Many businesses have close-knit teams, but the team at Thomas KIA of Highland takes close-knit one step further. Tom Seely, general manager of Thomas KIA, has managed to build not just a team of passionate employees but a family that cares about each other both in and out of the workplace. What’s the secret to creating such a united team? The answer lies in Thomas KIA’s morning group workout sessions.
Thomas KIA’s morning group workout sessions started a few years ago simply because Seely and a couple of other employees decided it would be fun to climb one of the Teton mountains in Wyoming together. They began training at the Dunes together to push one another and keep each other motivated. Realizing how fun it was to have some workout partners, Seely encouraged anybody from the team who wanted a good workout to come and join them.
Slowly, more and more people from the Thomas KIA team started to join in until over 15 people were showing up. The workouts evolved from being just on Saturdays to being almost every single day before work. Without even really trying, Seely had started an important tradition that made his team closer than ever before.
“The camaraderie outside of work is just the best. It’s helped me get to know my employees a little bit better, and it seems like everybody's more refreshed and pumped up and that we have better days. We’re truly a family here at KIA – if someone’s having a christening, it's a whole family dealership function, if someone's planning on moving, we work together to help them move; if there's a birthday party we're all there. Spending time together outside of work is part of the secret sauce that makes us so close,” said Seely.
The morning workout sessions have done more than just grow the team, though. They’ve helped the team become the best versions of themselves. For Janelle Najar, a sales associate for Thomas KIA, the workout groups helped her get back into the habit of working out.
“It’s easier to stay motivated with five other people working out with you. It helps me feel more accomplished, and when I go to work I just feel better about the day. I feel like I’m more productive,” said Najar.
Kyle Anderson, sales manager for Thomas KIA, shared how the workouts have encouraged him to work even harder – so much so that his wife likes to tag along with him.
“I just love how we push each other to keep getting better and better. Every time we go out it gets more competitive. I’ll say I did three laps, and someone will say they did four, and then Tom will go, ‘Well, I did nine, so you better catch up,’” laughed Anderson.
The workout sessions have also allowed Seely to take some of the younger employees under his wing and make sure they’re doing well in their personal lives as well as their professional ones.
“I have one younger guy who started as a car washer for us. He easily could have fallen into gang activity in Chicago – he was living in government housing, he had no parents, nothing. We helped him watch his finances; we watched what he spent his money on and we helped keep him straight. We told him that there are no bad people out at the Dunes at 5:30 in the morning working out. Now, he comes and works out with us almost every day, and that’s part of what’s made this so important to me--pushing these kids to take care of themselves,” said Seely.
Now, that same young employee will be going with Seely to Wyoming this August to climb one of the Teton mountains. It will be his first time traveling in a plane as well as his first time getting to stay in a luxury hotel. For Anderson, seeing his manager make something like this possible is why he loves working at Thomas KIA.
“I went to Lake Central High School, and I was just a number there. Then I went to the military, and I was just a number there. I've been with other dealerships where I was just another number, but here, Tom cares about us,” said Anderson.
Ultimately, Thomas KIA’s unique morning workout sessions have brought the team together and helped them grow in immeasurable ways. Time will only tell how this close-knit work family will continue to bond with and strengthen one another.
“It keeps us together as a family,” said Seely. To learn more about Thomas KIA of Highland and its close-knit team, visit thomaskia.com.
