Auto dealer gets creative to keep mechanics working during pandemic with classic car restoration

Ally recognizes ingenuity, resilience of small business owner with scholarships to recruit and train next generation of mechanics

News provided by

Ally Financial

Feb 23, 2021, 10:00 ET

FUGUAY-VARINA, N.C., Feb. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With desperate times calling for creative measures, auto dealers across the country got inventive throughout 2020 to keep American drivers on the road and their staffs safely working and motivated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

John Hiester, owner of Hiester Automotive Group in Fuguay-Varina, N.C., found a novel solution by merging his passion for classic cars with the challenge of keeping his mechanics working.

Title: Classic Car Restoration Competition | Caption: Hiester Automotive Group technicians, pictured from left Jimmy Dorman, dealer John Hiester, Brandon Pettigrew and Brendan Davis, worked on restoring classic cars for an online auction to raise money for charity during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Prior to COVID-19, the nationwide shortage of mechanics was one of the biggest management obstacles faced by American auto dealers, so it was an abrupt change to suddenly have too many service techs and too few cars to fix.

"Back in the spring when the work slowed, my mechanics asked if they'd lose their jobs," Hiester said. "I thought, 'Why not buy some classic cars and have my teams restore them?' I love classic cars, but my team never works on them because they are always busy with customers. It was a good way to keep them employed so they could support their families."

Hiester purchased more than a dozen classic cars, including a 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner, 1972 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertible and a 1978 Jeep J10 truck in various states of disrepair. The mechanics were paired up in small teams to restore the classic autos.

Service Technician Anthony Pompey said he appreciated the steady work and that the project helped "keep my mind off the news and the pandemic. I worried less about losing family or getting sick myself."

Hiester Auto Group is one of approximately 18,500 dealer customers doing business with Ally Financial, a leading digital finance company with one of the largest full-service automotive finance operations in the country.

"All of us at Ally were really moved by John's commitment to do it right for his employees because it mirrored our own values in keeping team members both safe and employed. We wanted to support his ingenuity and shine a light on the important role service techs play in the auto business," said Andrea Brimmer, chief marketing and PR officer at Ally.

Inspired by Hiester's initiative, the Ally Foundation will support efforts to recruit and train the next generation of auto mechanics by donating $25,000 to the North Carolina Auto Dealers Foundation. According to the National Automobile Dealers Association, the industry requires 76,000 new technicians every year and technical colleges and training programs only graduate about half that number.

Ally's Brimmer connected the Hiester team with reality show host and celebrity car customizer Danny Koker of History Channel's "Counting Cars." Koker, based in Las Vegas, served as a virtual coach to the Hiester mechanics while also documenting the renovation process for a new web-based video series called "Count's Kulture." The series began streaming in early December on Koker's YouTube channel. Car enthusiasts are encouraged to follow the restoration competition online and vote for their favorite.

Hiester plans to auction the winning vehicle at the Greensboro Auto Auction in Greensboro, N.C., with the proceeds donated to a charity selected by his mechanics.

About Ally Financial Inc.

Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) is a leading digital financial-services company with $182.2 billion in assets as of December 31, 2020. As a customer-centric company with passionate customer service and innovative financial solutions, we are relentlessly focused on "Doing it Right" and being a trusted financial-services provider to our consumer, commercial, and corporate customers. We are one of the largest full-service automotive-finance operations in the country and offer a wide range of financial services and insurance products to automotive dealerships and consumers. Our award-winning online bank (Ally Bank, Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender) offers mortgage lending, personal lending, and a variety of deposit and other banking products, including savings, money-market, and checking accounts, certificates of deposit (CDs), and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Additionally, we offer securities-brokerage and investment-advisory services through Ally Invest. Our robust corporate finance business offers capital for equity sponsors and middle-market companies.

For more information and disclosures about Ally, visit https://www.ally.com/#disclosures.

Contact:

Tim Gerstenberger
[email protected]

SOURCE Ally Financial