Clement Auto Group is focused on growth. After owner and President Raj Clement opened his first used car dealership in 2012, seven years later, he started purchasing other new- and used-car dealerships. Between 2019 and today, the group has expanded to eight locations -- seven in Missouri and one in Illinois -- and grown from 50 to 450 employees.
That growth mindset extends to the companyís employees. Both of the group's Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram stores -- one in Columbia, IL, and a new acquisition in Florrisant, MO -- signed up to offer the Degrees at Work program, backed by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), now part of Stellantis.
The program offers free associate's, bachelor's and even master's degrees in select fields of study to all employees at qualifying FCA dealerships, along with their spouses and children, through a partnership with Strayer University.
Clement Auto Group's Columbia dealership enrolled in the program in early 2024, and its recently acquired Missouri dealership is in the process of doing so now. Together, the dealerships have about 100 employees who are now eligible to participate, along with their families.
Evangeline Sutton, chief market officer, and Joey Bartle, people operations director for Clement Auto Group, said the program is a great recruiting and retention tool, and reflects the high value Clement -- who came to the U.S. from Malaysia on a student visa -- places on education.
Sutton said the automotive industry offers solid careers to people who don't have a college degree, whether due to a lack of access or making different choices when they were younger.
"It's a 'second chance' industry," she said. "It's very open if you work hard, have ethics and can show character."
However, many people reach a point where they would like to pursue education, either to change careers or get promoted in their existing one, or help their spouse or children do so.
The Degrees at Work program offers them the accessibility to learn and grow, Sutton said.
Bartle said new hires are excited when they learn about the program at orientation.
"I hear testimonies from newer employees, hired as a service tech for instance, who talk about how they have a kid at home who would like to go to college but it's a financial burden and they're concerned about student debt," Bartle said. "Their eyes light up when I give them the brochure because it's something they can take home to their kid and say, 'Here's an opportunity to get your degree.'"
Among the degrees employees can pursue are ones in accounting, business administration, criminal justice, information technology, marketing, education, health services administration, human resources management and public administration.
"I give a lot of credit to FCA," Sutton said. "They're reimbursing us for the cost of the program."
The Degrees at Work program is only one of several community initiatives Clement Auto Group has undertaken.
Its Drive for Excellence initiative, now in its third year, offers a chance to win a new Ford Mustang to high-achieving high school juniors and seniors. Local students who earn A's and B's can bring their qualifying report cards to any of the group's six St. Louis area locations. They get raffle tickets based on their grades and attendance records.
Just before prom, Clement Auto Group draws 20 random tickets, and the qualifiers each select one of 20 keys. One lucky key opens the door to the new Mustang. The next drawing is scheduled for April 26, 2025, at Clement Ford.
Winterize Your Kids supplies free winter coats to any kid in the Florrisant area who needs one.
Clement Auto Group is also the official sponsor of St. Charles, MO-based Lindenwood Universityís athletics department, supplying cars for its coaches, discounts for alumni and welcome kits for the schoolís international students.
Abby Andrews