The Birchwood Auto Group's nine dealerships have become Winnipeg's newest Wi-Fi hot spots.
"MTS normally focuses on places such as restaurants and libraries for its Wi-Fi service," says Kevin McNeill, director of information systems for the Birchwood Group. "We are the first auto dealers to offer the service."
McNeill reports that there was some demand for the Internet service, particularly from customers from luxury vehicle stores (such as Birchwood BMW MINI, Woodhaven Lexus Toyota and the combination Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover store all at the Pointe West AutoPark in Headingley). "We decided to roll out the program at all of our stores," McNeill says.
Birchwood customers are now able to bring their laptops with them when they bring their vehicles in for servicing, get the access code and go online for up to 60 minutes at a time while waiting for their vehicles.
Greg Scammell reports that the Manitoba Motor Dealers Association's 20th annual golf tournament -- on Wednesday, July 23, in support of Special Olympics Manitoba was the most successful one to date. "We raised over $100,000," says Gauthier Dodge Chrysler's general manager and chairman of this year's tournament. "In total, we have raised more than $1 million over the years for Special Olympics Manitoba."
About 180 golfers participated in this year's tournament, which took place at Pine Ridge Golf Club.
Brian Wood brings an impressive resum © with him to his new role as a sales rep at Lone Star Motors, Manitoba's only Mercedes-Benz dealer. Wood's previous career highlights have included organizing the Great Panda exhibit at the zoo some years back, managing the Manitoba Innovation Network and serving as executive director of New Media West. For the past six years, the former Haligonian was in charge of Dalhousie University's computer science applied research GINIUS (Global Information Networking Institute University Services) program.
"We came back to Winnipeg because my daughter wanted to finish high school here," he says.
Wood is excited about his new calling selling Mercedes products. "Mercedes cars are fabulous," he says.
We close this column with a tribute to Joe Vickar, a longtime veteran of the industry, who died late last week at the age of 77.
Vickar, the father of Wayne Vickar, the sales manager at Waverley Chrysler Dodge Jeep, got his feet wet in the industry in Saskatchewan in 1966 when he joined his older brothers, Norm and Harry, in a GM dealership in Melfort, Sask. Joe moved to Winnipeg in the mid-1970s and, shortly after, joined his brother, Ed, in business at Community Chev Olds. Joe Vickar was responsible for fleet and lease sales, a role he filled for 25 years. He retired in 2002.
Vickar was also a longtime leader in the Rotary Club, serving as president of the North Winnipeg and the Melfort chapters. In Saskatchewan, he was also active in the Kinsmen, serving as the youngest governor of the Kinsmen Clubs of Saskatchewan. At 36, he was honoured by the Kinsmen with a life membership.
"Our dad was a people person," says Wayne Vickar.
Vickar had been suffering from Parkinson's disease for the last couple of years. He had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer.
Our sympathies to his wife, Gnessie, and his sons, Wayne and Darby, and their families.
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