Phasing Into Retirement with Chris Rogers at Stevinson Lexus of Frederick

Chris Rogers is a beloved salesman at Stevinson Lexus of Frederick. He has been for the past 18 years. When you meet Chris at our Frederick store, you’ll notice he’s always pressed and put together to a "T", but what shines through immediately is his fondness for - and dedication to - customer satisfaction. We’re taking the time to honor Chris Rogers and recognize all that’s he’s done for us at Stevinson. This month marks his 70^th birthday, and Chris will begin phasing into retirement.

Chris moved with his family to Colorado in 1997 from Southern California. As the son of a military family, Chris had the opportunity to grow up in the southern United States, the Northwest, and the Northeast before settling down in what remains his home today – Colorado.

In the early 2000's, Chris saw an ad in the local paper hiring for positions at all Stevinson dealerships. Though he was currently in the real estate business and lived in Fort Collins, Colorado, the ad to be a Lexus salesman piqued his interest. He drove down some 70 miles to our Stevinson Lexus of Lakewood store and we were quick to bring him onto the team. He started his first day on the job in June of 2000 at the Stevinson Lexus of Lakewood store, drove 140 miles to and from work each day, and didn’t look back. 

John Petro, a manager at Stevinson Toyota West who has been with Stevinson since 1992, has had the opportunity to watch Chris successfully turn customers into friends time and time again. They've now worked together for about 18 years, but John recalls when Chris started working for Stevinson and made the daily trek down to Lakewood before we opened the Frederick store:

"I had the pleasure of working deals with Chris whenever his customers wanted a Toyota product. He would come in and ask what we needed to get for our vehicle and, without hesitation, he'd get it. The rapport and trust he developed with his clientele was one that mimicked family. 

Fast forward 17 years, I had the opportunity to work more closely with Chris as his General Manager. I could only sit back and admire that his business was predominately repeat and referral customers that he has been servicing for years. Very rarely would he talk to a fresh customer walking through the front door. When he did, he added another satisfied customer to his repertoire. Chris always held the highest customer satisfaction scores in the dealership. Making his guests feel comfortable and at home was his way of welcoming them to the family.

Chris's retirement is one that comes well deserved. Please note that his business and customer satisfaction level will be missed and will take two or three salespeople to produce what he has in the past. It has been my pleasure to get to know you and I am proud to say that you have been an enormous asset to our company. Enjoy!"  

- John Petro, Used Car Manager at Stevinson Toyota West

After spending a lifelong career with Stevinson, Chris says his motivation to remain such a dedicated salesperson over the years stems from the Lexus product:

“I love the product. I knew the quality, the reliability, the customer satisfaction even though I was selling other vehicles at the time, I knew that the best-built cars in the world were, and are – I believe – Toyota/Lexus. If I was going to represent something, I wanted to represent the best quality, the highest quality, and the best customer satisfaction. That’s why I made the commitment [to Lexus] and Stevinson gave me this opportunity - and its proved successful.”

A customer stops by Chris' desk to say hello and checks in with him.

After 18 years of dedicated work as a Sales Consultant, Chris is the most engaged member of the Stevinson Lexus of Frederick sales team and the highest grossing salesperson. His refined skillset for making the customer feel welcomed and honored from the minute they set foot in the dealership to – well, Chris keeps these relationships strong for years after the sale, forming close bonds and friendships with customers. Even with those who don’t end up making a purchase. Chris proves to the rest that dedication to the customer does result in success. “I’m not a salesperson. I’m a people person.”

When you approach Chris’ desk at Stevinson Lexus of Frederick, you immediately notice the stacks of handwritten cards and letters utterly covering any unused surface.

Chris, I wanted to extend my sincere thank you for an incredible experience purchasing my new RX 350 Lexus. I’m grateful you made the experience amazingly smooth, easy & pleasant! This, I will add, is due to your gracious professionalism! And… what a small world… you knowing […] my daughter and son-in-law! Everyone together provided an amazing experience! You’re awesome! A big thanks! - Kaye Wicks

Upon closer investigation, you see that each and every card is hard-written from a different customer, each voicing their complete satisfaction and pleasure when working with Chris. He even has a letter from an individual he met with who didn’t buy a car – that’s how much of an impact Chris’ excellent customer service has on those around him.

“One thing that I like about Stevinson is that, even in the automobile industry, I was never put in a position that would compromise my convictions or compromise my being honest with customers. “I’ve always appreciated that if there was an issue with a used vehicle, Stevinson is always quick to stand by our product and help the customer.”

I love the used car products – any used car product. Stevinson really does their due diligence to put the highest quality vehicle on the lot. It was very easy to represent something that I knew, even as a non-Lexus pre-owned vehicle, would be good for the customer who was buying the vehicle. They weren’t going to get something that’s going to create a problem after they bought it. That’s going on 18 years and continues to be the case today. I have real confidence that the customer is getting a really high-quality product.”

Scott Desimone, General Manager at Stevinson Hyundai of Longmont, also took the opportunity to share the lasting impression that Chris has left on him: 

"Chris is truly a unique human being. He is guided by his strong faith and has always been committed to living his life accordingly. I never really saw Chris as a 'salesperson.' I always saw him as a person that enjoyed being of service to others. This includes friends, family, and customers alike. In all the years I worked with Chris, I never saw him treat anyone differently. He truly was of service to everyone he worked with.

Chris always enjoyed getting to know his customers and took a sincere interest in who they were. He treated each customer as he would a guest in his own home and in doing so built a customer base that was loyal to Chris throughout his career. Chris always went the extra mile for his customers, whether it was shuttling their car to the dealership for service and bringing them a loaner car, or taking a sold car along with the sale docs to a customer’s home or office as a convenience to them.  

In the 15 years I have known Chris, he has never so much as used a curse word, not once! He is one of those rare people that lives his life as he preaches and is the most genuine, sincere and hardworking man I have known. My congratulations to Chris on an exemplary career and gratitude to Chris for a friendship very dear to me." 

- Scott Desimone, General Manager at Stevinson Hyundai of Longmont

This month has been a memorable one for Chris. In addition to ringing in his seventh decade in November of 2017, Chris also celebrated his 37^th anniversary with his wife, Janice.

“She’s been very supportive to me - I couldn’t have done this without her support because you never know what time you’re going to get home [with a sales job]. People don’t realize that selling cars can be very difficult on families. When you leave in the morning, you never know what time you’ll be getting home.”

We wouldn’t let Chris get away from us too soon, though. He’ll be staying on with fewer hours on his schedule, lending his ample expertise to those around him at Stevinson Lexus of Frederick. In addition to a lighter schedule to look forward to while he phases into retirement, Chris and Janice will be heading to Gulf Shores, Alabama for a little winter getaway. Then, in the new year, they’ll be visiting Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada in the Spring!

If you’ve had the pleasure to spend even a few minutes with Chris Rogers and had the blessing to meet him, you’re all too familiar with his gracious smile and always-warm demeanor. We’ve been so proud to have Chris as an asset to our team and we wish him the best in all the wonderful things he continues to do.   

"Chris displays the utmost professionalism in every thing he does. He truly cares about his customers and his co-workers. The one thing that comes to my mind is in the Lexus Covenant it states 'Lexus will treat each customer as we would a Guest in our home.' Chris displays this part of the Covenant in everything he does, day in and out. He is always happy and wants to help everyone that he comes in contact with. I have never met a nicer man than Chris Rogers."

- Brian Jacoby, Used Car Manager at Stevinson Lexus of Frederick

See what customers have to say about working Chris Rogers on DealerRater.

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