Year One as Chief Customer Ambassador..."I'm Here to Listen"

2021 was a year of change. Certainly in the general sense; it was anything but a “normal” year due to the ongoing pandemic. But also for Reynolds, for the automotive industry, and for me, personally. In March of last year, I was asked to take on a new role as Chief Customer Ambassador. It was time to hit the road.

“Chief Customer Ambassador.” It’s a fancy title that usually stops people in their tracks. To me, the responsibilities of this position are fairly straightforward. I see myself as the voice of our customers, taking feedback from dealers and working with our executive team to improve how we do business and help our customers succeed. That involves traveling to dealerships across the country and talking with people. But more importantly, listening and trying to understand how we can be a better partner.

So that’s exactly what I did. And after talking to a handful of dealers, the feedback I was getting was pretty consistent. Everyone was looking for more flexibility. As I mentioned earlier, this industry has experienced its fair share of changes recently. Lately, it seems like the pace of change has been faster and more volatile than I can remember. Dealers are looking for a partner they can work with; a company that’s willing to adapt to new circumstances. As one dealer who recently returned to Reynolds after trying out a competitor put it, “We saw things happening at Reynolds…Now we feel like we have a partner, and we hope Reynolds continues to be nimble and react to the market as you have, because it is just so amazing to have that kind of a partner to back us up.”

It’s an exciting time to be at Reynolds. After 39 years with the company, I’m proud to be part of our strong leadership team that continues to strengthen with the announcements of Chris Walsh as President ?and Willie Daughters as COO. Our products and our people have always been the cream of the crop. Now we’re making every effort to demonstrate that we’re willing to make changes, committed to deepening our partnerships, and focused on helping dealers be more profitable. If you’re a dealer that’s looking to talk to someone about Reynolds, I’m here to listen.