Family First

Four years ago, we gained a new member on our team. His interview was rather unorthodox, particularly because he wasn't even applying for the position. After several complaints about a man whose daily visits to the dealership consisted neither of shopping nor servicing a vehicle, our GM, Steve, sat down with him to politely tell him to stop. Instead, he hired him. It turns out, Johnny, was a 9/11 survivor who moved to Charlotte for a fresh start. Steve immediately noticed Johnny's love for the Lexus brand and more importantly, his longing for a place to call home. At Hendrick Lexus Northlake, he found his home.

At Hendrick Lexus Northlake, one of our primary mottos is "Family First." This belief includes the flexibility to take time off for our immediate family, as well as doing whatever it takes to support our Hendrick Lexus Northlake family as a whole. It's amazing to see the team rally together, from buying diapers for expecting parents on the team to raising money and throwing a surprise celebration for a teammate's final round of chemotherapy.

In addition to monthly team-building activities, every year we host a family day where our whole team and their families get together for fun, food, and celebration. It's always the most-anticipated event of the year because we can not only have fun as a whole, but also show appreciation for the support that comes from our families.

As Johnny discovered early on, there's something special about Hendrick Lexus Northlake. It's a feeling you get the moment you walk through our doors. It's not a workplace, it's home; we aren't coworkers, we're family.

Governor's Village STEM Academy & University City Connect

The past five years, Hendrick Lexus Northlake has partnered with Nathaniel Alexander Elementary School (now Governor's Village STEM Academy), a Title 1 School in CMS. We volunteer monthly; read to classes; provide sweatshirts for every student in the winter and t-shirts in spring; honor an educator of the month; and host special events like field day, a toothbrush collection for Halloween, teacher appreciation cookouts, and end of grade testing encouragement. We also host monthly "Work Together" days, where a group of students spend the day at our dealership shadowing different departments. It's amazing to see the energy and excitement light up not only with the students, but our team.

Our partnership with GVSA has developed into a relationship with University City Connect, an organization that links University City businesses with the schools in our community. We have sponsored and participated in the annual Race 2 Educate 5k. This race supports University City schools as well as provides college scholarships to deserving students from elementary school to high school. We have the honor of being on the panel that interviews and selects the students most deserving of these scholarships.

Happy Tails Rescue, Inc.

Last November, we joined with Happy Tails Rescue, Inc. to spotlight monthly dogs looking for homes. So far through social media we have successfully connected over a dozen rescue dogs with their new families. When the dogs visit the dealership, the entire atmosphere of the dealership changes. Stress levels reduce, technicians emerge from the shop, and the hearts of the advisors and guests are melted within seconds.