Zeigler Auto Group’s 13th Annual Product Knowledge Competition Ends in Tie, Candance Rabourn and Miguel Ortiz Both Declared Winners

Zeigler Auto Group's 13th Annual Product Knowledge Competition, which took place last Wednesday, October 16, 2024 at Subaru of Schererville, ended with a tie for the first time ever. At the end of the night, two winners were announced: Candace Rabourn and Miguel Ortiz as this year's champions. 

Kalamazoo, Michigan (October 24, 2024) - Zeigler Auto Group's 13th Annual Product Knowledge Competition has two new champions for the first time ever. Last Wednesday, Miguel Ortiz and Candace Rabourn were announced as co-champions for 2024. The Competition finale was held at Subaru of Schererville and was live streamed by Zeigler's Driving Vision Podcast hosted by Sam D'Arc.

This year over 600 sales professionals competed against each other at their individual stores to earn the opportunity to compete at the semi-finals, with only five winners making it to last week's finale. The format from the store-level and semi-finals remained the same  with each contestant doing a 10-min walk around of a vehicle. However, the finale only gave each participant five minutes. 

This year's top five included the two winners, last year's champ: Devon Rainwater of Devon Ford; Eli Bailey of Lowell Ford and Joe Amore of Subaru Schererville. In order to choose these top five, Ariah Daniels, Zeigler Professional Development; and Mike Van Ryn, Director of Talent Acquisition, saw 27 semi-final presentations. 

Rabourn, one of this year's winners, said that when it came to preparing for the competition, she focused on what mattered most: the client and delivering the ultimate automotive experience in every interaction. For her presentation she had Kevin Galer posing as a customer. "It doesn't matter that my client works for us, it doesn't matter that he isn't buying a Maserati (yet!?); what matters is that every client feels the passion we have for the experience they have, and the passion for the brands we represent." 

 

"My goal was to highlight what truly sets Maserati apart, from its Italian craftsmanship to the personalized luxury that defines the brand. Staying radically authentic to myself was just as important in the process. I believe that what makes each of us unique is the leverage we need for long-term success, both in this competition and in our careers."

Ortiz, who was also crowned this year's TEAM ZEIGLER's People Choice winner said he prepared by dedicating three full days to practicing his walk-around, focusing on perfecting his timing and delivery. This was especially important with the Honda's tech features, one in particular stole the show: Honda's paint which is temperature resistant.

 

"Facing Aaron Zeigler, I had to break the ice, but listening to Ed Mylett helped shift my nerves into excitement. Having placed second last year, I was determined to come better prepared this time. As Andy Elliott says, "the prepared crush the unprepared," and that pushed me to showcase both Honda's strengths and our dealership's customer-focused approach."

For the People's Choice Award, he said he reached out to Mike Van Ryan ahead of time for links and engaged his Facebook audience of 2,000 followers through posts and reels. Thanks to his strategy he was able to secure 85% of the votes initially, and even after the count rese he was still in first place.

Judges scored walk-arounds based on the professional's tech and product knowledge, as well as their passion and enthusiasm. All while being able to highlight the car's appearance/styling, advantages, safety features, performance details, value and utility. Also judged was how well the customer engaged with the presentation as well as uniqueness in a real-world scenario.

About Zeigler Auto Group

Zeigler Automotive Group is one of the largest privately-owned dealer groups in the U.S. with 84 franchises across 41 locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Vehicle brands represented include all of the domestic and the majority of the imported manufacturers.

Besides its extensive automotive portfolio, the organization owns and operates Zeigler Motorsports, an 85,000-square-foot motorsports dealership and action park, offering 19 different powersports brands, plus its own onsite restaurant: Trak Houz Bar & Grill. Additionally, Zeigler Motorsports houses the Elevate Leadership & Team Building Academy, an executive training company.

The Kalamazoo-based dealer group also owns and operates Zeigler Pre-Owned of Chicago, three Byrider franchises, three finance companies, several insurance firms, and a leasing firm.

Founded in 1975, the organization employs over 2,500 people, ranking among the top 1% of automotive dealers in the nation with estimated annual sales of $2.2 billion for 2022.

The family-owned and operated company is well known for its commitment to both customer service and employee satisfaction. Zeigler is regularly recognized as one of the Best and Brightest Companies to Work for in the Nation, also earning similar accolades in Wisconsin, Chicago, and Michigan. Besides these prestigious accolades, Zeigler is also one of Glassdoor's 100 Best Places to Work in the U.S. for 2023, and among Glassdoor's top 10 U.S. companies for work-life balance.