DeLand man meets Toby Keith at Ford employee bash

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SPECIAL TO THE BEACON

posted Jul 4, 2008 - 10:34:06am

Ben Dowling, body-shop manager at Coggin DeLand Ford, is being honored as one of the nation’s top-ranked Ford employees.

Dowling was selected for his commitment to quality sales and services, customer satisfaction and leadership.

He recently returned from Dearborn, Mich., where Ford Motor Co. rolled out the red carpet for the top employees selected from across the nation. They enjoyed dinner cruises, black-tie receptions and a private concert performed by superstar Toby Keith.

“I appreciate this honor Ford has given me, and I am proud I can represent a company who truly values the hard work each of us performs at our dealerships,” Dowling said. “I had a great time at Ford’s headquarters and enjoyed visiting with the Ford executives; it’s nice to know we’re all working toward the same goal of regaining the title of head automaker for Ford.”

Dowling, 55, has lived in DeLand most of his life. He has one grown daughter, Barbara, who lives in Tennessee. His wife, Sammie Dowling, is a DeLand native, and his father, Leonard Dowling, also lives in DeLand.

Dowling has been doing automotive paint and body work since he was 15 years old. He has worked at Coggin DeLand Ford three years.

The Ford Employee Excellence program honors the best performing dealership employees in every facet of the business. Each employee is eligible to earn recognition based on his or her performance.

“We have thousands of exceptional dealership employees across the country who exceed customer expectations every day, and our new employee recognition program is a sign of our appreciation for their great efforts,” said Randy Ortiz, general manager for Ford and Lincoln Mercury sales. “The people we are recognizing have all gone the extra mile for customers and we want to thank them for their outstanding work and commitment."

Ford’s Employee Excellence awards program was launched in 2007, and includes four levels of recognition. The most prestigious, Level 4 status, was earned this year by 740 employees, including Dowling.

All 740 were invited to the “World of Ford Leadership Summit” at Ford headquarters in Dearborn, where they had professional driving lessons with hot laps at the company’s testing facilities, played football on the turf of Ford Field with FOX celebrity sports broadcaster Terry Bradshaw, and enjoyed a private live concert by "Ford Truck man" Keith.

Ford Motor Co. has 228,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide.

— info@beacononlinenews.com

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