Employee Spotlight - November 2011
Randy Stanley - Sales Consultant

Here at Handy Chevrolet of St. Albans, VT, located at 699 Highgate Road, you may have noticed an introductory setting within our employee spotlight segment.  It's not even "new staff members" perse so much that it's a way to introduce you to a sales consultant you may have never worked with, talked to, or even seen.  Hey - we all get a day off sometime, right?

But this month you may very well know the spotlight's focus, as this new employee is more of a rehire, a shuffle, or a new position for said employee.  Previously the service manager prior to 2010, Randy Stanley has a long standing relationship with Handy Chevrolet's customer base, the other team members, and therefore the business on a whole.

Randy hasn't always been at Handy Chevrolet of course, but he's been in the automotive business in one way or another for nearly three decades, so much so that you might say it's in his blood - and you'd be right to be so inclined.  From 1947 through 1978, Randy's father owned a Ford, Lincoln, Mercury dealership, giving Randy the chance to get his feet wet in the world of car sales, service, parts, and the family-owned and operated feel of these things.

Being surrounded by cars gave Randy an interesting point of view as a kid:  some of his fondest memories regard the time when, as he puts it, "horsepower was king."  Fuel economy in exchange for 400 horsepower?  Not in Randy's life, at least not his youth anyway.  The 1960s and 1970s were a special time for him, as his now-favorite car, the 1967 Corvette Grand Sport Coupe, was available in used form, allowing the youngster to sit in the cockpit thereof, feel the teak wood steering wheel in his hand, and inhale the new (handmade) car smell of the new leather seats.  It's no surprise Randy's dream car is in fact the '67 Chevy Corvette, although he concedes with a shrug that a 2012 Chevy Corvette 100th Anniversary Edition would be, and I quote, "acceptable."

Randy's forte for selling cars wouldn't end at Ford though, and he moved to Saranac Lake, New York in the early 1980s.  It was there he got his first taste of new Chevrolet car sales, something he continued to do for 23 years and counting in one form or another.  After several decades of domestic car sales, 2005's American banking collapse took a personal toll on Randy, and for a short while he was considering giving up the life.

A short while later, he took a trip up to St. Albans, VT.  Having run into an old acquaintance he knew from high school, he starting talking cars once again and the love seemed to literally rage inside him, a love he once thought extinguished entirely.  With the banking collapse a fading (albeit still sore) memory, a Chevrolet dealership in St. Albans, VT in which Randy had always kept a keen eye upon for its progressive, customer-driven mentality presented both a new direction in the automotive business and a great opportunity:  service manager.  Instead of peddling new Chevrolet vehicles, used cars, and the like, Randy would instead be given the chance to see various customers throughout the day, engage with them, talk cars with them, and essentially - and this is> what a service provider does - ensure the day to day lives of these folks are interrupted for as short a time as humanly possible.

Though he enjoyed his time in the service pen, the Corvette's, Cruze sedans, and new Chevy Volt's were calling Randy's attention away.  A couple short years after his service manager gig at Handy Chevrolet, Randy decided to head back to the sales floor and he couldn't be happier.  Rejuvenated and with a floor full of new models like the upcoming Malibu Eco and the recently released Chevy Sonic subcompact sedan and hatchback, Randy feels like he did 30 years ago when he started.  Heck, even the Chevy Camaro ZL1, a newer rendition of the 1970s' Chevy Camaro Z28, is returning with over 550 horsepower, something that he had all but assured himself had faded in favor of ever heightening fuel economy.

When Randy isn't selling cars, chances are he's enjoying the Barrett-Jackson auctions on television, a show which specializes in exotic, hard to find cars and shows the ensuing battle between high rolling bidders.  Someday Randy would love to get his hands on one of these cars, the '67 Corvette Grand Sport Coupe of course, or perhaps find one that he calls a "barn find."  These barn finds equate to some old timer that bought a car, locked it in a barn, and let the vehicle sit for years and years.  Randy hopes to come across one of these low mileage gems, clean it up, restore it, and drive it; unlike many collectors, he wants to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

If he needs to unwind from cars for a while, Randy can be found puttering around his house enjoying "quieter hobbies:"  cooking, viewing and learning about architecture (Mission and Arts and Crafts by William Morris or Frank Lloyd-Wright are amongst his favorite styles).  As a "bucket list," which is either a physical or metaphorical list of different things one finds imperative to do before their life expires, Randy wants to hit a few race tracks around the world.

And that, no short list though it may be, is the Chevy Suburban that is Randy Stanley.  When asked about why he likens himself to a Chevy Suburban, Randy explains:  "well it can do anything.  It has room, it's plush and luxuriously comfy; and as such might not be what you think of when you hear 'Chevy,' but that's the new Chevy.  High quality, nice cars, for a great price.  It can tow, haul gear, haul people, deafen you with quality sound, shut the kids up with DVDs" he laughs.  "There's nothing it can't do, and it still has a lot more to give to the world."

To learn more about Randy, setup an appointment to come in and see him today or send him an email.  You can also stop into Handy Chevy's 699 Highgate Road location in St. Albans, VT and find him sitting at the desk straight across from the main entrance or directly to the left of the secondary entrance.  Whichever entry point you choose you can rest assured if you're a Corvette aficionado, interested in some service and repair information, or just looking for a competitively priced new Chevrolet vehicle or pre-owned car, Randy Stanley is your man.