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TOM WOOD GROUP The Tom Wood Automotive Group was founded by Tom Wood himself . Following his passing in 2010 , his son and retired Air Force Thunderbird pilot Jeff Wood took the reins . The group ’ s automotive foundation now extends into powersports , aviation , leasing and finance industries .
“[ Tom Wood Powersports ] is the ultimate place to make a career and I think people should know how [ Jeff Wood ] is contributing to powersports ,” says Curt Schannen , general manager of Tom Wood Honda Powersports Indianapolis . “ The Tom Wood family in general , to say they are great people would be an understatement because they are all absolutely incredible .”
Tom Wood employees are offered generous 401 ( k ) contributions , extensive health coverage and gracious vacation and personal time . “ There are no other comparable businesses as they ’ ve set the bar so high ,” Schannen says .
The company ’ s automotive foundation has positively influenced powersports operations . “ The automotive space is very process driven and those core processes create efficiencies in any business ,” he says . He highlights that borrowing organizational processes and customer management techniques from the automotive sector has created new efficiencies and improved customer experiences .
“ The growth of our finance departments is incredible thanks to the automotive resources
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we have available to us ,” he explains . “ They have been phenomenal in helping us with compliance , managing our customer data , and marketing techniques that have been helpful with all the data and analytics that auto groups are highly aware of .”
And it doesn ’ t stop there . The Wood family also extends into New Zealand , a place Tom Wood loved to take them on vacation , where they now have two powersports dealerships , including the southernmost Indian Motorcycle dealership in the world , as part of their 10−rooftop domestic and international operations .
PHILANTHROPY The Tom Wood Auto Group supports numerous charitable causes . “ They ’ re an incredible contributor to the American Cancer Society in Indiana ,” Schannen notes . The donations from the Tom Wood family to cancer research has led to groundbreaking research and education through Indiana University ,
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and the Tom and Julie Wood Center for Lung Cancer Research .
These efforts and donations have created the Tom and Julie Wood College of Osteopathic Medicine at Marian University , and Indiana ’ s first mobile lung cancer screening programs . The group actively participates in events like the Riley Children ’ s Hospital Miracle Ride , one of the Midwest ’ s largest motorcycle rides .
CORE FOCUS The group ’ s leadership style is rooted in communication and collaboration . “ I try to work with my team as a teammate ,” Schannen says . “ The biggest thing I focus on as a leader is my store ’ s culture . We build and maintain that culture based on the four core values our group has establish across all of the Tom Wood Companies .”
These values are embodied in the acronym P . U . S . H . “ And that ’ s what we do each and every day . The ‘ P ’ is for ‘ passionately driven .’ We have to have passion , and we have to be driven in our cause . ‘ U ’ is for
The group ’ s leadership style is rooted in communication and collaboration , and employees share a love of riding .
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‘ uncompromising integrity ’ because that ’ s how we ’ re going to treat all our teammates and our customers . ‘ S ’ is for ‘ sincere desire to help others ’ because without sincerity , you ’ re not going to help them the way they may need . And the ‘ H ’ is for ‘ humble confidence ’ because we are the best in our business , but we don ’ t need to advertise that through any means besides how we conduct business and how we treat people .”
“ Inspect what you expect ” is also a best practice that he has learned and prioritizes . “ As part of the automotive group , we have access to unique business management tools ,” Schannen says . “ Because those tools are available to guys like myself , I ’ ve been able to create what I would call an unstoppable staff of managers and departmental teammates that are always in tune with each other , our customers , and are just the best to deal with .”
Employees share a love of riding , whether on the street or on the trails . “[ Tom Wood Group has ] kept and brought in new powersports blood ,” Schannen says . “ Every dealership has a good dynamic of employees … Different stores have different personalities somewhat based on the different brands carried , but a lot of that comes with the culture of the overall group .”
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