Murray Auto Group proudly honours its star staff

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This article was published 28/06/2019 (2608 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Murray Auto Group recently hosted its annual employee recognition luncheon for both Murray Chevrolet and Murray Hyundai staff.

“Over the past 90 years, the Murray Auto Group has built a reputation for outstanding service. Our CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) scores at Murray Chevrolet are among the best in the country. No one does sales and service like we do,” said Murray Chevrolet and Murray Hyundai president Dan Murray.

On the sales side, Mike Richardson, Teddy Edwards and John Puchniak — along with Cody Wiebe and Jamie Erb this year — set the gold standard, not only for Murray Chevrolet’s sales staff, but also for the Murray Auto Group as a whole. For the fifth year in a row, Puchniak walked off with the Claire Murray Award of Distinction for being the top-selling sales rep for the Murray Auto Group’s 36 stores across Canada. Erb, Richardson and Wiebe all finished in the top 10 among Murray sales reps.

Timm Slaney, Murray Chevrolet’s fleet sales manager, once again earned a gold placing in GM’s Fleet Managers Club.

Murray Chev sales reps Jimi Cabylis and Liam Li earned silver rankings, while Dennis Holmes, Keith Place, Craig Pucely and Corey Schleining earned the bronze ranking.

Of the 4,700 GM service technicians across Canada, 38 per cent make it into the guild. Twenty-three of Murray Chev’s service technicians qualified for the Senior Master Technician designation, the highest ranking. Dan Murray noted the next closest dealership had two with the designation.

The employee luncheon was sponsored once again by ADESA Winnipeg in recognition of Murray winning the auction house’s Top Gun award. Every six months, ADESA recognizes the top used-car sales teams among GM, Ford, Chrysler and import dealers, both in Winnipeg and rural Manitoba.

Vickar merges dealerships

The merger of the Vickar Auto Group’s Vickar Mitsubishi with the Vickar Pre-owned SuperCentre has created a new operation which aims to be known, in managing partner Anthony Cantin’s words, as “the home of Transcona’s best selection of pre-owned vehicles.”

The merged business, Cantin reports, has been renamed Vickar Mitsubishi and Pre-Owned SuperCentre. And the merger has already made a significant difference in sales for both operations.

“After just the first 19 days in June, our sales were double what we did for the month last June,” says Fawaz Azhar, who was recently appointed general sales manager at the combined operation. “Having Tony (Cantin) and his Vickar Pre-owned SuperCentre team move here has been a huge plus for our store. Tony has been in the industry for a long time and is a smart buyer. And his team, combined with our team, make our staff that much stronger.

The Vickar Auto group introduced the Mitsubishi brand to Winnipeg in 2003. Vickar Mitsubishi shares a lot on Regent Avenue with the Vickar Group’s flagship Vickar Community Chevrolet.

The Pre-owned SuperCentre was opened two years ago in a much smaller facility on Dugald Road.

“We quickly outgrew our previous location,” Cantin says. “This merger with Vickar Mitsubishi is a good fit.

“It’s a more central location, making it more convenient for our customers. We have a service department here. And we have room for a lot more vehicles.”

Murray Hyundai expansion complete

About 200 guests were in attendance at Murray Hyundai on Thursday, June 13, for the official opening of the expanded dealership after 18 months of construction.

“We are proud to be part of the Hyundai Canada team,” said Murray Chevrolet and Murray Hyundai president Dan Murray. “We are proud of our new state-of-the-art building. This building was designed to provide the best in customer care.”

He added the new Murray Hyundai is also one of the most energy-efficient auto dealerships in Canada.

In his remarks, Hyundai Canada president Don Romano noted at a time when large corporations are buying up dealerships, the Murray Auto Group is special in that it is a third-generation, family-owned business. “It means a lot to us that many of our dealerships are still family-run operations,” he said. “Family-run businesses understand the value of great customer service and taking good care of people.”

He added that Murray Hyundai is the No. 1 Hyundai store in Canada, in terms of customer service.

Murray Hyundai general manager Richard Eccleston noted the new look — the brown exterior and blue accents, the signature bronze entrance and new ceiling tiles and accent lighting inside — gives the brand a more sophisticated and upscale appearance.

He pointed out the facility is more functional now — with the reception desk centrally located and near the front door. The expansion added 6,000 square feet to the service area and 1,800 square feet to the showroom, which can now accommodate eight vehicles.

Murray Hyundai is also the designated Genesis dealer in Manitoba.

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