I worked at Reynolds for 8 years before I was let go in April of this year. So I remember what Reynolds was like before Brockman. I also got to experience the Brockman regime for a couple years. I was on the Product Management side of the business for one of their CRM apps. What just blew my mind was Brockman's insistance on sticking his nose into every centimeter of every business/development decision. Any new feature requests, enhancements, bug fixes, etc had to go through him for approval. You can probably guess what that did to our ability to creatively meet customer needs and keep ourselves in the game. Brockman became the bottle neck, and it wasn't long before I found out that any new feature requests/enhancements simply were not going to happen (at least not within the next 3-5 years...not kidding by the way). You can guess what this did to my job. I honestly had nothing to do all day everyday because the back log of feature requests that the programming side had to deal with was so huge that new feature requests were just laughed at. Eventually I just broke and stopped wanting to come to work (though I kept coming in day after day with nothing to do). This is just one example of the garbage that is going on at Reynolds. Knowing what I know about their situation, especially their development process, were I a dealer I would set sail in a very different direction for my CRM or any other software needs.

Did anyone else find the irony in the "personally sent" completely biased political e-mails sent by Bob a few times in the past year? (another legal question?) The main purpose of the e-mails were to warn us to fear the evils of big government dictating our lives. I am convinced Bob would prefer to dictate our lives for us instead, and may not realize he is doing the same thing he preaches against. Mandatory health screenings, drug tests, monitoring employee e-mail/internet access, building location entry/exit, and now monitoring diet, thanks to mandating employee ID's are the only form of payment in the cafe at lunchtime. Yes, you do feel as though you are in a Soviet Union environment, unable to speak out or have an opinion. Very depressing.

Actually, in the state of Texas asking about tobacco use is legal.

A recruiter called me from Reynolds and Reynolds in response to my resume. The first question she asked me is whether I used any kind of tobacco products. No one is legally allowed to ask that. Instead, have you ever been disciplined for extensive or additional breaks?

Lo, and behold, today I received a nice, neat email informing me that the positions they had available are not a match for me. Why would they call me in the first place then?

I believe I have been discriminated against. Some comments have eluded to the fact that it is an "insurance issue". Even at that, employees should be able to be insured in the way we are insured with life insurance companies.

Being turned down for even an interview based on a phone quiz about my tobacco use is discriminatory and has no bearing on how I perform my job or my skill sets.

Is there any petitions, class-action suits, etc. that I can contact? Jobs are hard enough to find in the Dayton, Ohio area without these illegal questionnaires.

"Because of the economy," I and a few others were let go. And I must say, I've been thrown out of bars with more class than what they showed.

I had the extreme displeasure of working for Reynolds when it was still UCS (Based out of Houston) and after the merger with Reynolds. We (UCS Employees) were very much used to the good old boy, big brother, inept leadership, etc. that shocked everyone in Ohio and the UK. The resoning behind the tobacco screening (When I was still there) was that they (UCS / Reynolds) provided health care at no cost to you, so they can dictate what you put into your body. The humor of this was that the free healthcare coverage was so poor that I enrolled into my wife's through her company out of my own pocket because it was less money to pay for coverage than to have free, miniscule coverage. Most vistits to the doctor were considered "wellness" visits and, therefore, were not covered by your insurance. You had to pay out of pocket for all lab tests, blood work, and the m=prescription coverage was laughable. My Clarinex prescription was $75 a pop on their free insurance and it was $15 on my "Pay" insurance. Sadly, the cycle will just continue because the Texas offices are located in College-centric towns and their will always be an inexhuastable supply of cheap labor that will stick around while they look for real jobs with real pay and benefits.

I worked for Kalamazoo-UCS in the UK two years after Bob Brockman bought out Kalamazoo to increase the companies European share. I was employed from 2004-2006 and left of my own accord. I took drug tests, answered personality tests, mensa tests, and an over the phone quizzing session to the Houston office regarding smoking and morals. I was told the job I applied for involved 6 months in the states was no longer available on my first day and I would work in the UK office... I then realised a large percentage of the staff resented the take over and people were steadily moving on. Bob has rebranded the European arm to Reynolds-Kalamazoo and I hear from current employees that nothing has changed, people are still getting randomly drug tested and if caught smoking even in personal time warnings are issued.

