1999
Langley Chrysler achieves its ISO: 9002 certification. Mike uses the ISO Quality Management System certification process to embed continuous improvement into all the company’s business processes.
The Trotman Auto Group Story
We know automotive. In fact, we’ve been around since 1971.
Trotman Auto Group (TAG) is a second generation family business success, founded by George Trotman as a start up used car dealership in Abbotsford, BC in 1971. In 1977 George Trotman acquires Langley Chrysler with Mike Trotman succeeding his father in 1998 at Langley Chrysler to become the youngest Dealer Principal in Canada at 26. The vision of becoming a top performing, brand diverse dealer group is born as brothers Mitch and Brad Trotman join the company along with Mike to a develop a business platform and strategy to launch the Trotman Auto Group.
Today Trotman Auto Group is nationally recognized as an industry leader and one of the most innovative dealer groups in Canada employing over 550 team members, representing 12 OEM brands at 11 dealership locations across BC. It is run and majority owned by the Trotman Brothers. Mike Trotman, CEO, is responsible for the overall growth an strategic direction of the business. Mitch and Brad Trotman, Presidents, oversee the Fraser Valley/Vancouver Island and Lower Mainland/Kootenay regions respectfully.
TAG is the recipient of the 2016 CADA Laureate Award and proud to be named one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies.
Our History
1971
Langley Chrysler is born! The flagship dealership opens its doors in Surrey, BC, and has quickly become one of Canada’s largest Chrysler dealerships.
1998
Mike Trotman succeeds his father at the family’s Langley Chrysler dealership. The vision of becoming a top performing, brand-diverse group of auto dealerships is born.
2000
Langley Chrysler achieves Chrysler 5 Star Certification, a reflection of its commitment to using customer feedback tools to drive loyalty and innovation.
2003
Comox Valley Dodge joins the family of car dealerships in British Columbia on Vancouver Island.
2008
Alpine Toyota, the most trusted Toyota dealership in the Kootenays, joins the Trotman Auto Group, providing the East and West Kootenay regions with premier customer service and a fine selection of previously owned vehicles. Alpine Toyota is also Cranbrook’s only dedicate Toyota Repair and Maintenance centre
2010
The Trotman Auto Group welcomes Abbotsford Hyundai as a member of their first-class automotive dealerships. Abbotsford is one of the largest Hyundai dealerships in all of British Columbia.
2011
Business in Vancouver names Mike Trotman, the President and CEO of Trotman Auto Group, to its exclusive “Forty Under 40” list.
Located in the Fraser Valley Auto Mall in Abbotsford, BC, TAG acquires its second Chrysler dealership, Abbotsford Chrysler.
TAG recognizes the shift in how customers undertake pre-purchase research and invests in a new online strategy to interact with customers digitally.
2012
TAG retools its entire sales process based on customer feedback and introduces the Express Purchase Experience and TAG University is launched
2013
TAG expands the leadership team, recruiting Paul Grimsey as Chief Financial Officer, as growth accelerates.
Langley Fiat, the largest Fiat dealership in British Columbia, comes on board. The new Trotman Auto dealership provides a top-tier Service Centre, Parts Centre, and Auto Body Shop.
The Langley Auto Loans program for sub-prime credit is initiated by a team member, and quickly grows into a $6MM business.
The TAG Tire Protection Plan is introduced.
TAG raises over $100,000 for Langley Memorial Hospital.
2014
TAG adds a Director of Talent to its leadership team, furthering its commitment to attracting and developing a top talent team.
TAG implements JOSTLE, an intranet platform and culture tool, as part of its culture differentiation strategy.
White Rock VW joins the Trotman Auto Group with over 20 years of experience in the Surrey community.
TAG introduces the very popular Oil Change 6-Pack.
Mainland Ford joins the Trotman Auto Group, increasing the group size to eight dealerships in British Columbia
Cranbrook Toyota earns the Toyota Pinnacle Award for Excellence in Customer Satisfaction
2015
TAG passes the $300 Million dollar annual revenue milestone.
The TAG Leadership Academy launches and then graduates its first leadership cohort at the end of the year.
Abbotsford Hyundai is awarded the Hyundai President’s Award of Merit for being a top 15 dealer nationally in sales volume, market share & CSI.
2016
Mike Trotman receives the CADA Laureates Award for Business Innovation in June.
2018
Sunshine Coast GM joins the TAG family
White Rock Dodge joins the TAG family
Our Vision
The Trotman Brothers have transformed how our industry attracts, engages and delights its customers. We constantly question the status quo, and we embrace and strive to drive change. One of our core values is to learn continuously, adapt and innovate. We are not afraid to fail and push the leading edge of change in our industry. Our drive to push the edge and drive change within our industry has led to the internal development of several unique tools that we use in the TAG organization. Our Walk-Around Competition, which is the culmination of our original automotive training program, TAG University, has helped us to begin to change how people buy cars. By creating a sales experience that is fun, relaxed, pressure free, and that provides you all the information up front, we’ve helped our customers to make a much more informed decision when purchasing a new vehicle than ever before.
TAG’s Corporate & Community Values
At the Trotman Auto Group, we put a focus on our employees, and we believe that this is reflected in our core values.
Be Awesome.
Show Love – Care Passionately
Have Fun – Enjoy The Journey
Own It – Take Extreme Ownership
Community Involvement
Our employees are encouraged to live life to the most and to have fun doing it. All of our core values mean a lot to us, but one in particular “Be Awesome”, shows how we feel about giving back, getting involved, and investing in our communities. We are a proud supporter and fundraiser for the Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation. TAG has raised funds and purchased much-needed equipment for the Pediatric Ward at Langley Memorial Hospital and we proudly invested a contribution of $100,000 to the LMHF’s Maternity Expansion Ward.
We support numerous community initiatives in all the communities we operate in, from sponsorship of youth sports teams to the Ride to Survive, Baby-Go-Round, YANA (Youth are Not Alone), Tour de Rock Cops for Cancer and being the largest fundraiser for the Hyundai Hockey Helpers program in Western Canada. Our Cranbrook Toyota dealership was also recognized by the New Car Dealers Association with a Community Driver Award for making a tangible contribution to the growth and livability of their community.
Our team feels proud of the company we are building. We know that we are all investing in something bigger than ourselves and culture of caring is vibrant throughout the company. Most importantly we want to be as proud of the people we build as we are of the company we are building.
We are proud of the impact we’ve had in the community, and encourage you to give back as well! If you’re interested in helping in the community as well, take a look at some ways that the Trotman Auto Group has helped been involved in the community for some ideas.