Business View Magazine l November 2022

213 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 11 the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay through programs, exhibits, and community events. Another is Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating (CRAB), which started in 1991 as a nonprofit providing the thrill, freedom, and these examples of therapeutic value of sailing for anyone with a disability, recovering warriors, and youth from underserved communities. Today CRAB provides sailing experiences and instruction to over 1,000 guests every yearA new state of the art adaptive boating center will be completed in 2023 and will enable CRAB to expand their fleet and offer marine trades training.. A third is Sarah’s House charitable support efforts are just a partial list of the organizations that Annapolis Cars and its more than 180 employees support. Frank Ferrogine himself is a former member of the Board of Directors of The Summit School and the Volvo Cars of North America Dealer Advisory Board. He was awarded the Commercial Stewards Award from the Chesapeake Bay Trust to recognize the dealer group’s efforts in the Bay region. He was also the recipient of the award for his work to implement stormwater management projects which provides emergency shelter and project-based supportive housing for families experiencing homlessness in Anne Arundel County, as well as best practices at his dealerships. “It’s a long list of charities given the wonderful people that we hire and their collective generosity,” says Ferrogine. “It is the part of the business that we are most proud of. Our charitable work is what many people who live in the area know us from and is one of the main ways we have built our brand.” Hiring for open positions has been difficult in the months following the start of the COVID pandemic and the Great Resignation but Annapolis Cars does everything it can to support its customers with an experienced staff of professionals at all five retail locations. The company matches four percent of its employees’ 401K contributions, well above the average for most regional and national employers. Additionally, its locations close earlier than most dealerships in the area, often by 7 pm or earlier on weekdays. Ferrogine says, “It is important to provide our employees with a high quality of life because it is then easier to attract new talent, especially from younger workers.” At the same time, Annapolis Cars’ dealer locations offer hours of operation that give customers a level of flexibility for sales and service needs. He adds, “We don’t want to burden our employees with the same kind of intensive hours that were more common in our industry 20 or 30 years ago but we also need to remain available for our customers.” With more facility upgrades underway, Annapolis Cars hopes to hire new staff in the months ahead and throughout 2023, but the job market remains tight. “It seems like many young people don’t want to get into the auto dealer business, which is a shame,” Ferrogine says. “But they can make a great career and earn a lot of money in it, so we’re hoping to attract the best and brightest.” Annapolis Cars has openings in virtually all departments from accounting to sales to service. The supply chain still is nowhere near pre- pandemic levels and may not get there anytime soon. While Annapolis Cars can often find or order the vehicle that customers want, even if it is not on their lot, finding other accessories can be difficult. Ferrogine mentioned a Subaru trailer hitch as an example of an accessory that has been backordered for months at a time. The key, he said, is to keep customers updated on the status ANNAPOL I S CARS