TOLEDO, OH Yark Automotive Group was awarded the 2011 Winner Better Business Bureau Torch Award on Wednesday, November 9th, 2011 at the Annual BBB Torch Award Luncheon. The BBB Torch Award recognizes businesses and organizations in Northwest Ohio and SE Michigan that maintain a solid commitment to conducting their business practices in an ethical fashion. Other factors that are assessed are the businesses‟ current BBB rating, fiscal responsibility, excellence in customer care and consumer leadership.
Yark has been a finalist for this prestigious award 2 previous years taking home the top honor this year. Yark‟s commitment to treating customer‟s fairly and ethically in their everyday business practices, having a strong commitment to educating their employees on ethics and ensuring all employees „do the right thing, even when no one is watching, even if it costs us money‟ were foundations for receiving this award.
“It was a privilege to accept this award on behalf of the collective organization, our employees, our management teams and our partners that work with us tirelessly to provide a world-class experience for our customers,” said John Yark, company President. “We simply could not be viewed by the people who purchase or service their vehicles with us as an ethical business unless each and every one of our employees believe that doing the right thing, every day is how we should do business.”
The BBB will automatically forward the winners of Torch Award to the International BBB Torch Awards for Marketplace Ethics competition where Yark Automotive will compete with all local Torch Award winners from across the US and Canada.
“The Torch Award says a lot for everyone in our company,” said Yark. “We truly believe our employees are the backbone to our customer experience and without them, without having the best employees,, we would not be able to give our customers a world-class experience.”
Founded by Jim Yark in 1981, Yark Automotive Group has grown from 50 employees and less than $20 million in sales to more than 300 employees and annual sales of over $200 million. For the last 16 years, Yark Automotive Group has been the Largest Volume New & Used Vehicle Dealership in Northwest Ohio & Southeast Michigan showcasing 9 vehicle franchises: BMW, Nissan, Subaru, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, & FIAT.
The Yark family is originally from Toledo and both Yark brothers, Jim and John, graduated from local high schools and The Ohio State University. After acquiring the organization in 1981, Jim Yark, Owner & President implemented a detailed business plan and grew the dealership to include its 9 franchises, 6 Pre-Owned vehicle lots, a body shop, a car rental
company and the area’s largest retail and wholesale parts department. Today, the business continues to grow and the family tradition continues with 4 of the Yark children now working in various positions within the company.
Jim attributes his success to the people in the organization; “Anybody can get a piece of ground and maybe a car franchise, but clearly, we have found fabulous people! Our employees have strong customer awareness, a good sense for the car business, high ethics, stability and positive attitudes.”
