The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire July 2014 Edition | Page 11

REVVED UP Dealership Voted Regional Garage of the Year Swindon motor dealer Pebley Beach has been named regional Garage of the Year, thanks to its customers. The competition was run by national reviews website Motor Codes, which allows members of the public to rate their experience at any garage in the UK. Nationally, one customer every minute posts a review on the site. Reviews for Pebley in the past week have included: “Every Pebley Beach staff member that I have been in contact with has been extremely courteous and thorough”, “The team went over and above the call of duty”, and “As always - impeccable”. An Overall Experience rating of 99 percent, and 100 percent of customers saying they would recommend Pebley to a friend, placed the firm in pole position in the franchised main dealer category in the South West region. Pebley will now go on to the national final, part of the Auto Express Awards in London on July 15. Managing director Dominic Threlfall said: “We have very loyal customers who come back to us year after year and are happy to recommend us to friends and family. “We work hard to retain their loyalty, and I’m delighted that the efforts of our award-winning team has paid off.” This year Pebley Beach have also won a national award for its aftersales service at the AM Awards - measured by industry experts. “It’s a massive achievement for my team to be recognised by such diverse judging panels,” said Dom. And while Pebley Beach is a franchise holder for the Hyundai and Suzuki brands, drivers of any make and model of car can take advantage of the firm’s MoT and servicing department. NEW FACES AT AUTOMOTIVE LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMPANY A trio of new recruits have joined expanding learning and development consultancy rts Group. The Chippenham-based company, which specialises in creating and delivering learning and development programmes for automotive manufacturers, now has approaching 50 staff as well as more than 200 associates around the globe. Founded in 1989, the company recently received a £50,000 grant from the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership (SWLEP) and counts among its clients well-known brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Mazda and Nissan. Stephen Casey, 34, joins rts’s acclaimed Mazda Academy team as network talent consultant, creating programmes to attract and retain talent within the dealership networking. In his early career, Stephen worked in export for a tooling manufacturer, then moved into recruitment, becoming a branch manager for a nationwide recruitment consultancy. Following this, Stephen was instrumental in setting up a national website for schools, aimed at providing careers and employment advice and opportunities to schoolleavers. Prior to joining rts, he was Head of Business Improvement at Rotherham College of Arts & Technology, working with local employers and supporting them to recruit staff via the apprenticeship scheme. Louise Kandalaft, 47, began her career in PR, working both in-house and for a consultancy. She moved into event management for Government departments then made a complete career switch by becoming a cabin crew member, first for Britannia Airways then for BA. After a career break to bring up her family, Louise returned to the airline industry and was a business manager for BA before joining rts as international project executive. In her role, Louise supports David Jordan – head of rts’s international business – with projects in their pre-signoff stage. Sarah Michalik, 34, joins rts as senior instructional designer following 12 years with VW at its head office in Milton Keynes. Sarah began in the VW call centre, and gradually moved into training the centre’s new recruits, taking her CITP and City & Guilds qualifications. She moved into training the customerfacing dealership staff through the VW group academy, working with Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, ŠKODA, and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. Sarah then switched from programme delivery into programme design, before joining rts where she is focussing on programme design for rts’s clients. Malcolm Miller, managing director for rts Group, said: “Stephen, Sarah and Louise are a great asset to the team, which is growing in line with the growth in our client-base and demand for our services. “The automotive market is truly global and we are focussing on expanding our business overseas as well as in the UK and a strong team will enable us to succeed.” From left to right: Louise Kandalaft, Sarah Michalik and Stephen Casey Pebley Beach Hyundai The local company looking after fleets nationally 01793 816800 West Swindon Motor Park, Paddington Drive, Bridgemead, Swindon, Wiltshire SN5 7SB www.pebley.co.uk/fleet Helen Russell or Alex Whitehall Fleet Dept Execs Direct Line: 01793 816819 Email: [email protected] 5 Year Triple Care terms and conditions apply. Please see www.hyundai.co.uk or ask your local Dealer. Fuel consumption: figures shown are based on official EU test figures. These are to be used as a guide for comparative purposes and may not reflect all driving results. Fuel consumption in MPG (l/100km) for Hyundai i40 Saloon Premium 1.7 CRDi 136PS Diesel Manual: Urban 47.9 (5.9), Extra Urban 61.4 (4.6), Combined 55.4 (5.1), CO2 Emissions 134 g/km. H24336MH Pebley i40 75x230.indd 1 THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2014 09:59 11 13/08/2013