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"We pride ourselves on being fair and honest with customers and employees; to make learning and self-improvement a way of life; to recognize and celebrate achievements, be great at what we do and to have fun at our jobs. These are part of VIOC's values, and we live them."

Jim
VIOC Area Manager Columbus, Ohio

Day in the Life

I'm an area manager for VIOC, which makes me responsible for the financial well-being of 11 service centers. I'm pretty much involved in everything that happens in the stores. On a given day, I deal with employees; regional, office and organizational effectiveness managers; human resource, marketing and payroll department personnel; customers; vendors; and suppliers.

Needless to say, time-management is an important part of the job, and organizational skills are a plus, too. An area manager is required to do so many things each day. Piecing it all together, getting it done and keeping everybody happy - that's not an easy thing to do.

My day begins about 8 a.m. The first thing I do is check my e-mails, voice mails and our customer survey website. All this can take anywhere from five minutes to five hours, depending on what comes up.

VIOC service centers across the country work under the same set of operating standards, which we call Super-Pro. You might even say it's our way of life. Super-Pro encompasses all the steps we take from the time a vehicle arrives until it leaves our store. That means everything - from adding the oil to immediately replacing the cap. Super-Pro also helps ensure the safety of our customers and employees - we want everyone to be safe.

We're not commission-based at VIOC, and we pride ourselves on being honest and ethical. We're not going to lie to a customer to get them to buy something they don't need, and other services offered are strictly based on manufacturers' recommendations.

Of all my responsibilities, I gain the greatest pleasure in watching employees develop and become very good at their jobs. Employee development is No. 1 on my list, and some of my proudest moments are after I hire somebody and see them go through the training and interview process to be promoted to store managers. After that, the sky is the limit for them! VIOC gives everybody a chance to succeed, and helps them along the way. There are many opportunities to relocate, if desired.

All in all, I work about 50 hours a week. Sometimes I may put in 60 to 70 hours, but that's because I choose to do so. There's not a ton of travel involved for someone in my position, aside from going from one store to another. We do have an annual meeting every year that requires travel - but that's more fun than work.

Then again, I have actually traveled quite a bit in this job, but it certainly couldn't be considered work. VIOC awards trips to employees who meet incentive criteria, and I've been on several different cruises.

I can't see myself going anywhere else. VIOC is a great place to work. The company is fair, the benefits are great, and everybody has an opportunity to succeed. I truly want to retire from this company.