“If you love cars, this is where you want to work,” said Parts Specialist John R. Hudson of Oviedo. It must be true, because for 50 years John, affectionately known as “Dude”, has manned the parts department at Driver’s Mart of Winter Park, Holler-Classic Automotive Group’s used car superstore. When he started there in 1971, new cars cost less than $4,000 and Richard Nixon was president.
“Dude” has no plans to retire anytime soon.
Earlier this year, members of the Holler family and fellow associates gathered for a surprise celebration to honor Hudson for his loyalty, knowledge and especially his dedication to customer service. If the average number of years an employee stays at a job is 4.1 years, Hudson is far from average — twelve times the national norm*.
LOYALTY, LEVITY AND LONGEVITY
“This is a guy who started here when he was just 18 years old delivering parts. Now he’s a mainstay behind the parts desk. He knows his cars. He knows all the parts. He must agree with us that he’d be irreplaceable,” laughed Richard Ilgenfritz, Hudson’s supervisor. “Don’t tell him I said this, but he’s been known to put his feet up on the counter when he thinks no one’s looking.” Ilgenfritz is only 7 years behind Dude on loyalty to the Holler Family organization. It’s clear that this is a place where friendships grow.
Shown here with his son, Brandon, 37, is John Hudson, parts specialist, who has worked at Holler-Classic’s Driver’s Mart longer than his son has been alive.
Earlier this year, members of the Holler family and fellow associates gathered for a surprise celebration to honor Hudson for his loyalty, knowledge and especially his dedication to customer service. If the average number of years an employee stays at a job is 4.1 years, Hudson is far from average — twelve times the national norm*.
What is it about the Holler-Classic work environment that engenders that kind of loyalty, levity and longevity? It’s a place where people love cars and love helping people who love cars. William E. Holler, the current leadership’s grandfather, was national president of Chevrolet for General Motors. And it was at the celebration that John swapped car stories with Bill Holler’s grandchildren who are now co-presidents of Holler-Classic.
John’s father died when he was a teenager and his mother was a homemaker. The writing was on the wall: John needed to get a job to help support the family. His brother worked in car sales at Holler Chevrolet and let him know about a job that just opened in the parts department. A graduate of Oak Ridge High School, John got hired, impressed the bosses with his work ethic, and worked his way into the hearts of those who worked beside him. Hearing “Hey, Dude, where’s my part?” can be a daily occurrence, and it still makes him chuckle.
“I always had a car I was monkeying with,” said John, who has owned four Corvettes: a ’58, a ’69, a ’71 and “the last one I’ll get, a 1999.” Hudson said he likes working for a family organization. “It’s good for me. Keeps me moving. And I never worried about not having a job.”
*SOURCE: Employee Tenure, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020
ABOUT HOLLER-CLASSIC AUTOMOTIVE GROUP
Founded in 1938 in downtown Orlando, the family-owned company is celebrating its 83rd year, selling and servicing all brands featuring Audi, Honda, Hyundai and Mazda manufacturers. The company has locations throughout Central Florida, including two Driver’s Mart used car superstore locations.
