There is a lot of excitement at Precision Toyota this month as the brand new 2018 models start rolling onto to the lot. General Manager and second generation dealer, Scott Ball, said it’s always this time of the year that employees and customers look forward to seeing and are curious about the features of next year models. “We have a new redesigned Camry, which is a big flagship for Toyota that we’re pretty excited about. It’s a 100 per cent redesigned car; it’s very, very nice. A lot of people are looking forward to seeing it,” said Ball. Precision Toyota is locally owned and operated and they have over 38 years in the car industry and over 40 employees. Ball said they are grateful for the customers that keep coming back and recognize the importance of the loyalty to the brand and to Toyota Precision as they often see different generations of the same family purchasing Toyota vehicles. “We see two, even three generations of people coming through here. We have lots of long-standing employees that have been here for almost as long as we’ve been around. With our mechanics, we haven’t had turn over in years. We’re like a family here and we all work together to make sure that everyone who comes through the door is happy. I think that’s what helps to make us successful,” said Ball. Along with making room for the new models, the Precision Toyota team is also prepping for changes that will be coming with their recently announced expansion. Business operations will be moved into one building, while the north building is demolished to make way for a new building. Ball said they have simply outgrown their space and with the new build they will be tripling their existing square footage. “We’ve outgrown our store, we’ve outgrown our shop; mostly because of demand. Plus, we have to get with the times, things have changed since we last built in 2001. We want a better experience for our customers.” Construction will begin in the spring of 2018; it will take a year to complete the project. For more information on Precision Toyota, visit: http://www.precisiontoyota.ca or call 204-725-0508.

Originally published in the Westman Journal. I read an article the other day about rudeness in the workplace. It focused on ways that we are being rude to each other that we may not be aware of. It seems so obvious to me, and likely will to you as well, obvious and easy. And yet we continue to be rude. What gives? You don’t greet people – you don’t say good morning or goodbye or ask people how they are doing. I had a client who managed a small team whom she had to walk past every morning to get into her office. She always shot by them with a very programmed and quick greeting. She didn’t subsequently come out of her office to have a brief conversation after putting her things down. She never seemed to have any kind of friendly conversation with them at all. If she did come out it was to ask them for something, or about something. It became very clear that there was a substantial barrier between them and her. I believe this barrier was formed because she didn’t ever seem to care how they were or who they were personally. Had she taken five to ten minutes to engage with them and ask them about their partner’s, kids, pets or non-work lives it would have improved their work culture, the company’s retention rating, and I believe her life. Let your team know you care about them as people. You give one-word answers or use ‘I don’t know’ like you are pleading the fifth. Yes, the one-word answers. You know the ones that your teenager or that service person uses when they are telling you, without telling you, that they have zero desire to engage in a conversation or help you in any way? The same answers you give to someone who you are hoping gets the hint and just stops talking. Perhaps a better method would be to excuse yourself or simply tell them that you are in the middle of something or need time to respond properly, or maybe you check your own emotions and refocus to answer the question in a mature professional way that is actually helpful? You are late – to meetings, to work in the morning or after lunch. You are late. Being late is rude. That’s it, rude. It communicates a lack of respect for the rules and for other people. Your inability to manage your time should have a direct correlation to your ability to get promoted or more responsibility. That doesn’t seem to happen in today’s work culture. Time management, although more difficult for some, is not impossible for any. It does, however, require attention and prioritisation - you must pay attention to what time it is and what time you need to be somewhere and how long it will take you to get to that place. Remember when your parents and your teachers told you that you would use math every day? This is one of those times. Do good math calculations on when, where, how long and keep your word. If you say you will be somewhere at a certain time, be there. Your lack of timeliness not only shows disrespect but also that you are unreliable and possibly untrustworthy because you do not keep your word. And if you are the leader, you must be on time, or early! Be early. Be five minutes early. If you are late, it’s a clear example that being late is acceptable, and potentially worth mimicking. There are only a few of the ways people are being rude at work. My personal opinion is that one-word answers and lateness can be, and should be, managed by the leadership. I believe that those behaviours are usually symptomatic of other issues. And it is also indicative of the culture in your workplace. Maybe there are different rules for different people? There are a lot of reasons why people will become defiant at work and will make choices to rebel that really injures their own character. The one that is a pet peeve of mine is not greeting people. That just feels like bad manners. And let’s face it – if you cannot muster a good morning, or hello, or how was your night to start the day with your team in a positive or engaging way there maybe a tickle trunk of issues brewing. Be positive. Be friendly. Be kind. Be courteous. Be an example.

One of the fastest and hottest franchises in Canada will be coming to Brandon on November 1st. Tyler and Jody Henry will be the franchise owners and are looking forward to seeing how Brandon and Westman will embrace this new concept. According to Tyler, this will be the first of two Brandon locations. The first Brandon location will occupy space inside the old Blockbuster location at 930-18th Street. Freshii is a Canadian fast casual restaurant that serves burritos, wraps, soups, salads, and frozen yogurt.

Look out Dickie Dee, there is some new competition on the block. Former school teacher turned entrepreneur, Tom Price felt that this was the next great idea for his Booster Juice franchise...to take his product to the people. You will see the all new Booster Juice bike located in many different locations in Brandon including: at the Clinic by the hospital, Brandon University, various downtown areas, or by the splash parks. Popular Booster Juice brands are available for $5.00 and restocked throughout the day as needed.

Expansion inside the Brandon Shoppers Mall continues as today Morguard Real Estate Investment released a statement saying that Shoppers Drug Mart had signed a lease agreement for 18,000 square feet inside the 18th Street mall. "We’re delighted to welcome Shoppers Drug Mart, who will be a perfect complement to our existing slate of more than 90 retailers," general manager Kim James said in a statement. "Our ability to attract new tenants demonstrates that Shoppers Mall is a central, vibrant hub for the growing Brandon community. We look forward to the next phase of our transformation." The Shoppers Drug Mart will be relocating from its current location, near the mall, and is scheduled to open in late 2018.  With the addition of the Shoppers Drug Mart the Shoppers Mall now has filled 70% of the space left vacant by Targets departure. The remaining space is expected to be filled by smaller retailers.