Blue oval honours dealers

Ford New Zealand has celebrated the efforts of five “standout” dealers by honouring them with the marque’s annual President’s Awards at a gala dinner.

The winners of this year’s awards were Paul McKendry at McKendry Ford, Blenheim, Nathan Abernethy of Regional Ford, Gore, John Hutchinson of Team Hutchinson Ford, Christchurch, Steve Ward from Bay Ford, Napier, and Andrew Collett at Fairview Motors, Hamilton.

They received their gongs during the recent dinner at the Bill Richardson Transport World Museum in Invercargill, which provided the event with a backdrop of historical and modern Fords.

Simon Rutherford, Ford NZ’s managing director, congratulated the winners on behalf of Ford Motor Company.

“We’ve continued to put a heavy emphasis on the customer ownership experience and these dealerships have shined in that area,” he says. 

“It has taken an incredible focus on the details and the ‘little things’ that have made these dealerships stand out to customers. 

“The awards also recognise the significant investment in time, effort and training to improve and be the best at every aspect of dealership operations.”

Ford says the largest weighting for the President’s Award criteria continues to be for marks in customer experience as measured by satisfaction scores from consumers. 

Jerry Delaney, Ford NZ’s sales manager, adds that experience doesn’t end when the company sells a vehicle.

“It’s only just beginning,” he says. “That’s why that focus on the customer journey with Ford is critical and why we’ve weighted it so heavily for our President’s Awards. 

“This year’s winners, including the entire dealership teams, should absolutely be proud of what they’ve achieved. They’re running fantastic dealerships with satisfied Ford customers and that’s what it’s all about.”