Johnny Tijerina joined Team Gilbert as a truck driver for Gilbert Oil Company in 2016. There is rarely a time you will speak with Johnny where he isn’t smiling. No matter how busy his day maybe, he will greet you with a contagious smile. 

It was because of his positive attitude and ability to communicate with his team that he was presented with the opportunity in 2020 to be promoted to Dispatcher. This position requires Johnny to communicate with not only his truck drivers on where and when to deliver oil and fuel supplies all over Florida but with receiving the supply orders from our customers.

When asked why Johnny applied for a job at Gilbert Oil Co., he said, “I heard so many great things about the Gilbert Family and how much they care for their employees as well as the opportunity for growth.” He thanks his manager, Raybo Lisle, for his continued growth. 

Johnny is married to his wife Cheresse with four children and one grandson. When he’s not dispatching oil trucks out for deliveries during the week, you can catch him out at the ball fields watching his children play ball or fishing with his family. Thank you for keeping your team on the road and our customers fueled up, Johnny!

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This week’s Gilbert Spotlight features Chad Harrison, General Manager at Gilbert Outdoors. Is there a Gilbert Team Member or a member of the community you would like to nominate? Visit GilbertHasIt.com & click “Nominate a Hometown Hero”.

Chad Harrison joined Team Gilbert in 2017 as a parts specialist with Gilbert Chevrolet. When asked why he applied for a job with Gilbert, he simply said, “I am passionate about the automotive industry.” It is because of this passion, his dedication, and hard work that he was promoted to Assistant Parts Manager in 2018.

In 2019 an opportunity presented itself at Gilbert Outdoors. Chad took on the challenge and new role as General Manager. He works hard with his Outdoors and LINE-X team to continue to grow. Under his leadership, we added window tinting to our service offerings. He greets every customer and Gilbert team member with a smile, and an “I hope you have a great day!”

Chad was asked if there is anyone on Team Gilbert that has helped mold who he is today, and his answer was, “Joe Glevenyak because he has shown me what it means to be a Team Leader.” To Chad, this means listening to his team, seeing it from another perspective, and working together to find the best solution to any problem.

When Chad isn’t at Gilbert Outdoors getting lawnmowers ordered or a truck bed liner coated with LINE-X, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Dorothy, his family, and friends. And, finding time to fuel that horsepower addiction. Thank you for all you do for Team Gilbert, Chad.

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“They bring the smiles,” is something Christa Luna says when referring to the Gilbert Experience marketing team. And at the core of those smiles is often Renee Juarez. Anyone who has had the privilege of spending time with Renee knows exactly what I mean. When asked why she applied for a job with Gilbert she said, “I was looking for an opportunity where I could grow. Gilbert is the place to do just that.”

Renee joined Team Gilbert in May of 2015 as part of the Customer Care Center. This team focuses on exactly what it sounds like: caring for Gilbert’s customers. She quickly showed everyone she was perfect for this role and was promoted to the department manager in a matter of weeks. Under her leadership the department was successful but it was clear she had both the desire and ability to impact Gilbert on a broader scale. 

An opportunity was presented to Renee in 2017 to join the Gilbert Experience team as the Training & Operations Assistant. All of us at Gilbert are thankful she accepted. Her favorite part of her job is, “the opportunity to see and get to know all of the members of Team Gilbert.” In her current role, she is one of the first people new hires meet as she helps with uniforms, headshots, training, and more. She uses her fun personality to make this an enjoyable experience for everyone. 

Whether it’s helping onboard a new team member or showing up to one of the stores in a hot dog costume for National Hot Dog Day, Renee is always willing to put herself out there for the good of Team Gilbert and our customers. From all of us, Renee, thank you for always helping “bring the smiles!”

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Brandon Kovalsky joined Team Gilbert in 2016 as a service advisor with Gilbert Chevrolet. During his time as a service advisor, it was clear to his managers that he would go above and beyond to meet our customers’ needs in the service lane. Because of this, he was promoted to  Assistant Service Manager within a year where he continued to provide excellent customer service. 

If you’ve ever spoken with  Brandon, there is one thing that probably stood out to you: his deep voice. But to his teammates, what stands out above all is his ability to complete almost any job or handle a difficult situation all while keeping a contagious smile. It is because of this positive attitude and strong work ethic that he was recently promoted to Collision Center Manager for Gilbert Collision Center.   When asked what he loves about his job, he simply replied “making our customers and my team happy to be here.”

