Byrider Honors Franchisees at Annual Convention
Aventura, Fl. (Tue, Nov. 22, 2022) — Byrider, one of America’s largest buy-here-pay-here used car dealerships and franchise systems, presented annual awards to its franchise body at the company’s annual convention in Aventura, Fl. November 10 to 12. The awards ceremony was held on Sat., Nov. 12.
Craig Peters, chief executive officer at Byrider, said, “We’re proud to recognize our franchisees and their teams each year at our annual convention. Our franchisees are at the heart of Byrider’s success. Their commitment to helping their customers move forward, as well as expertly operating their stores, is truly commendable.”
“I am excited to recognize the owners and operators who have been key drivers of the Byrider franchise business in 2022. These franchisees and operators demonstrated their ability to set high customer service standards and grow the business,” added Chris Hadley, vice president of franchising.
Franchise of the Year
The franchise of the year award recognizes the best overall performance by a franchise group based on internal store rankings and a measure of how the business has contributed to the Byrider franchise community.
- Russ Larson, Jeff Lee, and Winston Sleeth – 4+ Locations
Burlington, Ia., Davenport, Ia., Des Moines, Ia., Cedar Rapids, Ia., Columbia, Mo., Joplin, Mo., and Springfield, Mo. - John Chalfant, Thomas Loughran – 2-3 Locations
Boise and Nampa, Id. - Keith Kocourek and Jennifer Freiboth – Single Location
Wausau, Wi.
President’s Award
The president’s awards recognize dealership locations included in the top 10% of stores as defined by Byrider’s store ranking system. Winners, in order of performance ranking:
- Springfield Mo. – Russ Larson, Winston Sleeth Top store nationwide
- Davenport, Ia. – Russ Larson, Jeff Lee
- Joplin, Mo. – Russ Larson, Winston Sleeth
- Burlington, Ia. – Russ Larson, Jeff Lee
- Des Moines, Ia. – Russ Larson, Jeff Lee
- Mansfield, Oh. – Chris McPhie, Greg Barrett
- Cedar Rapids, Ia. – Russ Larson, Jeff Lee
- Akron, Oh. – Chris McPhie, Greg Barrett
- Ashtabula, Oh. – Chris McPhie, Greg Barrett
- Bloomington, In. – Roy Wagner, Terry Gerhart
- Wausau, Wi. – Keith Kocourek , Jennifer Freiboth
- Richmond, In. – Roy Wagner, Terry Gerhart
- Traverse City, Mi. – Bill Marsh Auto Group, Jeff Chevalier
- Muncie, In. – Roy Wagner, Terry Gerhart
- Canton, Oh. – Chris McPhie, Greg Barrett
Most Improved
The most improved award was granted to stores that demonstrated the most improvement from 2021 to 2022 based on store rankings (earnings, customer advancement, service comebacks, reputation management, portfolio performance, etc.), organized by franchise size.
Most Improved – Single Point
Denver, Co. – Rick Steenbock
Most Improved – 2-3 Locations
Boise and Nampa, Id. – John Chalfant and Thomas Loughran
Most Improved – 4+ Locations
Clarksburg, Morgantown, Parkersburg, and South Charleston Wv. – Mark Morris
Top Store in Customer Satisfaction Award
NEW AWARD recognizing top customer satisfaction scores in the network
Panama City, Fl., – Steve Locklear
Also honored with a Commitment to Excellence Award was Greg Barrett, who co-owns stores in Ohio and North Carolina. The award recognizes Barrett’s and his team’s dedication and high-performing stores’ contributions to the larger Byrider network.
About Byrider: Byrider, one of America’s largest buy-here-pay-here used car dealership and franchise systems, has sold more than 1.34 million cars at more than 125 locations across the country. Founded in 1989 as J.D. Byrider, the company recently rebranded and changed its name to Byrider. As part of its commitment to customer service, Byrider offers high-quality autos, trucks, and SUVs with on-site financing and features warranties and optional service plans with each vehicle sold. Each Byrider store features a state-of-the-art service department offering low-cost maintenance. Consumers who have been turned down for traditional bank financing are often able to “Buy, Finance and Drive On” with Byrider at www.byrider.com.
