‘Pep rallies' turn around dealership culture

The end of every month at Sam Pack's Five Star Chevrolet in Carrollton, Texas, is marked by the "tick, tick, tick" of a spinning prize wheel. And, if the top-performing employee is lucky, General Manager Alan Brown will announce the biggest amount: "Five hundred dollars!"

The game is the center of the staff's regular "pep rallies," celebrations that have revived the store's camaraderie and competition. On the last Friday of every month, the staff gathers to recognize the top employees in each department, review the previous month's performance and hear the targets for the next month.

Brown began the pep rallies in January 2020 as a core part of his strategy to turn around a store that was losing money and known in the Dallas suburb as an undesirable place to work. The store, which sells about 2,000 new and used vehicles a year, has since grown 840 percent in true net profit and now has "very little turnover," he said.

"People get frustrated and disconnected because of treatment, culture and a lack of communication," Brown said. "The pep rally is a moment for us to break bread and collaborate together."

About 70 to 100 people attend each rally and the events cost about $3,000 a month to put on, Brown said. The top-performing employees get a chance to spin the wheel and win $100 to $500. To him, the cost is worth it because "you cannot put a price tag on someone feeling appreciated."

The impact of that appreciation has also been felt strongly outside of sales, Brown said. The store's parts and service business has grown 52 percent since 2019.

Brown adopted the practice of pep rallies from his first job washing cars at a dealership in the 1990s.

He remembers those events motivated him "because I wanted to get recognized again," he said. "And when somebody brought a heavier load of work to me, I didn't say no because I wanted to grow with the company."

Before Brown, Lloyd Facen said he worked under four general managers since he started at the dealership in late 2016. In those years, there was a sense of distrust and a lack of transparency that soured the store's culture, the Internet manager said.

By sharing the business vision with the staff at pep rallies, the new leadership has fostered collaboration and made the store a more "vibrant place to be," Facen said.

Kaylin Holbrook began at the store as an intern in 2021 and was originally hesitant because of the negative reputation car dealerships carry. Since then, her perception has changed for the better and pep rallies are at the heart of that.

"Different departments sometimes only interact through email or phone calls," said Holbrook, now the dealership's social media and employee relations coordinator.

Gathering for the pep rallies "really brings us all together so we can see each other's emotions, cheer each other on and meet the goals that are set for the next month."

The store's factory partners are also invited to the pep rallies to share updates from their side of the business. Representatives from General Motors, GM Financial, OnStar and auto accessories wholesaler Southwest ADI all have attended, Brown said.

"It helps the factory understand that we are real people, we have a plan, we are working our plan and that we can be trusted with more," Brown said.

David Boehmer, a territory sales manager for Southwest ADI, has been to almost all of the pep rallies. They have given him the unique opportunity to connect with the entire staff and paved the way to strong communication, he said.

"The energy created by the positive things that Alan and his team do for the employees, you can just feel it," Boehmer said. "And it makes you feel good to be at that store and to be with those people."

At Sam Pack Chevrolet's most recent rally, a high school marching band played for employees. Brown is hoping to make the impression on the community that "a dealership is not a scary place to go. That dealers are kind, fun and engaged."