When Brandon, or Kovak as some may know him, isn’t working on new processes or continuing his training at the Collision Center, you can find him riding his Harley Davidson and checking out the sites around Okeechobee. Thank you for all you do for Team Gilbert, Brandon.

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This week’s Gilbert Spotlight features Brandy Allan, Service Advisor at Gilbert Ford. Is there a Gilbert Team Member or a member of the community you would like to nominate? Visit GilbertHasIt.com & click “Nominate a Hometown Hero“.

The first time she showed up at Gilbert Oil Company, everyone spotted the sticker on her back window: “F-150 Girl!” It was easy to see Brandy Allan was made for Team Gilbert. Not only was she already a fan of one of the other Gilbert brands, but she was an even bigger fan of showing that she wouldn’t be outworked.

Brandy, like Courtney, started her Gilbert journey as a pump attendant. It could have been 100 degrees out but Brandy would still be hustling from one pump to the next fueling up customer vehicles, grabbing ice, washing windshields, or taking a moment to tell a customer thank you for stopping by. Her work ethic combined with her established vehicle knowledge made it clear she would go far with Team Gilbert.

When a position came available in the Gilbert Ford service department, Brandy was the obvious choice. Thankfully, she accepted the role and has quickly shown the team at Ford the same thing she showed her team at Oil: she won’t be outworked. She proves to us daily that she was the right “F-150 Girl” for the job! Thank you for your dedication to your customers and team, Brandy!

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When Courtney Bobst joined Team Gilbert in 2017 as a pump attendant at Gilbert Oil Company, she wasn’t expecting to eventually be part of the Gilbert Chevrolet sales team. She was hoping to find a job with a company where there would be opportunities for growth. She had only heard that at Gilbert, “the team is always willing to help each other,” and she wanted to be part of that. 

From her first day, Courtney showed everyone on her team that she was willing to jump in and help wherever necessary to make sure customers were taken care of. Whether that meant fueling vehicles, grabbing ice, or loading trucks, she would get her hands dirty to get the job done. This high level of service and drive to succeed made her stand out to customers, her team, and her managers. So after only a short time, she was brought into the office to learn that side of the business.

 When an opportunity arose in the sales department at Gilbert Chevrolet, presenting it to Courtney was an easy decision. Anxious to continue her journey with Team Gilbert, she accepted the position. Over the last few years, Courtney has moved several times; from Customer Experience Specialist to Inventory Manager, and most recently, she was promoted to Finance & Lease Specialist. We are excited to see where Courtney’s journey takes her. Thank you for riding for the Gilbert brand, Courtney!

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At the Gilbert Family of Companies, taking care of the customer is always our first priority. That’s why in 2015 we created the Gilbert Customer Care Center. The focus of this department is to get customers in contact with the correct department they are trying to reach or schedule customer appointments. One team member that exemplifies the goal of putting customer service first is Norma Ruiz.

A graduate of Okeechobee High School, Norma joined Team Gilbert in 2018 as a Customer Care Representative. She quickly proved she was a team member that could be relied upon to go above and beyond for our customers. Furthermore, she has a way of inspiring others to have this same dedication. Because of those and many more reasons, Norma was recently promoted to Customer Care Manager.

We have all learned many lessons these last 18 months. Norma has figured out how to turn these difficult lessons into teaching opportunities for her team. I believe that she has learned this skill by being a caring, supportive mother. She always keeps us up to date about her kids, Luis, Lizabeth, and Alexa, and her husband, Juan Carlos. And if she isn’t working at the Customer Care Center, you will almost certainly find her on the soccer field with her kids or doing something else to bring joy to their lives.

No matter if she is fielding phone calls at the Customer Care Center, working at an offsite event giving test drives, or helping translate for a customer, we are grateful to have you on our team, Norma. Thank you for all you do to help our customers and every member of Team Gilbert!

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The Gilbert Family of Companies was once again proud to be a part of Glades County Youth Livestock. We look forward to supporting the local youth and the surrounding areas. If you would like to help or be a sponsor for next year’s show & sale, visit their Facebook page for more information.

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March 13-14, 2021 The Gilbert Family of Companies was a proud sponsor of the Okeechobee Cowtown Rodeo. Visit their Facebook page for more information and photos.

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