Best Dealerships to Work For

General manager: Tom Ferry

Dealership group: Bergstrom Automotive

Full-time employees: 73

Ferry on improving employee retention: “In our eyes, improving employee retention is all about constant improvement of dealership culture. The attitude that the leadership team brings in each day along with the attitude that we allow all other team members to walk in the doors with is critical. We rely on our company’s guest service values to lead the way with all employees. We try to overcommunicate everything and empower our team members to look for opportunities to be a hero in someone’s life each day. We feel that if people go home feeling good about the work they did each day, they will probably stick around.”

Ferry on offering a long-term career path: “We are fortunate in this company to have a strong [human resources] department that constantly promotes all the different possibilities available. We are very active at high schools, colleges and job fairs to get the word out about career opportunities and to tell people what Bergstrom Automotive is all about. When we interview potential employees, we are really searching for the right attitudes more than a specific skill set. We can always find a good home for someone who is upbeat and positive. As for current employees, we make it a point to have private one-on-one meetings with everyone on a regular basis where we discuss current performance, goals and future aspirations. We have a more in-depth [personal development plan meeting] with every employee at the beginning of each year.”