car sales executive

lot attendant

automotive mechanic

service advisor

receptionist

Kendall Auto Group

Before accepting a position in the Digital Marketing department, I strongly encourage candidates to ask detailed questions about workload, leadership structure, decision-making authority, and how open the department truly is to change.

My experience was that the role differed significantly from what was presented during the hiring process. Candidates are told the department wants fresh ideas, innovation, and new perspectives, but I found the culture to be highly resistant to change. Suggestions for improving processes, communication, workflow efficiency, team morale, or overall workplace culture were often dismissed or met with resistance. Rather than embracing new ideas, the department seemed committed to maintaining the status quo regardless of whether existing processes were effective.

The workload was extensive and often unreasonable. Responsibilities included managing hundreds of social media accounts, conducting audits across more than 100 locations, producing numerous newsletters each month, responding to online reputation concerns, and coordinating with multiple levels of management to complete routine tasks. Much of the job involved chasing approvals and waiting on responses from others in order to meet deadlines.

One of the most frustrating aspects was the lack of support. Employees are encouraged to bring concerns to HR, but when operational or department-specific issues arise, the guidance is often to work through management. Unfortunately, I found that management frequently lacked the knowledge, resources, or authority to provide meaningful solutions to marketing-related challenges. This created a cycle where employees were told to seek help, only to discover there was no clear path to resolving the issue.

The department culture felt increasingly hostile and discouraging over time. There was a noticeable lack of psychological safety for employees who questioned existing processes or offered alternative viewpoints. Gossip, favoritism, and behind-the-scenes conversations appeared to influence workplace dynamics more than open and professional communication. Rather than feeling like a collaborative team environment, it often felt as though employees had to carefully navigate internal politics to avoid becoming the next target of criticism.

I was also surprised by how much influence certain long-tenured employees appeared to have over department decisions, workplace norms, and team culture. New employees were expected to adapt to established habits rather than contribute fresh perspectives. This made it difficult to feel valued, respected, or empowered to make meaningful contributions.

From a marketing standpoint, the department lacked structure, consistency, and modern strategic direction. Workflows were disorganized, processes were not streamlined, and priorities frequently shifted. The department relied heavily on AI-generated content and templated approaches, often at the expense of creativity, originality, and authentic brand storytelling. For a company of this size, I expected a more sophisticated and forward-thinking marketing operation.

While Kendall is a large and successful organization, my experience within the Digital Marketing department was disappointing. Candidates looking for strong leadership, collaborative teamwork, creative autonomy, professional growth, modern marketing practices, and a culture that genuinely welcomes innovation should carefully evaluate whether this department aligns with their expectations.

Overall, I found the environment to be overly political, resistant to change, lacking in accountability, and difficult to navigate as a marketing professional. I would not recommend this department to candidates seeking a supportive workplace where new ideas are encouraged and employees are set up for long-term success.

DO NOT WORK FOR THIS COMPANY UNLESS YOU ENJOY BEING LIED TO AND USED FOR CHEAP LABOR. Management refuses to hire new employees whenever an employee quits (which is CONSTANTLY) because they don't want to have to pay to train them. They will just force you to work positions you were not hired to do and they will tell you if you want to keep your job to recieve a paycheck "you are going to do as i say". Be prepared, regardless what job you get hired for,  you will be forced to do janitorial work, landscaping duties, or any other random duties that have absolutely nothing to do with your job title because of Management's unwilling to hire someone for these positions just so they can save a little money. Turnover is extremely high because of their terrible mismanagement, so this will start to happen extremely fast. YOU WILL NEVER GET A RAISE AND YOU WILL NEVER BE COMPENSATED FOR ALL THE EFFORT YOU PUT IN DOING THESE RIDICULOUS TASKS. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH, THIS COMPANY WILL USE YOU TO MAKE UP FOR ALL OF THEIR MISTAKES THEY MAKE AND IF YOU REFUSE THEY WILL FIRE YOU. THEY USE CORONAVIRUS AS A LEVERAGING TOOL AGAINST YOU. They will even offer you bonuses to bring in new techs and as soon as they get hired, they will find any way to bail on giving you your bonus you so very well deserve. They have non-certified technicians working as certified technicians which is extremely unethical and highly illegal. For a multi million dollar company they do everything in their power to be as cheap as possible by ripping off and lying to their customers and not paying their employees for the jobs they were hired for. Basically, they tell you everything you want to hear in their interviews but as soon as you become an employee and start working they treat you as if they own you and that job title and everything that was said in the interview goes straight out the window. Never have i ever worked for such a corrupt company in my life. AVOID KENDALL AUTO BY ALL MEANS NECESSARY IF YOU HAVE ANY RESPECT FOR YOURSELF. TRUST ME, YOU'LL THANK ME LATER.

