We have countless long-serving staff at Ontario Motor Sales, and August 2016 marks a special occasion for one of our longest-selling salespeople.

Trevor Edwards has officially been selling new and pre-owned vehicles at OMS for 25 years this month, and to celebrate, we sat down with Trevor to talk about the dealership's history and just what he thinks makes us tick as an organization. After all, 25 years is a long time to spend working for one company!

With a warm coffee in hand and a smile beaming across his face, here are the words Trevor wanted to share with you on his special occasion.

When did you start working at Ontario Motor Sales?

TE: "I started in August, 1991. It's been 25 years now, but I have had over 40 years of sales experience in total. I sold meat before I got into the car business."

Why did you want to get into the automotive industry?

TE: "I've always enjoyed cars. I'm a bit of a motorsports guy and I have always been fascinated by the technical aspects of a lot of vehicles. When I was looking for a change in the 1990s, I think it made a lot of sense for me to start selling cars. I enjoy assisting people with their vehicle needs and I think that's what's kept me here for so long. It's a lot of fun to do."

Why did you choose OMS? What brought you here specifically?

TE: "A lot of my network and business base was already in Oshawa, so I knew I wanted to work here. When I was researching dealerships, I found that OMS had the strongest name. I could tell that this was the place to be, so when I landed an interview and got brought on the team, that was really exciting. OMS had a good reputation back then, and it still does today."

How has the car business changed over the last 25 years?

TE: "It's changed hugely. There was no internet back then, or at least, we didn't have it in our offices. It wasn't a piece of the industry like it is today, and it's impacted a lot of what we do. Our customers are a lot more knowledgeable about the vehicles, the industry, and just about everything else now by the time they get into a dealership. The competition is also a lot stronger today than it was back then... But our products still lead the industry!"

How would you say OMS has remained consistent over the years?

TE: "Like I said earlier, our reputation has remained very strong. We were always—and we still are—a business leader in the community. That's been something our management team has always understood. We have a great leadership team and they're very supportive of our customers."

25 years... how many cars is that?

TE: "I'm not sure of the exact number but quick math shows that it's over 3000 cars sold. That's unbelievable to me, but it's been such an honour to be able to help so many people and families get into new vehicles. A lot of my clients have turned into my friends, which is a big part of why I enjoy coming into work every day. This has been such an enjoyable career for me, and I can't wait to see where it takes me next."