Anniversary Spotlight - Dan Warthesen

 Village Automotive Group is celebrating Dan Warthesen’s 10th year of service with Lexus of Maplewood.

During his tenure, he has had nine different positions due to management’s support in allowing him to reach his professional and personal goals. Dan grew up in the Metro area and enjoys connecting with people from surrounding communities.  He likes being able to serve people he knows, like his former school teachers.

Most of Dan’s training has revolved around customer service. He has completed his Lexus Master certification and has also attended leadership training courses. Dan comments “I appreciate being able to work alongside role models each day.” Dan has been able to grow continually by assuming different roles and taking on more responsibilities. One of Dan’s goals as a manager is to grow the experiences of those around him by sharing tips on what he has learned in his various positions at the dealership. Dan sees Village’s greatest strength as, “Being able to able deliver top notch service to our guests, which is a major perk of the job.”

Inside Lexus of Maplewood, Dan has found a fast-paced environment. The dealership leads the industry in snow removal day through team work that has created an efficient and refined process. He also enjoys the many events Lexus of Maplewood plans such as helping at Second Harvest Heartland, attending the Timberwolves Lexus Courtside Club, going to the Bearly Open event in White Bear Lake and participating in the New Owner Welcome Clinics and New Vehicle Launch parties. The best community event Dan has been a part of is the Opus and Olives Event where he enjoyed the evening because, “It is all about the St. Paul Public Library and raising money for a good cause. The attendees were community members, publishers, writers, and bestselling authors.” His favorite team events include attending Twins games with the store employees which brings everyone together and gives everyone time to have fun and socialize.

Village Automotive Group thanks Dan for his years of service and looks forward to his future with us.

Anniversary Spotlight - Kevin Kriegshauser

Village Automotive Group is celebrating Kevin Kriegshauser’s 17th year of service with Lexus of Maplewood.

Kevin describes the company as having good benefits, a great brand, and plenty of training. In his experience, Kevin has never seen another manufacturer with the same transparency as Lexus. Lexus corporate sends helpful tips and information that most other brands wouldn’t share. 

The company has been around for a long time. Kevin describes Village as, “A place where the owner walks through from time to time and actually talks to you.” He says there are a lot of things that happen to make you feel wanted; baseball games, events, biometric screenings. 

His favorite part about the company is room to advance. Kevin started as a Line Technician, became a Team Lead, and was then promoted to a Diagnostic Specialist role. He currently holds the top Technician position.

The team events Kevin has enjoyed most are Twin’s games on the Budweiser Party Deck and community service events at Second Harvest Heartland. He describes it as, “amazing how many people we put food together for in just a couple of hours!”

Village is a “good place to start a career, not just a job.” He finds value in the programs put into place to work for you to get to a comfortable retirement.  

Village Automotive Group thanks Kevin for his years of service with us and looks forward to his future with us.

Jeremy Mertes - HR Corner

HR Corner

Jeremy Mertes

August 2016

One of Village Automotive Group’s philosophy is to “grow your own.”

Jeremy Mertes exemplifies that philosophy when he began his career with Lexus of Maplewood in May of 2004. He started as a Technician and was promoted to Reconditioning Manager in 2009. In 2011, he became a Pre-Owned Sales Associate and communicated to management his desire to grow into sales management someday.

July 1, Jeremy was able to achieve his goal to be a manager when he became the Pre Owned Sales Manager at Lexus of Maplewood. 

In his new role, Jeremy will be focused on training sales associates to maximize the potential each individual sales associate brings to Lexus of Maplewood. With Jeremy’s talent and support, management is confident he will be bring continued success to  the Pre-Owned Sales department and the overall experiences for our customers and employees.

Village Automotive Group believes in finding “the best and the brightest talent” to hire, train and retain.  Jeremy’s work ethic was described by management as, “He excelled at everything he was given since he started his career with Lexus of Maplewood.” His dedication to the “pursuit of perfection” as a Technician opened doors for him to grow in his professional career and experience.