I started off as a lot attendant and in about 6 months of work I became a detailer. After another 6 months of work I was transitioned into Sales. About 1.5 years after sales I became a finance manager, then used car manager, then new car manager and finally General Manager. The other dealerships Kendall has in Bend have two General Managers who started off as lot attendants as well, one who started as a receptionist and another who's first job was car sales. The majority of management positions were all people who took entry level jobs, put in the effort and moved up quickly. 
The scariest part for most people is taking that leap of faith in yourself to try something new and work with a incentive commission based pay plan. Once you make that leap and get paid for what you accomplish instead of punching in and out on a time card counting down the minutes you shift is over you will never go back. I went from sharing a 2 bedroom apartment with 4 other people making just over minimum wage to making over $100,000 a year and buying a house in less then 12 months. There is no college degree or specialized training to start. The team will teach you everything you just have to work hard and listen. The automobile business was an absolute game changer for my family. If you are going to pursue an automotive career in Oregon there are several great companies to choose from but from my experience Kendall is best. They take the best care of their employees and you have unlimited growth opportunities. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
I really don't have many good things to say about working at this company. Best part I would say was at the end of the day when you got to go home


What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
I have to say this is probably one of the worst experiences I've had working for a company. To start off with the training is horrible. They expect you in 4 days to learn a full scale receptionist job and phone line system. 
They sit  you in a extremely small cubicle, customers yelling at you.  It's hard to get anyone on the phone to answer questions for the customers.  The pay is not all that great, for everything that you have to do. You are a full scale receptionist for several stores .
And the trainer is condescending, obnoxiously loud. So while you're trying to learn your job you can't even hear your customers from the excessive talking, laughing, and cussing that goes on right next to you, behind you.
I felt that the customers were not being valued, and it was more like a junior high classroom. Very unprofessional.   

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment is laxed. It lacks professionalism, courtesy to the customers. Proper training, Courtesy to someone being on the phone and having a quiet environment to do their job.

Managing the parts department involves maintaining an active inventory with the proper balance of breadth and depth to keep an acceptable level of off the shelf fill rate. This also involves keeping the inactive, special orders down to a minimum. In doing so, I have reduced excessive inventory while increasing the overall gross sales of the department.
   This position also involves managing up to fifteen people. Counterpeople, drivers, shipping and receiving clerks as well as outside sales people. I have found that giving clear, to the point expectations and directions gets the best results. Leaving any gray areas can lead to mis-interpretations that can lead to unfavorable results. Leading by example and positive reinforcement has created a successful team with high moral.
   I have found the most enjoyable part of the job is meeting the customers expectations and leaving them with a feeling of satisfaction. Over the years I have gained the trust of many customers both retail and wholesale. Their trust in our department has given the department positive growth.
   I take pride in working in cooperation with my peers, upper management as well as subordinates. Treating everyone with mutual respect is a must to have a positive working environment.

I am a car salesperson at Kendall Ford. I haven't worked here for super long, but I am already starting to enjoy this job a lot. Almost every person who works here is fun to be around for the most part. We have a lot of fun  joking around and being sarcastic with one another. 
Working at this job has taught me to have tough skin and to not take anything personally. A lot of my coworkers only want to see themselves successful, so there are times when they say rude things. At first, it discouraged me but then I started to not let it affect me and not take anything that anyone says personally. This is a competitive workplace and ultimately, the only person that is supportive of me is myself. 
The stressful parts come when days are really slow and you go home that month with little to no paycheck. Some of my coworkers get they're head chewed off by the managers when they don't sell anything. It kind of makes me terrified to have any interaction with my managers or do anything wrong because I don't want to get screamed at like they do. 

