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Feature Friday: July 29th, 2016—Brian Gardner

brian gardner


Brian Gardner

Feature Friday, July 29th, 2016

Ontario Motor Sales is very pleased to announce Feature Friday, a web series that will highlight our talented staff here at OMS!

Each week we will be featuring a description of, and brief interview with, one OMS employee to find out what makes us a great place to both work and do business.

We are excited to feature Brian Gardner, Collision Estimator, as our Feature Friday interviewee this week. Please scroll down to read about Brian's take on life around the dealership.


What does Ontario Motor Sales mean to you?

Ontario Motor Sales has been my life. After 45 years, and now working with my third generation of Willson at the reigns, it has been amazing to call this place my home. Stan, Glenn, and Tony have each had different personalities, but all three have had the key to business close to their heart: take care of your customers. They have brought integrity and professionalism to that mantra, and that has been passed along to the employees as well.

What has been your favourite part about working here?

In the early years as a car guy, it was having the opportunity to use my creative side to challenge myself every day on different jobs. That is what put me in the office after 29 years, and I think now the same thing that I thought back then: I have the best job! Being able to see this department from all perspectives helps me a lot in my current role, and I think that is a big part of why I love it so much.

What is one thing you try to bring to your interactions with customers?

Working with people who have just come in after an accident is a bit different than other departments here. The first thing you have to do is to get them to relax. I always make a point of asking “how are you?” because that is important to me, but it is also something that can get people to think about their situation and get a little calmer. Asking the right questions and listening is key to any interaction at any dealership, but especially in a Collision Centre. Our customers are great.

How would you describe the working environment here? Why?

I think the people working here are the best in the area. I hear lots of customers complain about other dealerships and collision centres—not that we are perfect, but we do care and we do get it right most of the time. That tells me that our staff are truly professionals.

If I need some help with any area of business, I can ask another employee and get another perspective on anything. All of the departments try to work together with a common goal and succeed in doing so. I think that is another testament to the operation of the dealership.

What is your most interesting—fun, funny, or otherwise—OMS story?

One of the funniest things I can discuss is when I put pink pinstripe on another employee’s motorcycle. He drove it for three days before I told him… and it was only then that he noticed! Another thing I know we all look forward to is the annual OMS Christmas Party. We all have so much fun there every year. I’d like to thank the Willson family for making all of these great memories possible for all of us.