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“ I ’ m full time at the Waukon store and Brody is full time in the La Crosse store , and it gives us the opportunity to celebrate wins for the week and give updates from any of the manufacturers to the team . We talk marketing and give an update on events .”
He shares that at the end of every meeting , an employee is recognized for their work . The La Crosse location built an award out of engine parts , and the Waukon location created an Iron Man award and they are given to employees who excel in sales , customer service or teamwork .
“ In our annual holiday meeting , we recognize a top performer in each dealership ,” Jennerjohn says . They created their own patches to put on workwear that says , ‘ Top Performer ’ to recognize one outstanding employee of the year .
“ By human nature , we like to be recognized in front of peers ,” he continues . “ We both believe that if we are going to praise somebody , we are going to praise them in front of their peers . If we ’ re going to have a closed-door conversation , that ’ s exactly what it ’ s going to be .” He shares that recognition and action plans of correction hold employees accountable .
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WORK-LIFE BALANCE Providing a healthy work-life balance keeps employees satisfied , so the dealership is open Tuesday through Saturday . “ If I like having two days off in a row , I know that my employees |
enjoy having two days off in a row ,” Jennerjohn says . “ On the business side , we always get to have our A team players in front of our customers . It ’ s definitely increased the business side of things .”
Employees are also encouraged to use their vacation days , and some have taken a demo unit to ride on their days off .
The owners see every position as equally important within the dealership . “ Last year we rolled out for the first time a total bonus to all the employees ,” Jennerjohn says . “ We gave every employee the exact same dollar amount for a job well done throughout the year .” And for every year an employee is at the dealership , the owners will add another $ 100 to their yearly bonus .
“ It ’ s one of those humbling things that might cost $ 30,000 to $ 60,000 as we advance in our ownership . I hope that someday we ’ re writing over $ 100,000 in checks to our employees because it just shows the longevity of our employees .”
Jennerjohn says that to keep long-term employees , he must pay them more than competitors can and they must have time off . “ You have to have a time-off plan that allows them to have that work-life balance ,” he says . “ With our five-day workweek and our generous vacation time along with our pay plans , we ’ ve retained employees . I don ’ t know if there ’ s a whole lot more you can ask for .”
He explains that many dealers look for employees that are above average across the
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The dealerships have not been updated since the early 2000s , so the owners are excited to make changes to the facilities during the rebranding process . Upgrades to the Iron Hill location will begin in April of 2025 . |
board . “ The way we look at it , we want all the other positions ,” he says . “ We want specialty . We want people to be great at what they are specialized in .”
Throughout the dealership , positions are not blended , and he says this creates a special experience for customers . “ Customers come to the dealership for expertise and it ’ s the dealership ’ s responsibility to hold up their end of the bargain .”
FAMILY OWNED Jennerjohn ’ s oldest son , Kale , is 17 years old and started working at the dealership last year .
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“ He ’ s the first of our kids who is going to start working in the dealership ,” Jennerjohn says . “ He graduates this year , and he wants to go to tech school and become a mechanic inside the store . It ’ s cool that in the next few months , we ’ re going to be generational .
“ Brody ’ s youngest son , Lincoln , is 10 years old and throughout the summer he works Saturdays ,” he continues . “ He can cash someone out in the Motorclothes department . Customers love him and they think it ’ s the coolest thing in the world . It ’ s super cool that our kids have interest and are already active inside of the stores .”
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