Sconda Employee of the Month: November – Marius Krawiec

Marius Krawiec has been recognized as the Scott Auto Group Employee of the Month in November and it’s probably no surprise to anyone he works with.  You can almost hear a collective “well obviously” come from the mouths of all his co-workers.  That’s a reaction few other folks in our dealerships would get and it only helps to confirm what a great choice he is.

It’s his helpful nature and great customer service that make him a favorite of both customers and employees.

“I’m a big advocate of helping people,” Marius says.  “I never say no to anybody and I believe that goodwill comes back around when I need help.”

Being helpful may seem like an obvious way to go through your day, but it is easier said than done and it’s a core of both the FISH Philosophy and the “Give ‘em the Pickle” customer service training we have received over the years.

Marius, who grew up in Northeast Philadelphia, began working here 14 years ago in March 1998.  He, his wife Melanie and two daughters now live in Oxford.

His customer service and friendly way with customers has them still asking for him  by name (although they ask for “Mario” half the time) when it’s time to buy another Scott Honda, even though he’s been a sales manager for the last 4 years.

Fellow Sales Manager Joe Collins, who consistently refers to Marius as his “Little Buddy”‘ says it’s easy to see why people are drawn to him.  “He’s easy-going, honest and helpful, he and I have been good friends since the first day he starting working here.”

Marius’s choice of restaurant gift cards for winner employee of the month was easy, “I’ll take the one for Limoncello!  I’ve been promising to take my wife there for three years, so this is the perfect opportunity.”

Congratulations to Marius for earning this award and we hope he enjoys his dinner at Limoncello…Sconda Blog will be happy to help find a babysitter!

Posted in Sconda Employee of the Month, Scondateers, Scott Honda | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Scott Honda is Excited for 2012 Honda CR-V Debut

Whether you think it means, “Compact Recreational Vehicle”,  “Civic Recreation Vehicle,” “Comfortable Runabout Vehicle”, or maybe even “Consistently Reliable Vehicle”…there’s a brand new version of the Honda CR-V set to debut this December at Scott Honda of West Chester.

This 4th generation 2012 Honda CR-V, which is built on the classic Honda Civic platform, has more visual similarities to the Honda Accord Crosstour at first glance.  If the concept photos are to be trusted, the new CR-V makes big changes in the looks department and according to Honda the improvements don’t stop there.

“With a new design, enhanced features and improved fuel economy, the 2012 CR-V is designed for you and your friends to be in the center of the action,” Honda says on the official webpage for the new CR-V.  “The exterior…is sleek and stylish, while the accommodating and spacious interior promises a host of new possibilities.”

Much like the release of the 2012 Honda Civic, redesigned and released last Spring, the new 2012 Honda CR-V has some big shoes to fill.  Year after year the CR-V is consistently at the top of its’ class in both sales and segment reviews, but Honda isn’t worried.

“Long considered the benchmark for packaging and user-friendly design in the small SUV segment, the all-new CR-V will offer an added dimension of style, amazing interior versatility and Honda’s latest technologies for convenience and refinement,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of sales for American Honda.

Honda said in a press release, that compared to the current-generation CR-V, the concept model takes on a more aggressive stance with deeper sculpting of the body lines and a bolder front fascia. The front bumper’s smooth-flowing lines are highlighted by a horizontal three-bar grille and deeply set multi-reflector headlights. The lower front bumper wraps smartly upward to convey SUV capability with a generous approach angle, while the lower front bumper design now integrates more smoothly with the fascia for improved aerodynamics.

Scott Honda is very excited to receive our first batch of CR-V 4.0′s this December and we’ll be sure to let you know via Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, the moment these new beauties arrive!

Posted in Customers, Honda, Scott Honda, The Future | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sconda Employee of the Month: October – Chris Schroeder

Since 1993 Chris Schroeder has been one of the best and most respected technicians in Scott Honda’s Service Department.  This was made clear when he was recently nominated by his peers to be the Shop Steward.

“That was a great honor for me and an additional responsibility, but it meant a lot.”

It was a little high school peer pressure that got Chris into the automotive repair world.

“All of my friends were in auto shop and they made fun of me because I didn’t know how to fix cars,” he said.

Ironically it was in the Air Force that Chris fine tuned his skills, not by fixing air planes, but by fixing automobiles.

“There were 20 vehicles for every 1 airplane and I was much more interested in working on the cars.”

Chris is a father of six kids ranging in age from 2 to 13-years-old.  They keep he and his wife Jennifer plenty busy on his days off.

What are Chris’s plans for the future? He’s thinking green, green technology that is.

“I’d love to go back to school to learn more about emerging energy, like solar and wind power.”

Chris, do us a favor and make that a night school endeavor, because we need you in the shop!  Congratulations on winning Employee of the Month!

Posted in Sconda Employee of the Month, Scott Honda | Leave a comment

The Scott Kids Spot Gets Some New Movies!

The Scott Kids Spot got some exciting new additions to its theater this month with a complete 5 dvd upgrade!

Family favorites Rio, How To Train Your Dragon, Tangled, Ponyo and Despicable Me were all put in the rotation for your child’s (and sometimes your) viewing pleasure!

“I have two little girls at home and when they enjoy a movie I put it in my mental que,” says Scott Kids Spot Caretaker, Douglas P. Scott.  “These five movies are fun, colorful, beautiful and will be very much enjoyed to our littlest customers!”

