WEST HERR WEDNESDAY: Kelly Capitano

October 30th, 2024 by
For this week’s West Herr Wednesday, we headed over to West Herr Ford of Hamburg to meet Office Manager, Kelly Capitano! Kelly just recently celebrated his 30-year anniversary on #TeamWestHerr!
Kelly has been working in the automotive industry since she was 17-years old. She says that the reason she got started at a dealership is because of her brother. Her brother worked at Al Maroone Ford as a Lot Manager but transitioned into Title & Billing. Kelly caught word that they were looking to hire another Title & Billing Clerk, so she went on a whim to try it and here she will all these years later! “I loved working with my brother, he taught me a lot,” Kelly adds.
She was at her previous dealership for about seven years, and decided she wanted a change due to unforeseen circumstances, and that’s when she found West Herr! She mentioned she had a few friends who worked for West Herr and heard it was a great company to work for! Kelly has been at West Herr Ford of Hamburg for the entirety of her career!
When asking Kelly about some fond memories over her 30-years here, it was hard for her to choose just one! Overall, Kelly mentions that what she loves the most are the employee picnics and celebrations she’s attended over the years. “My children were born during my tenure here, so being able to bring them to the Summer picnics, pick out a toy, and spend time with family.” Kelly says.
When asking Kelly what has made her stay at West Herr for the last 30-years, her short answer is “the people.” She explains the respect she has for our leadership and how it is rare to find that in a company. “The leadership team we have here is second to none,” she adds.
Kelly has seen many phases of the automotive industry, and she says that West Herr is always able to adapt in any circumstance. “It’s easy to lead a team when everything is running smooth, but to be able to lead when there’s a challenge is even better.” Kelly says. When speaking on the global CDK outage, Kelly adds how much she appreciated the way our executive team handled the situation with grace, still leaving them able to deliver cars and help customers, just in an altered fashion.
One fun fact about Kelly is that she keeps a Polaroid at her desk from when she was 18-years old! The photo is when she was awarded employee of the month at her previous dealership. Kelly says she keeps it to remind her where she came from!
Outside of work, Kelly loves to spend time with her husband and two kids! She mentions she loves to travel but doesn’t do it nearly enough! She wants to take her family to Disney World, as they have never been. She mentions one of her favorite trips was going to NYC with her son and his girlfriend, exploring the city and seeing a few Broadway shows!
Over the thirty-years, Kelly has met so many amazing people on Team West Herr. A few that come to mind are Karin Ford, Title & Billing Clerk, who has been with Kelly for the full thirty-years! And Deborah Solinski, Finance Assistant, who’s been at West Herr for 24-years! “It’s great to have people to bounce ideas off of, and we all appreciate each other and our friendship,” she says. Kelly says that in Title & Billing, there’s not one right way to do things. She says that one of her favorite parts of the job is that you’re constantly learning and adapting.
Kelly says a personal goal of hers in her job is just to be the best mentor that she can be. “I just want to be able to help employees grow and learn, whether they stay with me or move on to a different position,” she adds. She loves working with other managerial positions within the dealership to make sure everyone is on the same page, and everything is always running smoothly.
Kelly is such a crucial member of Team West Herr, and we are so lucky to have her! Thank you for all your hard work and dedication over the last thirty-years, Kelly. Keep up the amazing work!
Posted in Employees, Ford