Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/85632
Editorial | Denise L. Rondini It Really Can Work By Denise L. Rondini, Executive Editor drondini@randallreilly.com fact that each student in that program is required to complete an internship before he or she can graduate. I want to share with you one story B ack in November of last year I wrote about Northwood Uni- versity's Aſt ermarket Manage- ment degree program and the aſt er some tweaking allowed him to run it. for a young kid still in college to be able to make a real diff erence in an on-going business. When I spoke to Ricky about hav- Imagine how exciting that must be I heard about how successful this ex- perience can be for the student and the business. Dick Sweebe is president of the Dia- mond Companies, which owns multiple truck dealerships in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Tennessee. Dick decided to contact Northwood and hire an intern for the summer. And like many of you Dick has employed young people during the summers, he wanted to make sure this was more than just a summer job. He tasked the parts manager at his Memphis location, Ricky Hall, with setting up an on-going program where Marquis Ragland, the young man who accepted the internship, would learn about the various parts of the dealer- ship's parts operation. He started out riding with the parts ing an intern work for him he said one of the best things that came out of the experience was that he got a fresh set of eyes to look at what was going on in the parts department on a day-to-day basis. "Every week he brought me an out- side view into the running of our busi- me back to the automotive side. I really do enjoy it here and I would strongly recommend it to others. says, "I would love to keep going in the trucking industry. I am really hoping to get more exposure and see more op- portunities and develop an all around knowledge of the industry so I feel like I can be in this industry. Aſt er he graduates in 2013, Marquis " industry this is; now we have one more convert who can spread the word. Score one for trucking. You and I already know what a great " Will one of you be there next summer to give another student the opportunity? ness. I told him I wanted to hear from him where he thought we were failing," Ricky says. "And every week he brought in diff erent things to say maybe we are not giving the best customer service in this area. Th is gave me the opportunity to determine what we could do to make it better. delivery guys, moved to shipping and receiving and then over to counter sales. Each week Marquis was required to write a report of his observations. During his time in the shipping and receiving area he noticed the folks there were not getting the recognition they deserved. Ricky challenged Marquis to come with an incentive program, and 2 one to benefi t from this experience. Our industry as a whole stands to gain. Before working at the dealership, But the dealership was not the only " Marquis told me his interests were strictly automotive. "Prior to coming here, I didn't know what opportunities were out there in trucking, he gets back to Northwood "I think they might have to try really hard to swing And best of all he told me that when " he says. Denise L. Rondini, Executive Editor TRUCK PARTS & SERVICE | September 2012 is heading back to Northwood for his senior year. I am guessing he will talk about his experience at the Diamond Companies with his classmates. Maybe what he says will spark an interest in one of them. If so, will one of you be there next At the end of the summer, Marquis summer to give another student the op- portunity to see what a great future there is in the truck parts and service market? And, if not you, then who?