We also added 8 new, fresh and clean games to the hand-held section, called “Something for Kids” and put fresh new covers on our big comfy chairs.  Make sure you and your child stop by the Scott Kids Spot next time you’re in for sales or service, where we say “The only problem is your kids won’t want to leave!”

Posted in Kids Stuff, Scott Honda, Television | Leave a comment

Sconda Employee of the Month: September – Mark Skupien

Known more for his deer jerky, gyro-copter flying and Steeler-loving, than his hugs, singing and painting, your friend and mine Mark Skupien is the winner of the Employee of the Month for September!

We kid with Mark because we know he has a great sense of humor, which is one of the many reasons he was picked for this honor that lands him a nice gift card to a local eatery and a parking spot so close he can leave home a little later to get here.

Mark joined the Scott team in May 2000 in sales and is now the Internal Service Advisor in the Service Department.

Having worked in both sides of the dealership Mark has a much better understanding for the need for clear communication between departments.

Mark says he loves the variety of working in the Service Department.  “There’s something different every day,” he says. “And I’ve gotten more family time since switching departments.”

Mark also fills in for Scott Honda service advisors and helps out at Scott Select when Service Manager John Hassis goes away, ensuring that neither dealership doesn’t miss a beat.

Congratulations Mark!

Posted in Sconda Employee of the Month, Scott Honda, Scott Select | Leave a comment

JoePa’s Mustache Movie Round-up: Planet of the Apes // Conan the Barbarian

Joe Palladino is a longtime sales person for Scott Honda and an avid movie-watcher, so we combined his two loves, added his facial hair and created JoePa’s Mustache Movie Round-up.  The rating system is on a 0-4 mustache scale, four being mustache-twitching great and zero being shave-it-off worthy!

Planet of the Apes:

Forget all the other Planet of the Apes movies, this one is very current and completely different.  It stars James Franco and he’s trying to find a cure for Alzheimer’s which has affected his father.  He injects this serum into a baby Ape named Caesar, who over a period of time becomes more and more intelligent.  Once Caesar is put in the cage with all the other apes the movie really takes off.   The scene that takes place on the Golden Gate Bridge is amazing, I’m not sure how they actually did it.  For a much deeper meaning to this movie talk to Bernie Hughes in sales.  Overall this was a very entertaining movie!

Conan the Barbarian:

Everyone can relax…Conan the Barbarian is back to take care of the bad guys.  It’s a shame they couldn’t send him to Iraq, he would have ended the war in one week!  By the age of 12 Conan has already killed four bad guys and then he continues to avenge the death of this father.  I think he set the record for most kills in a movie.  If you were a fan of the HBO series “Game of Thrones” the actor playing Conan, Jason Momoa,  was one of the tribal leaders.  It’s actually not a bad movie.  It’s a simple, good guy versus bad guy flick…mindless entertainment.

Posted in JoePa's Mustache Movie Round-up, Scondateers | Leave a comment

Scott’s Helping Jesse on his Journey

Like many companies Scott Honda receives Google Alerts when our name is mentioned anywhere on the internet.  On a Friday in mid-July we got an alert that gave us goosebumps and put a lump in our collective throats.

We recognized the name of former employee, 22-year-old Jesse Picard, clicked on the link and read about this smart, athletic, hard-working and caring young man who had his life tragically altered after his motorcycle collided with an SUV, that  according to reports failed to signal their impending left turn.

He awoke from the accident with a C2 spinal injury that left him paralyzed from the neck down, unable to do the simple things, like tying shoes his shoes, taking a shower or going for a walk, “chores” many of us take for granted.

When word spread around the dealership about the accident involving  Jesse, a valet at Scott Honda for three summers, it was not a question of if we were going to help raise money, it was how much money can we raise to help him and his family reach their goal of $50,000.  Money that will go toward the high cost of his recovery and rehabilitation.

After the announcement at July’s company meeting describing the sad events surrounding Jesse’s accident and resulting paralyzation, Scott received 18 employee donations totaling nearly $500 and we will be collecting donations until the end of the month.

Through all of the Jesse, who is just 3 credits shy of receiving his degree from Rutgers University, has stayed positive and determined not to let this injury rob him of his spirit.

“It really doesn’t help to have a bad attitude,” Jesse told Fran Maye of the Daily Local News.  “A good attitude will help me get better.  It’s just better to be happy.  I’m determined, and I will make it happen.  It’s therapy.  It’s my mindset.  And it’s my will.”

Scott has agreed to match any funds donated by its’ employees and we are also using our social media presence to help bring more attention to this young man’s plight.

“We just want to help Jesse,” says Vice President Duke Scott.  “He is a great person, with a big heart and we happy to help him on his journey.”

Please go to http://bit.ly/jesseP for information about Jesse.

*To donate please make checks out to:

NTAF Mid-Atlantic Spinal Cord Injury Fund
You must write “In honor of Jesse Picard” in the memo line

Please mail checks to:
NTAF Mid-Atlantic Spinal Cord Injury Fund
150 N. Radnor Chester Road
Suite F-120
Radnor, PA 19087

A copy of the official registration and financial information of the National Transplant Assistance Fund, Inc. may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.

Matching Contributions: Tax deductible to extent allowed by the law. This campaign is administered by the National Transplant Assistance Fund a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing fundraising assistance to transplant and catastrophic injury patients. Information 800-642-8399 NTAF Mid Atlantic Spinal Cord Injury Fund DOES accept corporate matching donations

Posted in Charitable Giving, Customers, Nothing to do with Cars, Scondateers, Social Media | 2 Comments