Dealer: Foster Walker III

Dealership group: Walker Automotive Group

Full-time employees: 54

President Lawrence Searcy on changes to employment practices because of recent industry disruptions like the inventory crisis: “We continue to hire at a rapid pace and do not see any employment shortage in our stores. We think the continued shortage of units and high gross profits for new cars provides incredible opportunities for salespeople to earn above-average incomes in a growing industry.”

Searcy on how employment practices could change with the industry shift to electric vehicles: “We quit hiring ‘salespeople’ a long time ago and instead recruit and hire talented individuals who fit into our culture. If they have sales experience, that is great. But their personality and temperament are the most important aspect to fitting into our company culture. We believe we have an excellent culture for advancement and recruit talented individuals who [fit] into that culture. The electric car phenomenon does not require a more intelligent salesperson but instead a more educated one. Vehicles have always changed rapidly with technology, and this is no different. It is up to the dealership and the manufacturer to provide the training necessary for the sales team to educate customers on electric vehicles.”

Searcy on improving employee retention: “Company culture is a driving factor in our recruitment. We established an Ambassador Team made of volunteer employees from every department who meet and decide the philanthropic goals for the organization. Ambassadors decide which companywide events we participate in and where our donations will have the biggest community impact. Additionally, we hire to promote. More than 95 percent of all of our managers were promoted from within. Employees seeking employment see that we embrace formal training and promotion. We do not change our compensation formulas, so there is certainty when you come to work at Walker that you can be successful and not have your pay plan changed if you start being successful.”

Searcy on offering a long-term career path: “We have weekly formal training for both sales and service. In addition, the president of the company runs a monthly composite meeting for all managers where we teach dealership financial literacy, review in depth the previous month’s financials and ask for input on how each department can be more successful. We endeavor to promote from within at every opportunity. For those managers who have been less successful, there remains opportunities to stay with the company, receive additional training and look for promotional opportunities again.”

Searcy on diversity, equity and inclusion: “Our dealership employee roster is incredibly diverse in both management and general personnel. Our hiring for diversity is not necessarily a conscious decision because we seek the best person for the job based on the employee’s credentials. Doing this for many years automatically led to a diverse employee makeup in management, executive ranks and general employee populations.”

Searcy on changes to promote work-life balance: “The dealership environment is difficult because of the hours required and the need to actually be in the store to do things like ship parts, contract sales and for the mechanics to fix vehicles. Our store is in a relatively small city, and we have always allowed personal time off for family without being punished by having to take a vacation day — if, for instance, you just want to see the Easter pageant at church. The dealership also includes the employees’ families in all employee events. We hold an annual fishing tournament, golf tournament, multiple cookouts, a Walker Family Fun Day and numerous charitable events where we pay, for employees and families, entry fees to participate.”