If you have experienced the cult...you'll know what I'm talking about!

The Bob Brockman experiment is failing. The business model is broken and good people are fleeing the sinking ship like rats. I submitted a 'lead2sale' prior to my departure. 6 months later I am informed they will not pay me the $250 they owe me. I guess they are too stupid to realize that I still have my database of all the clients I engaged plus some. That will be the most expensive $250 they ever didn't spend!

Reynolds screens for cigarette smoking? Since drug testing is normally done after an offer of employment has been made, does that mean you could lose your Reynolds job offer from having smoked cigarettes? Is that legal? I don't smoke, and I don't recommend smoking, but if it isn't illegal, not even immoral, how can Reynolds withdraw their offer? Is this something that simply reflects the arrogance of Brockman's army of pit bull ferocious lawyers that are on standby to sue car dealers or their widows?

Mega high turnover and they even drug screen for nicotine, yeah, [sarcasm]I'd love to work there[sarcasm]

This is really sad. Growing up down the road from their headquarters in Dayton, Ohio and having a large group of my friends that work at the company it is frustrating how one person can change the face of company. I never thought I would see an approval rating lower than our wonderful one foot out of the door president....

I checked out the Autotrader.com ratings for the hell of it, is it me or is it pretty obvious the Autotrader.com listings are being sugar coated by HR Recruiters from ATC? Wouldn't suprise me. The begining of the Kool Aid fountain.

Jeff,

Wow, that Glassdoor report is a real eye opener! I worked at Reynolds and Reynolds from the time they acquired the HAC Group, where I worked as a Cyber Car Catalyst, in May of 2000 until I left Reynolds to work for Courtesy Chevrolet in August 2005. Since March of 2007 I have worked for Reynolds primary competitor, ADP Dealer Services, so I have opinions about the differences in working at each company. While I worked at Reynolds, the company was generally a great place to work... Good benefits, promotions... Other than the "reorganization" of the company every 6 months prior to Brockman buying it, Reynolds was not a bad place to work and there were a lot of good reasons to be there... Then, after Bob Brockman took the company over, I noticed that my friends still working there were becoming more and more like people acted back in the old Soviet Union days... Paranoid, afraid for their jobs, not wanting to speak out or be heard... More and more of the best people at Reynolds left. When I started working at ADP, I was amazed at how many of the brightest and best people I had worked with at Reynolds were now working for ADP... Why? Apparently the article you cite really helps to clarify why many of the best people at Reynolds who had other opportunities have left since Brockman bought the company... I had the great honor of sitting next to Bob Brockman as a dealer guest at the Reynolds Superbowl Party in Las Vegas in 2007. His attitude, commentary and conversations with me were part of what put me over the top in deciding to go to work for ADP. Something about that guy made me WANT to work for a competitor... And, well, kick some butt in the dealer solutions marketplace!

hmm, being a sort of long time employee, I just hate to see what was once a good thing. I was lucky enough to be there when Stewart Arnold owned it back in the late 80's, and when they were bought by wayne hazinga. Then sold to Landmark/cox... But when I was re-hired later on things were going along fine until Dominion and Cox got into a spat.... And Dominion wanted to sell out..... I figured cox would buy them out, but alas they had higher hopes...they were trying to sell the dot com name and nobody wanted it while it was attached to the publications. But we all know the next part with Dominion buying cox out. Because cox only made a 23% profit, instead of 25%. For 2 years I've heard that Dominion was

dedicated to printing, and those of us who were left put a ton of hard work into keeping them profitable... But first cox pulled their national books out of interco to save $200,000 a year... Sure doesn't seem like a lot to me to kill off the books. But Dominion started seeking outside work, after years and years of not looking for it. But how dedicated to printing and outside work can you be when the total of our local sales force is NONE... WTH? do these people think a line is going to form outside the door just because you went commercial...? Get real! I've had the luck to work at a real commercial print company in between auto trader stints... And they had a WHOLE office of people dedicated to selling our services. And now every week another publication disappears. Come on how can Florida not sell enough books to keep a boat magazine profitable...REALLY? This is all just a case of 2 big companies being greedy and having a different vision of the future. I still agree that at least 1/4 of the US looks at print since they don't have a computer or even access to one. But I am in no means bitter about this whole thing, times change technology moves on, it was great in it's heyday, now it's on the endangered list. In a few years people will remember printed books/magazines like we remember the 8 track, cassette, VCR's.

