Stories & Videos

 

Dianne Vierk
Bruce Thompson
Jim Schreiber

 

Dianne Vierk
Receptionist

Dianne has been the voice, and face, of Fagan Chevrolet to most of our customers since May, 1987. In her 21 years with us Dianne has seen many changes in the company, our facilities and in the auto industry. Some of her comments on those changes:

“When I started here my desk was in the corner of the showroom with my back to the windows. The showroom was carpeted in a rather ugly green and we had runners under each vehicle on display. The only evenings we were open were Monday and Thursday and smoking was allowed in most areas of the building.”

“The salesmen all wore sport coats and ties year round. Now everyone wears the same shirts and no ties. Lew Robinson, Ron Yager and Jim Schreiber were all here when I started. Of course Lew and Ron have retired, but Jim is still around to reminisce about the ‘good old days’. Bob Clapper was the Used Car Manager back then and Ron Hill was the New Car Manager. We only had one person in finance, so we had to have a part timer fill in on his day off. Now we have 3 people working in that department. ”

“We also had a rental car business that the office staff handled. Things seem a bit easier now that we use Enterprise for all rentals and loaners.”

“In the earlier years it seemed like the traffic through our doors was a little slow. It picked up in the 90’s. For a while it seemed like some of the plant workers liked to trade vehicles every 6 months or so if they could. I think the customers are getting younger, but maybe that’s just perspective!”

“When we started selling Medium Duty trucks I typed some of their contracts by hand. As our computer system has grown we have been able to have the contracts printed in the office along with all of the other deal related documents. I’ve had to learn many computer applications over the years, from typing letters to entering customer information to punching in and out as I start and end my work day.”

“Our phone system hasn’t changed a great deal except for the addition of lines as we have expanded. The direct lines to the truck shop and body shop have helped reduce my workload a little.”

“The most recent remodeling was wonderful for the appearance of the showroom and my working conditions. Even though we could only work from one-half of the showroom at a time while it was taking place, the results have been worth that inconvenience. My work area is much more comfortable, as the corner would get very cold during the winters.”

---

 

Bruce Thompson
Parts Department

Bruce joined our Parts Department in July of 1988. He offers the following thoughts on how his job has changed and what has changed about the company and the parts business in general in the past 20 years:

“When I started working for Fagans there were between 40 and 45 employees in the entire dealership. 5 of them were in Parts. Today there are well over one hundred employees at the dealership and the parts department has grown to 8. In addition, The Truck Parts operation, which started with one person and has expanded twice, now has 4 employees.”

“Parts books were the norm in most dealerships in the ‘80s, but Fagan already had an electronic parts book at that time. We have used various systems from different catalog suppliers over the years, and the present system allows the use of a vehicle ID number to select parts for that specific vehicle. 20 years ago we stocked parts for a few popular models cars and trucks. Now we either have parts in stock or can usually get them within 24 hours for almost every GM car, truck or SUV.”

“Twenty years ago parts were ordered and shipped to dealerships once a week. Today we send both stock and special orders daily and, since parts are shipped 5 days a week, normally receive the parts the next day.”

“The parts person today has to be able to use the computer to look up parts and must have a working knowledge of many more engine, suspension, trim and body parts than they did 20 years ago. Training, today, is almost exclusively done on the computer. Sometimes it’s a program to watch and sometimes it’s a webcast seminar. When I started in the parts business training was usually from books and what you could pick up from working with other parts people.”

---

 

Jim Schreiber
Sales and Leasing Consultant

Hover over video and click Play button to watch video.