When we first spotted the headline on the press release from Daimler, we knew there was a clever use of words in play, after all even with Damien Hardwick taking over the coaching at the Gold Coast it will be a while before the Suns can hope to claim victory at the ‘Gee!
We were correct in that assumption as the bulletin from the Daimler PR was drawing attention to the fact fact that its Gold Coast dealer, Daimler Trucks Gold Coast had been announced as its Dealer of the Year for 2023 announced at a glittering event at the Melbourne Cricket Ground this week.
While the Suns may struggle the people at Daimler Trucks Gold Coast have certainly been kicking some goals to take the coveted award for the year just past.
The award was presented to Daimler Trucks Gold Coast general manager, Aaron Camiller by Daimler Trucks head of overseas markets, Andreas von Wallfeld, who was visiting Australia from Germany for the function, along with Daimler Truck Australia Pacific president and CEO, Daniel Whitehead,
Daniel Whitehead said the Daimler Trucks Gold Coast team had demonstrated a strong customer-focused approach that went far beyond the sale of a new truck.
“Something that really stands out when you speak to Gold Coast customers is how much work the sales team will put into helping them build a truck specification that will best serve them best and give them an advantage in their field,” Whitehead said.
“Then there is the follow up support and servicing, which really is outstanding. It is at the level we normally see with smaller dealerships, who know all their customers by their first names,” he added.
Daimler Truck Australia Pacific aftersales and network operations vice president, Antonio Briceño, said that Daimler Trucks Gold Coast is setting a great example of putting its customers first.
“In such a strong dealership network, competition is always fierce. The Daimler Trucks Gold Coast team really excelled thanks to a customer-focus that is as strong in the parts section and the service workshop as it is in the sales offices,” Briceño said.
The Gold Coast dealership achieved its Elite Support certification in 2022, representing an acknowledgement of a premium in-dealership experience with rapid diagnosis, quality work, consistent communication and optimised parts availability.
Daimler Trucks Gold Coast also took home the trophy for the Freightliner Metro Dealer of the Year for 2023.
Meantime Daimler Trucks Townsville took out the Freightliner Regional Dealer of the Year award as well as the Mercedes-Benz Trucks Regional Dealer of the Year award.
The Mercedes-Benz Trucks Metro Dealer of the Year title was presented to Daimler Trucks Somerton, while Daimler Trucks Sunshine Coast won the Fuso Regional Dealer of the year, and STM Trucks and Machinery was announced the Fuso Metro Dealer of the Year.
In a long list of winners announced on the night across all of Daimler’s three brands, the list of awards and recipients included:
Mercedes-Benz Individual Awards
2023 Rookie of the Year – Mitchel Buckman (Daimler Trucks Albury)
2023 Sales Person of Year – Jamie Mammoliti (Daimler Trucks Somerton)
2023 Service Manager of the Year – Lee Atkinson (Daimler Trucks Sunshine Coast)
2023 Parts Manager of the Year – Malik Rehman (Daimler Trucks Wagga)
Freightliner Individual Awards
2023 Rookie of the Year – Jonathan Hamilton (Daimler Trucks Gold Coast)
2023 Sales Person of Year – Duane Schranz (Daimler Trucks Adelaide)
2023 Service Manager of the Year – John Herring (Daimler Trucks Albury)
2023 Part Manager of the Year – Ben Brodie (Daimler Trucks Perth)
Fuso Truck and Bus Individual Awards
2023 Rookie of the Year – Tessa Johnstone (Fuso Adelaide)
2023 Sales Person of the Year – Leon Benivento (Daimler Trucks Huntingwood)
2023 Service Manager of the Year – Sam Bruin (STM Trucks and Machinery)
2023 Parts Manager of the Year – Lee Baker (Daimler Trucks Sunshine Coast)
Daimler Truck Financial Services Awards
2023 Daimler Financial Guild Dealer of the Year – Light/Medium Duty – Tristan Keys (Daimler Trucks Adelaide)
2023 Daimler Financial Guild Dealer of the Year – Heavy Duty Commercial – Anthony Montgomery (Daimler Trucks Gold Coast)
Elite Support Awards
Elite Support Rookie CIC of the Year – Jody Mills (Cable Price)
Elite Support CIC of the Year – Ronnie Ootink (Daimler Trucks Toowoomba)
Elite Support S5 Audit of the Year Award – Erin Cairns (Daimler Trucks Townsville)
Elite Support CI Event of the Year Award – Emily Edwards (Daimler Trucks Kempsey)
