Recently, the Motor Dealers Association of Alberta (MDA) announced the recipients of the 2013 Alberta Dealer of Excellence awards: Dwight Brown (Brown’s Chrysler, Westlock) and Bart Yachimec (Yachimec Auto Group, Edmonton). In addition to receiving the MDA award, Brown and Yachimec have much in common. Both started working in dealerships as teens, began their careers in the parts department and graduated to owning a dealership while still in their twenties.
“Dwight and Bart have achieved success while demonstrating exceptional commitment to their customers, staff, industry and communities in which they do business. They are fine examples of the many excellent auto dealers we are fortunate to have as members,” said Denis Ducharme, MDA president.
Dwight Brown
During the high school work experience program, Brown was fortunate to be placed at a local farm equipment and automotive dealership in Westlock. After high school, Brown continued working at the dealership and eventually earned his journeyman parts ticket at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). He was 24 years old when the opportunity arose for him to take on the automotive side of the dealership, making him one of the youngest dealers in the country at the time. The dealership facility was 7,000 square feet and employed seven people. Today 25 people work at its new 26,000 square foot location. Brown credits his knowledgeable and loyal staff as the root of the dealership’s success as well as his philosophy: work hard, be honest and forthcoming in all that you do. “Our goal is to continue to sell generations of our customers their vehicles,” said Brown.
Bart Yachimec
Bart Yachimec was born into the car business — his father owned Yellowhead Honda and West End Nissan in Edmonton. As a teen, he worked in the shop but had his sights set on a professional hockey career. From 1979-84, he played in the professional minor and Switzerland leagues. The highlight was winning the Spangler Cup as a member of Team Canada in 1985 after which he decided it was time to pursue his role in the family business. He started in the parts department, working his way up to general manager of both stores. In 1988, the 28 year-old Yachimec was awarded the Great West Jeep Eagle franchise and now owns seven Edmonton dealerships, representing five manufacturers and employing over 450 people. While those numbers are impressive, Yachimec is most proud of the dealership group’s affiliation with the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. The business has donated over $1.2 million to the foundation over the past five years and promotes the foundation’s message in dealership signage, advertising, and more. “This business and community have been good to me and we wanted to give back and make a difference,” Yachimec remarked.
The MDA awards the Dealer of Excellence annually to one metro dealer from Calgary or Edmonton and one non-metro winner from the rest of the province. The award criteria are business acumen, community involvement and association/industry involvement. The award candidates are nominated by their peers and the applications are examined by a panel of past award recipients.
