Lethbridge Counterperson Receives National Award

Veteran counterperson Bryan Gruninger, who works at C.E.P. Automotive Limited in Lethbridge, Alta., has been named the 2007 Jobber News Counterperson of the Year.
Gruninger, who has been in the automotive aftermarket for 40 years, was named to the award for his versatility, skill, desire to learn and selfless attitude that has made him an asset to the company he works for and the industry at large.
He is always anxious to get any new information or training to better himself and our company and is usually the first to sign up for any and all in-house training that we do for the counter staff, says Layne Whipple, CFO of C.E.P. Automotive Limited. Also, when we hire new employees, Bryan is the one that does all of our training and has turned out some fantastic counterpeople who are an asset to the part industry even when they leave our employ.
The award is formally named the Abe Schwartz Memorial Award after the late owner of Toronto, Ont., jobber British Auto Supply, which has been operating for more than 100 years. Schwartz spent half a century behind the counter and instilled a spirit of customer service that still exists in the business, today operated by his grandsons David and Michael Schwartz.
The annual award is sponsored by Wakefield Canada, Canadian distributor of Castrol products, and Canadian aftermarket industry computer systems supplier Carrus Technologies. It has been presented since 2005.
When I was a youngster I grew up on a farm and decided I wanted to get off the farm. I got into the business as a delivery driver, liked it and kept moving up, says Gruninger of how he started in the business.
I like helping the new ones figure things out. A lot of the new kids look something up and if the computer doesnt show it, think its not available, says Gruninger, adding that they sometimes end up sending a customer to the car dealer. Learning to work around catalogues, through alternative sources, and backtracking through interchange listings can mean you make a sale for a product on your shelf that wasnt even listed.
A lot of new employees dont know how to do that, he says.
He notes that the daily challenges have kept him enthusiastic about the role of the counterperson.
When I started, it was all points and condensers and now its all electronics, he says by way of example. In this job you are continually learning about new stuff.
Gruninger will be profiled in the December issue of Jobber News Magazine.