Lakeside International has won the 2024 Successful Dealer Award. The company was crowned Tuesday during an awards banquet in Nashville.
Lakeside International is the 12th winner of the Successful Dealer Award, which was created by Trucks, Parts, Service in 2013 to recognize North America’s strongest medium- and heavy-duty truck dealers for consistent sales and business success, customer service excellence, workforce development, marketing and outreach, industry engagement, community involvement and much more.
The award is sponsored by Automann, Interstate Billing Service, Karmak, National Truck Protection and Premium 2000.
A finalist for the first time, Lakeside International earned this year’s honor over other finalists Allstate Peterbilt, Excel Truck Group, RWC Group and Velocity Vehicle Group.
“To all of the other finalists, I feel very honored and privileged to be part of such a special group,” President Bill Reilley Jr. said in accepting the award on Tuesday. “This is really about the 325 people in our business … I’m really looking forward to going back and celebrating with them.
“We’re in the people business, and that’s really what this award is all about. All those people back home.”.
Celebrating its 40th year in operation this year, Lakeside is known as one of most open-minded and customer driven dealer operations in the Midwest. Located in the dense Wisconsin and northern Illinois marketplace, Lakeside uses an active, boots-on-the-ground strategy to remain close with customers and understand their dynamic business needs.
“We have experienced a tremendous amount of change in our business and I think the key to that has been intentionality,” says Peter Klein, vice president of operations. “We are very open minded to change.”
Reilley says the company’s ability to adapt is something his father Bill Reilley Sr. was intentional about when he started the business and its something he’s kept up as its second-generation leader.
Remaining static in the dealer business is a good way to fall behind. Reilley says Lakeside wants to be on the other edge of that, pushing new programs and solutions not only to drive internal efficiencies and profitability, but also to help customers do the same.
“We don’t just want to sell a part or provide service. We want to be the very best at helping the customer,” he says. “We have a culture of continuous improvement and try to be very progressive in the things we do so we can provide that level of service.”
Reilley says the commitment is distilled in the company’s mantra “Lakeside Pride.” Developed by Bill Reilley Sr. more than two decades ago, Reilley Jr. says “Lakeside Pride” is about cultivating a positive workplace culture with pride in self, pride in customers, and pride in work.
It’s a culture that’s noticeable, says New Truck Sales Manager Cassidy Sommer.
“I think as a new hire one of the most important things is how a place feels on Day One,” says Sommer, who joined the company nearly three years ago. “I can attest on the first day I here, my training plan was outlined. People carved out time in their days to make sure I was welcomed.”
“The continuous improvement mindset is like a breath of fresh air,” adds CFO Keith Brill, who joined the company in 2023. “People are not siloed. Everyone is very willing to jump in and help.”
That collaborative culture is supported by a strong training mandate.
Lakeside’s new DieselTech Academy is the latest in the company’s long history of employee education and training initiatives. Other notable training efforts include mentoring programs for new associates and potential managers, a leadership development program that includes an annual two-day training retreat, and the usage of many independent third-party training programs to support department specific needs.
On the latter, Reilley and Sommer reference two new truck sales associates the company recently hired who are in the midst of a year-long training program. Reilley says Lakeside’s salespeople “have to be a consultant to our customers,” and will not go alone into the market until they can provide that level of product expertise.
Few dealers are more in tune with their product line than Lakeside is with International.
Bill Reilley Sr. worked at International Harvester and purchased his first store from the OEM in 1984. Reilley Jr. also spent time with the OEM before joining his father, as did his oldest son, the third generation of Reilley to embark on an International-to-Lakeside career path.
But Lakeside’s connection its OEM isn’t just clear through the Reilley family. Several members of the company’s leadership team serve on Navistar councils and boards. The dealership also offers key input and beta tests new OEM dealer projects — such as its new Digital Dealer program — helping ensure the manufacturer can share the best tools with its vast dealer network.
“We are always trying to create value to the customer,” Reilley says.
Lakeside also provides value in its communities. Each Lakeside store supports local charities and organizations important to its associates and, corporately, the business supports Homes for Our Troops (which builds homes for veterans), the Journey House Center for Family Learning, Truckers Against Trafficking, Women in Trucking, Skills USA and more.
“Giving back is very important to what we do,” says Vice President of Marketing and Human Resources Rob Durham.
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