Canadian technicians tops in Volvo network

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WINNIPEG, Man. — The best of the best service and parts personnel from Volvo’s dealer network gathered to choose the North American winners of the Volvo VISTA competition, with a three-man team from Winnipeg emerging victorious.

On April 12 at Volvo headquarters in Greensboro, N.C. the Beaver Truck Centre team of Dan Teleglow, Dennis Baehnk and Chris Dunn, was awarded the 2007 North American VISTA trophy.

VISTA is a hands-on competition to select the top dealer service and parts personnel, and to highlight technician excellence. Hundreds of people compete in the six-month program, which requires a significant dedication of time and effort by the participants.

The VISTA competition is held every two years among three-person teams fielded by Volvo dealers, usually consisting of a mix of service and parts experts. The winners from Beaver Truck Centre credit much of their success during the frequently intense competition to effective teamwork.

“The nerves really kicked in at first, but we came through as a team,” said Baehnk. “We always work as a team at the dealership.”

VISTA is an excellent learning tool that gives dealership employees greater ability to satisfy customers, according to Chris Dunn. “It’s the best way for us to learn about Volvo trucks and engines.”

For winning the competition, each member of the Beaver Truck Centre team received a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle and top-of-the-line Snap-on tools.

There are three rounds of competition involving online technical questions to produce six teams of finalists – one from each of the four US regions and two from Canada. The six teams then traveled to Greensboro for the final round. There was also a strong hands-on element to the competition, where the contestants had to troubleshoot pre-determined faults placed on a Volvo truck.

The five other teams in VISTA’s final round came from: Surgenor Truck Centre, Ottawa (second place); Sioux City Truck & Trailer, Sioux City, Iowa; Burr Truck & Trailer, Vestal, N.Y.; Volunteer Volvo & GMC Trucks, Knoxville, Tenn.; and TEC Equipment, Portland, Ore.

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