Female techs help grow Hendrick Volvo of Charleston
A servant’s heart is what led Charleston’s Alexandra Kastner on her career path.
“One of the reasons I really like what I do is, growing up I had friends and family go into the hole financially because of their own concerns with car repairs,” Kastner told HendrickCars.com. “It always made me sad that I was unable to help them on really simple things. Having this knowledge and this background, to be able to help them – or just reassure them – is so rewarding for me. It’s something I had always wanted to be able to do, and I am finally doing it.”
While the benefits of being a quality technician at Hendrick Volvo Cars of Charleston (South Carolina) are numerous, Kastner has always related her passion for all things mechanical back to her family. Growing up, she shared many special father-daughter moments through the maintenance needs of an older vehicle.
“I always had a fascination with machinery,” Kastner said. “I was a tinker toy kid, definitely taking apart the vacuum when parents weren’t looking and trying to fix it. My first car was a late ‘80s Bronco. It always needed to be fixed, and I always wanted to work with my dad to fix it with him.”
It was a similar story Hendrick Automotive Group teammate, Rylee Rogers, also a qualified technician at Hendrick Volvo Cars of Charleston. She spent many a day fixing machines around her family’s home.
“I was always interested in vehicles, cars, trucks, etc.,” Rogers said. “I drive a 1997 Chevy and always wanted to know how to fix that up. My dad drove that truck when I was a kid. That interest was the passion that really drew me into enjoying vehicles and wanting to fix them.”
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Home Sweet Home
Alexandra and Rylee are two of the leading female technicians that make up the service team at Hendrick Volvo Cars of Charleston, which also happens to be near the home of Volvo Cars first North American manufacturing facility. Located in Ridgeville, just north of the city, the expansive 2.3-million-square-foot manufacturing campus houses a body shop, paint shop, battery assembly, final assembly and vehicle processing for the S60 sedan, S60 Recharge plug-in hybrid and the new, fully electric EX 90 SUV.
“This is where we have our only manufacturing operation in North America,” said Christopher Dauerer, vice president of quality, at Volvo Cars of the Americas. “We try to be a good community partner, and we have good relationships with the local non-profits.
“We have a good technical support component for aftersales base down here,” Dauerer said. “Technical help desk, engineering, etc. to take care of and support our retailers, customers and technical training. It is essentially our technical hub within North America.”
The Volvo Cars campus is also home to the 12-week Tekniker Apprenticeship Training Program, which takes entry-level techs and teaches them the basics of the profession. Tekniker Apprentice immerses students into the Volvo product line and its new technologies, eventually introducing them to dealership service centers to continue their education and start their careers.
“We work together very well, and they help us with our technical training,” said Hendrick Volvo Cars of Charleston General Manager Dan Zarrillo. “We work hand-and-hand, especially with our technicians. There is so much new technology coming out and advancing currently in the marketplace. Volvo is very enthusiastic to be here at the store and see problems firsthand, and work with us to help solve any issues.”
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“That (Tekniker program) is close to my heart,” said Anthony Raimondi, Senior Manager, Technical L&D, Volvo Cars of the Americas, who oversees the program. “I started as a technician 20 years ago, through a similar program. Tekniker Apprentice is a great opportunity to jumpstart your career in a specialized way.
“It’s an easy way for someone starting out in the career,” Raimondi continued. “As a fast-growing premium business, we have had to scale our business and the Tekniker Apprentice Program allows for a higher level of technician training, so customers experience that when they receive their service.”
Specialized training was a big benefit to Alexandra, who not only learned how to channel her passion into a career; Volvo Tekniker opened an unexpected door to opportunity.
“I got started in this dealership through UTI. I graduated as one of the top in my class. I then qualified for the Volvo manufacturer-specific training, and was very surprised when I went through the Volvo Tekniker program,” Kastner recalled. “The manager (here at Volvo Cars of Charleston) reached out to me before we even had interviews and I was immediately brought into the shop to look around - it was one of the most impressive shops I had ever seen. I am from Texas and took that jump immediately. Told my mom, ‘I’m moving to South Carolina.’ That was my door into Hendrick (Automotive Group).”
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“In Tekniker, I learned a really good foundation with Volvo,” Kastner continued. “It gave me a lot of familiarity and hands-on experience on all types of Volvos, old and new. Along with what to expect in the future. Also, I am prepared to handle anything that comes at me. (Volvo) did a great job, they really did. I’m glad I went to that program.”
Zarrillo credits the Tekniker program for the efficient and successful development of the dealership’s service department.
“The training of our technicians here in Charleston is very important and crucial to our success,” Zarrillo said. “Volvo is very enthusiastic about going fully electric by 2030. With that, technology is changing daily and very rapidly. With the technical training facility here near Charleston, we work very closely with our facility to train our people. It is also a close proximity to the store, so people train immediately.”
Skills development was also important to Rylee, who went through NAPA’s “Build a Tech,” which is part of Hendrick Automotive Group’s collaboration with NAPA’s successful Auto Care Apprenticeship Program. It assists up-and-coming techs to help pass their annual ASE (National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence) certification tests, concentrating on areas of improvement and long-term career-planning goals.
“The Build a Tech program really helped me understand the basics on such things as brakes, wheels and suspension, things of that sort,” Rogers said. “I had never had someone be able to get with me at that level and teach me how to do the necessary things that I needed. What I learned on the NAPA side was a basic understanding of all the fundamentals I needed to work in the shop.”
Building Bridges
Both Alexandra and Rylee are among the numerous women to become service technicians throughout within Hendrick Automotive Group and throughout the country. Building service technicians from all backgrounds is an important part of Volvo’s apprenticeship program – which benefits the dealership and customers alike.
“Embracing cultural differences in the workplace allows for different talent pools to come in,” Zarrillo said. “We’re able to attract the best of the best into our workplace. The other thing it does is allows us to come up with different solutions to problem solving, leaning into our team’s overall enthusiasm. Overall, it increases the positivity in our work place.”
“I think our Tekniker program has been one of the elements that has allowed for the technician base to grow rapidly with the training needed to make it happen,” Raimondi said.
It is also important to find a company that fits into your value system. For Kastner, she found two.
“I’m really happy to be at Volvo and Hendrick,” Kastner said. “I feel like I have been spoiled. I never would have pictured myself here. The direction that Volvo wants to go aligns with my values so much. The environmental along with the safety aspect.
“Then you have Hendrick, who is so supportive of their employees,” Kastner added. “They have all these outside aspects they pay attention to. I feel like I have hit the jackpot. I’m really grateful to work for two great companies.”
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