Winning Spirit Magazine November-December 2013 | Page 5

Lovallo interfaces directly with the 4,000 plus MAO employees; working with 55 dealerships in 7 western states delivering success strategies on a regular basis. One of the many training programs that has proven successful is the Larry H. Miller Institute for General Manager Development; an in-depth, 10-month program designed to identify and develop future dealership GMs. In addition, she has played a key role in developing the e-learning platform for the LHM Group which includes online sessions covering topics such as state and federal compliance training. She is currently completing sales training modules to help the dealerships by providing an e-learning resource for our sales employees to improve their performance and long term success. Other automotive training programs include a finance and insurance class taught by Brian Leary and a weeklong fixed operations program run by Dan Johnson and Pat Nicholes. Having knowledgeable employees in both of these areas is vital to the success of our dealerships. The F&I Department is one of the most important profit centers in any dealership and is responsible for securing each sale and ensuring that every vehicle sold is delivered. Fixed Operations includes service, parts and the body shop. Miller Sports Properties David Wood is the vice president of employee development and guest relations for Miller Sports Properties. His role is to evaluate the global process for guest services operations, hiring, training and employee evaluations. He has spent the last year working with senior leadership to develop a training program that focuses on customer service and delivered the message to 1,200 full and part-time employees. David has also designed and facilitated leadership training to align with LHM Group vision and goals. David also collaborates closely with Paul Welsh, vice president of human resources, to facilitate compliance training in conjunction with state and federal laws and also facilitates employee satisfaction surveys. One of the keys to David’s success at MSP working with its leaders to focus on relationships with employees, along with implementing improved hiring and training guidelines and employee recognition programs. Miller Retail Properties Scot Woodland is responsible for training more than 1,500 Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theatre employees on average each year. He came to the LHM Group after working for nearly 10 years with the Disney Culture and Training Programs. He has adapted many of the Disney training methods and principles to his work at Megaplex. Scot has created a wide breadth of training courses to accommodate an amazingly diverse group of employees with topics including superior guest service, advanced conflict resolution, food handling procedures, employment law and sexual harassment and discrimination. Most recently he has worked with President of Megaplex Theatres Blake Andersen on a program titled Roadmap 2 Leadership which is intended to help mid-management employees transition into upper management. Blake says “Since our team members are our most important asset, I truly believe that in building our people first, we are building a strong business model Scot Woodland brings a smile and a little Disney attitude to his training sessions. David Wood helps leaders focus on relationships with employees. for the future of Megaplex Theatres. A business cannot thrive without enthusiastic, trained personnel on the front lines. I am very proud of our team and am very grateful for a wonderful training program and trainer. ” Scot has also established an onboarding orientation program for new employees to introduce the LHM company vision and values. He strives to increase employee knowledge and create a team environment resulting in employees wanting to be leaders and provide exceptional guest service. Creating a culture of excitement and energy is important to his success at the theatres. One of Scot’s favorite quotes is from Dwight D. Eisenhower on the definition of leadership. “The art of getting someone else to do something you want done, because they want to do it.” The Larry H. Miller Group of Companies has a strong commitment to employee and customer satisfaction and uses training to support both. Training presents a prime opportunity to expand the knowledge base of all employees and help our company meet its business goals. It results in lower employee turnover and higher productivity and is vital in any company or organization that aims to progress. WS