When Carrie Brefka broke her arm, Dick Garber decided she needed an accessory.
“Mr. Garber came in and gave me a University of Michigan arm sling, even though I’m a Michigan State fan,” she laughed. “We go back and forth about football. I covered up the sling with a piece of paper and wrote MSU on it.”
The sling story, she said, is just one example of the comfortable work environment she gets to enjoy every day.
Carrie, deal clerk at Garber Management Group in Saginaw, Michigan, has worked for the Garber organization for 23 years.
“I can talk to Pat Hengesbach [CFO] or Mr. Garber and not feel intimidated,” she said. “We all have such good rapport here. It’s unfiltered. In all of my 23 years, I’ve never questioned the ethics or morals of our leadership. They really want to know what’s going on in your life. They stop by and really want to know how you are doing.”
Because of the trusting and comfortable work culture, Carrie is doing just fine.
Change of Plans
Carrie had her eyes to the skies when she thought about a career path.
“I was all set up to be a flight attendant,” she said. “But then I met my husband and decided to stay in Saginaw where I was born and raised.”
She still found herself in the transportation industry…just a different form of transportation: automotive instead of aeronautical.
“It was 1999, and I ran into someone I knew who worked for Garber, and he was like, ‘You need to work for this company’,” she said. “I didn’t know anything about Garber at the time. But they were like, ‘Carrie, your personality will fit. You’re open and nice and it’s like a place you’ve never worked before. It’s family-oriented.’”
Carrie decided to see what Garber was all about. She got an interview at the dealership on Genesee in Saginaw. Her first impression of the building was not what she expected…but the people made up for it immediately.
“I came into the Genesee building and I was like, ‘Oh no’ because it was an old building,” she said. “But after I talked to everyone, they were so nice. The whole atmosphere was so welcoming.”
Carrie joined Garber as a porter.
“I drove cars in and back, put plastic on the seats, put the paper floor mats down, filled up the solvent,” Carrie explained. “I liked it.”
Moving On Up
Carrie’s career path is proof that you don’t get pigeon-holed at Garber.
“You’re not confined to one spot,” she said. “If you want to grow, the growth is there.”
So she grew. Her porter days were short-lived. She quickly moved up to the service department. But that was short-lived, too.
“I was in the service department for four months,” Carrie explained. “One of the office girls at the time said, ‘Talk to Sheri Kaufmann [in Human Resources]; she’s hiring.’ I loved meeting people in the service department, but I thought, ‘I’ll see what it’s like.’”
Carrie got promoted to office assistant at Garber Buick in Saginaw. She stayed in this position for a couple of years. Then another opportunity presented itself…and this one stuck much longer than the others.
“They asked if I wanted to do Payroll, so I did Payroll for 16 years,” she said. “Then I moved to the Deal team, where I’ve been for the last six years.”
She said she’s not going anywhere, either.
“It’s still a place I love to come to everyday,” Carrie said. “I don’t ever get up and think, ‘I don’t want to go to work today.’”
Comfort Zone
Garber’s culture isn’t just unfiltered and comfortable, Carrie said. It’s supportive and flexible…especially when life hands us hurdles.
“My husband got cancer, and Garber worked around my schedule so I could go to the University of Michigan with him for his treatments,” she said. “I’d work at night instead of day. Garber worked with me so I could still work but also be there for my husband. I came into work when everyone was leaving. I did that for two months, and I was grateful Garber understood.”
Carrie said she feels appreciated because of that flexibility that Garber has with its team members. She’s not the only one that notices. Others feel it, which is one of the reasons people stay here and build careers.
“The people here are phenomenal,” she said. “There’s not a lot of turnover here at GMG. It’s fun to see all the closeness. I see familiar faces all the time.”
In the two decades that she has been with Garber, Carrie said her confidence has grown.
“Garber makes you feel like you are worth something,” she said. “Because of Garber, I’m far more outgoing now. I like to meet people and talk to them. We don’t have that stand-offish attitude here. It’s more open and optimistic. I haven’t had a bad experience here at Garber.”
Fast Five
First concert? Tanya Tucker
First car? Mazda Monza. It was brown and ugly.
Favorite meal? Chili
Three words to describe your personality? Outgoing, funny, loyal
Item on your bucket list? Go to Ireland.
