This week, Global Finishing Solutions (GFS) welcomed a group of automotive refinish distributors at our headquarters in Osseo, Wisconsin, for training on products, service and maintenance, code compliance, sales tools and other various training sessions.
Kicking off the festivities on Sept. 11, GFS distributors and employees participated in a nine-hole scramble at Wild Ridge Golf Course in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Participants received prizes for winning the scramble, as well as longest drive, closest to the pin and longest putt competitions.
Following the scramble, golfers joined the rest of the distributors for a meet and greet at Dive Bar, located at The Lismore Hotel in downtown Eau Claire. GFS distributors and employees enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and beverages on a rooftop patio at sunset.
On Sept. 12, Mick Ramis, GFS’ vice president of automotive refinish sales, welcomed the distributors to GFS. He shared, “One of the core values we live by at GFS is partnership, and partnership is the reason we are all here. It is how we make our businesses great, and we want our relationships to be great partnerships.”
Dean Hancock, facilitator for Axalta, then discussed trends in the heavy-duty truck refinish market, and Mark Wahlin, VP of franchise development and operations at ABRA, talked about the automotive refinish market.
The distributors spent the remainder of the afternoon in breakout sessions, including sales training, process improvements and collision center productivity topics.
After a full day of training, the distributors regrouped at The Condensery in Osseo for dinner and drinks.
The distributor meetings concluded at the Center for Excellence on Sept. 13 with training and Q&A discussions. Ramis closed by thanking the distributors and GFS’ internal sales team for all of their support: “Distributors are the ones who are driving our business — we wouldn’t be where we are today without you.”
We would like to extend a sincere thank you to all of the distributors who joined us. It was a pleasure hosting you in the great Midwest!
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Located at GFS’ headquarters in Osseo, Wisconsin, the Center for Excellence is an innovative facility featuring an automotive refinish training center, as well as a separate space dedicated to technical product training.
GFS is continuously searching for talented, ambitious individuals to join our team. We aim to provide our employees with every opportunity to make an impact on the company and find their niche along the way — weather in a production, field services or an office position.
