A Passion for
Excellence L to R: Gus Masi, Regional Director of Operations; Tony Dilawri, Partner, Dilawri Automotive Group; Grant Keil, General Manager, Calgary BMW; Kevin Fanning, General Manager, Calgary Honda
By Mary Savage
B
elow the blue and white logo, it reads: Dilawri Automotive Group, Uncompromised Excellence. It’s the last two words: “Uncompromised Excellence” that best describes this company. It’s not just a philosophy; it is, quite simply, how the Dilawri Automotive Group conducts business. Period. From the lot attendants to management, every person who works for Dilawri has a passion for excellence. As soon as you walk through the front doors, it’s very apparent – in everything they do. At the heart of the company and to really understand why they are rapidly gaining market share, not just locally but across the country, you need look no further than Ram Dilawri and his unwavering commitment to succeed. In 1964, Ram started the Dilawri Automotive Group and over the decades, his three
sons Tony, Kap and Ajay have helped to grow the business on a national level. Indeed, with 36 dealerships from Ontario to B.C., it would seem the Dilawri Automotive Group has grown at an unabated pace. So, it comes as no surprise the three sons share their father’s passion not only for all-things-automotive, but a deep-rooted desire for success. “In 1982, Ram decided to pursue opportunities out West and as the story goes, he was headed to Vancouver as the Carter Honda dealership was for sale, but it had been sold before Ram’s plane landed. He received word that a small dealership in Regina came on the market, so he headed to Regina and purchased it – making it his first acquisition in the Prairies. He moved the family to Saskatchewan and has never looked back,” says Tony.
Dilawri Automotive Group * Calgary BMW • Calgary Honda • 20th Anniversary | 1
External view of the dealership along Heritage Meadows Road, S.E.
What’s the secret to their success?
15-Vehicle showroom
State-of-the-art service facility
Late in 1991, the family purchased T&T BMW (now Calgary BMW) and Calgary Honda bringing the first two Calgary dealerships into the fold. At the time, the BMW dealership had sold a total of 91 cars that year and today, it averages 91 cars per month. The Calgary group now has nine dealerships, each of which promotes from within and overall has very low staff turnover. What’s the secret to their success? In a word: core values and passion. “We’ve always been really consistent and that’s where our core values come into play. When you look at a business and how they have grown, you can always find people with talent and skill, but if they don’t have the same values as the business, then you’re not on the same page. When we hire someone, we make sure they’ve got the same passion and desire in life. Our goal is to be number one in customer satisfaction, nationally, by 2015. Our staff understands these goals and what we need to do to get there – it means everyone has to be aligned,” explains Tony. Dilawri’s seven core values have evolved from the voices of the staff, managers and the partners. Collectively, they considered the qualities that they most admired in people and created a list of the seven top values: values to live,
Expansive boutique for the BMW lifestyle
work and play by. The front-runner, naturally, is having a passion for excellence. “We want people to have a passion for excellence and to be the best that they can be,” says Tony. The remaining values are integrity, customer focus, teamwork, walk the talk, willingness to grow, and carry a winning attitude – and with a daily mantra such as these, it’s easy to understand why the Dilawri Group has achieved such success. Grant Keil, General Manager at Calgary BMW, brings 30 years of experience to the business as he too shares a passion for cars. “Owning a BMW is like a love affair with the ultimate driving machine. As a group, we really enjoy the quality and sportiness of BMW – it’s not just selling and servicing the car – it’s really about appreciating a great driving machine and that’s the difference. We have a strong passion for the product as well as our clients’ level of satisfaction,” says Grant. “We have some clients who have been driving BMWs for 20 and 30 years because they are passionate about the product! We have also received a lot of customer feedback and it’s the people at Calgary BMW that keep our clients coming back,” says Grant with a smile. Located east of Deerfoot Meadows shopping mall, the
Dilawri Automotive Group * Calgary BMW • Calgary Honda • 20th Anniversary | 2
External view of the dealership facing Macleod Trail, just across from Southcentre Mall
In a word: core values and passion.
In-house movie theatre room
Service Department & customer lounge
Calgary BMW dealership is easily accessible from Deerfoot Trail. You can’t help but notice the second-storey, eyecatching vehicle showcase and from a glance, it’s obvious no expense was spared when building the dealership. It offers 25 service bays, a 15-car showroom, seven detail bays, and a six-car delivery area. In addition to the new models, they feature BMW Certified Series™ pre-owned vehicles that come with a certified protection plan. At Calgary Honda, also part of the Dilawri Automotive Group, Kevin Fanning is the General Manager and another industry veteran with over 20 years of experience. “I’ve worked for other auto manufacturers and we do things differently at Dilawri. It’s what we do behind the scenes and it’s our future plans that really separate us from the competition. We are planning years into the future while building a solid team. In so many industries, we tend to live and die by our monthly sales reports, but here we look at the bigger picture: How was our performance over the past year or two years? We challenge ourselves, we are accountable and we are always looking to the future,” asserts Kevin. “Kevin is the perfect example of success when it comes to our core values. When he started with us, he was hired as a
Kidz Play Zone
service manager, but he was willing to grow, so we moved him to the parts department and then he became our fixed operations manager. Now he is the Calgary Honda GM and he truly exemplifies all the core values,” remarks Tony. “The same is true of Grant. He started by stocking shelves and he worked his way up. We promoted him to Calgary BMW GM and he’s done an excellent job.” The Dilawri Group of Companies includes 36 automobile dealerships in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan, representing an impressive lineup of manufacturers with everything from Hyundai to Bentley. The company has earned its place as one of the nation’s mostrespected dealership groups. They recently purchased a dealership in Vancouver that carries Porsche, Land Rover, Jaguar, Bentley and Aston Martin. In Calgary, you will find “The Distinctive Collection” which is comprised of Bentley, Spyker, Fisker, Aston Martin and the like. The group supports over 1,500 employees and has earned a reputation for excellence in selling and servicing fine automobiles. Regardless of what you’re looking for, there is one thing that all customers receive when you are a Dilawri customer: a passion for excellence in customer satisfaction.
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Grant Keil, General Manager, Calgary BMW
Tony Dilawri, Partner, Dilawri Automotive Group
Kevin Fanning, General Manager, Calgary Honda
“There’s something Beyond the automotive world, the Dilawri family believes in giving back to the community. For more than two decades, brothers Ajay, Tony and Kap have shown a deep commitment to supporting communities across Canada, with donations totalling in the millions of dollars. In 2002, the family established the Dilawri Foundation to oversee the family’s philanthropic activities. In Calgary, Tony has worked to help youth find and embrace their individual passion for excellence. He has partnered with two Canadian Olympic medallists: Helen Upperton and Mellisa Hollingsworth. Both women are accomplished athletes and will spend much of their time in 2011 visiting schools in Calgary and the surrounding area, speaking to students in Grades 5 to 9. In sharing their stories of success, failure and determination, they are hoping to help kids understand the importance of not only winning and losing, but what it means to find their own passion for excellence. To learn more about Dilawri’s community program, visit www.passionforexcellence.ca. When asked what Tony enjoys the most, his response seems natural, “There’s something very gratifying about watching people succeed especially when you have seen
very gratifying about watching people succeed.” ~ Tony Dilawri
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Dilawri Automotive Group * Calgary BMW • Calgary Honda • 20th Anniversary | 5