The Pre-Owned department is currently seeking Sales Associates. If you are interested in joining Jeremy and his team, where you will have an opportunity to grow in your professional experiences, please apply at:  villageautomotivegroup.com/careers to be considered for this position.  

Apply the Golden Rule--Thank you Glenn from Fridley & his grandson Jake (Coon Rapids Baseball Player)

The staff at Lexus of Maplewood are always striving to provide the best customer service experience and at times are able to surprise a customer in a personal way. Glenn was a first time customer who found out about Lexus of Maplewood through positive references from his friends and relatives. This was his first Lexus purchase and he now really enjoys their RX 350. Their favorite features are the following:

• ·         Very comfortable/adjustable seats (Lumbar support on passenger side)
• ·         Very quiet ride
• ·         My wife loves the keyless entry (no more fumbling in her purse to locate keys)
• ·         Engine/transmission performance with a very quick response

When Glenn was shopping for his RX, he ended up talking with his Sales Associate, Dan Haspert, about sports. He also mentioned that his grandson, Jake, who is 15 years old, is a big baseball fan and plays for Coon Rapids. After hearing about the sports conversations, our General Sales Manager, Matt Koehnen, with the help of Dan, were able to get two Twins tickets, and offered them to Glenn. Glenn was delighted to take his grandson. No one could have imagined the impression this gesture made on Jake.

After the game, Glenn sent a nice email to our Lexus of Maplewood staff thanking them for providing the Twins tickets. He also included the reaction of his grandson below:

Jake fully enjoyed the first class experience. At the game, Jake said, 

“Grandpa the tickets are awesome! Where did you get them?” 

I explained that I had purchased a new Lexus from Lexus of Maplewood last week and they offered me the tickets as a “thank you”. Jake responded with, 

“Wow Grandpa, these are amazing seats! Do you think you paid too much for the car?”

I am proud of my practical grandson and pleased that he appreciated and enjoyed the seats. I laughed as I responded to Jake, that the lowest price is not always the best value. I feel a car from Lexus of Maplewood is a great value since Lexus has a reputation for being very dependable and the dealership treats their customers the way they themselves would wish to be treated.

Jake responded, 

“I get it, they apply the Golden Rule! Hopefully, I can purchase a car from them someday!”

Our staff was very excited to hear this story and wanted to share the experience with other Lexus owners. Lexus of Maplewood would like to thank Glenn and his wife for their business. We appreciate you sharing this story with us and other Lexus customers!

Anniversary Spotlight: Thomas Schultz 
Lexus of Maplewood 
Service Advisor

Village Automotive Group is celebrating Thomas Schultz’s 10th year of service with Lexus of Maplewood.

Thomas chose the automotive industry because he has always had a passion for cars and motorsports. When he got the opportunity to work for a luxury brand right out of technical school, he says he was “stoked.” Thomas started in the Car Wash department, moved into a Technician role, and then became a part of the Service Advisor team. In 2012, Thomas was involved in a rollover car accident and was unable to do the physical tasks required as a Technician. He started in the service department. He says, “The Village Human Resources department and store management helped me work into a desk job within the Service Department which I gladly say I owe a lot of my retention to their help.”

Thomas describes the culture in the Service Department as fast paced and says coworkers are generally available to help you learn on the job. “If you are willing to put in the work, it pays off and I have seen this time and again with new hires here.” In regards to training, Thomas has gone to the central training office in Chicago many times. “The staff and facility are top notch. I have come back enthused after every trip because they do a great job instilling Lexus culture and keeping you engaged.” Some of Thomas’ favorite company events include Valley Fair Day and charter walleye fishing trips to Mille Lacs Lake.

Thomas believes the strengths of Village Automotive Group includes a consistent customer service base who has a lot of faith in the Lexus brand and a supportive training base. He also believes working within the company provides the network of information, tools, and support required to live up to the Lexus standard our guest’s expect.

Village Automotive Group thanks Thomas for his years of service with us and looks forward to his future with us.