Holiday Automotive Employees Hear From Festival Foods Chairman

Fond du Lac auto dealer Holiday Automotive hosted its mid-year all employee meeting on Thursday, July 24th. The gathering featured a presentation by Dave Skogen, chairman of Festival Foods. Skogen spoke about the Wisconsin based grocery chain’s culture and success and the many parallels the two companies share in their approach to business, which emphasizes winning with customer service.

“We are fans of businesses like Festival Foods, that share the philosophy of putting customers first”, stated Mike Shannon, Holiday Automotive president. “A great many of our team members, myself included, are regular shoppers of Festival’s Fond du Lac location and are fond of the shopping experience they provide. We’ve even taken a field trip to the store with members of our management team to get a closer look at their way of doing things, to learn from them and help us stay sharp. When Dave accepted our invitation to speak to our group, we knew it would be a good fit.”

Skogen, who in 2013 wrote a book titled Boomerang! Leadership Principles that Bring the Customer Back, has over 55 years of experience in the grocery industry. That contrasted well with the theme of Holiday’s meeting, Celebrating 55 years of Satisfying Customers, reflecting on the dealership’s 55 years of serving Wisconsin drivers. The dealership was founded in 1959 as Holiday Olds.

“This is a fun and meaningful meeting,” stated Holiday’s Chief Operating Officer, Rob Beane. “It’s delivered in a format like a live audience TV show we call Holiday Live, and is produced and co-hosted by Brian McGrath, who works closely with us on our branding and marketing, and Joe Truesdale, our Digital Marketing Coordinator. Keith Mankovecky, our VP of Service-Body Shop and Parts, Mike Shannon and myself all shared the guest spotlight along with Alayne Zabel, of Agnesian Health and Wellness, and of course Dave Skogen. We present relevant information and highlights of our year-to-date performance as well as news of some exciting things ahead. It was made even better thanks to a tasty picnic lunch, a gorgeous Wisconsin day and team camaraderie”, said Beane. Mike Shannon added: “This meeting is a salute to every member of our team and the vital role each of them plays in living up to the promise we make to customers to deliver the best vehicle buying and ownership experience out there.”

Holiday Automotive, a Mike Shannon Automotive Company, is a full-service family owned auto dealership founded in 1959, and enjoys a reputation as one of Wisconsin’s highest-performing dealerships in sales rank and customer satisfaction.


Mike Shannon with Dave Skogen.