My main reason for the hint of venom is for the way we the workers have been treated, even though we see the "writing on the wall", they don't have the cahonas to man up and just tell us when the actual last day is. It's not like anyone still here is going to just stop doing their job, we all want the severance we hope is coming. But you should at least show us some class and make the last day public, 'cause we all KNOW it's coming around the first of the year. Just show some class, soon to be x-employees would like to move forward with life.... Until you grow up and give the date there will be an air of disgust coming from Norfolk.

I have come across this site years after working at a branch for Trader Publishing located in NC. Unfortunately, I had lost my job just as the merger was taking place. I would have loved to have the opportunity to put years in this company but had this opportunity taken from me under the grounds of petty personal greed and corruption.

The higher ups in this company (much like many) did not even have a remote idea of what was happening in this office. Even some of the managers and other supervisors did not know what was really going on. I watched so much happen before my eyes while still trying to remain optimistic while believing that things were not really as corrupt as they were beginning to seem. I am not focused on the company as a whole in my account, but this specific branch and more specifically, a division within this branch.

I was honestly a great worker that had much to offer this company. I was placed in this division with two others. I was efficient with my work and was there to offer the reps techniques to make the ads for their dealers be outstanding. However, when I was helping the most and really shining in this branch; the others in the office with me would only treat me with indifference. They had begun to sabotage my position within the company and seemed outraged by my "go the extra mile" approach. For instance, when tailoring some graphics and other aspects of ads they would tell me to tell the reps that "the program will not let us do that"....even though I had proven that it could and it was fairly simple for me.

I had this person trying to keep customers on the phone while discouraging them to talk to me when they would can to speak with me after previous correspondence. After completing my work, I would be working on the work of the other division members after they would become behind (this was nearly everyday). I also came to realize that they were even holding onto to incomplete work until I would come in. They would receive bonuses after I would play a major part in the work that they received bonuses for. They would go on vocation, be extremely late, or have to miss days and I would be there to full in for them. This is while they received full time hours every week, health insurance, a savings plan, and vocation time while I received none of these regardless of my work and devotion to the company. I was mocked for "not having a life outside of work" by the same people in my division because I was so dedicated to this job. I had reps that would tell me what a dealer expected and I would help them reach that goal. This led to satisfied reps and dealers.

I saw sales rise while I was there. I realize that as an individual that I played a small role within the company. I also realize that I still made a great impact within that company. Eventually, the women that I worked with got together with our immediate supervisor (who was also a friends that they went out with after work) and planned. I came in one day to have them seemingly more motivated than I had seen them at work as the exclaimed "today is a wonderful day!" while in the most professional attire that I had seen them in. The same day, I realized why they were so enthusiastic after being taken into the conference room to be fired by this supervisor. I was fired for being late. As I understand that companies should not tolerate lateness; you must also be aware of the fact that I filled in for the others in the same division as they were extremely late (sometimes so that they could take care of personal business). I was told by this supervisor that "the five minute grace period did not apply to me because I was a part-time worker".

If you give the power in your company to those on the relatively low levels of the company, then you can lose good employees based on personal thoughts of this person. The better I was, the more I was disliked. It was not about how great the work was, but the feelings of these other division members. If you keep employees based solely on seniority then you will lose chances to have more dimensions and better work ethics added to your company. I do feel bad for the workers that had been there for years that lost their job. I would have loved to have had the same opportunity before my job was ripped from me after I had begin to grow within the company.

Dude, WTF? You STEAL someone's trademark and then have the gall to use the word "honest" to describe yourself? There are lot's of sites out there to advertise on so AutoTrader isn't a monopoly. Try calling yourself kraigslist and see what happens. Wait, you like craigslist - did you get rid of your 240 yet? (http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/cto/1875150113.html) Better yet go out and open a fast-food restaurant named Stick's McDonald's. How 'bout Bogie's Burger King?

Be an honest guy. Build a real business that doesn't include another company's trademark in your URL. But wait, then you'd have to build your own traffic on google without using the words AutoTrader, Auto Trader or AutoTrader.com.

