Skip to content
Sponsored Content

Dead battery drives journey to a new career

Dealership’s newest sales team member charts unique course to a career change
9367820_web1_Lexy
Lexy Kriegel

After working in finance and administration for 15 years, Lexy Kriegel was ready for a change, and she had her sights set on Steve Marshall Ford Lincoln.

Kriegel had returned to the Island after living in the U.S. and with her two children was re-establishing her family in Nanaimo. When the ‘95 Buick passed along from family refused to start at 5:30 a.m., a chance meeting with a friendly neighbour not only got her to work on time, but started her along the path to a new career.

That neighbour was Rob Bulloch, Steve Marshall’s senior finance manager, who after hearing her story, later surprised Kriegel at her office with Timbits, keys to a loaner vehicle and the promise to have the old sedan checked out by the dealership’s service team. If it was a simple fix, they’d look after it.

As it turned out, the solution was anything but simple, but the dealership worked to get Kriegel into a reliable vehicle that would see her safely to work and her children, now 11 and 17, to school and soccer games across the Island.

“I could not believe it. I had a brand new vehicle and the confidence I wouldn’t break down with the kids in the car,” she says.

A good fit

Knowing the time was right for a career change, Kriegel’s experience with Steve Marshall Ford Lincoln cemented her goals.

“I’m a people person and I was tired of being behind a desk all day,” reflects Kriegel, who as the newest member of the sales team appreciates the opportunity to interact with her clients. “The relationship with Steve Marshall didn’t stop when I drove away, and I bring that same philosophy to my own customers. It’s really about the people.”

Coming to her new career with little direct sales experience, and as a woman in a traditionally male industry, Kriegel credits her team members and managers for their support and leadership.

“It’s been phenomenal. The team has been so supportive and not just the managers but the entire team,” she says. “If you had told me then I’d be selling cars in two years, I wouldn’t have believed it!”

Paying it forward

One of the highlights of Kriegel’s new career path is the ability to help others the way the Steve Marshall team helped her, she says, recalling one couple who thought they’d never be able to drive away with the vehicle they dreamed of.

“I was able to make that happen for them and being part of that was so rewarding – you’re part of these big moments in people’s lives.”

***

Serving Nanaimo and the central Island, Steve Marshall Ford Lincoln is the region’s premier retailer of new and pre-owned Fords and Lincolns. A multiple Best of the City, recipient, Steve Marshall’s dedicated sales staff and technicians are committed to making your vehicle experience fun and easy.