The Face of Automotive: John and Jordan Kot

It’s always ‘family first’ at Kot Auto Group.

“We’re in a unique situation where we’re branding ourselves as a family company, as my wife Trina and our three oldest children are all involved in the business,” says Kot Auto Group owner and President John Kot. “However, employees are also like family at Kot Auto Group and that approach has allowed us to grow from a single dealership (Kelowna Hyundai) nine years ago into six dealerships across the province today. When you have happy employees, you have happy customers.”

Trina assists in human resources and advises on customer and employee engagement; son Brandon, 27, is Director of Operations overseeing Maple Ridge Hyundai and Victoria Hyundai/Genesis Victoria; son Jordan, 26, is General Manager at Kelowna Kia and Director of Operations of the Okanagan locations which includes Genesis Kelowna, Buy Direct Truck Centre and Penticton Nissan) and daughter Janessa, 24, is Director of Finance at Kelowna Kia. Son Logan, 12, is too young to be put to work full-time, but he loves to be a spokesperson in our TV commercials, shouting out the company’s slogan and mantra: We sell cars. “Being a family business has so many benefits,” says Jordan. “We trust each other and have 100% loyalty with one another. We can openly share our difference of opinions and that frankness often leads to us doing things better and contributes to the rapid growth we’re experiencing.”

That growth is based on three pillars, employee engagement, customer engagement and technology. John is as generous with his mentorship and coaching with all employees as he is with his family. Customers experience is the WOW factor, whether they’re coming into a dealership or reached digitally through one of the company’s websites or social media platforms. If a customer checks out a vehicle at any one of the dealerships they will receive a short video from the salesperson shortly after, personally thanking them for dropping by, with some details on the car and inviting the customer back. After a vehicle is purchased, the customer also receives a personalized thank you video. “It makes us definitely stand out,” says John. “It’s great for both employee and customer engagement. It’s what it’s all about.”