By the way, are you done "exposing" dealer "fraud"? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkLLJFdUTH0&fe...

Dude!

Lol, there are several Ad sites that are giving them a run for their money. Autotrader been sending attorneys after people so they can monopolize. So, if you have autotrader in your name you are F'ed. They think they created other peoples domains names and paid for it. There is a site that is awesome looking in design and their ranking isn't bad for the time they been on the net called Bogartsautotrader.com. They got attacked - funny thing is it seem like they waited to see if they were going to do good then hit them from a reliable source of mine. Internet monopoly I mean you are going up against COX, corporate gangbangers it seem. If you are a small guy they can't handle competition what do they do - gangbang in suits and ties instead of man up and give people that made them rich help like all those dealerships that are going down I'm sure they made COX and AutoTrader.com rich so when they going to help the car industry like lowering their fucking feed prices. I know BogartsAutoTrader.com was doing this and people were happy. Spread the word, in my opinion they went after them BogartsAutoTrader.com because they are honest and is trying to help the car industry instead of rob them when the economy is down. Our country needs more honest businesses like BOGARTSAUTOTRADER.com. I won't doubt if Autotrader start harassing them to give up their domain name. That is what wussies do in my book must know you suck when you got to worry about the little guy, lmao sad. Money gangbangers once the corporate peanut butter kicks in they will get you stuck like a ghetto with no option "AUTOTRADER".

I feel in the world of tough competition online auto websites need to think out of the box for promoting their websites. Many companies are struggling to make their presence felt in the automotive industry.

Well then. Nice to find this site and discover what happened. As a former owner of and AT, and employee of Trader it is a sad affair to see what a few good men and women can destroy.

Conrad, George, George, Brit, Norman. What a shame and shame on you. But then I would guess we are all retired now so it really doesn't matter. Does it.

Fantastic! love this blog

AutoTrader.com is monopoly in internet. I hate any monopolies! Don't do any deal with MONOPOLIES, EVER!!!! It'll cost your children an air!

Intercoprint is starting to do a l;ot of outside work.. with very good pricing give them a call and see if they can beat what your presently paying.. It can't hurt it might save you money!!!!!

Commissions-

I work for a small regional- We get 18% on everything in our region and 15% on everything sold into the next region over. We also get a year end bonus if we exceed last years sales. The best I have ever heard from other competitors is 25% - the worst is 10%.

Good luck! Print is far from Dead - I have many happy customers. It's all about results!

Just a quick update from someone who is made to feel like they are lucky to have a job.The B.S is still flowing freely. Same old trader lies. They still don`t know what they`re doing.

Dear Appreciative:

COX was a 50% owner/partner in Trader Publishing Company since April 1991, with Landmark being the other 50% partner/owner. The partnership was quite financially productive to the owners under the inspired and visionary leadership of Conrad Hall and the senior executive team that paved the way to a very successful branded stable of publications as a result of carefully thought-out and deliberate strategies that were spot on with the times. Not too many companies can boast the double-digit gains in revenues and profits that were enjoyed during the next 15 years, especially from a point of where the internet evolved from relative obscurity to what it has become today.
I believe that the point that many ex-communicates are making on the blogs out there is that COX embraced their new ownership of the agreed-upon entitlements very generously at first but then quickly changed that environment into one of disconnect and obfuscation of facts and strategies.
When an associate of mine scribbled "The beatings will continue until morale improves" on the sales board in the office, it was simply an innocent attempt at humor, but also and unfortunately vibrant foreshadowing of the unpleasant times ahead.
By the way, Morale improved, but the beatings continued, all the way to the very end.
I think that most employees will agree that they would have much rather known the truth early on so they could go out and get better jobs that came up, rather than pass them up based on false hopes that things would get lean, but at least continue on.
It's all speculation at some point, but the reality is that alot of employees were left out in the cold with nowhere to go and now their non-competes are being waved in their faces as they simply try to survive in this new world, doing what they know best.
I agree with some of the posts earlier on, and that is to let the people go out and work, create jobs [even as competitors] and try to eek out an existence. If COX stands behind their declaration that print is in fact dead, then it really does not matter, because any competitive print startup will fail miserably, right? And, those failures will further reinforce the story they tell... right?
Just a couple thoughts.