Tom Carberry, a Quality Network Representative withat GM’s Tonawanda Engine plant, speaks the truth in observing that every GM plant, lab, engineering facility, and proving ground has non-GM vehicles in the parking lot. Because of this, Carberry created a campaign to get more GM factory employees to drive The General’s vehicles.

“If you want your family, friends & neighbors to know that you believe in what you build…you need to drive that message home!”, reads the campaign’s poster.

The decision to buy and drive a non-GM vehicle for employees is understandable for new and recent hires, but not for those who have been working at GM for a decent period of time.

“I can understand how it is when someone first gets hired, money is probably tight, but after a time, you can at least buy a used GM vehicle if you need to buy used,” says Carberry, who has been with UAW Local 774 and Tonawanda for 41 years.

“I have always thought there isn’t better advertisement for your company than to use what you make. We make engines for GM vehicles, not for Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru, VW, etc.

Ultimately, nothing speaks louder than using the product that you help create. But if you work for a company and don’t use the products you help create, then that says something else entirely.

“If you work for GM and park a Ford in your driveway, what does that tell your neighbors? That GM is so bad that not even a GM employee will buy their products!”

“We learned at the Quarterly business review that for every one point increase in market share, GM earns $700 million in revenue”, add Carberry. “I believe we are all in this together and if each person does their part, we can be the vehicle of choice for consumers. Our success is in the hands of each employee, from the quality products that we build to the vehicles that we buy.”

The GM Authority Take

We couldn’t have said it better than Mr. Carberry: there’s no reason that a General Motors employee should drive a non-GM vehicle, no matter their position within GM. That’s baseline; the bare minimum, if you will.

From there, GM can build on the movement by encouraging its 212,000 and growing employees to share share their new vehicle discount with neighbors, friends and family. That’s what we call a powerful grassroots movement to earn new customers for life, while growing market share and profits.