Sean Lafleur couldn’t be happier. Not only is the born-and-raised local back home, he’s here as the general manager and partner at Courtenay Nissan.
Lafleur began his career with Nissan in Campbell River, and when the Courtenay dealership became available, he couldn’t pass up the chance to get back to the Valley and continue his career in the industry he loves.
“I was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital,” he says with a smile. “I’m thrilled to be back in my home community.”
The Comox Valley-based team purchased the longstanding Courtenay Nissan in 2020, returning it to local ownership – something the dealership had built a reputation on for many years after opening.
And that local connection is important to Comox Valley residents, Lafleur says.
“I’ve always believed that if you take care of the people in a community, the community takes care of you – something that’s especially true in a smaller town,” he says. “You have to treat every customer like they’re your customer for life.”
That means exceptional – and award-winning – customer service, both on the sales floor and in the service department, with longstanding staff who understand the importance of that customer-first philosophy.
Not only will you see familiar faces in the showroom, the service bays are also packed with skilled, experienced technicians, including one who boasts “more than 30 years under the hood for Nissan,” Lafleur says, adding that as an inclusive team, many in key positions are women, and several on the sales team are multilingual.
A key tenet throughout the dealership a low-pressure approach.
“It’s more important to me to have a happy customer than to have a sale,” he says, noting that approach not only earns repeat customers, but plenty of happy referrals as well.
Community service is also essential.
During COVID, the Courtenay Nissan team wanted to do something to support restaurants that were struggling under pandemic restrictions, so for every vehicle sold, they purchased a gift certificate from a local eatery as a customer thank-you. They’re also regular supporters of YANA, and undertake a variety of other local sponsorships.
Visit Courtenay Nissan today at 535 Silverdale Cresc. or online at courtenaynissan.com, where you can catch the dealership’s monthly specials, browse the current inventory of new and pre-owned vehicles, or check out their finance options.