Overall this job is a lot of fun. It forces you to be creative, motivated, and driven to be successful. If you don't have any of those qualities, you won't enjoy working here.  

Working at Kendall Toyota in Bend is challenging but very rewarding. We are very busy so time flys and you really feel like you've accomplished something at the end of the day. I've never had a day of work where I was bored and there is as much advancement as you are willing to work for. The pay is great for Bend, OR and definitely based on performance, which is nice. I also appreciate that most of the managers have been there for a long time and are talented people, it pushes me to grow in my own career. The job is definitely not what I would consider easy but it comes with a lot of benefits and upside. I would say the hardest part of the job is learning to be better at time management. Because we have so many Toyotas in Bend we have a large customer base and need to be efficient to take care of all of them. At the end of the day it's really rewarding to look back at all the victories you had that day and all the customers that you were able to create relationships with. If you're looking for a challenge that will turn into a great career, this is the place to work!

Sales Associate:

Typical day: Between a 9-12 hour shift. On your feet most of the day. Lots of calling and lots of interactions with clients. Depending on the individual employee, you could work extremely hard or not. I personally tried to follow a balance of 30 minutes of training daily, 30-90 minutes of emails and phone calls in the morning, working with as many clients in person as possible. Recording as much information into the system as possible and then follow ups with clients.

What I learned: I learned a lot of sales techniques. I loved the aspect of working with other departments to make the experience for clients better and working environments better with other employees.

Management: Individual store management could use some work. Accountability. Upper management should look into productivity improvements.

Workplace Culture: It is geared towards males. They also have a very clickish type feel to it. Almost like high school.

The Hardest Part of the Job: The hours.

The Most Enjoyable Part of the Job: The Company. Kendall gives so much back to the community that it is hard to not love them.

Overall wasnt a bad place to work, the company itself has good values that I think are better upheld the closer you are to where the owners live and operate. There's a struggle between manufacture requirements being met by staff, for example surveys and processes put in place by whichever company they represent are not being upheld and a byproduct of that is a constant battle within management and staff. When you carry a manufactures name on your building you represent their values so you follow their protocol and I personally didn't feel that being upheld, so there was always conflict. Training and even more training would help immensely and holding staff accountable for not following protocol would be good first steps to creating a better work environment. It just always seemed like everyone was left to their own devices and some people were kept on way longer than I think they should've, it's hard to work with folks who don't care about trying to do things in a uniform manner or just trying your best, we're in customer service, if that isn't their thing why come there, sometimes it felt like some people came to work just to antagonize their coworkers. HR nightmare on so many levels. At least formerly. 

While working in Kendall Ford's Service Department does quickly help you learn how to organize your work to keep yourself efficient and productive as well as put you in a place where you learn how to efficiently communicate with customers through various different scenarios, it's extremely high stress. The customer base can be extremely difficult to work with and their anger is taken out on you with some very clever and colorful verbiage.  I don't know that one can ever fully get used to having to be yelled at professionally, but the management standing behind the service advisors does indeed help. The managers do whatever they can to assist and support you so that you don't have the take the full brunt of the customers' anger yourself. In the event that you are actually thanked for your help and the work that you've done when you go above and beyond for someone, the job can be rewarding. However, those instances are few and far between. Especially after dealing with constant negativity and delivering bad news for 11 hours a day, 5 days a week, it does start to wear on you. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Car sales executive 74 salaries reported	$110,000 per year
Lot attendant 36 salaries reported	$17.83 per hour
Automotive mechanic 37 salaries reported	$36.54 per hour
Service advisor 38 salaries reported	$94,539 per year
Receptionist 10 salaries reported	$17.80 per hour

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