Dixon Tire Pros earns award for community involvement

DIXON, Calif. — When Ted Jorgensen opened his tire dealership, Dixon Tire Pros & Auto Repair, in April 2002 in a former Goodyear store in Dixon, only two cars came in the first day.

"Ouch," he said, as he recalled that day, April Fool's Day. He said to himself, "I could change things."

And change he did.

The eight-bay garage "needed some love," he said, so he painted and remodeled the showroom with counters, chairs and a big-screen TV; replaced cracked windows; cleaned up the bathrooms and eliminated tire displays from the waiting room.

The renovation, along with loyal employees and a focus on customer service, apparently helped.

"We just had a record month last month — from two cars (that first day) to $172,000 last month," he told Tire Business, noting his parking lot is usually full of vehicles, with customers coming from miles away.

He proudly touted that his dealership recently earned the "business of the year" designation from the local chamber of commerce.

Employee certifications and licenses are displayed in the showroom, and his employees, most of whom are bilingual, cater to customers from around Dixon, an agricultural-centered "bedroom" community of about 19,000 residents located between Sacramento and San Francisco.

Jorgensen said he promotes a "family first" culture, paying his eight full-time and two part-time employees well, giving them time off when they need it and providing them lunch every Saturday.

"I try to keep it a country-club atmosphere. I don't micromanage on how you do your job. Just do the job correctly — do it right the first time. That's the key: do it right the first time," he said.

"Without the employees … we're nothing. Even the managers are nothing without good employees and morale. And people can feel that when you walk into the store environment, you can feel if the morale is good or bad. When people come here, I have a nice sound system that they can feel comfortable, it's clean and it just picks people up," he said.

Jorgensen said positive customer service begins with answering the phone: "You've got to have enthusiasm when you pick up that phone. That's where it starts," he said, adding that keeping the facility clean is also important.

"Everybody has a section area to keep clean and maintained. If we have to make time to clean it up, let's make time to clean it up."

Jorgensen noted that customers usually arrive with car problems and dreading the expense.

"We make it a very, very pleasant experience. We don't price gouge, we don't work on commission. We just tell them what it is and go from there," he said, adding, "I've seen shops come and go. I've probably seen seven shops come and go. They undercut everybody, but they don't last. They don't take care of the warranties."

He said his advvice to other dealers starting out in the business: "Keep your values strong. Do what you know. Build the culture with your employees and staff. ... Go after that customer service enterprise."

Jorgensen said he thinks it's important to be involved in the community that supports his business. He is involved with the local chamber of commerce and Rotary Club, and supports local churches, charities, scouts and 4H organizations, as well as local sports teams.

"When you eat, sleep and live in a town where you do business, it feels good," he said.

The dealership joined the Tire Pros network in 2012 and Jorgensen said he tries to stay active by attending the network's conventions and owners meetings.

Some of his challenges are shared by fellow dealers, including finding skilled labor and dealing with a struggling economy.

"But we keep on making new (sales) records," he said.

His challenge going forward is to meet or exceed customer expectations, customer retention, keeping up margins and maintaining the company's culture and values, he said.