealerships from around the country tossed their hats in the ring to find out how they stacked up as employers amongst Canada’s dealer body, we have identified six winners from across the country and two honourable mentions.

“We had dozens and dozens of stores sign up representing every province,” says Canadian AutoWorld editor Jackson Hayes. “The response was amazing.”

The process, done in partnership with Corporate Culture + Employer of Choice Inc. (CCEOC), identified eight operations considered a dealership employer of choice.

The winners are:

–    Auto West Group, which owns dealerships representing BMW, MINI and Infiniti in Richmond, B.C.
–    Jim Hansen Gateway Ford Lincoln in Grand Prarie, Alta.
–    Lacombe Ford Sales in Lacombe, Alta.
–    Vegreville Ford in Vegreville, Alta.
–    Town + Country BMW in Markham, Ont.
–    The Humberview Group, which owns 25 dealerships in the Greater Toronto Area.

Honourable Mentions go to:
–    Bannister Honda in Vernon, B.C.
–    Honda West in Calgary, Alta.

The two dealership groups that won completed the survey as an entire organization as opposed to at the individual store level.

Unlike other awards in the space that reward things like sales volume, customer service, consumer reviews or are largely political in nature, the CADEOC Awards judge dealers on how well the store operates and on staff satisfaction.

“The timing of the award is great as Canadian AutoWorld entered its 25th year in print in 2016. What better way to serve our loyal readers than by acknowledging some of the best in the industry,” Hayes added.

“The CADEOC Award creates leading employer brand recognition opportunities and a unique competitive advantages for those that take part,” explains Jeff Doran, president of CCEOC.
“This initiative helps dealerships build a more engaged workforce which creates better customer experiences, better referrals, improved process efficiencies, stronger customer loyalty and increased revenues.

He says that Employer of Choice companies are admired for their innovative people programs, their visionary leadership and their ability to outperform the competition.

“The CADEOC brand will give dealers instant credibility as world class, employee-focused organizations. Being recognized as an Employer of Choice proves they are great places to work and validates the employee efforts put forth every single day to create great customer experiences. It will also help dealerships attract, retain, and engage the best and brightest talent to grow their businesses,” he says.

The winners will be celebrated in a special section of the April issue. Stay tuned for more information about the 2016 winners and to find out about our 2017 award program.

Don’t forget, this is a Canadian award established for Canadians.