CADA Laureates offer inspiration and advice via video
May 25, 2020
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the association reached out to CADA Laureate award winners to share ideas on what they are doing during the crisis, and how to navigate it successfully.
Winners from all three categories (Ambassadorship, Retail Operations and Business Innovation) offered insights and strategies in three separate videos. The videos can be viewed on the CADA Laureate website, at www.cadalaureate.ca/insights.
CADA is also making a special interactive video experience available for dealer members on the CADA’s COVID-19 resource page. It features an inspirational “pep talk” from each of the participating Laureates. Dealers will have to log in as a member and then they can click on any of the Laureates by name, to hear them deliver a personal and inspiring video message of hope.
“These CADA Laureates are truly the leaders of our industry,” said Tim Reuss, CADA President and CEO. “We invited them to share ideas and best practices, and they didn’t hesitate. We are very thankful, and proud to share their insights with our dealer members.”
For the CADA Laureate category videos, the Innovators focused their messages on innovating during and post-pandemic.
“Crisis always provides opportunity to innovate, and this is the time to do it,” said Aziz Ahamed of Destination Auto Group in Burnaby, B.C. He was one of several CADA Laureate Innovator award winners to offer their input in the video.
Jay M. McKeen, Jack Carter Chevrolet Cadillac Buick GMC, Calgary, Alta.; Steve Chipman, Birchwood Automotive Group, Winnipeg, Man.; Christian Chia, OpenRoad Auto Group, Richmond, B.C.; Michael Norris, Volvo of Edmonton, Edmonton Alta.; and Mike Trotman, Trotman Auto Group, Langley, B.C. were also included.
“We’re shifting our mindset away from, ‘hey, we are reacting to the COVID situation and we are doing this out of necessity,’ toward ‘this is a paradigm shift in the industry. We are going to be doing business like this, permanently,’” said Trotman.
The Ambassadorship video focused on supporting people and communities in a time of great need.
“I think the number one thing we can do for our community — I’m in a community of 32,000 people — is to get our staff working again as fast as possible. And that means being the safest place to do business,” said Ross Ulmer, Ulmer Automotive Group, Lloydminster, Alta.
He is one of the CADA Laureates included in the Ambassadorship video, along with James Massie, Georgian Chevrolet Buick GMC, Barrie, Ont.; Al MacPhee, MacPhee Ford, Dartmouth, N.S.; Larry Vickar, Vickar Community Chevrolet, Winnipeg, Man.; and Alex Baum, Cochrane Toyota, Cochrane, Alta.
“We enjoy in the good times tremendous support from our customer base,” said Baum. “In the challenging times is when we get an opportunity to reciprocate what our customers are doing for us each and every year.”
The Retailer video, focused on sharing strategies on adapting and operating during a crisis.
“People can understand pretty quickly what fear feels like when they are facing it down,” said Vaughn Wyant of Jubilee Ford Sales, Saskatoon, Sask. “But certainly as a leader, and regardless of what level your leadership is at in your business, you can’t show any fear.”
Wyant is one of the CADA Laureates included in the Retailer video, along with Trevor Boquist, Bennett-Dunlop Ford Sales, Regina, Sask.; Dan McKenna, Donnelly Ford Lincoln, Ottawa, Ont.; James Braden, James Braden Ford, Kingston, Ont.; Brian Lowes, Mercedes-Benz Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Man.; Dan Murray, Murray Chevrolet, Winnipeg, Man.; Paul Valentine, Valentine Volvo, Calgary, Alta.; and Charles Saillant, Ste-Foy Toyota, Quebec, Que.
“My brother and I, since we work together, we sent videos to all our ‘staff’, every three days, to tell them: ‘Hang in there, we are all with you. You're going to come back, you're going to come back, you're going to come back,’” said Saillant, in reference to the employees he had to temporarily lay off.
Dealers can access the videos here.
For the special interactive video experience, click here.
iA Dealer Services is the exclusive Laureate program sponsor, and CADA’s partner in the annual quest to identify and celebrate Canada’s finest dealers.