E-Z-GO, one of the top three golf cart manufacturers in the world, recently celebrated the remarkable performance of its dedicated sales and service departments with its annual awards presentation. The winners of the Sales and Service Awards were announced at the company’s 2015 National Sales Meeting last October, which was attended by hundreds of members of the E-Z-GO organization from across the United States.
The recipients of the awards were applauded for demonstrating an outstanding ability to close sales of E-Z-GO electric golf carts and provide support to customers over and above the high standards already set by the company. Nominees were judged on several criteria established by executives, managers and other members of the E-Z-GO leadership team.
“Recognizing the contributions of our sales and service networks is one of my favorite responsibilities,” said Michael Parkhurst, vice president of golf for E-Z-GO. “I am exceptionally proud of the contributions each of these individuals has made to not only E-Z-GO’s business objectives but also to sharing our philosophy of placing the customer first.”
Salesperson of the Year
Salesperson of the Year is viewed as the top honor at the E-Z-GO Sales and Service Awards, and the winner for 2015 is Frank Savakis, a seasoned and established sales representative for the company’s territory covering Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. The leadership team commended Savakis as a top performer across multiple categories of sales and for his longstanding commitment to the company and its customers. Savakis has worked with E-Z-GO for the last 15 years and has more than 27 total years of experience in the golf cart industry.
Service Manager of the Year
The 2015 Service Manager of the Year award for E-Z-GO is Andy Bonizzi, who leads a top service team covering the southern portion of New York State, Western Massachusetts and the entire states of New Jersey and Connecticut. Bonizzi was honored for being exceptionally dedicated to both his customers and the employees under his supervision. He has worked for E-Z-GO for more than 30 years and is noted not only for his experience in the industry but his “unparalleled level of technical knowledge.”
Regional Director of the Year
The award for E-Z-GO’s 2015 Regional Director of the Year went to Adam Harris, who manages his team of eight salespeople in the company’s Central U.S. region. Although Harris has only worked with E-Z-GO since 2012, he has an extensive and impressive background in marketing and sales. In addition, Harris is notable for holding a solid understanding of both the challenges and opportunities in the golf-cart industry, and his management and leadership skills are second to none.
Rookie of the Year
E-Z-GO does not only recognize experienced, longterm employees. The company likes to praise its newest employees who have shown a dedication to excellence at all levels. The 2015 Rookie of the Year award goes to Michael Lehman, the newest regional sales director for the Southeast U.S. region. Lehman graduated from the Textron Sales Development Program, which was established by E-Z-GO’s parent company. Immediately afterward, he was offered a position as a fleet representative in North Carolina, and not long after that, he was promoted into his current position.
Pre-Owned Sales Manager of the Year
The sale of pre-owned E-Z-GO golf cars is extremely important to the company, and those who do well with sales also receive special recognition. The 2015 Pre-Owned Sales Manager of the Year is Michael Steinmeyer for his work as the pre-owned sales manager for the Eastern U.S. region. The leadership team cited Steinmeyer’s exceptional customer service and results-driven performance in choosing him for the award. He has been with the company for eight years now and was recently promoted to channel development manager for both the E-Z-GO and Bad Boy brands.
About E-Z-GO Golf Cars
E-Z-GO was founded in Augusta, Georgia, in 1954 by two brothers who held the strong belief that they could build a golf cart superior to any on the market at the time. By the end of the decade, the company was considered a world leader in golf transportation and was purchased by Textron, a multi-industry, Fortune 500 corporation that now includes 35,000 employees operating in 25 countries. A few of the other noteworthy companies under the Textron umbrella include Cessna, Bell Helicopter, Beechcraft, Hawker and Greenlee.
E-Z-GO golf cars are now designed and manufactured by a division known as Textron Specialized Vehicles, which is responsible for commercial, industrial and recreational utility vehicles, such as Cushman, TUG, Bad Boy and Douglas.
