Bloomfield Hills, Michigan-based Penske Automotive Group recently announced that 33 of its dealerships made Automotive News’ Best Dealerships to Work For 2019 List.
The international transportation services company boasted more honorees on the list than any other dealership group, according to a news release. Anthony R. Pordon, Executive Vice President – Investor Relations and Corporate Development for Penske Automotive, told Mega Dealer News the company holds human capital as its most important asset.
“When you think about our business, we make it hard to get in,” Pordon said. “We go through a lot of different recruiting stages. Once people are here, we make it difficult to leave as well.”
Penske Automotive also announced that its Audi Turnersville dealership in Turnersville, New Jersey earned the honor of Best Dealership to Work For in the U.S. for 2019. It marks the second consecutive year in which a Penske Automotive dealership garnered the accolade.
Company chairman Roger Penske said in the announcement that it is “an extraordinary accomplishment” to have 33 dealerships be recognized by Automotive News.
“This award is a testament to the talented people in our organization that take great care of our customers each and every day,” Penske said in the release. “We are extremely proud of our team for their commitment, passion and efforts in working together to drive our dealerships to be the best."
In 2018, 24 Penske Automotive dealerships landed on the list. The company employs 27,000 people internationally, with 12,100 workers in the U.S.
Penske is represented by 334 dealerships worldwide. Both the U.S. and the U.K. account for more than 80 percent of the franchises.
According to Pordon, an entrepreneurial spirit thrives at the dealerships.
“The entrepreneurial spirit makes the employee know that they have the autonomy to make decisions to run the business like it’s their own,” he said. “They have to follow certain rules and regulations but, overall, they would say that they’re also given all the tools and the things that they need to be successful in the dealerships.”
The current employee turnover rate is 21 percent, a decrease from the 2018 rate of 22.5 percent.
"While that sounds high to a layman, when you think about overall retail businesses like ours, the turnover is much, much higher than that," Pordon said. "That's why we put a big focus on what we're doing."
When it comes to having another batch of dealerships recognized in the 2020 edition of the list, Pordon said the company “will continue what we’re doing.”
“We’re just going to do more of what we do and do it better,” he said, stating that Penske Automotive implements measures to collect employee feedback and help workers save for retirement.
Penske Automotive was also named one of Fortune Magazine’s Most Admired Companies.
Alerts Sign-up