General manager: Doug Jones

Dealership group: Faulkner Organization

Full-time employees: 45

Jones on learning how to be a better employer from managing through the pandemic: “Our communication is better than ever due to the pandemic. During the uncertain times in the last year and a half, staying in contact with our employees was the key to reassuring and comforting them.”

Jones on long-term changes in hiring or employment practices because of the pandemic: “We have changed some of our wages guide limits for certain job descriptions to be more competitive. We continue to assess our wages, vacation plans and employee polices to make sure we are doing our part to help in the recovery from the pandemic.”

Jones on diversity, equity and inclusion as it relates to hiring and employment: “Hiring and employing a diverse staff is a priority for us. We advertise with many different diverse publications in our area. We also are very involved with and support many different diverse organizations in our community. Through that involvement, we have been able to hire employees from different backgrounds and cultures.”

Jones on improving employee retention: “Eight percent was our turnover rate last year, and it looks like it will be lower this year. We pay our employees well for the job that they do; we constantly recognize our employees for a job well done; our management team communicates with our employees daily; we get all employees involved with ideas on how to make the dealership a better place to work and to do business with. Bottom line: We live by the rule ‘Treat others as you would want to be treated.’ ”

Jones on offering employees a career path: “We have extensive in-house training programs for employees with different levels of experience. 1) High-potential classes are for employees that have interest in becoming a supervisor or manager. 2) Management 101 is for entry-level managers or potential managers within the dealership. 3) General Managers Academy is for current managers that want to become a general manager.”